Memories...

Memories were what made one who they truely were. One of the major differences between people were formed by their memories. It left him with an interesting question, was he Alexander or Vincent or perhaps something entirely new.

His mind was swimming in the silence deep within his head as memories surfaced.

Two days after Innocence...

Xander was getting annoyed as he mentally catalogued the damage to his body.

Two cracked ribs and a lot of bruising along with a minor concussion, none of which was major for him anymore, becomming more of an annoyance since he'd regained some of Vincents healing abilities.

He shook his head to clear the spots out of his eyes as he dodged another strike by large green, scaled creature the size of a pickup truck, give or take a few tons. Of course the fact that the damn thing threw a Volks at him, well that just started to start an angry tick in the corner of his eye as he pulled Cerberus free of its leather holster.

Shining metal glinting off sparks thrown from a downed powerline that was an earlier "victim" of this pest; his metal gauntleted, left hand slipped two materia free of his belt pouch as his right thumb opened a pair of linked slots.

"Added Effect and Death should do it," he muttered to himself as he slipped the two glowing stones into the weapon before locking them in place with a twirled flourish.

He leaped upwards and grabbed a streetlight with his left hand as the thing charged him again, claws and jaws brushing his long, faded, red cloak. He twirled, using the light as a gymnastics bar to launch himself away as the beasts tail tore the steel post into almost countless shards of metal that scattered around as the light fell.

Xander landed in a low crouch as his cloak swirled around him making him appear almost ghostly for a moment before rising to his feet and aiming the triple barreled pistol at his foe.

"I think Arnie said it best," he said as it turned to charge him again, claws shredding the pavement, "Hasta La Vista, Baby!"

He pulled the trigger six times in rapid sucession, draining a full clip of magically enhansed ammunition into it in little more than a heartbeat.

It froze for a moment, glowing, crimson eyes dulling for a moment as he reloaded.

A roar filled the streets and set off car alarms and it charged once more, staggered and faltering right before it collapsed before him, dead as its body hit the ground in a dull thump that cracked the cement of the street.

Xander managed to stand a moment longer, enough time to slip his weapon into the soft leather of its holster before hitting his knees, gasping for air.

"I need some serious improvement," he remarked about his current level of abilities.

Total recall via the Judge had given him the skill and the Materia had remained after Halloween, but his current Cerberus had been aquired early that morning and he was sorely out of shape.

Staggering to his feet, the one with the memories of an ex-Turk limped home as the monstrocity he had been fighting dissolved into black fog that dissipated in the dim light.

His mind felt fuzzy as he floated in the void as he felt a warm energy, heat and flame, rage and anger made sentient.

We meet again heir of Valentine, and heir of the power that will come, he heard a deep, rumbling voice whisper all around him.

"What will come?" he asked, confused, "What power?"

It will be explained in time for you who are young and yet old at the same time, a paradox born of the same energy that makes up your very soul, you are the child of Omega incarnate, your decisions effect more than you know.

"Who are you?"

I am an old friend Valentine, one who protected you with the very fires of hell itself, for that I gained a form of absolution, one your predacessor did not seek for himself.

"Ifrit, you are here as well old friend?"

Yes, it is I, but our own reunion, it paused for a moment as if distasteful of the last word, can only be short for now, we will talk again, but your friends are calling for you.

"What happened?"

You unleashed the second sleeper within you, Death Gigas waits for your call besides the Galian Beast, but like your first time in that form, you lingered within it to long and with your inexperience in your body, you simply ran out of energy, you have slept for three days.

"Thanks you my friend," he whispered.

We will meet again paradox of age.

"Alexander?" he heard Yuna say as someone shoved his shoulders and he blinked and goaned before rolling to a sitting position

"What did I miss?" he asked with a slight yawn and a shake of the head to wake him the rest of the way up.

"Tidus gave da priests a hearth attack or sometin," Wakka said with a shrug, "Wat was dat thing you became back there?"

"Part of a long story, but it's a lot like the Galian Beast, it's called Death Gigas," he whispered back as he checked his holster only to find it empty, "Where's Cerberus?"

"Don' know, couldn' find it after da faight, ya," came the response as the red clad gunman looked suspicious.

"Wakka not take it," Kimahri interrupted, "Kimahri make sure of that."

He nodded and climbed to his feet, "Then I guess we move one, where to next?"

"Lucca," Tidus said with a grin, "where we kick some blitzball butt."

"Perhaps," he answered as he tied his headband back into position, "Don't get cocky kid, keep calm and cool about it, let them see your abilities first hand before you brag about anything though."

He followed them out and paused for a moment when they were all out of hearing range, "Besides, I ought to be able to make some serious cash off the betting pool about this."

An hour later Xander was wandering through Kilika as the rebuilding went on around him as he waited for the ship to be ready for their next leg of the voyage.

He bumped into someone wearing a white bodysuit with an odd helmet on his head and an oddly familiar sword on his back. The man also felt familiar, but both sets of memories didn't identify the guy.

"Sorry," he stammered as the man faced him with a metal case.

"Not to worry," came the responsefollowed by a calm and quiet question, "You're the one they call Valentine?"

"Yes," he answered, "Names Alexander Valentine, people call me Xander most of the time though."

"Ah, then you are the one this should go to," the man chuckled, an almost disturbingly gleeful sound as he tossed the case, Xander flinching and glancing down as he caught it.

Before he looked up the man was gone.

Shrugging, he glanced around and started back for the docks and climbed on with his bag and the case.

He opened the case to reveal a strange pistol cast out of some sort of blood red metal along with a note.

Valentine,

I've waited to encounter you in this world for a year, this weapon belonged to someone who is, in a way, your predecessor. It is named Pennance and it will do until the underworlds guardian returns to you, I took the liberty of giving it your personal modifications. Use it well and we will meet once more Black Wind.

-White Cloud

"Odd," he whispered as he twirled the weapon and holstered it with a flourish, "Who the hell is this White Cloud?"

It had been two days at sea before they reached Lucca, including one interesting night where he spied on Yuna and Tidus at Kimahri's suggestion. Of course the blue Ronzo wasn't that good at stealth, the guy was a powerhouse while he wasn't, he was a sneak, capable of slipping in and out of shadows like he was born from them.

It also left him with yet another blitzball and an opportunity to pull a small prank on Wakka ,who was attempting to discretely watch the two, though with the finesse of a tank battalion.

Lucca was magnificent in his opinion though. Not in sheer sizebut in something that felt tied into what the place was as they approached the docks.

He hated crowds though, they made him nervous and a nervous Valentine was one with an itchy trigger finger. Penance was aremarkable weapon, charmed like Cerberus had been for unlimited ammunition and he'd easily modified it to have Materia Slots, though just a single linked pair.

"If we get seperated," he said to the others as the ship pulled in, "We meet at the Aurochs lockers, I'll meet you there."

He paused and nodded to Kimahri as he vanished into the corwd waiting to disembark.

A strange feeling crossed over him as he moved from one corwd into the other, making sure to remain as invisible as he could be in the situation. The itch he had developed on the Hellmouth was pointing straight at the odd blue haired man who was moving towards Yuna.

"Damn it," he berated himself as he moved up behind the man and pulled penance on the man and suddenly all hell broke loose.

Omake 2: If Another Xander Ended Up In Spira (Part 1: Caelestis Proeliator)

Yuna mused on recent events, this man from another world had managed to beat Sin in mere minutes and was laughing maniacally from his perch on the boat as people stared in awe.

The sword that had seemed to materialize in his hand as he launched himself into the air, growing a single black ravens wing in the process, and went to work was eerie. It seemed almost absurdly long to wield, but it had worked.

Alexander Sephiroth had changed the world, Sin was dead, but the guy was babbling on and on about his mother and something about riding the world like her that sent chills down her spine.

AN: Here goes chapter 4 of this, I think I set it up pretty well for a cliffhanger for the next part. Seymour will probably end up being very nervous around Xander/Vincent. He has (temporarily) lost Cerberus and aquired another gun for the time being. If anyone knows the canon name of Kaze's red pistol please tell me, but for now I'm calling it Penance.

Review Responses

damon: I like some of the ideas for Omake's. If anyone would be interested in writing one with what has happened so far I'll put them in the chapter I post after they're posted in a review or mailed to me. For the mixes some fit, others will be different from what you expected. I'm considering having Bahamut Sin show up for Bahamuts alternate form though.

Bobboky: Thanks

ChaosRonin: Thanks, the fight scene in this one isn't the one I ended the last chapter with, though it may eventually appear.

Angel of Mercy: Actually that quote was going to be used later on originally, but I decided that with your review I could fit it into this chapter better. For a drinking contest between Xander/Vincent and Auron, not really sure who would win. Vincent isn't quite human, or even as human as Auron isat this point.

Evil Manic: He isn't going to become Kaze, but a connection between the two does exist and will become more clear as this goes on. For the White Cloud, that would be telling.