Chapter Seven
That evening, the Highwind set sail towards the ocean, heading northeast.
Vincent Valentine lay in his cabin, listening to someone singing softly. It was a woman's voice, sweet and high. It wasn't a soulful voice or an opera voice, but it was somehow more beautiful than any voice he had ever heard. Instinctively, he knew it was Maena's. Listening to her voice was soothing. His eyelids began to slide shut and he slipped peacefully into to sweet dreams about a girl in a blue dress with long, golden hair.
Meanwhile, Maena stood at the rail on the top deck. She couldn't sleep. So she sang. She sang softly, looking up at the stars. She loved the stars. They were always there, shining so brightly. They would never leave her, not like her parents, not like all her old friends. No, they would always be there for her.
A teardrop slid down her cheek as she sang. The words she sang were in a language no one else spoke. It was a language that had come from deep inside her, one she had always known. She sang it to the stars, crying silently, afraid, so very afraid, that all she knew would just crack and as usual, she would be left with no one.
Morning came, and with it came the rain. It was going to be a dark day.
Cid called everyone else to the conference room, everyone save the crew. He stood at the head of the table like some great king, watching everyone else assemble. His sharp blue eyes settled on Maena. She looked exhausted and... sad. He frowned. What the %$# was wrong with that girl?
Yuffie spoke up as she plopped down into one of the chairs. "So, Cap, what's up?"
"Well, I just thought we might want to find out what our plan of action is," Cid said. "Right now, we are following Thorn and his masked friend. But... what are we gonna do when we catch up to them?"
Yuffie shrugged. "That's easy. Kick butt!!"
Vincent shook his head, glancing for a moment at Maena who sat far away from him. "It's not that easy. Thorn and his ally are quite powerful, I think. A good plan would be a great asset for us."
Cid nodded, pacing at the head of the table. "I agree, Vince. So... anyone have any ideas?" He glanced at Maena, half expecting the pretty wizardess to say she had had a vision or something. She was silent, staring down at her lap.
"Well, we need to find out more about Thorn's companion, don't we?" Shera said slowly. "He seems to be the big problem anyway."
Cid nodded again, impressed. She had taken long enough to say anything, but at least she always came through. Maybe she was %&#$ slow, but she was also $%# attractive. "Yeah, I think you're right," he agreed. "But—right now, I think we need to decide on why we're even going after these guys!"
Maena spoke up, her voice quiet and intense. "They were after us, weren't they? It's their turn to be chased now." She looked up, steadily meeting the eyes of each of the others present. "They will keep on killing and stealing and vandalizing to get materia that's not theirs. Somebody has to stop them. No one else will, so it has to be us."
Vincent was impressed. But he said nothing, as usual.
"Does everyone agree with that?" Cid asked, feeling a bit inspired by Maena's short speech. "'Cause I sure do!"
Shera nodded, and Yuffie yelled, "aye, aye, Captain!"
Vincent nodded slowly. "This seems like a good reason to me."
Suddenly, the doors to the conference room swung opened. In stepped Nanaki!
"Sounds like a good reason to me, too," he said with a toss of his red head. He looked at Maena. "Inspiring, in fact."
Maena was quiet. Vincent frowned. Sure, Maena was usually quiet, but this sort of silence, this deep, brooding silence... it was not like her. He shifted nervously in his seat. After the conference, he would have to see what was disturbing her.
Maena noticed Vincent's furtive glances. She frowned. Her problems were none of his business.
Nanaki took his place at the table. "So... we are fighting Thorn and this masked man to save the planet." He smiled thoughtfully. "Kind of like last time."
Vincent shifted his gaze from Maena to Nanaki. "Nanaki, did the masked man seem... familiar to you?" he asked.
Nanaki shrugged. "I didn't see much of him. I was too busy calming down everyone else."
Vincent smiled wryly. How like Nanaki. Calm and cool. Sort of like Maena, in fact, intelligent, mature, normally calm and cool with a passion deep inside... Maena... What was bothering her?
Cid put his hands on his hips. "Well, now, our task is to find out what we're up against." He scratched his head thoughtfully. "I guess that means conference is over for now." He thought for a moment. "Shera, Nanaki, I want you two to come up with some sort of plan of action... Figure out how we can discover the identity of the masked man and all that." He frowned. "Nanaki, how did you get on here, anyway?"
Nanaki smiled coolly. "I happen to be skilled in improvising."
"A stowaway!" Yuffie exclaimed excitedly.
"Well, anyway... dismissed!" Cid proclaimed. He grabbed Yuffie by the arm. "Except for you. You and I will visit our prisoners..."
Maena stood quickly and exited the conference room. She glanced over her shoulder. Vincent was following her. For some reason, that made her uncomfortable. Maybe it was the red in his eyes... She glanced around quickly. The chocobo stable! Quickly, she made a run for it, skidding awkwardly into the stable.
Waaark! There was a healthy-looking female chocobo in the stable. Maena quickly leaped into the hay and crouched behind the chocobo. What is WRONG with me? She wondered.
Suddenly, there were footsteps. A long, lean shadow fell across the stable floor. Vincent!
Maena wished she were invisible.
"Maena? What are you doing back there?"
Dang it! He had found her immediately.
Maena slipped out from behind the chocobo. "Uhm... I just... like chocobos..." she managed, trying not to look at him. Oh, but she wanted to...
"What's this one's name?" Vincent asked, crossing his arms and staring at her. His gaze was unrelenting.
"Well, it's... uhm... Sally?" Maena had failed badly. I'm so lame, she thought.
"Actually, her name is Fedge," Vincent said, putting his hands on his hips.
Maena bit her lip and looked up at him. "Oh, really? I didn't know that."
"What is WRONG with you, Maena?" Vincent asked intensely. His red gaze was burning her eyes.
"I really don't know." She made a move to slip past him, but his long, slender fingers clamped down on her wrist.
Anger came to Maena unbidden. Sparks suddenly flew from her fingers, settling on Vincent's wrist.
"Ow!" He quickly released her, shaking his hand. "Maena!" He glared at her. "You shocked me!"
Maena was looking up at him innocently. What had just happened? She hadn't WANTED to hurt him... She felt more embarrassed and helpless than she had ever felt before in her life. "I—I'm sorry. I really didn't... I really didn't mean to..."
Vincent was rubbing his wrist and looking down at her disdainfully. "You should be more careful with your emotions, Maena," he said reproachfully. "Someone could really get hurt."
"I'm sorry." Maena didn't know what to do. Should she run, or should she stand there and take it from him? She decided to stand there. What was going on with her? She herself didn't even know. Something about last night... something had set loose all the demons inside her.
Vincent was peering at her intently. "Maena... are you all right?" He finished massaging his wrist and reached out to touch her shoulder. She flinched. "You don't want me to touch you at all, do you?"
"I don't know what's wrong with me," she said quietly, her throat tight. She did NOT want to cry in front of him. She felt suddenly defensive and wrapped her arms tightly around herself, feeling somehow that this stance would protect her.
Vincent stared at her incredulously. He was seeing himself in her... hurt, bitter, and defensive. Maena was becoming what he had become—a recluse, unwilling to be loved or to be touched in any way. Like him, she had suffered at Shinra's hands. He frowned, thoughtful. She had not suffered physically as he had. Her hurts went deeper. She was hurt inside. She was afraid of being betrayed again. That was it. He groaned inwardly. He never wanted to see her become the thing that he was. For some reason, the thought of a cold, bitter Maena Moonglow frightened him beyond words.
"Why are you staring at me like that?" she snapped suddenly. Her eyes, only a day before so soft and innocent, were hard, emeralds set in ice.
Vincent felt something hard inside of him break. He let out an audible groan. "Oh, Maena..." He reached out and drew her to him, ignoring her stiffness. "Maena, don't do like me. Don't become hard and cold." He felt her soften against him, her warm body close to his. He felt something inside of him melt as he held her. He closed his eyes and pressed his cheek against her golden hair. He was feeling things he had not felt since Lucretia... Only this time, they were stronger. It frightened him, but he knew he would not let go of this... whatever it was.
Maena was crying against his shoulder. "Oh, Vincent. I'm so scared. I don't want you to leave me. I don't want Yuffie and Cid and Shera and Nanaki to leave me. I don't want to be alone ever again!"
"You won't be," Vincent whispered into her hair. "I won't let you be. I will always be... your... your... friend..." There it was again. That feeling that he was missing something, that he was letting something precious sift through his fingers with the sand.
"My friend..." Maena was content with that... for now. She didn't know quite what she was feeling. It was overpowering, yet tender. It made her feel secure... yet it felt... dangerous... But right now, she didn't care. She just slipped her arms around Vincent's slender waist and let him hold her.
"Don't get cold, Maena," Vincent was whispering. "Don't get cold. Stay who you are. Stay the warm, gentle, sweet, loving person you are. Stay the person I wish I was."
Maena slowly pulled back from him. Did he imagine that she was reluctant to leave his embrace?
"Vincent... thank-you..." She shook her head and took his hands, sniffing. Her breath was shuddery. "And... you don't have to be like me. I like you for who you are." She laughed softly and hicupped. "I like your sarcasm and your sneakiness. I don't even mind the way you always try to hide what you feel. I do that sometimes, too..." She drew in a deep, shuddery breath. How close she had come to losing this man! And twice! It made her shiver.
Vincent was smiling—and it was a real smile. "I like you, too, Maena. I would never betray you..." I would die first, he thought passionately.
Maena gently drew her hands from his and brushed a silky strand of that straight, golden hair behind her ear. She smiled at him... and then she was gone, running at top speed towards her cabin.
Vincent just stood there alone in the chocobo stable, watching her until she was out of sight. He mentally shook himself. She had done something strange and powerful to him just then, something undeniable. In such a small moment, she had broken his hard heart and pieced it back together, this time fixing something that had been broken before. The hardness... it was not so marked now. He touched his chest right over his heart, as if perhaps it would feel physically different, too. He smiled crookedly. Maena need not worry about being alone ever again.
Vincent had known her only a few days, but he vowed to himself now that it would take a few lifetimes before he could ever leave her. And even then... it wasn't going to happen.
That evening, the Highwind set sail towards the ocean, heading northeast.
Vincent Valentine lay in his cabin, listening to someone singing softly. It was a woman's voice, sweet and high. It wasn't a soulful voice or an opera voice, but it was somehow more beautiful than any voice he had ever heard. Instinctively, he knew it was Maena's. Listening to her voice was soothing. His eyelids began to slide shut and he slipped peacefully into to sweet dreams about a girl in a blue dress with long, golden hair.
Meanwhile, Maena stood at the rail on the top deck. She couldn't sleep. So she sang. She sang softly, looking up at the stars. She loved the stars. They were always there, shining so brightly. They would never leave her, not like her parents, not like all her old friends. No, they would always be there for her.
A teardrop slid down her cheek as she sang. The words she sang were in a language no one else spoke. It was a language that had come from deep inside her, one she had always known. She sang it to the stars, crying silently, afraid, so very afraid, that all she knew would just crack and as usual, she would be left with no one.
Morning came, and with it came the rain. It was going to be a dark day.
Cid called everyone else to the conference room, everyone save the crew. He stood at the head of the table like some great king, watching everyone else assemble. His sharp blue eyes settled on Maena. She looked exhausted and... sad. He frowned. What the %$# was wrong with that girl?
Yuffie spoke up as she plopped down into one of the chairs. "So, Cap, what's up?"
"Well, I just thought we might want to find out what our plan of action is," Cid said. "Right now, we are following Thorn and his masked friend. But... what are we gonna do when we catch up to them?"
Yuffie shrugged. "That's easy. Kick butt!!"
Vincent shook his head, glancing for a moment at Maena who sat far away from him. "It's not that easy. Thorn and his ally are quite powerful, I think. A good plan would be a great asset for us."
Cid nodded, pacing at the head of the table. "I agree, Vince. So... anyone have any ideas?" He glanced at Maena, half expecting the pretty wizardess to say she had had a vision or something. She was silent, staring down at her lap.
"Well, we need to find out more about Thorn's companion, don't we?" Shera said slowly. "He seems to be the big problem anyway."
Cid nodded again, impressed. She had taken long enough to say anything, but at least she always came through. Maybe she was %&#$ slow, but she was also $%# attractive. "Yeah, I think you're right," he agreed. "But—right now, I think we need to decide on why we're even going after these guys!"
Maena spoke up, her voice quiet and intense. "They were after us, weren't they? It's their turn to be chased now." She looked up, steadily meeting the eyes of each of the others present. "They will keep on killing and stealing and vandalizing to get materia that's not theirs. Somebody has to stop them. No one else will, so it has to be us."
Vincent was impressed. But he said nothing, as usual.
"Does everyone agree with that?" Cid asked, feeling a bit inspired by Maena's short speech. "'Cause I sure do!"
Shera nodded, and Yuffie yelled, "aye, aye, Captain!"
Vincent nodded slowly. "This seems like a good reason to me."
Suddenly, the doors to the conference room swung opened. In stepped Nanaki!
"Sounds like a good reason to me, too," he said with a toss of his red head. He looked at Maena. "Inspiring, in fact."
Maena was quiet. Vincent frowned. Sure, Maena was usually quiet, but this sort of silence, this deep, brooding silence... it was not like her. He shifted nervously in his seat. After the conference, he would have to see what was disturbing her.
Maena noticed Vincent's furtive glances. She frowned. Her problems were none of his business.
Nanaki took his place at the table. "So... we are fighting Thorn and this masked man to save the planet." He smiled thoughtfully. "Kind of like last time."
Vincent shifted his gaze from Maena to Nanaki. "Nanaki, did the masked man seem... familiar to you?" he asked.
Nanaki shrugged. "I didn't see much of him. I was too busy calming down everyone else."
Vincent smiled wryly. How like Nanaki. Calm and cool. Sort of like Maena, in fact, intelligent, mature, normally calm and cool with a passion deep inside... Maena... What was bothering her?
Cid put his hands on his hips. "Well, now, our task is to find out what we're up against." He scratched his head thoughtfully. "I guess that means conference is over for now." He thought for a moment. "Shera, Nanaki, I want you two to come up with some sort of plan of action... Figure out how we can discover the identity of the masked man and all that." He frowned. "Nanaki, how did you get on here, anyway?"
Nanaki smiled coolly. "I happen to be skilled in improvising."
"A stowaway!" Yuffie exclaimed excitedly.
"Well, anyway... dismissed!" Cid proclaimed. He grabbed Yuffie by the arm. "Except for you. You and I will visit our prisoners..."
Maena stood quickly and exited the conference room. She glanced over her shoulder. Vincent was following her. For some reason, that made her uncomfortable. Maybe it was the red in his eyes... She glanced around quickly. The chocobo stable! Quickly, she made a run for it, skidding awkwardly into the stable.
Waaark! There was a healthy-looking female chocobo in the stable. Maena quickly leaped into the hay and crouched behind the chocobo. What is WRONG with me? She wondered.
Suddenly, there were footsteps. A long, lean shadow fell across the stable floor. Vincent!
Maena wished she were invisible.
"Maena? What are you doing back there?"
Dang it! He had found her immediately.
Maena slipped out from behind the chocobo. "Uhm... I just... like chocobos..." she managed, trying not to look at him. Oh, but she wanted to...
"What's this one's name?" Vincent asked, crossing his arms and staring at her. His gaze was unrelenting.
"Well, it's... uhm... Sally?" Maena had failed badly. I'm so lame, she thought.
"Actually, her name is Fedge," Vincent said, putting his hands on his hips.
Maena bit her lip and looked up at him. "Oh, really? I didn't know that."
"What is WRONG with you, Maena?" Vincent asked intensely. His red gaze was burning her eyes.
"I really don't know." She made a move to slip past him, but his long, slender fingers clamped down on her wrist.
Anger came to Maena unbidden. Sparks suddenly flew from her fingers, settling on Vincent's wrist.
"Ow!" He quickly released her, shaking his hand. "Maena!" He glared at her. "You shocked me!"
Maena was looking up at him innocently. What had just happened? She hadn't WANTED to hurt him... She felt more embarrassed and helpless than she had ever felt before in her life. "I—I'm sorry. I really didn't... I really didn't mean to..."
Vincent was rubbing his wrist and looking down at her disdainfully. "You should be more careful with your emotions, Maena," he said reproachfully. "Someone could really get hurt."
"I'm sorry." Maena didn't know what to do. Should she run, or should she stand there and take it from him? She decided to stand there. What was going on with her? She herself didn't even know. Something about last night... something had set loose all the demons inside her.
Vincent was peering at her intently. "Maena... are you all right?" He finished massaging his wrist and reached out to touch her shoulder. She flinched. "You don't want me to touch you at all, do you?"
"I don't know what's wrong with me," she said quietly, her throat tight. She did NOT want to cry in front of him. She felt suddenly defensive and wrapped her arms tightly around herself, feeling somehow that this stance would protect her.
Vincent stared at her incredulously. He was seeing himself in her... hurt, bitter, and defensive. Maena was becoming what he had become—a recluse, unwilling to be loved or to be touched in any way. Like him, she had suffered at Shinra's hands. He frowned, thoughtful. She had not suffered physically as he had. Her hurts went deeper. She was hurt inside. She was afraid of being betrayed again. That was it. He groaned inwardly. He never wanted to see her become the thing that he was. For some reason, the thought of a cold, bitter Maena Moonglow frightened him beyond words.
"Why are you staring at me like that?" she snapped suddenly. Her eyes, only a day before so soft and innocent, were hard, emeralds set in ice.
Vincent felt something hard inside of him break. He let out an audible groan. "Oh, Maena..." He reached out and drew her to him, ignoring her stiffness. "Maena, don't do like me. Don't become hard and cold." He felt her soften against him, her warm body close to his. He felt something inside of him melt as he held her. He closed his eyes and pressed his cheek against her golden hair. He was feeling things he had not felt since Lucretia... Only this time, they were stronger. It frightened him, but he knew he would not let go of this... whatever it was.
Maena was crying against his shoulder. "Oh, Vincent. I'm so scared. I don't want you to leave me. I don't want Yuffie and Cid and Shera and Nanaki to leave me. I don't want to be alone ever again!"
"You won't be," Vincent whispered into her hair. "I won't let you be. I will always be... your... your... friend..." There it was again. That feeling that he was missing something, that he was letting something precious sift through his fingers with the sand.
"My friend..." Maena was content with that... for now. She didn't know quite what she was feeling. It was overpowering, yet tender. It made her feel secure... yet it felt... dangerous... But right now, she didn't care. She just slipped her arms around Vincent's slender waist and let him hold her.
"Don't get cold, Maena," Vincent was whispering. "Don't get cold. Stay who you are. Stay the warm, gentle, sweet, loving person you are. Stay the person I wish I was."
Maena slowly pulled back from him. Did he imagine that she was reluctant to leave his embrace?
"Vincent... thank-you..." She shook her head and took his hands, sniffing. Her breath was shuddery. "And... you don't have to be like me. I like you for who you are." She laughed softly and hicupped. "I like your sarcasm and your sneakiness. I don't even mind the way you always try to hide what you feel. I do that sometimes, too..." She drew in a deep, shuddery breath. How close she had come to losing this man! And twice! It made her shiver.
Vincent was smiling—and it was a real smile. "I like you, too, Maena. I would never betray you..." I would die first, he thought passionately.
Maena gently drew her hands from his and brushed a silky strand of that straight, golden hair behind her ear. She smiled at him... and then she was gone, running at top speed towards her cabin.
Vincent just stood there alone in the chocobo stable, watching her until she was out of sight. He mentally shook himself. She had done something strange and powerful to him just then, something undeniable. In such a small moment, she had broken his hard heart and pieced it back together, this time fixing something that had been broken before. The hardness... it was not so marked now. He touched his chest right over his heart, as if perhaps it would feel physically different, too. He smiled crookedly. Maena need not worry about being alone ever again.
Vincent had known her only a few days, but he vowed to himself now that it would take a few lifetimes before he could ever leave her. And even then... it wasn't going to happen.