AN:
This is part eight. I will be shocked and amazed if anyone is still reading this. I know I haven't updated in
a kabillion years, but I am in a better position to do things now then I was previously.
I want to tell everyone who's been waiting on these posts I'm truly sorry it took so
long, but I swear you won't be disappointed.
* * *
"Hojo."
He looked up from the growing pile of rubbish he was clearing away from the
farthest corner of the crypt, not knowing what to expect. Had they returned without
his hearing them? Had he been found out? Had they already seen Valentine lying on the
library floor? He held his breath and waited.
"Hojo!"
He shakily released his breath, sighing as he shook his head slowly. It was only
her, who else would it be? He scolded himself for panicking over nothing. He really needed
to get a firm grip on reality.
"It's you. What is it?' he mumbled, shoving an occupied coffin away from the wall,
nudging an ancient flower vase with what remained of a water-stained silk flower with
the tip of his shoe. She really came at the most inconvenient times.
JENOVA wasted no time with her usual pleasantries, mocking dialogue and cruelty.
She was quick and to the point for once. "Vincent. Go to him."
"Why?" Vincent was right where he left him, lying under the desk asleep, wasn't
he? He had peeked in upon returning to the basement, and he hadn't moved an inch.
What was her deal? Couldn't she see he was busy trying to cover up their little problem?
Gods, the bitch could be so impatient at times!
"Don't question Mother, you fool!" Hojo grabbed his head, wincing at the throbbing
pain reverberating in there. It wasn't the hardest blow she had ever dealt him, but it
was enough to hurt like hell. That was one thing he would never get used to, her god
damned headaches and head tricks.
He dropped the coffin lid he had been in the process of moving and raced back to
the library, unsure of what would greet him.
* * *
"What are you doing? Put that down!" No, this couldn't be what it
looked like, it just couldn't. Perhaps the lighting was playing tricks on
his eyes. Maybe this was all a hallucination induced by sleep deprivation.
Surely this wasn't happening.
Upon hearing Hojo's rather dramatic entrance, Vincent turned to face him
fully, confirming his fears. He casually held the scalpel in his right hand,
paying no mind to the blade that dug into his palm drawing even more blood to
contribute to the growing puddle. He managed a small smile before he fell to his
knees, weak from blood loss. He could feel the life draining from him, a curiously
light-headed feeling that made him frightened and relieved simultaneously. Surely
his time was drawing near; he could feel himself lapsing into shock by the second.
He would be with her very shortly.
Still clutching the scalpel defiantly as his world began to fade the smile
fell from his lips.
Suddenly, with the worst timing (in Vincent's opinion) JENOVA decided
to make an appearance. He agreed with Hojo on one thing; she had a knack
for showing up when you least wanted her to. She was like an unannounced visit
from your mother-in-law when you haven't cleaned your house in two weeks.
Like the boss that called you into work on the night of the big bash everybody
is going to. Like the guy who calls you at midnight wanting a ride from
the airport when you've brought your date home with you. Only much, much worse.
Bad things happened when JENOVA decided that she wanted to put her two cents in.
"You little fool!" she hissed vehemently. Vincent felt a brain numbing
spasm rip through his left arm burning like red-hot coals. "Exactly what,
pray tell, did you think you were doing? Did you really think you could escape
Mother that way? Ha! Don't forget, ingrate, I own this body. I own you! You'll
not get away with this."
Vincent cried out in anguish as the burning sensation continued to torture
his limb. JENOVA obviously was not a believer in taking the easy way out.
The wrists he had labored so to cut had already begun to clot, drying up
any hope he had of joining Lucrecia in death. Why had she chosen to
show now? With all of her power why hadn't she prevented the attempt before
it had happened? Had she been trying to instill fake hope in him only to
ground it quickly with grim reality? Who knew, he had given up trying to
understand JENOVA's strange ways.
"No..." To be denied this peace was far too cruel for him to bear. He couldn't
live with his guilt, and now he couldn't even die. And he had been so damned close!
Only another minute or so and it would have been over. He could have been with her
right this moment. Now what did he have to look forward to, to survive for? He had
nothing after all. He should have known they wouldn't let him die. Not when they could
have him here to torment with his past, present, and future. It just wasn't fair.
"You'll have to learn your lesson the hard way it seems. You must take after Hojo.
Pity, and you have so much potential just waiting for me to claim. Well, if that's the
way you'll have it, so be it. Enjoy."
His arm continued to burn with a new intensity, more painful than anything he had ever
experienced before. Hell, this pain made the gunshot wound, the earlier rotting of his
arm and his aching body seem like small potatoes in comparison.
"I'll do it again, you bitch! Do you hear me?!" he cried, cradling his limp
arm protectively. The agony continued for a few more excruciating moments then
ceased as abruptly as it had begun. JENOVA only smirked at his outburst, turning
her attentions to Hojo.
"Take good care of your little specimen, dear. I don't think he feels too
well right now. His color is very bad, even for him. Hmph. He played with fire,
let him burn. It's only fitting."
"What did you do to him?" Hojo's eyes were riveted on the pathetic creature,
crying his eyes out, clutching that arm so tightly as though he expected it to
slither away at any moment. This looked really, really bad. Wasn't it enough that
he had almost succeeded in killing himself? Did she have to do this as well?
"...well, let's just say Mother decided to let some of the beast within
more apparent."
"What do you mean...?"
This is part eight. I will be shocked and amazed if anyone is still reading this. I know I haven't updated in
a kabillion years, but I am in a better position to do things now then I was previously.
I want to tell everyone who's been waiting on these posts I'm truly sorry it took so
long, but I swear you won't be disappointed.
* * *
"Hojo."
He looked up from the growing pile of rubbish he was clearing away from the
farthest corner of the crypt, not knowing what to expect. Had they returned without
his hearing them? Had he been found out? Had they already seen Valentine lying on the
library floor? He held his breath and waited.
"Hojo!"
He shakily released his breath, sighing as he shook his head slowly. It was only
her, who else would it be? He scolded himself for panicking over nothing. He really needed
to get a firm grip on reality.
"It's you. What is it?' he mumbled, shoving an occupied coffin away from the wall,
nudging an ancient flower vase with what remained of a water-stained silk flower with
the tip of his shoe. She really came at the most inconvenient times.
JENOVA wasted no time with her usual pleasantries, mocking dialogue and cruelty.
She was quick and to the point for once. "Vincent. Go to him."
"Why?" Vincent was right where he left him, lying under the desk asleep, wasn't
he? He had peeked in upon returning to the basement, and he hadn't moved an inch.
What was her deal? Couldn't she see he was busy trying to cover up their little problem?
Gods, the bitch could be so impatient at times!
"Don't question Mother, you fool!" Hojo grabbed his head, wincing at the throbbing
pain reverberating in there. It wasn't the hardest blow she had ever dealt him, but it
was enough to hurt like hell. That was one thing he would never get used to, her god
damned headaches and head tricks.
He dropped the coffin lid he had been in the process of moving and raced back to
the library, unsure of what would greet him.
* * *
"What are you doing? Put that down!" No, this couldn't be what it
looked like, it just couldn't. Perhaps the lighting was playing tricks on
his eyes. Maybe this was all a hallucination induced by sleep deprivation.
Surely this wasn't happening.
Upon hearing Hojo's rather dramatic entrance, Vincent turned to face him
fully, confirming his fears. He casually held the scalpel in his right hand,
paying no mind to the blade that dug into his palm drawing even more blood to
contribute to the growing puddle. He managed a small smile before he fell to his
knees, weak from blood loss. He could feel the life draining from him, a curiously
light-headed feeling that made him frightened and relieved simultaneously. Surely
his time was drawing near; he could feel himself lapsing into shock by the second.
He would be with her very shortly.
Still clutching the scalpel defiantly as his world began to fade the smile
fell from his lips.
Suddenly, with the worst timing (in Vincent's opinion) JENOVA decided
to make an appearance. He agreed with Hojo on one thing; she had a knack
for showing up when you least wanted her to. She was like an unannounced visit
from your mother-in-law when you haven't cleaned your house in two weeks.
Like the boss that called you into work on the night of the big bash everybody
is going to. Like the guy who calls you at midnight wanting a ride from
the airport when you've brought your date home with you. Only much, much worse.
Bad things happened when JENOVA decided that she wanted to put her two cents in.
"You little fool!" she hissed vehemently. Vincent felt a brain numbing
spasm rip through his left arm burning like red-hot coals. "Exactly what,
pray tell, did you think you were doing? Did you really think you could escape
Mother that way? Ha! Don't forget, ingrate, I own this body. I own you! You'll
not get away with this."
Vincent cried out in anguish as the burning sensation continued to torture
his limb. JENOVA obviously was not a believer in taking the easy way out.
The wrists he had labored so to cut had already begun to clot, drying up
any hope he had of joining Lucrecia in death. Why had she chosen to
show now? With all of her power why hadn't she prevented the attempt before
it had happened? Had she been trying to instill fake hope in him only to
ground it quickly with grim reality? Who knew, he had given up trying to
understand JENOVA's strange ways.
"No..." To be denied this peace was far too cruel for him to bear. He couldn't
live with his guilt, and now he couldn't even die. And he had been so damned close!
Only another minute or so and it would have been over. He could have been with her
right this moment. Now what did he have to look forward to, to survive for? He had
nothing after all. He should have known they wouldn't let him die. Not when they could
have him here to torment with his past, present, and future. It just wasn't fair.
"You'll have to learn your lesson the hard way it seems. You must take after Hojo.
Pity, and you have so much potential just waiting for me to claim. Well, if that's the
way you'll have it, so be it. Enjoy."
His arm continued to burn with a new intensity, more painful than anything he had ever
experienced before. Hell, this pain made the gunshot wound, the earlier rotting of his
arm and his aching body seem like small potatoes in comparison.
"I'll do it again, you bitch! Do you hear me?!" he cried, cradling his limp
arm protectively. The agony continued for a few more excruciating moments then
ceased as abruptly as it had begun. JENOVA only smirked at his outburst, turning
her attentions to Hojo.
"Take good care of your little specimen, dear. I don't think he feels too
well right now. His color is very bad, even for him. Hmph. He played with fire,
let him burn. It's only fitting."
"What did you do to him?" Hojo's eyes were riveted on the pathetic creature,
crying his eyes out, clutching that arm so tightly as though he expected it to
slither away at any moment. This looked really, really bad. Wasn't it enough that
he had almost succeeded in killing himself? Did she have to do this as well?
"...well, let's just say Mother decided to let some of the beast within
more apparent."
"What do you mean...?"