Diamond in the Rough (FFVII Dirge of Cerberus)

Chapter I

I love you...

Vianca sighed, staring at the pendant resting in her palm. Those words echoed in her head, yet she couldn't remember much else. Who was it that told her that? And why? What did those words mean? She'd been asking herself that for days. Clutching the pendant hanging from her neck, she closed her eyes briefly. She was forgetting something --- something important. Everything from before her slumber was a blur, she only remembered bits and pieces. In the last few weeks, she'd questioned each of the Tsviets, but none of them had answers for her.

Opening her eyes, she looked over at the youthful girl in her seat with her headset on. "Hey, Shelke?"

"What?"

Vianca hesitated. She wasn't supposed to be asking about the subject anymore. Nevertheless, she couldn't help herself. "Would it be possible to use an SND to find data about me?"

"It's possible," she answered, "but I'm not authorized to do so. It would serve no purpose in our search for the protomateria."

Vianca hung her head a bit. "Right. Sorry for asking."

Heavy footsteps caused her to turn her gaze up to the large man. "Still eager to dig up the past, are you?" He frowned in disapproval. "Weiss awakened you and gave you a purpose. Is that not enough for you? Are you not happy to be a part of the Tsviets?"

Vianca was quick to shake her head. "That's not it. I'm indebted to Weiss, and I'm thankful to be a Tsviet." She looked down at her lap. "I just grow...curious at times."

Azul pointed a large finger threatingly at her. "Know your place, Vianca. Don't let your curiosity get the better of you or you might find yourself at the mercy of Weiss the Immaculate."

"Right. I know." The girl took a deep breath, erasing the thoughts from her mind. "Do as I'm told. That is my one and only purpose."

Azul backed off, satisfied by her resolve. He didn't particularly like her, or even Shelke for that matter, but Weiss had a use for them. That was good enough for him, as Weiss was the only person he respected the strength of. The room grew silent, and Vianca started watching the various monitors in front of her. She grew a bit uncomfortable by the scenes playing out in front of her.

The monitors were hooked up to Shelke's headset, which was connected to the helmets of the Deepground soldiers. She could see what they were seeing. The village of Kalm was under heavy attack. People were being slaughtered without mercy, and others were being captured. It was going according to plan. Capture the pure while killing off the tainted. There was fire and blood, gunfire and screams. A sudden pang in her chest made her hunch forward, placing a hand over her heart. But after a few seconds, the painful jolt was gone. The sight of death had never bothered her in the last few weeks, so why now?

"Vincent Valentine," Shelke's dull voice brought Vianca's attention back to the screens. The younger girl pulled off her headset. "We've found you."

Vianca stared at the red-cloaked male that appeared on the monitors. His long hair was messy and black as night. His appearance was odd to say the least, compared to most people anyway. Something about him intrigued her, but she didn't know why.

"Is this the one?" Azul asked, wanting confirmation.

Shelke gave a firm nod. "Yes."

Azul looked between the two females. "Then let's go pay him a visit."

Vianca tore her eyes away from the screens, and instead, stood to follow behind the two Tsviets. Alongside a bunch of troops, the trio traveled outside to Kalm via transport vehicles. Though for Vianca, it was her first trip outside of Deepground, at least as far as she could remember. As soon as she stepped out of the truck and saw the sky, she was enraptured by it. Her eyes widened, and a smile appeared on her face.