Fairy Tales
Chapter Ten: Sorceress

Vincent frowned, head down as he walked the city. He didn't tend to think, not that he was incapable of it, just that it had never mattered what he thought. He didn't really regret his past; he didn't feel badly for it.

It didn't mean he liked himself at all.

The girl in pink bothered him. Typically if someone bothered Vincent Valentine he killed them and was rid of the bother. And no, Veld had never really bothered him.

oooooo

"The simplest roles we see every day. Mothers, fathers, sons, daughters... these are inherent to the other ones."

She paused.

"I like to think of myself as more of a mother than a sorceress. Mother is a purer state than that. But not every one is the same as I am."

"What do you mean?" He asked. Her face grew grim.

"There is shadow."

oooooo

Veld never bothered him, sure he'd mouth off, but there was fight to Veld. Stupidly brave, stupidly naive, stupidly noble, Veld. He'd fallen in love with that Cetra, Ancient, whatever that woman was. Lucrecia had hated her, but she, like Vincent, hated everything.

…no, that wasn't true. Everything just seemed to hate him. That's what bothered him about the girl in pink. With her ugly boots and pushy nature. Why was she so nice to him? People were not nice to him. He didn't know how to react and he couldn't bring himself to kill her.

If he could only figure out why that was, maybe he'd stop being so at a loss with the stupid girl.

He was momentarily wondering if he should return to keep an eye on Veld, but Veld had gotten by with however many years Vincent had been dead without the older man looking over his shoulder. Maybe he grew sense or something; it was a good feeling, at least, to see the kid.

oooooo

"Shadow?" Veld asked, images of Heartless and puppets flashing through his mind. She nodded, as if addressing those very images.

"People are not perfect. Sometimes they make mistakes. Terrible mistakes. And they become... consumed. They become their shadow selves. Sometimes, they can recover." She bowed her head. "Sometimes, they do not."

"Are you saying... those creatures where once..." He remembered Tseng.

"They fulfilled their shadow selves. And became... heartless. But that is only the fully fulfilled that become creatures like that."

"And what about, what about other people? They look human and they don't... they don't act right." She looked at him, her eyes no longer averted.

"Then all is not lost. But you have to be aware of the sorceresses, Veld, they are different. They are gifted or cursed with power." This lady Edea herself was one. She used the word 'cursed.' Something told him she had a terrible lifetime to tell. But he wouldn't ask.

oooooo

His thoughts were once again, interrupted. "Whoever you are following me-" Vincent started, highly agitated "-I would advice you run away quickly or come out and stop slinking about."

"You looked quite occupied; I didn't wish to be rude." A soft voice drifted out. Its owner followed it, looking just as soft and smooth as he sounded. He had on a revealing, rather feminine outfit, a tail curled about from behind him. "We were both well aware of the other, after all."

Vincent's eyes narrowed at the smaller man.

"Not much for conversation, are you?" He thought, tapping a slender finger against a delicate jaw. His tail lashed lazily about like a cat's.

Silence extended out again and the other man frowned. "Would you shake my hand, perhaps?"

"No."

"That mistrustful?"

Vincent merely nodded.

oooooo

"Certain types... like Watchers, do not make much of an impact outside of those that care about them if they fall into shadow. But others... Sorceresses, Heroes... even some of you Seekers... have disastrous results." She closed her eyes.

"What do you mean... disastrous?"

"Worlds have been destroyed, child. Peoples wiped out. Timelines shifted." Her eyes remained closed. This was close to her, and it was hard to watch. He was glad he had been cast in such an unimportant role.

"For you see, a sorceress, and we've come to use this term ever for the men now, the tradition used to be just women, they don't turn into an animal. They retain their own identity, with all the hurt, bitterness, and scorn from their memory. It is a hard balance."

oooooo

The expression on the pretty man's face was best described as a pout. "Now that's just unseemly. Don't you trust anyone?" When he was met with silence, the man let out a long sigh. "No one at all?"

Vincent didn't feel the need to respond yet, he just stood there, waiting.

"I'm Kuja." The man smiled, trying another tactic, he bowed lowly.

Vincent waited till Kuja obviously was not going to move and said "Vincent" quietly. He was getting agitated, he had more important things on his mind and this fellow was not getting to any point.

"Vincent, well then, there is a start." The tail twitched again. "Perhaps you'd like to talk about whatever is troubling you?" He leaned his weight on one hip, placing a hand upon it. "Sometimes a third party glance can be so helpful. Have you lost anything?"

Vincent glared.

"Not looking then… perhaps you're fighting for some just cause?"

Red eyes rolled and Vincent started walking away.

"You're protecting someone then, on some quest you do not understand in a false attempt to find humanity?"

He halted, glancing over his shoulder.

Kuja looked rather proud of himself, his smile only adding to the cat-like image his tail provided. "So that's it, someone is dear to you, but you've left them somewhere?" He walked forward, closing the distance between himself and Vincent. "Or perhaps you do not matter to what you find most important? I can relate to that you know."

oooooo

"That sounds like a hard life. I'm sorry." Veld was quiet, mostly, he tended to be with things he could never fathom. She opened her eyes again.

"Well, that's why there are Knights, child. For every Sorceress there is one. Like Cid... don't let him fool you when you meet him. He only seems like a dork." He laughed a little.

"Is this the case for everyone?" She nodded.

"Why would people be created to be alone? It's madness. Not all have the clean duet that Knights and Sorceresses have... there are legions with Generals and their like. People are drawn to what best compliments them." It made sense, it was ordered. He'd seen enough of the world to not attribute it all to chance. Though he was hardly fatalist... people were nudged. He could believe that.

"But, this is a peril, when the shadow is involved. They are always drawn to what.... what they can't have."

oooooo

"That's it, isn't it?" Kuja asked, still beaming.

Vincent turned back around, clenching his jaw.

"You're tense. It isn't healthy. Why chase about after people that dislike you so much? Anyone can see it's wearing on you."

Before facing Kuja fully, Vincent took a breath and rested his hand on one of his guns. "I don't do anything I don't wish to."

"So why are you obligated then?" Kuja asked.

In response Vincent turned away cape twirling at his ankles.

oooooo

"Isn't that the case with people in general?" Oh, he knew that syndrome.

Edea smoothed her skirt. "You have to be careful with your friend there. The shadow... it doesn't actually have him yet. But he's still not what he's supposed to be. I would not want to see a heartless sorceress or the like get a hold of him."

"He's fine. Really. Maybe he'll wander off one day without a word, I kind of expect it. But it's not like... he's evil." An asshole, a monster, but not evil. That was reserved for things even Vincent would not stoop to.

"Well, Aeris should be happening upon him soon enough. She's rather quick when she wants to be." Veld liked it here. It was like Midgar, but right. Funny how that worked out.

oooooo

"Now don't walk away from me, you'll regret that." Kuja's tone was all at once icy.

Vincent ignored him, continuing to walk.

"Now Vincent, we could have something beautiful."

He halted, that phrase ringing something in the back of his head.

"Oh come on, I need a good lay, no one will know…" Her hand on his leg, so bold, no one was that bold with him.

"You're married."

"You don't care, and neither do I, we could have something beautiful."

Kuja yelped, cupping his hand to his face, blood from the bullet bite seeping over his fingers. His eyes narrowed and his hissed, tail puffed out and rigid. "You'll regret that. Act like that; it's no wonder no one can stand you." In a flash of light he was gone.

"Good shot." Aeris' voice called out to him.

He looked at her and rolled his eyes.

"You want to come have dinner?"

"No."

She reached out then, grabbing one golden finger. "Please, don't be this way."

Vincent yanked the hand back, and she hissed. The action had cut her palm open. He glared at her, a look reserved usually for when Veld tried to get too close to him.

"I'm not going to hurt you." Aeris said softly, untying her hair ribbon and wrapping it around her palm.

Vincent blinked, literally back stepping. No one had ever told him that before.

"Doesn't anything hurt you?"
"Not really."
"How about this… oh, you like that huh?"

Vincent shook his head. "You aren't capable of hurting me."

Aeris used her teeth to tighten the ribbon around her palm and reached her hand out again for his. "Well of course I can, you're just afraid. It's alright to be afraid." Her hand extended between them, pink ribbon getting red.

He glared at her for a few moments and she finally walked forward and grabbed his human arm and started walking. He yanked his arm free then, but followed her as she walked back to the orphanage. Stupidly brave…