Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Unforgivable Sinner ❯ Lucrecia and a goodbye ( Chapter 9 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: Sulphurya 
Trembling, Vincent froze at her command, eyes still locked on her. "Lucrecia... You're alive..."
Non Anime: Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Romance / Supernatural / Angst | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 07.28.2007 | Pages: 2 | Words: 2.7K | Visits: 189 | Status: Completed
Trembling, Vincent froze at her command, eyes still locked on her. "Lucrecia... You're alive..."
Non Anime: Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Romance / Supernatural / Angst | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 07.28.2007 | Pages: 2 | Words: 2.7K | Visits: 189 | Status: Completed
Ø9. Lucrecia and a goodbye
The waterfall was thundering infront of Vincent, and he stared at the water with an uneasy feeling in his stomach.
What if it wasn't true? What if Rain had been wrong, and Chaos was tricking him. He knew the demon was capable of it, but how he hoped for it to be true.
Had his sin been forgiven? Was his punishment over and finally allowed peace?
Vincent slowly reached out a hand and put it into the water, knowing he would certainly know no peace until he'd at least seen for himself.
Drawing a deep breath, Vincent closed his eyes briefly, then entered.
The room was beautiful to say the least. Blue stone carved out to make a perfect hide away and the water sounded much more soothing than loud.
A soft white light was radiating at the end of the room, and his heart began to race.
Was it possible...?!
That was when he heard the voice softly whispering his name, the voice of the woman he'd seen die. "Oh, Vincent..."
"That voice... It can't be..." Vincent mumbled, his heart racing even harder. Hope was flooding up inside him, agonized hope.
He rushed forward, barely making out the form of a woman kneeling in the white light.
"Lucrecia...?" Vincent heard his own voice shaking, but threw all caution aside. It was her! He could feel it!
The woman inside the light turned her face in his direction. "Vincent...?" Lucrecia was looking puzzled and startled at once.
Shock and a surging joy rammed through Vincent's mind, and he started to run towards her.
"Stay back!" Lucrecia exclaimed, throwing out a hand to halt him.
Trembling, Vincent froze at her command, eyes still locked on her. "Lucrecia... You're alive..."
-
Lucrecia wrapped her arms around her thin frame, hanging her head low, "I wanted to disappear... I couldn't be with anyone... I wanted to die..." He heard her sobbing quietly before she managed to continue; "But the Jenova inside me wouldn't let me die..." She shook her head, the light dancing in her softly swishing hair, then tensed as if in pain. "Lately, I dream a lot of Sephiroth... My dear, dear child. Ever since he was born I never got to hold him, even once..."
She held out her empty hands to gaze at them, almost as if the limbs were to blame. "Not even once. You can't call me his mother... That... is my sin..." Lucrecia closed her eyes and hung her head, wrapping her arms around herself again.
Vincent started. How could an angel talk of sin?
He moved towards her again, but Lucrecia got up abruptly and glared at him, exclaiming. "Back! Stay back!"
The former Turk halted, and she appeared to calm down.
Her eyes were soft as she tilted her head. "Vincent... wont you please tell me...?"
Vincent frowned, feeling something seep into his mind. There was an odd look in her eyes, and she was impossibly thin. There was something wrong...
"...What?" He murmured, feeling her distancing him hurt like not even Chaos could to do him.
Lucrecia took a step towards him, wringing her hands tensely. "Is Sephiroth is still alive? I heard he died five years ago, but I see him in my dreams so often..." She closed her eyes and smiled dreamily, "and I know that physically, like myself, he can't die so easily." Her eyes opened again and focused on Vincent. "Please, Vincent... tell me..."
Vincent stood silent for a little while, merely watching her. Five years... she'd been alive all these years... hidden here... suffering under Hojo's influence all alone. He remembered the last time he'd seen her, squirming on her bed while screaming at the voices that wouldn't leave her alone.
Did they leave her alone in here? Was that why she never sought him out? Did she know what had happened to him? Had she thought he was dead too? No, she didn't seem surprised to see him at all, and if she heard about Sephiroth's death five years ago, she must have heard of him joining up with AVALANCHE.
Lucrecia had merely stayed hidden. Confusion battled with hurt while Vincent tried to appear unfazed, "Lucrecia... Sephiroth is dead..." The true Sephiroth had died those years ago, and the former Turk began to realise with a loss beyond belief that the woman he loved had also perished years ago.
Lucrecia sank to her knees again, wailing softly as she clutched her head, "no... I don't belive you... Why do you lie?"
Vincent made no move to come closer, his entire body numb, "I would never lie to you, Lucrecia..."
Nodding, she gazed up at him, "I remember... And you said you would do anything for me... Do you remember you said that?"
Vincent closed his eyes. "I remember."
The emptiness in her eyes made dry tears burn in his own, and he wanted to kill Hojo all over again.
Lucrecia got up. "Will you still do anything for me, Vincent? Say you will..."
"Of course I will," Vincent whispered distantly, knowing all his previous punishment was nothing compared to loosing Lucrecia again.
"Then you will bring me the child?" Lucrecia asked softly, starting to hum a silent song to quiet the turmoil inside her head.
-
Vincent frowned confused, shaking his head. "What child? Sephiroth is dead, Lucrecia... His body is under a mountain, I cannot bring him to you."
"Yes, you can," Lucrecia insisted gently, "he will live again in that child. In your child. Our child. The child that was meant to be ours!"
The trembling woman in the light stared at Vincent and he realised how different she was from Lucrecia. That wasn't Lucrecia.
It was a shell of Lucrecia with fragments of her memories.
"There is no child," Vincent explained patiently, suddenly longing to return to his nightmares. Even they seemed kind to reality right now.
Lucrecia clutched her hair in distress. "Yes, there is! SHE has it! That tramp is taking our child from us, Vincent! That child that should have been ours. That can still be ours! Wont you do this for me, Vincent...? Help me make up for my sin... Return Sephiroth to me...!"
"I don't understand... Who are you..." Vincent stared at the ground, frowning as he tried to make sense out of her rambling, "I don't understand..."
Lucrecia laughed softly, shaking her head in amusement. "You never did, Vincent."
Suddenly all the pieces fell into place and Vincent focused on Lucrecia again, "Rain... That was why you had Chaos bring her here..."
His child?!
"Bring her to me, Vincent. Bring me our child," Lucrecia insisted in a quiet voice, "make it right again."
Vincent nodded, thoughts racing through his mind. "Yes... I'll make it right this time..." He gazed over at the woman he'd once loved and failed to protect, knowing Lucrecia was dead, and so was Vincent Valentine as she knew him. "I love you," he stated softly, aching to touch her a final time, but knew she wouldn't allow it. Then Vincent turned to leave. He had to make things right this time. He failed Lucrecia. He would not fail Rain.
Then Rain's final words came back to him; "I hope you find what you're looking for. I really do. Goodbye."
Goodbye.
Vincent got an uneasy feeling, hearing Lucrecia's soft humming grow fainter as he walked out of the cave.
Goodbye?
Vincent returned to Rocket Town to find Rain gone. She had left merely hours after him, Shera told him. Didn't say where she was going.
The former Turk gazed out into the horizon, knowing how easy it was to hide in an entire world if you didn't want anyone to find you.
Something told him Rain didn't want him to find her, not after Lucrecia. Maybe it was for the best...?
That's it, you coward, Chaos chuckled, there are plenty more fun thing for us guys to do beside looking for a runaway broad!
"Silent, you," Vincent muttered, as he was sitting on the launch-pad where he'd seen her for the last time.
Sephiroth was dead. The planet was safe. Lucrecia was still lost to him. Hojo was dead.
What was there left for him to do? Vincent placed Death Penalty across his lap, stroking his human hand over the shining metal.
'Make it right this time'
The words still haunted him and knew he'd already made his decision when he walked out of the waterfall cave...
Getting up, Vincent holstered Death Penalty and walked into the darkness.
-
The most likely place she would go was Midgar, so he figured it would be the last place he'd find her.
She knew he would go there first, but maybe there was something there that could tell him where she might be likely to go...
Maybe...
He made his way to the city, that it's habitants were struggling hard to rebuild in vain, and went to the inn they'd spent the night.
Two weeks since she had vanished now.
The blonde woman could tell him, after several assurances that he was not out to hurt her in any way, that Rain had in fact showed up about week ago, taking with her the gil her brother had left her and left with a promise that she would be in touch when she knew where she would be settling.
Vincent asked a few question to the traders and soon learned she had bought up on food, water, gun and ammo, and finally a golden chocobo.
So she had to be planning on going far to decide on a golden bird and not the average one.
Vincent gazed up at the stars the night he left Midgar, remembering how she had commented on them. It was true, he'd almost forgotten what they looked like too.
He couldn't remember the last time he'd gazed at the stars.
Vincent went into town by town, sometimes finding cold traces that she'd been there, but Rain was still on the run.
Did she know he was following? He doubted it.
Days passed. Weeks. Even months.
The closest he came was arriving in Costa Del Sol merely the day after she had left, and the former Turk felt a weak hope that soon faded as it appeared she had dropped off the face of the planet after that.
Refusing to believe she was dead, attacked by some monster or something, Vincent finally returned to Rocket Town to ask Cid if he could fly him to Wutai, the only town besides the little town in the ice-lands he hadn't checked.
The pilot agreed, and they left after Vincent had spent a couple of hours with the still comatosed Yuffie.
He got a PHS shoved into his hand as Cid gave him a crooked grin, "jest so you can call fer a ride home for the happy couple!"
"Thank you, Cid, your optimism is almost catching," Vincent replied dryly, but the pilot merely laughed.
Entering the town, Vincent realised he had been searching for a long time now. Traveling from place to place for a woman that might not even want him around.
'Back! Stay back!'
He shook Lucrecia's voice from his mind, and glanced around at the busy people.
What was it? 6-7 months? He'd lost count...
Vincent drew a deep breath and entered the inn, the best place for information.
-
"Hello Rain."
The voice made her freeze just as she closed the door to her little house. Fear? A little. Nerves? Oh yes!
Slowly peering over her shoulder, Rain saw Vincent standing in the middle of her living room. How had he gotten in here? The door was locked!
And, more importantly, how did he find her?!
She managed a faint smile, not moving. "Hello Vincent..."
Vincent did not speak, merely gazed piercingly at her, and finally Rain sighed before turning to face him.
"So she told you," Rain said as she placed a protective hand over her swelling stomach. "Now what?"
Vincent's eyes dwelled at her stomach, then moved up to meet her eyes again. "Why did you run?"
Scoffing, Rain walked pass him and entered the kitchen, "I'm not stupid, Vincent."
Feeling a twinge of irritation, Vincent followed her to lean against the doorframe. "You never gave me the chance. The choice."
"No," Rain admitted silently, gazing down at the floor, "I made the decision for you. You didn't need more problems."
This time it was Vincent who scoffed. "Bull! You had no right! And then you ran like a coward! I've been searching for you for months now!"
Glancing over at him, Rain was startled by the tingling feeling she got at his last words. "You... you've been searching for me...?"
Straightening, Vincent nodded and walked over to place gentle hands on her shoulders. "You should have trusted me."
"But..." Rain stared at his chest, not daring to hope, "but Lucrecia..."
She felt him tense, but he didn't move away.
"Lucrecia is dead. The person you met was not her," Vincent declared calmly, placing a finger beneath her chin and raised her face to his. "It's my child as well..."
Rain bit her lower lip, eyes flooding with tears as she replied. "Yes, she is."
Vincent raised his eyebrows. "She?"
Laughing embarrassedly, Rain turned away, discretely wiping her tears, "It may sound silly... but in Mideel I met this woman. A young woman my age. She was so kind, almost as if she knew... She told me it was a girl and that she would be her fathers image. That she would be a strong fighter, and with no demons to carry."
Vincent almost forgot to breathe. "What... What did she look like...?"
Smiling faintly, Rain glanced over at him again. "Long brown hair, in some twisted plait or something, really sweet with the worlds kindest green eyes. Sounds like a fairytale, huh?"
Shaking his head slowly, Vincent managed a faint smile of his own. "No... No, she sounds just about right."
He then took her hand, giving it a soft squeeze. "Don't run out on me like that again."
Rain gazed down at their hands, swallowed her nervousness. "You don't have to do this, you know."
"I know," Vincent replied gently, "but it doesn't strike you that I might want to? Maybe this is my second chance?"
Hope gently folding out it's wings over them both as Rain placed his hand to her stomach, letting him feel the movement as their daughter kicked. "Maybe we should get to know each other a little better as well...?"
Forcing down the surge of emotion that rammed him, Vincent managed a shaky smile. "Not a bad idea. Like how your brother could leave you half a million gil?"
Rain giggled, stroking his arm, "Sky was the smuggler king. If you ever needed booze, he was the one you asked. He thought I didn't know, but I'm not stupid!"
"I remember you mention that," Vincent chuckled, gazing after her as she wandered over to put on some tea.
"How about you, Vincent? Like... where did you grow up...?" Rain asked, letting the water run.
Vincent sighed and sank down on a kitchen chair as he loosened his collar slightly. "It's a long story..."
Rain turned to smile at him, "I've got time."
-
The end...
-
The waterfall was thundering infront of Vincent, and he stared at the water with an uneasy feeling in his stomach.
What if it wasn't true? What if Rain had been wrong, and Chaos was tricking him. He knew the demon was capable of it, but how he hoped for it to be true.
Had his sin been forgiven? Was his punishment over and finally allowed peace?
Vincent slowly reached out a hand and put it into the water, knowing he would certainly know no peace until he'd at least seen for himself.
Drawing a deep breath, Vincent closed his eyes briefly, then entered.
The room was beautiful to say the least. Blue stone carved out to make a perfect hide away and the water sounded much more soothing than loud.
A soft white light was radiating at the end of the room, and his heart began to race.
Was it possible...?!
That was when he heard the voice softly whispering his name, the voice of the woman he'd seen die. "Oh, Vincent..."
"That voice... It can't be..." Vincent mumbled, his heart racing even harder. Hope was flooding up inside him, agonized hope.
He rushed forward, barely making out the form of a woman kneeling in the white light.
"Lucrecia...?" Vincent heard his own voice shaking, but threw all caution aside. It was her! He could feel it!
The woman inside the light turned her face in his direction. "Vincent...?" Lucrecia was looking puzzled and startled at once.
Shock and a surging joy rammed through Vincent's mind, and he started to run towards her.
"Stay back!" Lucrecia exclaimed, throwing out a hand to halt him.
Trembling, Vincent froze at her command, eyes still locked on her. "Lucrecia... You're alive..."
-
Lucrecia wrapped her arms around her thin frame, hanging her head low, "I wanted to disappear... I couldn't be with anyone... I wanted to die..." He heard her sobbing quietly before she managed to continue; "But the Jenova inside me wouldn't let me die..." She shook her head, the light dancing in her softly swishing hair, then tensed as if in pain. "Lately, I dream a lot of Sephiroth... My dear, dear child. Ever since he was born I never got to hold him, even once..."
She held out her empty hands to gaze at them, almost as if the limbs were to blame. "Not even once. You can't call me his mother... That... is my sin..." Lucrecia closed her eyes and hung her head, wrapping her arms around herself again.
Vincent started. How could an angel talk of sin?
He moved towards her again, but Lucrecia got up abruptly and glared at him, exclaiming. "Back! Stay back!"
The former Turk halted, and she appeared to calm down.
Her eyes were soft as she tilted her head. "Vincent... wont you please tell me...?"
Vincent frowned, feeling something seep into his mind. There was an odd look in her eyes, and she was impossibly thin. There was something wrong...
"...What?" He murmured, feeling her distancing him hurt like not even Chaos could to do him.
Lucrecia took a step towards him, wringing her hands tensely. "Is Sephiroth is still alive? I heard he died five years ago, but I see him in my dreams so often..." She closed her eyes and smiled dreamily, "and I know that physically, like myself, he can't die so easily." Her eyes opened again and focused on Vincent. "Please, Vincent... tell me..."
Vincent stood silent for a little while, merely watching her. Five years... she'd been alive all these years... hidden here... suffering under Hojo's influence all alone. He remembered the last time he'd seen her, squirming on her bed while screaming at the voices that wouldn't leave her alone.
Did they leave her alone in here? Was that why she never sought him out? Did she know what had happened to him? Had she thought he was dead too? No, she didn't seem surprised to see him at all, and if she heard about Sephiroth's death five years ago, she must have heard of him joining up with AVALANCHE.
Lucrecia had merely stayed hidden. Confusion battled with hurt while Vincent tried to appear unfazed, "Lucrecia... Sephiroth is dead..." The true Sephiroth had died those years ago, and the former Turk began to realise with a loss beyond belief that the woman he loved had also perished years ago.
Lucrecia sank to her knees again, wailing softly as she clutched her head, "no... I don't belive you... Why do you lie?"
Vincent made no move to come closer, his entire body numb, "I would never lie to you, Lucrecia..."
Nodding, she gazed up at him, "I remember... And you said you would do anything for me... Do you remember you said that?"
Vincent closed his eyes. "I remember."
The emptiness in her eyes made dry tears burn in his own, and he wanted to kill Hojo all over again.
Lucrecia got up. "Will you still do anything for me, Vincent? Say you will..."
"Of course I will," Vincent whispered distantly, knowing all his previous punishment was nothing compared to loosing Lucrecia again.
"Then you will bring me the child?" Lucrecia asked softly, starting to hum a silent song to quiet the turmoil inside her head.
-
Vincent frowned confused, shaking his head. "What child? Sephiroth is dead, Lucrecia... His body is under a mountain, I cannot bring him to you."
"Yes, you can," Lucrecia insisted gently, "he will live again in that child. In your child. Our child. The child that was meant to be ours!"
The trembling woman in the light stared at Vincent and he realised how different she was from Lucrecia. That wasn't Lucrecia.
It was a shell of Lucrecia with fragments of her memories.
"There is no child," Vincent explained patiently, suddenly longing to return to his nightmares. Even they seemed kind to reality right now.
Lucrecia clutched her hair in distress. "Yes, there is! SHE has it! That tramp is taking our child from us, Vincent! That child that should have been ours. That can still be ours! Wont you do this for me, Vincent...? Help me make up for my sin... Return Sephiroth to me...!"
"I don't understand... Who are you..." Vincent stared at the ground, frowning as he tried to make sense out of her rambling, "I don't understand..."
Lucrecia laughed softly, shaking her head in amusement. "You never did, Vincent."
Suddenly all the pieces fell into place and Vincent focused on Lucrecia again, "Rain... That was why you had Chaos bring her here..."
His child?!
"Bring her to me, Vincent. Bring me our child," Lucrecia insisted in a quiet voice, "make it right again."
Vincent nodded, thoughts racing through his mind. "Yes... I'll make it right this time..." He gazed over at the woman he'd once loved and failed to protect, knowing Lucrecia was dead, and so was Vincent Valentine as she knew him. "I love you," he stated softly, aching to touch her a final time, but knew she wouldn't allow it. Then Vincent turned to leave. He had to make things right this time. He failed Lucrecia. He would not fail Rain.
Then Rain's final words came back to him; "I hope you find what you're looking for. I really do. Goodbye."
Goodbye.
Vincent got an uneasy feeling, hearing Lucrecia's soft humming grow fainter as he walked out of the cave.
Goodbye?
Vincent returned to Rocket Town to find Rain gone. She had left merely hours after him, Shera told him. Didn't say where she was going.
The former Turk gazed out into the horizon, knowing how easy it was to hide in an entire world if you didn't want anyone to find you.
Something told him Rain didn't want him to find her, not after Lucrecia. Maybe it was for the best...?
That's it, you coward, Chaos chuckled, there are plenty more fun thing for us guys to do beside looking for a runaway broad!
"Silent, you," Vincent muttered, as he was sitting on the launch-pad where he'd seen her for the last time.
Sephiroth was dead. The planet was safe. Lucrecia was still lost to him. Hojo was dead.
What was there left for him to do? Vincent placed Death Penalty across his lap, stroking his human hand over the shining metal.
'Make it right this time'
The words still haunted him and knew he'd already made his decision when he walked out of the waterfall cave...
Getting up, Vincent holstered Death Penalty and walked into the darkness.
-
The most likely place she would go was Midgar, so he figured it would be the last place he'd find her.
She knew he would go there first, but maybe there was something there that could tell him where she might be likely to go...
Maybe...
He made his way to the city, that it's habitants were struggling hard to rebuild in vain, and went to the inn they'd spent the night.
Two weeks since she had vanished now.
The blonde woman could tell him, after several assurances that he was not out to hurt her in any way, that Rain had in fact showed up about week ago, taking with her the gil her brother had left her and left with a promise that she would be in touch when she knew where she would be settling.
Vincent asked a few question to the traders and soon learned she had bought up on food, water, gun and ammo, and finally a golden chocobo.
So she had to be planning on going far to decide on a golden bird and not the average one.
Vincent gazed up at the stars the night he left Midgar, remembering how she had commented on them. It was true, he'd almost forgotten what they looked like too.
He couldn't remember the last time he'd gazed at the stars.
Vincent went into town by town, sometimes finding cold traces that she'd been there, but Rain was still on the run.
Did she know he was following? He doubted it.
Days passed. Weeks. Even months.
The closest he came was arriving in Costa Del Sol merely the day after she had left, and the former Turk felt a weak hope that soon faded as it appeared she had dropped off the face of the planet after that.
Refusing to believe she was dead, attacked by some monster or something, Vincent finally returned to Rocket Town to ask Cid if he could fly him to Wutai, the only town besides the little town in the ice-lands he hadn't checked.
The pilot agreed, and they left after Vincent had spent a couple of hours with the still comatosed Yuffie.
He got a PHS shoved into his hand as Cid gave him a crooked grin, "jest so you can call fer a ride home for the happy couple!"
"Thank you, Cid, your optimism is almost catching," Vincent replied dryly, but the pilot merely laughed.
Entering the town, Vincent realised he had been searching for a long time now. Traveling from place to place for a woman that might not even want him around.
'Back! Stay back!'
He shook Lucrecia's voice from his mind, and glanced around at the busy people.
What was it? 6-7 months? He'd lost count...
Vincent drew a deep breath and entered the inn, the best place for information.
-
"Hello Rain."
The voice made her freeze just as she closed the door to her little house. Fear? A little. Nerves? Oh yes!
Slowly peering over her shoulder, Rain saw Vincent standing in the middle of her living room. How had he gotten in here? The door was locked!
And, more importantly, how did he find her?!
She managed a faint smile, not moving. "Hello Vincent..."
Vincent did not speak, merely gazed piercingly at her, and finally Rain sighed before turning to face him.
"So she told you," Rain said as she placed a protective hand over her swelling stomach. "Now what?"
Vincent's eyes dwelled at her stomach, then moved up to meet her eyes again. "Why did you run?"
Scoffing, Rain walked pass him and entered the kitchen, "I'm not stupid, Vincent."
Feeling a twinge of irritation, Vincent followed her to lean against the doorframe. "You never gave me the chance. The choice."
"No," Rain admitted silently, gazing down at the floor, "I made the decision for you. You didn't need more problems."
This time it was Vincent who scoffed. "Bull! You had no right! And then you ran like a coward! I've been searching for you for months now!"
Glancing over at him, Rain was startled by the tingling feeling she got at his last words. "You... you've been searching for me...?"
Straightening, Vincent nodded and walked over to place gentle hands on her shoulders. "You should have trusted me."
"But..." Rain stared at his chest, not daring to hope, "but Lucrecia..."
She felt him tense, but he didn't move away.
"Lucrecia is dead. The person you met was not her," Vincent declared calmly, placing a finger beneath her chin and raised her face to his. "It's my child as well..."
Rain bit her lower lip, eyes flooding with tears as she replied. "Yes, she is."
Vincent raised his eyebrows. "She?"
Laughing embarrassedly, Rain turned away, discretely wiping her tears, "It may sound silly... but in Mideel I met this woman. A young woman my age. She was so kind, almost as if she knew... She told me it was a girl and that she would be her fathers image. That she would be a strong fighter, and with no demons to carry."
Vincent almost forgot to breathe. "What... What did she look like...?"
Smiling faintly, Rain glanced over at him again. "Long brown hair, in some twisted plait or something, really sweet with the worlds kindest green eyes. Sounds like a fairytale, huh?"
Shaking his head slowly, Vincent managed a faint smile of his own. "No... No, she sounds just about right."
He then took her hand, giving it a soft squeeze. "Don't run out on me like that again."
Rain gazed down at their hands, swallowed her nervousness. "You don't have to do this, you know."
"I know," Vincent replied gently, "but it doesn't strike you that I might want to? Maybe this is my second chance?"
Hope gently folding out it's wings over them both as Rain placed his hand to her stomach, letting him feel the movement as their daughter kicked. "Maybe we should get to know each other a little better as well...?"
Forcing down the surge of emotion that rammed him, Vincent managed a shaky smile. "Not a bad idea. Like how your brother could leave you half a million gil?"
Rain giggled, stroking his arm, "Sky was the smuggler king. If you ever needed booze, he was the one you asked. He thought I didn't know, but I'm not stupid!"
"I remember you mention that," Vincent chuckled, gazing after her as she wandered over to put on some tea.
"How about you, Vincent? Like... where did you grow up...?" Rain asked, letting the water run.
Vincent sighed and sank down on a kitchen chair as he loosened his collar slightly. "It's a long story..."
Rain turned to smile at him, "I've got time."
-
The end...
-