His work that was due tomorrow didn't seem important or even remotely doable. The words that he understood before now seemed to be written in another language, and he wasn't sure why. He stared at his books that he managed to pull out of his bag when he made mustered the energy to move, and found nothing comprehensible. Even the pictures for his art assignment due tomorrow meant nothing, and he couldn't muster the energy to try and interpret the paintings. He certainly could not find the energy to try and find some hidden meaning behind everything that his teacher had told him to find. He had eventually pushed the books off his bed in disgust and simply lay there, unable to think or do anything. He didn't WANT to think or do anything at all...
Nothing seemed to matter to him...nothing really seemed important. He didn't even understand why he was here, in college. What was the point? Oh, it was easy to ignore, to push it behind him, whenever things got too complicated, to give pre-thought response to questions he got far too often, but when he thought about it, he could find nothing...
He didn't know what he was doing, why he was here...he wasn't even sure that he wanted to continue living, if it held such emptiness as he had just experienced...
His claw felt heavy and leaden, and he could barely muster the effort to lift and place it back down again, feeling the inexorable sinking feeling sweeping over him again and again, in neverending waves of depression. Such movement was as pointless as breathing, as anything...
He lay on his bed, staring blankly forward, thinking nothing except self-doubt as to why he was even here and seeing nothing. He longed for something to come and give meaning to his life, but he didn't know where to find it, or what it was, or even if he COULD locate such a thing. He didn't know what he could do, he didn't know why he should even try to do anything. Knowing his luck, there was no such thing that could ever give his life meaning. Nothing meant anything.
His eyes grew so acclimated to the dark that he didn't notice as the sun set, and the room around him turned black. He didn't wonder or even feel concerned for the fact that his roommate had not returned, and he did not look at the clock hear his bed. He didn't see how the hours ticked by with him staring, just staring into the darkness and having it stare back, asking him the same question over and over. Why.
Vincent eventually fell asleep, even his own mind not able to stave off exhaustion for long. His scarlet eyes closed, and he slipped into slumber, not caring or worrying over his unfinished homework or unreturned calls. He just wanted to disappear, and he depended on sleep to do this for him.
It had always been a respite for him.
Cid was restless for most of the night. He called Reeve several times, despite Reeve's constant statements of not being able to come over or let him go over there due to work, and paced around the room often. He finished his homework quickly and carelessly and surfed the web, avoiding his own site and his own story, for fear of what else he may write and how much further he might depress himself. The nervous energy he had now was better then the listlessness and hopelessness he felt before.
He checked his mail, finding the usual demanding emails asking him when he'd update, and found his replies to them more curt and aggressive then he intended.
It was only when he went outside and found a Talent Show, being held the day after tomorrow, that he realized how he could apologize. He removed the poster from the wall roughly, leaving the corners, and returned to his room, a smile on his face.
But he had to get through tomorrow to get to the day after...could he wait that long?
The poster had given him hope. He would at least go visit Vincent at his room tomorrow, if nothing else. Just to say hello, or get notes, or something along those lines. He doubted that Vincent would even open the door, but he wanted to make the effort. Even if, in the end, he'd just ask Vincent to come to the show in a few days.
That way, things would be better.
If he believed that, he was certain that they would.
Vincent fell asleep that night uneasily, his rest tormented by nightmares that he thought he had stopped having. Winged creatures flitted back and forth, blood, death...and the horrific screeching, the bang noise, and the nothing after that. He hated these dreams, but he didn't know what to do about them. He had never been able to control his dreams, nor be able to identify them as dreams or, as they had been more often then not, nightmares. He simply had to suffer through them until his body woke him, frightened and shaky.
This time the banging noise insisted, and he pushed himself out of bed, groggy and confused. He touched his claw to his forehead, metal shocking him more to the conscious world, as he tried to focus his scarlet eyes. He could see Cloud moving towards the door, also groggy and confused. He wondered what time it was, but didn't have a clock nearby to tell.
He rubbed his head and slid his feet out from underneath the covers, the cold air a shock to them, as he heard Cloud open the door. He stood and turned in time to see Cloud take a step back, his face caught much in the same manner as a deer caught in headlights. This woke Vincent more fully, and he looked at the doorway to try and see what had caused such a strange and unknown reaction.
Standing in the doorway were three people, one of them smirking and already making their way into the room. He knew that look well, the malevolent glint from their glasses and that smirk.
"We're searching this room." That voice penetrated Vincent's thoughts, but he didn't fully comprehend what it meant. Confused, he looked at Cloud, who was closing and opening his mouth as if expecting there to be words coming out.
"B..but I...I haven't...there's nothing...nothing in here..."
Prof. Hojo moved to the center of the room, standing with his arms crossed. The two behind him took their places on either side, both female. Vincent inclined his head slightly. They both looked somewhat familiar, but he didn't know where he had seen them before. They were probably members of the staff or something.
"Shera, take that side of the room. Lucrecia, take his." Hojo looked sidelong at Vincent before turning towards the wall that held their closets. "I'll take care of this."
"Wait, you can't, you c-can't do this..." Cloud was shaking now, visibly frightened. Vincent wasn't sure why he was so frightened, and now that he thought about it, why their room was even being searched.
He struggled to think, and found one of the woman tearing into his desk, looking in, around, and under things with reckless abandon.
"Hey..." He protested feebly, but found they didn't even hear him. He suddenly felt extremely violated, even more so when he turned and noticed Prof. Hojo pulling out all of his clothes, all of which were black or grey, out of his drawers.
He found himself backing out of the room unconsciously, not sure of what to do. He felt himself colliding with someone else, and jerked away sharply, finding himself shaking slightly.
He found a soft, warm smile greeting him, and he felt somewhat suspicious, but better then he would have otherwise. It looked very much in place on the kindly face in front of him, framed with black hair that spiked around at angles that were almost as insane as Clouds. The youth was the same height as he was, dressed mainly in greys or blacks, but seemed stronger and more easy-going. He could read it in in his body language as he leaned against the doorframe, smiling, but also radiating concern as Cloud eventually also found his way outside.
"I told you, but you never listen to me..." His voice was pleasant and warm, even though he sounded mocking. Cloud looked at him with desperation that was quickly hid.
"Shut up, Zack, how was I supposed to know this would happen?"
Zack turned and leaned his back on the side of the door and put his hands behind his head, casting his eyes upwards. "It's not MY fault that you got caught. I toooold you to be more careful...I mean, honestly."
Cloud turned and leaned against the taller male, crossing his arms and sulking moodily, casting dark looks at Vincent while doing so. "I don't need to hear this right now."
Zack rolled his eyes and mimicked Cloud's voice. "Wah wah, not right now, wah wah, I'm wrong, wah wah wah..."
Cloud made an annoyed noise, but didn't comment further, heaving an annoyed breath and remaining as he was, leaned against Zack. The black-haired male was apparently strong enough to support him in this way.
Vincent, not sure of what to do, looked back in the room, finding Prof. Hojo pulling the wires from the TV and pulling the batteries out of his walkman, inspecting the empty cavity before tossing the opened device back on the desk. Shera was pulling down Cloud's motorcycle posters, inspecting the tape, the back, and the wall itself, even running her fingers down the exposed cinderblocks. Lucrecia was rummaging through Vincent's drawers, and moving up to his books.
"How long are they going to do this...?" Vincent felt worse, more open, the more they looked around his posessions. The same ugly sensation he felt when the others had been staring at him in class was coming back, and he felt somewhat sick.
Someone collided into his back, and he again jerked away sharply with a gasp, turning to see who had run into him this time.
Cid's eyes were concerned and worried, and unlike Zack's seemingly calm exterior, Cid looked frazzled. "Holy mother %^#%, Vin, what the #$^#'s goin' on?"
Vincent wasn't sure what to do. The previous events of the last day ran through his mind, and he didn't know what to say. Eventually, words escaped him although he didn't intend them to. "They're searching my room!"
He sounded more distressed then he intended and he turned away and hugged his arms, not sure of what to say. Now that he was here, what could he do...? He couldn't very well run away now...but he still couldn't face him. He still couldn't explain himself. What was he supposed to do?
When he turned, he found Cid was clinging to the doorframe as well. "#$^#. Why th' #$^# they doin' your room? That doesn't make any sense. #$^#."
"Ah!"
The sharp sound caught everyone's attention, and instantly four heads crowded near the doorway. Vincent could feel Zack's hairspikes brushing against the side of his face, almost the same shade as his own. Beneath him he could sense Cloud and Cid, both looking in worry.
Lucrecia walked into the center of the room, carrying a bottle by her fingertips, as if worried about contaminating it.
"@#^%!"
Cid's obscenity suddenly jogged Vincent's memory, and he recalled that night Cid had spent with him, completely drunk, and he had taken the bottle away and put it behind some of his books to get rid of later...and he had completely forgotten about it. Panic seized Vincent suddenly, and he found his hands gripping the back of Cid's shirt convulsively.
"Ah, so what do we have here?" Prof. Hojo stepped off of the chair he was using to examine the light fixtures and adjusted his glasses, smiling. Shera moved off of Cloud's bed, joining his side, shaking her head and making disapproving noises. "Hmm."
He took it himself, holding the bottle with what seemed to be completely misplaced care, and he turned to the four in the doorway, each with almost the same expression of terror. "May I ask who this belongs to?"
"It's not mine!" Cloud's panicked voice broke the silence first. Vincent was seized with panic. He couldn't say it was Cid's, that would get him into trouble, but if he said it was his, then...
"It was found on your desk, Vincent." Hojo's sharp eyes seemed to stab into Vincent's own, and he felt sick again. "Care to explain?"
Cid backed out of the huddle sharply, thudding his fist against the wall in anger. "#$^#!"
Unintentionally, this did more then he thought. From the light fixture that Prof. Hojo had just unscrewed, several small bags fell free, each filled with a vague, whitish powder. They landed and bounced off of Hojo's head almost comically, where they landed on the floor with soft noises. Shera knelt and examined them, holding her head and making worried noises, while Lucrecia put a thin hand over her mouth to conceal her amusement.
Vincent's mouth hung open, as did everyone else's in the doorway, including Cid who had looked back into the room.
There was an awkward silence for some time, then finally Vincent felt words escaping him without thought. "Those....those aren't mine."
Hojo looked overly-thoughtful and shook his head in a mock-concerned way. "Of course they aren't yours, someone planted them, am I right? You're all innocent little boys here, right?"
Zack whispered through his teeth. "In the LIGHT? Jesus..."
Cloud's response was panicky. "I didn't think...honestly I..."
"Well, let's put these aside for now and resume our little search, hmm?" Hojo put the objects on the desk. "It seems to be having such fruitful results."
"Vin, Vin, that bottle, it's-" Cid jerked on Vincent's sleeve urgently, hissing. Vincent cut him off, his voice soft.
"Don't say anything."
The three resumed searching the room, this time Lucrecia spending more time with Vincent's desk. Since nothing else was to be found there, she began to look underneath his bed, while Shera herself began to examine Cloud's desk and shelves. Hojo began to pull through Cloud's closet, tossing out the items onto the floor as they left his careful hands.
"#$^#." Cid mumbled under his breath. Zack sighed deeply and put a hand to his head.
"Last thing we need right now..."
"What's this?" Lucrecia withdrew from underneath the bed, holding a small stuff animal. It was a small bat with a happy expression, no bigger then her hand, with big floppy wings. She stared at it in confusion, not noticing Vincent blushing brightly.
"Oh, don't touch him!"
Vincent moved into the room and pulled the bat from her hands with concern. He felt eyes boring into him, and he blushed terribly as he tried to explain in a soft voice. "Um...his name's Mordakai...I've had him forever..."
Hojo plucked the toy from Vincent's hands, examining it carefully, squeezing it, then finally putting it back in Vincent's hands. "Still sleeping with animals? That seems rather immature."
"I don't sleep with Mordakai." Vincent replied indignantly. He held the bat to his chest, where it seemed to fit perfectly. "I just feel better having him around, that's all."
Hojo stared at him levelly, then shrugged his shoulders, going back to the closet. "Very immature."
Vincent, feeling awkward but not sure of what to do, put the bat into his pocket, blushing terribly as he shuffled back out of the room. Zack was staring at him with an amused grin, but both Cid and Cloud looked confused.
Feeling as if he should explain himself further, Vincent looked down and rubbed his arm, leaning against the wall awkwardly as he tried to think of what to say. "I...got him when I was really little..."
No one really responded, and Vincent felt worse then ever. Although, the presence of the small bat in his pocket actually made him feel better.
It took some time for the room search to finally conclude, considering how many pairs of cargo pants both Cloud and Vincent had between them, and how ALL of the pockets had to be emptied. During the search more small bags were found, almost all of which in Cloud's closet or his clothes, and even a small bottle filled with unknown pills. These were gathered into a pile, which none of them knew how to deal with.
"Now, anyone care to explain this?" Hojo pointed towards the pile with a thin hand, smiling.
Deciding that he was never going to be able to get off clean with this many things found in the room, Vincent decided he might as well tell the truth. "The bottle..."
He caught Cid's eyes for a moment, but struggled to ignore them. "The bottle is mine."
"Mmhmm." Hojo gestured to Shera, who was writing on a clipboard while tsking. "What about these?" He waved a hand towards the remaining pile, with the pills and powders.
Vincent shook his head. "Those aren't mine."
"Well then, who do they belong to?"
Zack whistled nonchalantly and kicked Cloud roughly. Cloud jerked forward and glared angrily at Zack, who was staring at him. The two stared at each for some time, before Cloud finally sighed and resigned himself.
"...They're mine..."
Hojo gestured again to Shera, who shook her head sadly as her pen made quick, scritching notes. The professor moved forward, smiling in a way that made Vincent extremely uncomfortable. Leaning in close to the two roommates, his voice was chilling and quiet.
"DO understand that there is going to be repurcussions for this, you know. Severe ones." His tone on severe made Vincent shiver involuntarily. "Come with me, both of you."
Cloud shot a look at Zack, who shrugged helplessly. Vincent felt Cid's hand tugging at his sleeve.
"Vin."
"I had to, don't ask me why..."
"No, Vin. Listen. Come to the Talent Show, alright?" Vincent felt Cid's hand leave his shoulder as Vincent and Cloud were ushered along with the other three staff members, leaving both their friends behind. "Promise."
Vincent looked back and nodded, and Cid turned and walked away. Zack waved for a few moments, then turned the same direction as Cid had, walking away. Vincent looked back to the floor, finding his footsteps heavier then ever, but not as heavy as the weight of the eyes that stared at them as they traveled down the hallways, the substances that had been found in their room in clear plastic bags.