"We Who Are Of Good Nature And Intention,
But Cannot Touch On The Dark Recess Of Memory
And Pain Learned,
So Come Walk With Me,
Feel The Pain,
And Release It"
"Sickman", _Alice In Chains_
***********
The bleak corridors sped past her lithe form and fused into a blur of dull colors. She had been running for so long now, and yet... she was alone. Surprisingly, no one had halted her, and no one had followed her. Every panic-stricken minute she would turn to inspect the pathway behind her, only to be greeted by an eerie silence... the kind of quiet she would expect before a storm.
Where was everyone, she wondered briefly. Surely by now she would have been stopped, and dragged cruelly back to her master... but the only companion she found was the echoing clunk of her worn shoes hitting the pristine stone. Hastily she rounded yet another corner, barely keeping herself upright from the sharp angle and her increasing speed.
Even if she would've been able to stop, there would have been no way to conceal her shock.
She wasn't alone anymore.
*****************
"Wait!" Cloud yelled frantically as the guard disappeared down the hallway, "Don't leave me here!! You've got to help me! Come back!"
His screams had fallen on deaf ears, as the armored man had paid no attention to his last cries of despair.
"Shit!" he cursed as he let his head fall with a soft thunk on the metal bars. Frustrated, Cloud hit the door with a gloved fist. "No! This can't be the way it ends!" he hissed through clenched teeth, eyes glowing fiercely behind thick golden locks. Looking up towards the ceiling, he sighed bitterly. "Aeris... Tifa.. Everybody.. I'm sorry!"
But he knew he could not simply apologize and everything would be alright again. The words were hollow.. And even though he meant them with all of his heart, he knew that they could not even begin to dull the destruction that he had caused. He was a pathetic failure, destined to bring everyone down with him.
A sudden roar behind him brought him back to his present dilemma. The blonde slowly turned around, warily meeting the eyes with the beast whose name was best to describe him. Chaos.
**************
Aeris stood in a paralyzed shock, her jaw dropped slightly open as she watched the scene unfolding before her. There was so many.. She could never hope to escape them. Her eyes flicked rapidly back and forth, skimming over the many undistinguished faces.
5... 10... 20!
There were more than 20 of them. Harsh guards decked out in full sets of armor with sharp swords laying trustfully at their sides... all coming her way. They were yelling.. Screaming at the top of their lungs, each one shouting louder than the latter, trying to be heard over the crowd.
'Run Aeris!' She shouted mentally to herself. 'Move!'
Yet she was frozen; rooted permanently in the spot. Somehow her body had turned to stone, matching the concrete that lined the prison. It was too late now anyway... they were only a few feet away from her.
*******
"This certainly isn't my lucky day" Cloud muttered under his breath as he surveyed the threat before him.
The beast had him locked within his gaze, daring him to move. To run. To fight. But he couldn't do anything. Those eyes which were so wise, overseeing centuries alike, had managed to freeze him in an anxious stance. Flapping it's leather wings casually in the stale air, Chaos cocked it's head to the side, as if mock-questioning the blonde.
'Come on Cloud! Think of something! There's got to be something you can do!' he silently encouraged himself. He eyed the demon warily, hoping that it would stay on the other side of the small room. 'The guards should be back soon.. You just have to stall him'
'Yeah, stall him' Cloud laughed mentally, 'Easy to think.. A lot harder to actually do.'
"Vincent!" he yelled, hoping to get his friend's attention, "I know you're in there!" Chaos simply came a few paces closer, causing Cloud to swallow nervously.
"Fight it! You know you can, please!"
A few more paces.
"I know you don't want to do this!"
Only 10 feet now remained the two.
"Do it for Lucretia! You know she wouldn't approve of--"
The mention of the woman brought out a fury of emotion from Chaos, as it stopped playing games and flew the short distant in less than a second. Standing tall over Cloud, it looked into his eyes with such malice, that the blonde thought he surely would go mad. The hot breath steamed unto his wild hair; a shadow cast his world into darkness.
Raising a clawed hand in the air, the demon prepared for it's killing strike. *****
As the men came closer, Aeris could hear their conversation melt forward into comprehendible sentences. Fear, excitement and blind lust for battle seemed to be the mix of emotions floating above them, only instilling more fear into the frail woman.
"Just a little farther, men!" Aeris overheard a gruff voice shout to the others, "Be on guard, let me assure you, this is nothing like you've ever seen before.."
"How do we fight it? How are we even supposed to understand something we thought never existed?" A younger man, she presumed, not quite used to battle as the other men.
"Rely on the moment, son. Don't give that son of a bitch any pity."
"Yeah, the odds are in our favor. Don't forget that for a second. I got your back."
As the guards reached Aeris, she stiffened even more, as if it were possible. This was it.. They were here to kill her. Never again would she take in another breath of this stale prison, see the cruel face of her captor, feel helpless and used...
Yes, perhaps she was still escaping... but not entirely in the way she wanted to.
She closed her eyes, breathlessly accepting her fate. She was meant to die a long time ago... it was only right that her destiny would catch up with her. She smiled with the knowledge that she would soon meet her lost loved ones in the Lifestream.
'Mother, I'm coming...'
******
A/N: Ah, I took too long, and this is too short, I know.. But here it is, like it or not! The only excuse I have besides my laziness is that I've been working on another long Vincent story... but it is something you've probably never read about before... so keep an eye out for it :)!
Till next time, thanks to all my reviewers, you don't know how happy you make me! *hugs reviewers* Stay cool everyone!
Kimmie
But Cannot Touch On The Dark Recess Of Memory
And Pain Learned,
So Come Walk With Me,
Feel The Pain,
And Release It"
"Sickman", _Alice In Chains_
***********
The bleak corridors sped past her lithe form and fused into a blur of dull colors. She had been running for so long now, and yet... she was alone. Surprisingly, no one had halted her, and no one had followed her. Every panic-stricken minute she would turn to inspect the pathway behind her, only to be greeted by an eerie silence... the kind of quiet she would expect before a storm.
Where was everyone, she wondered briefly. Surely by now she would have been stopped, and dragged cruelly back to her master... but the only companion she found was the echoing clunk of her worn shoes hitting the pristine stone. Hastily she rounded yet another corner, barely keeping herself upright from the sharp angle and her increasing speed.
Even if she would've been able to stop, there would have been no way to conceal her shock.
She wasn't alone anymore.
*****************
"Wait!" Cloud yelled frantically as the guard disappeared down the hallway, "Don't leave me here!! You've got to help me! Come back!"
His screams had fallen on deaf ears, as the armored man had paid no attention to his last cries of despair.
"Shit!" he cursed as he let his head fall with a soft thunk on the metal bars. Frustrated, Cloud hit the door with a gloved fist. "No! This can't be the way it ends!" he hissed through clenched teeth, eyes glowing fiercely behind thick golden locks. Looking up towards the ceiling, he sighed bitterly. "Aeris... Tifa.. Everybody.. I'm sorry!"
But he knew he could not simply apologize and everything would be alright again. The words were hollow.. And even though he meant them with all of his heart, he knew that they could not even begin to dull the destruction that he had caused. He was a pathetic failure, destined to bring everyone down with him.
A sudden roar behind him brought him back to his present dilemma. The blonde slowly turned around, warily meeting the eyes with the beast whose name was best to describe him. Chaos.
**************
Aeris stood in a paralyzed shock, her jaw dropped slightly open as she watched the scene unfolding before her. There was so many.. She could never hope to escape them. Her eyes flicked rapidly back and forth, skimming over the many undistinguished faces.
5... 10... 20!
There were more than 20 of them. Harsh guards decked out in full sets of armor with sharp swords laying trustfully at their sides... all coming her way. They were yelling.. Screaming at the top of their lungs, each one shouting louder than the latter, trying to be heard over the crowd.
'Run Aeris!' She shouted mentally to herself. 'Move!'
Yet she was frozen; rooted permanently in the spot. Somehow her body had turned to stone, matching the concrete that lined the prison. It was too late now anyway... they were only a few feet away from her.
*******
"This certainly isn't my lucky day" Cloud muttered under his breath as he surveyed the threat before him.
The beast had him locked within his gaze, daring him to move. To run. To fight. But he couldn't do anything. Those eyes which were so wise, overseeing centuries alike, had managed to freeze him in an anxious stance. Flapping it's leather wings casually in the stale air, Chaos cocked it's head to the side, as if mock-questioning the blonde.
'Come on Cloud! Think of something! There's got to be something you can do!' he silently encouraged himself. He eyed the demon warily, hoping that it would stay on the other side of the small room. 'The guards should be back soon.. You just have to stall him'
'Yeah, stall him' Cloud laughed mentally, 'Easy to think.. A lot harder to actually do.'
"Vincent!" he yelled, hoping to get his friend's attention, "I know you're in there!" Chaos simply came a few paces closer, causing Cloud to swallow nervously.
"Fight it! You know you can, please!"
A few more paces.
"I know you don't want to do this!"
Only 10 feet now remained the two.
"Do it for Lucretia! You know she wouldn't approve of--"
The mention of the woman brought out a fury of emotion from Chaos, as it stopped playing games and flew the short distant in less than a second. Standing tall over Cloud, it looked into his eyes with such malice, that the blonde thought he surely would go mad. The hot breath steamed unto his wild hair; a shadow cast his world into darkness.
Raising a clawed hand in the air, the demon prepared for it's killing strike. *****
As the men came closer, Aeris could hear their conversation melt forward into comprehendible sentences. Fear, excitement and blind lust for battle seemed to be the mix of emotions floating above them, only instilling more fear into the frail woman.
"Just a little farther, men!" Aeris overheard a gruff voice shout to the others, "Be on guard, let me assure you, this is nothing like you've ever seen before.."
"How do we fight it? How are we even supposed to understand something we thought never existed?" A younger man, she presumed, not quite used to battle as the other men.
"Rely on the moment, son. Don't give that son of a bitch any pity."
"Yeah, the odds are in our favor. Don't forget that for a second. I got your back."
As the guards reached Aeris, she stiffened even more, as if it were possible. This was it.. They were here to kill her. Never again would she take in another breath of this stale prison, see the cruel face of her captor, feel helpless and used...
Yes, perhaps she was still escaping... but not entirely in the way she wanted to.
She closed her eyes, breathlessly accepting her fate. She was meant to die a long time ago... it was only right that her destiny would catch up with her. She smiled with the knowledge that she would soon meet her lost loved ones in the Lifestream.
'Mother, I'm coming...'
******
A/N: Ah, I took too long, and this is too short, I know.. But here it is, like it or not! The only excuse I have besides my laziness is that I've been working on another long Vincent story... but it is something you've probably never read about before... so keep an eye out for it :)!
Till next time, thanks to all my reviewers, you don't know how happy you make me! *hugs reviewers* Stay cool everyone!
Kimmie