This is a Vincent/Aerith and semi-Aerith/Nanaki, an AU story, and my first time writing anything like this so I'd like to know what you think of it! Drop in a review please!

Also, I might not update in a while because I have all these ideas in my head and I'm trying to get them all down. Enjoy!

Square owns everything Final Fantasy.

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Wutai was a beautiful country, filled with ancient buildings and rich with history. The land was filled with merchants and scholars exchanging foreign silks, academic books, or exotic treasures.

One man walked the merry streets, casting a spell of fear or suspicion to anybody who glanced at him. He was garbed in a deep crimson cloak, black leather Wutainese clothes, and thick gold boots. He wore a red head band, keeping his unruly dark hair off his pallid skin, and sported a menacing gold claw on his left arm. What was most striking about his appearance were his eyes; ruby red that glowed like embers, they held much sorrow if anyone cared to look into them without feeling scared.

But he was a frightening stranger, and anyone near him stepped as far from his as possibly, avoiding his gaze. Mothers wheeled their children in the opposite directions, casting him apprehensive frowns. Young men and women averted his eyes and sometimes stared at his strange claw.

He was used to this treatment from the world. He was not human; no human had a claw for a hand, or had seen the horrors they only dared dream about in nightmares. No, to them, he was a monster; threatening and ready to pull their hearts out of their throats if given the chance. No one had seemed more alone, and by his appearance, he seemed to deserve that isolation.

He made his way through the nation's capital, winding his way to the magnificent palace that stood in the centre. He walked up the marble steps and straight to the giant front doors. The guards immediately held up their spears, and he could see the shock in their eyes from his appearance. He reached into the pocket of his trousers and fished out a piece of decorative paper with a shining gold seal on it. He was an invited guest in the palace of the Kisaragi.

The guards inspected the seal closely before deciding to let the stranger in, but sent a guard to stay near, just in case. The man strolled into the main chamber where a he was told to wait while an attendant was sent to the higher council.

It wasn't long before three people made their entrance into the embellished chamber room. An older man and woman in their early 50s, and a young girl about 19 walked up to him.

"You must the Chaos apprentice, Vincent Valentine." The young girl presumed. Vincent inwardly cringed at his title but nodded in acknowledgment.

"I am Princess Yuffie Kisaragi. I apologise for the Emperor's absence but the high council needed him. On behalf of the Kisaragi family, I welcome you to Wutai." She spoke grandly; you could tell she was trying to live up to her title. The young princess continued.

"These are your clients; Professor Gast Faremis and Lady Ifalna Faremis." Yuffie stepped back and allowed the couple to speak. Vincent turned to them and waited. He saw them look at his arm fearfully but once again ignored it to listen. He had come there for a job offer.

"Mr. Valentine, sir...we would like you to be a guard for our daughter" Gast spoke uncertainly. "Her name is Aerith and she is a Cetra scholar. We want you to travel with her to the Forgotten Capital and Ancient Temple so she may fulfill her Cetra duties."

It was Ifalna's turn to speak. "On the day a Cetra turns 21, she is sent to travel to the Ancient forest to immerse herself in Lifestream energy, creating special materia. Then she climbs through the Temple of the Cetra and offers those sacred gifts to the calamities Meteor and Holy. If done properly, she gains her full Cetra abilities and can continue to keep the balance on the Planet. If not, she will lose all her abilities, even those she was born with. Aerith is fully aware of everything she will go through and has been preparing for it for years now. No other Cetra may journey with her, but we will be sending a small group with her to accompany her. The reason we want you to go, is because we've heard of the Chaos Apprentice's immense power and would like that to protect our daughter from any danger. More than one person would want to venture into those temples to use the vast knowledge and only she knows how to open those gates."

Ifalna finished with a stern expression and waited for Vincent's reply.

"And my payment?" he asked in a low, raspy, and cold voice. Gast signalled to a servant and he ran up to them, carrying a sturdy carved box with Wutainese symbols all over it. Gast took the box from him and opened it for Vincent to see. It was filled to the brim with Gil.

"This is half of your negotiated price. The other half will be given when the mission is complete." Gast replied.

"And what if I come back and your daughter has failed?" Vincent asked.

"Aerith will not fail. And if she does, by some miraculous horror, the group is ordered to send a messenger. You can bring her back here and collect the rest of your payment. Are we in agreement?" Ifalna asked rigidly as she sent a menacing look towards him.

Vincent gazed at the amount of money being offered. The amount in Gast hands would be doubled and all he had to do was walk some girl around to the north, then the south. It shouldn't take too much effort with his power.

"Very well. I shall agree to this mission." Vincent muttered and pulled off his glove. Another servant brought a scroll to the princess and she opened it up. The entire mission, as the Faremis' had just stated, was written down. Vincent was given a small knife and with it, he nicked his thumb and pressed it to where his name was written. A thick black substance oozed as it created his print and everyone had to hold back their shock and disgust at the sight.

As Gast handed Vincent the money, he told him to meet outside the city gates at dawn the next morning, with his things packed.

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As the sun was just peaking through between the mountains, Vincent made his way down through the city and waited at the gates as instructed. He was carrying his small pack, filled with the items he carried while on his travels and now heavy from the Gil packed in.

He waited patiently as some people trickled by, carrying large packs for the journey or herding Chocobos. It wasn't long before they had all straightened and stood in a line as someone came towards them from the city streets. Vincent guessed it was the Cetra and straightened from leaning on a tree to have a glance at her.

His eyes fell upon an angel.

She had a beautiful face, long caramel locks caressing her cheeks, and was wearing the robe of a white mage, a title given to intelligent healers. Her hair was tied up into a high braid and her stunning green eyes sparkled. She walked with an aura of gentleness as her steps were light across the ground. Her smile was warm and graceful as she regarded everyone kindly.

Vincent suddenly felt more like a monster than he had ever felt before. And he detested her for making him feel like that.

When she spoke, she spoke with a caring voice.

"Thank you all for accompanying me on my journey. I will try not to be a burden to you. If it's all the same, I'd like to get to know you all as well."

She smiled once more as she picked up her pack and everyone followed suit as they readied to depart. Her parents and the princess came out to see them off.

"Take care, Aerith. Remember all that you've learned and use it to your advantage at the Temple." Ifalna advised as she hugged her daughter dearly.

"I'm very proud of you. Happy birthday dear" Gast whispered as he took her in his arms.

"When you get back, we'll have a big party ready to celebrate for you" Yuffie squealed as she pulled her into a bear hug. She had lost all formality and suddenly seemed her age. "If, Yuffie, if" Aerith reminded her. "You'll get through it, I know it!" Yuffie smiled a toothy grin and Aerith smile back in comfort.

"Thank you for your faith. I won't let you down" Aerith said as she smiled to her family and mounted her Chocobo, ready to leave the city.

OoO

The journey was uneventful for the first day. The only thing that happened was constant chattering and Vincent found out the names of the ones he was going to travel with. The girl had stayed true to her word and tried to get to know everyone. She approached Vincent a couple of times but he guessed it was because she didn't want to seem rude. He didn't want to be pitied though. At the very least by her.

They made their way out through most of Wutai and stopped at the border, resting by the seaside for the night.

"Well camp here, and find a ship to take us across the sea tomorrow." The leader of the small pack (as he seemed) was a young Wutain man, Tseng, who seemed to have a past affiliation with the Lady.

"Got it, mon capitan!" Reno said, holding a mock salute. A ... interesting man, he had a head of fiery red hair and was lazy and cocky. He wasted no time flirting with every single woman on the team, including the Lady. He began to unload the bags from the Chocobos.

The others began setting up a camp for themselves, starting a fire, collecting water, and putting up tents. Vincent saw nothing he was needed for and knew they would rather he just back off. He walked over to a giant rock where he laid his pack down and began to gaze at the sinking sun. It wasn't long before it completely disappeared over the horizon.

"They won't let you do anything as well, Mr. Valentine?"

Vincent flinched as the Cetra girl came and stood by him, looking to the stars that had begun to shine.

He only grunted in response and slowly shifted away. She seemed to take the hint and promptly excused herself.

OoO

"Are you cold, Mr. Valentine?"

Vincent looked up once again to see her hovering next to him. She knelt down and sat beside him. Everyone else had set up the fire and focused on keeping in burning while cooking food or heating water. She had come by a couple of times to check on him but Vincent just wanted to be left alone.

Vincent didn't answer again, and only kept his gaze focused ahead.

"Well...I brought you a blanket." She said, holding it in front of him. "It should be thick enough, but why don't you come near the fire and-"

"What do you want?"

She stopped and blinked in surprise. Vincent didn't know why she was surprised though; he was supposed to be alone. He was only supposed to protect her from dangers on the road. Any other association was meaningless.

"Want...?" she asked slowly.

"You're speaking to me; you want something from me, or what?"

She stared out to where he was staring, a thoughtful expression on her face as he saw she was thinking hard. Does it take so much time to process such little information? If she's really that slow, how is she a healer?

The girl stood straight up and brushed off some dirt off her robe. With a smile, she turned her back but said "Do you always take kindness shown to you to be greed or pity?"

She didn't stay to hear a response nor did he give one, but that one sentence continued to play over again and again in his mind. Vincent looked over to where she had sat down and saw the blanket she had left behind. After a moment, he turned back to the sky.

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