by; Megami Hisui
Authors note: Hello, I'm Megami, but you can call me, Meg. The story you are about to read took me a very long time to write. I put everything I could into it, so please be kind with your reviews. At first I was just playing around with an idea or two, and it turned into the fic you see before you. The character, Sarah, is my own creation.
Disclaimer: Sarah is the only character I own. All the rest are the property of Squaresoft.
Lyrics from "Iris" by the Goo Goo Dolls
And I'd give up forever to touch you
Cause I know that you feel me somehow
You're the closest to heaven, that I'll ever be
And I don't want to go home right now
And all I could taste is this moment
And all I can breath is your life
And sooner or later it's over
I just don't want to miss you tonight
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Sarah glanced at the clock on her nightstand. She could barely see it in the dark.....3:45am. She turned over to face the window and sighed. It was another sleepless night, like so many before it. She laid there for a moment, before tossing the covers aside, and crawling out of bed. She moved carfully across the dark room, stubbing her bare toe on the leg of a nearby table. "Owww..", she winced in pain as she stumbled for the light. She was a very beautiful girl, around 19 years old, with long red hair and bright green eyes. She had been told that she was exactly like her mother in every way, but Sarah had never known her mother. All she had to remember her by were a few old photographs. The young girl made her way back to her bed and sat down, picking up a framed picture off the nightstand. The woman in the picture seemed to smile at her with bright green eyes. "Hi mom.", Sarah whispered, "I can't sleep again. I found some of your diary pages in the attic today.....but I can't make much sense of them." She paused as she glanced at the papers that were scattered over the table. "I wish I had gotten to know you better."
She placed the picture back in it's place and walked over to the table. "There are so many pages missing.", she continued, "But I did find one that interested me." She sat down and rumaged through the old papers until she found what she was looking for. "Dear Diary...", she began to read, "Today my little Sarah turned one. I am so proud of her. I'm finally able to give her the love I was never able to give my son. I have taken her away.....away from Hojo and Shinra. I won't let them take her from me like they did Sephiroth. I never even got to hold him. Sarah is so beautiful, she looks just like me. No, Hojo is not her father....I'm not sure who her father is. But it doesn't matter, we have each other. I only wish Vincent could've seen her. I don't even know where he is. I miss him.....and I hope he can forgive me for anything I may have done to hurt him. I never wanted to hurt anyone, especially not him......" Sarah glanced back up at the photo. "It just cuts off after that.", she said, "why didn't anyone ever tell me I had a brother? And who's Vincent?"
There was no reply.....not like she expected one anyway. Sarah sighed as she hung her head. "There are a lot of pieces missing.", she whispered, "I want to know......what happened, who I am, who you were. I have to find out. I just wish I had more clues." She stood up and went back over to the bed. "Maybe I could find someone who'd help me.", she thought as she slid under the covers, "Someone like.....", she trailed off as she began to drift off to sleep. But as her eyes closed, a name echoed through her mind......Vincent.
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Vincent opened his eyes and stared up at the lid of his coffin. He thought he heard someone call his name, but it may have been a dream. No...he had heard it. A voice so soft it was barely a whisper. A female voice....as beautiful as some sweet music. "Lucrecia?", he whispered softly. The only reply he got was eerie silence. Sighing, he closed his eyes again, and let the darkness take him. The nightmares began almost as soon as his eyes were closed. He was standing in the middle of his tomb, staring at his coffin. Nothing seemed out of place....but, there was someone there with him. He turned to face the person, wondering who would disturb him. It was a girl with long red hair. Her face was slightly fuzzy, but something about her caught his attention.....she looked like Lucrecia. Vincent felt sick.....was it really her? No, it couldn't be. "Lu....Lucrecia?", he asked, his voice choked with fear. The girl smiled but shook her head. "Who are you?". he whispered. She didn't reply. She simply smiled before vanishing in a swirl of white mist.
"No.", Vincent cried, "Don't go!! Tell me who you are!!" It wasn't the first time he'd seen her. He lowered his eyes and sighed. Thats when the voice came. A hauntingly beautiful voice.....the voice of his beloved Lucrecia. "Vincent...", the voice whispered, "Forgive me....." Vincent lifted his eyes and glanced around the room.....there was no one there. "Forgive you?", he asked, "For what?" The voice seemed to ignore his question as it went on. "She needs you more than I do.", it said, "Please don't turn her away.....she is my everything....." "Who?", Vincent wanted to know. But the voice was gone. "Lucrecia please don't go!!", he cried....no answer. Vincent opened his eyes again with a start. He'd had that dream before. What was she trying to tell him? And who was the strange girl he saw? He really didn't want to think about it. Whoever she was....Lucrecia had known her. Was she trying to get him to find her? There were so many things he didn't understand. "Who are you?", he whispered to the darkness, "And what do you want from me?"
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4 years later
Sarah slowly opened her eyes. It was morning. The young girl didn�t move. She didn�t feel like getting up. As she lay there, a thought entered her mind. �I have to find out the truth.� She sat up and glanced around the room. The diary pages were still scattered across the table from where she had read over them again the night before. She seemd to read them every night since she first found them. She hadn�t read all of them, there were too many. But she had gathered enough information to at least attempt to find out who her mother was. Her mother�s name was Lucrecia Hart. She was a scientist, working with a professor Hojo at the Shinra Mansion in Nibelheim. Sarah sighed as she skimmed through the seemingly endless supply of papers. The answer she was looking for was probably in Nibelheim. The only problem she faced now was, how to get there. She stood up and walked to the window, it was such a beautiful day. Perhaps she could find someone who'd help her. She dressed quickly, a long flowered dress and hiking boots, then ran a brush through her long red hair. If she was ever going to uncover her past, today was the day to do it. She had waited for years for this.
She left her small little house and hurried down the street. She wasn't sure where she was going, but she went anyway. Her heart seemed to be leading her somewhere. It wasn't long before she found herself standing in front of a small items shop. The place looked very cozy. "Is this where I'm supposed to go?", she wondered. She slowly pushed the shop door open and stepped inside. The scene that met her eyes made her feel warm and happy for a moment. There were people browsing through the seemingly endless supply of items. Couples, mothers with small children at their sides, young and old a like. They talked amogst themselves and had lunch in the small dinning area. Sarah smiled to herself, it was very cozy in here. One of the customers caughter her attention. He was a ruggedly handsome older man, about 35 years old. He was dressed like some type of engineer with the remains of a cigarette hanging between his lips. He was speaking to the shop owner.
"What the #%@# do ya mean, 2000 gil!?!", the rugged man yelled, "Since when did the #@$%ing prices go up?!?!" "I'm very sorry, Mr. Highwind.", the shop owner replied, "But things have been rough for my family. I need to make some extra money." The other man started to say something, but stopped as a young girl appeard at his side. She reached into her pocket and placed 2000 gil on the counter. "That should cover whatever you're trying to buy.", she said politely. Both the shop owner and the customer glanced down at her. "Who the hell are you?", the customer asked as he lit another cigarette. "My name's Sarah Hart.", the girl replied, "And I'm looking for someone who can get me to Nibelheim." "What the #$%& is in Nibelheim?", the man asked. "I....I'm not sure.", Sarah sighed, "But I have to go there. I thought maybe you could help me." "Sorry, kid.", the man said, "I got too much shit to do.", And with that he picked up his purchass and left the shop. Sarah stood there for a moment before running after him. "Please.", she begged once she had caught up with him, "It's the only way I'll ever find out about my past. Please, you've got to help me." The man turned to look at her. "You're really serious, aren't you?", he asked. Sarah nodded. "I'm not sure what I'm looking for.", she told him, "But I know that whatever it is, it's in Nibelheim."
The man seemed to be thinking about someting. He looked like he wasn't going to help her, so Sarah quickly added, "I'll pay you." "Alright.", the man sighed, "The name's Cid, Cid Highwind. And you've got yourself a deal." Sarah almost hugged him. "It might do me some good to get the hell away from Shera for a while,", Cid said, more to himself than her. "Oh thank you.", Sarah smiled, "Thank you so much." "Eh, don't mention it.", Cid replied, "Just tell me what time you have to be there." "It doesn't matter.", Sarah told him, "Whenever you're avalible." Cid stared at her for a moment. "Just exactly what do you plan on finding in a place like Nibelheim?", he asked her. Sarah shruged. "I'm hoping to find out more about my mother.", she replied, "I know that she worked in Nibelheim, I thought maybe the answer was there." "I see....", Cid sighed, "I spent some time in Nibelheim once, I may have met yout mother. What was her name?"
"Lucrecia Hart."
Cid's eyes widened and the cigarette fell from his mouth. "Did you just say, Lucrecia Hart?", he asked. "Yeah.", Sarah nodded slowly, "Have....did you know her?" Cid began to walk down the street, Sarah followed. "Not personally.", Cid replied, "But someone I know did.....he was head over heels fot that broad." "Can you take me too meet him?", Sarah asked hopefully, "If he was in love with my mother, then I should talk to him." Cid laughed. "Good luck.", he snorted, "Vincent doens't talk to people, but....if you are Lucrecia's daughter he might just talk to you." That name......could it be. "Vincent?", Sarah raised an eyebrow and stared at him, "I read something in my mom's diary about a guy named Vincent. Do you know where he is?" Cid nodded. "Unless I'm mistaken.", he said, lighting yet another cigarette and taking a long drag, "He's still at the Shinra Mansion in Nibelheim." "Great!", Sarah clapped her hands together, "How soon can you get me there?"