Chapter 4
"What do you mean?" Vincent growled, his red eyes resting lazily on the window sill, focusing on the moonlight pouring into the dark kitchen, as if trying desperately to lift the cloak of darkness that surrounded him.
He wasn't in the best of moods right now, especially since it seemed that his thoughts had been betraying him, and that he hadn't had the time to sit around to pour himself a drink to soothe his nerves. Now he had a crazed assassin after his blood, all because he housed Tifa.
He had half a mind to tell Cid to take her and keep her in the police station, but she had been growing on him, and he cursed that.
Sephiroth. He remembered the name whispered in the depths of destruction and despair, the one winged angel of death and terror, the supposed man who had tried to climb up to the status of 'God' and had fallen. He had heard about his extraordinary skills with the sword, the sword itself, the Masamune, was a legend, and the wielder itself was just as legendary.
Vincent let out a small curse, his annoyance growing as he heard Cid's barking laughter ring out loud and clear through the telephone. His eye twitched in annoyance, as he tilted his head to the side, seeing Tifa out of the corner of his eye, looking at him worriedly.
He turned away from her, waiting for Cid to finish his laughter, till it only became a small mumble about 'Vinnie' not 'pissin' in his drawers'. Sometimes Vincent wondered how he could work for this man, but Cid had a blunt way of doing things, and by doing such never lied.
"Like I said Vinnie, Sephiroth is apparently after ya. And we haven't heard from the mole in a while. I think maybe they got ta him. Oh well." Cid said, with a heavy sigh, and Vincent could picture his boss leaning back in his chair chain smoking with enough smoke in his office to set off the fire detector.
"Any idea when he might drop by?" Vincent asked, sitting down, noticing Tifa was wringing her hands out in distress, still wearing that wine colored dress he had found her in. He really needed to get her a change of clothes or something.
"Why not ask the girl in front of ya?" Vincent said nothing for a moment, glancing at Tifa as she looked up at him startled, as if she sensed something was wrong. He quickly glanced away, trying to hide his scowl that was forming.
His silence spoke louder than words for him, and he heard Cid give another heavy sigh.
"Listen Valentine, we don't have anything definite. The warning we received was in some weird coded language. Tseng's working on it right now, but I doubt he'll get anything done in time. Just watch your back, okay Vincent?" There was another long period of silence before Cid gave another curse, breaking it. "Listen Vinnie, gotta run. Just be careful, okay?" Without waiting for his response, Cid hung up the phone, leaving Vincent with the dial tone. With another curse, Vincent let the phone drop back to its cradle.
"What's going on?" Tifa asked, twisting the cloth in her hands nervously, while Vincent avoided her gaze, while she sighed, shaking her head. "It's Sephiroth, isn't it? He's going to come here." Tifa said, and Vincent turned to look back at her, his eyes narrowing a bit.
"Do you-?" He started, though she cut him off with a slight sunny smile, as if the whole thing were a joke.
"Know when he's coming? The next full moon, he always hunts in its light." She looked at him, a slight smile lingering on her face, and he felt something tug on the back of his mind. Attraction was fatal.
She tilted her gaze back to him, a slight sigh lingering on her lips.
"Listen, you don't stay in Shinra most of your life and not pick up some weird habits of the inhabitants. Some thing I know would make your blood curl, I'm sure even yours." Tifa added, and Vincent raised an eyebrow. Was that supposed to impress him? Noticing the way her gaze was somewhat bored, it seemed not. This woman was a walking enigma, but then again, so was he. To quote what Cid had said once, 'chocobos of a feather flock together'.
He checked his calendar, noting that he was several months behind, his brows furrowing somewhat.
"The next full moon is two nights from now." Vincent reported, and Tifa looked back up at him, a small sigh escaping her lips, and she shook her head slightly, standing up.
"If I were you, I'd get ready." Tifa stated, though Vincent said nothing, his gaze still on the calendar as if to burn a hole through it with his stare. She shrugged her shoulders, turning to brush past him, though his voice stopped her.
"You are not me, so never assume. I am always ready." The door shut behind her as she walked into the room, Vincent sighing as he leaned his head against the doorway, his face hidden in the shadows.
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Tifa sighed, tilting her head to the side as she sat around, pursing her lips as she glanced around Vincent's room. She felt somewhat guilty, occupying his room and doing nothing for it, like she had felt during her time in Shinra. It seemed she hadn't been able to do anything, and when that alarm starting blaring. . .
She gave a slight groan, flipping onto her back as she stared at the ceiling, almost accusingly. She had been stupid, rushing in without a plan, without the slightest hint of what she was doing. She had never been that irrational at any one time, except for maybe that day she had accepted Cloud's offer to 'join his world'. How was she supposed to know that it had meant join his gang, his mob that was currently striking terror in everyone's hearts? The police were barely any help since Rufus feared nothing. Rather, people were supposed to fear him.
She didn't fear Rufus, rather could understand. She had lost her mother at a young age, but she didn't try and wreck havoc on the world. It just didn't seem right, but somehow. . . she didn't feel like turning on Cloud just because Vincent had 'promised' to help her. Well, that's how she interpreted things.
She paused, her eyes lingering on Vincent's nightstand, her eyes narrowing as she scooted next to it, picking up a picture frame with a somewhat tattered picture inside, as if it had been folded and re-folded many times over.
Vincent was smiling, to her surprise, his eyes twinkling with merriment as he stared down affectionately to a lovely brown haired woman, her green eyes shinning as she grinned up at the camera, her cheeks flushed with happiness. It was a heart warming picture, and Tifa felt her lips curve slightly into a small smile, and toting the picture, she went into the living room, tip toeing quietly.
To her surprise, Vincent was asleep, his form sprawled on the couch, his face twisted in something close to pain. She blinked, padding over to him quietly, tilting her head to the side as she looked around for something to cover him with. Even though the heat was on, it was still chilly it seemed.
Finding a blanket in a nearby closet, she draped it over him gently, turning to leave though was surprised when she felt his slender fingers latch onto her wrist, and she whirled around to face him, only seeing him blinking his eyes sleepily.
"Lucercia, I'm sorry." He managed to croak, obviously barely conscious, quickly falling back into a deep slumber, while Tifa's eyes softened, her gaze sweeping over his features, which seemed more at peace now, his breathing deep and even.
She watched him silently for a moment, before she tucked the blanket more comfortably over him, giving a slight smile when she straightened, tilting her head to the side, sighing as she eyed the picture.
It didn't take very much intelligence to put two and two together and figure out Lucercia was probably the girl in the picture. Maybe she had something to do with why Vincent was the way he was right now. Stony and unfeeling, or maybe, in that short glimpse she had seen his apologetic appearance, that was what he wanted people to think. She sighed, making a face as she settled the picture next to him mindlessly, tilting her head to the side, grinning slightly.
"Good night Vincent." She said softly, pressing her lips softly against his forehead, blushing softly when she realized what she had done, turning and instantly making her way back to Vincent's room. She didn't know what had possessed her to do that. Pity, yes that was it. She didn't feel anything for him at all except for pity. She loved Cloud, and there was no question about it.
~*Author's Notes*~ I think a relatively crappy chapter. Yes, I think my creative juices have been spent. Ugh, my head hurts. Hehe, well, anyway, I want more action, so maybe that's why this chapter is so choppy. Battle scene baby! Yes, even though I suck at them, me like them, lots. Thanks so much to everyone who reads and reviews! *tears* Means a lot to me they do! Anyway, I'm sorry if Tifa was OOC, but I'll try and work on that! Well, read and review, and I'll see you around.
"What do you mean?" Vincent growled, his red eyes resting lazily on the window sill, focusing on the moonlight pouring into the dark kitchen, as if trying desperately to lift the cloak of darkness that surrounded him.
He wasn't in the best of moods right now, especially since it seemed that his thoughts had been betraying him, and that he hadn't had the time to sit around to pour himself a drink to soothe his nerves. Now he had a crazed assassin after his blood, all because he housed Tifa.
He had half a mind to tell Cid to take her and keep her in the police station, but she had been growing on him, and he cursed that.
Sephiroth. He remembered the name whispered in the depths of destruction and despair, the one winged angel of death and terror, the supposed man who had tried to climb up to the status of 'God' and had fallen. He had heard about his extraordinary skills with the sword, the sword itself, the Masamune, was a legend, and the wielder itself was just as legendary.
Vincent let out a small curse, his annoyance growing as he heard Cid's barking laughter ring out loud and clear through the telephone. His eye twitched in annoyance, as he tilted his head to the side, seeing Tifa out of the corner of his eye, looking at him worriedly.
He turned away from her, waiting for Cid to finish his laughter, till it only became a small mumble about 'Vinnie' not 'pissin' in his drawers'. Sometimes Vincent wondered how he could work for this man, but Cid had a blunt way of doing things, and by doing such never lied.
"Like I said Vinnie, Sephiroth is apparently after ya. And we haven't heard from the mole in a while. I think maybe they got ta him. Oh well." Cid said, with a heavy sigh, and Vincent could picture his boss leaning back in his chair chain smoking with enough smoke in his office to set off the fire detector.
"Any idea when he might drop by?" Vincent asked, sitting down, noticing Tifa was wringing her hands out in distress, still wearing that wine colored dress he had found her in. He really needed to get her a change of clothes or something.
"Why not ask the girl in front of ya?" Vincent said nothing for a moment, glancing at Tifa as she looked up at him startled, as if she sensed something was wrong. He quickly glanced away, trying to hide his scowl that was forming.
His silence spoke louder than words for him, and he heard Cid give another heavy sigh.
"Listen Valentine, we don't have anything definite. The warning we received was in some weird coded language. Tseng's working on it right now, but I doubt he'll get anything done in time. Just watch your back, okay Vincent?" There was another long period of silence before Cid gave another curse, breaking it. "Listen Vinnie, gotta run. Just be careful, okay?" Without waiting for his response, Cid hung up the phone, leaving Vincent with the dial tone. With another curse, Vincent let the phone drop back to its cradle.
"What's going on?" Tifa asked, twisting the cloth in her hands nervously, while Vincent avoided her gaze, while she sighed, shaking her head. "It's Sephiroth, isn't it? He's going to come here." Tifa said, and Vincent turned to look back at her, his eyes narrowing a bit.
"Do you-?" He started, though she cut him off with a slight sunny smile, as if the whole thing were a joke.
"Know when he's coming? The next full moon, he always hunts in its light." She looked at him, a slight smile lingering on her face, and he felt something tug on the back of his mind. Attraction was fatal.
She tilted her gaze back to him, a slight sigh lingering on her lips.
"Listen, you don't stay in Shinra most of your life and not pick up some weird habits of the inhabitants. Some thing I know would make your blood curl, I'm sure even yours." Tifa added, and Vincent raised an eyebrow. Was that supposed to impress him? Noticing the way her gaze was somewhat bored, it seemed not. This woman was a walking enigma, but then again, so was he. To quote what Cid had said once, 'chocobos of a feather flock together'.
He checked his calendar, noting that he was several months behind, his brows furrowing somewhat.
"The next full moon is two nights from now." Vincent reported, and Tifa looked back up at him, a small sigh escaping her lips, and she shook her head slightly, standing up.
"If I were you, I'd get ready." Tifa stated, though Vincent said nothing, his gaze still on the calendar as if to burn a hole through it with his stare. She shrugged her shoulders, turning to brush past him, though his voice stopped her.
"You are not me, so never assume. I am always ready." The door shut behind her as she walked into the room, Vincent sighing as he leaned his head against the doorway, his face hidden in the shadows.
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Tifa sighed, tilting her head to the side as she sat around, pursing her lips as she glanced around Vincent's room. She felt somewhat guilty, occupying his room and doing nothing for it, like she had felt during her time in Shinra. It seemed she hadn't been able to do anything, and when that alarm starting blaring. . .
She gave a slight groan, flipping onto her back as she stared at the ceiling, almost accusingly. She had been stupid, rushing in without a plan, without the slightest hint of what she was doing. She had never been that irrational at any one time, except for maybe that day she had accepted Cloud's offer to 'join his world'. How was she supposed to know that it had meant join his gang, his mob that was currently striking terror in everyone's hearts? The police were barely any help since Rufus feared nothing. Rather, people were supposed to fear him.
She didn't fear Rufus, rather could understand. She had lost her mother at a young age, but she didn't try and wreck havoc on the world. It just didn't seem right, but somehow. . . she didn't feel like turning on Cloud just because Vincent had 'promised' to help her. Well, that's how she interpreted things.
She paused, her eyes lingering on Vincent's nightstand, her eyes narrowing as she scooted next to it, picking up a picture frame with a somewhat tattered picture inside, as if it had been folded and re-folded many times over.
Vincent was smiling, to her surprise, his eyes twinkling with merriment as he stared down affectionately to a lovely brown haired woman, her green eyes shinning as she grinned up at the camera, her cheeks flushed with happiness. It was a heart warming picture, and Tifa felt her lips curve slightly into a small smile, and toting the picture, she went into the living room, tip toeing quietly.
To her surprise, Vincent was asleep, his form sprawled on the couch, his face twisted in something close to pain. She blinked, padding over to him quietly, tilting her head to the side as she looked around for something to cover him with. Even though the heat was on, it was still chilly it seemed.
Finding a blanket in a nearby closet, she draped it over him gently, turning to leave though was surprised when she felt his slender fingers latch onto her wrist, and she whirled around to face him, only seeing him blinking his eyes sleepily.
"Lucercia, I'm sorry." He managed to croak, obviously barely conscious, quickly falling back into a deep slumber, while Tifa's eyes softened, her gaze sweeping over his features, which seemed more at peace now, his breathing deep and even.
She watched him silently for a moment, before she tucked the blanket more comfortably over him, giving a slight smile when she straightened, tilting her head to the side, sighing as she eyed the picture.
It didn't take very much intelligence to put two and two together and figure out Lucercia was probably the girl in the picture. Maybe she had something to do with why Vincent was the way he was right now. Stony and unfeeling, or maybe, in that short glimpse she had seen his apologetic appearance, that was what he wanted people to think. She sighed, making a face as she settled the picture next to him mindlessly, tilting her head to the side, grinning slightly.
"Good night Vincent." She said softly, pressing her lips softly against his forehead, blushing softly when she realized what she had done, turning and instantly making her way back to Vincent's room. She didn't know what had possessed her to do that. Pity, yes that was it. She didn't feel anything for him at all except for pity. She loved Cloud, and there was no question about it.
~*Author's Notes*~ I think a relatively crappy chapter. Yes, I think my creative juices have been spent. Ugh, my head hurts. Hehe, well, anyway, I want more action, so maybe that's why this chapter is so choppy. Battle scene baby! Yes, even though I suck at them, me like them, lots. Thanks so much to everyone who reads and reviews! *tears* Means a lot to me they do! Anyway, I'm sorry if Tifa was OOC, but I'll try and work on that! Well, read and review, and I'll see you around.