It was silent. The night crept up to the lighted houses and stalked just beyond the weak yellow rings of illumination. The slums always held somewhat of an eerie quality, even in broad sunlight. Tonight a shadow was stalking through the small dimly lit sector, black eyes absorbing it's environment soundlessly. It passed a house, throwing a monstrous winged shadow on the ground. It was waiting. Perhaps even calling to a mortal to stumble carelessly into it's path.
Ah, and here one came. Stumbling off-balance, obviously drunk beyond logic, his breathing irregular. Fear in his eyes suddenly as he noticed the presence of the shadow. He tried to run, but its resistance was nothing. Fresh blood spilled out into the cool night air, and gave the stars a reddish hue to the demon's sight. The lust for destruction was almost sated in him, and he felt the other's struggles becoming stonger, more persistant. The battle raging within had started in earnest, as it did almost every night these days. The demon was growing stronger, winning out longer and taking possession of this form more often. With a final rustle of majestic wings he was gone, away from the carnage and surrendered to his human form once again.
Vincent shuddered. He hated this more then anything. He stood numbly in front of the now-abandoned Shinra Mansion, and just stared out at the mountains dully. He was tired, yet he could see that even if he went inside, sleep would not come to him. The mountains started to become faintly tinged with rose as he watched. The sun was starting to rise. The pink spilled out onto low-lying clouds over the harsh mountain peaks, merging with brighter orange. Then the dark blue of the sky faded to purple, and then to deep red, as the sun drew closer. He did not wait for it to rise, instead walked through the rusted, vine covered gate, and into his mansion.
He walked through the rooms, his movements fluid though it was still dark inside. He knew almost every inch of this place, where to avoid faulty floorboards, holes, furnature. He had moved out of the basement, where he had spent 30 years with only his tortured dreams, and had moves to a more airy bedroom on the second floor. However, he just couldn't bear to sleep in a real bed on mornings like these. The beauty would creep around him and remind him of how deformed he himself was. No, in mornings after a kill, after he had let the demon Chaos win yet again he retreated to the damp darkness of the coffin he kept in the basements.
He descended the sprial path downwards, and shut out the light, looking apathetically at the worn, familiar satin that lined this coffin. Memories were flooding back to him as they always did, but he pushed them away again, forcing his mind to remain blank. He wouldn't think about her. Those memories were locked away with the sunshine...Or at least that is what he told himself. His dreams, when he finally did sleep, betrayed him.
It was late afternoon when he next awoke. He was sitting at the kitchen table, with a hot mug of black coffee, looking out the window on the wall he was facing. It threw a little gridden square of dimming sunlight on the floor. He took a sip of the coffee. He never really liked the stuff, but he had gotten used to it, and appreciated the warmth, though the caffine generally did nothing for him. Suddenly a loud crash pulled him sharply out of his reverie. Then a scream, decidedly feminine. His crimson eyes narrowed, and he started off quickly towards the origin of the sound.
Another scream a little desperate. He turned the corner into a dusty room. A girl was cornered by one of the annoying monsters that hid in the mansion, appearing time-to-time. Her arms were up, covering her head, and shehad a seep cut across her forearm. Vincent pulled out one of the hand guns he always kept on his person, and fired a series of shots at the thing. It finally dies, and burst into ashes. Vincent looked at the girl, who was slowly uncovering her face, and looking up meekly.
She was beautiful, in a purely innocent way. Long wavy chestnut brown hair, softly framing her face. Her eyes were a starting blue-green, and Vincent caught the faint scent of flowers from her. She stood, cautious, and a little afriad of him, even though he had just saved her life. Then again, he didn't blame her. He sighed and holstered his gun.
"What are you doing here?"
The question seemed to take her off guard, perhaps it was too direct, he reflected. She struggled to find her voice again to answer him.
"I...I was just, I mean...I'm sorry. Someone was chasing me, and I ran here and hid..but then that thing showed up, and..."
"You should be more careful."
Silence, for a minute, in which the girl looked like she was readt to strike up further conversation, and Vincent was hoping she would change her mind and leave him alone. Saving the day wasn't really on his list to do today, and he definetly did not want to be wrapped up in whetever trouble this girl might or might not be involved in.
"Um, my name is Aeris..thank you."
He nodded curtly, and said nothing, hoping to discourage her with his silence. Seeing that he wasn't going to persue matters with her, Aeris spoke again.
"I don't mean to impose upon you, sir..but.." She paused. "Does this mansion belong to you?"
Vincent shrugged.
"I live here."
"Oh..because I was wondering...um.."
"No."
"What?"
"You cannot stay here. If you are seeking safety, there are much better places then this. And I prefer to be alone."
Aeris blinked back tears of defeat and frustration that started to well up.
"But.."
Vincent turned away and walked out of the room. He had only spoken the truth to the girl. the mansion was dangerous in itself, with it's rotting wood and trick passageways. The there were the monsters, and the girl was obviously not able to defend herself...but still, he hadn't failed to miss her tears. He wondered breifly who *was* chasing her..
Footsteps, suddenly pounding down the hall after him. He stopped.
"Wait!"
Aeris caught up with him, crying in full now, and trying to catch her breath between quiet sobs.
"Please...just for a few days..I don't know where else I could hide where he can't find me..."
Vincent looked at her, his expression not softening any. But his eyes had yeilded slightly, the cold wall gone from their crimson depths, the only sign he was affected by her words at all.
"Two days. And if you get yourself killed it's not my responsibility."
A big smile lit up Aeris's face, and she brushed away her tears.
"Thank you."
Vincent dismissed this with a nod. Then she ran up and hugged him, taking him completely by surprise. He was too shocked to react, and just let her. How long had it been since he had been even touched by human? Years, at least. Aeris let go of him, still smiling, and went off to find a semi-decent room to move into. After a moment he spoke after her, quietly.
"Be careful, this place is old..Watch your feet on the floor boards."
His voice was cool, but even he could see the tin spark of protectiveness that had sneaked into the statement. He shook his head to clear it, and walked back to the kitchen to finsih his rapidly-cooling coffee.
***
AN: Whew, done with the first chapter. This is my fourth ff7 fic! Yay for me. I hope everyone likes it.. There will be uunexpected pairings in later chapters, and Tifa and Sephy are going to make an enterance to the plot. Please write me a review, makes us authors ever-so happy. ^.^ More to come.
Ah, and here one came. Stumbling off-balance, obviously drunk beyond logic, his breathing irregular. Fear in his eyes suddenly as he noticed the presence of the shadow. He tried to run, but its resistance was nothing. Fresh blood spilled out into the cool night air, and gave the stars a reddish hue to the demon's sight. The lust for destruction was almost sated in him, and he felt the other's struggles becoming stonger, more persistant. The battle raging within had started in earnest, as it did almost every night these days. The demon was growing stronger, winning out longer and taking possession of this form more often. With a final rustle of majestic wings he was gone, away from the carnage and surrendered to his human form once again.
Vincent shuddered. He hated this more then anything. He stood numbly in front of the now-abandoned Shinra Mansion, and just stared out at the mountains dully. He was tired, yet he could see that even if he went inside, sleep would not come to him. The mountains started to become faintly tinged with rose as he watched. The sun was starting to rise. The pink spilled out onto low-lying clouds over the harsh mountain peaks, merging with brighter orange. Then the dark blue of the sky faded to purple, and then to deep red, as the sun drew closer. He did not wait for it to rise, instead walked through the rusted, vine covered gate, and into his mansion.
He walked through the rooms, his movements fluid though it was still dark inside. He knew almost every inch of this place, where to avoid faulty floorboards, holes, furnature. He had moved out of the basement, where he had spent 30 years with only his tortured dreams, and had moves to a more airy bedroom on the second floor. However, he just couldn't bear to sleep in a real bed on mornings like these. The beauty would creep around him and remind him of how deformed he himself was. No, in mornings after a kill, after he had let the demon Chaos win yet again he retreated to the damp darkness of the coffin he kept in the basements.
He descended the sprial path downwards, and shut out the light, looking apathetically at the worn, familiar satin that lined this coffin. Memories were flooding back to him as they always did, but he pushed them away again, forcing his mind to remain blank. He wouldn't think about her. Those memories were locked away with the sunshine...Or at least that is what he told himself. His dreams, when he finally did sleep, betrayed him.
It was late afternoon when he next awoke. He was sitting at the kitchen table, with a hot mug of black coffee, looking out the window on the wall he was facing. It threw a little gridden square of dimming sunlight on the floor. He took a sip of the coffee. He never really liked the stuff, but he had gotten used to it, and appreciated the warmth, though the caffine generally did nothing for him. Suddenly a loud crash pulled him sharply out of his reverie. Then a scream, decidedly feminine. His crimson eyes narrowed, and he started off quickly towards the origin of the sound.
Another scream a little desperate. He turned the corner into a dusty room. A girl was cornered by one of the annoying monsters that hid in the mansion, appearing time-to-time. Her arms were up, covering her head, and shehad a seep cut across her forearm. Vincent pulled out one of the hand guns he always kept on his person, and fired a series of shots at the thing. It finally dies, and burst into ashes. Vincent looked at the girl, who was slowly uncovering her face, and looking up meekly.
She was beautiful, in a purely innocent way. Long wavy chestnut brown hair, softly framing her face. Her eyes were a starting blue-green, and Vincent caught the faint scent of flowers from her. She stood, cautious, and a little afriad of him, even though he had just saved her life. Then again, he didn't blame her. He sighed and holstered his gun.
"What are you doing here?"
The question seemed to take her off guard, perhaps it was too direct, he reflected. She struggled to find her voice again to answer him.
"I...I was just, I mean...I'm sorry. Someone was chasing me, and I ran here and hid..but then that thing showed up, and..."
"You should be more careful."
Silence, for a minute, in which the girl looked like she was readt to strike up further conversation, and Vincent was hoping she would change her mind and leave him alone. Saving the day wasn't really on his list to do today, and he definetly did not want to be wrapped up in whetever trouble this girl might or might not be involved in.
"Um, my name is Aeris..thank you."
He nodded curtly, and said nothing, hoping to discourage her with his silence. Seeing that he wasn't going to persue matters with her, Aeris spoke again.
"I don't mean to impose upon you, sir..but.." She paused. "Does this mansion belong to you?"
Vincent shrugged.
"I live here."
"Oh..because I was wondering...um.."
"No."
"What?"
"You cannot stay here. If you are seeking safety, there are much better places then this. And I prefer to be alone."
Aeris blinked back tears of defeat and frustration that started to well up.
"But.."
Vincent turned away and walked out of the room. He had only spoken the truth to the girl. the mansion was dangerous in itself, with it's rotting wood and trick passageways. The there were the monsters, and the girl was obviously not able to defend herself...but still, he hadn't failed to miss her tears. He wondered breifly who *was* chasing her..
Footsteps, suddenly pounding down the hall after him. He stopped.
"Wait!"
Aeris caught up with him, crying in full now, and trying to catch her breath between quiet sobs.
"Please...just for a few days..I don't know where else I could hide where he can't find me..."
Vincent looked at her, his expression not softening any. But his eyes had yeilded slightly, the cold wall gone from their crimson depths, the only sign he was affected by her words at all.
"Two days. And if you get yourself killed it's not my responsibility."
A big smile lit up Aeris's face, and she brushed away her tears.
"Thank you."
Vincent dismissed this with a nod. Then she ran up and hugged him, taking him completely by surprise. He was too shocked to react, and just let her. How long had it been since he had been even touched by human? Years, at least. Aeris let go of him, still smiling, and went off to find a semi-decent room to move into. After a moment he spoke after her, quietly.
"Be careful, this place is old..Watch your feet on the floor boards."
His voice was cool, but even he could see the tin spark of protectiveness that had sneaked into the statement. He shook his head to clear it, and walked back to the kitchen to finsih his rapidly-cooling coffee.
***
AN: Whew, done with the first chapter. This is my fourth ff7 fic! Yay for me. I hope everyone likes it.. There will be uunexpected pairings in later chapters, and Tifa and Sephy are going to make an enterance to the plot. Please write me a review, makes us authors ever-so happy. ^.^ More to come.