Hazy Vision
By: Komo Pineconeseed
Disclaimer: Haunting Ground belongs to CAPCOM.
Summary: After Fiona and Hewie are separated in the Main Hall of the House of Truth, they don't reunite. Lorenzo offers a trapped Fiona a choice. What will become of her now?
Warnings: Contains young!Lorenzo/Fiona. WIP. Minimal outlining, meaning sporadic chapter lengths, sporadic genres, and sporadic updating.
Rating: M for Language, Sexuality, and Psychological Manipulation (for lack of a better term).
Shout out to: endless-amber-skies. I guess your diabolical plan worked.
Chapter One
Fiona shoved the last piece of chamomile into her mouth and started running. Behind her, she could hear alternating footsteps and silence. Aureolus Lorenzo Belli was playing her, that bastard.
"Hewie!"
Her cry was met with more laughter, but no bark. She didn't stop running.
The differently colored rooms were familiar as she had passed through them once before, but she just couldn't seem to remember the order she opened the doors. Fiona started to feel her mind close off in that awfully familiar way. She stopped to search her sleeves for more lavender, Mundus, or Sedetio, but there was none to be found.
Door after door, until, finally, Fiona reached the western side of the House of Truth. She scrambled up the stairs, and took a quick drink of water to regain a sense of self. Just as she was shutting off the tap, she could hear a very recognizable whine.
Hewie was close. She ran into the nearby hallway, and as she got closer to the other side, the whining became louder. Fiona reached up to open the door with sun symbol, but it was locked. Fiona pulled the door with all her might, and she could hear Hewie pawing at it on the other side, but there was no way it was opening.
"Maybe you shouldn't throw keys away so readily, eh Fiona?"
Fiona gasped as Aureolus Lorenzo Belli appeared above her and dropped down. She let go of the doorknob, and made another run for it, this time towards the entrance of the House of Truth. When she exited the door, she was met with a nasty surprise.
Where had the bridge gone?
Looking ahead, she could see the Water Tower that Riccardo had used to trap her. It was literally a prison, but now, even it was no longer an option.
She heard the door close behind her.
"And just where do you intend to run?"
Fiona choked back a sob and turned around. Aureolus Lorenzo Belli was standing in front her, but he did not intend to step closer. Encouraged by the distance, Fiona bit out her first response to his taunting.
"I-I… I just want to go home! Is that an outrageous request? Why must you people keep me here!?"
Lorenzo stared at her, analyzing her expression as if she was the Great Truth he kept referring. He finally folded his arms, and cocked his head.
"Child, there is nowhere for you to run. That is a fact. Look behind you. Do intend to swim back to the tower? Have you not seen the creatures that live in the water's depths?"
"Please, just let me be. I just want to return home."
"To whom? My dear Ugo and that wench Ayla are both deceased. Your only loved one is here." Upon the look of confusion, he elaborated. "That mutt." Lorenzo lifted a hand, and Fiona could hear Hewie cry out.
"Leave him alone!"
Aureolus Lorenzo Belli laughed deeply. His smirk widened, "Gladly, but on one condition. You, my dear holder of Azoth, will remain here. Stay at Belli Castle. Live here forever with me, and your precious Hewie," Lorenzo drawled the name as if saying a particularly distasteful word, "will remain unharmed. If you decide to leave, however…"
He raised his hand again. Fiona, who had remained still, reached up and pulled it down. The auburn-haired man took advantage of her physical contact to pull her close and held her tightly in his arms.
"Oh Fiona. You are so adorable. Tell me, do you agree to my terms?"
His pendant was sharp against her cheek, but the rest of him was warm.
Fiona took as deep a breath she could. What were her options?
Run and get eaten. Run and doom Hewie.
Was her freedom worth the life of her innocent, beautiful canine? Worth her own life? Could she trust this madman? Did she really have a choice?
Fiona bit her lip so hard it almost bled. "I agree to your terms."
Surprisingly, his hug was loosened. While still mildly possessive, to Fiona who had only had the comfort of a dog since her nightmare began, it felt oddly soothing. Emotions welled up inside her, and to her horror, she broke down crying. Aureolus Lorenzo Belli was bizarre, she decided as he shifted his right hand to stroke her back. The constant rhythm felt nice, and Fiona herself suddenly felt so incredibly tired.
For the fifth time in twenty-four hours, she fainted.