Marlene walked out of her room, tear stains on her face, holding a single yellow-white flower with four petals.

She looked up at Barret solemnly.

"You can stop looking for him. He's not gonna come back."

Vincent walked up to an indistinct form lying on the ground. When he was close enough to see it he recognized it immediately. "Cerberus…" The dog was dead, blood still seeping slowly from the wound in its chest. The vision of Cerberus had haunted Vincent's nightmares since his years sleeping in a coffin. Since sleeping in the bowels of Death itself.

"Vincent…" He thought he heard a sob in the voice this time and he turned to find her. She had been standing just one step behind him, tear streaks down her face.

"What's wrong?" He asked, concerned.

She shook her head. "I... I just... I'm sorry."

"Sorry?"

She nodded.

Vincent was going to ask what she was sorry for, but she continued hurriedly.

"And I want you to stop apologizing for what isn't your fault."

They were both silent for a long moment.

"Where are you going?" She asked suddenly.

"What?"

Vincent woke up to the now familiar sick feeling and a clamor of voices and movement. He had hidden himself among the cargo of a ship crossing the ocean, and was extremely thankful that he didn't have Yuffie's problem with seasickness.

"They're dead!" Vincent heard someone shout on the deck. "Both of 'em! Ripped to pieces!" The shouter seemed on the brink of hysteria.

Vincent saw a drop of blood roll down the box beside him. He sighed, resigned, shifted his position slightly and went back to sleep.

"We can't just let him keep... well... If I know Vincent, he'll never forgive himself for this. We have to find him before he does any real damage... to anyone else or to himself... Any ideas?"

"Follow the trail of blood?" Tifa suggested.

Cloud shook his head. "No. He's got too much of a head start. And like I said, we can't just let him go..."

"We need to know where he's gone," Yuffie said, "but Marlene won't say a thing!" She folded her arms, pouting.

"If... he killed Shelke..." Cloud said, thinking half out loud. "I think I know where he could be going. We just need to get there before he does, or..." Cloud's voice trailed off. He didn't quite know the consequence of not being able to find his old friend.

"Vincent?"

"Yes?"

"You should wake up. They're unloading the ship. They'll find you soon."

"Okay."

Vincent slipped out of the cargo hold and onto land, feeling like a stowaway rat. He looked down at his hands, but then had to look away, imagining blood covering them. He walked through the city in a heavy daze. Every carefully concealed whisper was about him. Every voice was worrying over his murders. Every glance saw the imaginary blood staining his clothes. Vincent walked through the crowd limply, occasionally jostled by people who were in more of a hurry than he was.

Are you next? He thought at each of the passing faces.

Both of the people on night watch on the cargo ship he had stowed away on had been killed. And a third body had been found just before they had made land. The story was the same, blood everywhere, chest slashed open, heart missing.

Vincent felt sick.

He continued resolutely east in a familiar pilgrimage.

Vincent looked for her this time, and was almost a bit worried when he didn't find her immediately. Then her luminous eyes swam out of the darkness.

"You've come back again, Vincent?"

"I don't have much of a choice."

"Is there a reason you've come?"

"Yeah. I want to know why."

"Why?" She seemed afraid. "I... Vincent... please don't ask me that."

"I need to know who you are and why... why this is happening."

"Because I love you."

"That's not what I asked."

She looked at him almost angrily, and shook her head. "I answered you. Isn't that enough?" She turned and began to leave.

"Stop!" Vincent shouted at her as she started off into the blackness.

She turned back, looking at him curiously. "Yes?"

"Stop it! Stop… killing people. Stop…" he was out of breath.

The woman looked about to cry. "Please... please, Vincent, tell me you don't mean that…"

"Stop… hurting… my friends…" He gasped, collapsing into blackness.

Vincent felt sick again. Another death. This time in Nebelheim. He had to get away from people. He tried hard to resist thinking of them as targets. He left Nebelheim quietly and headed in the direction of the mountain range to the south.

"What do you want?" He asked rhetorically of the encroaching blizzard. "Why are you doing this?"

He listened in vain for an answer.

"I... I'm so sorry."

The mountain lake. Usually so tranquil. Usually, Vincent was completely alone here, but...

"Vincent." He turned. A figure had materialized just behind him, it was a young woman, her eyes a bright, shining blue-green. She was the same woman from Vincent's visions. She took a step forward. She was dressed in all black and was smiling at him. "I'm glad you made it."

Vincent looked at her, shocked. "What are you doing here? Who are you?"

She laughed softly, then turned her back to him to address him. "You haven't guessed?" she teased.

He stared at her. Without her over-bright eyes distracting him he realized that he should have recognized her the moment he saw her.

"... Lucrecia?"

The woman threw her head back and laughed venomously. It was not Lucrecia's laugh. She turned, the ice in her eyes piercing him. "No, Vincent... I'm just her shadow."

The slitted pupils observed him coldly. Her eyes were the eyes of one exposed to mako. Sephiroth's eyes.

She stepped forward again, this time putting her hands on the sides of Vincent's face and kissing him. He tried to push her away, but the moment he touched her she disappeared. Vincent couldn't breathe, as though her mouth were still over his, taking his breath, and then everything was suddenly and mercifully dark.

When Cloud stepped into the cave it took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the darkness. Vincent was there, but the scene was not the one Cloud had expected. A woman was kneeling on the ground, holding Vincent in her arms. She was pretty, fair skinned and had long, brown hair. Her eyes were brown, soft, and the same shape as Sephiroth's. Tears flowed steadily from them as they looked up at Cloud, silhouetted in the cave entryway.

Vincent's head rested limply against Lucrecia's shoulder.

"He's dead…"