Chapter Three: True

Awakening from his sleep, he breathed in the fresh scent of moist grass. The sensations of the damp, dewy morning mean that it was another day. He basked in nature's peace and warmth, and it was something he could not describe. But it nature did not compare with the warmth of the body beside him.

Opening his eyes, he could see a shadowy presence of blurriness before he was able to adjust his vision from his sleep. Everything in sight looked similar the night before, but there was no sign of the Claymore.

Despite having scanned the entire vicinity, she was nowhere to be found. He noted something to himself, why did his chest feel so… snug. Disregarding the whereabouts of Flora, he glanced down and found something that he believed was a mirage.

Under his cloak-like-blanket was something lying on his chest. Golden locks of hair were spread across his leather garment. It also covered the face of the suspicious sleeper.

"What the…" Vincent questioned, looking down at the mysterious being.

He could not recall the previous night after he slept, but the glimmering images of his dream were as clear as the morning dew. He did not wish to indulge his own fantasy, but he could not help it.

He realized something else. He released the woman's body; yet after he had removed his hands, he felt something that he hadn't thought of since his first awakening. He felt… incomplete?

Brushing aside her fringe, he finally uncovered the loveliness of Flora's face. Her fragrant scent ravaged his senses. The sweet skin of hers invited him to taste it, to kiss it. He removed his glove from his hand, something he hadn't done in awhile. Staring down at his exposed skin and flesh, he was a monster within that lusted for blood and destruction, but somehow he was glad he was control such urges and continue to keep his form of a human. Looking at his hand was proof that he was still human by heart.

"Maybe I can still feel what humans would," he encouraged himself, wondering if his emotions were yet to be forgotten. Aching to place his hand upon her clothed body, he gently moved his hand up and down her back. The fabric of her suit was tight around her body. It was exhilarating as he felt his blood pumped quickly throughout his body.

The ghost of her touch stirred him. He had revealed his true face and discarded his mask. To his surprise, because of his actions, Flora cooed in comfort from his soft touch on her back. To hear such a sound coming from her was somewhat… adorable?

Vincent only realized that his actions were similar thirty years ago. The time he spent with her… Lucrecia. The burden of that thought destroyed the relaxation he had just acquired. An odd feeling overtook him as he returned his gaze at his own hand. His eyes wandered back at what he was touching.

Her hips… these hips of hers were perfectly shaped and feminine. Sexual temptations slowly lingered into his thoughts now. Clasping down his eyes shut, to expel those regrettable images that haunted his mind.

Then suddenly, it did; somewhat. Vincent pressed his mentality to balance his essence. The impure thoughts soon evaporated. He had imagined Flora in sinful ways his inner devil would see her as such. But, the picture changed; under a crisp blue sky with a few strayed clouds overhead and the setting sun, he was near a grassy cliff of a sea, and there at the edge of the land, he saw her as a gentle angel like in his dream the night before, the angel who wore a silk thin strapped sleeveless white dress. A dress that flowed to her ankles soared with the wind's breeze and her glimmering blond hair also flew into the direction of nature's call. The scene was calming, but moreover it brought him to his senses.

Vincent's vital signs normalized with his mind in tranquility, opening his eyes looking down the tender woman.

Abruptly, Flora began to stir, fidgeting in the confinement in his arms, and opening her eyes to meet upon his gaze on her. Believing her dream of the night still continued, she tried to touch his face. She grazed her hand slowly tracing his jaw; taking some time before Flora realized she was awake and it was no dream.

It was unknown to Vincent why he would let her do such a thing but frankly, he enjoyed her touch.

"Vincent…" Flora whispered tenderly.

The way she spoke his name was as if it came from her heart, and it struck him emotionally. Clasping his hand on hers, he also replied. "Good morning, Flora." Not as heartfelt as he thought, but it was better than his usual emotionless voice.

Flora staggered in response, "Oh, good morning, Vincent." Looking up at his composed complexion, she felt embarrassed that he had woken before she did in order to pry herself free from his cage. "Sorry; I hope I wasn't a nuisance in your sleep. You... pulled me to sleep in your arms unconsciously," She apologized sincerely, trying to break off the connection.

"No… let's stay like this for now. It is somewhat… comforting to feel your presence close to me." He gently tightened his grip on her arms holding her steady.

She felt an emotion emitting from the rigid warrior. He wished for her company even after she had just slept with him. She didn't know what to think, sleeping with him was one thing, but spending her waking moments with him was also her desire.

"It's rather early in the day, I suppose; perhaps I can stay like this until the sun rises," she said smiling, placing her head back to its rightful place.

Flora heard him spoke quietly, "You remind me of her..." and startled her a bit.

She desired to know everything about Vincent, "Whom do you speak of?" she liked to know; she wanted to know. Much to his dismay he wasn't expecting her to hear him or even mentioned about this to her, but since she had asked he was going to answer her questions.

Vincent gazed into the forest as he told his story, "Thirty years ago before I had entered my deep sleep and before I became what I am, there was a woman whom I cared deeply for. She was the one who saved my life."

Flora nodded in remembrance of their first conversation before they began this journey, "You carry the entity known as Chaos."

"Yes. In exchange for my life I now carry her legacy. She devoted her research to the pursuit of Omega and Chaos, which are existences essential for my planet. This was her life's work. Her name was Dr. Lucrecia Crescent."

Looking up at him she remembered whom he spoke of. "I assume it is the same Lucrecia Crescent, the one mentioned on your 'phone'?"

He nodded, "We spent time like this, sharing one another. She was full of life and brought happiness. She would pull herself away from work in order to pull me away as well. She would want me to take walks with her through gardens of lilies. It was the only time I felt in joy because I was with her. She felt the same way too. Now, all those events are now in the past… and memories."

She knew in agreement of his experience with Lucrecia. "I also enjoyed these times with my family," she confessed.

"Your family?"

Nodding and remembering the memories of her past, "Yes, when I was very small, my father, mother and my elder big brother always went on trips such as this one. We would spend many happy moments together. My brother and I would play by the trees and my father would cherish my mother's love. We would hold each other to keep ourselves warm from the cold nights. Sadly, on the final trip…" She began her story normally, but soon her voice became unsteady.

"We were approached by a stranger; we believed he needed our help. He was a yoma in disguise; my father tried to fight him as my mother hurried brother and I out of the yoma's sight. The yoma soon caught up to us, and then, before I knew it…my father was dead. My mother flung herself at the monster as she instructed my brother to protect me. Obedient as he was, he brought me far away as possible, still it caught up."

She pushed herself up from his body and looked into the view in front of her as if the scene was flashing before her eyes. "I knew my mother was no longer of this world too. Wasting no time, he threw me into hiding as I watched him face off against it. Like my father carried a sword with him. Unable to put up much of a resistance due to the yoma larger and stronger frame than my brother was. The yoma caught my brother from behind and slowly clawed his flesh ripping his body. My brother was in its grip, he didn't resist to the yoma's brutality. I couldn't understand it at first, but he was smiling towards me; I didn't know why he was even smiling. Then he had another hidden sword unnoticed by either me or the yoma, I realized he too would keep me safe. With his free hand, he… he killed himself by stabbing upwards through his heart and into the yoma's head. Blood was everywhere. He fell onto the ground face down in the pool of blood he drenched in while the yoma fell on the opposite side. Somehow the yoma was still living; my brother had pierced its face, but not enough to kill him. And I…"

"Flora… you're crying," he interrupted.

He took noticed of Flora's emotional state. She wasn't aware that this traumatic event is causing her a great deal of discomfort enough to shed tears.

"You do not need to continue anymore, this event was too traumatic for you to recall," Vincent assured her.

Ignoring his concern, she pressed on. "I removed the blade impaled in my brother and gave the final blow to the yoma's head. I stabbed the sword right through its head. When I did it I knew nothing more than hate, anger, fear, sorrow. The emotions of a human… with those, I finally cut off its head but that was not all, I lost it. I lost control of myself then. I couldn't stop mutilating it."

Her tears wouldn't stop flowing as she grasped him by the arms tightly. Feeling slightly hurt from the pressure, he looked into the depth of her eyes. His amber eyes met with the watery silver ones.

"We have all been through the vengeance for the death of someone. Your family came down to the resolution that your brother and you could be save, except then only you were the one that could be saved. Your brother smiled because he knew you would live on. Their sacrifice was not in vain, Flora; you standing before me as their daughter and sister is living proof. A brave young woman, who is now a warrior, that protect others from the feelings you have endured. To continue to fight for vengeance is a disgrace to their memory. Your raison d'être is why should you continue is the reason why you are alive."

It seemed as if an elderly man was soothing her, after all he was over sixty years old. Unable to take it anymore, she flung forwards. Taken by his reason, she cried into his chest.

"Thank you Vincent… but that is why I am living. I know you mean well, I assure you I am aware of their sacrifice. That is why I continue to fight, to live." Her tears soon halted their flow, and her voice soared with .

He felt what he had forgotten as he hugged her softly. What he saw in her was not intentionally what he wanted, but what he needed. This woman lying in his arms was the tranquility he longed for. For the first time in his life, he had forgotten all his sins and felt forgiven. He never thought forgiving himself would ever bring him his peace.

A friend asked him once some years ago, "if one could forgive oneself?" Lucrecia… even she wanted him to forgive himself. Nothing was to be blamed.

"Thank you for making me feel human again…" Their hug tightend, as they both knew what was it like to embrace as human, to understand their true nature.

They lingered like this for a little while longer. She wanted to remain like this for the rest of the day, but she turned away from Vincent. She headed over to her neatly tidied organization attire and began dressing herself. Vincent was in a state of confusion, because he didn't know why she would abruptly wreck a peaceful moment.

"Flora?" he asked.

She had her back turned at him when she put on her armor. "Duty calls, Vincent," she said to him turning around smiling at him, "There's a mission to exterminate I must do in the city of Morella which is only less than half the morning hours walk from here. It's also along our path to the north."

Vincent also got up, but felt his body was still asleep. Stretching his limbs and neck, he holstered his weapons in place, giving Flora the courtesy nod, "Lead the way."

*****

Vincent observed from within the crowd. He watched as Flora began her mission, she said that five monsters were feeding off the humans of this town. There wasn't a monster in sight when they entered the city, until Flora had struck and killed a human who was conversing with another. She drew her sword faster than anyone he knew. As soon as the human was cut diagonally, blood spewed out from the corpse emptying its body of its fluids.

People began crying out in terror once Flora killed the human. At first he thought they were screaming in terror and confusion at the sight of the purple blood that covered the grounds around her. No, they were screaming out, calling her murderer, a human killing-machine.

People from left and right accidently tumbled over, because Vincent stood in their way like an obstacle to overcome, Four soldiers came out of the terrified crowd and charged at Flora with their spears drawn.

Flora effortlessly cut the spearheads off their weapons, and took a swing at them. They evaded, keeping their distance from the blond warrior. These four soldiers became enraged, their bodies became engorged with muscular flesh, tearing away their uniforms and their light armor snapping from the stress of the larger body mass. Their skin changed to a muddy brown and their hands were twice as large sharpened with claw-like fingers. Their eyes were also similar to structure that of a cat due to their golden eye color and the slit apertures.

They growled and howled in retaliation, their fangs and claws stretched out giving them a more gruesome image against the Claymore. Vincent kept his hand on Cerberus as a precaution. Prior to entering Morella, Vincent remembered what she asked of him. "Please don't interfere with my job to slay the yomas or come to my rescue when needed. They hide in the crowds and only I can find them."

He gave his word he wouldn't intervene, but precaution couldn't hurt. By now, the citizens around watched as the five begun to fight. She started with her preemptive strike, killing one, the remaining four who posed as city guards all attacked at once.

She put back her sword and just held the handle firmly. Everyone thought she was out of her mind, leaving herself as an easy target, but kept her grip on her sword. They ran fast at her, bearing their fangs and claws for the shared kill. A series of sword slashing was heard, but seemed like nothing happened except a gust of wind blew Flora's hair around before it settled again. In fact, the large brutes ran passed her as she remained where she was. A split second later, the yomas stumbled over with purple blood ejecting out of the injuries. They released an agonized cry before succumbing to death.

A woman cried out in fright at the first body and the crowd paid attention to the fallen human, finally noticing that it was not human after all. It physical appearance changed to that of the other four who posed as city guards.

The crowd remained quiet as Vincent examined the humans, expecting some sort of praise or gratitude. All he heard was despicable narrow-minded thinking.

"Amazing, so this is the power of the silver-eyed witches. Only monsters can kill monsters, it's a fact." A citizen muttered.

"Still, this one is quite the looker. Wouldn't mind ravaging that body of hers if I had the chance to," another spoke quietly.

He heard many similar comments about Flora, there was no sense of genuine gratitude from the populace of this city. "Was saving these lives even worth it?" he thought as he eyed each individual citizen.

"Um, thank you for dispatching the yomas so quickly." A short middle-aged man with a beard walked up to Flora with a massive bag of what appears to be payment for the job.

"All yomas have been eliminated in this city." Flora spoke gently, "You may give the money to the one who collects the payment afterwards. A mysterious man dressed in black will pass by to collect, give it to him."

The man nodded nervously and backed away from her. Agitation grew amongst the humans; to them she was no better than a monster. Frightened by her half-yoma side, they never considered looking at the other half.

He observed a little longer, she only stood there symbolizing herself as a stigma to the ones she saved. He made eye contact with her, signaling her would be best to leave now. Flora turned and headed for the city's entrance where they came in. The crowd moved aside for her giving her the passage out of their homes.

Vincent walked out of the crowded area and waited to meet up with Flora. She came by and he walked beside her, causing the people to murmuring with one another, commenting her as they went pass the mass..

"Why do you bother helping them?" he muttered to her. The mass gave signs and expression of disgust and such. Possibly thinking why someone would associate with a Claymore, but Vincent and Flora just ignored them. "They do not express thanks in a proper way."

"It's my job, there's no changing it," Flora replied, "Just ignore the remarks."

Very soon, the people decided it would be best to continue on with their daily lives and pretend they did not existed in the first place, luckily the heavy tension died down as they came closer in leaving the city.

A sly looking man with two of his goons snickered at his remark about Vincent and Flora vulgarly. "He probably fucks that slutty body of hers at night. I can only wonder what kind of sexual performance she could do for him."

Vincent overheard the comment, and knew Flora probably heard it as well. Vincent stopped in his tracks and turned to glare demonically at the one who said it. The man panicked along with his associates as their legs turned jelly. The glare was powerful enough to make his blood pressure rise significantly. Flora placed her hand on his arm, gently squeezing it. "Let's just go."

He signaled them to leave his sights, and they hurried in compliance.

They made their way to the edge of the city without another disturbance. Flora saw a small family of three siblings and a baby at the edge of the city on the side of the road. Like them, they were nothing more than discarded members of society.

The family was comprised of two older girls who looked no more than fourteen and sixteen years old. Both were similar in appearance with their long brunette hair but their height differed. One was carrying a bundled baby infant with a baby strap holding onto the infant, and the other holding the hand of a little boy. The little brother who didn't look more than four years old with messy sandy color hair, while they all have the same shade brown eyes. They looked like a mess, their clothes torn and ripped, and it didn't look like they hadn't eaten in a while.

The little boy watched as they approached them. The older sister hushed the boy, but he couldn't resist saying anything. "You say Claymores scary people. She very beautiful!" he said.

In an instance, Flora stopped to look at the young child who commented her beauty, but the older sister hushed him and held him close to her. The boy struggled to break free from her sister's grasp and ran up to the Claymore. "Pretty lady you kill the monster took mama and papa from us?"

Flora knelt to the boy's height, "I did. Is this your family?" Flora gave him a smile and the boy nodded, pointing at the two sisters who kept their distance. Vincent noticed the sister carrying the baby sibling using a belt. The baby whimpered in distress as the sister tried to calm the infant.

"Is he-" Vincent began.

"S-She… it's a she," the sister corrected him on the gender of the baby still frightened of Vincent.

Vincent apologized then continued, "Sorry, is she sick?" The sisters nodded, but the boy remained cheerful for some reason.

"Big bwoder is working to get her feel better," he stated.

Flora didn't know why she felt saddened by this: their mother and father butchered by the yomas, the older brother was working to maintain his brother and three sisters, and their young baby sister was ill.

Flora reached behind her cloak and pulled out a head size handbag and walked over to the sisters and handed to her. "Take it…" Flora simply stated to them. "Use this to get a warm place to stay, food on the table, and your sister treated by a doctor."

Peering into the bag, left the sisters in shock by the size of currency Flora had just handed to them. This was unorthodox to be charitable. She didn't save them from the yoma nor had she taken revenge for them, but she couldn't abandon them. "This should last you for several weeks. It is not a permanent solution, but it's a stepping stone."

"T-t-thank you!" they bowed their heads repeatedly at Flora. Flora raised her hands in protest that she needed not be thanked, but then, the little boy unpredictably attached himself onto her leg hugging her tightly, Flora never felt such appreciation since she was a child.

As the siblings continued to give Flora gratified thanks, Vincent took noticed of the belt the baby sister was bundled in: a leather belt-like wrapping with a front that covers the lower stomach section. What got his attention was the fat front part had a logo embedded in the clothing accessory… a SOLDIER emblem.

"Beg your pardon, where did you get this belt?" Vincent hastily asked. The sister pointed at the belt that carried the baby.

"Well, big brother said that he found it at some wreckage beneath some cliffs off the passage to the North in Talvian Forest. I can't specifically say where though."

Flora looked at Vincent to confirm if it's a clue to his mission. "We should really go now, please take care of the little ones." Flora tried to free herself from the boy's grasp, and with the help of the older sister, they were able to pry him off her leg.

The little boy waved goodbye to the red and grey warriors with Flora returning the gesture while Vincent ignored him. They left the city walls and began to discuss their course of action now.

"How far is Talvian Forest from here?" Vincent asked Flora for the directions.

Flora stated, "It's roughly less than two hours or so to reach there, but Talvian Forest is a vast forest. Was that belt special or something?"

"Indeed, the belt is a common armament for a SOLDIER's attire. The symbol of SOLDIER was embedded in the front portion of the belt. If some evidence that SOLDIER have truly been here, then there would be a connection to the missing materia. We should begin to head there now."

Flora once again guided Vincent to his desired location. Reaching Talvian Forest, they entered and continued on the path and tried to find some sort of distinctive landmark or clues that would veer Vincent to what he searching for. During their tedious search, they talked much about the marvels of their two distinctive worlds.

"So if what you have slain is a yoma, then what was the thing I fought the day before?" Vincent asked as he trailed behind Flora.

"It was an Awakened Being; the final form of my kin," Flora replied. "The monsters we faced today were mere yoma; they are natural inhabitants of the land."

"And you take upon the flesh of these yoma in order to become a Claymore. A bit extreme to put in a piece of foreign flesh into a human isn't it?" Vincent asked Flora.

"We are not called Claymores," Flora repeatedly reminded him.

"I have to call your species something other than 'warriors'. And since the term Claymore is commonly used by humans I might as well call your kind Claymore as well, even though you do not acknowledge the title given to you." Vincent stated his argument.

She sighed accepting the term Claymore, "If you wish to call us that," then she resumed to answer his question, "You can be correct on several factors, but the highest priority is to eliminate the threat of yoma. Most humans would run from a yoma than to fight it, and those that have fought a yoma usually ended up dying or were left to die from injuries. There needed to be a weapon that can combat these yomas and creating a weapon from yoma's flesh was the solution they have come up with."

"SOLDIER was a similar procedure, though it was not to protect peoples or nations, but profit. Every SOLDIER is injected with mako cells that increase the status of humans: strength, power, speed, reaction, and healing abilities. They are elite solders that allow the rich to maintain dominance over others for power and profit," Vincent explained, allowing Flora to feel more at ease because she did not originate from his world.

"Actually, in a way, SOLDIER and Claymores are alike. Every time we are called to eliminate a yoma in a town, it costs a fortune. We can deplete an entire town's profit in order to take out a yoma. I merely kill yomas, because that is the reason 'Claymores' exists," Flora replied giving her theory about the two types of warriors.

Vincent suddenly stopped Flora. "What is it?" Flora asked Vincent; she could tell that he had spotted something.

"Over there," Vincent said pointing in the direction of a cliff in a clearing east of their location. He holstered his weapon and slowly made his way over with Flora following close behind. At the bottom of the cliff were some trees covering a wreckage that speared the ground, a narrow black metallic object impaled to the ground.

"What is that?" Flora asked Vincent, unsure what it was.

"Here, hold onto me, Flora," Vincent told her as he returned his weapon to his holster and lift Flora off her feet. She allowed his hands drift onto her body as she clutch a rigid grip onto her sword so that it wouldn't poke Vincent in any unwanted places. She made no complaint as he touched her, knowing it was of no use to do so. Taking a step forward, Vincent fell rapidly to the near bottomless ground. He used anything that was of use to control the velocity of his landing onto the ground.

There was a light tap on the ground as he landed and placed Flora back onto her feet. Before Flora could even ask, Vincent identified what the object was, "A Black Hawk class helicopter."

The Black Hawk is a four bladed rotary aircraft, a black body with four doors: two pilot-side doors two sliding doors in behind. The helicopter looked as if it crashed from a nose dive since the nose was flatly crushed. The most of the windows were shattered, and the metallic alloy was rusting in several proportions of the aircraft due to abandonment of the craft with no one to maintain it.

"What is a 'helicopter' used for?" Flora asked examining the object's design.

Vincent explained, "Black Hawks are used in various situations. In this case, since there are no signs of exterior weapon equipments, it looked like the purpose of this one was personnel transportation like a horse carriage."

"How does it transport people?"

He explained how helicopters are faster than normal means of transport, such as using animals, or natural powered engines like wind. He also explained that helicopters fly through the sky instead of the ground or sea to her and her reaction was one word, "Fascinating."

Near the crash sight, were seven decomposed corpses. "From the looks of the wreckage and the corpses, seemed the crash happened two to three years ago," Vincent explained.

Flora examined the corpses carefully and found something interesting. "I can sense yoki residue in the remains; these corpses could possibly be yomas."

Vincent went into the overturned helicopter. Most of the outer frame was rusted, but the interior was still preserved. There was some dried blood in the helicopter but Vincent paid no attention to that.

He checked the cockpit for any sort of information. "What's a Shinra Helicopter doing here on this world?" he wondered out loud. Miraculously the navigational system was still operational, so he turned it on to identify if there was a destination and a point of origin.

Once Vincent gathered the required information, he joined Flora outside where she waited for him patiently. "I must head west of here that is where its origin is from." Flora nodded in his response; she was willing to guide him to his required location. "But first, I should remove all traces of this..." Vincent said pulling out his Griffon.

Taking a few steps back, Vincent fired at the helicopter's fuel tanks, causing what remained of the fuel to gush outwards. He used the one of his materia, this time it was wielding the power of lighting. She shot his hand towards the leaking fuel, and a bolt of lighting expelled from his hand. The lighting struck the fuel causing a trail of fire leading to back to the fuel tanks, but the lighting traveled into the helicopter as a series of electronic explosions occurred inside and outside of the Black Hawk. Almost immediately, the entire vehicle was engulfed in flames.

"I can't allow traces of technology in the wrong hands. This can lead to devastating results if it's wrongfully used," Vincent told Flora.

"I doubt there's anyone that can use this anyways," Flora replied. They were not even at the state of making things such as these. "What about the bodies?" She looked over the corpses that lay before them.

"They may be connected, but they serve no purpose," Vincent spoke of their possible relation to his mission, but they proved no worth as decayed corpses.

They threw the bodies into the fire, and then continued to head west following the strongest evidence so far. A burst of a large explosion was heard from behind them. A small gush of wind blew, making trees rattle their leaves and the grass creating waves. But Vincent ignored the aftereffects of the explosion of what he believed to be from the helicopter fuel tanks. He knew there would be just debris left, and nothing salvageable. But, he paid more attention to what was at hand.

"Perhaps I can finally have a lead now…"