Chapter IX; Day 19


It didn't last very long. The following night, the Turk had just reported in to the Director, when the knock came calling. Vincent put off answering it until her gentle tones began sifting through it. He opened the door and leant against the frame, arms crossed more in defence than anything else.

"Hi…" she said timidly, flushing bright red; her hair was down, tucked behind her ears apart from the bangs that always hung either side of her face. She was wearing a purple, cotton dressing gown and Vincent had to wilfully stop himself from wondering what she had on underneath it. Her feet were clad in fluffy slippers he noted, with an internal smirk as his gaze came to rest on her anxious face once more.

"Lucrecia," he nodded and then continued to stare at her, deliberately making her feel uncomfortable with the half-hearted, hope that she would leave as quickly as she'd come.

"May I come in…just for a minute…?" she asked, gesturing to the untidy room he was currently blocking from her view. Her chocolate brown eyes widened a bit as she looked up at him.

"…Sure," the Turk exhaled, pushing away from the door and turning so that she wasn't in his line of vision.

"About yesterday…" the scientist began, shifting from foot to foot and picking at her cuticles. "I'm sorry I upset you…to think, I was trying to console you, but…well, I made things ten times worse…" Vincent heard her voice waver and couldn't help but turn around to face her.

"I'm sorry too," he murmured, stepping towards her. "It all got on top of me for a second. But I shouldn't have spoken to you or treated you, in that way. It's not your fault,"

"But it is-"

"No. It's not." He gave her a weak but soft smile. Lucrecia lifted her face up to his, taking in the sincerity behind his reddish brown eyes.

"Friends?" she smiled, holding her hand out for him to shake.

"Friends?" Vincent repeated, chuckling to himself as he split a glance between Lucrecia and her proffered hand; ignoring it, he wrapped his arms securely around her waist. After a beat, she hooked her arms around his neck, releasing a sigh of relief. Vincent shut his eyes as he absently committed the jasmine scent of her, to memory. They stood holding each other in silence for a few moments, before the Turk felt the scientist take a deep breath.

"May I…stay here with you?" she said quietly, her cheeks warming up no doubt. "Just for a little while," she added, hastily. Vincent pulled back, resting his hands at the tops of her arms, while her fingers grasped at the collar of his shirt. Lucrecia's eyes were brimming with disappointment, as if he had already told her no. He shook his head, a smirk twitching at the corners of his mouth. Vincent moved closer and kissed the scientist, cradling her face in his hands. Lucrecia responded like someone who'd been deprived oxygen for far too long and could finally breathe. Eventually, the Turk forced himself to step back, taking her hand in his and brushing his thumb back and forth, over her knuckles.

"That was a yes, by the way," Vincent said, humour in the depths of his eyes; the brown haired girls face lit up.

Lucrecia had dumped her dressing gown in the wing-backed chair in the corner, and curled up on her side, waiting for Vincent to change. Thankfully, she was wearing pyjamas- light blue, with a silver tabby print on her top. The Turk slid into a pair of thin, grey, track bottoms for good measure, but left his torso bare. He quickly got into bed beside her, his feet suffering minimally, from the freezing cold floor. Tentatively, Lucrecia snuggled into his side, her cheek pressed against his chest as he wound an arm around her. Vincent's lips quirked up into a small smile, as he slowly adjusted to the new experience and stared up at the ceiling. He'd never lain in bed with a woman like this before. Back in Midgar, he'd pick up girls only occasionally, when he was wallowing too much in self pity and needed to relieve tension. They'd never stayed for more than five minutes once he'd performed though- probably put off by the scarcely veiled disgust, which would emanate from him; not that it was aimed at them, no, it was always reserved for himself. The Turk shifted his thoughts back to the girl next to him, already asleep and as quiet as a mouse. He envied her; all he wanted was to close his eyes and fall into a long, dreamless sleep for once in his life. He gave a muted sigh, his gaze landing on Lucrecia again.


He had been watching her for what seemed like forever, when she startled him by murmuring incoherently. For a moment Vincent thought he'd woken her up, but then he realised she was still asleep.

"…Mr. Valentine…" she gasped more than breathed, immediately gaining the Turks undivided attention.

"Call me Vincent," he whispered, tone almost insistent as he studied her features. The scientists grip on him tightened fractionally, a frown forming faintly, on her face.

"…Why did…you…you have to fade…away…?" Vincent's eyebrows drew together then, as he held his breath, waiting for her to speak again. But she didn't; she merely, unconsciously cuddled closer to him. The Turk relaxed slightly, stroking Lucrecia's hair down her back and revelling in its velvety texture. His mind was still on her strange words, but he decided to let it go- he wasn't going to wake her up just to ask her about something, that would probably turn out to be nothing more than gibberish from a dream. He would mention it vaguely, in the morning but for now, he closed his eyes.


Gradually, Vincent's muscles loosened, his breathing growing calm and steady, and his bedroom along with Lucrecia, fell away…almost completely.

Vincent was dreaming again. He knew straight away by the lethargic atmosphere and his laboured movements. Glancing down, his hands brushed against the coarse, cotton fabric of a hospital gown. Somewhere in his head he knew he was cold, goose bumps standing out on his arms and legs, but he couldn't feel it. He blinked a couple times as he raised his eyes again, only to find himself staring into a pair of ruby red ones. Gritting his teeth and clenching his fists, Vincent took an automatic step backwards. The man in front of him mimicked the move and before it could sink in that this figure was in fact a man, he was struck with the familiar features that he had seen in the mirror countless times. It was the Turks reflection; only it wasn't. The crow-black hair was long and tangled- wild- and the piercing red eyes that gazed back at him unflinching, didn't belong to him.

"Who are you?" Vincent had intended his voice to be hard and edged, but it came out weak, hollow and echoed, like he was calling down an endless tunnel. The imposter spoke the same words, in perfect sync with the Turk, although his voice had been hard and edged, as well as impossibly deep and resonating. Cautiously, the Turk pulled his eyes from the man and looked about him. They were in fact in a tunnel- the one that lead to the laboratories beneath Shinra Manor, to be precise- not endless, but dark and damp and silent. The imposter walked away then, feet soundless. He motioned for Vincent to follow as he came to the door on the left, which was always locked. Quirking an eyebrow at the Turk, he continued to beckon, placing a finger over his lips, warning Vincent to keep quiet. The Turk took hesitant, languid steps towards the man that wasn't him, cringing inwardly at the slick, grimy stone floor underneath his bare feet. As he got closer, the imposter gave him a knowing look, his mouth identical to Vincent's, turning up infinitesimally at the corners.

"What's in there?" Vincent demanded slowly, eyes focusing and un-focusing in the others red gaze, as he put a hand against the wall to try and steady himself.

"You already know." The imposter responded, tone low, indifferent and his face serene once more. "It's time."

"For what-?" Vincent began, but the imposter had already disappeared inside. The Turk stood before the open door, blind to what lay beyond it. Carefully, he started through it, feet weighing him down like they were made of lead. The door slammed shut, leaving him trapped in the pitch-black room. Claustrophobia smothered him instantly, as he grasped for the door handle that had apparently ceased to exist. Vincent let his arms drop back to his sides and closed his eyes. His breathing had grown thin and sweat was now beading on his forehead and along his spine. Gradually, the black haired man turned around, eyes searching for any measly amount of light. Vincent counted to a hundred in his head, a futile attempt to calm his pounding heartbeat. He had reached sixty-six when a white light suddenly burst before his eyes. The Turk shielded his face with a hand, before the light dimmed to that of a flickering, yellow bulb that was hanging from an invisible ceiling. Blood red silhouettes materialised, standing either side of a shiny, black coffin. Vincent watched as the smaller, slighter of the two took on the form of Lucrecia. Thick, ivory material was wrapped around her chest, waist and thighs, exposing her flat tummy and cascaded down to the floor on one side. Her brown hair was tied up in a twist with reddish-purple ribbon.

"Have you come to check up on me, Vincent?" Lucrecia's voice was soft and lulling like a lullaby, but her tone was sarcastic and mocking. Vincent's throat contracted as he stared at her, lost in the severity of her sneer. The second figure stepped forward then, causing the usually fearless Turk to stagger back. Grimoire Valentine looked down at him; his hair was the same as the last time Vincent had seen him- falling just below his ears and parted down the middle. His reddish brown eyes cut into his sons, with unbelievable contempt.

"Vincent. Why are you crying?" the Turks father asked in a detached voice. Vincent reached up to touch his fingers to the skin below his eyes in confusion, only to find it wet. "Are you still wallowing in matters you cannot change?" Grimoire said rhetorically, his face scrunching up into a scowl that Vincent had never seen his father wear before, let alone direct at him; the Turk swallowed hard.

"Father, I-"

"What a disgraceful sight." For reasons unknown, Vincent looked to Lucrecia. But for what? Support? Help? Comfort?

"Why do you look at me like that, Vincent?" she smirked, chocolate brown eyes darkening slightly. "Or is this how you would prefer me to be?" on cue, she tugged at her white, make-shift dress and let it pile on the floor around her feet. The Turks eyes widened in shock as he feebly tried to tear his gaze away from Lucrecia's naked, creamy body. From the corner of his eye, he registered the coffin lid uproot itself and crash to the floor beside the casket. The scientist lowered herself into it, leaning back on her elbows and winked at the partly horrified, partly desire-filled Turk.

"What are you waiting for?" a voice spoke into his ear from behind, making Vincent jump to his chagrin. His eyes were met with the same ruby ones from before; the imposter was smiling with anticipation and badly masked impatience. "Take her…I hate it when you starve me like this…do me and yourself a favour…take her…" the room started spinning, depicting Vincent's current state of mind. He saw a glimpse of Lucrecia in the black coffin, biting her lip, his father glaring at him in disapproval and finally, the imposter grinning at him with his glowing red eyes.

And then it was over.