~~ Make me wonder ~~
-FF7 AU continuation fanfic-
By: terasu; -terasu@yahoo.com-
http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Towers/7072
Last modified: 2003.01.26
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Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII and all its concepts, characters belong
to Squaresoft. This fan fiction is for entertainment only. Original
characters belong to this author.
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Summary: A FF7 AU setting where yet again Meteor has struck and
Sephiroth has taken over. Here is a sidestory of how Vincent is faring
and his encounter with chance.
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Author's note: This is a sidestory of a longer FF7 AU fic that I have
not yet started, but after bouncing this story idea off my friend Sun
for so long, she deserves a thank you. Also, take a look at the end of
this story. There's a few things that we just had to make fun of.
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/*Prologue*/
The truth of five hundred years has been recorded by a line of
historians who witnessed most of the events. When the Meteor came, the
Planet was able to soften the impact. But the impact was still great
enough that Mako welled up and washed over the Planet briefly. Still
the end had been adverted and all turned to rebuilding. However, a few
years later it became clear that the end wasn't adverted, it was here.
Sephiroth had survived and was working to revive Jenova's damaged body.
First, there were wars which brought waves of Mako that mutated, killed
and enhanced the living. Then came the reconstruction of civilization
as Sephiroth began to harness people in reconstructing Jenova's body
which had been damaged beyond her ability to repair. Slowly everything
came under Sephiroth's control, and an unease peace was achieved. As
time passed, the surviving people discovered that their lives were
extended beyond normal times but it also became difficult to bear
children to full term. And it became clear that the unease peace was
filled with horrors. Resistance started and continued till climaxing
point.
/*Make me wonder*/
Vincent sunk into the shadows of an alley and let his eyes scan
the busy marketplace. In front of a fruit stall were two Th'rela. The
blond Th'rela was smiling at the other who was holding up an apple.
Suddenly, the smile dissolved into a frown as glowing eyes began to
search the crowds. The other noticed the change and also began to scan
the area. Vincent slid away from their searching eyes into the back
streets of the city of magic, Sol'rah. One on one, he was sure that he
could hold his own, but both at once was another story. Th'rela was
Sephiroth's own elite division of warriors. The best were rumored to be
able to hold their own against Sephiroth, and those two were at the
top. And right now, he didn't need them coming after him.
He doubled back on his path for several blocks and took the
stairs up in a building. Crouching on the roof gave him a perfect view
of the area except for the church steeple in the east. There were no
signs that he was being followed. They might have taken his watching as
curious eyes of seeing the most famous and odd pair of Th'rela. Vincent
gave his wandering thoughts an impatient shake. The shadows had
lengthened. It was almost time for the meeting.
Vincent frowned slightly at the towering castle cast into the
mountains that caught his eyes as he descended. Water flowed partially
under the castle and cascaded into a thunderous waterfall that calmed
into a river that ran through the middle of the city. The entire scene
was majestic to say the least, but somewhat extravagant in his mind
though he couldn't fault how the royal family ran the city. He supposed
that...
Suddenly someone bumped into him. He turned, wondering why he
hadn't noticed this young woman heading his way and conscious that,
while unlikely, it was possible that the Th'rela could still be
tracking him. But he didn't have to worry about coming from the back
streets. In this lower part of the city, there were many businesses
hidden in the back and sides streets. At this time, there was a fair
crowd looking for places to eat.
"Are you okay?" Vincent asked, seeing that she was frantically
searching the ground while covering her face with a hand. It would be
strange behavior if he hadn't learned that it was fashionable to...
"I lost my contact."
... to wear contact lens with different eye colors especially since
the process of dying the iris was more expensive, not to mention
painful. He hadn't found out the reason for the fad, being busier with
mapping the changes of the city into his mind.
"Here. Let me help you." She didn't reply, which he took for
silent consent. Nothing on the ground. So, he found himself looking up
and examining the young woman. Her clothing was in the style of this
medieval structured but modern city, meaning that it was only medieval
in appearance. There was something about her that made him lean a
little closer. The beige cloak was a little too much for her, but then
he shouldn't be one to talk of fashion. A wry smile tugged at the
corners of his lips. How long ago had he made this his style? Rose
teased him every so often about that. "There it is." He gestured to a
darker spot on her cloak.
"Ah!" She rescued the brown contact. "Thank you." She looked up.
He felt his breath catch on itself and his eyes lock with hers. One eye
still had its dark green contact. The other eye was alive with gold and
soft flecks of black. It seemed to be emitting its own light. Why would
she want to cover up her eyes?
"You have beautiful eyes."
Her eyes widened a little and she ducked her head quickly. "I
have to go. I'm in a hurry." She took off at a hurried pace and
vanished around a corner.
Vincent blinked. That wasn't a reaction he expected, but then he
hadn't expected himself to say anything about her eyes, either. It had
been a long time since he found himself captured by something, a giving
light from that woman's left eye.
The young woman, known as Firebird within the resistance group
Breakers, hurried through the busy streets. Breakers was known for
working to bring down Sephiroth's reign through what seemed to many
like a strange set of activities. Firebird moved swiftly, avoiding
obstacles instinctively. Her mind was busy with sparse details of the
next mission that Rose had given her. She didn't have much time to get
ready. Somewhere between the thoughts of the things she would have to
rearrange and of the idea she was going to be late, the slight rustling
sound of a cloak gave her a warning, a late warning. She ran into the
red cloak and the person under it. It was a really brilliant color of
red that she would not call blood, but of fire and good fortune. Then
she felt the shifting and falling of her left contact. Frantically she
hid her face and searched the ground.
"Are you okay?" A calm, gentle male voice was asking her. It was
a pleasant voice, one that could be good at singing too if he wasn't
tone deaf.
"I lost my contact." She kept the amusement of her thoughts out
of her voice. It was easy, especially if she thought about what could
happen if she was seen without her contact. Well, she did have a hooded
cloak, but wouldn't do to be suspicious by rushing around with it up.
She'd rather save trouble for later.
"Here. Let me help you." He shifted, turning in place. Her eyes
locked on his boots, and she blinked. They were pointed and... Her eyes
wandered away to search the cobble-stoned road, not letting her mind
finish labeling the man's boots. It didn't look like she was going to
have any luck, especially with the color of her contact. It would blend
right in. "There it is." A hand came into her view and gestured at her
cloak.
"Ah!" Relief flooded through her as she also spotted it. "Thank
you." Her eyes lifted to a face somewhat hidden by the collar of the
red cloak and long black locks. Red eyes. A gentle face to match the
gentle voice, though his silent mask tried to hide the gentleness.
"You have beautiful eyes."
That surprised her as it took her a moment to realize that her
contact was still her hand. Quickly, she looked down. "I have to go.
I'm in a hurry." She fled down the street, around the corner and
several streets further before she slowed down. He wasn't following
her. That was good. Maybe she had reacted a little too hastily. Just
because he saw her real eye color didn't mean that he would reach the
conclusion that she was trying to discourage. It was unlikely that she
would ever meet him again. And if she did, there were always the
believable but misleading explanations.
A tall woman softly closed the door to the dark room, and then
cursed softly. Vincent blinked. He had thought that particular curse
had escaped her repertoire. It was one that Cid liked to use a lot when
things went completely wrong. Sorrow tinged his thoughts. They would
have gotten along and fought really well - Cid and his daughter.
"Who's there?" The lights flooded the room. Her glowing garnet
eyes had a dangerous look that vanished the moment that she recognized
him. Her face vanished under her hair as she flung her arms around him.
"Godfather," she whispered.
Vincent hugged her back gently. It had taken a long time for him
to get used to her, but she had kept chipping away at his walls. "I was
hoping that you hadn't picked up that curse to add to your list, Rose."
"Vincent," she replied, irritated. Rose pulled out his hug. Her
face was slightly flushed with embarrassment, but she stared at him
accusingly. "I was worried about you. You didn't run into the Th'rela?"
There was worry in her voice. While they both knew that they could take
care of themselves, they still worried. "They're leaving tonight for
Aena." And she was totally avoiding the subject of her extensive
vocabulary, which he left alone except for occasional teasing. It was
good to know that he could still embarrass other than by telling her
childhood stories.
"Don't worry. I caught sight of them first. How are you? And your
business?"
"Are you hiding something?" She stared at him for a moment, half
believing and half not. There had been times when he had kept certain
details from Rose, and a few times it had backfired on him. Mainly,
because she was persistent and detail-oriented to the point of
meticulous in a such quiet way that she had gotten him to trip.
"No. Tell me why you asked me to come early, besides wanting to
see your godfather." He had learned the best way to stop her from
finding out about his half-truths was to get her going on Breakers'
information. While he didn't have any reason to hide right now, he was
sure that she was still trying to figure out what happened the last
time he ran into the Th'rela.
Rose shook her head at him, fully knowing what he was doing.
"Okay, okay, I'll believe you for now. What's your opinion on our
newest informant?"
"Don't trust her. She's hiding too much."
"I agree. When I met with her, she gave me a look and then said
she was a lock and that no one was likely to find the key to her." Rose
gave a wry smile of frustration.
"I take it that she noticed you were trying to find out more
about her. What are you going to do?" It was dangerous either way, to
act or not, but he trusted Rose to make the right decision.
"The research facility exists. And all the evidence... I can't
ignore her information. It may be a trap, but I don't think we can
wait. If the summon is used again... or if the other summons become
active...." She trailed, not needing to put it into words for Vincent.
"Of course, we'll take precautions going in. And that's where I'm going
to need you, Vincent." She frowned, concern filling her eyes. "Can I
ask you to make sure that a recent member gets out no matter what
happens?"
"Is this member that important?" Vincent stared at her with
worry. She knew that he didn't like the idea of her taking part in
missions, especially when there was an even better chance that she
could get caught. However, he knew better than to get into an argument
about that. So, he had planned to go in with her.
"She has a special affinity to materia and is the most likely to
find them. But she's also someone who can't be caught." That meant
someone placed high in the system, which meant disaster for whatever
city she belonged to if she was caught. "She can take care of herself.
You might be surprised." Rose smiled, meaning that she had been
surprised by this member herself. "She's traveled and fought a lot, but
you know how to get out of tight situations."
"I'll go with her, if you go in with Shadow."
"I can take care of myself." Rose sighed. "But Shadow will get me
out if I happen to go a little overboard."
"Good. Now, who is this newest member?"
"I'll introduce her tomorrow and then you can figure it out." She
had that challenging smile. Yet again another puzzle to figure out just
which title this one had. Vincent shook his head at her, but she just
grinned wider.
Firebird leaned against the window sill and gazed out, feeling
her heart lift. The view of the city from her window always did that.
She loved the people and the city that they inhabited. Sol'rah seemed
always alive even in the quiet hours before the sun just touched the
horizon. She smiled as she recalled the wording of some writer who
described the mornings of Sol'rah like a contently shifting fog that
would linger till swept aside by the awaking of a grand city.
A loud clatter focused her eyes down onto the streets. And there
were the times when the city would burst into the wild cacophony of
several different birds attempting to sing. It looked like there nearly
had been a crash between two chocobos, and while they hadn't run into
each another, both riders had gotten thrown. She couldn't and didn't
keep the amused smile from tugging her lips and filling her eyes. One
of the riders was her hot-tempered friend. She would have to tease him
mercilessly about getting thrown from his chocobo who seemed to have
better sense than him at the moment. His chocobo let out one apologetic
wark to which the other chocobo responded to, and then they went on to
ignore each another. It didn't look like the human side of the argument
was going to end any time soon.
Her gaze drifted up and stared out that the towering masts of the
ships docked in the harbor. It was a riot of colors that symbolized who
owned each ship. Several of them she knew very well, but there were a
few that she wasn't sure on. Maybe one of them would be the ship that
she would be taking tomorrow though it was more likely that they'd take
an airship. Rose seemed much more interested in the ships of the air
than the ones bound to the water. Maybe it would be possible to make
one that could travel on both.
She wished Rose had told her more about the mission and about the
Breakers' leader. There were moments when doubts would catch up with
her, even though she had chosen to join. Perhaps it was because she
didn't trust Rose completely. Rose was hiding something from her, even
though she believed that the Breakers leader would have the same ideals
as Rose. But then she couldn't expect Rose to spill everything out; she
had just joined.
A knock resounded in the suddenly too quiet room. "Seirya? I'm
coming~ in~!" The door swung in. Her energetic, hyper friend paused in
mid-yell and blinked before bounding towards her. "You're finally here!
Yay~!!!"
"Miele... Hi!" Seirya waved with a watt more of energy that she
felt she had. It probably had to do with the energy radiating from
Miele which could probably lit an entire huge house if not an entire
block.
"Dinner together? Now?" The excitement spilling from Miele
brought another smile. Miele was tugging at her sleeve. It was times
like this that it was hard to believe that Miele was the same person
that Seirya went on numerous adventures with and watched as Miele
overcame towering monsters with her tremendous magical strength. And
Miele's strength was continuing to grow. It was likely that Miele would
surpass the Th'rela. But luckily it didn't seem that Th'rela noticed
Miele. Though even if Th'rela tried to recruit or conscript her, they
would have a hell of a battle. Miele was already devoted towards one
goal. "Seirya?" There was another tug.
"Of course."
"Yes!" Miele bounced to the door and turned around, smiling. No,
Seirya could believe that this was the same person. All that energy had
to go somewhere, though she could imagine that a lot of it went into
the infectivity of Miele's smiles. "We're finally~ having dinner
together."
"It's been awhile, hasn't it?" It was surprising that it took her
this long to realize it. How long had it been since she had been able
to get together with her friends? With all her duties and joining
Breakers, she hadn't many spare moments. And she hadn't told them about
joining Breakers. They would have followed only because she went in.
She wanted them to join for themselves. So, they probably thought that
she was taking a lot of time for herself.
"What's that forlorn face for?" Miele pouted. "Don't you like
having dinner with me?"
"Why wouldn't I?" Seirya looked up, puzzled and still turning her
thoughts over. Miele just smiled in response. They had been together
too long for her not to recognize Miele's attempt to cheer her up.
Miele was one not to get offended easily, and even when she did,
forgiveness was easily given. Seirya smiled back. "When I get back from
this trip, let's go shopping."
Standing on the deck of the airship and staring out in the
distance into the forest brought back memories. A long time ago,
Vincent had stood on a similar deck filled with the scent of
cigarettes. Cid had been pacing back and forth, but strangely enough
not cursing. Suddenly Cid had stopped and stood next to him to watch
the sunrise. It was a rare moment when Cid had been quiet, but Cid
seemed to count on him for these moments. Maybe because he knew when
not to talk. Vincent turned away and started in, vaguely thinking that
he should find Rose. It was troubling him. Lately, his thoughts would
turn to the past. He wasn't trying to forget the past, but he wasn't
trying to dwell in the past either. He was trying to move forward.
Rose was where he expected her to be, overseeing the loading of
the cargo. She was talking with someone hidden behind a load of crates
that were waiting to be taken aboard. A few more steps took him into
the view of another woman's back. It seemed distantly familiar, which
meant he might have met her before.
"Hey, Vincent, you came at a good time." Rose turned around when
he was only a few steps away. The woman also turned, just as he
realized where he had met her. "This is Firebird." The only sign
Firebird gave of her surprise was the widening of her eyes, which he
was sure was the same for him. "Firebird, this is Vincent." Rose
paused, taking in both of them. "You've met before?"
"More like we had a run-in." There was a hint of amusement in her
voice, probably due to the coincidence that they had run into each
another just yesterday. He wasn't sure if he should believe that it was
pure luck.
"I see." There was curiosity in Rose's eyes. Did Rose have
anything to do with their run-in? Or was it fate playing tricks on him?
Only he didn't believe in fate. But he didn't think that Rose could
have anything with the chance meeting. "Firebird, he's your partner for
this mission." So, this was the person he was to watch out for. She
paused as if she was measuring what else she needed to say. "Ask him
any questions you have; he'll answer if possible. And don't be afraid
to offer any ideas up. We're always working on new stuff." She looked
off towards the forest before checking how much cargo was still left on
the ground. "We should be leaving soon. Vincent, why don't you take her
on a tour and find somewhere to get comfortable? I'll come and find you
after we take off. Ah, they're here finally." Two figures were
approaching from the distance, looking somewhat worse for the wear.
"I'll see you later." Rose gestured at them to board and went towards
the approaching people.
Vincent looked to Firebird, feeling somewhat at a loss and
wondering just how much Firebird knew about Breakers. He hadn't
expected Rose to drop Firebird on him. Rose must have been busier than
he realized. Well, it wasn't like he couldn't deal with something like
this. He just needed to dust off some of his socializing skills. "Shall
I show you the airship and you can ask me questions as we go?"
"That sounds good." Firebird was quick to fall in step with him
to enter the airship.
The silence between them was uneasy. Personal questions were out
of the question. Breakers took code names to protect their identities,
since quite a few had families and others had positions of power. Of
course, there were exceptions and he was one of them. However, Firebird
was definitely not one of the exceptions. So, he began to talk about
the airship and pointed out a couple of 'extra' features, but he got
the distinct feeling that most of Firebird's attention was elsewhere
though she nodded and asked questions several times. It didn't trouble
him to leave her to her thoughts. It also gave him time to make a
better assessment of her. There was elegance in her movements, and once
there was the twitch of her hand on her cloak that was usually reserved
for a fully bodied skirt of a gown. Her refined posture and the lack of
accent pointed to a high status. Exactly who she was though had him
baffled at the moment. He did have the extra hint of her actual eye
color, if it was any help. Rose was teasing him with this mystery of
who Firebird was.
The sudden change in the rumble of the engines gave him warning
as the airship suddenly lurched. Vincent steadied Firebird by the arm
as she stumbled a step. Rose was going to be upset by the pilot's
takeoff. It could have much smoother. Firebird muttered a soft thank
you before she pulled away and led the way out onto the outer deck that
he had just been standing on not so many minutes ago. He followed. The
wind was tugging at their cloaks and already picking up the scent of
the salt sea.
"It's beautiful," she said as he came to stand next to her. He
had to agree. Sol'rah was just being lit by the dawn and becoming
smaller as they pulled away out into the vast ocean. She remained
silent, enjoying the view and the wind. It was strange. He had expected
the feeling of unrest to come, reminding him of the past. Instead he
felt at peace standing next to this woman that he had only began to
know but made him wonder.
"Good morning!" Rose's voice barely carried across the outer deck
that Seirya was glad that Rose waited till she got closer before saying
anything else. "So, this is where my wandering friend thinks of as
comfortable, though I have to admit the view is amazing."
"Actually, it was me who couldn't resist the view," Seirya
replied, feeling a bit self-conscious. She had become so wrapped up in
the scenery and the silence that she had just allowed herself to enjoy
it. She had even welcomed the quiet presence of the man next to her.
They must have been here for a while that Rose came looking for them.
"Well, then I'm glad." Rose smiled. "Vincent, have you told
Firebird more about the mission?"
"No. Shall we get out of the wind first?" The question was
directed at Seirya. It seemed that Vincent was expecting Rose to
explain everything.
"Yes, please." Seirya pulled her cloak closer to her as Rose lead
the way back in.
"I also want to introduce you to two other members. They're holed
up in the conference room right now. You'll be introduced to the rest
later when we get there." It made Seirya wonder how many Breakers there
were. Rose had hinted at various things surrounding the Breakers, but
not on the membership. Seirya was aware that Rose knew more than she
seemed to. It should worry her, but it hadn't or she should say at
least not yet.
"Let's see. You know that we're attacking a research facility in
Kerna with the possibility that it's a trap and that you're to search
for three of four particular summon materia. We have the location of
the fourth and another team will be picking that one up." Seirya
nodded. Those were the details she had received before except the
location. "Mission begins after nightfall, but you and Vincent will not
be joining until about 2AM after the power grid is down. You will enter
the west wing of the building. You have three hours to search before
the bombs go off to take out the place. But if the watch that Trap will
give you goes off, you've got 30 minutes to get out there. So, don't go
too deep into the facility."
"When will I receive the watch? And is there a certain area that
we will be searching?" Seirya asked, walking through the conference
room door that Vincent was holding. The intense hum of two voices
struck her at once. There were two people standing at the other end of
the room, glaring at each other. The huge oval table was covered with
maps.
"You can go anywhere from the west wing, just use your instincts.
As for the watches, they should be able to tell us." Rose gestured to
the others in the room as the one of them suddenly turned and strode
over, leaving the other in mid-sentence. "This is a recent member,
Firebird. Firebird, this is Wolf." Wolf was a tall, dark man with
intense yellow eyes that unnerved her a bit.
"Nice to meet you, Firebird. You have a very pleasant scent."
Wolf nodded at her and turned away before Seirya could response to the
odd compliment. At least, she thought it was one. "Rose, help me with
Trap."
"As if." A young woman stuck her tongue out at Wolf. "Don't mind
Wolf. He sa's weird things every so often. He's got too good of a nose,
eyes and ears." She tugged at a ear. "A real bugger when I wanna hide
my snacks from him." She offered her hand. There was an accent that
Seirya wasn't too familiar with.
"And this is Trap," Rose introduced.
"Oops, I alwa's seem to forget that part," Trap said as Seirya
shook hands. "I'd like to think that I'm famous or something. Good to
see ya again, Vincent. So, ya told her all about the mission?"
"We're in the middle of that. Are the watches ready?" Rose asked.
"Almost. Wanna run one more check. They'll be read's when we git
on location," Trap replied. "Me and Wolf are arguing on location of the
bombs, but rather not interrupt if ya're in the middle of details.
We'll wait till ya finish."
Rose nodded and pointed to the large rolls of paper on the table.
"Those are blueprints for the facility, so you can plan out maybe a
search pattern or at least get familiar with the structure. We'll head
out for the actual site at night. Then you and Vincent will choose a
location to enter the west wing and wait till the power goes out. I
believe that covers it... Ah, if you need more supplies, stock up from
the weapons room which Vincent can show you. Any questions?"
"Could you tell me more about the summon materia?" Seirya asked,
feeling that the information was a bit too little. Everyone's faces
darkened except one.
"You know the recent flash flood in Kerna," Vincent asked. He was
the only one with a neutral face. Had he seen too many disasters or was
he hiding? Or was he just not good at expressing himself?
"Yes, it nearly wiped out the town," Seirya replied, feeling
uneasy that she wasn't going to like the answer.
"It was caused by one of those summon materia," Vincent said.
"The scientists in the Kerna lab developed materia to summon the four
gods of direction who in turn would be used to cause natural disasters
according to their element. For that reason, they aren't the typical
red color of summons and have colors according to their element.
However, summons turned out to be inactive and were set aside until
recently when Sephiroth's daughter was able to call Souryuu. The reason
why the Souryuu summon became active is still under study. The other
summons are still inactive." There was an uneasy silence as they each
recalled the destruction in Kerna.
"We're going in as a relief ship to drop off supplies." Rose
broke the silence and gave a sad smile.
"Breaktime." Vincent interrupted Firebird as he slid a cup of tea
before her.
"Thank you, ..." She looked up and started a little when her eyes
landed on his. However, she recovered quickly and smiled. "... Vincent."
It seemed like she was expecting someone else.
He waited till she put down the blueprints and took a sip of tea
before asking a question. "Anything more from them?"
"No, but we'll find out tonight if they were helpful or not."
They had been looking at the blueprints ever since they had arrived at
Kerna. At first, Firebird protested, wanting to help out with the
survivors and distributing the supplies. However, Rose made it clear
that they were both to stay aboard and out of sight. She didn't have to
say out loud why. Instead she asked them to continue studying the
blueprints and work out a plan. So, a few hours later, here they were,
already with a plan but still hours before it would be dark.
"Is there..." Vincent struggled to find the right words. He had
noticed that she would get a faraway look once in a while and it was
clearly not about the mission because he suspected she would have
spoken up. "Something you would like to talk about -- besides the
mission?" While he doubted that her current state would interfere with
the mission, he was curious to know what she was thinking.
He could see that she was considering over what to say. "With
everything we, Breakers do... it will be a long time before there's even
an attempt to take Sephiroth down."
He nodded, confirming her statement. There was no reason to deny
it. After a few missions, most became aware of the slow but gradual
pace the Breakers were moving at.
"Why?" There was genuine curiosity in her voice, and her eyes
held his.
"..." He could give her the answer that usually was given, but he
was aware that she wanted more than that. So, he posed a question to
her. "Just to defeat Sephiroth should everything else fall apart?"
"No, it should not," she replied in a soft voice. It was strange,
but he thought he could see appreciation in her eyes. So, they both
were aware of the way the world ran right now; everything had its
supports in Sephiroth's rule. She turned from him, taking a sip of the
cooling tea.
At each turn, he felt himself getting another piece to
understanding her. Firebird felt responsible for her city? Most likely
from Sol'rah in regards to her clothes and attitude. Part of the upper
classes with the elegance her moments had. A countess? She was young,
but there was the possibility that she held a political position in her
city. There was also her special affinity to materia, so perhaps a
scientist or one of the court's magic-users. There was one more thing
that he should factor in...
"Vincent, I wish to ask perhaps what is a personal question." He
gave her a questioning look. It wasn't too often that someone said
that. "You don't have to answer. Do you enjoy the freedom of being a
wanderer?" Her question jarred his line of thought. He looked at her
sharply. What he was expecting to see, he wasn't sure. All he could
sense from her was honest curiosity. "Rose called you her 'wandering
friend.' So, I'm a bit curious. I've traveled a lot, but..." She
shrugged, giving a wry smile that said she couldn't explain what she
felt just yet.
He paused to think, recalling his travels. The only time he
really could call wandering was the time after the Meteor alone, the
time he wandered with a growing up Rose, and the time after Rose when
he ventured into the world alone. "I enjoyed it, but it's lonely."
"Lonely? I thought that it would be freeing to be alone with just
your thoughts and no one else. No worrying about having to be somewhere
by some time. Just the movement of the sun with the passing of the
land."
"But then there is no one to share your thoughts with when you
want to. It's good to have time for yourself, but it's also good to
have time with a friend even when you're not talking. So, when you want
to talk, there's someone there. That was what an old friend said." It
had been Cloud. Cloud didn't say anything afterwards, but Vincent found
out later what was bothering him. It wasn't a bad memory, but it
stirred several emotions in him that were part irritation, part good
and part painful. For him to tell anything from his memories was a rare
occasion, even with people he had known for years. It was time to
lighten the mood. "Besides, it gets tiresome doing the cooking all the
time."
"Just make sure it's a friend that knows how to cook."
"Very true. You don't happen to have a friend that burns water?"
Firebird gave him a small, knowing smile. But Vincent didn't
think it could have been bad as the time Yuffie had tried to take a
hand at cooking. They only had been saved by Aeris casting a water
spell over the camp before everything could burst into flames. It would
have to be a rare person indeed to top that. Could Firebird's friend be
that bad?
Mismatched eyes adjusted to the midnight darkness turned to focus
on her partner. Vincent was completely relaxed against the tree, his
eyes searching not directly on the lit research facility. It kept his
eyes from having to keep adapting to the change in levels of light.
Seirya adjusted her position quietly. Time had passed quickly once they
had given up talking about mission and spoke of other things. It had
been an interesting conversion that took many tangents and didn't pry
too deeply into the realm of personal. She would like to talk with
Vincent more and see if they could become friends. However, right now,
silence was called for and time passed slowly once again as the wait
for the mission's beginning continued.
Seirya's thoughts turned to hours before. As soon as the sun set,
Rose lead the way to the meeting site a few miles from the research
facility. The journey hadn't been too hard, but some of the monsters
they ran into had been. As soon as they arrived, Rose had dragged her
about for introductions to all the other Breakers except for two that
had passed on a message saying that they would be late but in time to
take part. Seirya had got their names and descriptions, but she was to
stick close to Vincent who would recognize them. And... she had gotten to
meet Spirit. Spirit was a young man with much energy and charisma that
Seirya found herself liking him immediately and thinking that he was
much like Miele except definitely more coherent and more toned down on
being hyper. Yet, there was something that she couldn't figure out that
bothered her. It was not an unease feeling, just an out of place
feeling like he wasn't exactly who he was supposed to be, if that made
any sense. If she had the opportunity to speak with him more, perhaps
she could figure this odd feeling out. However, everything was rushed
to set up for the mission.
The ground trembled. She looked to Vincent who nodded as another
explosion shook the ground. Lights flickered from the research facility
and then completely failed. There were dim angry shouts. Tiny lights
flashed about from the building. Vincent lead the way out into the
grassy clearing the dark building stood in. She followed silently and
found herself staring. The level of grace in how he was moving was
almost animal-like, an economy of motion.
She couldn't help cringing as Vincent cracked open a door,
checking for guards. Moments later, no one came to investigate. They
slid in and crept along the walls, checking up and down the hallway.
The dead silence made her a little nervous though it was better than
meeting up with anyone. Vincent gestured that they should move forward.
They had decided that Vincent would lead until they got further
into the facility when she would take over. At that point in their
planning, he had also asked about her special affinity to materia,
which she recognized as Rose's wording. She had glossed over any
details by saying it was just luck, unsure about just how much Rose
revealed to him. While she got the feeling that Rose trusted Vincent,
she rarely shared with anyone just how her 'special affinity to
materia' worked. It was something that she keep quiet about.
It was several corridors later before anything happened. She
paused. There was a very weak feeling of materia that was different for
some reason. It was hard to get a sense of where. She needed a few
moments to figure out the direction. Only she didn't have a few
moments, Vincent was urgently signaling her to pull back into shadows.
Following his example, she pulled back into an alcove and
breathed softly as the pounding steps came closer. Guards ran by with
their weapons ready by their side. It seemed that they were chasing
after someone or ones though the bewilderment in their eyes made it
seem that they rather not find the intruders. Seirya frowned. She
didn't think that another team would be in the area. It was possible
that the guards were more running away than chasing. Vincent drew out
and gestured that they get out of this area as soon as possible. She
nodded in agreement and leaned in close before whispering in his ear
that she wanted to find a secure location. She still needed a few
moments to get a clear direction.
Vincent gave a last look out before closing the door with just a
little open, so he could hear anything on its way down the halls. Then
he turned his attention to Firebird. She was taking deep breaths in a
darkened corner of the lab.
"Are you alright?" he asked softly. He didn't think the near
encounter with guards upset her, and it was more likely that something
to do with the materia. He had noticed her pausing before the guards
came.
"Yes, thank you." Her eyes were turned inward. "I've got a
feeling about the materia, but I need a few moments." There was a
question in her voice and she was watching him as though waiting for
something.
"Go ahead. I'll be lookout." Vincent watched Firebird as she took
his acceptance easily and closed her eyes, taking in slow even breaths.
He had asked about her special affinity to materia and hadn't gotten
much of an answer. While he had to admit a curiosity, he wasn't going
to press her for details. Either he'd find out on his own or she would
tell him, eventually. Besides, watching her right now revealed a bit.
Her special affinity seemed to be a sense and she could use it to
figure out the location. It was interesting to see that to sense the
materia all she needed to do was what looked like a bit of meditation.
It fit her better than something flashy. That brought something to mind
he had heard a while back.
Vincent scanned out each of the windows and turned back to the
door, satisfied that nothing was out there. The hallway was quiet. A
vague memory edged into his mind. There was some information that he
had gleaned when he had been in Sol'rah a long time ago. It had been
about how the king had been given Sol'rah to build and rule because he
had amused Sephiroth. While that was true, the real reason was not well
known and buried. Vincent had taken the real reason on as a challenge,
and finally found out that the king could sense materia and had
recovered all huge materia for Sephiroth. Now, that made it all too
clear who Firebird had to be, especially given the Sol'rah king's
limited bloodline. Vincent shook his head slightly at the fact that it
had taken him this long to figure it out.
"Vincent, there's two nearby." Firebird was leaning against the
wall near him, taking care to stay out of the door window's sight.
"One's more to south and the other's more to east. The south one is a
bit closer."
He nodded. That meant there was one summon materia uncounted for.
"Are you ready to take lead? It's clear."
"Let's go." She slipped out the door and started heading for the
south materia. Vincent kept watch for any guards behind them. Her
identity made sense with all the details he had observed. Probably that
was why Rose didn't give him any more details beyond the special
affinity to materia because she knew it wouldn't be difficult for him
to figure out.
Seirya glared at the wall that stood in their way, feeling
impatience well up when she was so close to the materia. The blueprints
had been amazingly accurate up till this point. By appearances, she
could tell that the wall had only been installed recently. It also
still smelled strongly of plaster and paint.
"I guess the only way to go is..." she began as she turned around
to face Vincent who was also gazing at the wall. It was then that they
heard the cock of the guns and she saw the guards running towards them.
Without a second thought, she grabbed Vincent's arm and shoved
themselves out the volley of bullets that came. While guards were
infamous for their lack of aim and bad equipment, she didn't want to
take a chance that one of them got lucky.
She expected to land hard on the ground, but was surprised when
she didn't. Vincent had caught on and took them into a roll to soften
the fall and to get into a somewhat defensive position. It was a good
opportunity, so her right arm came up and fired a blade disc from the
weapon strapped on her wrist and made by her own design. She hadn't use
it against the monsters that they had encountered in the forest, but
this long distance made it perfect to use and it would make the guards
even more cautious. The blade disc took down one guard gurgling. A few
guards halted in their steps and stared in horror before continuing
their rush to get close enough, so they wouldn't meet their end like
their dead companion. She didn't like to kill. So, of course, the death
bothered her, but she had learned to deal with it after she came out
alive.
Seirya got onto her feet and took out another guard before
Vincent joined her and fired with a precision that she could only
admire. The second volley of bullets were totally off, though one
scratched her left shoulder. Then the guards were close enough that it
made sense to draw her sword, but before she had a chance, the wall to
their left them suddenly exploded out with fiery flames. Once the
flashes in her eyes died out, she could see that wall had been broken
through where the remaining guards had been, burying them under chunks
of the wall. It was only luck that she and Vincent had been at the
wrong angle.
"I'll have to remember that combination of items," a voice said,
coming from the gaping hold in the wall.
"Just don't kill your allies, okay?" Two figures stepped through
the hole and froze when they realized that they weren't alone. One of
them seemed familiar. Actually, both matched Rose's descriptions, but
the woman was someone she had met before. The woman's eyes lit up when
they landed on Seirya.
"I know you..." The woman stepped into reaching distance of Seirya.
Sudden panic whelmed up in Seirya. She had to stop the woman from
speaking, but her voice was caught in her throat. The woman was excited
and was going to reveal her identity. "It's be a long time. It's good
to meet with you again, ..." She could just hear her name. Her hand shot
up without a thought and whacked the woman in the shoulder. "Princess
Seirya of Sol'rah. Ouch... why did you do that?" Seirya felt her cheeks
redden with embarrassment. She hadn't meant to hit the other woman who
was rubbing her shoulder.
The man behind her sighed. "Foxwind, I don't think she
appreciated you giving out her identity."
"But, Blade,..." Foxwind looked behind Seirya at Vincent whom
Seirya turned reluctantly towards. "That's Vincent, right? Then
wouldn't he already know who we are?"
Vincent nodded. "Yes, but it would be safer if you would use the
codenames." Seirya looked at him, reassessing his position in Breakers.
She knew that Rose would assigned her someone with above average skills
to watch out for her, but she didn't know if Rose revealed her identity
and she still wasn't sure if Rose had. However, it was good to know
that Vincent wasn't making more out of her identity and seemed to be
treating her a normal person, though she was still annoyed at Foxwind,
or she should say Lady Ayan of Zennadon, for saying it out loud.
"Okay. I'm sorry about that..." Foxwind began to Seirya before
turning to Blade who knew exactly what she was asking.
"Firebird."
"Firebird. I didn't mean to cause any trouble. It's just that it
would have really bothered me if I didn't. It's been a fairly long
time. We should get together sometime while not..." Foxwind gestured to
their surroundings, referring to their current mission.
"That's okay," Seirya replied. It was a little hard to meet
Foxwind's eyes. Her cheeks still felt flushed. "I'm sorry that I hit
you."
"I'm fine, besides Byak hits much harder than that. I was just
surprised."
"Byak?" Seirya questioned, but was distracted as she realized
that one of the summon materia was immensely close. "You have one of
the summon materia." Now, it made sense. She had gotten the odd
sensation from the east summon that she hadn't mentioned to Vincent,
but it must have been because it was moving.
"Huh? Yes, how did you know?" Foxwind asked as Blade drew out a
glowing, slightly green-tinted white materia.
"We haven't found any of the others. Did you have any luck?"
Blade asked.
"We're on our way to pick up one. This is the other one?" Vincent
glanced at Seirya who nodded in agreement that it was one of the two
she had felt. "Any ideas on the third one?" She shook her head; she
still hadn't picked up anything on that one.
"No ideas here either, but it's good to know that you know where
another is." Blade looked around. "We'd better get going before more
guards show up."
Vincent nodded before looking to Seirya to lead the way. "It's
good to see you, Blade."
"Yeah." Blade agreed, following Foxwind who waved at them as she
almost dashed through the darken hallways to their next destination.
There were a few more skirmishes with the guards as they ran
through the hallways, but the blueprints they had studied before were
still accurate. They stopped a moment in the dark hallway, catching
their breath and giving Seirya some time to figure which direction to
go in. Vincent took the time to examine the crossbow-like weapon that
was strapped to her left arm and shot out discs instead of bolts. It
was the first time that he saw a weapon designed like that. When they
got out of here, he would have to ask her about it.
"Vincent..." Her voice was soft as they started down the left
corridor. "Rose asked you to look out for me..."
While he didn't gape at her, he was sure that he gave her a hard
look though she wouldn't see it as he was facing her back. "It was more
along the lines to make sure that you got out if anything went wrong,
which is the same reason I told her to go with Shadow. It has nothing
to do with your abilities."
"I know, but does it always have to be that way?"
Vincent wasn't sure how to respond to that, so he didn't.
Besides, she was asking a rhetorical question. The silence continued
for several more paces before she spoke again.
"Were Foxwind and Blade supposed to be looking for the summon
materia too?"
"No, they were supposed to gather any data that might be useful.
They were supposed to meet up with Left and Right to hack into the
computers, but they must have gotten sidetracked."
"This is the room." Seirya stopped and turned to the lab on their
right.
There were no sounds, but it didn't mean that someone wasn't in
there. "I didn't expect you to hit someone..." Vincent commented quietly.
It had surprised him to see her react in a state that made her somewhat
spontaneous in her response to Foxwind's revealing.
"I panicked." It was hard to tell in the dark, but it seemed that
her cheeks were slightly red. "It's all clear." She slid into the room
and headed for the back. Her hand hesitated as it rose before one of
the locked cabinets. "This one, I think." He was going to ask her what
she meant by 'I think,' but there was a look of concentration on her
that he was reluctant to interrupt.
"I'll open it." Vincent leaned against the cabinet and employed
one of the skills he had learned as a Turk. It was a useful skill that
he used to pry into places that people didn't want anyone in. He had
been surprised at the ease that he had re-picked up those skills, but
really he shouldn't be. Turk training had been difficult. There were
the basics that every Turk should have and then their special skill
that they were recruited for. The cabinet opened without a hitch. He
took a step back to let Seirya get the materia, which was actually
close to the color of typical summon materia.
Her hand gently lifted out the red materia that was glowing
slightly off key when she suddenly froze. The materia suddenly burst
into a ball of flame and floated slightly above her hand. The flame
curved until it looked like a little bird with the materia being the
center of its body. And just as suddenly the flame cut off. The materia
went back to the odd rhythm glowing though it was much brighter than
before.
"What happened?" Vincent asked, looking up at Seirya and trying
to get his eyes to adjust again to the lack of light. "Are you
alright?"
"Pray that I never have to use this materia..." Her voice shook
slightly as she dropped the materia into the bag so quickly that it
seemed she couldn't wait to get rid of it. Vincent frowned. Her words
suggested the possibility that she could use the Suzaku summon materia
as the bird suggested... and the materia had become active by reacting to
her. Several thoughts arose, but they all lay on the question of
whether she could or not summon Suzaku. However, it wouldn't be worth
the destruction caused by the summon.
Seirya tried to shake the cold that had steeped into her bones.
Only she was sure that she wouldn't be able to get rid of the cold
until the Suzaku summon materia was far away from her. Its presence
burned like a hot coal at her side, but the memory of its power froze
her inside. She would have given it to Vincent, only it was heightening
her senses and brought the last summon materia into range.
At least, the cold was less than before. In halting words, she
had tried to describe to Vincent what Suzaku had shown her when she had
first touched it. He had listened in silence and with patience, perhaps
understanding her need to get it out. Suzaku had shown her Sol'rah
engulfed in flames. Buildings were crumbling as their supports gave way
to the fire. People were being swallowed whole, barely having the
chance to scream as their bodies turned to ashes. Water barely slowed
the flames down. The river had turned in burning steaming. The harbor
was the only relief as the forests caught fire, but even then flames
flickered over the water suddenly, catching whatever - whoever that
wasn't at least two feet under water. She wasn't sure what she said to
describe the destruction to Vincent, but it seemed that he had gotten
the impression of how powerful these four summons were, or at least of
how much Suzaku's vision had shaken her.
She stopped, glancing between the three different ways to go.
There was still about an hour before the scheduled time for the bombs
to go off. That would leave them with a bit of time to spare. However
fate turned against them as the watches they and the other Breakers
wore lit up and vibrated with a sudden intensity. She stared at the
backlit numbers blinking the urgency of 30 minutes.
The words left her mouth before she could stop them. "But the
Genbu summon..." It was only out of form that she had to protest the fact
they would be leaving one of their objectives behind. It was more
important that they got out alive. The last summon could be dug out of
the debris later.
"It won't matter if we're dead," was Vincent's reply as he
swiftly began to lead the way out. With only 30 minutes, it would be a
tight run to get out. Again, fate took another step against them as
they encountered guards running straight for them.
"Intruders! Stop them!" One of the guards yelled, waving about
his sword with such a lack of skill that it was tempting to correct him
if they weren't being rushed at the moment. Without a word, they
continued on, taking down the guards on their way. It surprised her how
Vincent and she could understand each another so well when they had
known each another for a little over a day. At first, she thought that
it was because they both were good at observing others and their body
language. But it became clear that wasn't all as he was prepared to
follow up when she wasn't even sure what she was going to do next. And
then she would catch herself stopping exactly when he would.
So, she wasn't surprised when she leapt onto the banister
protecting against a sudden fall from the balcony and turned her head
to find Vincent next to her. Seeing him perched like a bird about to
take flight made her share a smile with Vincent, sure that they were
seeing the same thing. Then she took the plunge three floors down. Her
mind quickly calculated the impact of the fall. While she usually could
fall three floors without a problem, the floors were higher than normal
because of the labs though it was about the same as her home. It meant
she shouldn't feel too much of a difference. The impact went without a
problem. She steadied herself as she took stock of the area. Half of
the hallways were barred and down the others were more guards heading
their way.
"What's wrong?" Vincent asked, just as he landed on his feet
behind her.
"We're going have to take out most of them," Seirya responded.
Vincent nodded grimly and drew out a second gun in his left hand. If
they tried to run for it, then the guards would be attacking their
backs. If they said anything about the bombs, the guards wouldn't
believe them. And there was only fifteen minutes left. With their backs
to the wall, it was a flurry of bullets and the clashes of swords. She
had lost count of how long they had, once she had pulled her sword out.
She was too busy staying alive by killing, dodging and healing when the
occasional need occurred.
Meanwhile Vincent had been keeping track of the time passing,
even as he was pressed to defend himself. Maybe it came with having
been a Turk. He could remember the times when the Turks had set bombs
and then had to hightail it out of there while fighting off enemies.
But right now, they didn't have much time left at all. And at the rate
they were moving, they would dead soon. That lead to him throwing of
several smoke bombs as he memorized the steps to take him to Seirya and
then down the corridor they would using to get out of this place.
"Firebird..." he whispered in warning as he caught her arm. She
started a bit but recognized him so quickly through the smoke that the
start seemed like an illusion except he had felt the jerk when his hand
touched her arm. They were only a few yards down the corridor when a
small group of guards burst through the smoke.
"There they are! After them!" one of the guards yelled, waving
his sword about. Vincent gave a slight shake of his head. If he didn't
know any better, he'd say it was the same sword-waving lead guard they
had met on the third floor. Only he had been the one to kill that man.
They just got into the entrance room when the guards caught up with
them. Seirya turned and tossed a lighting spell at the guards, getting
them a few more steps towards the exit. It gave also Vincent time to
cast the next spell, ice on the floor. The guards slid with curses.
Seirya was going for the doors when a flicker of light caught his eye.
On the third floor was a guard with a supply of dynamite and one lit.
"Watch out!" Vincent yelled, throwing himself at Seirya. They
both went sliding across the ice away from the explosion, but also away
from the exit. One of the ceiling-touching sculptures around the room
gave a loud creak and crumbled, forming a crack in the wall to the
outside world and also falling right in front of the doors. The rumble
was enough that it would take too long to move, even if they didn't
have the guards to deal with. And high enough that it would take too
long to scale for the crack in the wall. It was sad to say that there
were no windows.
The Breakers' watches gave a quiet beep. Ten seconds left to say
a quick prayer or for a fleeting contemplation. Ten seconds for Vincent
to decide when it really wasn't a decision. It was ten seconds for him
to change into a form that could save their lives and that he still
haven't completely come to terms with. The change was painful as
always. It had been a long time since he had given into the change,
trying not to remember that he could. The almost alien anger
overwhelmed him as his muscles tensed. The wings on his back shifted,
bringing the sound of reptilian skin to his ears. He let out a roar as
the air suddenly shook with a flattening force. The ceiling above him
creaked and a part gave away. Catching it, he almost tossed it aside
but something shook him, reminding him that there was someone he said
that he'd made sure got out alive. With two steps, he set the piece of
the ceiling on his back and stood over Seirya. More of the ceiling gave
away. Then the walls started to crumble about him.
Dust rolled up about him as the ground continued to shake and the
walls crumbled. He kept his eyes focused on the outside, listening
carefully for anything indicating that there was something coming that
he couldn't deal with. But that wasn't the only reason. He didn't want
to see the expression on Seirya's face. He hadn't expected that he
would need his Chaos form, so he hadn't said anything to her. Most
people were afraid and the other few had shown disgust. He'd rather not
see any of those reactions. At least, she wasn't attacking him. But she
had more sense than to risk her life when it was obvious that he was
protecting her. A grunt escaped him as a particularly heavy slab of
concrete suddenly crumbled against his piece.
It took a few moments for him to realize that all the sounds had
stopped except for the breathing of Seirya and him. He was down on one
knee, still holding up the slab. There was a lot resting against his
back, but not enough that it would stop him from getting up. With a
slight bit of effort, he threw off the piece. The concrete crashing
into the rubble was loud in the silence. Slowly he stood up and
resisted the urge to stretch. He didn't want to frighten Seirya more
than necessary. He moved slowly again, making sure that it was obvious
that he was heading out of this destruction and away from her. It was
pretty safe in the ruins as there would only few if any that could have
survived, especially with Trap and Wolf setting the bombs.
Only he was stopped by a gentle pull on one of his monstrous
clawed hands. Shock made him turn his head to face an expression that
he was sure he didn't want to see. Only it wasn't anything he had
expected. Seirya was staring at him with clear, steady eyes filled
nothing but a mixed expression that he couldn't describe except it
wasn't what he expected. Her hand was wrapped around his in a firm
grip, not afraid.
"Vincent." Her voice was clear of any shakes. Her eyes stayed
firm on him for a few moments longer before she continued. "Thank you."
Then she strolled past him as though it was normal to pass in front of
a monstrous creature like him, but... maybe he wasn't monstrous? Her
eyes, he had seen the other one. The other was a true black that he
could fall into if it wasn't for the flecks of gold giving him
something to hold onto. One taking, one giving. But both held a
fierceness that called out to him, reminding him that he had lived this
way for a long time and that he could keep on living.
Seirya leaned on the railing of the balcony attached to her room.
It was a warm night with a slight breeze to make it just the right
temperature to be outside. The night view of Sol'rah was lit with
different shapes of the buildings' windows. If you asked her to point
where Rose's place was, she could point it out easily. And where she
first met Vincent? She could point that out easily too. There weren't
too many places in the city that she hadn't walked past.
The Suzaku summon materia was locked deep in one of the castle's
vaults. While she was glad to be away from the summon, she was
uncomfortable about the distance. It made sense for it not be on her,
but once in a while, she worried that someone might steal it and be
able to use it and then she would see the vision come true. Though it
was clear now that the vision was Suzaku's way showing its power and
the consequences.
Now, it was about three months since that mission. The Th'rela
was still trying to find who had blown up the Kerna lab facility and
were allowed to block a few Breakers missions to redirect their
attention. She had gone on a couple more missions with the Breakers,
though not any encountering Th'rela. She had gone shopping with Miele
and they had bought a small fortune. She had gotten her father to
approve a new project of making more accessible roads to the harbor.
Her hot-tempered friend hadn't gotten into anymore near chocobo
collisions and had turned a fine color of red when she mentioned she
had saw him getting thrown from his chocobo like a knight-in-training.
And Vincent was visiting once in a while. After the second
mission together, she had told him to come and visit. She hadn't been
sure if he would, but he had come and has been coming since. With firm
conviction, she could say that they were friends and she was glad. He
was interesting and she wanted to get to know him more. She couldn't
help wonder how he lived fiercely through life. And tonight she was
going to explain.
"Good evening, Princess." The voice came from above her.
"Vincent, I thought I told you not to call me." Seirya turned
around and smiled, looking up at the roof where Vincent lightly resting
on his heels. She raised a hand to him. "Give me a hand up." He blinked
once before he took her hand and pulled her up onto the roof with ease.
She settled down next to him and began. "Do you know why I wasn't
afraid? I actually have an admiration for fierce creatures. They may be
fierce, but they are also beautiful. Some possess a grace of movement.
Others, an aura of strength. But they all have an intensity for life
that comes through their fierceness like no other. So, how can I not
admire that?"
****************************************************************
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~~ Make me wonder ~~
-The Silly Stuff-
By: Sun
http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Towers/7072
Last modified: 2003.01.26
****************************************************************
terasu's note: I was bouncing a lot of my ideas off Sun whom was a
great help! But of course, we couldn't help but make fun of certain
scenes. So, here is a few of Sun's take on the events of "Make me
wonder."
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/*[Vincent and Seirya Love-Love Mode~~ ^O^]*/
Vincent: Seirya....... your eyes are like the brightest stars... (holding
seirya's hands) I want to look at them forever.......
Seirya: Vincent......... (staring at his eyes)
Your eyes....... um..... your eyes...............................
(trying to find some romantic words, but failing) are very red!! KOWAII!!!!!
Seirya knocks Vincent's hands away and runs off to distance. Vincent?
He's in shock...
some time later...
Vincent: maybe I should dye my eyes? (seriously considering) =P
/*[Vincent of good voice? ^.^]*/
Seirya followed Vincent around the airship, as Vincent explained
several features of the airship. She listened attentively to the first
few details, but soon was absorbed by the architecture of the airship,
and moreover, by the scenery that could be seen from the deck of the
airship.
The airship departed not long after Vincent escorted her inside the
airship, and now she could see the fleeting forests and lakes from the
deck. Immersed in the scenery, she didn't even notice that she stopped
following Vincent and just stood at the deck looking out.
Vincent stood by Seirya, but didn't say anything for a while. She
seemed to be enjoying herself. Like her, Vincent started looking out in
the scenery, but this time, he did not fall back to the memories of the
past. Strangely, it brought peace to his mind just by standing by this
woman called "Firebird" and staring at the passing trees under the
airship.
His train of thoughts was broken by Seirya's sudden request.
"Would you sing?"
He blinked at the unexpected question. "What did you say?"
Seirya realized too late what she asked. True, she wanted to hear his
singing after hearing his voice that first time, but she wasn't going
to ask him to sing this suddenly, only after a few hours of
acquaintance. She felt heat rising to her face.
"oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to... I just thought that you have a
nice voice and the scenery's so nice, and....
oh, please never mind what I said. I didn't really mean to ask you
this abruptly..."
'What am I babbling? It's really not like me....' Seirya's face just
got hotter.
Vincent smiled involuntarily as Seirya tried to mend the damage.
"Don't worry about it, it's fine with me."
"I'm really sorry." Seirya apologized again.
For the first time in a long while, Vincent felt something moving
inside his heart, staring at her blushing face. Maybe that was why he
answered on impulse, "I wouldn't mind singing."
Seirya's eyes widened as Vincent started singing..........
An Aria.
'Well....... at least it IS a good singing voice.' Seirya thought with a
sweatdrop. 'But I would have never guessed that he would be the type
who would sing an Aria when asked to sing..... what with all that
pointed boots.........'
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(
geocities.com/terasu)