The Skeleton
by KalSince today is November 1,I decided to do a little Vincent fanfiction in which he has to deal with the supernatural.November 1 and 2 are the "Día de muertos","Day of the dead" here in Mexico. It´s believed that in this two days,the spirits of the dead come to visit the living.The adult spirits visit us in November 1,and the spirits of children come on November 2.So after teaching you a little about mexican culture,I hope you like this story.
Vincent entered the graveyard.It was late at night,but he had to do it.He had been busy,but he knew it couldn´t be delayed forever.The people of Nibelheim was stil asleep,being well past midnight.He searched the tombs for the one he wanted.It was in the third row to his left.He went towards it and kneeled,reading the inscription.
"Lucrecia Bannon 1950-1997.May she rest in peace with the angels." Vincent paused a moment,feeling something strange in the air.Something was not right.He heard a scratching sound from behind him.It seemed like it came...from beneath the earth? He turned around and saw how a one hand came out from the earth.And attached to it,a skeleton.Vincent got ready for the battle,and quickly remembered himself "Undead monsters are vulnerable to healing spells" while he took out his Cure Materia.The skeleton finally got out of the earth,and standed in front of Vincent,examining him with the empty spaces of its eyes.Vincent was ready for anything.
Except for one thing.
The skeleton talked.
"How you doing,pal?"
Vincent was shocked.The skeleton talked! In previous encounters with undead monsters,no one of them talked! He decided to play along with it.
"Fine.What do you want?"
"Hah,you´re a pretty direct fellow,heh? I see you don´t like to waste time.I like that,because we don´t have much time."
"We? Who is we?"
"You and I of course.Let´s go,we don´t have much time left."
"Wait a minute.What´s happening here?"
"I´ll explain in the way there.Now come on!"
Vincent showed the skeleton the Cure Materia.
"Now,listen to me.I´m not going anywhere until you explain me what´s going on.So do it,or I´ll send you back to where you belong."
The skeleton seemed unimpressed.Vincent just frowned,and waited.The skeleton then seated in a tomb and waved Vincent to come near him.
"Well,I guess if you´re going to help me,you need to know everything.First,my name´s Harry. What´s yours?"
"Vincent."
"Well,Vince,I´ll try to do this quick,´cause we don´t have much time left.As you can see, I´m dead.This happened a long time ago.I was at the Lifestream,waiting until it was my turn to go to the "other side",when I´m told I can´t go,until I resolve all my unfinished businesses.I was very pissed,but then I accepted it,and they sent me here.They told me that upon my arrival, I would find some help.And that´s you,my friend."
"Who sent you?"
"You wouldn´t understand if I told you."
"Try me."
"It was the collective conscience of this planet."
"......."
"Well,anyway,I need your help.You see,I have only two days to finish my businesses here,or otherwise I´ll be in the Lifestream forever,unable to go to the "other side"."
"What are your unfinished businesses?"
"Well,you see,before I died,I was engaged with this girl.A good girl,very beautiful.I was a Materia hunter,and the week prior to our marriage,I heard of a legendary Materia in a faraway cave.I went there,promising her that we would marry when I got back.She promised she would wait for my return.So I parted,but,unluckily,the ship I was attacked by pirates and I died.So I couldn´t return.She kept her promise and never loved another man.I was sent back because I have to free her from the promise and tell her I still love her,and the only thing I want is her happiness.And you´re going to help me."
Vincent was silent.It was a story of love and tragedy,and he knew well about that.He remembered how he punished himself all those years because he was unable to protect Lucrecia from Hojo.And now,a man was given the second chance he never had to correct things.
"I´ll help you.On one condition."
"Tell me."
"When you go back look for a woman named Lucrecia,and tell her a message."
"Alright! Then let´s get going."
Harry walked out of the cemetery,followed by Vincent.This was going to be his strangest adventure ever.
"This is a pretty comfy place.Did you decorated it by yourself?"
Harry was in the Shinra Mansion,taken there by Vincent,after he realized a walking skeleton would be prone to call attention and problems.He went into one of the second floor rooms,and returned with a trenchcoat,a baseball hat,a pair of sneakers and a pair of sunglasses.Harry put them on and in a couple of minutes he looked more like a person than a skeleton.
"Now,tell me,where does your girlfriend lives?"
Harry remained silent for a couple of minutes.
"Well,I.....don´t remember.Sorry."
Vincent rolled his eyes.An undead skeleton with amnesia! This was great!
"But I remember some things.Her favorite color was yellow,she loved cats,and she lived with her father.He was a.......worker in a coal mine."
"Hmm,the only town with coal mines I know is Corel.Let´s start there,I have a friend who could help us."
"Great,then let´s go."
They went out of the mansion and towards a stable.The gold chocobo there was sleeping,and wasn´t very happy of being woke up in the middle of the night.Vincent put the saddle on it and mounted it. Harry mounted behind Vincent,grabbing him by the waist.
"Don´t worry,you´re not my type." Harry said.
Vincent rolled his eyes.An undead skeleton with amnesia and a sense of humor!
They got out of Nibelheim and headed to Corel.
They arrived in the morning.The streets of Corel were full of people,everyone working to make the town what it was before being burned down by Shinra.Vincent and Harry dismounted and leaded the gold chocobo to Barret´s house.Vincent knocked in the door,and was opened by a little girl with a pink dress and a yellow lace.
"Hi,uncle Vincent.How are ya?"
"Hello,Marlene.It´s your daddy here?"
"Yes,uncle Vincent.Come inside,he´s reading some important stuff."
Vincent and Harry entered the house.It was little,but comfortable.They seated in a couch and heard Marlene telling Barret about them.Barret entered the room with Marlene in his shoulder. "How ya doing Vincent? Long time no see."
"Yes.But I´m afraid this is not a social visit.This is Harry,and we were expecting you could help us with a problem."
"Of course! But shouldn´t yer friend take out his trenchcoat? It´s very hot inside here,I tell ya."
"Thanks,but I´m fine."
"Marlene,daddy has to talk in private with uncle Vincent.Go to your room and play with yer dolls."
He put Marlene in the floor and she went to her room.Then Barret turned to talk with Vincent and Harry.
"Well,what can I do for ya,foo´s?"
"It´s a long story."
Vincent then told Barret most of Harry´s story,omiting the part that he was dead.Barret listened carefully and then thought for a couple of minutes.
"Well,I remember a young woman dat was expecting for her man to came back.Heard she moved to Costa del Sol so she would know when he came back.That was ten years ago.Are ya this fellow?"
"Yes.I´m sorry I couldn´t get back sooner,but I was...busy."
"Well,thanks fro the help Barret,but we must hurry.Say goodbye to Marlene for me."
They exited the house and mounted again in the chocobo.This time they headed to Costa del Sol.
It was late in the night when they arrived.By suggestion of Vincent,they spent the night in the Inn,and then they would restart the search in the morning.Harry was very impatient.To think his love was out there.But he saw he needed time to think what to say.Vincent sleeped,but saw that Harry was in corner,silent.When he woke up,he was still there.They went out and started the search.
After the tenth person who didn´t had heard of any woman from Corel,Vincent started to question himself about this mission.They dind´t even know her name.Then he noticed Harry was silent.
"What is it?"
"I´m remebering other things.Her birthday was on June,she liked white roses...her name was... was...Marla! her name is Marla!"
With that info,Vincent and Harry could find her house in no time.It was in a quiet neighborhood. They went to a green house with a white fenc.Vincent knocked on the door and heard a feminine voice.
"I´m coming!"
They waited there.Harry seemed very nervous.How would Marla react to it? Then the door opened and they saw a brown haired woman,beautiful as harry had told him.She seemed to be in her mid-thirties,but there was another thing that none of them expected.
Her eyes were staring blankly to them.She was blind! Neither of them spoke.Then Harry reacted. "Ma-Marla?"
The woman then opened her mouth in disbelief.After all those years!
"Harold!!? Is it you,Harold!? Oh,God,I knew you would come back!!!"
The woman then went towards Harry and hugged him.Harry then took her in his arms and enjoyed the moment.he wanted to stay like that forever,but his time was running up.
"Marla,what happened to you?"
"It´s a long story.When I came here,I had no job,so I went to the shipyard.It was a tough job,but I earned enough to live.One day,there was an explosion.I was caught in the middle of it,and the shrapnel of it hurt my eyes.I was blind,but a group of people felt sorry for me and bought this house for me.I always knew that one day you would come back,and now!!!"
Harry remained silent.He seemed like he wanted to cry,but he couldn´t,snce he was only a skeleton now.He then waved to Vincent to wait near there.Vincent went across the street and waited.
"Marla,you don´t know how much I wish I could go back in time and prevent all this from happening.It´s all my fault."
"It´s okay.Now you´re here with me,and nothing will stop me from spending my last days with you."
"Your last days?"
"Yes.A piece of shrapnel entered my brain.The doctors said it was dangerous to remove it,so they let it there.But a couple of days ago,I had a cerebral bleeding because of it.The doctors said it´s just a matter of weeks,before I die."
Harry just stood there silent.This wasn´t going to be easy.What could he tell her? That he would be around only a couple of hours more and couldn´t be with her? He did the only prudent thing.
He lied.
He told her about his dead,and that now he was an angel,that he had been very busy with works for "the boss" and couldn´t come earlier.He told her,that altough he couldn´t be with her in the next days,he would watch over her,and he would be waiting her and they would never be separated again.He then saw his time was finishing.
"So,now you know.I love you,but I can´t be with you.I would give anything to be with you,but I have to go back.But don´t worry.When you die,I´ll be there waiting for you."
"Thanks Harold.I understand.I love you too,but even if you have to go I don´t mind if that after that we will be together forever,isn´t it?"
"Yes.So don´t worry.I love you.Now I have to go."
He hugged her one more time.Then he went away,without looking back.
"Let´s go,Vince."
After many hours of travel,they were back at Nibelheim.They entered the graveyard and Harry went straigth to his tomb.he started to excave,when Vincent remebered about his message.
"Harry,wait."
"What is it? Do you want to give me a goodbye kiss?"
"It´s about my message.I want you to tell Lucrecia that I love her and that I´m sorry for everything that happened.It´s all my fault."
"OK.Don´t worry,I´ll remember it.You know,you´re exactly like she said you were."
"Who?"
"Lucrecia.When she knew about me,she told me you could help me.That you were a good man,that cares for everyone.That you should stop thinking it´s your fault,and that she also loves you." "Why didn´t you told me earlier?"
"She made me promise I wouldn´t told you before it was time for me to go back.I hope you´re not angry at me."
Vincent just stood here silent.Harry started to excavate again,and before he buried himself again,he heard Vincent telling him to wait.
"Harry."
"Yes?"
"Good luck."
"Thanks."
Harry then went back to his eternal sleep.Vincent saw how the sun rised over the roofs of Nibelheim,giving life to everything.He realized that Harry wasn´t the only one who could rest peacefully from now on.