Tifa, Vincent, Cloud, Sephiroth, Aeris, Nibelheim, and all other names and places that belong to square well belong to square. Meaning the rest is Falkon's and mine. So enjoy, this is a Vampy Vinti fic. It'll get much better as it goes on. E-mail what you think to me at razer_flaresoul@hotmail.com

Note: all stuff between *'s are thoughts

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3 Embrace of Darkness

*Such ecstasy. Why am I denied such pleasure except for the moments in which I steal the life of another? Few experiences can compare to this sensation, this fleshly nirvana. I must truly be a monster to revel in death. I could scream, yet I'm afraid to brake. I must finish quickly, she waits for me.* Vincent dropped the corpse he was holding the last drops of blood drained. He ran his tongue gently along his fangs. He shoved the body into the alley near by.

*Where the hell are you Vincent? You've left me here, alone for four days! Am I foolish to trust in you? You don't seem to need anyone; you can stand on your own. I can't, I'm too weak. Or am I afraid to be strong? If I'm strong I can stand on my own, but then I'm afraid to be weak, to depend on others, then I'd have to be strong for everyone else. Then again I have no one to be strong for. Hell, now I'm going around in circles.* Tifa looked in to the mirror in the bathroom, which was next to her room. She adjusted her black baggy jeans, and white tank top. Her clothing tastes had changed considerably since living in Midgar. She left the washroom and went to her room; she picked her fighting gloves up off the dresser and put them on. *If I can't be strong I may as well look strong.*

Tifa left the mansion and headed to a small coffee shop not more then a few blocks away. Nibelheim had increased in size by at least six times since the whole meteor ordeal. She sat in a corner of the shop reading the paper and sipping her drink; it was late in the evening and only a few people where in the shop most would be asleep in a few hours. Tifa notice someone sit down beside her, she paid little attention to the person and went back to reading.

" I miss you." The person beside her said. Tifa whirled at the unmistakable voice of Cloud. " Where have you been?"

" What does it matter?" Tifa finished her drink and placed the paper on a nearby table. She got up and went to leave. Cloud stood behind her and placed his hand on her shoulder. " It would mean a lot if you gave me another chance Tifa. I really do care about you. Please believe me." Cloud pleaded.* Liar you only care about yourself. You'd save your heart and ass before you'd lift a finger for me.* Tifa ignored him and left the shop. She walked through the streets heading, in a very round about manner to the Mansion. When she was a block away from the mansion Cloud appeared from an alley.

" Tifa please! Don't leave me. I need you!" *Tifa you're mine. I can't let go of you. I will keep you. No matter what it takes! I saved you, you owe me!* Cloud walked towards her, he seemed almost panicked. Tifa stood there calmly; she seemed to show no reaction to him.* You don't need me Cloud, I don't need you. It's time for me to break free of you once and for all.* When Cloud reached Tifa he put a hand on her cheek and looked into her eyes. " Tifa, I. I love you. Please love me."

" Don't touch me." Tifa said flatly. Her eyes locked with his. *You don't know what love is. I don't love you. Why can't you let go?* Tifa took a step back away from him. Cloud stepped closer; he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her. Tifa felt her rage reach its limit. She punched Cloud in the stomach, when he doubled over she followed through with a hook to the face. Cloud howled in pain, Tifa's rage was only driven more by this. She grabbed Cloud by his blond spikes and held his head up to look into her eyes as she delivered several more hooks and a few knees to the gut. Tifa let go of him and stepped back feeling the adrenaline still coursing through her veins. " I told you not to touch me." Her voice trembled with rage. Cloud stood and healed himself.

" But Tifa, I love you. You'll always be mine." Clouds eyes were still pleading.

" No Cloud. I will never be yours. I love some one else, you had your chance."

With that Tifa left.

Tifa sat quietly in her room thinking to herself.* Cloud my heart is not yours why can't you understand, I lied when I said it was some one else's but you just wouldn't back off. What's with me, I enjoyed beating on him. Poor guy. It was fun beating him, to see him writhe and hear him cry out in pain. Is this who I really am? Shouldn't I be more upset about this? *Tifa heard the front door close and the familiar stride of Vincent. She walked down to the foyer to meet him.

*She reeks of Cloud, please don't hurt me like this Tifa, I lost Lucrecia to death. I don't want to lose you to. to. him.* "What happened? You look pained." Vincent stated clearly trying to avoid revealing his own feelings.

" Nothing really, I just had a little run in with Cloud. I took care of him it's just that. well, I. never mind."

*His blood is on your hands, such beauty causing such destruction. much like mako and material I suppose. But, her beauty is clouding my judgement again. if that useless vagrant ever touches her again.* "Your positive you're not hiding anything from me? I just don't want him to hurt you like he did before."

*What am I now glass? He sees right through me. How the hell does he pull this? What's wrong with me? I should tell you Vincent, but I'm afraid. I think I'm becoming a monster. Vincent would you ever hold me? You always seem so strong, are you ever weak like me? To be in your arms for one moment would give me strength to carry on.*

" I ran into him at the coffee shop this evening, I left to go home but he followed me. When I stopped he begged me to stay with him. I told him to leave me alone so he kissed me. When he did I beat him." Tifa paused sorrow crossed her face for a moment. "I hit him so hard he screamed. When he screamed I was thrilled.so I beat him more." Tifa's eyes filled with unshed tears " Vincent I don't know what happened. I enjoyed his pain. I don't regret it. I just. I want to know why I've become like this. I think I enjoy it."

* He kissed you!? Calm down, she'll explain. Poor girl, what have I done to her? Am I such a monster as to pray on the innocent?* " I fearfully regret that I have no answers to your questions Tifa." Vincent lied through his teeth.

" What's wrong? Did I do something to upset you? You just seemed so hurt and angry when I mentioned that."

*Cloud only thought of her, the other Ancient. Aeris. If he ever had eyes for you, they are clouded now. The thought of him touching you makes me ill. he no longer has any right.* "Angered. but not hurt. I just don't want you to be back where you started."

"Oh." Tifa stated simply. * Ouch Vincent that really hurt. Dammit are you blind too. Is it just me, or am I going to have to beat the crap out of the entire world tonight. Would it be so much to ask for one good night?* No sooner than she had finished a thought, Vincent broke in.

" Not angered by you Tifa. Never by you. Angered by Cloud. He did this, and it is no fault of yours." *If it comes to it. I wont even use my gun to lay Cloud low.*

"Why do you care so much about what Cloud has done to me? What difference would it really make to you whether he loves me or tries to kill me?" Or both.

" If he was trying to kill you, he would be dead."

" Not physically!! I meant he's tearing my heart and soul to shreds! Vincent he's killing me without even trying and I can't do anything about it!"

"So you've decided to tell me the truth then?" *Tell me what to do about him. and I will.*

" What do you mean by truth? Vincent.Why are you looking at me like that?" *Vincent I hope that is not a look of anger, knowing you it would be something as subtle as that. I should have written my will before the whole Sephiroth thing.*

"I'm not angry at you."

"I.um.well what IS that look for then?"

"You've kept me from feeding. I'm a little thirsty." *Please offer it Tifa, no other blood satisfies my thirst anymore. Its like the Lifestream itself runs through your small frame.*

" Feeding? What do you mean feeding.thirsty?" Tifa said meekly. *If I didn't know better I'd say that was lust, but this is Vincent. Oh dear God I hope this is Vincent.*

" You honestly think I took valuable time out of my life just to clean an old mansion of monsters? They ran away Tifa. they fear me. I wanted to kill Sephiroth with you and. Cloud. because he threatened the world. and he read my books."

" Fear you? What . what are you Vincent?" *And he speaks of books as if this is all so natural. What have I done to deserve this?*

*Damn.* "Tifa. I'm a vampire. One who feeds on the lifestream that lives in all humans." *There is enough mako in you to satisfy me for eons.*

"Well if that's all it is then.Why the HELL didn't you tell me before?"

"It never came up." *No one walked around asking if I was human, they let Nanaki in. no one cared even though he's a bright red feline wolf.*

"Alright I'll give you that but. well I still feel I should have known. After all we are living together. So did you ever take blood from any of us while we were doing the Sephiroth thing?" *Now that I think about it he never did join us for dinner. Wow I should have figured. Well now next I'll find out that Yuffie is a were-wolf.*

" I think that's a rather personal question Tifa. besides. why do you want to know?" *Damn, damn.*

"Of course it's personal that's why I'm asking. I would like to know if I ever provided you with dinner. If it wasn't us who did you take blood out of?" *Well now I'll never have breakfast with him. unless of course it's me.*

"You. Just you." *Damn, damn, damn, damn.*

"Well I guess I should feel special.why me? I need to know that at least."

"I. You taste better than most?" *Wooden stake here I come.*

"When did you take it from me? What do I taste like?" *How the hell didn't I notice, well I guess it wasn't painful at least.*

"First, you sleep far more often than I do. you probably noticed that anyway. Hmmm, How you taste?" *Like the purest of the pure, like heat aflame. like pure liquid ecstasy.* "Copper and mako really."

" You took it when I was asleep. how come I never noticed?" *Oh joy copper and Mako. A world of lovely flavours.*

"There was the one time I DID wake you. At the golden saucer, when we were forced to stay the night at the "Haunted" hotel. I bit too hard and you woke. and decided to spend quality time with Cloud." *I wish I could have stayed with you that night. no; I'm not going to do this. I'll just lose her too.*

" Well you said you were thirsty.so are you gonna drink or not?" *What am I thinking?*

"I'm not going to take anymore from you. I don't want to hurt you." *That. and it betters with age, not too much though.*

"So what you mean to say is that I'm not good enough for you anymore?" *That should do it.*

*Good lord strike me down now. or make her stop asking stupid questions.* After a deep sigh, Vincent responded. " No, None of those words were spoken by my lips, it was a false interpretation on your part." *That should do it.*

" Please." Tifa said as she stepped closer. For the first time since she had met him. Tifa saw surprise in Vincent's eyes. And after a short step back he struggled out a response.

"What?" *Oh god. you have to be joking. like throwing ambrosia down my throat.*

" Ouch I don't think even your bite could hurt that much." *Please don't deny me Vincent.*

*What the hell is she talking about?* " I don't want to hurt you like Cloud did. or physically. I. What would you do in my position?"

"Why would I be in your position? Vincent if you were in my position you would want this too." *Tifa meet masochism, masochism meet Tifa.*

" You are in no position to say what men want." Stop doing this. please?

" Well if you want it that way, you are in no position to deny me what I want!" *Please, please, please.*

*How the hell did she come to that conclusion?* "You're living in my house, and well. taking up good hunting time with this argument."

"Alright let's put it this way. When a woman wants it you give it to her! You never know when she'll offer next."

" I'm Immortal. I can wait."

" Are you so sure? It's not going to tear you to pieces later that I offered myself to you, and you threw away that opportunity. Bite me please." *Goddamn Vincent why can't you just give in?*

"Tifa, The moment I doubt my own resolve because of a girl I could have Grand fathered tells me too I should be struck down."

"Vincent please, do this for me." Tifa stepped closer to him. " Please, please, please..." She whimpered.

"Why do you want to be so close to heart felt pain? Dammit Tifa! Why court death!?"

" At least when I'm close to pain I'm close to something. Who says I'm courting death?" *Wow, even arguing with Vincent is more satisfying than a kiss from Cloud.*

" I did. I said you were courting death." *Don't go down this road Tifa.*

"What's wrong with death? It's just another part of life."

"I have been dead for very, very long and I will tell you to your face that it is nothing like life. in life you feel. in life it all matters."

"Then you are still alive. You seem to care about what's happening here, so I guess it matters. So why do you still deny me?"

"Fine. If you want the Kiss so badly, if you want me to drain you I will. But what I don't understand is that underlying lie your dancing around. there's something else you want as well." *There. if she refuses to outright tell me the truth, I'll use it to sharpen my argument.*

" Alright then if you really want to here it. I want to feel the pain, I want to be near death, just like I want to be near you!" *oh no. I said that out loud.*

" If pain arouses you so. why did you leave Cloud?"

"It's not the pain, it's you." Tifa stated. Vincent stared. absolutely stunned.

*I wanted you ever since I first saw you. first tasted your blood. but. If I love you, I'll lose you.* "Why? My body grew cold long ago, only growing warm when I steal someone else's life."

"You care, you truly love. Let me warm you." Tifa said as she closed the space between them.