Intoduction Part VII
By Opiate109
The sun was slowly descending towards the horizon, as shadows from the city buildings grew longer. Many contestants were settling into their rooms, sleeping, or merely getting off the streets before dark. Some stayed in bars and others still trained. One, however, was waiting on his two unreliable companions.
'She's such a bad influence...' the dark figure thought to himself. His red cape hung loosely over his shoulders. His right hand held the hilt of his sword, Masamune, and his left hung loosely by his side. His eyes were barely visible to others behind his sunglasses, as he stared intently at the main street that his companions would be walking down. His mind finally stopped worrying and his heart began beating for what seemed like the first time in hours as he spotted the two of them.
"Auron!" shouted the blonde-haired girl, as she ran towards him. She gave him a quick hug. "How are you?"
Auron realized that his trip could have been quiet had he not organized a meeting with these two. "I'm fine, Rikku," he said abruptly, as his gaze turned to the other female.
"Hi, Auron," Yuna said, showing less enthusiasm than her friend. She seemed oddly quiet, but Auron didn't say anything.
"Hello, ready to go? The alleys are a little dangerous, rumors of muggers are going around town," he said, but was cut off by a shout. The shout, which seemed to come from around the corner of the alleyway, shocked the three. Auron drew his Masamune and walked forward slowly. He motioned for the other two to follow him. They walked cautiously, until they were shocked by what sounded like whimpering.
"Please...Please don't hurt me. I'm sorry," a man around the corner said, between sobs.
"Why shouldn't I hurt you, when you clearly had those intentions for me?" The cold voice that answered back sent shivers through Yuna's spine. She had heard that voice earlier. It was a haunted voice but it seemed much angrier this time. The only sound that answered the grim voice was more whimpering. The three took a look around the corner to find a slightly humorous sight.
Vincent Valentine was standing over a distraught man, who looked to be in his thirties. The man had clearly been flung to the ground. Vincent stood over him with his shotgun in one hand, aimed at the man's head.
"Get up and just leave," Vincent spoke harshly. His eyes did not look at the man. They looked at the ground. 'I've hurt enough people and I'll hurt more each time I have a match...'
Vincent shook himself out of his thoughts to find that the mugger had run off. He did notice, however, the group of three staring at him in confusion. He quickly turned to face the street.
"If you're looking for Tidus, he went to the bar," said Vincent, leaving the three in shock. Auron opened his mouth to speak but Vincent had already begun to walk away.
"Let's go to the bar, then," Rikku said, in a slightly confused, slightly excited voice. The other two looked at her, and began to walk towards the bar. "Hey, wait up!"
-----
The mood inside the bar was fairly somber. Most of the contestants still in the old building were quiet. Instead, the noise came from the locals. Tidus sat at a table with 8 chairs, 5 of them empty. To his left was a friend he had met in the past year, Squall Leonhart. Directly across the table was Dante Sparda, whom Tidus had recently met. Dante held his two handguns, Ebony and Ivory, in his hands, as he eyed some of the city dwellers.
"What's that look for?" Tidus asked, in a voice that grinded at Dante's ears.
"Don't worry about it," Dante said, in a tone that was harsher than his words indicated.
"Dante just doesn't like people..." Squall said.
"Well, neither do you," laughed Tidus. His two friends nearly flinched when he spoke. They still had not grown accustomed to his voice.
"...Whatever" Squall replied.
Tidus turned to the door in excitement when Squall's response got a giggle from someone who had just entered the bar. Rikku, Yuna, and Auron stood there, looking at Tidus and company.
"Yuna! Auron! Rikku! When did you guys get here?" Tidus asked excitedly.
"Not too long ago. I saw these two earlier and arranged a meeting. We were headed to the training center where we thought you would be, until we ran into Vincent and he said you were here," Auron replied bluntly.
"Vincent...? Vincent Valentine?" Dante asked. The look on Squall's face clearly indicated he was thinking the same thing.
"That's him!" Rikku said, in a high-pitched voice.
"He's finally in? I must have missed seeing him earlier due to all the commotion. Thank God," Dante said quickly, as he stood up. "Nice meeting you ladies. Auron, always a pleasure." The half demon then walked out the door and a silent Squall followed him.
"What's wrong with our company?" Rikku asked, in a somewhat whiny tone. Her question was completely ignored.
"Tidus, it's so nice to see you again..." Yuna said, in her normally quiet voice. She grasped his hand with hers and looked up at him.
"My apologies to you two, but there's a more pressing matter I must discuss with Tidus right now," Auron said. Yuna and Tidus quickly pulled their hands away, as Rikku tried to contain her laughter.
"When we ran into Vincent earlier, it looked like a regular citizen had tried to mug, or perhaps even kill, him. Obviously, Vincent was not caught off-guard, seeing how he's one of the most cautious people here. Make sure you're careful when on the streets or in the alleys."
"I don't like that Vincent, he's kind of scary," Rikku said, in a half-playful, half-serious tone. She looked as if she was in some deep thought, which Auron was willing to bet was actually quite shallow.
"I'm sure he feels much the same about you," Auron quickly shot back.
"Wait a minute…what if Squall and Dante get hurt right now?" Tidus shouted, not even expecting an answer to his question.
"I wouldn't worry much about those two, so sit down and stop drawing attention to yourself," Auron replied.
The warrior looked around the bar to find many regular townspeople and even a few contest veterans looking over at their table curiously. His eyes met those of Sephiroth's, a former contest champion and now one of the sponsors of this year's tournament. The grey-haired man stood up and slowly walked over to their table. He pushed people out of his way as if they were insects, smiling malevolently.
"So, it seems most of you guys have some tough draws first round. Especially you, Yuna," Sephiroth said, leaning closer to the Summoner.
"What do you want?" Tidus demanded angrily, standing up.
"Sit down if you value your life, fool!" Sephiroth said fiercely, turning to face Tidus in a flash. The blitzball player struggled for words but found none forthcoming. Eventually he simply sat down in frustration.
"I'm looking forward to your match with Ganondorf, Yuna. And yours too, Auron," said the former SOLDIER, in a mocking tone. He turned on his heel, and left the bar.
"I hate that guy!" Rikku said, crossing her arms over her chest. Tidus and Auron laughed slightly at her, as Yuna turned to Tidus.
"Let's go, Tidus. It's too loud here," Yuna said, standing up and grabbing his hand. They walked out of the bar just as Vincent came in. He nodded to the two as they passed him.
"Wait for me!" Rikku shouted, jumping up and nearly running towards the door. Vincent grabbed her arm as she tried to pass. He shook his head and laughed slightly. Auron's laughter drew Vincent's attention. He realized the whole bar was focused on them, mainly due to the comical struggle of Rikku.
"Rikku, stop struggling. If I was there, I'd have stopped you too," Auron instructed the Al Bhed woman. His words drifted freely through the quiet bar.
"But-"
"Do you have any idea what those two do?" Auron asked, smiling at Rikku.
Vincent couldn't help but get the feeling that he was being laughed at. His feelings were validated as one man shouted something vulgar about him and Rikku. He loosened his grip on Rikku, who now stood quite still. She finally noticed she had not been grabbed by a hand, but by a gold claw. She cared less than she normally would, however, as she sensed the anger from Vincent, who was staring at the man angrily.
'Let it go, Vincent. No need to hurt more people. You've done enough in the past, and will continue to do so...' Vincent thought to himself, but he was interrupted by the same man as before.
"What's the matter, buddy? You're scaring your lady friend!"
Vincent's form swelled in anger again. Rikku swore she felt the ferocity of a monster coming from the tortured man. He growled fiercely and continued to stare at the man.
"Ooh, scary. He's growling. He's some sort of 'monster'," laughed the man and his buddies. The bar, however, was silenced quickly as the flash of a blade and eruption of a shotgun sent the man reeling backwards.
"Indeed he is," said Auron, sheathing his Masamune and walking towards Rikku. Vincent put away his shotgun, and noticed the fear in Rikku's eyes.
"So much like Lucrecia..." he said quietly. He looked at Auron and nodded. The two left the bar silently, trailed by a dozen pairs of eyes and a slightly shaken Rikku.
"Thanks," Vincent said quietly and coldly. Auron knew that was about as much as he would get and nodded, a grin working its way onto his face.
"So, who's Lucrecia?" Auron asked, ready to face the man's wrath. He hoped the question was not out of line.
"The reason I am what I am," Vincent replied.
It was half-true. Shinra was the reason he could transform, but his memories of Lucrecia were always the reason he did. Auron expected the vague answer and continued walking. He was startled when Vincent spoke again.
"Rikku…she…reminds me of her, oddly enough. Looks, personality, nothing is that similar. However, she stirs up memories I'd rather have kept dormant."
Auron nodded again and turned around in fear as he heard Rikku's voice. He hoped she had not heard that last comment.
"Stop walking so fast guys! You want me to be mugged?"
Vincent froze as she said those words. He looked down, hoping to conceal his face. Auron sensed that the man was reliving old memories. He sensed fear and anger coming from him.
"My apologies. It's time I retire for the night and get some sleep," Vincent said. "Auron, Luc-" He stopped and shook his head. "…Rikku, good night."
Rikku stood with a puzzled look on her face, as she watched the dark man walk down an alley and blend in with the shadows. Auron knew Vincent would not be sleeping, and a shout of fear from the alley he walked into confirmed that.
"Let's go find Yuna and Tidus…I just pray our timing isn't poor," Auron said, walking down the street, blindly guessing where they might be. Rikku stood still for a second. When she snapped out of it she had to run to catch up to him again.
"Say, Auron…"
"What is it, Rikku?"
"Who's Luc?"
Auron laughed at the girl and kept walking. "Don't worry about that. Worry about what Sephiroth said. Worry about your opponents. Don't worry about people like Vincent. I have a feeling we'll be hearing lots about him anyways" The reply shocked Rikku, who was clearly expecting a simple explanation.
Yuna and Tidus were shocked, and quickly moved away from each other when they heard a knock on the door of Tidus' hotel room. He quickly got up and answered the door, only to see Rikku and Auron smiling back at him.
"Surprised you two are still dressed," Auron said, causing Yuna to look away in embarrassment. "Listen, I want you two to avoid the locals and fans. Vincent was confronted three times now, and sadly, I don't think the last two shared the same fate as the first man." He knew the fate of the second man, as he played a part in injuring him. He hoped someone stopped the bleeding, as neither of the attacks should have killed the would-be assailant if he got proper care.
"What about the police? Won't they do something to Vincent?" Tidus asked, as he was clearly worried.
"I doubt it. All three men were either trying to kill him or found a way to mock him," Auron said, casting a sideways glance at Rikku. "Either way, I would suggest not going out into the streets after nightfall."
Tidus and Yuna walked to the window of the hotel room to get a look down at the roads. Crono, a seasoned veteran, was walking towards the hotel while carefully eyeing the alleyways.
"If Crono's worried, then I would be as well. Some contestants will have no problem with killing, like that Vincent, but I couldn't..." Yuna trailed off.
"I'd watch what you say about Vincent," countered Auron. Rikku looked on in fascination, as she remembered the grip on her arm that could have ripped it right off.
"Or what? Will he kill Yuna too! He's a monster!" Tidus shouted, in unexpected anger.
"That may be so, but perhaps you should get to know the man. He suffers more than anyone else here. The true monster lies not in a man driven to anger, but in the man who embraces anger," Auron said, solemnly. His slightly cryptic words were the last thing the others heard from him that night, as he seamlessly spun around on his heel and left the room in silence.
