Chapter 17
A month after the checkup, Vincent was put on a combination of sleep aids and anti anxiety medications. Sephiroth seemed to be the only person taking the voice seriously instead of thinking it was just something in Vincent's head. Vincent started taking the medications. They only seemed to make him subdued, sometimes making him space out, and though the sleeping pills worked, he would awake much later than usual. Sephiroth had edited his daily schedule to account for this, giving Vincent fewer jobs to do. This went on for a few weeks. Vincent was working on more papers when the news of the first murder reached him. There was a corpse, almost torn to shreds, found near an empty bunker.
Sephiroth frowned as he came back, closing the door behind him and sighing. He had to help figure out who the murderer was, for the sake of everyone's survival. He had a hunch it had something to do with the experiments downstairs. Vincent looked up at him. "Do you want me to make you some tea?" he asked softly.
Sephiroth blinked, looking at Vincent before giving a nod. "If you don't mind. How has your day been?"
"Quiet." he said, getting up to make the tea.
"The voice hasn't talked to you today?" Sephiroth asked, tone gentle but concerned.
"Not today, no. I'm... actually worried about that, since it's been talking in short bursts everyday..." Vincent frowned.
"Perhaps... it's tired?" Sephiroth offered. "Or it's angry you're ignoring it?"
"Maybe..." Vincent nodded.
"Would you like to talk about it? Or do something to take your mind off things?"
"I don't really want to think about it.." Vincent said, handing Sephiroth the cup of tea.
The general nodded. "Understandable. Have you been eating well?"
Vincent paused at that. "I'm trying, but... it seems like my appetite has vanished."
"Do you think it's from stress? I can ask the doctor if it's a side affect of the medications, too."
"I... I guess... it could be."
Sephiroth nodded. "Well, I'll make something light. Try to eat it so you're still getting nourishment."
"Okay. Thank you."
Sephiroth nodded, standing to make a light soup. Vincent did a little more work as he waited. Sephiroth came over with a bowl when it was ready, sitting across from Vincent. "So... I heard about the murder. Any ideas on what did it?" Vincent asked. "If you can talk about it that is."
"... My best guess is something from the labs."
Vincent flinched and shivered at the thought of the labs. "I wouldn't be surprised..."
"I've put a team together to search for any signs of loose experiments."
"Whatever it is, I hope it's caught quickly." he sighed.
Sephiroth nodded. "Have you had any nightmares lately?"
"A couple of them, Yes." he nodded. "Though I don't remember a lot from them."
"Have they been... as aggressive as they were previously?"
Vincent was silent for a moment. "Some...The ones I do remember. Sometimes I wake up with scratches from my nails on my skin. Or red marks as if I hit or held a certain area too long." he frowned. "Those times... I don't even feel or remember doing it." Sephiroth nodded and wrote something down on the papers he was handling.
Vincent looked at him curiously. "May I ask what you're working on?"
"It's the murders... I'm trying to figure this out before we lose more men."
"Is there anything I can help with?"
"No, the information is too sensitive."
Vincent nodded. "I understand."
"If you want something to do, however, I do have a couple of errands that you can run."
Vincent perked up a little at that. "Alright."
Sephiroth stood from the small dining table to get a list from the fridge. He returned to Vincent and held it out with a small smile. "This is a list of rooms that need deliveries, let me grab the documents that have to be dropped off at each office," he explained as he walked off to his room. The stack of papers he returned with was small, but it would take at least an hour to get everything delivered to the different floors.
"At first I thought you were going to give me a grocery list." Vincent chuckled with a relieved smile.
"I'm afraid that doesn't need doing for another week or so..." Sephiroth mused. "Go on, now, I'll have dinner ready when you get back." Vincent nodded, saying goodbye and heading out to deliver the papers. Sephiroth smiled as h watched Vincent leave, making sure he was gone before the smile fell. He sighed and pulled out his phone to call some of the higher ups. "I think we have a suspect for the killings... It's a hunch, but I need a tracker and some supplies..."
It was two hours before Vincent returned, feeling tired. Sephiroth looked up from his paperwork when he heard the door and frowned. "Vincent, are you alright?"
"Yeah... I'm really tired for some reason though..."
The general frowned. "Do you think you might've over exerted yourself?"
Vincent nodded. "Maybe a little."
"Go get some rest, thank you for making that delivery."
"I'm sorry to just go to sleep so suddenly." Vincent said softly.
"Do not apologize, you have a lot on your mind and I'm sure the medications are taking a toll on your body."
"I think they are." Vincent sighed. "But if I stop them... I'm not sure what would happen."
"Of course..." Sephiroth nodded. "Go rest, I'll get things prepared for dinner while you do so."
"Thank you." Vincent nodded, going up to his room to sleep.
Sephiroth gave him a few minutes to fall asleep fully before standing and slipping into the room. He took out a small syringe and needle, injecting a small tracker on Vincent. Once he was sure it was in and working, and that Vincent was still asleep, he left back to the kitchen to get started on a roasted chicken. Vincent slept deeply, having an almost dreamless sleep before waking an hour later. The entire apartment was filled with the smell of food. There was chicken roasting in the oven along with potatoes, corn, and fresh green beans cooking on the stove. The delicious smell over took everything. Vincent groaned happily at the smell, going into the kitchen. "You're spoiling me."
"There is nothing wrong with eating well," Sephiroth chuckled.
"Yeah but this... this is like a feast!" Vincent said.
"It is a normal meal for us in this region. A meat, a starch, a couple vegetables and a sauce," Sephiroth explained with a chuckle.
"Really?" Vincent asked, amazed.
"Yes. It's not quite done yet, so feel free to watch TV for a while as I finish."
"Alright." Vincent nodded, going to look through the channels. Most of the channels were talk shoes or news, the one internal news channel that only reported inside for Shin Ra doing a cover of the murders. Vincent stopped on the channel, listening closely.
"No suspects have been named at this time. All employees are being asked to report any suspicious activity you see. Along with this, the highest ranking officers are issuing a curfew to any and all SOLDIERs who are not on duty at night: do not leave your rooms unless absolutely necessary." Vincent frowned at that, wondering just what creature had possibly escaped.
The TV turned off right before they were going to show pictures of the latest victims. "Dinner's almost ready," Sephiroth said gently. "I just have to make the gravy and it doesn't take long at all. Would you like to set the table and move everything over to it?"
Vincent blinked before nodding. "Sure." he said, getting up to do so.
Sephiroth smiled from where he was beside the stove. "Did the nap help you any?"
"It did," Vincent said as he set the table. "I feel more rested now."
Sephiroth smiled and gave a satisfied nod, stirring the gravy as he waited for it to thicken a bit. Once it was ready he brought it over to join the rest of the food on the table, sitting so that he and Vincent could make their plates and eat. "Would you like to see a museum tomorrow?" he asked.
Vincent tilted his head. "Yes. It would be nice to get out for a little."
"I thought so. There is an art museum that I think you will like. You can spend time with your friends tomorrow as well."
"Yes. I haven't seen them in a while." Vincent said.
Sephiroth smiled. "It's decided, then. You can text them tonight to know the plans and we can set something up."
"Alright." he said before pausing. "So, what kind of art do you like?"
"Hmm... classical paintings, I'd say. I like the old depictions of how our world used to be the most, though I'll admit I have a few favorite Wutai classics as well."
Vincent smiled. "I like those as well, but admittedly my favorites are the more fantastical paintings."
"Oh? What draws you to them?"
"They're like another world you can fall into." Vincent said. "Just like the same with the genre of books. You can lose yourself completely in another place and time."
Sephiroth nodded. "True, that does seem like a good way to escape the things happening in this world for a short while."
"It really is." Vincent said softly.
"Speaking of escaping... you seem lost in your mind a lot lately. Is there anything you want to discuss?"
"I just keep thinking back to the last time I was in the lab. Trying to remember. Nothing comes to me." he sighed.
"That must be frustrating..."
"It really is.." Vincent sighed.
"It's a controversial method," Sephiroth began slowly, "but having you visit the labs might trigger something. We'd have to wait until it's safer, of course."
Vincent nodded. "I'd like to do that."
Sephiroth nodded. "Then when things calm down we will visit the labs. It might jog your memory," he mused before taking a bite of his meal. Vincent nodded, eating as well.
That night, after Vincent went to sleep, Sephiroth stayed up to watch the monitors he'd put up. He always had access to the security footage around the building, but was watching a live feed this time, keeping a smaller monitor dedicated to the tracking device to his right. If he could get any hints as to where this killer was coming from, or a hint that any of his suspicions were correct, then he could make progress and save their other SOLDIERs before this became a full on massacre.
A half an hour into watching, a figure appeared on he feed. It was a large beast with purple fur covering its body and a crimson mane that two long horns emerged from. It moved in a hunched over fashion, in between walking on all fours and moving upright, its snout pulled back in a snarl. The creature's sharp claws that were dripping with blood, staining the tile as it walked, the back claws leaving small marks on the floor with each step. The beast turned to look at the camera, eyes brilliantly golden, before giving what sounded like a growl and moving at an astonishing speed out of view. Sephiroth cursed softly under his breath, looking at the tracker to see where Vincent was, only to see it showing Vincent's room on the map.
Sephiroth sighed, giving an order for all personal to evacuate the halls as he began to shut down sections to try and trap the creature. He glanced as the blurry print out they had of the first murderer... this beast was definitely something different, the first had been more humanoid. After a while of searching, it seemed that the beast had vanished completely, nowhere to be found and, surprisingly, no trace of where it could have gone. Everyone felt uneasy about this fact. Sephiroth sighed, giving up the search for the night and ending the shut down. He stood and left his room to check on Vincent. Vincent was in his room, curled tightly under the blankets, dead asleep, face tight as if he was having a small nightmare.
Sephiroth sighed, sitting down in a small chair beside Vincent's bed, combing his fingers through Vincent's hair to attempt to calm him. Vincent relaxed, moving closer to the hand. "Haha...watashi o saranaide kudasai." Sephiroth rose an eyebrow at that in confusion, tilting his head. Vincent seemed to be quiet the rest of the night, any other mumbling being under his breath and unheard. Sephiroth left back to his own room to sleep. He was awake before Vincent was the next morning, cooking breakfast for both of them. Vincent woke up, groaning, his body feeling stiff. He figured he just slept curled too tightly, going to take a quick shower and go to the kitchen.
Sephiroth looked up from where was standing in front of the stove. "Good morning."
"Morning..." Vincent said, sitting down. He was still stiff and a little sleepy.
"Did you have any nightmares last night?"
"I... I think so... I... don't really remember much of it." Vincent said, rubbing his neck.
"Hmm... is there anything you... do remember?"
Vincent tilted his head, pausing before answering. "I... think I may have dreamed of my mother... it's a little foggy." he shrugged.
Sephiroth nodded. "A lot has been going on... memories of her probably comforted you."
Vincent shook his head. "No. memories of her... they are far from comforting." he said softly.
Sephiroth frowned at that. "What do you mean?"
Vincent blinked, as if just realizing that he had spoken. "Oh... um... well, it's nothing really... she left me when I was young to stay with my step-father." he said, trying to shrug it off. His voice tensed at the mention of his step-father.
Sephiroth frowned. "I apologize..." he said gently, hesitating. "Let's change the subject."
"It's alright. You didn't know." Vincent said softly. "Did you sleep well last night?" he asked. He got the feeling Sephiroth didn't sleep much.
"I slept fine," he general lied gently.
Vincent nodded, hiding his frown. "Do you have much work today? I was thinking we could go out... maybe... on a date..." he said, saying the last part softer.
Sephiroth blinked. "I do have a lot of work this morning, but I can plan for us to have a date in the after noon. Would seeing those museums and having dinner at a good restaurant do?"
Vincent gave a pleased smile. "Yeah. That sounds great."
Sephiroth smiled. "It's settled, then, I'll get things ready. You spend the morning relaxing, visit your friends."
"Alright." he said, nodding happily. He finished his breakfast before getting ready and going to meet up with Marcus and Jake.
They waved at him with smiled, chuckling at how happy seemed. "Good news?" Jake asked.
"Sephiroth and I are going on a date later today." Vincent smiled.
"Awesome!" Jake smiled.
"It is. I'm slowly learning a bit more about him." he smiled.
"That's good. Anything interesting that you're allowed to share?" Marcus asked.
"We have the same art and book interests. And he's an amazing cook!" Vincent said. "He seems to like the Wutainian food I cook as well."
"Huh... never would've thought the General could cook," Marcus admitted.
"Has he made you anything special?" Jake asked with a large grin.
"Yes, he's made a few Wutainian dishes." Vincent smiled.
"He knows how to cook Wutai food?!" Jake asked, shocked.
"Yeah. He has a whole cook book filled with foreign recipes." Vincent smiled.
"Hmm... I suppose it pays to be prepared," Marcus mused before chuckling. "Still, it goes against everything we're shown in the promotions, huh?"
Vincent nodded. "Yeah. He's actually...really kind. Sometimes, when my nightmares get bad, he'll sit with me or sleep on a futon in my room. Apparently he found that I calm down when he does that."
The other two just stared at Vincent in awe. "Did you use a spell on him or something?" Jake joked.
"Maybe that flying sickle did hit him and none of us noticed," Vincent joked back.
His friends chuckled, shaking their heads. "You certainly are something special," Marcus mused.
Vincent rose a brow. "I don't really think so."
"Vincent, you managed to somehow get the strongest fighter SOLDIER has ever had to cook for you and be protective enough of you that he stays in your room when you're having a nightmare."
"He's just talking care of me after everything that happened." Vincent said, shaking his head. "It'll go back to normal as I get better." he added, pausing. "Have you guys heard about the murders going on?"
Their smiles fell instantly and the air grew heavy with tension. "Yeah... we've heard," Jake sighed. "It's... not a good sign."
"Sephiroth is on the case, but obviously can't talk about it. He said he had a hunch though. If anyone can solve this quickly it will be him." Vincent said.
"I hope so, this is very... scary, to put it lightly," Jake sighed.
"It's unsettling and concerning," Marcus clarified.
Vincent nodded. "I know." he frowned a little. "It's strange, though. Sephiroth goes to lengths to avoid the topic with me. He even turned off the news report I was watching when it went to show the body..."
"Well, they think it's an escaped project, right? You got attacked by two of those monstrosities now, so maybe he's afraid it'll trigger something," Jake shrugged.
"I hadn't thought of that." Vincent said, tilting his head.
"How are you doing anyway?" Marcus asked.
"Honestly, terrible." Vincent sighed. "I keep having nightmares that I don't remember. I still have trouble going to sleep. I woke up this morning sore as all hell."
"Have you talked to your doctor about it?" Marcus asked.
"Yes. And I have another appointment soon." Vincent said.
Marcus nodded, sighing. "Well, hopefully it helps."
"I hope so too." Vincent sighed. "On a lighter note, have you embarrassed yourself yet, Marcus?"
Marcus rose an eyebrow. "What do you mean?" he asked. "Do you know something I don't?"
"Did you forget our bet?" Vincent asked.
Marcus blinked, chuckling. "Ah, yes, I did actually. No, I haven't embarrassed myself yet."
Vincent gave a pout. "It'll happen soon! I'm telling you! I cant possibly be the only one here with such bad luck!"
Marcus chuckled and gave a nod, smiling. "What are you planning to do this weekend?"
"I don't really have anything planned." Vincent said.
"Perhaps we could go to the bar together, then," Marcus offered, Jake perked up at hearing the suggestion.
"That's a great idea! We can do karaoke! And we can get drunk and dance and-"
"I think he gets the point," Marcus chuckled, interrupting his friend.
Vincent laughed. "That sounds like fun. And something I probably need."
Marcus nodded. "I believe all of us need this."
Vincent smiled softly. "It'll be great."
"Hmm... perhaps I'll embarrass myself while drunk," Marcus teased.
"I'll be looking forward to that!" Vincent laughed.
Jake laughed as well, eagerly working things out before they had to each go their separate ways. Vincent was smiling when he got to his room. Sephiroth was busy working in his office, a phone pressed up to his ear as he sat before a computer. Files were scattered about on his desk around him. Vincent was curious but made sure to be quieter so he didn't interrupt Sephiroth, going to the kitchen for a drink to take with him. It was at least three hours before he General walked out, tiredly heading to the coffee machine.
There was fresh coffee already brewed and Vincent had made him some food before he had gone to his room. Sephiroth blinked, pausing as his tired mind processed the situation before he gave a small, thankful smile. He got himself a large cup and took the food, sitting down to eat. Once done he gently wrote a note thanking Vincent, taped it to the other's bedroom door, and went back to work. Vincent didn't sleep well that night, keeping quiet and staying awake after the first nightmare so he didn't disturb Sephiroth. At around six in the morning the general gently pushed opened Vincent's door, wanting to check on the other before getting started on making breakfast. He paused at what he saw, sighing. "I know you're not asleep," he called, wondering why the other man was awake this early.
Vincent slowly sat up. "I... just can't sleep.." he said.
Sephiroth frowned at that, but sighed and gave a nod. "Well... I'm about to start cooking breakfast, if you want to eat."
Vincent nodded. "Yeah. Okay." he said, getting up.
Sephiroth walked with him quietly, starting to cook. "Thank you for last night," he mused.
"I figured you'd need it. I didn't want to disturb your work." Vincent said softly.
Sephiroth nodded. "Did you have fun on your outing yesterday?"
"I did. We're going out this weekend." Vincent said.
"Where to?"
"The bar." He said. "Thinking that it's a bit overdo."
He nodded. "Just be careful not to drink too much."
"I won't. I don't need to embarrass myself again." he chuckled.
Sephiroth gave a small smile. "Oh, like that poor performance with the melee weapons?" he teased.
Vincent blushed brightly. "I've gotten better!... A little..." he said. "And I was sober then!" he paused. "That doesn't make that better..."
"Let's just keep you with a gun," Sephiroth chuckled.
"I agree with that." Vincent said with a light chuckle.
"You seem talented with it," Sephiroth offered. "It suits you more."
Vincent gave a smile, blushing faintly at the praise. "Thank you."
Sephiroth nodded, pausing as he ate. Silence fell between them for a few long moments. "Have your nightmares eased up?" the General asked, wanting to break the awkwardness.
"Not very much." Vincent sighed.
Sephiroth frowned at that. "I'm sorry to hear that. Do you need more medicine? Or perhaps some lavender oils?"
Vincent shook his head. "I honestly don't think the medicine is helping. I'd rather not take any more of it." he admitted.
Sephiroth nodded. "We can still try the lavender oils, or even incenses. I'm unsure how much they'll help, but it has natural calming abilities."
"Alright. We can try tonight."
Sephiroth nodded. "We might make your training more strenuous again, too. Exhausting yourself might help."
Vincent nodded. "I actually look forward to that."
"We could spar together, you could use improvement on your hand-to-hand combat."
Vincent looked at his left arm and nodded. "That's true. I need to get used to this."
"Have you tried fighting with the prosthetic yet?" Sephiroth asked, curious.
"Admittedly, not a lot." Vincent said.
The general nodded. "We'll have to fix that, then. You might want to visit the shooting gallery as well at some point, I'd imagine you'll have to get re-acquainted with your preferred weapon after everything that has changed."
"That's true, though I'm not at as much of a disadvantage with my guns as I can use both hands to shoot." he agreed.
"It's still a change, especially if you've had to change your dominant hand."
Vincent nodded. "Also true." he said, then smirked a little. "I suppose we should really keep me away from the sickles now." he teased softly.
Sephiroth snorted. "You're banned from touching them."
Vincent blinked. "You know... I can't tell if you're joking or if that's really true." he mused with a smirk.
"Both."
"I... I wasn't told I was banned.." he said, raising a brow.
"I'm banning you now, for your safety and my own," Sephiroth deadpanned, though there was the barest hint of a smirk on his face. "I think, given your knack for guns, it shouldn't be a hard ban to follow."
Vincent gave a chuckle, smirking. "Yes, Sir." he teased softly.
Sephiroth nodded. "We could train together today, I have some openings in my schedule."
Vincent nodded. "That sounds good."
"Would tomorrow afternoon be a good time for you?"
"Yeah. I don't have a whole lot of work to do recently." He said.
"Then we'll meet at training ground A. We'll go through some warm ups, then a spar."
Vincent nodded. "Alright."
"Do you have any plans for today?" Sephiroth asked.
Vincent tilted his head, thinking. "Not that I know of."
"Would you like to accompany me throughout today?"
Vincent blinked. "I'm... allowed to do that?"
"If I say you can, yes."
"Then... I would like that." Vincent gave a small smile.