Cid couldn’t move, backward or forwards. "Vincent. It’s me."
Vincent didn’t lower the gun.
"Vincent? Can’t you hear me?"
"Of course he can hear you, Highwind," Hojo said.
"You just can’t hear him."
"Listen."
"Go on, Vincent."
The ground—if it could be called that, it was just a bunch of blackness like the rest of the place—began to change.
The blackness between him and Vincent dissolved away, the ground shook, a shape rose up in front of Vincent. It was a coffin.
"Vincent, don’t do this. Whatever it is, don’t!"
"He’s stuck in a loop," Hojo said.
"And there’s no room for your ranting."
"Loop? What loop?"
"He loved me."
"She didn’t love him."
"He wanted to protect me."
"She died."
"He wanted to say something."
"I shot him."
"He should have died."
"He didn’t."
"It hurt."
"But the real pain was his fault."
"It was all his fault."
"He was so stupid."
"He loved me."
"She caused him so much anguish."
"He hated him."
"He slept with me."
"When I was the one he wanted."
"And would never get."
"He loved me so much."
"He went through so much for her."
"And I never died."
"He finally saw her again."
"He got his wish."
"And she hated him."
"Such a monster."
"He’d always be a monster."
"Inside."
"And out."
"He failed me."
"He failed her again."
"I asked for so little."
"Just to die."
"He wished that so long ago."
"He never got his wish."
"But he couldn’t deprive me of mine."
"He loved her."
"He shot me."
"He loved her."
"I hated him."
"He just wanted to make her happy."
"I tried to kill him."
"He didn’t want to fail her."
"And he killed me."
"He could never protect her in the end."
"He loved me."
"She didn’t love him."
"He wanted to protect me…"
They kept going, on and on, until Cid couldn’t take it anymore. "Shut up!"
"You shut up!" It was Vincent who yelled this time. The others were silent.
"Vince—?"
"Who?" Vincent demanded. The emotionlessness had left him.
"Huh?" Cid was suddenly a lot more afraid than before.
"Who goes in the coffin?"
"Vincent—"
"I’m not going back, Cid. It’s too dangerous out there. It hurts too much. I won’t have any dreams this time. No one will hurt me anymore."
"Vincent, don’t!"
"Go on, Vincent," Lucrecia said.
"Go on," Hojo said.
"Cid," Vincent said in a tone that Cid knew he hadn’t convinced Vincent of anything. "Will you come with me? Please? It’ll be ironic, won’t it? You always wanted the sky, but you’d be staying in the ground permanently in the end. I’m going either way."
"Vincent, please. Put the gun down. You don’t want to do this."
"I do want to do this!" Vincent screamed. "Don’t you dare tell me I don’t! Don’t you dare tell me what to think! What to feel! And don’t you fucking dare say it doesn’t matter! It does matter! It matters…" Vincent’s voice broke. "…To me."
"I meant it didn’t matter to me, dumbass!" Cid yelled back.
Vincent gasped. His headband suddenly came loose an unraveled, falling off his head and uncovering his eyes.
Lucrecia and Hojo had a look of surprise on their faces, and then went blank; their turn to be emotionless.
The headband landed on the ground.
Vincent gripped the gun with both hands, his arms shaking, but it was still aimed at Cid.
"It never mattered to me. I never meant I didn’t care. I meant I didn’t need to know your past. I didn’t care about it because it wouldn’t change anything. I love you, goddamnit. Nothing that ever happened can stop that."
"I love you too, Cid."
"Then why don’t you put the gun down?"
Vincent shook his head. "Why?"
"Why don’t you ignore me?" Lucrecia asked, scared.
"Why won’t you hurt me?" Hojo asked in the same tone as Vincent and Lucrecia.
"Because that's not how it works. That’s not how it’s fucking supposed to be!"
Lucrecia and Hojo were silent, but suddenly afraid.
"But… it is… It was my fault."
"No. You’re supposed to go home now. I’m supposed to be nice. You’re supposed to be happy. Nothing is no one’s goddamn fault. That’s how it’s supposed to be, damnit."
"No!" They both yelled. "Come back."
"Come back to me," Lucrecia said.
"Come back to me," Hojo said.
"Shut up!" Lucrecia yelled at Hojo.
"You shut up!" he yelled back.
"Cid…" Vincent whispered. He was crying again.
"Don’t listen to those fuckers!"
"Cid, I don’t want to go back. It’s too… I’m scared."
"It’s okay, I won’t let anything happen."
"You said that before. You said that so many times… There’s too much out there. You can’t stop it and neither can I. I’m going. I…"
"You don’t want to do this. Put the gun down. It’s okay, I’m right here. Come on."
"No! No, I want to do this! I’m going to!"
"No. You’re not."
"I am, Cid!"
"Then why the hell haven’t you? Why the hell are you hesitating?"
"I…"
"Vincent?"
Lucrecia and Hojo looked up. They both backed up a step when they saw the image behind them.
"Vincent, where are ya?"
Vincent played with the shotgun a few times, testing to see how well it went off without any bullets.
Tears fell down his face. He reached into his pocket and took out a single bullet and put it in the shotgun.
He twirled in and looked at it. He didn’t wonder about what he was about to do, but where to aim it.
"Vincent! Vincent, you’re starting to worry me!" Cid’s voice was closer now.
He was running out of time.
"Then I won’t any more."
He chose his head. He put his mechanical hand on his arm to steady it.
He pulled the trigger. Nothing happened.
"Shit!" he whispered.
He could hear Cid’s footsteps outside.
"Not this door, not this door," he prayed to himself, not knowing he was saying it out loud. He cocked the gun as the door opened.
He didn’t pull the trigger fast enough.
"What the fuck do you think you’re doing?" Cid screamed, louder than Vincent ever believed he could. He was angry. Angry and afraid, but all Vincent heard was anger. His screaming had been too loud for him to hear Vincent yelp in pain as Cid kicked the gun out of Vincent’s hand.
"What the fuck?" Cid was still screaming. He grabbed Vincent by the shoulders and shook him. "What the bloody fuck do you think you’re doing?"
Vincent didn’t answer. He just sucked on his fingers as tears fell down his face.
"Tell me," Cid whispered. His voice was suddenly gentle, calming. But not enough.
Vincent closed his eyes and shook his head.
Cid was angry again.
"You think she’ll forgive you if you go an’ join her, don’t you? Don’t you?"
Vincent opened his eyes and nodded weakly.
"You dumb fuck! Look, even if she did, do you even realize what you’re doing?"
"Yes."
"Goddamnit! You don’t fucking care, do you? You… fine. She’ll forgive you. But I never will! There! I mean it! Figure you’re way outta that one!"
Cid set Vincent on the ground, the adrenaline gone and his endurance spent.
Vincent turned away from him. "It hurts, though."
"Come on," Cid whispered, offering Vincent his hand.
"Please don’t hate me."
"Just don’t kill yourself."
Vincent sat there, wondering about something for a minute then reached up and took Cid’s hand. He didn’t look at Cid.
"Come on." Cid helped Vincent stand and wrapped his arm around Vincent’s shoulder. "No," he whispered, turning Vincent’s face away as Vincent turned to look at the gun. He lead Vincent away, not really caring where, as long as it was away from there.
"Cid…"
"Yeah?"
"Nothing."
"That’s okay. Come on."
"You… You talked to me. You listened to me. You stayed with me, Cid. You told me you were my friend and… and… you believed me when I said I felt better. You gave me back my gun and asked… you asked Cloud to take me back into battle. You were still my friend after that. You didn’t leave me."
"I’m not going to. Come on Vince. I’m right here. Put the fucking gun down, please."
"No!" Lucrecia yelled.
Vincent ignored her and uncocked the gun. He opened the chamber and took the bullet out.
Lucrecia disappeared.
Hojo was afraid.
"I know who goes in the coffin, now." Vincent tossed the gun and bullet in.
Hojo tried to scream, but there was only silence as he disappeared.
The lid slammed closed and the coffin sank away.
"They… They both tried to kill me… I just survived. You… You saved me."
"I’ll do it again if I have to. Come ‘ere."
Vincent shook his head.
"What if they come back?"
"Then tell ‘em to piss off. I’m here. I’m fucking real. They’re dead. You know they’re dead. They’re gonna stay that way this time."
"They’re dead," Vincent repeated, closing his eyes and leaning his head back.
Cid reached out to Vincent; afraid that whatever was happening was going to take Vincent away, right when he’d finally gotten him back. To his surprise, he could move his feet. He stepped forward and took Vincent’s human arm so Vincent could feel him right there.
"She is dead," Vincent whispered,
"Who is?"
"Lucrecia." Vincent opened his eyes and turned his head back down, to look at Cid one more. "She… she told me why she was scared. She didn’t hate me. She was jealous. I… She said I was more human."
"Did she forgive you?"
"I didn’t ask her. I don’t care anymore. Please don’t hate me." Vincent put his metal hand over Cid’s.
"Just don’t die on me." Cid pulled Vincent close, but was seemed afraid that Vincent would break like glass. "Fuck, it’s great to have you back. Come on, let’s get out of the dead people, this stuff gives me the creeps."