Immortality

Summary: Maybe not all humans were as bad as he thought. Maybe some were just a tad bit misunderstood, trying to break the cycle. AroJane.

Aro lifted his hood and walked into the small town. Horses trotted past. People scurried about. Animals fought savagely. He merely smiled at the sight. Humans were such silly creatures. All that mattered was work and family. It was all about impressions. It was good to be a vampire. Why worry about impressions when you're just going to snap there necks any second anyways?

Nobody noticed him as he walked past, so he just continued on his way. Overcast; he had no reason to fret.

He walked through the streets of Volterra, skimming through the crowds of people, sniffing the air as he went along. It was all a fun little game, you see. When you were as powerful as he was, you wanted to try to find the person that contained the best bouquet of the bunch, and hope that they wouldn't lure easy. If they followed you easily enough, then the game wasn't fun. Aro enjoyed a challenge.

He chuckled at the thought. Challenge. The challenge was having them around. They were all so bone-headed. Bizarre little creatures that feared everything. Authority. Bad luck. Money (or lack thereof). Monsters.

Yes, the people of Volterra especially feared monsters.

He moved to the side to let a horse and buggy drive past him. The human steering the horse tilted his hat and smiled. Aro grinned back tightly and examined the man. Goodness, no wonder all of Volterra was going through a small famine. That man was hogging all of it. Aro shook his head and continued moving, a ghost among the full-blooded humans.

Just as he was about to give up on his search, he heard a small squeak behind him. He turned and looked around. He heard it once more and looked down. A small girl looked up at him with large brown eyes. She could only be about three years old, perhaps four at the most. Aro raised his lip slightly in disgust. He flicked his hands at her, turned and continued on his way. He heard the squeak again, only a few steps later, and felt a chill run down his back. He turned and looked at the little one, who stood with her pale arms across her chest, looking angry. Apparently, she disliked not being acknowledged. So he went to the girl and knelt in front of her, because this was the first time he could feel empathetic towards any human.

"What are you doing away from the village? I'm sure your mother is very worried about you." Aro looked at the small girl. She still looked angry with him. What did she want? Candy? He examined her once more, noting the torn clothes that hung from her small frame. He could see bones. She was frail. She would be small, even when she grew. He sighed.

"Okay, well, I guess I should take you home then," rolling his eyes at the words. Silly. He should just eat her. Yes, she was small, but she did smell pleasant. She still glared at him with narrow brown eyes. His lips curled back to show his teeth. He was getting annoyed with this silly human child. He reached down and grabbed her small arm, searching through her mind. He flinched slightly. She had very hostile thoughts about everything and everyone. She was young, but she didn't appreciate how much her father drank. She didn't like that their mother left her and her brother with him so often. She didn't like this town. She didn't like this life.

Then a gentle pain rolled up in his throat. Not the pain he got from being too thirsty, but a burning type pain, like he was sick. He felt the pain fall into his stomach where it fluttered nervously before dying out. He looked at he in amazement. She looked just as angry as ever. He let go of her arm and took a step back, looking down at her. She held her ground, staying angry with him. He shook is head, slightly stunned, before he heard a man yelling. The man appeared seconds later, and the child shrunk behind Aro, her anger gone. Instead, she seeked protection under his fortress. She peeked out from behind his legs to watch the man. Aro watch as well.

This man was the definition of why the human race was so disgusting. The man was obviously drunk. Aro could smell the stench of alcohol on his breath from yards away. He was fat and looked like a pig. He wore a white shirt, stained with food and alcohol. Wine. His hair was a mess. He hadn't shaved or bathed in months. He was ugly. Aro could feel the hatred rolling off the small girl behind him, and he knew that this was the father he had seen in all her thoughts. At least the little girl hadn't inherited her fathers' terrible genes. Or he prayed for her sake she hadn't.

The man stumbled till he was right in front of them. "Jane, go home now, you little brat!"

He lunged forward and grabbed her by the arm. She let out a whimper of pain and he grabbed the other arm, locking his fists around the fragile limbs. And, to Aro's horror, he began to shake her. Her small head fluttered back and forth, as if a strong wind were blowing a branch. Sobs bubbled out of her lips and the man shook harder, his face becoming red with fury as he shouted words at the child that even Aro would never say to a human; or to anyone, for that matter. Whatever Aro had left for a heart wrenched slightly in pain at how horrible this young girl had it.

And the second after he thought that thought, he began to think of his old friend, Carlisle. The man who had insisted that there was some good in everyone, even vampires. That they could feel if they wished. Carlisle, the over compassionate one. Aro had always disliked that about Carlisle; the pain on his face whenever someone died. But maybe Aro's old friend was right. Maybe some things could change.

Aro snapped out of his thoughts and simply cleared his throat. The man stopped shaking his daughter and straightened. She fell over, gasping for breath, tears running down her delicate, porcelain cheeks. The father glared at her from the corner of his eye but looked back at Aro.

"Sir, is that any way to treat your daughter?" Aro asked politely with a mocking undertone. The man was easily offended.

"Don't you tell me how to raise my child!" he slurred.

Aro narrowed his eyes and decided that his search was over. He looked over at the little girl. She wiped her cheeks with her small arm and Aro knew he would go through with it. The look in her eyes forced him to. He found himself respecting the child. He thought all humans were such whiners, complaining about everything and nothing. But this child knew how to accept things as they came and move on. And odds were in favor that she had it worse than most did.

But of course, Aro needed to have some fun first.

Aro began circling the man slowly. "Sir, have you ever given much thought as to how you would die?"

"Why, no, of course not! Why should I? I'm too young to die."

"You're not afraid all the drinking will put you in bitter health?"

"No, of course not. I know men who drink twice as much as me and live to fifty."

"Well, maybe it wouldn't be the alcohol. An…accident, perhaps?"

"Nope, not me. No accidents can happen if I'm sitting in the house all day."

Aro stopped circling and looked at the child. She was standing again, her arms crossed, and she had that same angry expression etched into her features. Aro smiled at her. She looked towards her father. "Aaah. Well. You're not in the house right now, are you, sir?"

The man blinked at Aro stupidly. Aro let out a laugh and lunged. The man started to let out a screamed, but Aro crushed his throat before he could. Aro drank a portion of the blood, but it was tainted with alcohol. He stopped and sighed. "Such a waste."

The small girl crawled over to where her father lay. She nudged his arm, checking to see if he was alive. A moment later, she looked up at Aro and beamed brilliantly.

Aro smiled back. Maybe not all humans were as bad as he thought. Maybe some were just a tad bit misunderstood, trying to break the cycle.