Chapter 1: The Escape!
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Final Fantasy 7 characters in this story, Square owns them; all original characters belong to Jewel.
This goes to all of my friends and family members, who are always there for me. Thanks guys...
Additional Note: I, Rueh have take over this story at the request of Jewel. I have not written this chapter or any other up till chapter 20 or 21; I am simply revising her mistakes and adding or subtracting some things here and there. Well, I hope I can live up her expectations and all you readers. Please leave me a review telling me how I'm doing. Thanks, and now for the story.
FIVE YEARS AFTER AERITH'S DEATH...
Vincent sat deep in the Silent Forest, high up in the cold dead branches as he attentively watched as Hojo approached the lake's edge where Aeris's bittersweet death had taken place five years before. Hojo motioned a man with raven black hair to come forward. He grabbed his staff and began hacking away at the ice-covered lake. After he had penetrated the icy surface Hojo stepped onto the ice and dropped a shiny blue marble-like ball into the freezing lake water.
"Sir its almost 12:00," Nott said barely audible to Vincent's ears. She had short brown hair, combed to the side in a low ponytail down her back. She was wearing a short black trench coat that stopped to her thighs. About 5 4' and weighing about 143 pounds, made up this petite woman. Her figure was full, and healthy, showing that she was somewhat into her body. All in all, Vincent thought she looked a little like Tifa, especially the way she spoke, and shrugged.
Hojo looked back at her and spoke gruesomely to the man with raven black hair, "Zack…Nott count."
Nott held her wrist up and looked at her watch speaking loudly, " 12...11...10...-"
Zack pulled out a box and typed the code number quickly onto the box, which opened suddenly to reveal a huge materia.
"5...4...," Nott continued counting. Unexpectedly a beam of light came forth from the moon and hit the God materia, making it shine brightly. The beam then shot from the God materia down to the life materia that Hojo had thrown into the icy depths of the ancient lake. For five seconds the lake shown brilliantly, the next everything was dark and wintry cold again.
Zack ran to the hole that he had previously made, and again he hacked away at the thick ice. Hojo put his hand on his shoulder and pulled him back, then kneeling down by the whole, he stuck his hand in, trying to reach for something…but what? Hojo stood up quickly and motioned Zack to keep on working at the ice.
Vincent leaned forward as his brows began to knit; his crimson eyes strained to see what was going on down below. Why were they just standing there? What was Hojo up to? He subsequently threw his body back unthinkingly as he saw Aeris's quivering body brake forth through the ice, gasping for breath. His heart skipped a beat on seeing her delicate body full of life once again... After all these years...
Zack pulled her out carefully with Hojo's help. Nott came running over with an armful of blankets, wrapping them gently around Aeris's frozen slight body. Hojo picked up the confused and frightened girl and carried her to his black car, placing her within, as Vincent still watched sharply. Nott slid into the driver seat, slamming the door shut, waiting with annoyance as Zack was outside looking at the cold dead trees to see if anybody had been watching. His eyes suddenly jot up to Vincent's hiding place while he turned to sit down on the passenger's seat. They sat there for a few minutes, making Vincent feel uneasy. Had they seen him? The car screeched forward hurriedly, after the last door had finally been closed. The car quickly disappeared out of sight, by means of leaving the smell of smoldering tires running threw the air.
Vincent jumped down out of the tree and landed smoothly, without a sound, onto his feet. Aeris…was that really she? He started thinking to himself to whether or not tell anybody about what he had just seen, or not. He fought about it, with himself, for awhile until it came to him; not telling anyone was the best thing to do…
3 Months later
A newly wedded couple, driving a stolen motorcycle, sped down the streets of Midgar searching for nothing but freedom from the laboratory and the experiments held by Hojo. Aeris held on to Rufus tightly as they desperately tried to escape from Nott and Zack; who together speedily chased these two young adults heatedly down the sectors of Midgar hoping to catch and return them to Hojo; their rightful "owner and master."
"Rufus they're catching up," Aeris said looking back at the shiny black car.
Rufus looked down at the gas monitor and noticed that the monitor was reading nearly empty. He, afterward looked into his rear view mirror and knew that it was no use, that Zack and Nott would catch up to them eventually, then they'd drag them back to Hojo's laboratory, so he could experiment and continue his project. Rufus put his hand down on Aeris's wrists that were fixed around his waist so tightly.
What am I going to do? I can't let anyone bring Aerith back to that hellish place. "…Aeris…what do I do!" Rufus yelled, wiping away the cold sweat from his furrowed brows.
Zack sped up and was now side-by-side to Rufus and Aeris. Aeris reluctantly looked to the left, at them, and noticed that Zack was pointing a gun at Rufus. "Rufus," she yelled in horror, "He has a gun." Rufus looked over at the deviousness of the black car as he felt Aeris's trembling grip tighten in panic. He looked over to the right trying to find a way to loose them, but it was no use, they were going too fast.
He skid to a stop on noticing a couple of biker's ramping a wooden board twelve feet high. "Aeris hold on tight, I'm going to ramp that board."
Aeris looked up at the ramp in shock, shaking her head to release the falling tears of anxiety. "Oh . . .no. Please no. There has to be another way."
Rufus looked back at the black vehicle rapidly drawing closer, and said, "We have no other choice, the other way is a dead end.
"No Rufus." Aeris screamed, as they approached the ramp.
Rufus ramped the board onto the nearby roof, and skid all the way to the other side before coming to a stop. He noticed that there were ramps on the roof across three of the sectors, and on the last there was a ramp leading down. He decided to take on the ramps, but he still respected Aeris's wishes. Slowly he sped down the ramps so that he wouldn't make her brake down in convulsions.
* * *
Rufus glided gently to a stop and got off his motorcycle to attend to Aerith's needs, "Aeris," Rufus said gently to the traumatized girl. "It's over. Are you okay?"
"Urn…Please don't do that again."
"I promise, no more ramps."
"Rufus I feel…sick," she said pressing her hand against her stomach. "Can we just run the rest of the way?"
"Shah…Aeris I'm sorry," Rufus said nervously, jumping onto the bike. Looks like they want to play with us again.
"Oh…no," Aeris said looking back at their adversary's car. Aeris gripped Rufus waist powerfully as he suddenly jerked the bike forward.
"Ah. Aeris, don't grab on so tightly."
"Sorry. I can't help it. It was a reflex. Go! Go!" Aeris screamed as the black car came closer. Rufus pressed the gas peddle and jerked forward accidentally this time making Aeris hurl forward like a rag doll. Then when he was in control once again, he sped effortlessly down sector seven with Zack and Nott still following like a shadow behind them.
I'm sorry Aeris. I wish there was another way. Rufus thought to himself, as he watched the flickering streetlights pass by swiftly. A sudden realization hit him hard as he looked down; the gas monitor was a meter away from reading zero. Any minute now the bike would give out, then Nott and Zack would catch up to them and bring them back to Hojo. I can't let them take her, and I won't. She doesn't belong in a place like that. What do I…his body felt fatigued suddenly as he tried to contemplate a way for Aeris to escape… "That's it," Rufus face jeered.
"That's what?"
"Okay…Aeris, the bike can't take much more."
"Oh… I thought something else was going wrong," she said, barely audible to his ears because of the roaring engine.
"No…that's not it…in a few minutes we will hit the main rode, and when we do…I'm going to throw you off."
"YOU'RE WHAT?" Aeris said in distress, her grip tightening. "No…Rufus no!" Her eyes swelled with tears, as fright had stolen her mind away from thinking clearly.
"Yes," Rufus yelled as he squinted from the blurry sight that the fog had caused him. "Do you want to die? Unless we do this, you are going to."
"No…what about you?" she sobbed.
"To hell with me. You are who I care about, not me."
"But…what if I get caught or I never see you again?"
"You're making this harder. I've already decided my fate, and yours. I'm throwing you off. Alright," he shouted, instantly feeling guilty.
"Yeah." she said whipping away her tears shamefully. "Here take my necklace… so that you will remember me." She pulled her necklace off and slid it underneath Rufus's arm. He took it and knotted it around his wrist, as his face softened at the touch of her pearly smooth skin. He looked in the rear view mirror so that he could see her face one last time, before they hit the main rode. Her tear-stricken face was looking up in extreme anxiety; her long light-brown hair flowed freely behind her in the tumultuous wind.
Was he actually going to throw her off…?
Would she escape if he did…?
What would he do next…?
Aeris's body trembled as these questions flooded into her head. Then the question that she feared most hit her…
Where would she go once he threw her off?
"Ready?" Rufus called out.
Aeris's heart began to pound wildly as they finally hit the main rode. "Yes," she lied, "I'm ready." Then Rufus drove into the crowded streets of Midgar, trying to get as close as he could to the crowds of people, as he took hold of her hand. "Aeris, I'll be back for you…I promise," and with those final words, he grabbed her arm and flung her slender body off the motorcycle, onto a man, with the idea he would cushioning her fall.
I hope she'll be O.K. Rufus thought as he looked back at the black car, still following close behind. He sped up then suddenly turned the corner down sector six, the black car was still catching up. They're so fast…
Smoke filled the air as the motor finally gave way. Not now. Please not now. Come on…Rufus tried starting it up again, it was no use; the bike was dead weight now. He put the bike down and slowly turned around to face his rivals. Zack had gotten out and was now pointing a gun at Rufus, threatening him that if he were to move, he would be shot at. Nott had also gotten out and was looking at all the scratches that Rufus had made to her brand-new bike. Then she picked up a gas container from out of the trunk, and walked over to her bike then began to fill up the empty tank.
"Stop. Don't move," Zack demanded as Rufus inched closer. "You know, you made Hojo mad when he found out you were gone. He was even angrier when he found your little wife gone too. Tell me…did you actually think you could escape? Didn't Hojo tell you that the life materia he brought you back to life with had absorbed into you, and that it's also a homing device…So as long as your outside in the open; he knows exactly where you are at all times, and the same thing goes for Aeris…your wife." Zack's smirking face pierced Rufus heart with resentment. "Honestly, did you think you and Aeris would have been able to escape with that, inside of you both?"
No answer...
"Tell me. Where is Aeris," Zack said harshly, showing that he had had enough fun.
Nott finished filling up the tank, then walked slowly over to Rufus, "Doesn't matter, your diminutive wife has a life materia in her heart too. And as long as that is in her, we will be able to find her, if she's out in the open. Hojo will be able to control her in her sleep. She will feel sharp pains pierce through her body, only when she disobeys Hojo, or when she gets reminded of him. So as long as that thing is in her she's hopeless…but there is hope for you. The only way you can take out the life materia is to cut it out. I'd love to cut it out for you, but I know that the far worst punishment for screwing up mine and Zack's day, would be to bring you back to Hojo's laboratory-"
"Shut up… you witch," Rufus snarled, his eyes filled with tears of rage and passion. "Then you too, admit that his laboratory is a vindictive, merciless place to bring her and me."
Nott walked straight up to him, to where she was only five inches away from his trembling body. Pulling his chin up, she made eye contact with him. "Don't touch me," Rufus spat, smacking her unwanted hand away. Zack narrowed his eyes at Rufus's actions.
"You're not the one who should be so angry, you haven't spent half of your day looking for you. Might I also add, you're a real pain to follow. MY BIKE. Tedious JERK!" Nott screamed while producing a gun out of her short trench coat. "Let me thank you…" Nott whispered furiously, shooting him in the chest. Rufus eyes flashed open as he slumped over in shock. He began to breath heavily as sharp piercing pains filled his chest.
Zack jumped back as Nott stormed past him, making a mental note never to mess with her bike. Then he ran over to Rufus's quavering slouched figure, and helped him up to the car, "Come on buddy."
"No!" he whispered out in pain, "Ouch…No!"
Nott looked back and noticed that Zack actually felt sorry for the little guy. He then heaved Rufus into the car and turned around to face Nott, who was holding the keys to the black vehicle high above her head in the air. "Have a soft spot, do we?" Nott smirked cruelly down at Rufus, handing Zack the keys to.
"No. I just think that you were to rough with him. Hojo did say he wanted him back alive."
"He will still be alive. Okay. Whatever. Anyways. So you're going to take him back while I look for Aeris. Right?"
"Yeah." Zack said giving her a dark, mean look.
"What? I just had it waxed! Shut up Zack."
"I didn't say anything."
"You know what you did. Err! I'm going," Nott jumped up onto her bike and started up the engine. "See you at eleven-o-clock."
"Yeah. Nott don't screw up." Zack smiled and waved, as Nott sped off.
Zack turned around and glided onto the drivers seat. He then picked up the phone and dialed Hojo's lab number. "Hojo, we found Rufus…"
"Good, what about the girl…"
"She disappeared, but Nott went to go search for her…"
"…"
"Sir Rufus is not doing so well…Nott shot him. And he's shaking violently, plus he is bleeding really bad…"
"Bring him to me quickly then…I'll have Rall fix him up. Until then make sure he's as warm as he can get, or he'll get hypothermia."
"Yes sir." Zack clicked off his phone and threw it in the glove department. After that he started up the engine, and situated his extremely large trench coat comfortably on Rufus's cold pathetic body. "It'll be okay…He'll fix you up again…" My gosh. I'm actually being nice. Rall is wearing off on me…Hum…I wonder how fast this car can go. Zack smiled as he revved up the engine.
* * *
Aeris smashed against a substantial man, somewhat cushioning her fall. She stood up quickly and cried out for her lover, "Rufus…no." She stood in deep meditation in her tumultuous thoughts for a few minutes, but was broke away instantly when she finally noticed that the man she had fallen on was staring straight at her.
"Miss, a-are you O.K.?" the puzzled man stammered.
She spun around and looked at the man in fright, saying, "I have to get away. I…I have to get away," she stammered silently audible to the man's ears as she looked for a place to hide.
The man walked up to her and grabbed her arms as he looked at her gentle feminine features in wonderment, "Aeris," he began, "Is…is that you?"
Aeris gasped in apprehension. How did he know her name? "Uh…I have to get away," she yelled, pounding on the man's chest. " No…oh let go!" Aerith looked over to the left and saw Nott and five other tall-armed figures, looming closer towards her: Hojo's men. "I have to get away," she cried, as she tore away from the man's grasp.
"Aeris, stop. What's wrong?" The man said, as he followed her down an abandoned alleyway. He grabbed her arms again, much tighter than before, and twisted her around so that she faced him.
"Let go," she cried, looking over to where Nott was. " She's coming for me. She's almost here. "Please, let me go!"
"Aeris, who is?" the mysterious man asked calmly. "Who?"
She stopped as she finally began to pull her wits together. Nott was only yards away from her. She looked up at the unknown man's face and asked desperately, as tears of fear swelled up in her beautiful pleading eyes; "please, will you help me? That woman, over there is chasing me." The man turned his head over at Aeris's pointing finger, in Nott's direction.
The man's eyes narrowed as he thought to himself. ...That's same woman from the lake. Vincent looked down at Aeris's tear-stricken eyes, and without warning he grabbed Aeris and forced her behind him. She tripped on the snow, twisting her ankle as she fell to her hands and knees. Vincent took out his gun, while Nott and the five evil pursuers approached him.
"Have a new friend, do we Aeris? Better say some prayers for him, as he is about to die." Vincent jumped back as a bullet whizzed past him in the air. "Give me the girl, boy," Nott commanded.
Vincent shot down two of the tall, armed men, killing them on impacted. He then grabbed Aeris and threw her behind an old rusted car as he himself jumped up onto a balcony.
"So you want to play. Nice trick," Nott smiled. "You trying to show off?"
All of a sudden, two more men fell dead to the ground. Nott turned around, and just as she did, the last man in her party, which had been shooting at everything possible, fell dead. Err…I knew they would be useless. Nott thought to herself walking slowly behind a trashcan.
Aeris, who had fallen unconscious by being thrown against a brick wall, woke up and was looking straight at Vincent's concerned and grieving face.
"Are you okay?" He said, sitting her up, "I forgot you were a girl."
"Uh…I feel so sick," Aeris grabbed his arm as she suddenly twisted forward, throwing up the contents in her stomach.
Oh…the poor woman, she's probably been thrown around all day. Vincent picked her up and sat her down, gently against the brick wall. She looked up at his face and whispered audibly to him, "I feel better now." Aeris eyes flashed open as her face lit up in trepidation, "Where is Nott?"
"She's over there," Vincent said pointing over at Nott's peering face.
"Didn't your mother ever tell you that it was rude to point?" Nott smirked. "And didn't she ever tell you not to play with guns?" She stood up and walked out in the open. "Face me like a man, boy."
Vincent stood up and began to walk out, when he felt a hand tug at his pants, "Be careful, she likes to kick," Aeris began, "And she always aims for the chest." Vincent nodded his head in thanks, and then continued walking out to face Nott.
"Why are you working for Hojo; for money, or pleasure?" Vincent questioned demandingly.
"Why? It's not any concern of yours what I work for…but of you really want to know, I always work for pleasure"
Vincent's face twisted in disgust. Nott pointed her gun at Vincent, ready to shoot as he did the same. He commenced towards Nott, when two gunshots rang through the air, one, after another. Nott grabbed her right arm in pain as she yelled, "How did you do that?" He is better than I thought… Vincent had shot Nott's bullet right out of the air, making it backfire into her right arm. Again he did it, this time hitting her in the right hand. She screamed while she threw her gun to the ground wincing in pain.
Vincent picked up Nott's gun, and expertly took out all the bullets, then threw it down at her trembling feet.
Oh, great. Nott panicked. He's too strong for me. How can anybody be so strong?
Nott ran at Vincent and started madly kicking at him. At first she landed some kicks, but then Vincent studied her moves and started blocking them all. He stepped back in surprise, as she rapidly swirled around, trying to kick him anywhere she could. Her leg flew up, aiming for his face; but Vincent caught her leg with his arm. He twisted his arm around her leg and pulled her forward into the splits, as she fell to the ground. She stood back up quickly and ran forward once more kicking madly at Vincent, but still he blocked every move. "Stop doing that." She started to walk towards Aeris's direction, and stopped short as she lifted up her shoe to pull out a hidden dagger. She powerfully threw it at Vincent, but he'd moved swiftly out of the way: just as she had planned.
Vincent swirled around on hearing a soft cry from Aeris. His crimson eyes jotted back at Nott furiously as he paced quickly up to her, slamming her body against the wall. Nott choked in pain. He stuck the gun to her head as she automatically threw her hands up while freezing in fear at the sight of his golden claw.
I've never been so scared before in my entire life, Nott started thinking, I wonder…is this what real fear is like? Nott's eyes filled with tears of rage... She'd have to surrender; she had never before lost a battle, nor had she ever before surrendered, nor was she going to. "Get off me!" She yelled, squirming tremendously under Vincent's powerful grip.
"Tell me why Hojo wants her."
"I will not deceive my master."
"I didn't ask you to. I asked you what Hojo wanted with the girl."
"I wouldn't tell you anything, not even if you gave me all the money in the world," Nott growled viciously at him, like she was about to bite him. Vincent grabbed both of her wrists and stepped onto her feet, trying to hold them down.
"Ahh… Let go. GET OFF OF ME." Nott yelled, with cold sweat streaming down her face.
"Tell me what Hojo wants with the girl," Vincent said these words so calm and smoothly that Nott just couldn't stand it any more. She decided it was time to surrender and tell him everything that she knew: which was nothing.
Nott looked down in apprehension. "I'll tell you what I know. When I do; do you promise to let me go?"
"No."
"Why?"
"Just, no."
"Just, why?" Nott said through gritting teeth, as she looked intently at Vincent's face.
"What if you haven't anything to tell?"
"I do have something to tell you."
"What if you're lying?"
"I am…not lying," Nott lied, blowing away a strand of her hair, from off of her face.
"How do I know that?"
"It's called trust."
"You call it trust, I call it stupidity."
"That's because you are stupid."
" And you're naive."
"Err! SHUT UP!!!" Nott screamed angrily at the top of her lungs. "Oh…that felt good."
Vincent shook his head at Nott's frivolous actions. "No more playing around with me. Do you know what Hojo wants with this girl, or not?"
"That's my name, don't wear it out!" Vincent pressed her body harder against the wall. "Oow… If your trying to squeeze it out of me, it's not going to work."
"Tell me," Vincent said, starting to get angry,
"O.K. Alright. I'll tell you. Let me go after already," Nott said, with a hint of exhaustion in her voice. "Will you?"
"…Why would I?"
"Because you're a sweet, gifted, attractive, inane, charismatic, very fine-looking-"
"Why."
"Because, I guess your dad was also."
"You're a very inexplicable woman."
"The name's Nott…whew am I tired. He-h-eh he-he-Ha-ha-ha-HA-HA-HA!!!" Nott began to brake into giggles as tiredness overtook her fatigued body.
Vincent looked to the side in disgust of her silly actions. "Stop it," he said, heightening the volume of his voice. "Tell me why Hojo wants her. Tell me." Vincent shook Nott's body side to side, trying to make her cut out the giggles.
"You didn't say the magic word. Ha-ha-HA-HA-Ha!"
"PLEASE!" Vincent yelled, fuming mad. Nott instantly stopped giggling and looked seriously at Vincent; her eyes were so wide, she looked like an alien.
"O.K. Please don't yell in-"
"Tell me." Vincent's eyes began to glow fiery red, Nott started to tremble, her heart pounding against her chest.
"Alright. I don't know."
"Liar."
"I am not. I swear to you."
"How could you not know?"
"Hojo never told me." Nott grew angry again, at being accused of being a liar. "I don't lie... all the time."
"Nott's your name, right?"
"Uh-huh."
"Nott, would you-!"
"No…"
"Please," Vincent began again. "Tell me the truth."
"I have been this whole time. Loosen your grip please." He loosened the extreme pressure in his grip, respecting her wishes.
Vincent closed his eyes in pain from an oncoming headache. "Stop… Please just tell me the truth."
"Alright. Hojo never told me about anything. I'm not lying. Maybe someday he'll tell me. Ugh…you still don't believe me, do you?"
"Would you, believe you?"
"…No…not really. You know I only get like this when I'm tired, and I'm tired, so please excuse my behavior." Nott began to sink down in Vincent's arms, falling asleep on the spot. Why am I so tired, I guess I must have used all my energy on finding the little brats. How am I going to get away from this guy? Nott bit her lip in frustration. "She belongs to Hojo. Your stealing if you take her away."
"Hojo doesn't own her. He never did and he never will."
"He brought her back to life. Without Hojo doing that she wouldn't be here now."
"No. The materia brought her to life."
"Yes, that too. We brought her to life with a stolen soul from the past."
"What?"
"I'm saying that the soul we took out of the life stream was thirty years or older."
"You brought her to life with a stolen soul?"
"Yes."
"…"
"Something just dawned on me. I never told you that we brought her to life with a materia. I'm really tired, so I'm really slow at getting things. Anyways, you must have been the one that Zack had sensed in the trees that night."
"Yes, I was there."
"…You're good." Nott quickly, without warning, shot up and kissed him. Vincent fell back in alarm as Nott jotted forward and kicked him in the stomach with all her weight making him curl up in pain as he fell to the ground. Then she quickly walked over to his bent figure and threw him onto his back, in the freezing snow. She quickly thrust a knife up to his neck as she sat down on his chest. When his breathing slowed down, Nott said, rolling her head back, "Ewe…how the tables have turned." All of a sudden Vincent's legs shot up on Nott's shoulders. He violently forced her onto her back, while she screamed in surprise. Nott lay there breathlessly on the snow, as Vincent rose to his feet, with his gun pointing eagerly at her chest
"Tell me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you," Vincent spat in detestation.
"Because, some day…I might know Hojo's plans in relation to Aeris. You can beat it out of me when I do," Nott stated boldly, forcing a smile onto her face, "because I'll never tell you."
"No? Then I want you to tell Hojo that he will have to get the girl from me, himself."
"He won't go out in public because he's so ugly. He fed off of the life of small animals, which distorted his body." Vincent leaned forward, listening carefully. "He did this for about a year, until he was able to suck the life out of bigger and more powerful things. Now he can take over living forms."
"Like?"
"Humans, elephants, you, Aeris, me even, things like that. Uh…why am I even telling you this? I think you have those kind-of eyes that hypnotize people; then again I am so tiered…I could fall into a deep sleep right here and now. Such a sleep that if my dream guy were to come up to me and kiss me on the cheek and say, 'Nott, wake up now, and I'll marry you,' I wouldn't wake. I would just keep on sleeping. Who knows, it probably already did happen, but I was asleep through it all…"
Vincent cocked his head to the side in annoyance, and spoke, "You need more than just sleep. You need some mental help."
Nott burst out laughing, as though it was the funniest thing she had ever heard. "Look who's talking? I bet people ran in horror every day at the sight of that thing," Nott said, referring to his claw.
Vincent gave her a look of vexation, "go tell Hojo what I said."
"And what was that?" Vincent had had enough. He used his patients to the max, and now that was it. He shot her in the shoulder blade, at just the right spot, making her whole arm go limp.
"Go." Vincent commanded.
Nott stood up and walked up to Vincent with a dagger that she had taken out of her other shoe. She ran at him, but again Vincent over-powered her, as he shoved her against the wall, furiously. He knew that when he had shot her, that she had no more energy to fight against his weakest moves. She winced as Vincent crushed her into the wall. He ripped the dagger out of her hand and threw it onto the ground, with his eyes on hers at all times. "I want you to," he said, speaking calmly, "Go tell Hojo, that if he wants the girl, he'll have to come for her himself."
Nott looked down at her lifeless right arm, as it swelled with unbearable pain. She started to moan softly, her eyes filling with tears of mental hurt and frustration. "You had a way better chance of winning than I ever could have in so many ways. You were stronger and you haven't spent you whole day -"
"Nott. It's over."
"I HATE YOU!!!' Nott screamed, spitting on Vincent's face. Vincent turned to the side, and wiped her spit off with her own shirt. He then grabbed her chin with his claw and brought her trembling face to his attention. He looked at her with fury, so much as she had never before seen in a man.
"Tell Hojo what I said," Vincent commanded, roughly thrusting her to the grown, forcing her onto all four. She got up quickly and jumped onto her motorcycle. "I will tell him. You'll regret it more than anything else in your whole entire life." As she drove off, those simple words still rang through her head; Nott, it's over, hurting her still even more.
Vincent watched to see if she had really left, then ran over to Aeris. She was half asleep, shivering to death on the snow-covered ground. She jerked awake suddenly, when Vincent asked how she felt. He looked down to see where Nott's dagger had landed when he asked Aeris, "Are you injured?"
"No. The dagger…" She said sleepily, "It just grazed past my shirt, cutting it." Aeris put her small hand to her lips as she yawned delicately.
Vincent sympathetically helped Aeris to her feet, when she gasped out in fright. She had never before seen a claw so hideous looking. Vincent ignored her and still helped her up, as Aeris was trying to get as far away from "the thing" as possible. He finally helped her to her feet when all of a sudden she screamed out in unexpected pain, grabbing onto Vincent's clawed arm. As she slid off his claw she fell to the ground crying out, "My ankle. OH…It hurts."
Vincent knelt down to look at it, noticing that it was twisted badly. "Come on. I'll carry you." He carefully picked her up. As she was lifted, she wrapped her arms around his neck and let her body lay in total comfort. He walked a couple of feet but stopped on feeling a puddle of sweat roll down his shoulder at the arm. He looked down at his shoulder, as he was just about to wipe off the sweat.
Aeris eyes opened wide in alarm, "You're bleeding!"
But how? Nott never cut me. Vincent thought to himself as he put Aerith down on her feet, ripping away his shirt.
Aeris looked up at Vincent's puzzled gaze, saying, "Where's your wound?" She put her hands up to tear away more of his shirt, her eyes not leaving his face. Vincent suddenly snatched her wrist away and pulled it up toward the light to examine. Her whole arm was drenched in blood! Aeris froze at the sight of her horrible wound.
"What did you do?" He asked sensitively, with a hint of amazement.
"I…don't know!" she said, dazed at the sight of so much of her blood flowing down her arm.
Vincent thought hard to himself when finally it came to him. When Aeris had felt the pain in her ankle, she had slid down his claw, probably cutting herself on accident. The pain had been so great and terrible in her ankle that she hadn't felt her wrist slit open like that.
Vincent looked down at her drowsy eyes and felt compassion for her. He tore his shirt off, which left his undershirt on only to cover him in the cold wintry weather, and then wrapped it gently around Aeris's slender wrist. She just stood there like an icicle, as she watched him work at her wrist. After he had finished, he helped her up to her feet once again; she just leaned against his chest, in a hugging fashion.
"Sir," she began, "Thank you for protecting me."
"My name is Vincent. Do you not remember me Aeris?"
"No. How is it…that you know me; but I don't know you?"
"I don't know. Maybe it will all come back to you over time."
"Vincent…Everything is spinning around me. Uh…I feel so sick…Uh…" She suddenly slid down his chest, as everything around her became blurry; then dark…
****
-End Chapter 1-
Review if you like it. Hey, that makes sense now doesn't it? Ha-ha-ha.
Have a nice day, see ya in the next chapter... hopefully...
Next:
Chapter 2: Old Friends!
Anybody that wants to post my fic on their web site. Just ask. But you have to ask... please. Thank you.
A WORD FROM THE AUTHOR: Please do not copy my ideas; I have worked months trying to think them up. Feel free to write a fan fiction off of mine, but you can't use my ideas for your future book, or get it copy written to your name… If that is what you are going to do, please discontinue reading my fic. I respect people's property, and I would appreciate it if you would respect my ideas. I do admit I didn't think of all these ideas by myself, but I would never have somebody else's ideas copy written to me. So I hope you enjoy my fan fiction. Please review. I LOVE REVIEWS, only nice ones though. That's what helps me to write. But if you do have something unkind to say, or you just feel like flaming... Go ahead and email me... at: impractically_me@happyhardcore.dj Put the subject as... FLAMING! So that I can erase it when I see it, so that I won't read what you no lives have to say. Because people that actually have lives, don't waste their time flaming. You Flamers only flame because you feel bad that you don't have a life. So I'll give you the opportunity to flame my story. Go ahead and take the time that you obviously have, (because peoples with lives don't flame, they just tell me what I need to fix, constructive criticism.) And email me at the above address. Thank you and have a great day, especially you no lives out there! See ya!
I'm going to put this note up on every chapter. I really want people to read it... as many times as they have the chance. I truly don't want my ideas stolen... So please, please don't steal them. Thank you!