Chapter 6 - A Night In Cosmo Canyon

As usual, I don't own any of the characters in this story except Eric. I also do not own the song that is sung, "Mystic's Dream." If anyone has ever ssen the the Mysts of Avalon, then you should recognize it.

Darkness. Swirling, endless darkness. He stood at the brink of this abyss, its cold hands clutching at him, pulling at his very being. And as always it begged him for release. He resisted as best he could, but then a hand would come from the darkness, and grab him. The rest would form into a monster, terrible and strong. It would laugh at his struggling, his torment and efforts to escape. The laughter would echo in his ears, a terrible reminder of what lurked in his soul. Then he would begin his own transformation to match the dark creature's shape, his body molding into the foul thing itself. Then he'd wake up.

Vincent sat up in bed, a cold sweat on his forehead. He put his hand to his head and reassured himself, “It was only a dream, only a dream.” But deep down, Vincent knew it was more then that. It was the truth, and that made it all the more frightening.

He didn't sleep the rest of the night, and as the sun came up, he went upstairs. The sound of shattering glass brought him running up the stairs of the hidden cellar up to the main house. He came out of the flight of stairs to see an inferno consuming the Shinra Mansion. The heat was intense, and as he went to the front of the house to get out, and trying to figure out how this happened, he heard shouting voices outside the building. He looked out one of the windows to see a large crowd outside, shouting and yelling at the burning mansion. Some had torches in their hands, while others had rifles and daggers. Then a man came to the front of the crowd, robbed in black, with a white collar around his neck. In his hands was a mallet and spike, and he looked at the mansion with eyes full of self-righteous fury. He turned to the crowd and shouted so that everyone could hear him, “For years, we knew that a monster inhabited this mansion. Now is the day that we cleanse our town!” and the crowd cheered again. Vincent maneuvered his way around the burning mansion's collapsing beams and walls towards the back of the house. He couldn't go out the front. Unknown to Vincent, the crowd had already put some men back there to. He was trapped.

“Eric! Eric! Wake up!”

Yuffie shook Eric out of sleep, and pulled him to a standing position.

“What, Yuffie? What?” Eric answered, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

“Look over towards Nibelheim!”

Eric looked over in the direction of the small town, and saw a vast, black cloud rising up from it. “What is it?”

“Something's burning,” she answered in stunned awe.

“Obviously,” Eric said sarcastically. “I mean, what is burning?”

“Something big, judging by the size of the cloud of smoke.”

“You don't think,” Eric said, and let it hang there. Both had a place in mind, the biggest place in Nibelheim; the Shinra mansion. Eric started casting a spell.

“What are you doing?” Yuffie asked, looking at him cast.

“I'm going over there,” Eric explained, “And I'll be able to move much faster if Haste is cast on me.”

“Well, cast it on me too,” Yuffie said, “I'm coming with you.”

“Why?” Eric asked, as he completed casting Haste on both of them.

“Because Vincent's my friend too,” she said simply, and ran off. Eric followed, and hoped Vincent was alright.

Trees and bushes sped by as the two raced towards Nibelheim. As they got closer, they saw their worst fear was true. The Shinra mansion was ablaze! A large mob in front was screaming of vampires, and kept throwing new torches into the fire.

“There!” Yuffie said to Eric, pointing to a window. They could see Vincent inside. No smoke came from the window, so it looked like the fire had not spread there yet.

“We need to get this crowd away, or Vincent can't escape,” Eric said quickly to Yuffie.

“Right,” Yuffie nodded, but then asked with slight panic, “But how?”

Eric's mind, still enhanced by Haste, thought quickly. “I've got it!” he proclaimed excitedly. “Yuffie, are you good at hiding yourself?”

“Hello,” she answered exasperatedly, “What part of Great Ninja Yuffie don't you get?”

“Good, then hide yourself around the mansion, and wait until I give you the signal. Then start screaming the word `souls' as loudly and as eerily as you can,” Eric said as he ran to the front of the crowd.

“Wait! What are you going to do?” she called after him.

“You'll see, just start screaming the word when I say `vampire'.”

“Alright,” Yuffie agreed unsurely, but climbed to the top of a tree and hid herself amongst the foliage.

Eric continued to the front of the crowd, and saw that he didn't have much time left. He just hoped his plan worked. He pushed to the front, and started to yell at the man dressed in black, “What are you doing?”

“We are purifying the village of the menace of the vampire,” he called back, as if it were an everyday event.

“You, idiot,” Eric shouted, his face contorting with anger and fear, “Don't you know what happens when you burn a vampire?”

Right on cue, Yuffie began screaming the word `souls'. It sounded better then Eric had hoped, and if he hadn't been in on this plan, he would have believed it. However, the villagers weren't in on the plan, so the sound caused some to fall to ground in fear, while others bolted and ran. The bravest stepped forward, looking at Eric with bewilderment. “What's happening?” they cried.

“When a vampire is burned, its spirit rises with the smoke and it forms into a foul demon. The demon will then try to poison those around the smoke with its spirit, causing them to become vampires as well!” Eric explained, hoping the villagers would believe him. Some more of the mob ran off, and Eric shouted to the rest, “Go! Go protect your families! I'll try to stop this foul thing!”

He turned back to see that fire had spread to the room Vincent was in. He didn't have much time. As quickly as he could, he cast Barrier, hoping the villagers would see it and believe him. The smoke began to contort as the barrier trapped some of the smoke. Yuffie caught on, and began howling madly. The villagers all ran off, each spreading out, and Eric noticed some coming from the back of the mansion as well. Eric began to speak an `incantation', which was actually a message to Vincent.

“Thevillagers aregone comeoutthe windownow!” He said loudly, and blended the words together, so that it would sound like gibberish to anyone who wasn't really paying attention. Vincent must have got it though, because he quickly opened the window and jumped to the ground below, just as the roof above the room he was in collapsed. He stood up, and Yuffie stopped screaming as she climbed out of the tree and walked over to their friend.

“Eric? What are you doing here?” Vincent asked, relieved he survived, but surprised. He thought Eric had left. He got an even bigger surprise when he saw who was with him.

“Yuffie! What are you doing here?”

“Nice to see you too, Vincent,” Yuffie responded.

“I don't want to interrupt,” Eric said, “But in case you haven't noticed, Vincent's not exactly welcome in this town any more. Might I suggest we get to a safer place?”

“You're right,” Vincent agreed, and then started towards the back of the still burning mansion. They made their way behind the houses, and passed quietly from Nibelheim. They broke into a run when they left, and didn't stop running until Nibelheim was just a dark silhouette in the distance. They traveled on without a word between them, until Eric couldn't stand it anymore.

“What was that all about?” Eric demanded suddenly, causing both Yuffie and Vincent to halt. “Vincent, why were they trying to kill you?”

Vincent exchanged glances with Yuffie quickly then sighed heavily. It was time for the truth.

“Well, I guess you do deserve to know,” Vincent said quietly. He sat down on a stone that was in the middle of the tall grass. Eric and Yuffie did likewise. Vincent looked to the two of them and began.

“I used to be in the Turks when I was younger,” he began. Eric's eyes grew wider, but he remained silent. “While there, I met a woman, Lucrecia. She was an assistant to Hojo, and had worked in Shinra for a while. When I met her, she was the most beautiful woman I had ever met, and I fell in love with her. Her feelings for me were the same, and we spent time together. She told me though that she was married to Hojo.”

“Hojo!” Eric interrupted.

“Yes,” Vincent continued, “So our love would never be complete. After that, we saw less of each other, and though we still spoke, I just couldn't feel comfortable around her anymore. One day she came to me and told me that she was offering herself up for one of Hojo's experiments. I tried to talk her out if, but she said that she had to. I told her that I loved her, and she told me likewise. Then she left, and that was the last time I saw her alive. I was approached by Hojo, and was used in the same experiment, which I obviously survived. The experiment caused something to awaken within me, my dark half.”

Your dark half?” Eric asked, not sure what he meant.

“The evil side that is in everyone. The experiment gave that half a life of its own, and I can transform, when the need arises, to match that darkness, something similar to your own transformation, Eric.”

“But that makes no sense,” Eric pointed out. “Hojo came to me and asked. I was never a part of any of his experiments. I escaped before I reached the lab.”

“You mean he can change too,” Yuffie said, hooking a thumb towards Eric.

“Indeed,” Vincent answered, “I saw him do it myself.”

“Well, if Hojo never experimented on you, maybe you were just born that way.”

“Perhaps,” Vincent agreed, nodding in thought.

“What's wrong, Vincent,” Eric asked.

“It's nothing,” he said, “Besides, we have more important things to discuss. Why were you in Nibelheim?”

“We saw the smoke from all the way out here, so we came to see what was wrong,” Yuffie explained.

“Well, you saved my life,” Vincent said, looking at them in appreciation.

“Well, I owed you,” Eric said, “Though it's not like I wouldn't have helped anyway.”

“What do you mean?”

“You saved me from Hojo when you killed him,” Eric explained.

“I killed Hojo!” Yuffie jumped in. Eric just looked at her, his face filled with sarcastic disbelief. “Well I did,” Yuffie said sheepishly.

“Which reminds me,” Vincent said, bringing the two out of their dispute, “Yuffie, what are you doing here? I thought you were on the Highwind with Cid and the crew, looking for materia. Yuffie chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of her head.

“Well, I kinda got thrown off the Highwind.”

“What,” Vincent said in surprise.

“Well, I was in the engine room, counting my materia, when the ship hit a huge gale. It started rocking the ship, and my materia went all over the floor. I went to get them and slipped on one. When I slipped, I fell against a crewman, who knocked into the engine heat monitor. The monitor increased the temperature of the engine, causing it to overheat. It burned out, and Cid had to make an emergency landing. Long story short, he got mad, cussed me out and told me to never come near his ship again. So, I've been wandering around, trying to find materia.”

“More like steal materia,” Eric said.

“Yuffie, you went back to stealing materia?” Vincent asked.

“Can you think of any other way to get powerful materia?”

“Find it and strengthen it yourself,” Eric said, his face showing his annoyance.

“Whatever,” Yuffie said haughtily, brushing him off.

“Listen, you two,” Vincent interrupted again, “I am not going to play babysitter for you two. I have no where to go right now, and as far as I see it, neither do you two, so I suggest that while we are together, we keep this bickering to a minimum.”

“Alright,” Yuffie and Eric agreed at the same time. They looked at each other, their faces both showing a childish glares. Eric was glad Vincent was back, but couldn't quite figure out what could have possessed him to allow this girl to join him. Yuffie was happy to see Vincent again, but wasn't sure if this kid's materia was worth all of this. Regardless, she thought, I will get his materia. Materia was always worth it.

They spent the night on that hill, and as the sun rose, Vincent looked out over the horizon. The land stretched out before him and his friends, a wide length of green. Where they were heading, only Eric knew. It was his journey that Yuffie and Vincent had joined, so they had no real say in the matter. As they ate breakfast, they discussed that very situation.

“Cosmo Canyon,” Eric said in between bites of sausage. He had wanted to go there recently. He had heard of a wise man named Bugenhagen, and wanted to ask him about his strange transformation.

“Very well,” Vincent answered, and Yuffie just nodded in agreement. They had their own questions for the old sage as well. Besides, it had been a while since they had seen their friend Red XIII. They hoped he was well.

“Cosmo Canyon is about a day's journey from here,” Yuffie said as she finished her meal, “We should get there at sundown if we hurry.”

“Alright,” Eric said. At least she knows her way around, Eric thought.

The weather in the morning was clear as they traveled, but it started to rain in the afternoon. It was a cold ran, and made for miserable going. They didn't stop for lunch, so by the time they reached Cosmo Canyon, they were all in foul moods.

“I'm sorry, we just can't let you in,” the man at the gate apologized.

“Why not?” Yuffie asked in a whiney voice. She was cold, wet and hungry, and she was no mood for bad news.

“But we know Red XIII, I mean, Nanaki. Can't you let us in, please.”

“I'm sorry, but Cosmo Canyon is closed to all visitors. There is nothing I can-“

“Fredrick, what's going on here?” A familiar voice asked. They all turned to see a large cat approaching. It was as large as a panther, but its fur was a dark red color. It had a small roman numeral thirteen tattooed onto its back leg. Its body was sleek and muscular, it fur was shiny and healthy. Eric had never seen a creature like it. The rain had caused its mane to wilt down flat, but it still didn't take away from the majestic look of the cat. Eric stood in awe, staring at the beast, until it spoke to the guard. Then Eric found himself on his rear.

“Frederick, these people are allowed in at any time, regardless-“ then stopped when he saw Eric fall.

“Oh, right,” Yuffie said apologetically, “We forgot to mention that Red XIII was a talking cat.”

Red XIII ignored the comment about being a cat, then asked the three to follow him to his home.

They entered a door that was carved into part of the canyon wall. Inside was a staircase that led up to a plateau. On the plateau was a small house and observatory. Red XIII led the three in through the door to the house, and into a small living room. There were only two chairs, and a fireplace, where a small fire glowed brightly.

“Would you care for something to eat?” he offered.

He heard the rumblings of their stomachs and smiled, at least, Eric thought he smiled, and then said, “I'll be right back.”

“I'll help,” Vincent offered, then followed him into the kitchen. Yuffie and Eric sat on the floor in front of the fireplace, gazing into the flames. Their clothes were still wet from the rain, but the had already started to dry.

“You didn't tell me you were friends with-“

“With Red XIII,” Yuffie interrupted, her tone making an implication. Eric caught the implication quickly. Yuffie and Vincent saw Red XIII as a person, not an animal. Eric felt kinda bad for even letting it cross his mind.

“Don't worry,” Yuffie said, casually, “I understand your surprise.”

“Thanks,” Eric replied.

At that moment, Vincent came back into the room with a tray of tea and fruit. As they ate, Red XIII asked, “So, to what do I owe this visit?”

“Well, we had hoped to speak with Bugenhagen,” Vincent explained, then stopped when his saw Red XIII's face fall. “I'm sorry, Red XIII, I didn't realize-“

“It's alright, you couldn't have known. Grandfather died about three month's ago. Things just haven't been the same since. I've been taking care of his house, you know, to help preserve his memory.”

“I understand,” Vincent replied. Eric noticed Vincent's hand got to just below his neck.

“Anyway,” Red XIII said suddenly, “Perhaps I could help you?”

“Well,” Yuffie began, “It turns out that our friend Eric here has, well he and Vincent are alike.” She whispered to their wise friend, “They both have issues.”

“I don't have issues!” Eric declared indignantly.

“Yes you do!”

“No I don't!”

“Enough,” Vincent said. He didn't say it loudly, but it had enough authority behind it to stop both the bickering teens.

“I'm sorry,” Red XIII chuckled, “But I have no knowledge on such things.” His face suddenly grew serious, “It is a shame, though. Yet again, Shinra has ruined the life of another innocent.”

“That's just it,” Vincent explained, “Eric was never experimented on. He only lived with them for several years.”

“That is strange,” Red XIII said thoughtfully. He looked into the fire, and thought. They all sat silently, listening as the rain slowly tapered off. Yuffie turned and looked out the window to see the clouds parting, revealing the sunset. The beautiful sunlight shone off the red stone of the canyon, then mingled with the purple color of the sky. The sight was beautiful, and Yuffie stepped outside to enjoy it. She sat down on the edge of the plateau, her legs dangling over the edge, and watched the stunning display. She didn't see sunsets like this in Wutai. She was glad she had joined with Eric. She had forgotten how wonderful the world was, with or without its materia. Well, with its materia. She watched the sun go down, and went inside. What she found was more then a little strange. Eric was in the corner, hunched over something, trembling slightly. Yuffie asked Vincent what she had missed. He explained that had decided to go see Reeve, otherwise known as Cait Sith, in Gold Saucer. He was the only one they could think of that could access Shinra files.

“That doesn't explain what Eric's doing in the corner.”

“I gave him the Gold Pass,” Red XIII explained, looking at the young man, still huddled in the corner.

“He's never been before, and has been wanting to go for a long time,” Vincent added.

“Oh,” Yuffie sighed. Sometimes boys were so weird, and yet, kinda cute. Ew, Yuffie thought, I can't believe I even thought that. Eric, cute? No way! But Yuffie couldn't help looking back at the kid before getting ready for bed.

Eric tossed and turned in his sleeping bag. He and the others lay on the floor in the small living room, and every else was asleep, each in their sleeping bags and Red XIII curled up in front of the fireplace. Eric's mind kept wandering, thinking about how he had gotten to this point, and the three friends he had already made, more then he had ever had before. He just hoped that his appearance in their lives wouldn't affect them negatively. He would hate to see any of them get hurt, or worse.

Eric suddenly felt the room get stuffy, so he decided to step outside for some fresh air. The night was cool, with a small breeze in the air. He looked up into the sky, and lost his breath. In the sky were thousands of stars. They were spread everywhere, like someone had taken a handful of crystals and spread them over a black sheet. He gazed at them in awe, and sat down on the edge of the plateau, in the same place Yuffie had earlier, in fact, staring at the sight in wonder. He was so engrossed in the view, that he didn't hear someone's feet approach him from behind, four to be precise.

“It certainly is something,” Red XIII commented quietly, causing Eric to jump slightly. He turned to see the cat approach and lay down next to him, his head resting on his front paws. “You know,” he continued, “I was born and raised here, and I never grow weary of this sight.”

“It's wonderful,” Eric answered quietly, “I've never seen the sky so full of stars.”

They remained silent for a while, looking up. Suddenly, and without quite realizing it, Eric began humming.

“What is that you're humming?” Red XIII asked. It sounded old, like some song of an ancient tribe.

“Oh, I'm sorry,” Eric responded, “It's just a song my mother would sing to me before I went to sleep. She said that I should never forget it, that I should teach it to my children someday. For some reason, looking at the stars always reminds me of the song.”

“It sounds nice,” Red XIII commented, “Perhaps you could sing the words?”

“What?” Eric asked, his face filled with surprise.

“I'm sorry,” the cat apologized, picking his head up off his paws, “I didn't mean to embarrass you. The song sounded familiar, so I wondered about the words.”

“Oh, well alright,” Eric consented, “But I can't sing all that well, so please don't laugh.”

“I promise,” Red XIII nodded, and placed his head back on his paws.

Eric began to sing, his voice quiet but still strong. It didn't sound terrible, and Red XIII felt himself drifting off when his ears heard the melodic yet haunting tune.

“Clouded dream on and earthly night,

hangs upon the crescent moon.

A voiceless song in an ageless light,

Sings at the coming dawn.

Birds in flight are calling there

Where the heart moves the stones;

It's there that my heart is calling

All for the love of you.

A Painting hangs on an ivy wall

Nestled in an emerald moss.

The eyes declare a truce of trust

And then it draws me far away.

Deep in the desert twilight

Sand melts in the pools of the sky,

When darkness lays her crimson cloak

Your lamps will call me home.

And so it's there my homage due,

Clutched by the still of the night,

And now I feel you move;

Every breath is full.

So it's there my homage's due,

Clutched by the still of the night.

Even the distance feels so near,

All for the love of you.”

As Eric finished the last note, he looked down at his listener and realized, to his embarrassment, that he started petting Red XIII behind his ears. He pulled his hand away quickly, blood rushing to his face. Red XIII didn't stir, and for that, Eric was glad. He looked at the creature for a moment, then realized why Vincent and Yuffie saw him the way they did. He had a mind, a great, intellectual mind, and was probably far wiser then most humans. He carried himself with dignity and pride, and Eric felt terrible for disgracing the strong and majestic creature by making assumptions based on his appearance. Just a moment ago, Eric had been treating him like an animal, instead of a thinking being, by petting him.

“I'm sorry,” he whispered, and then stood up to leave. Red XIII opened his eyes and sat up. He stretched and yawned, then followed Eric back to the house. When they reached the door, Eric looked at his new friend and smiled.

“Thanks for keeping me company,” he said as he opened the door.

“You're welcome,” Red XIII responded. But before he went in the door, he looked at Eric and said, “By the way, apology accepted and thank you.”

“Thanks,” Eric said, but had a curious look on his face, “But why do you thank me?”

“You managed to scratch that annoying itch behind my ear. I've been trying to get it all day.”

He walked into the house before Eric could respond, and lay back down in his spot in front of the fireplace.

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