Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Unforgivable Sinner ❯ Weakness and defeat ( Chapter 6 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Ø6. Weakness and defeat
Vincent coughed silently, his body objecting furiously at the impact it had received against the ground, something sharp poking into his back. Rain was completely still in his arms, her cheek to his chest and fingers clutching his shirt with a death-grip. He wondered if she had fainted.
Managing to open his eyes, Vincent squinted through the air thick with dust, seeing that a huge pile of wreckage was separating him and Rain from the exit. Wonderful.
He wondered briefly if Cid and Shera had made it, but remembered seeing them land safely and sighed relieved.
Then the bullets began flying and he rolled over to protect Rain while pulling out Death Penalty from it's holster again.
Rain closed her eyes hard, pressing her face to Vincents chest while clutching his shirt as her life indeed depended on him.
"Come on!" He said as he got up, easily dragging her with him as she was just about attached to him. "We got to get away or we'll be sitting ducks out here!" Vincent sent a couple of shots off into the thick dust, hearing the pained screams when the bullets hit, then holstered the gun and took off with Rain in a tight grip.
Hopefully he would draw some of them away from Cloud and the others, but not more than what he could escape!
- KILL! MAIM! FIGHT! COWARD!
Death Gigas suddenly rose inside him, and Vincent's step faltered briefly before he managed to quench the beast and refocus again.
The tension was stirring up the beasts within him, and he realised there was no way for him to protect Rain, make sure he stayed alive himself and fight soldiers all at once! Suddenly Rain tugged at his arm, "This way!" She pointed at a narrow crack in the wall that separated them from sector 4.
Following her advice, Vincent soon stood with his back against the concrete, breathing hard but silently, as the soldiers ran pass their hideout without stopping to check.
Rain dared to gaze up at Vincent when he carefully peered out to make sure no soldiers had gotten the bright idea to check out their current position.
His pale face was covered with dust, as was his clothes, but his eyes were deadly sharp and his human hand by the Death Penalty ready to draw.
That was when she became aware of the metal arm firmly around her waist, holding her firmly against him, and Rain glanced down at it. Despite everything it had been through, the metal still shone golden and she had to admit there was some beauty to it. From the smooth surface to the deadly claws.
Shera had been reluctant to talk too much about Vincents past, but Rain had managed to pull out enough information to understand that Vincent hadn't chosen to have the golden arm instead of his human arm, nor had there been an accident that had cost him an arm to have it replaced. Something had happened, but what?
-
"They're gone. For now," Vincent stated, then suddenly realised their position and quickly released her. "But they're probably patrolling sector 5... It would be impossible for us to get out unnoticed now..."
Rain felt cold as he took a step away from her, turning his back towards her as he pretended to mull over their predicament.
"It would appear we are trapped in Midgar for the time being, unless you know a second secret tunnel," Vincent concluded, and absently checked how much ammunition he had left.
Hmm, not good.
Rain drew a calming breath and wrapped her arms around herself, "I know where we can go to stay the night at least..."
Vincent glanced over, raising an eyebrow.
Managing a smile, Rain lifted her chin. "This is my turf, remember? I used to work at this bar, and a friend of mine I met there runs an inn. She owes me a favor anyway!"
If somewhat reluctantly, Vincent agreed to seek out Rain's friend. He didn't trust people easily, and even though he would trust Rain now; her friends might not be immune to the award it was probably out on their heads by now.
Vincent made a mental note to get some more ammo to Death Penalty...
Whenever things appear to go too easily, you can always bet on something going wrong!
Halfway to the inn, Vincent and Rain waited for a patrol to pass them where they were hiding in the shadows, before moving to cross a desolate area that had once been a basketball arena.
That was when one of the soldiers came trotting back to retrieve the letter he'd lost from his girlfriend.
The three froze and stared at each other.
Vincent grasped Rain's arm and took off in a sprint. "Come on!"
The soldier started to life and began to scream for back-up! Bullets was soon flying around them, and Rain yelped in fear. They were in the open, no place to hide or take cover!
It was hard to say what was worst, the shock or the pain as a bullet tore into Vincents shoulder and made him loose balance.
Rain screamed as Vincent fell, stopping to fall to her knees beside him as he was already fighting his way up into a kneeling position, clutching his bleeding shoulder.
The blood made his red cape darken even more...
Rain reached out a trembling hand towards the injury, when a bullet hit the ground beside her. She wasn't even aware of doing so, but suddenly she had her gun in her hands and was aiming at the rapidly approaching soldier. Just like target practice, she mentally chanted. Kill or be killed.
She pulled the trigger.
-
Vincent was trembling, as pain shot constantly up and down his human arm, and the Hellmasker howled insanely at the scent of blood.
He heard Rain fire her gun and numbly watched as the soldier fell, a single shot to the heart.
The former Turk saw Rain pale and her eyes filled with tears as she did not lower the gun, frozen into that position.
Placing his metal claw gently on her arm, Vincent made her meet his eyes. "Run."
"I'm not leaving you." Rain shook her head as she lost the battle against the tears,
Twitching with pain, Vincent managed a faint smile, "I'll be fine. Now, run."
More soldiers came running, and Vincent knew he didn't have time to explain. "Trust me, Rain. Get away."
He fought his way up on unsteady feet and turned to face their attackers.
Rain got up on her feet as well, backing away a few steps. She refused to leave him!
As she watched, Vincent bent slightly forward, arms tightly around himself as he began to convulse. What was happening to him?! She was about to run forward when she actually saw him change. Twist and turn and slowly take form of something else.
Something horrible!
The sound of a chain saw being torn into life made her start and a shrieking laugh cut through the air.
That wasn't Vincent! The creature rushed towards the soldiers, who was as shocked as Rain. Starting to life, they began firing at the fast approaching creature, but the bullets didn't seem to faze it at all. It merely seemed dead set on severing their flesh with the growling chain saw.
Rain closed her eyes.
-
Vincent felt sick. Tired, but the pain was reduced to a constant throbbing in his shoulder. Suddenly his eyes shot open and he drew a sharp breath.
Rain! The soldiers! What had happened?!
"Relax, they're gone," a voice said, and he quickly gazed over to see Rain wring a bloodstained cloth in a bowl of water.
Vincent frowned as he realised he was in a bed in some room without a clue as to how he got there. "Where...?"
"At the inn," Rain explained calmly and reached over to dab the wet cloth gently against the stitched wound on his shoulder. "We're safe here. My friend wont betray us."
Shaking his head, Vincent tried to sit up, but she pushed him firmly into the mattress again. "But how did we get here?" He had no memory of arriving at no inn!
Rain put the cloth away and turned to place a light bandage around his shoulder, "I'm stronger than I look, and you're heavier than you look!"
Closing his eyes briefly, Vincent then remembered what had happened. He'd released the Hellmasker on the soldiers!
Cautiously looking at her, Vincent noticed she had a slight frown. It was to be expected, he figured, but was uneasy with her silence.
Rain straightened, inspected her work and found the first aid satisfactory. She then went to empty the bowl, only to return with food.
Explaining that she had eaten while he was unconscious, Rain merely watched him eat. There was a silence as long as the meal lasted.
Putting the plates away, Rain sat down on the bed beside the increasingly nervous Vincent. "So... are you going to tell me?"
Swallowing hard, Vincent felt the food turn to stone in his stomach, "I thought it was pretty obvious? I'm a monster."
Rain frowned, clearly not satisfied with this. "So that... thing. That was you?"
"More or less," Vincent conceded, closing his eyes.
The shock of seeing that... thing tear those soldiers apart had nearly frightened her enough to run and never look back, but it hadn't hurt her.
When the final scream had died out, the creature had gazed stupidly around before it began to convulse.
And Rain had stared numbly as Vincent had fallen to the ground.
"Then it was you who 'more or less' used that chain saw on those soldiers?" Rain sounded a bit sharper then she intended, but Vincent wasn't helping her understand! It could almost seem like he wanted her to fear him. That he wanted her to be disgusted.
Vincent opened his ruby eyes again. "Though I cannot control it's actions, I did release it to end them. So, yes, I might as well have done it myself."
Shaking her head, Rain gazed pleadingly at him, "I don't understand... How is it possible?"
Vincent gave a silent, hard laugh, turning his gaze away from her. "It is very possible." He hesitated, then met her gaze again, driven by some sick urge to see her look at him with fear and disgust. "I have four such monsters inside me."
Starting, Rain paled. "But... how? Why?!"
Once again the past haunted his vision, and Vincent forced it away. "I was an experiment. Unwilling, as it were. To the man who did indeed end Lucrecias life. He inserted four beasts inside my blood. They are trapped in me, and I am bound to them. A punishment sufficient for my sin."
Rain was stunned, almost not believing what she was hearing. "Your... sin?"
Vincent turned his face away. "For watching and doing nothing. Now you know."
Rain realised she only knew fragments of what had happened, but also knew better than to try to push any more information out of Vincent at this time. "Well then..." She said quietly. "Thank you for saving my life. Again. How many times does that make this?"
Glancing surprised at her, Vincent tried to hide his confusion. "Likewise. The target practice came to use after all." She didn't appear revolted by him...?!
Flinching at the memory, Rain managed a pale smile. "Yeah... " She was now a murderer... knowing she hadn't had no other choice if she wanted herself and Vincent alive didn't make it feel better.
-
Her bed being a mere meter away from his, Rain woke as well when Vincent sat up with a startled gasp.
"Vincent...? Is everything ok..?" Rain asked drowsily as she sat up, squinting over at his barely visible form in the darkness.
"Yes... Everything is fine... Go back to sleep," Vincent mumbled absently, trying to calm his racing heart.
Rain stretched before drawing a hand through her wild hair, "nightmares again, huh...?"
"It's nothing," Vincent persisted, gently lowering himself down again to stare up at the ceiling.
"How's the shoulder?" Rain asked, wondering if she'd gotten an hour of sleep at least...
Vincent reached up to touch the bandage and frowned at the moisture on his fingertips. "It is fine," he lied.
Deciding she couldn't trust his word, as he was capable of bleeding to death if he figured he deserved it. "Good! Then you wont mind me checking!" Rain tossed the covers aside and tapped over to his bed.
Vincent objected weakly as she lit a lamp, then blinked guiltily as she saw the bloodstained bandage.
With a roll of her eyes, Rain found a fresh bandage and undid the old one. Studying the wound, Rain was relieved to see it was looking good. "It'll heal nicely once we get some Cure materia tomorrow! You should be able to use your arm already..."
Vincent tryingly moved his arm, feeling slight jabs of pain, but nothing bad. "Feels ok..."
He had to focus on something else besides her hands on his bare skin, and the pain was just what he needed.
Finishing up, Rain nodded satisfied and stroke a hand down his arm. "There! Looks pretty nice! Not bad for a waitress!" She smiled widely to him, only to have it fade away as she saw the tense look on his face. He would not look at her, staring at the wall.
Vincent Valentine was a private man, keeping his opinions and thoughts to himself, but was even more shy to actual physical contact.
Rain let her hand move over his slender chest and saw him start away with a wide look at her.
"What happened to you...?" She asked softly, almost tasting the pain of the nightmares he went through every night.
Vincent turned his face away. "You saw what I am. A monster."
"I don't believe you," Rain stated gently, smiling at the doubtful look he sent her. "You fight to save this planet, you have saved your friends lives, including mine. I think you're a pretty decent man, Vincent Valentine."
Vincent merely shook his head, unable to take in her kind words.
Glancing over with a surprised look, Vincent saw her lift his metal hand to gently place it to her cheek.
"You don't scare me, Vincent," Rain declared softly, feeling the smooth claws against her skin.
She heard him inhale slowly, but didn't pull away. He seemed frozen at the sight of his golden hand against her skin.
What was it about Vincent Valentine that made her do crazy things?!
Leaning forward, her heart was hammering wildly in her chest as Rain carefully let her lips meet his.
-
Vincent realised he'd done one fatal flaw all this time he had dwelled on the monsters inside him: he'd forgotten about the human part in him.
The man that now emerged stronger then any of the beasts and reacted to the soft kiss gently asking to be met.
He was used to fighting against demons and monsters howling inside his head, but how was he supposed to resist the urge to respond to those lips?Impossible, Vincent realised as his own body betrayed him and found his metal hand sliding behind her neck; gently urging her closer as his own lips hesitatingly met hers.
It had been so long since someone had been this close to him, and a longing stronger than any beast battling to get free began to burn...
For a few precious moments was Rain allowed to ease him into a trying kiss, dwelling on the feeling with no hurry. His lips was surprisingly soft and warm she vaguely noted and she dared to take the chance to ease down beside him on the bed. Only when his human hand slid down her side did she dare to deepen the kiss.
His lips parted willingly and she felt the hitch in his breath at her daring advance.
Vincents shyness seemed to melt away little by little and was soon meeting her kisses as eagerly as she was, only then she did the mistake of letting her hand trail down his chest to his flat stomach.
Starting, Vincent pulled back and turned his face away.
Freezing, Rain gazed puzzled down at him. "Vincent...?" He was slightly out of breath, like she was, but wouldn't meet her eyes.
She could feel him shutting down, trying to desperately put away feelings that made him feel like a human again, made him feel alive.
"Vincent, look at me," Rain requested silently, and he slowly obeyed. Ruby eyes hazed with desire, yet tainted with sorrow.
Letting light fingertips move over his features, Rain gave a weak smile. "A girl might think you don't like her when you do that..."
Vincent had to struggle to find his voice, find his armour and shut her out. "I'm a monster. You saw it yourself!" Why couldn't she understand?! Why did she have to make him feel?!
Rain sat up to straddle him, smiling slightly at the shiver that went through him. "What I saw... was a man saving my life. I saw Vincent Valentine, a man with nightmares haunting his every moment and monsters tormenting him from having peace. I'm sorry, I only see a man I could easily fall in love with..."
Her words numbed him even more than her action had. Love? Panic fluttered inside his chest, but then she leaned down to catch his lips again.
And it would be proved that Vincent Valentine was still human after all as he let his arms go around her. One night's weakness couldn't hurt, could it...?
Just one night without nightmares and loneliness. One night with soft skin against his own.
Rain heard his soft moan of defeat and couldn't help but to feel that night would be the first step in mending a broken heart he guarded so closely.
She only prayed he didn't break hers in the process...
But thoughts and worries soon faded as all that became important was to remove anything that kept them from each other and trying to feel enough for a lifetime.
Both fearing this night would be their first and last...
-
Rain knew Vincent was awake when she finally emerged from slumber, but was reluctant to open her eyes or even move as he seemed content on merely holding her close. She was afraid of breaking the moment. His skin felt wonderfully warm against hers, even his metal arm. Dawn was barely breaking and something inside her told her they had to be leaving soon. They had to find a way out of Midgar and get back to Rocket Town. Giving a silent prayer that everybody was ok, Rain let herself savour the closeness in the semi-dark room a few seconds longer.
Daylight would chase away the man she'd gotten to know, hide him away inside a red cape and ruby eyes. Her only weak comfort was having had the night of her lifetime. She'd meant to be gentle with him, but it hadn't been long before Vincent took control. Rain felt a blush come over her as she remembered, and knew she'd been wrong. Really wrong. Vincent Valentine hadn't needed any guidance at all. No, not at all!
"I should leave while it is still dawn," Vincent suddenly said, breaking the silence.
Starting slightly, Rain finally opened her eyes and gazed up at him. He was absently staring up at the ceiling, almost as if he was as unwilling to move as she were.
That was when she caught up with what he'd said; I should leave. Not we should leave.
"You should be safe here," Vincent said distantly, feeling her tense against him.
Rain swallowed down hurt and surprise. "They saw my face. They know who I am."
Vincent slowly glanced over at her, suddenly aware that if the soldiers knew who Rain was then they might be on their way there as they spoke.
"Then we better hurry. It's a long way back to Rocket Town."
"I guess..." Rain relented, feeling a pang of loss when he released her and moved away to get dressed.
Still, it was no time for selfish motives now... Meteor was still approaching and AVALANCHE was probably worried about them.
They had things to accomplish first, then Rain promised to not give up on Vincent Valentine without a fight!
When they came down from their room, a blonde woman met them with a two small bags.
"I thought you might need some food and some water," she handed one bag to Rain before turning to Vincent with the second bag. "I added ammunition. Rain gave me one of your bullets. They should be of the same brand."
Vincent frowned surprised, then opened the bag and nodded. "Yes, I can use these..." He glanced at the blonde woman as she was tearfully hugging Rain goodbye, wondering why she had gone to so much trouble for them.
"Take care of her," the woman had turned back to him again, and Vincent nodded.
-
They left the inn silently, deciding to see if sector 5 was still as heavily patrolled as yesterday, and if they could get to the tunnel at all.
"How do we know we can trust that woman," Vincent asked after a while, tensely alert for any possible dangers lurking behind corners.
Rain hoisted the bag on her shoulder slightly. "She's just about a sister to me. I've known her for years."
Vincent said no more, but knew just how well friendships could be tossed aside if enough gil was offered.
Sector 5 was crawling with soldiers, as expected, but Vincent still figured they had a good chance of reaching the tunnel.
Rain couldn't help but to wonder what he thought was an impossible situation as she saw a group of 7 soldiers patrolling a few meters away.
"A simple diversion will draw their attention away and that is when we run for the tunnel," Vincent explained and told her to wait while he set it up.
Watching him leave, his red cape billowing a goodbye at her, Rain found her gun and clutched it hard. Everything would be ok, she mentally told herself, and after all, she could take care of herself. She had proven that. Just like target practice. Breathe calmly, aim, exhale and fire...
The loud explosion that shook the ground made her start to life, and she almost lost the gun as well. Yes, great, Rain! Drop the gun, Miss I-can-protect-myself!
The soldiers would probably all be scared to death to see you toss the gun to the ground in front of them! Yeah, that'll work!
A hand clamped over her mouth and stifled the scream she let out.
"It's me," Vincents voice said and the hand left her mouth.
"You scared me!" Rain silently shrieked, but the former Turk was busy scouting the area as the soldiers ran to see what had cause the ruckus.
"Now!" He grabbed her wrist and yanked her into a sprint. Vincent pulled out the Death Penalty and picked down the few remaining soldiers, while Rain fought to keep up with his impossibly long strides.
She'd never thought she'd be relieved to smell the unappealing scent of sewer, but Rain exclaimed happily as they rounded a huge piece of wreckage and she saw the entrance of the tunnel with it's foul reeking smell.
"It's still open!" She exclaimed, feeling a weak hope. They could make it!
Vincent pulled out his hand gun as well after releasing Rain, and proceeded to fire both firearms at the scattering soldiers. "Go, Rain!"
Shifting between running and waiting for Vincent to catch up, Rain soon found herself halfway through the tunnel. Seeing the end within sight, Rain called out for Vincent. "We're almost there!" She halted and waited for him. "Come on, Vincent! We can make it if we run!"
No sooner had she spoken the words did he holster his guns, spun around and ran towards her.
The happy smile on her face faded as she saw the reason he was running; a grenade bouncing off the slimy surface before comming to a halt.
"Oh no..." She whispered, then Vincent's arm went around her waist and she lost her breath as he yanked her with him.
The explosion sent a wave of fire after them and there was a loud groan from the walls as they gave in.
Heat was increasing against Vincent's back as he saw the exit approach quickly. Drawing a deep breath, he briefly calculated and took the chance.
Putting his every once of strength into that jump, they came out of the tunnel inches from the burning inferno that followed and crashed to the ground.
Rolling to a halt, Vincent panted hard as he stared up at the sky where Meteor greeted them with promises that it did not matter that they had cheated death once again, it would soon correct that!
"Well..." He said, feeling Rain still had her face pressed to his chest in fear, "we're out. We did it."
The tunnel, now collapsed, stood silently with dark smoke rising into the air.
They were safe.