This is my longest chapter yet, it's one of my favorites too so...
Read on!
This is the first day of my life
I swear I was born right in the doorway
I went out in the rain suddenly everything changed
They're spreading blankets on the beach
Yours is the first face that I saw
I think I was blind before I met you
Now I don't know where I am
I don't know where I've been
But I know where I want to go
And so I thought I'd let you know
That these things take forever
I especially am slow
But I realize that I need you
And I wondered if I could come home
Remember the time you drove all night
Just to meet me in the morning
And I thought it was strange you said everything changed
You felt as if you had just woke up
And you said "this is the first day of my life
I'm glad I didn't die before I met you
But now I don't care I could go anywhere with you
And I'd probably be happy"
So if you want to be with me
With these things there's no telling
We just have to wait and see
But I'd rather be working for a paycheck
Than waiting to win the lottery
Besides maybe this time is different
I mean I really think you like me
Bright Eyes; First Day of My Life
---666---
Alone.
Strapped to the operating table in the dark, with nothing but his inner demons to keep him company.
Vincent groaned as he reflected on his life.
"You are stained."
The voice in his head growled.
"Nothing but a crazy fool who has murdered countless people for your own benefit"
Vincent could feel the monster within him smirk,
"All those you have ever held dear are dead because of you, and this is thereppercussion ofall your sins.
To remain alone, slowly being eaten away by your insanity"
Vincent grimaced and said aloud,
"I'm not insane"
"Says the man who is currently talking to the entity within his head."
Vincent opened his tormented, confused eyes wide and exclaimed,"You wouldn't be in my head if it wasn't for Hojo! He did this!"
A cold, dark chuckle seemed to reverberate through the room,
"Please, I was always a part of you. All Hojo has done is manifested the thoughts that were already a part of you. He manifested the darkness that has always lain in the abyss of your cracked, incomplete soul."
Vincent laughed at this, flexing his long pale fingers.
"Oh Hojo you sadistic bastard, only you are twisted enough to make one literally have inner demons."
---666---
Vincent gasped for air as he wiped the sweat from his brow with the sleeve of his sweater.
He focused on slowing down his breathing, taking long deep breaths whilst glaring warily at Jax.
Jax was grinning widely, and kept eye contact with Vincent as he shrugged out of his black and white pinstriped blazer.
"Why do you dress so weird?" He inquired, his eyes twinkling, "I mean… that little preppy boy attire doesn't work for you at all and besides, Vin Vin, you can't exactly call a wooly green sweater the most practical thing to wear when your gonna be training."
Vincent glanced at his sweat stained outfit, and couldn't deny that it was impractical and stupid. He was wearing a tight sweater that his mom had knitted for his birthday, and everything from the dress shirt underneath his sweater with the collar popping out, to his shiny, black loafers screamed Mama's boy.
It wasn't his fault that his mom wouldn't buy him cool clothes, and besides Jax wasn't wearing the best attire suited for fighting either.
Vincent decided long ago that Jax had a strong affinity for wild suits, and his assumption was not proved wrong in the slightest by Jax's choice of clothing that day. He was decked out head to toe in a broad shouldered pinstriped suit, including a slanting top hat and spats.
Looking very much like a gangster of some past era, the red haired man swung his gold-topped cane until it was little more than a blur, and patiently awaited Vincent's response.
"Jax, I had no idea we were going to be training in fighting, and besides you're hardly one to talkwith that idiotic suit your wearing."
Jax rubbed his scar and looked sad as he said, imploringly, "But… I always thought I looked extra sexy in this particular suit! I mean, the yellow tie completely compliments my tawny eyes!" The eyes in question suddenly had a serious glint, as the tall man brandished his cane and took a threatening stance.
"But I digress… your clothing is of no importance, since it seems you are still in need of much training. I mean, you haven't even hit me yet!"
Looking embarrassed, Vincent pulled the sweater over his head and prepared for the next onslaught of attacks from Jax.
He still couldn't get over how incredibly skilled the goofy tutor was. Vincent had always considered himself an unnaturally good fighter, but compared to him Jax's skills were unparalleled. He had begun the fight with much confidence, but was utterly crushed by the graceful tutor.
It was as if Jax was bouncing on clouds when he fought. A bundle of energy, his long limbs moving ease and perfect timing. He had hardly broke a sweat in their little scuffle, whereas Vincent was on the point of passing out.
The teen believed he would have fared better if only they weren't fighting with sticks. Vincent just didn't feel comfortable with the long, awkward pole in his hand and his movements were inevitably hindered by it.
He hated the barbarity of swords. The idea of people roughly hacking each other to bits with sharp hunks of metal just didn't appeal to him, no matter what Jax said about the artistry of swordsmanship.
Vincent would rather attack from afar, in a cool and collected fashioninstead of rushinginto a battlefilled with foolhardy notions such as bravery and honor.
Not that Vincent was a coward, he had already proved himself many times to be incredibly brave, he was just more of a strategist.
Also, though the teen would never admit it, he was terribly frightened of committing a heinous act like the one he had done so many years ago, and figured that if he distanced himself from the enemy he would never lose control again.
That was really the only thing Vincent feared.
Losing control.
"Vincent!" Jax crowed, breaking Vincent out of his reverie."Assume your stance, please. I wish to continue this little tussle."
Vincent groaned at the thought of having his ass thoroughly beaten again, but was saved by the voice of his mother across the other side of the manor, trilling, "Vincent! Your little friend, Mitch is here! Come to the door! Vincent?"
Vincent's cheeks flushed. Just like his mom to call Mitch his "little friend", even though he was nearlyfour years older than him.
He smirked up at Jax and exclaimed, his voice full of false disappointment, "Oh no! I guess our time is up! I simply have to fulfill the prior obligations I made with my dear friend. Au Revoir, mon bon ami!"
The latter's mouth twitched in what suspiciously looked like a suppressed smile, and put his hands on his hips in a cringingly feminine manner.
"Fine, be off with you! But Vin Vin, I'm working you three times as hard tomorrow!"
Vincent scowled and grumbled, "Bastard."
Then sprinted at full speed out of the room, narrowly avoiding Jax's cane as it was flung towards his head.
---666---
Vincent and Mitch walked together on the familiar path towards the ocean. It was fairly close to Sherybine, only about a mile away from the poorest house at the bottom of the hill.
Since it was nearly the middle of December the weather was chillingly crisp, so the path to the sea was deserted. This happened to be the exact reason that Vincent and Mitch went nearly everyday in the winter months.
It was the picture of calm. Every now and then the silence was broken by the snow delicately drifting from the tops of pine trees, and the sun shone brightly outside, shafts of light slanting across the boys' faces.
They laughed because at that moment it seemed as if the very world was at their fingertips. They ran down the path, not caring if they were seen acting much younger than their age, and threw snowballs at each other.
Finally the patches of snow became more and more sporadic, as the two friends glimpsed the glistening sea on the horizon.
"Race you!" Mitch yelled over his shoulder, already a good distance ahead of his friend.
He was determined to win this time, but Vincent caught up with him in the end and pulled a last minute victory.
" I am God" Vincent said, letting himself fall straight back onto the sand,
"I mean, how do you handle hanging out with such a supreme specimen of physical fitness? Seriously, your self-esteem must be shot to pieces!"
"Oh yeah,"said Mitch quietly, delicately seating himself next to Vincent on the cold, rough sand. "You're a real stud."
"Right, pretty boy, I hear that sarcastic tone. Just you wait, when I'm the most famous mercenary of all time you'll be eating your words."
The ocean breeze tumbled over the beach, gently tousling Mitch's golden curls as he distractedly bit his bottom lip.
"So your still set on that plan? Your going to travel to that new city, Midgar, to be a mercenary?"
"Definitely. All I need to do is find a way to break the news to my mother. I mean, all my memories from a little kid are her telling me to never leave her. I'm afraid how she's going to react, but whatever happens there's no way I'm spending my whole life in this little shit hole town."
Mitch turned his tanned face to the ocean nervously, and Vincent had to stifle a chuckle. Even though he was 16 years old, Mitch Mitchner still got slightly uncomfortable when someone swore around him.
Raised with strict morals, he was the appidimy politeness and put thought into every word he said whereas Vincent tended to be reckless, and had no patience for social customs and pretences.
Yet, despite Vincent's utter disdain for society, years of living among the enemy had worn off and everything about him defined the word aristocratic. True, he was what some may call a "rebel", but made up for his unsociable manner wholly on his looks.
Vincent had grown quite a bit since the age of eight, and now stood about an inch below Mitch. Which was unusual since Mitch was already about six feet tall and wasthree years older than Vincent.
The tips of the teen's smooth, raven hair just barely touched his shoulders and caused his face to be shockingly pale in comparison. His skin was blemish free and almost looked unreal, as if Vincent was carved from a block of marble. These attributes, coupled with his deep, red eyes, made Vincent a handsome, yet very different looking young man.
Vincent impatiently pushed himself up off the ground, and turned around to face Mitch.
Sometimes he couldn't help but be jealous of his best friend. With his Apollonian looks and incredibly bright smile, Mitch was one of the most charismatic people he had ever met.
Not that Vincent had vast experience with the human race in general, but he just had a feeling that Mitch was special somehow. At this very moment Mitch's hair was being blown back from his face, and was a bright halo shooting light in every direction.
Yes, the Apollo look-a-like presented such an amiable figure, that he above all others was able to maintain his popularity in Sherybine, even though he associated with Vincent.
Something about the teen's slightly nervous manner and genuine niceness melted even the hearts of the rigid citizens of Sherybine.
"Hey Vincent?"said Mitch, still staring out at the ocean,
"When you leave…Can I come with you?"
"Why?" Vincent replied, picking a seashell up off the ground and skipping it across the serene waters.
"I… I've grown tired of this town, too. I want to see the world. Everything I can! I have always dreamed of crossing the ocean one day, and just living, you know? I want to help people. I want show my artwork to the world." Mitch's face flushed at this and he halted in his speech.
"Go on!" Vincent urged, "Your oil paintings are amazing, and I'm sure that all the people in the real world will love them."
"Yes… I would like to be a painter, or some sort of physician maybe. Not a soldier or anything like that. I don't want to fight, I just want everyone to be happy."
"An admirable wish," Vincent sighed, running his long fingers through his dark hair, "But Mitch, not everyone's like you. I mean the majority aren't. I mean… the whole human race is twisted, greedy… they only look out for themselves and deep down are just as savage as the monsters they hunt."
Vincent expected an angry retort from Mitch, but all he received was a benign, understanding smile.
"You don't mean that, Vincent. You have just had a very hard life from a young age, you will see. As soon as we get out of this godforsaken town we will experience all the joys to be had from humanity."
Vincent was unconvinced but responded, "Sure, you're right Mitch. I'm just a jaded son of a bitch is all. Ignore me."
Mitch looked relieved and said quietly, "Vincent, you know mercenaries have to kill, right? So what will you do ifsomeone you're supposed to assassinate is a good person. I mean, how will you be able to kill anyone at all?"
"Please, Mitch. I will not be that type of mercenary. I'll… I'll just do odd jobs, you know? Stuff like that. I don't plan on killing anyone."
"Really?"
"Don't worry so much! It's not like I'm gonna turn into some cold-blooded killing machine, and murder you!"
"Promise?"
Vincent rolled his eyes.
"Promise."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The moonlight rippled over the ocean, and Vincent slunk his head lower into his sweater as he watched the light dancing on the water.
Mitch had left long ago, and despite many protests on his part wasunable to get Vincent to join him.Vincent didn't feel like going back to the manor to see his mom ripping her hair out in worry, and he didn't want to try to talk to his totally unresponsive dad.
Besides, the last time he had stayed at the beach late a certain someone had wandered is way.
Vincent's breath caught in his throat just at the thought of her, and mentally reprimanded himself for being such a loser.
Lucrecia.
Even her name was beautiful. It reminded him of the moon, shining through the clouds at night. Of all the mysterious and wondrous things, that lay hidden in the darkest forests in deepest canyons.
A light in the dark.
Vincent bit his lip, and hugged himself because it was getting very cold out.
"She's probably not coming." He said aloud, and moodily kicked a crab that was crawling towards him.
The first chance meeting at the beach had been amazing.
Sure, it was awkward at first, but that was to be expected since Vincent was the one who had severely beaten her older brother, and was the source of all evil... according to Cristal Auschwitz.
Yet, once the tension had passed, they had spoken of all their deepest thoughts and desires.
It turns out Lucrecia hated the arrogance of her mother and brother, yet still found it in her heart to defend them. She was the sweetest, kindest person Vincent had ever met. She gave him hope that there were other genuinely good people, besides Mitch and the Nelsons.
Suddenly he glanced up and the object of his affection was standing right before him.
She smiled, and Vincent wondered at it's luminescence.
He quickly took everything in.
Her long, wavy white blond hair fluttered behind her, stray strands drifting across her warm, brown eyes. She was wearing a long white shift, that in Vincent's opinion made her look like an angel that had tumbled from the heavens.
He smiled wryly when he thought that Lucrecia would definitely be the type to stumble from heaven. She was a little spacey, and at that very moment tripped delicately and fell softly next to Vincent.
Lucrecia accomplished all tasks proficiently, yet it always seemed as if it all happened by accident.
Say, she would be cooking soup, she would be distracted by a fly in a spider's clutches and whilst she was saving the poor thing's life, the pale haired girl would lose her balance and the soup would fly into the air but miraculously every drop would return to its proper place. Then she would proceed to charmingly fumble her way about, into ultimately completing the task without a single drop spilt.
It wasn't that Lucrecia was a klutz, she just was often distracted by the color of the sky or an intricate design of a carpet to ever pay attention to silly things like chores and obligations.
Vincent turned to Lucrecia and smiled his most brilliant smile.
She smiled too, and blushed when Vincent took her hand in his.
For once in her life, Lucrecia didn't look distracted as Vincent leaned towards her his lips inches away from her.
They stayed out until twilight, much to the chagrin of both their families, but were young and in love and didn't care in the slightest.
Awwww so sweet! Sorry Lucrecia didn't talk... I was too into writing about Mitch, and got lazy at the end. Don't worry she will talk much more in other parts. There was a little bit of foreshadowing in this chapter, so see if you can spot it! ...hehe it's pretty obvious, so I bet everyone figured it out.
P.S. Don't you love Jax's outfit?
P.P.S. Mitch Mitchner is my favorite character in the whole world (besides Vincent)
P.P.P.S. Read and Review! I need your reviews to keep this story goin! Also, the next chapter is gonna have many twist and eye openers so I need emotional support to get off my ass and write!