Warning: Disturbing images, adult content. As always... read & review please.
When you got down to it, Vincent was a very dangerous man. He had the skills of an assassin, a mastermind, a tactician...the perfect aim. If he really wanted to, he could very well murder a group of the most elite and never leave a trace.
Only, he didn't harbor the desire to cause pain to anyone. He had endured entirely too much of it himself.
He knew he was dangerous and he knew the limits of his power. It was his own decison to live peacefully... quietly..and never threaten the innocents who passed him by. So many did. He had grown accustomed to the lingering glances, the lidding of eyes in unison of a sultry smirk. The city's empty promises could never entice him.
To an outsider he was not only dangerous, but beautiful.
Painfully beautiful.
The man above him knew this above all as he watched the man strapped to the table below him, reaching over and tightening one of the restraints a little further.
The former Turk had a weakness that all of his previous training should have prevented ten-fold. It was the one weakness that separated man from beast, sentient from non-sentient.
It was this one weakness in his nature that was responsible for his path of atonement.
He was a lover. One who desired love..one to love and be loved. These were things that the former Turk was reluctant to voice following his awakening from his 30 year slumber, but the man above him knew this. He knew it not because it ever existed as a file. He needed only read his mind he noted as he gazed down at the peaceful face.
Suddenly the dark lashes fluttered.
It was about time he had awakened. It had taken about an hour, but he had finally come to consciousness. Pity. He wasn't going to like what he was about to do. The man smiled faintly, gloved hands pulling a syringe from the confines of his long white lab coat and pulling the sleeve up on his arm.
To his amusement, the former Turk grunted, eyes opening quickly.
"... Ugh..." his voice was low and strained. The man above him leaned forward a little and he watched the shoulder length brown locks fall forward to frame the face. The man shook his head, dark eyes calm as he brought the syringe up to his arm. Vincent grit his teeth, eyes flashing with anger and pain.
The man above him smiled as he watched the beautiful creature catch his breath as the needle was withdrawn.
Vincent sighed. Who was doing this to him? His vision was blurred which was extremely unusual. Lighting too poor had little to do with his inability to make out the features of the person standing over him. He had the ability to find his way through utter darkness. Why was he having trouble now...
"Ugh... I..."
The figure above him paused, waiting for him to continue.
"...Who..are you?" the words were soft, the gunman surprised that he was barely able to put a breath behind them.
He
heard the sound of a small metal object against a tray and his eyes
rolled in that direction. Someone approached from the right, cloaked in
darkness and he strained to see.
He didn't have to see the object
that they held in their hand, only realized that it was the cause of
splitting pain in his mind.
"You've encountered telua materia before tonight.." the figure in the shadows spoke.
"Te...lu.a.."
"Now just relax. It'll be less painful."
The figure raised the ball to the dim light and then all was dark again.
After jumping from the small transport craft, Tifa and Cloud rushed toward the cave, Cloud entering first. He scanned what was immediately visible before darting to the right, kneeling before the figure crumpled on the ground.
"Cid?"
Tifa gasped, grabbing the man by the shoulders and shaking him before finding a cloth in her pocket to press to the gash marks along his face, Cloud immediately casting a regen. The pilot moaned softly, but did not awaken.
"Cloud? What do you think happened to him?"
"I don't know... We're gonna have to wait until he's conscious to find out. Whatever did this though... it couldn't have been somethin' from around here," he concluded as the young woman stood and turned toward the interior to look for clues.
"It's not still here is it?" she suddenly lowered her voice, eyes darting around the cave as she crept slowly toward the middle.
"I don't think so..." Cloud said quietly as he ripped some material from around his armor, looping it under the pilot's chin to hold the cloth in place.
Tifa was still investigating quietly when she lifted her gaze with a sudden gasp. "Oh my god... Cloud..."
The spikey-haired young man had just finished tying a makeshift dressing for the wound when Tifa's voice became urgent. "Cloud look..." Tifa trailed off slowly as she approached the center of the cave. The swordsman looked up from the unconscious pilot, eyes following his friend's and widening at the absence of the woman that should have been there.
"What the-"
Tifa shook her head, blinking. "Where's Lucrecia..."
The young man stood, pilot in his arms. "I don't know... Did someone..."
Tifa backed away slowly, taking a step behind Cloud before looking down at the man he carried.
"This is...just too... Cloud... First things first. Let's just get Cid to a safe place."
"Right." with that they hurried toward the exit, Tifa glancing back feeling every bit disturbed. The small craft lowered and they rushed aboard, Cloud yelling back at the WRO agent seated at the controls. "Hurry and get us back to Midgar."
A small beep sounded, Tifa reaching into her right pocket and pulling out the PHS.
"Yeah? Great work. Oh and we've found Cid. But there's no sign of Vincent... or Lucrecia." There was a long pause before she brought the conversation to a close. "...Yeah. That'll do. Thanks, Reeve."
Cloud looked up to her curiously, anxious for an update.
"Seeing as things may get more complicated, Reeve's decided to try to get ahold of our little friend."
Cloud stared blankly, waiting eeriely for a thought to register.
"Little friend?"
Tifa looked up from the pilot with a soft smile. "Yes... the only person we know with the superior ability to engage in a synaptic net dive. Our former enemy, Shelke. We need her help to search. She's the best, Cloud."
The bright-eyed man nodded. "I hope so, Tifa."
The dark creature approached. His movements were gentle, but pain erupted beneath every touch. It was dark, as it always was here, only there was pain, much more pain than ever before. Something hard and rough was pressing into his bare skin, a wall he assumed. It was then that he became aware that he was completely vulnerable. His arms were slammed back against the wall, his claw scraping against the stone hard enough to send a spark.
A claw-like hand grasped his chin roughly, and pulled his gaze upward. Vincent cried out as a dark mouth descended upon his, long rough tongue forcing its way into his mouth and against the back of his throat. He shook his head, gagging violently, entire body trembling as he whimpered in utter panic and fright. The tongue reached further still, almost as if it could taste his entire being.
He shut his eyes tight, a splitting pain in his mind distracting him until he could feel it slide slowly back up his throat and away. He turned his face away quickly, teeth clenched. It flicked out to assault his neck, searingly hot as it agitated the skin in its path. He felt himself thrown to the hard dark floor, brain slow in registering the change as he lay on his bare stomach, arms before him. He brought one knee up, hand sliding down beside his torso and palm against the ground and as he tried to push himself to his knees. He was nearly there, when something slammed down onto his back and sent him sprawled back on his stomach, a cry of pain echoing in his mind. The claws were on his hips, nails digging into the flesh and drawing blood as his knees were pushed apart.
Then came the terrible intrusion and his entire body arched before going rigid and he let loose a deafening scream, salty water springing to his eyes and spilling forward. The creature leaned forward, mouth close to his ear and for the first time it spoke to him.
"Now... we are one..."
He shook his head, tears flowing as recognition finally hit him.
No, it couldn't be.
He inhaled a shaky breath, voice barely above a whisper.
"Chaos.."
It was harder than he ever thought it could be to actually wake up.
Something was definitely wrong he realized as his head lolled to the side slowly, almost involuntarily.
A nightmare?
Splitting pain and utter agony tormented the quiet gunman as he rolled onto his side... The clangor of heavy chains dangled, the sound somehow frightening for a moment. He sat up slowly, realizing that they were attached to his arms and legs.
Fuck...
Suddenly he felt a presence looming in the shadows of the darkest corner. He took a deep breath.
"What do you want..from me..."
The figure in the corner kept their distance for a moment as the gunman's vision faltered for a moment. He shook his head.
His breathing was hard and labored, his limbs watery as he collapsed onto his side. He arched his back as the skin below his shoulder blades began to rip, long dark bat-like wings unfolding.
He let forth a scream of protest, fingers clawing at the earth as his eyes turned bright, pupils narrowing to resemble a cat-like ferocity.
Oh god...
The figure in the shadows smirked as Vincent lay there until he had finally caught his breath, just trying to gather his strength and his nerves.
He whimpered softly as he rolled onto his stomach, bringing himself to his knees slowly.
How was this possible? Unless... Chaos hadn't been a dream.
He swallowed. How could this happen? He let forth a terrible snarl, eyes widening a little in surprise at himself. This wasn't possible... Chaos had been-
"Appeased? I know... You thought you were rid of the beast..." A voice in the corner broke his moment of panic and he whipped his head in that direction. "But we've found him... and with the help of telua...I take it you've noticed...We put the beast back in.." The figure stepped into the dim light, and for the first time he was able to see their features. He gasped, finding the features strangely familiar but unable to recall. The older man smiled softly. "Pity you don't remember me." A crease formed between the former Turk's brows. "It doesn't matter..I remember you. I remember Shinra" He felt his heart-rate increase. Something felt wrong. Something terrible was about to happen.. he could feel it.
"Shinra... That was a long time ago."
His
eyes began to focus as a light further into the darkness was accessed,
the dark corner slowly brightened to reveal a giant crystal suspended
over an ominous looking pit of dark fluid.
"I didn't think you were alive... not until after I'd done my homework. But here you are... preserved eternally, with those same dark features I can remember seeing from the woods behind my house. You looked kinder back then...a little more innocent... but I knew that was wrong...knew it could be nothing more than a trick after I crawled away from my father's corpse."
"What..."
"He
was your first mission... your first kill..Died protecting me, which is
what Shinra wanted." The man smiled, taking a step toward him. "I
memorized that uniform, finding out years later that it belonged to
that of a Turk and that the man behind the trigger was named Vincent."
The former Turk watched quietly, unsure of what his words should be.
"I didn't know you were alive until meteor. That's when I saw you for the first time in 30 years...and I knew I had to find you and make you answer for your crime. And God what luck... what luck that me and a few of my loyal friends should locate Shinra files after the disaster... files that would lead me to you."
The gunman watched him hesitately, hands twisting before him in his binds.
God... why is this happening...
"Because it was meant to."
The crimson-eyed man looked up at the figure sharply, surprised.
Did he just-
"Yes.
I know your thoughts. A little something I inherited from my father.
But he was much more powerful and Shinra knew it."
Vincent sighed, unable to do little more than listen and endure the situation. He knew it. .. Just knew that something from the past had been lurking and waiting.. just waiting to come back when he least expected it to bite him... he only prayed it didn't take a particularly fleshy souvenir. "So..." the man continued, "I've decided to give you a little gift... To repay you for the life I lost with him... the life that could have been if you weren't the man behind the trigger that day."
A light shone into the crystal suspended in the corner.
Vincent's eyes widened, heart nearly stopping as he recognized the figure encased in the crystal.
"Lucrecia?"
His breath caught in his throat.
A giant black bubble burst beneath the crystal, the rock hissing as it strangley enough, began to slough off of the figure encased, her arms unfolding and falling limply to her sides. The crystal continued to dematerialize, until all that was left suspended was the rigid body. The man lifted his hand, making a quick motion and the lifeless body was laid out before the former Turk
There was panic in the young man's eyes and he gasped, unsure that her body was really lying before him.
"Lucrecia?"
"Only her body remains... but that is soon to be no more... "
Vincent looked up from his binds, shaking his head.
"No... Don't touch her..."
"I have utilized the knowledge of the Cetra to locate this pit. It is where flesh, metal, even materia are broken down and destroyed.. and it is here... that your beloved Lucrecia shall finally rest..."
The former Turk shook his head, pulling at his restraints as he looked at the body lying before him and then the dark swirling pit just yards away. A few black bubbles burst, sending the dark liquid splattering around the hole in a hiss.
Why was he doing this?
"Just as you have taken from me... I shall take from you."
"No... Don't-"
"Those are exactly the words that I can recall uttering as I saw your face. But what did you do?"
"Stop..."
the former Turk began to twist violently in his binds, snarling as his
eyes glowed with rage. A bolt shifted in the wall he was chained to and
the older man reached into his pocket, pulling out a familiar object
and holding it up to him, its glow faint. All at once, the gunman felt
drained and he collapsed onto his stomach before the scene, the stone
cool against his face. He lifted his head slowly as his hellish wings
receded, eyes returning to their crimson glow.
"Don't think of retaliating. Telua is very adept at disarming you. Now watch."
Without another word, the man lifted his hand, and the body began to slide slowly... very slowly toward the pit, Vincent jerking in his binds, eyes wide as he reached forward, body weak.
"No... Please... Just let me-" he reached forward to touch the woman. He needed to touch her just once. Just one more time... The knot in his chest grew tighter as she slipped further and further away from him, his hopes slipping with her.
"No! Lucrecia!!"
There was a sudden rush of urgency... a feeling of utter fright and despair. It was as if his heart had been pierced with a knife, a flood of sorrow spilling forth, the feeling so strong that he awoke with a gasp, eyes wet.
"Vincent!"
Cid sat up quickly, breath heavy as he put a hand up to his head. He swallowed, feeling his heart beat quickly and he took a deep breath.
"The hell?" he shook his head as he turned to sit on the edge of the bed. His heart fluttered with a tension too real to ignore and he sighed. Something was wrong with Vincent... something had happened to him...
It had been nearly two nights since the gunman had disappeared, Cid all but spearing the WRO investigative units sent to aid in the search. Not only that, but when Cloud and Tifa had found him unconscious in the cave, they had also taken note of the absence of the woman who Vincent so strongly revered. No one knew what that could mean.
The searches continued on without him as he recovered. He would have accompanied Reeve's WRO units for the third round of searches had not Tifa given him a stern lecture followed by an even sterner look before locking the door to the spare room. She was right. How could he expect to be of any help if he himself was weak. He hadn't slept the first two days of the gunman's disappearance. Upon reaching the last straw, the pretty little dark-haired woman had single-handedly shoved him into the room, pointed to the bed, demanded he get some rest and then left. His left hand crept up to the rapidly scarring claw marks across his skin and he grimaced, lying back onto the comfortable bed.
His bright eyes fluttered as he turned onto his side, looking at the empty space. He could almost imagine the beautiful gunman lying beside him. He almost reached out, wanting to pull the image of the lonely man closer, breathe in his scent, feel the warmth of his skin, sift his hands through the long dark locks.
The memory of the beautiful man curled on his side beside him was a quiet comfort as he closed his eyes, muscles relaxing completely as he drifted off once more. They were gonna find him. They just had to.
