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Chapter 18:
Walking On

"...cent. Vincent. Wake up."

A damp cloth stroked his face, clearing his eyes of film and grit. Vincent blinked, feeling consciousness return. He could feel the pain lurking behind a muzzy wall of painkillers, but, for the moment, he could breathe and think again.

The cloth lifted, revealing a familiar face. Vincent lifted his hand to touch her cheek. "Hikari. You're all right?"

That sunrise smile rose on her face. She nodded and pressed her hand over his. "Yes, Vincent. I am all right."

He ran his fingers through the black side of her hair. Holy and Meteor were safely hidden away, but their mark of unmatched eyes and hair remained. Still, it was comforting to see Hikari as he remembered her. She was even back in her old, familiar clothes with a pink ribbon tied around her throat. Then Vincent saw the edge of a scar peeking over the top of her blouse. A shiver wracked his body as the image of her broken, bloody form flashed through his mind.

Hikari leaned over and wrapped him in a tight embrace. "It's all right, Vincent. I am fine. I am alive. We are both alive."

Vincent returned the embrace and buried his face in her shoulder. "I was afraid I'd lost you," he whispered.

"But you didn't." Hikari's voice was low and fierce. "You will never lose me, Vincent." She loosened the embrace and sat back on the edge of the bed so she could regard him with a small smile. "I, Hikari, promise."

~ * ~

Even with his regenerative abilities, Vincent spent another week in the WRO hospital. Cid had picked them up with The Shera from the remnants of Nekura's lab after Holy and Meteor finished pulling Vincent back from death's door. Cloud, Tifa, and Yuffie were recovering from their own injuries, and after Vincent gave a detailed report, Reeve set the WRO on finding and dismantling Nekura's surveillance equipment. Hikari divided her time among her friends at the hospital, but reserved her special smiles for Vincent. Aside from three small scars on her chest, she had completely recovered from her psychosomatic injuries. The fragments of Black and White Materia remained inside her, but no longer appeared to be active. Reeve postulated that the only reason the Materia had been activated at all was because of her rather unique near-death experience, so there was little chance of a repeat occurrence.

But as the time for his discharge grew closer, Vincent became more pensive. Finally, one evening Hikari sat down in the chair next to his hospital bed and asked, "Vincent... what's wrong? Can I help?"

"I'm just... thinking too much. It's a bad habit of mine," said Vincent.

She frowned. "Thinking? About what?"

He hesitated, then said, "The future."

"The future?"

"Yes. About what happens after this. The doctors say all of us can leave in a day or so. I know Cloud and Tifa will go back to Edge. Cloud has his delivery service. Tifa has her bar. Yuffie will go back to Wutai and cause all kinds of trouble."

"What about you, Vincent?"

"I'm... not sure. Keep wandering, I guess."

"You could live in Edge."

"Is that what you want, Hikari?"

She cocked her head to one side, considering. "You do not want to stay in Edge. Or any one place, do you?"

"I stayed in one place for seventy years, in a coffin in Shinra Manor's basement."

"That's a long time."

Vincent tried to smile, but it felt bitter. "Yes. You and I... we're biologically immortal. Eventually, everyone we know will die. And their children and grandchildren. Even Nanaki, eventually."

"And you don't want to see that. You don't want to see your friends grow old and die." Her face was sad. "That is hard."

He looked away and did not answer.

"So... we walk on."

He blinked. "What?"

Hikari took his hand in hers, eyes wide and earnest. "The world is a big place, and you have seen so much while I have seen so little. We walk on. Together."

Could she mean... "Are you sure, Hikari?"

For a moment, Hikari was silent. Some of the child-like whimsy was gone. She had seen and remembered the dark side of human experience, but it had tempered her, given her a new sense of confidence and purpose. She was no longer broken and wandering, in need of guidance and protection. She was whole. Complete. Then she took a deep breath and looked at him, into him. "Vincent... even tumbleweeds have roots. You have friends and they care about you. And even though you wander, you care about them too. I have been protected, taught, and cared for by so many people; and it is time I did the same for others. I cannot change the fact that we are different. We have both had things done to us, things we never asked for and didn't want. And I cannot imagine passing through days and nights with anyone but you." She smiled a little tentatively, and said, "I love you, Vincent Valentine. Do you love me?"

The only way Vincent could answer that was with a kiss.

~ FIN ~

Description
Chapter 18:
Walking On

"...cent. Vincent. Wake up."

A damp cloth stroked his face, clearing his eyes of film and grit. Vincent blinked, feeling consciousness return. He could feel the pain lurking behind a muzzy wall of painkillers, but, for the moment, he could breathe and think again.

The cloth lifted, revealing a familiar face. Vincent lifted his hand to touch her cheek. "Hikari. You're all right?"

That sunrise smile rose on her face. She nodded and pressed her hand over his. "Yes, Vincent. I am all right."

He ran his fingers through the black side of her hair. Holy and Meteor were safely hidden away, but their mark of unmatched eyes and hair remained. Still, it was comforting to see Hikari as he remembered her. She was even back in her old, familiar clothes with a pink ribbon tied around her throat. Then Vincent saw the edge of a scar peeking over the top of her blouse. A shiver wracked his body as the image of her broken, bloody form flashed through his mind.

Hikari leaned over and wrapped him in a tight embrace. "It's all right, Vincent. I am fine. I am alive. We are both alive."

Vincent returned the embrace and buried his face in her shoulder. "I was afraid I'd lost you," he whispered.

"But you didn't." Hikari's voice was low and fierce. "You will never lose me, Vincent." She loosened the embrace and sat back on the edge of the bed so she could regard him with a small smile. "I, Hikari, promise."

~ * ~

Even with his regenerative abilities, Vincent spent another week in the WRO hospital. Cid had picked them up with The Shera from the remnants of Nekura's lab after Holy and Meteor finished pulling Vincent back from death's door. Cloud, Tifa, and Yuffie were recovering from their own injuries, and after Vincent gave a detailed report, Reeve set the WRO on finding and dismantling Nekura's surveillance equipment. Hikari divided her time among her friends at the hospital, but reserved her special smiles for Vincent. Aside from three small scars on her chest, she had completely recovered from her psychosomatic injuries. The fragments of Black and White Materia remained inside her, but no longer appeared to be active. Reeve postulated that the only reason the Materia had been activated at all was because of her rather unique near-death experience, so there was little chance of a repeat occurrence.

But as the time for his discharge grew closer, Vincent became more pensive. Finally, one evening Hikari sat down in the chair next to his hospital bed and asked, "Vincent... what's wrong? Can I help?"

"I'm just... thinking too much. It's a bad habit of mine," said Vincent.

She frowned. "Thinking? About what?"

He hesitated, then said, "The future."

"The future?"

"Yes. About what happens after this. The doctors say all of us can leave in a day or so. I know Cloud and Tifa will go back to Edge. Cloud has his delivery service. Tifa has her bar. Yuffie will go back to Wutai and cause all kinds of trouble."

"What about you, Vincent?"

"I'm... not sure. Keep wandering, I guess."

"You could live in Edge."

"Is that what you want, Hikari?"

She cocked her head to one side, considering. "You do not want to stay in Edge. Or any one place, do you?"

"I stayed in one place for seventy years, in a coffin in Shinra Manor's basement."

"That's a long time."

Vincent tried to smile, but it felt bitter. "Yes. You and I... we're biologically immortal. Eventually, everyone we know will die. And their children and grandchildren. Even Nanaki, eventually."

"And you don't want to see that. You don't want to see your friends grow old and die." Her face was sad. "That is hard."

He looked away and did not answer.

"So... we walk on."

He blinked. "What?"

Hikari took his hand in hers, eyes wide and earnest. "The world is a big place, and you have seen so much while I have seen so little. We walk on. Together."

Could she mean... "Are you sure, Hikari?"

For a moment, Hikari was silent. Some of the child-like whimsy was gone. She had seen and remembered the dark side of human experience, but it had tempered her, given her a new sense of confidence and purpose. She was no longer broken and wandering, in need of guidance and protection. She was whole. Complete. Then she took a deep breath and looked at him, into him. "Vincent... even tumbleweeds have roots. You have friends and they care about you. And even though you wander, you care about them too. I have been protected, taught, and cared for by so many people; and it is time I did the same for others. I cannot change the fact that we are different. We have both had things done to us, things we never asked for and didn't want. And I cannot imagine passing through days and nights with anyone but you." She smiled a little tentatively, and said, "I love you, Vincent Valentine. Do you love me?"

The only way Vincent could answer that was with a kiss.

~ FIN ~