The Small Things

Maybe Vincent had the right idea about things.

These days he was cleaning his gun almost manically, looking up at the Meteor that blocked the sun. Yuffie would get infuriated as he ran that cloth along the side, making it shine brighter than before. Not that she had anything against cleaning weapons. No, she took care of her Conformer, loved her Conformer. Just not at the moment, as it was perfectly happy with grass and mud on it. Yuffie would clean it later, but she was too busy being infuriated by Vincent.

So she wasn't angered by the cleaning. What made her pulse with rage was the way he stared up at that Meteor, and she'd pieced enough together from the cryptic sentences he would occasionally speak to realize he thought that Meteor was all his fault. He had not proof, but he suspected he was the father of Sephiroth. And true, that would make things a whole bunch easier at the moment, but he had no proof. Besides, he was lamenting more that he could have saved Lucrecia, and blah blah blah.

But there was a part of her that turned up to the sky, and something struck her like an ice cold snowball to the back of the head.

Maybe Vincent had the right idea about things.

She doubted he saw it, with his terribly closed mind that thought it was wide and encompassing, but was actually not and just fixated on his own little pities. But in his mourning that by doing just that one thing, he could have changed the world. And that was where Yuffie was thinking he had the right idea about things. Maybe, just maybe, the smallest action of a person – of them all – had caused everything to come to where it was at this very second, AVALANCHE on the Highwind soaring towards glory and death at a freakishly long sword.

Cloud. Her eyes shifted to him. What if he had never wanted to become a SOLDIER? What if Tifa actually had been his childhood friend, and that made him live happily in Nibelheim with his sweetheart Tifa. He would have never met Sephiroth, never been a guard, and never known that he could have been the leader of a group that was off to save the world.

And Tifa, for that matter. If her father hadn't been in the reactor at that precise time, Sephiroth maybe wouldn't have slain him, and Tifa would have never sworn against the man. She would have never became an eco-terrorist of the group AVALANCHE, moving to some new town with her father, away from the burnt-down Nibelheim. She would be mourning her sweetheart, Cloud, the spiky haired blonde boy who never had met Sephiroth and never taken the man down with his own sword, who would have never had glowing mako eyes and who would indirectly allow Sephiroth's reign of terror to draw closer.

Aeris. If Elmyra hadn't been by the train at just that moment she would have never found Aeris. Aeris might have never been the sweet-hearted thing she was, instead caught by ShinRa and made bitter by experiments. Perhaps she would endure an equally horrible fate, swept up into the slums and becoming some lovely slum rat, with battle scars and bad breath. She could have possibly died that very day, wailing in the arms of her dead Cetra mother.

Then she would have never been pursued by the Turks, and wouldn't have needed Cloud as a bodyguard (which was just as well because the bodyguard-Cloud-boy she needed was currently dead, burnt to a crisp and covered by the fake Nibelheim, and he was currently not a mercenary and had not been part of ShinRa and had not taken down Sephiroth, who was probably launching Meteor as Aeris wished for the bodyguard who was dead). In fact, she may have never discovered she was a Cetra, just thought she was crazy because heck, there was a voice in her head that was telling her it was her Mother. Then she might have joined Sephiroth, so they could be crazy together, having not-their-biological-mothers whisper in their minds.

Creepy.

Barret. If he had voted against the reactor, it wouldn't have exploded and wouldn't have been hated, and there was a good chance Corel would be fine, and he and Dyne would have their arms and Marlene would have been with her real parents, never to meet the dead Cloud, the not-fatherless Tifa and the either crazy, slum rat, bitter or dead Aeris. Then, he would have never been angry at ShinRa, and would have never reincarnated AVALANCHE, which was just as well because Tifa was a not-eco-terrorist, happy with her father and Cloud was not a mercenary, but dead, and it was just as well because AVALANCHE would never save the world without the saintly Aeris, the leader Cloud or the fist fighting Tifa.

Cid. What if he had decided Shera could be a sacrifice, and launched into space. Then he would probably be famous and the pilot of the ShinRa space program, and would have never been hanging around Rocket Town with the Tiny Bronco because he had better things to do, like going into space and signing autographs. But this was just as well, since dead Cloud, father-full Tifa, crazy-bitter-slum-dead Aeris, and not-the-leader-of-the-second-reincarnation-of-AVALANCHE Barret weren't there to escape via Bronco. But even further, the rocket would not just be hanging out in Rocket Town, and they wouldn't have been able to go into space and Rocket Town wouldn't ever grow bigger.

Nanaki. What if Seto had won that attack? Nanaki wouldn't have been all bitter against his father, and would know all the secrets of his race, guided by a floating grandfather and wise father. He wouldn't have needed to seek the answers, and wouldn't have accompanied the non-existent AVALANCHE because his technically-fifteen-year-old-self-even-if-he-was-super-old had to learn, and that learning couldn't be hindered. But it didn't matter, because Cloud was dead, Barret was not the leader of the second reincarnation of AVALANCHE, Tifa was happy with her father and not an eco-terrorist, Cid was famous and popular and too busy signing autographs to have the non-existent AVALANCHE escape and Aeris was dead, crazy, bitter or a slum rat.

Cait Sith. Well, Reeve. Reeve. What if he had never gotten a job in ShinRa? There would be no Cait Sith to betray them and hand over the Keystone to Shinra. But there would also be no Cait Sith to sacrifice himself to get the black materia. Then, the currently-over-crispy Cloud wouldn't have handed it over to Sephiroth, which wouldn't have been possible because Cloud's ashes were under a fake Nibelheim, he never became mako-infused or a clone and Sephiroth may have already blown up the world.

Vincent. Oh boy, Vincent. If he hadn't decided to have an affair with Lucrecia that left him in a wallowing pit of doom and despair, Sephiroth might not be here. Then again, he might be, since Hojo might have still got it on with Lucrecia, but maybe Hojo would have wanted to have a child. Maybe he had been bitter. If not, Sephiroth would still be here. Whoah-boy. Had to tell that one to Vincent. So far he was the most innocent out of the not-really-real AVALANCHE alter egos. Then again. If he had never become a Turk, he wouldn't have had the option to have an affair, and would have been fifty something in Nibelheim. He would not be in a coffin and would have not joined the non-existent AVALANCHE. He would probably be chilling with Cloud, since he would have been fifty-something and too damn stoic to move as the fire came, and he and Cloud could be pressed under fake-Nibelheim together, and he would not be sitting here making her so angry.

Yuffie. Trickier. She was younger. But if her mother had defeated Sephiroth that one day, therefore making a huge blow in Wutai's favor for the war, Sephiroth would not have been here. With a sinking feeling, Yuffie realized that she most of all – or rather, her blood – had the most direct, final way to rid of Sephiroth. But she had just watched, when she could have gotten ninjas and surrounded the General, all efforts there to take him down. But instead her mother had been dead, and she swore vengeance. But then, Wutai would have never lost the war, and Yuffie wouldn't have to search for materia, because Wutai would be all good. Then, she would have never had the chance to join the non-existent AVALANCHE. She would be in Wutai, a lady (or as close as she would ever come) with her mother and her father, her happy family. Yuffie would be arranged for some marriage that would no doubt make her miserable in the long-run, or even worse would be in love with the guy, have tons of kid and leave a thoroughly ordinary life. Dreadful.

Even just pick one. Pick one person who would have done something different, and this could all be not happening. All would be different. Even just one thing of one of the people, and this may have not been happening. In fact, since Sephiroth wasn't taken down (or was, if you think of Yuffie's mom/Yuffie) the world might be a crisp, just like Cloud and Vincent.

Reluctantly, she had to admit: Vincent had the right general idea about things.

Truly, all the small things counted. It was the tiniest things they did that led them to where they were today.

And all their stupid decisions and cowardice had destroyed the world.

Now, she was fuming. She glared out at crispy so-not-alive Cloud, not-fatherless Tifa, not-fatherless not-guardian Nanaki, not the leader of the second reincarnation of AVALANCHE Barret, famous autograph signing Cid, burnt-dead fifty-something Vincent and non-existent Cait Sith. Seething, she stomped her foot. "You all suck!" she burst out, and angrily stormed from the room.

The group exchanged wide eyed glances. The fatherless former eco-terrorist Tifa looked hurt, and the very much alive Cloud was confused. The not-so famous pilot shook his head, and the existent Cait Sith bounced over and cheerfully bellowed an insult after her.

The alive though barely living twenty seven-something Vincent, however, just shook his head. He continued to stare out absently, all the while pondering how Yuffie had gotten his gun away from him, coated it with peanut butter and stuck it back in the holster without him noticing. Making the metal shine again, he shook his head. He would get the ninja back, though the group need not know that Vincent was not above stopping to such measures as replacing shampoo with honey. Let her think Cait or Cid did it. The not-so-burnt Vincent smirked. Yes. Let them think he was above it. No one touched his Death Penalty.

Barret stared out after Yuffie. Bewildered, the leader of the second reincarnation of AVALANCHE turned to the others.

"What's eatin' the Brat?"

The existent group called AVALANCHE shrugged.

The not-crispy blonde leader shook his head.

"Just some small things, I guess."

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A/N: Wow. The writing style in this is really...run-on sentency and sloppy. But I'll post if for now, and hope it doesn't confuse too much. It is supposed to be jumbled, run-on, like Yuffie's thoughts that mix with frustration.

This just came on randomly, reading some fic where Vincent was polishing his gun. Not at all inspired by All the Small Things by...uh...is it Smash Mouth? No Clue.

Enjoy! Reviews are loved. -slaps self- So shameless.