Chapter Six: Tension

When Lucrecia finally returned from her errands, her arms full of books and other purchases she'd made, she was a bit surprised to see that Vincent was already home. Then again, she had stayed out a lot longer than expected. After spending quite a while at the library choosing fresh reading material, she'd found a bench along the harbor and settled in to begin a particularly interesting memoir, enjoying the beautiful weather and quickly losing herself in the story. While she didn't mind living in virtual darkness for Vincent's sake, sometimes she needed to get out and take in the sunlight and daytime activities of the base. When she had finally decided to continue on her shopping trip she'd run into Aeris along Main Street, planting flowers with two of the former Turks. They'd talked for a while, and Lucrecia was thrilled to learn that Sephiroth had accompanied Vincent on his task.

She was grinning for the rest of the afternoon as she bought a few items for their basement apartment, still determined to make it less dreary and more like a proper home. She was convinced it would make Vincent feel more normal and alive, even if he'd likely never react to any of it. His apartment in Midgar all those years before had been nearly barren aside from basic furnishings, but at least it hadn't felt like a dungeon where he'd tried to hide himself from the rest of humanity. Lucrecia had so many wonderful memories of that apartment, and she smiled as she thought of all the new ones they were creating in their new surroundings. It really didn't matter where they were, she knew, only that they were together.

She set her bags down on a small table just inside the door, her eyes trailing over Vincent's long red cloak and noticing several large, dark stains upon it that had not been present before. She frowned, worried that it was blood yet again. She hoped he hadn't been injured, making a mental note to wash it for him later. The cloak was old, tattered and well-worn, and Vincent never seemed to care what condition it was in. But Lucrecia did, and she'd made it her mission to try to keep it somewhat presentable. She didn't understand why he insisted on wrapping himself in the dreadful thing, as if he were trying to hide away from the world. But if it made him comfortable, she accepted it as part of him… as long as it at least remained laundered so it wasn't covered in blood and the gods only knew what else.

As she removed her shoes and crossed the room, wondering where Vincent was, she heard the shower running. She supposed monster hunting was dirty work, not that she had any such experience. Shrugging to herself, she retrieved the book she'd started earlier and headed for the couch, settling in to read as she waited for him.

She quickly became so engrossed that she lost track of time as she often did, almost failing to notice when the bathroom door opened and Vincent emerged. She closed her book and set it aside, grinning widely and climbing to her feet with intentions of throwing her arms around him in a ferocious hug. She paused after taking a few steps toward him, however, a quiet gasp escaping her lips. He looked utterly exhausted, and several long, deep scratches ran from his right shoulder down toward his chest. He seemed surprised to find her there and quickly attempted to slip his shirt on over his head. She wasn't sure if he was trying to cover the wound, or all of the disfiguring scars carved into his body. They were still difficult for her to look at, but she had quickly learned not to react or allow her eyes to linger. This time, however, her eyes were drawn to the fresh injury, and Lucrecia was instantly at his side. She reached out and took a hold of his forearm, preventing him from covering himself.

"Oh my gods, you're hurt!" she exclaimed with worry, leaning in to take a closer look at the wound. It didn't appear very serious and was no longer bleeding, but it still looked painful and angry. She frowned, hating how he so often placed himself in harm's way. He seemed to have little regard for his own safety at times, something that concerned her greatly.

"It's minor and already healing," he quickly assured her, gently removing his arm from her grasp and quickly pulling on his shirt. "I am fine."

Lucrecia frowned doubtfully, studying his face and noting the way he was avoiding her eyes. He seemed distant, almost cold, and combined with how exhausted he appeared she was instantly worried about him. Something more had clearly happened that afternoon, but she already knew she'd likely never be able to pry the information out of him unless he felt like telling her. It was so frustrating, how he would often clam up and refuse to share his thoughts and feelings with her. At times he could be quite open and honest… but there were moments when she felt he was a stranger whose mind was millions of miles away. She fought to withhold a sigh, shaking her head slightly. She didn't want to start an argument, not when she'd missed him so badly.

Instead she stepped forward and wrapped her slender arms around his neck, moving in close against his body. He seemed a bit surprised and remained tense for a moment, but before long she felt him exhale with relief as his arms found their way around her.

"I missed you," she said quietly, aware of what an understatement that was. She hoped that he was as well. Time spent apart was almost physically painful, even when much of their time together remained awkward. It had only been two months, she reminded herself… After all they had been through, she knew it would just take time.

"I missed you too," he replied, resting his chin atop her head and tightening his embrace. "I am relieved to be home with you and out of the sun."

Lucrecia smiled and lifted her head to meet his eyes. He was much less guarded now, though the weariness was still visible. "I heard from Aeris that you took Sephiroth with you today."

Vincent nodded, one corner of his mouth twitching upward. "I thought that would please you, my love."

"I'm so glad you two spent some time together… even if it was killing monsters. Did everything go all right? And how did you get hurt?"

"It went very well. I believe we've gotten rid of almost all of the creatures that were harassing the town. Sephiroth and I work well together."

"And your shoulder…?"

"I allowed one of the creatures to get too close."

Lucrecia realized that was as much of an answer as she was going to get, briefly chewing on her lower lip to avoid becoming frustrated with him. Vincent had never been very talkative, but after thirty years separated he was often nearly mute. Being shy herself and still trying to adjust to everything that had happened between them, Lucrecia often lacked the courage and conversation skills to draw things out of him, and she frowned at the awkward silence that hung in the air even as they continued to embrace. Their relationship was incredible, yet often felt so conflicted. There was such an odd mixture of closeness and distance, of familiarity and strangeness, that at times Lucrecia was unsure of exactly where they stood. They couldn't bear to be apart for even a few hours, yet when they were together she found herself worrying that Vincent would prefer to be alone.

"I picked up a few things for the house," she finally said, more to fill the silence than anything else. She stepped back from him a bit reluctantly and crossed the room to where she'd left her purchases, rummaging through one of the bags as she spoke. "I found some curtains for the window, and got some cleaning supplies so I can get rid of more of the dust and cobwebs."

She could feel Vincent watching her closely, though he didn't move from where he stood and offered no comment. She hoped he wasn't offended by her desire to improve their living quarters, realizing he would never tell her even if he was. She thought it more likely that he was simply indifferent, willing to allow her to make any changes she wished if they made her happy. That was just his way. He always put himself second to the needs of the one he loved most. It was endearing and infuriating at the same time. It made it so hard to know how to make him happy…

As she dug through one of the bags searching through her purchases, Lucrecia suddenly yanked back her right hand as the edge of something sharp sliced into her index finger. "Ouch!" she exclaimed, holding her injured hand in the other as a thin trail of blood began to run from the small cut. "Darn it, I'm so clumsy," she muttered to herself, frowning at the injury.

Vincent was immediately at her side, leaning over her shoulder to take a gentle hold of her wounded hand. "Are you all right?" he asked, studying her bleeding finger to gage how serious a cut it was. She was touched by his concern for her, instantly forgetting the pain and filled with an indescribable warmth. To know he cared so deeply for her would never cease to affect her so strongly.

"There was a sharp edge on something in the bag, that's all," she said, retrieving a tissue from her pocket. As she pressed it to the side of her finger to stop the bleeding, Vincent's grip on her hand suddenly tightened painfully. She winced, about to say something when she turned and looked up into his face. Her eyes widened and her heart began to race at what she saw.

Vincent was staring intensely at the thin trail of blood that ran down the side of her finger, his eyes glazed and unfocused. Their red coloring seemed just a bit deeper, and his features were set with visible tension. Through his grip, she could feel that he was trembling, and his pale complexion had taken on a frighteningly grayish-purple hue. Lucrecia swallowed hard, stunned to silence and unable to free herself from his hold. She had never been afraid in his presence before, feeling tears begin to burn her eyes. She remained completely still, paralyzed by fear and uncertainty and unable to compute what was happening to her lover right before her eyes.

Then as quickly as it began, Vincent seemed to shake himself out of whatever trance had taken its hold and quickly dropped her hand, taking several hurried steps backwards and staring at her with wide eyes. He appeared alarmed and badly shaken, turning his back and quickly crossing the room as if he needed to get as far away from her as possible.

"I will get you a bandage," she thought she heard him mumble as he entered the bathroom. She stared after him, holding onto her wounded hand as her heart continued to race and her stomach churned. What had just happened? Vincent had been himself, though he seemed tired and a bit evasive about the events of the day, and then suddenly he had looked so intense and frightening that Lucrecia's legs continued to tremble beneath her. She had never seen him react in such a way before. He was so different than he had been thirty years before, and he definitely had strange habits and mannerisms she was still doing her best to accept as part of him, but this was different. This was scary

A danger hung in the air, making it difficult for her to breathe as she fought to calm herself. When Vincent failed to emerge after several long minutes, Lucrecia timidly approached the open door and cautiously peered inside. Vincent was standing at the sink, one hand braced on either side and leaning heavily against it with his head bowed. He was paler than usual and breathing heavily, his hair masking most of his face. She froze and watched him, gathering her courage before inching to his side and placing a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Are you okay, love?" she said quietly, hating how nervous and uncertain she sounded. She saw him exhale sharply before lifting his head and turning to face her. His eyes were heavy with shame and his cheeks colored a bit with embarrassment as he hesitantly met her concerned gaze.

"Yes… I'm sorry," he said, his deep voice nearly a whisper. "I… it was… the blood. I can't…"

He finally stood upright and glanced toward her wounded hand, and Lucrecia immediately realized what had happened. He had told her how the sight and smell of blood excited Chaos' instincts and desires within him, though she'd never witnessed it before. She felt terrible for not remembering sooner, though at the same time the realization of how something so simple could stir the demon living inside her lover caused a chill to run down her spine.

"Of course," she forced herself to say, as if it was the most normal of things to discuss. "I'm sorry, Vincent, I forgot… The bleeding's stopped now. Everything's okay."

He looked so sad and ashamed of himself that Lucrecia felt nearly desperate to comfort him and put the disturbing incident behind them as quickly as possible. She didn't want anything to cause her lover pain and could not bear to let anything come between them or cast a shadow over their rekindled relationship. She took a firm hold of his arm and led him out of the bathroom before slipping her arms around him and pressing her body against his. She wanted to show him that what had happened would never change how she felt for him, denying how frightened she had been just moments before. No, she would not be afraid of him. It simply could not be allowed. Lucrecia never wanted to live in fear of her partner again…

"You must think me so vile…" Vincent said softly, his arms around her hesitant as if he didn't think he deserved to hold her.

"No, never!" she exclaimed, squeezing him tightly and hoping he could feel the love and devotion she felt for him. "You couldn't help it… You are so strong to be able to control it as well as you do."

Vincent tensed and seemed about to say something, then sighed heavily and simply held her close as if he was drowning and she was the only one would could save him. She could feel the desperation radiating from him as she stretched up to kiss his lips, wondering why he seemed so out of sorts as of late and what she could do to ease his mind. Unable to find the words, Lucrecia poured all of her feelings into the contact, pleased when he began to kiss her back and relax in her arms. She felt as desperate to show him how much he was loved as she did to put her own worries aside. She knew it was not wise to continue hiding from their problems and denying that anything was wrong, and she realized that eventually they would need to have a serious talk. But at that moment neither of them was strong enough, and she settled for melting into his arms and allowing the passion between them to push all of her concerns for their future aside.


((Author's Notes: Well, finally, eh? Sorry this update took so long! My health had been quite sketchy for a while, then Diablo 3 came out, and I totally lost my mojo. I couldn't seem to get back on track with this, or much of anything. Anyway, a trip to the New Jersey shore with family yesterday seemed to breathe some life into me, and I was just feeling inspired and motivated. So here we go. I will do my best to start updating again more often! Next chapter will feature Sephiroth and Aeris discussing the day's events, and some ramifications for Vincent and Lucrecia avoiding talking about what's going on with him. Thank you so much for the favorites, follows, and especially the wonderful reviews! I have the best readers out there and love to hear from you all, so please take a moment and share your thoughts. Peace! ~ JenesisX))