~When you die... Look for Me~

[Matsi]

She had been free from the age of eleven, up until graduation. Literally. Just moments after the end of her highschool graduation cerimony, they came and took her away again. She was whisked back to the labs where the beginning of her life had taken place. There was a reason that she grew up calling it a Hell Hole. Yet, it didn't matter what she called it, she was stuck there again, and there was nothing she could do about it.

Her life had always been rough. She was a Metlam, an experiment to make the perfect human-animal hybrid into aa weapon. Needless to say, she was the first successful one, and one of the only successful ones since. Which was probably why they took her back to the lab. Sure, she didn't have any true friends from school, or a family to have worried about her, but it was still hard to leave her freedom behind. She fought as much as she could, but there was no beating people with the highest tech gadgets that had ever been created.

Eventually, she gave up on trying to escape. She gave up on everything, and just went though hern days like a mindless dummy, nothing but a shell with a broken spirit.

She was forced to fight other experiments, while attached to computers, to see how they could perfect her more, or perfect the future Metlam generations. She fought, but she didn't care if she got injured or, she didn't even care if they in the end would kill her. She had no reason left to live.

No friends.
No family.
No hope.

Nothing was left. Except one thing.

Once a month, the head scientist of her project would bring her a stack of the month's papers, and let her update herself on the world's going ons. She got papers from the surrounding city, the national papers, and the lab newsletters.

She got to read as people that were in her graduating class grew, and got important jobs.

Lucrecia Crescent, the Popular-Nerd that everyone loved, joined the science crew in the same building that she was locked in.

Professior Hojo, the crazy teacher that no one liked, also joined the science crew, but took control of her own experiments.

Vincent Valentine, the middle-ground guy that never really was noticed, but was also her secret crush, had joined the ranks of the Turks.

A new project called "Project G" was started after the discovery of the alien form buried underneath thousands of years of soil.

This news kept her connected to the outside world.

Those connections couldn't save her thought.

Four years after being taken out of the real world, and shoved into a broken-hearted jail, she breathed her last breath.

It was during a battle. She had finally had enough, and shifted herself back in to her human form, and threw aside her hand-held weapons. She looked at the DeepGround beast and only raised her head in defeat, exposing her next to the monster. The beast was not going to displease, and ended her suffering.

It had been almost 55 years since she had died. She sat in the valley that was her heaven, and watched as dead children played and picked the ghostly flowers. Though not much happened, she always felt happy. Never felt pain. Never had to think about her past. She was accepted. Time would pass as in days and weeks, yet it only felt like seconds to her. Those 55 years went by before she could notice. She didn't bother keeping up with the living world, but was always there to greet the familiar faces of her past.

Lucrecia was one of them. Yet, she didn't talk to Lucrecia. The woman arrived in a form that showed she had died young, for when you arrive in the death realm, you keep your death form until you are judged by the Angel's. She didn't want to know what happened to Lucrecia, so she avoided the woman until the woman vanished into her own section of the ghost world.



One day, she sat in her typical spot, watching the dead children play with the dogs that were awaiting their true owners, when one of the angel's approched her.
"Alicia," He said, his voice smooth and dreamy sounding. She looked up to see the section's head Angel, Xenos, standing behind her. He motioned to her, and she got up to follow him without hesitation. What could he need to talk to her about? It wasn't like she had family that could be joining her.

"It's time for you to go back, Alicia," Xenos said as they entered the white room that marked the "between" world. She stopped and blinked, confused. For the first time in an eternity, fear reached into her.
"Wh-? Why?" She barked, her silver eyes, which were crimson around the pupals, narrowed on the angel.
"You have unfinished business," He said.
"Unfinished? HOW? It's been decades since I had been down there. No one knows me, remembers me or is alive to want me," She growled as she looked towards the "Seeing Pool". It was a airy pool that allowed the angel's to watch certain people, areas or events. It didn't matter if the things happened in the past, or in that moment, they could see it all as long as it wasn't the future.

"A few are still alive, and may not know it, but need you now," Xenos said smoothly as he made his way to the Seeing Pool and motioned for her to join him.

She moved to stand beside the Angel, whom matched her in height, and looked at the pool as it trembled and showed an image of a white haired child being trained in fighting.
"His name is Sephiroth. He is the child of Project Jenova. The project started by Hojo when Henman's Project G was going so well."

Alicia didn't understand.
"What does this child have to do with me?" She growled.

"This was twenty years ago. He was born about thirty years ago. There is.... almost no doubt... That he is a child of someone you know. BUt now, he has found out that he was an experiment, just as you were, and is on a killing spree, trying to get revenge." Xenos looked at Alicia. Alicia mearly blinked as she watched the pool's image. She was far from amused or worried.

"You need to go back and help destroy him. You also need to say all those things, to those still alive, that you never got to say. Don't be afraid to tell Professor Hojo that you think he is a bastard. Don't be afraid to admit that you cry at sad movies to someone. And don't be afraid to tell someone your true feelings." Xenos smiled and patted Alicia's shoulder. She started to feel a weight in her chest, and a thudding. The thudding had been missing for so long, the pounding of a heart, that she panicked at first.

"WAIT! Who am I helping?" She barked as her ears pinned back and the Death world started to vanish.

"Find Cloud Strife and join his team. Then, you will meet Sephiroth's father. He will be the one from your past. Do your best, Alicia Metlam!" Xenos' voice faded towards the end, and it all went dark infront of Alicia's eyes.




"Hey! HEY! WAKE UP!" A loud and huskey voice blasted into Alicia's ears and she rolled over, onto her belly and shied away from it. Why was it so loud? The ghost-mist never let sounds get that loud!

"Barrett, quiet down. Who know's what happened to her. She may have a headache," A voice, much softer than the one before, made Alicia open her eyes slightly.

A headache? Why would she.... Panic.

She sat up quickly with a yelp and looked around. Blood stained her hands, and she soon found the old scars, that had marked where the killing bite had been given, were bleeding again. Though, they were nothing but half healed scratches now, forming the X across her neck and chest. Why? Why had she been thrown back into this world of suffering!?

She turned and looked at the two men that knelt behind her. One was large, larger than any man she had ever seen before. His skin was dark, and his one arm was made of metal. The other man was a lot smaller, but still had a masculine look to him, with blonde hair and blue eyes.
"W-who are you?" She asked as she looked at each of them.

"Haha! We were about to ask you the same thing, Kid!" the large, Dark Skinned man barked and laughed, making Alicia flinch away slighly. The blonde man only glared at the larger man and sighed.

"I am Cloud, this is Barrett. Who are you? Are you part of the Shinra Scientist Team?"

Alicia froze and remembered what Xenos had told her. Look for Cloud.

"N-no... I am...was an experiment," She said softly as she inspected this..."Cloud".

Barrett and Cloud looked at eachother for a moment, then back at Alicia.

"What experiment would that be?" Cloud asked, stern faced.

"M. E. T. L. A. M...." Alicia said simply as her ears finally perked up. Blood was finally reaching all of her limbs, and the weight in her chest from her heart was becoming more bearable.

Barrett and Cloud looked at eachother again and back at Alicia.
"But... The Metlam experiments ended after the first Metlam died in training..." He said, confused. Alicia looked at him, dumbfounded.

She was about to say something else when there was a loud bang, and the ground under her rump shook.

Cloud grabbed her arm and lifted her to her feet.
"Come on, We will go to Cid's Airship. The other's are there," He said, speaking more to Barrett.

Alicia's knees shook and buckled under the new weight. Barrett caught her, growled, and picked her up all in one swift motion.

The building was falling apart around them, and from Barrett's shoulder, she could see another blonde man, older, at the base of an Airship's ramp.
"COME ON, SLOW ASSES! YUFFIE, VINCENT AND TIFA EVEN BEAT YOU!"

Alicia was so confused.... What was going on?

[Knight]

In the days before, Vincent had been as close to happy as one could come. He had had a beautiful girlfriend, a good life as a Turk. And then things had begun to fall apart. It had started when he'd learned about her link to his father, a link she had lied about and denied, only to come clean about when questioned by him. Things had started to fragment there. And then her intern had told him about seeing Lucrecia in Hojo's arms, kissing him. He confronted his ex-teacher, and then he'd been almost killed. The bullet, by all rights, should have killed him. He would have welcomed that.

But when the blackness had finally been pierced by a ray of light and Vincent had awakened, he had seen Lucrecia leaning over him, her intern just behind her. And after nearly killing them both, he had fled. Time had passed, he had watched. And never aged. And then he had slept. Time had passed, but this time it was unnoticed.

When Cloud Strife awakened him, he had been angry at first. Angry that his penance for threatening the woman he loved had been ruined, destroyed. And then he had learned of the parentage of the newest monster their planet was fighting. He truly was a monster. The father of a killer. And his penance, his punishment for his transgressions, would be to destroy his own child. He would make up for everything he had done wrong. Or he would try, anyways.

The AVALANCHE gang had never really understood him, however, and Vincent wasn't too bothered by that. He wasn't sure if they even knew about his relationship with Sephiroth. But Vincent wasn't about to bring that one up if he didn't have to. Instead he kept his mouth shut and did what he had to do, sticking with the gang so that he could ensure that he would be the one to put an end to the tyranny and evil of his son.

He would do what he had to do.

Currently, the man was sitting patiently in the airship, crimson eyes closed as he pretended to doze. However, his decades long sleep had left him rested and he no longer needed the sleep he had once required. So instead he pretended to doze, waiting for something (anything) to happen. And finally, a distraction came in the form of Cid's shouting. Cloud and Barrett had returned, it seemed. Good, good.

Vincent rose to his feet and made his way smoothly to the entrance of the airship, shifting his weight as he gazed at Cloud and Barrett. What was that lump on Barrett's back? He tilted his head slightly, looking amused by the sight. His lips curled just a tiny amount before Vincent and turned and wandered back into the airship. Cloud and Barrett would come when they would. And Vincent wasn't going to rush them. Instead, he would join Tifa and Yuffie, where they waited for the rest of the AVALANCHE gang, in their makeshift meeting room.

They didn't have a real one - the airship hadn't exactly been designed with a group of warriors in mind, to say the least. But Vincent was all right with making do. Anything to make up for his sins, no matter how small.

Anyhow, this would be the first place that Cloud and Barrett came with their strange little lump. And though Vincent was loathe to admit it, he was curious.

[Matsi]

The hissing of the airship was almost deafening as it's door closed and the ship sprang to life. It lifted into the skies, and, out the window, the building began to grow smaller with distance, until it was engulfed in the dust from it's collapsing, and they vanished behind the clouds.

Once the ship was a safe distance from the ground, Barrett lightly placed Alicia down on the ground, making sure to hold her arm so that she could stand on her own two feet. Her knees still shook, but they were getting stronger. She knew Xenos was making sure that her body would be strong enough for this. It wasn't like that Angel to let others be vunerable. It was probably his doing that she was getting stronger by the minute.

"Who's the girl?" The older blonde man, the one that had greeted them on the airship, barked from his steering area. Alicia blinked and looked at him. He was gruff and ragged looking, yet there was a warmth about him that made her smile slightly. She wondered what that warmth was, and if others could see it too, or if it was something she had aquired after being dead.

"We will discuss that. We need to talk, Cid," Cloud said smoothly as he looked at Alicia and offered her a small, reassuring smile. Alicia only huffed slightly and looked away. She looked at all the different "things" that were a part of the airship. Buttons, screens and more. It was like a miniature lab, but not as scary. It was actually very interesting.

"Come on, Alicia. You will be included. We want to hear what you have to say," Cloud said smoothly as he lightly touched Alicia's arm. Alicia bounced back to what was going on and sighed. She didn't want to talk! It was all happening too fast! Dammit Xenos!

She didn't voice these annoyances. She only followed, shakily, Cloud.

The room they entered was so little. Then again, She was used to the open spaces of the dead relm. Everything seemed smaller in this world.

She paused in the doorway, only to look at the people that were already in there. She could smell their scents, which was something new since she had re-awakened. She was starting to pick up all those scents that she had way back when. Her nose was working again.

Cloud was a slightly dusty smell. Yet, it wasn't a bad scent. Just...Dusty. As if he had been out in a dry valley for some time.

Cid, who brushed past her and into the room, smelled like smoke and tabacco. And oil. Yeah, he smelled like a machine.

Barrett was very sweaty smelling, along with the sharp odor of metal. Very distinctive.

Then a sweet, femanine smell, mixed with a bit of sweat and cloth drifted to her nose. Her eyes drifted around until she looked at a small teen. She wasn't short, but wasn't tall, and think. Her black hair was cropped short, and looked a lot like a ninja of the past, but with some.... improvements?

Then the smell of alcohol, leather and femanine perfume. It had to be that other lady. She was slightly taller than the ninja one, and wore a black leather tank over a white undershirt. She looked nice enough.

The last scent was a bit disturbing. It was musty, almost like wood that sat in a damp basement for too long, yet it was spicy, masculine but also held a very familiar Lab scent to it.

Her eyes went to the man in all red, and she just looked at him. Something about him was familiar. Those red eyes, which were just about all of his face that she could see, and the spicy-masculine scent. They both brought back memories of her past, but she couldn't think of why.

"Come on," Cloud said as he motioned for her to take a chair. She followed as he asked and flopped into it, suddenly tired. It was a feeling that she had forgotten about, to say the least.

"Glad to see you three in one piece," Cloud said to the three that Alicia was still watching with curious eyes.

"Vincent, did you find anything?" He asked as he looked at the red-cloaked man.

Alicia froze up and her eyes widened. Woah woah woah!
There was no way...NO FREAKING WAY... that the Spicy-masculine Vincent that she knew wasn't all wrinkily and old.... Was there?

Her nose twitched and her ears perked up again. She could see Cid's eyes on her, just from the corner of her own eyes, but she was too curious to care.

[Knight]

Vincent barely stirred when Cloud and Barrett arrived. Tifa and Yuffie both seemed to perk up at the sight of the guys, but Vincent only raised his crimson gaze, arched one brow and glanced smoothly back down at the table. That figure looked familiar, he knew that. But he wasn't sure why, and though he debated asking for a moment, the quiet ex-Turk said nothing. Instead, he examined the gold of his gauntlet patiently, waiting for another to say something.

Still, he could feel the gaze of the new woman focused on him. It was slightly unnerving, but still, Vincent didn't stir until Cloud spoke to him. He glanced upwards, tilting his head slightly as he examined the blonde man. "Cloud." He said at last, nodding his head in greeting as he straightened up in his seat. "Nothing." Vincent added a moment later in answer, blinking idly as he glanced questioningly at the girl.

However, he was spared from asking his question by Yuffie's bright voice. "Hey, who's this Cloud? You never introduced her!" There was an accusing note to the ninja's voice as she stared at Cloud, one hand on her hip.

A few moments later, and Yuffie seemed to think her words through and spun to face the strange girl. "Hi!" She trilled happily, "I'm The Rose of Wutai, Yuffie Kisaragi! I'm the best ninja you'll ever see." Winking, Yuffie (finally) subsided into silence. Vincent breathed an internal sigh of relief. She really did talk too much. At least Tifa knew when to keep her mouth shut.

Vincent sighed, reaching up absently to push his hair out of his eyes, straightening up in his seat and glancing absently out the window as Tifa spoke. "Hello. I'm Tifa." Her voice was kindly and gentle, a contrast to Yuffie's almost brash and loud words. Still, when it came down to it, as annoying as Yuffie was, he preferred her to Tifa. Tifa was annoying, with the way she was always flashing her doe eyes at Cloud. And it reminded him (painfully) of how Lucrecia had always looked at him.

Sighing, Vincent shook his head slightly. "Vincent Valentine." He added to the train of introductions, voice slightly rusty as he examined the girl. She looked about 20, maybe a little younger. But surely she looked younger than he was, permanently frozen at 27. The ears were familiar; he had known only one girl with those ears. There was only one Metlam experiment, wasn't there? And she had gone to school with Vincent.

She should be old, then. Ancient and gray. Perhaps the METLAM experiments had been continued during Vincent's sleep. It wouldn't have surprised him. Hojo had never exactly had scruples. And a project with a low success rate would not have bothered him at all. He just would've kept trying as long as there was funding. And even if there wasn't. There hadn't been any funding for Vincent's . . . experiments.

A low snort escaped him and Vincent glanced away from the girl, exhaling heavily. Why had Cloud brought the girl here? She was probably useless, a helpless damsel that would need rescuing. Which, needless to say, Vincent was less than impressed by.

[Matsi]

Alicia listened to the introductions, but she never looked at Yuffie or Tifa. She could remember their names, and who they were, without looking at their faces. Then Vincent spoke up, and she rumbled slightly. What was this? Was this a joke from Xenos? Surely...Surely her highschool crush....

"Alicia Metlam... I am the... Last...and only...Metlam," She growled as she looked out the window for a moment then back at Vincent.

Cloud looked at Alicia, then to Tifa, trying to get an opinon out of his friend, then to Vincent. What was going on? He looked back at Alicia as her eyes narrowed on Vincent and she stood up stiffly.

Cid stood up too, along with Cloud, their eyes on Alicia, curious yet nervous of what she was doing. Was she really dark at heart? Was she really here to kill them?

Alicia felt frustration. Frustration, anger and dissappointment. He was a turk last she heard. He had to be tested on too. That had to be why he was still so young. He had to be the one that fathered the man that Xenos had sent her here to help destroy. Why had her crush turned into such a failure!?

She stalked up to him. Ignoring the snaps from Cid and Cloud. She stopped but a foot from where Vincent sat and glared down at him.
"What have you done? To think, I voted for you to be "Most successful" for the senior year book. To think you dated the most popular girl in school, and yet you apparently created this monster I have been hearing about? I turn my back on our class for fifty years, and this is the shit you all do. I think they sent me to hell. Not back to the living world," She growled into his face, making sure to glare right into his own gaze.

After holding her gaze with his for a moment, she shook her head and huffed and looked over her shoulder at the buster sword that was pointed at her back, held by Cloud.
"Back off, Metlam," Cloud said softly, but sternly. Alicia only looked at the sword.
"If I don't... Will you prove the Angel's that they were wrong, and send me back?" She asked, solomnly. She didn't want to be here. Especially now that she started to realize what was going on.

[Knight]

Human beings in a mob,
What’s a mob to a king?
What’s a king to a god?
What’s a god to a non-believer?

Vincent glanced up as the Metlam rose to her feet and stalked forward, amusement dancing through his mind as she moved. She looked angry, irritated. But what amused him more than anything was that, after all this time, the METLAM girl from his high school was here and angry with him. Alicia wasn't exactly a common name, after all. And she had gone to his school, snapping her pretty little fangs at everyone who tried to talk to her, spurning the advances of all. Though, to be honest, Vincent hadn't paid much attention to her. Had anyone? Not after the first few days.

Her snapping words did little more than to amuse him. To think that the punishment he deserved came from little more than a girl. She couldn't even be 20, now that he thought about it. She looked younger than that. Maybe not by much, but there was a youthfulness to her build even as she snapped at him.

Calmly, Vincent met her silver and crimson gaze and waited until her rant ran out of steam. "Are you done?" The edge of amusement in his voice was subtle, but it was there. He wasn't upset by her words. No, Vincent knew more than anyone that he deserved them and he wasn't going to protest them. "I have done what I have." He continued as she turned away in disgust.

"I have sinned and now I pay the price." Vincent said softly, shaking his head as Alicia spoke to Cloud. He glanced down at the table and exhaled softly, listening to the METLAM's words distantly. In truth, he cared little about what was going on. All that really mattered was that he put an end to Sephiroth's actions. He would accept the angry words that he got. He deserved them, after all. And from the girl that he could have saved more than anyone else.

He had seen them take her, after all. He shouldn't have, but he had. Though that was just a drop in the ocean of the things he had done, of the sins he would atone for. But that was, again, not something he was about to bring up. Instead, Vincent exhaled again, closing his eyes as if to ward out the thoughts that taunted him. He clenched one hand into a fist beneath the table as he opened his eyes again, glancing at Alicia as she spoke to Cloud.

Her words were cryptic, but the pieces were starting to fall together. Angels. The guardians of the realm of death. Perhaps, then, perhaps. Perhaps. "A gun would be faster, wouldn't it?" His voice was soft, and he spoke mostly to himself.

That didn't stop Yuffie from shooting him an angry look, however. Vincent shrugged slightly in response, leaving Yuffie huffing irritably and glaring at the older man. But their silent conversation was over. Vincent was used to anger and judgement on the parts of his companions. They would never understand him, nor did he want them to.

Tifa eyed Cloud curiously as the two spoke, only shrugging and listening. There was no point in interrupting what was going on. So she merely put a warning hand on Yuffie's shoulder, keeping the ninja from yelling at Vincent or anything like that.

Tears on the mausoleum floor,
Blood stains the coliseum doors,
Lies on the lips of a priest,
Thanksgiving disguised as a feast.

[/center][/blockquote]

[Matsi]

Alicia huffed and looked up at Cloud, who only seemed at a loss and deep in confusion. She then looked at Vincent. She didn't like how fate was bending. She had never caused any harm, well, none that would make her deserve this. Yet, this man, the man that had once been the humble, quiet teen she had fancied, had created so much chaos with just one simple mistake. How was it that she was getting this type of punishment but he wasn't?

"You have sinned, yet I am the one sent back to suffer," She growled under her breath. She was, clearly, still in her own bubble of selfpity and woe. Not that she was ever one to get over things quickly. She would bubble and growl over this for some time. There was no denying this.

"Yes. It would, Now do me the favor..." She said as she pointed right into the center of the X scratches on her neck with a sick smile.

"Right in the sweet spot. Surely your aim has not faultered over the years, Vinny," She hissed with taunting as she looked at him. He never really was one to react on emotions as a teen, but she hoped that maybe that part of him had changed, just enough to work in her favor.

"Woah woah woah" Cid finally shoved himself between Alicia and Vincent.
"FIRST OFF! THERE WILL BE NO GODDAMN DYIN' ON MY SHIP!" He glared down at Ali, and she couldn't help but shy away from his sharp gaze. He made her think of that uncle that you always wanted to please...
"SECOND OFF! THERE WILL BE NO BEGGIN' TO DIE! WE HAVE A WAR TO WIN AND YOU ARE GONNA' FUCKIN' HELP YOU RUNT!" he turned and pointed at Alicia's nose, making her step back and sqeak slightly with a canine sound.
"AND LASTLY! How the HELL do you and Vince know eachother?!" He turned and looked at Vincent.
"Awww, Vince, please don't say you played this girl!" Cid, automatically thinking the worst, grinned at the darker man with a slightly evil and sly smile.

Alicia's face went red. Played? She had NEVER been played before! Especially by him! During school, she had been too afraid to even LOOK at him when he was paying attention.
"He did not play me! I went to school with him!"

Cloud looked at Alicia again, confused.
"What?" He asked, Cid looked at her, then Vincent, then back again.
"Uhh...How old are you?" He asked. He knew that that was a rude question to ask a lady... But since when did Cid care if he was rude or not, and he didn't really consider this experiment girl a "lady".

"Well. By time on this planet? Ninteen. By time of my memory? About seventy years. By this body for a second time?... How long ago did you find me?" She grinned in a way that could be called "sarcastic" and looked away.

Cloud and Cid looked at Vincent. If there was anyone to understand this type of situation, it would have to be him, right? Of course, he was a turk at one point and was wise beyond his...appearance year.

Alicia made her way back to the seat that she had originally been plopped into, and curled up with her knees to her chest and rested her chin on her knees. She was overwhelmed and filled with that feeling of sleepiness. What an odd feeling, sleepiness was, when you hadn't felt it in so long.

"Alicia. What are you doing? Do not forget what you are supposed to be doing!"

The voice of the Angel echoed in her sleepy mind and she opened her eyes more, expecting to see him standing there. Of course he wasn't but she could still feel him around.
"I'm trying to get back. The dead is meant to stay dead. Not come back," She muttered mentally as her eyes shut again for a second.
"You come back now... we cannot take you back here," Xenos' voice was serious but soft.

Alicia's eyes popped open again and her ears pinned back.
"What do you mean?"

"If you die without trying to make a difference, or finishing your life right, the pits will be taking you,"

Alicia tensed at the mentioning of the Pits. The pits was just a....fancy term... for a person's hell.

"You go there, and it will be worse than living again," Xenos almost growled into her mind.

Her eyes were glazed as she looked at nothing, thinking about what she had just been told. Dammit.

"I can help you a little bit, Alicia, but you have to do it all. I will check in on you again here soon. Don't mess up. We want you back here,"

The presence and voice slowly faded, leaving Alicia sitting there, dazed and truely overwhelmed.

[Knight]

Hold onto me as we go,
As we roll down this unfamiliar road,
And although this wave is stringing us along,
Just know you’re not alone,
Cause I’m going to make this place your home.

Vincent snorted softly, shaking his head just slightly as he listened to her half-muttered words. They were cryptic, but Vincent wasn't an idiot. He understood at least what she was alluding to: the place where people went after they died. Though whether or not she was telling the truth or insane was yet to be clear. Perhaps she was crazy from her years in the lab, but Vincent couldn't bring himself to believe that. Instead, he just ignored her to the best of his ability for the moment, glancing again at Yuffie. But his favorite ninja just huffed and looked away, irritated for whatever reason about their silent exchange earlier. Vincent groaned internally - it looked like he might have to smooth some feathers later on.

Still, there were slightly more pressing things. Like the girl shoving her neck in his face. Vincent snorted, backing his chair up slightly, crimson eyes narrowing as he examined her. "It hasn't." He replied softly, "But I have taken enough lives as it is." No need to add a little girl to that total. Though she might have killed him if she'd heard him call her a little girl.

He moved his chair back still further as Cid wriggled in between them, closing his eyes as Cid started to shout. The man always yelled; didn't he know that it would often be much more effective to persuade and cajole rather than shout? Clearly not. And it rather got on Vincent's nerves, but he never would have said anything about it. It wasn't like it wasn't something he didn't deserve.

WOAH NOW. Vincent's attention returned to the conversation with a snap, his mouth opening immediately and his response tumbling over Alicia's in his hurry to speak. "I most certainly did not." Vincent sniffed irritably. Well, he didn't think he had? He hadn't really seen her around enough in school to play her. And it wasn't like they'd ever talked. Mostly, Vincent had stuck with his girlfriend Lucrecia. He hadn't talked to too many other girls. Sure, he was 'friends' with some of her friends. And he'd had friends of his own. And of course, there had been his little sister Sidra, who was now just another name on the list of deaths that he was paying for, that he had caused.


Vincent grimaced slightly at Cid's question, sighing internally. Great. This was going to be hard to explain, wasn't it? And he wasn't too disappointed, honestly. It was simpler than he would have expected, but still complicated all the same. With an exhalation, Vincent snorted and glanced out the window. "And how long were you dead?" His voice was softly, mostly directed towards himself and not really meant for anyone else to hear.

Yuffie and Tifa certainly didn't hear him. Instead, Yuffie decided to take matters into her own hands. With a bright smile on her features she wandered up to Alicia and practically bounced. "It doesn't matter how old she is, Cid! We haven't given her a tour of the place or anything, you know. We can worry about boring stuff like that later. Do you want to see where we keep our materia?" The last question was directed at Alicia, though Yuffie giggled a moment later. "Well, you can't! But I can show you the rest of the ship if you want." It was a good natured joke, for the most part. And it probably wasn't too offensive since not many people were as obsessed with materia as Yuffie was.

Tifa shook her head, suppressing a smile at Yuffie's antics. "Maybe showing her around could be good, if she's staying with us, anyways?" She glanced at the girl kindly, offering her the option of leaving. She looked overwhelmed, and almost scared, something no one else really seemed to have noticed. So Tifa was doing her best to help.

Settle down, it'll all be clear,
Don't pay no mind to the demons,
They fill you with fear,
The trouble it might drag you down,
If you get lost, you can always be found.

[/blockquote][/center]

[Matsi]

Alicia sat with her knees to her chin, watching the others for a moment after the angel had faded from her mind. Her ears twitched as she heard Vincent mutter as he looked out the window of the airship.
"I don't know. Fifty something years. I was killed two years after you became Lucrecia's body guard," She growled slightly, but then looked over at Yuffie as she bounded over. It was slightly... nerveracking... to have her bounding towards her at full speed.

"Uh...." She muttered as she lowered herself slightly in her chair, ears back and she looked over at Tifa as she spoke.
"Uhh. I-I guess?" She muttered, unsure of what was really going on. Was it going to be alright to go with them? Surely Xenos would have told her not to trust them if it was the truth. Fine...

"Yeah... Sure... I guess. I need to get used to weight again anyways," She muttered as she stood up and shot Vincent one last look.

Cid looked at Yuffie and Tifa.
"Tifa, don't let Yuffie overwhelm her too much. Yuffie, don't wear her out too much and go slow. If she's telling the truth, who knows what her limit is right now." Cid pointed at Yuffie, then when he was done speaking to the girls, he looked to Cloud, then Vincent.

"Vinny-boy, I think you have some explaining to do. Seeing as we are in the dark about all of this "back story"."

Cloud snickered slightly and shook his head.
"Cid," He muttered softly, making Cid shrug in a way that said "Whhaattt."

Cloud then looked to Vincent too.
"Don't worry about it, Vincent. You have done plenty for us, you don't need to dump the bucket,"