Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Crimson Curse ❯ Chapter 6 ( Chapter 6 )

 

Chapter 6

 

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-Impound Lot-

 

 

 

 

 

“I'm here to pick up the motorcycle belonging to Cloud Strife”, Karin says to the attendant behind the counter.

 

“I can't release anything to anybody else, without the owner's consent”, the male attendant tells her.

 

“One moment, please…”, she states, digging into her pocket and pulls out a piece of paper, “Here… I have his consent…”, she slides the paper under the opening in the glass of the desk.

 

“Let's see…”, the attendant mutters, looking at the paper, “Everything seems to be in order… The vehicle is in space 313…”, he says, buzzing her in through the gate.

 

“Thank you”, she replies, walking in followed by Vincent.

 

“Do you actually have your friend's consent?”, he asks.

 

“Of course, me and Tifa have control of his stuff when something happens to him that leaves him incapacitated, until he recovers…”, she answers, looking for the space where Cloud's bike resided.

 

“I suppose, you and Cloud have the same thing on Tifa, and Cloud and Tifa do on you?”

 

“Yep…”, she says, “Here it is!”, running to the motorcycle, jumping onto it and puts the key into the ignition, “Come on…”, she whispers, turning the key, “Please start…”, she prays.

 

(A/N: For the record, Cloud's motorcycle; Fenrir, looks exactly like the one in the `Advent Children' movie and the `Dirge of Cerberus' game!)

 

The engine roars to life, “Yes…!”, she cheers, looking down at the damage done on the left-side of the bike, “Looks like the scratches will need to be sanded out and re-painted; about $300 in costs…”, she mutters, shaking her head, “Other than that, the bike is fine”.

 

“You heading home?”

 

“Yeah, it's the weekend, so I don't have classes for two days…”, she replies, “Hey, get on. I'll give you a lift back to your bike”.

 

Vincent nods and jumps on behind her, after he gets comfortable she reeves the engine and speeds down the lot towards the gate. She drives so fast, that Vincent gasps in surprise and grabs hold of her shoulders to prevent himself from falling off. Karin stops the bike so suddenly outside of the gate; that the back-end of the motorcycle lifts up into the air and falls back to the ground with a thud.

 

“I can't decide who is more reckless on a motorcycle; you and your friend Cloud”, Vincent says, as he climbs off the bike and starts walking to his own.

 

“As I said; I've known Cloud since I was 10! He's rubbed off on me!”, she shrugs, “Do you think you could follow me home? You know, to make sure I'm safe and all…”

 

“Might as well…”, he sighs, getting onto his bike and starts it up.

 

“Good, follow me!”, she calls out, pulling way from the curb and followed by Vincent.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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-Shingetsu Heights Apartments-

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Nice apartment-building”, Vincent remarks, looking up at the 21-storie high building.

 

“Thanks…”, she replies, “Come on…”, she says, grabbing him by the wrist and tugs him into the lobby, then into the elevator and presses the button for the 18th floor, “Let's go…”, she commands, pulling him off the elevator when it reached her floor.

 

Karin digs around inside her bag, looking for her house-keys, “Where the hell did they go this time…?”, she curses, “So that's where you little metal-shits went…”, she mutters, pulling them out and puts her house-key into the lock; unlocking it, and walks inside.

 

She doesn't feel Vincent follow her in, causing her to turn around and see him standing outside the door, “Don't tell me, the curse won't let you enter someone's house without being invited in, right?”

 

“No… I just find it rude to enter without permission…”, he replies, walking through the door into her apartment.

 

“So is it true?”

 

“Is what true?”

 

“That a vampire can't enter a person's house without being invited in?”, she asks, setting her bag onto her kitchen-table.

 

“It's true… Maybe the only power a normal person has to protect themselves…”, he replies.

 

“What if the vampire was once your friend or family, and has been inside your home before they were turned, do they still have to be invited in?”

 

“Even though they were inside your home when they were alive, they still have to be invited in to come in after they are turned into a vampire”.

 

“Good to know…”, she sighs, “Which means my mother invited my father in…”, she mutters.

 

“What was that about your mother and father?”, Vincent questions.

 

“Huh…?”, she gasps, still not used to the fact that his hearing was three-times stronger than a normal human's.

 

“What was that about your parents?”

 

“I'll tell you later, I just want to sleep…”, she yawns, heading into the room to the right of the living-room, flipping the light on and Vincent could the walls of her room were egg-shell white, a full-size bed sat across the room from the door with a red comforter laid on top of the bed. A chestnut-wood dresser with mirror sat against the wall beside the door.

 

Vincent sits down onto her large black-couch; so large that if you removed the back-cushions the couch would be as wide as a twin-size bed, untimely deciding to spend the night to make sure she stayed safe. Watching as the sun sets behind the horizon and feeling his canines extending into fangs, as he could feel the thirst for blood begin to pull at his mind.

 

`I can skip one night… It won't be hazardous to my sanity… I'll just have to drink a whole pint tomorrow-night…', he thinks, ignoring the cry for blood echoing in the back of his mind, `Besides, Karin's safety is more important than my stupid curse…!'

 

Karin comes out of her room wearing a red night-gown, carrying a pillow and blanket under her arm, “I figured you'd stay the night…”, she retorts, “Here!”, she says, throwing the pillow and blanket at him, “Decided my protection was more important than your curse's requirement to drink blood, huh?”

 

Vincent nods, as he sets up the couch into a make-shift bed.

 

“I appreciate the protection. Thank you, Vincent…”, she smiles.

 

“You're welcome…”, he mutters in response.

 

“Well, good night…”, she yawns, as she vanishes into her room.

 

“Good night, Karin…”, he says, laying down onto the comfortable couch, closing his eyes and for the first-time in centuries hoped his dreams weren't nightmares.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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-Vincent's Dream-

 

 

(A/N: Yes, I said dream not nightmare!)

 

 

 

 

 

“Vincent?”, a female voice calls to him.

 

Vincent slowly blinks open reddish-brown eyes; that were full of innocence and youth, focusing them onto the face of a teenage-woman with mid-back length chestnut-brown hair and warm cheery brown eyes wearing a light pink kimono with red-butterflies beautifully embroider onto it. The air was lightly scented with the smell of cherry-blossoms from the Cherry tree above him.

 

“How come you woke me up from my nap, Lucrecia?”, Vincent's young; still full of innocence, voice asks, as he sat up, the sleeve of his dark-grey kimono falling to gather at his elbow as he lifts his hand to his mouth to stifle a yawn.

 

“Vincent Valentine, you're 15 years old why would you need a nap for?”, Lucrecia questions, putting her hands onto her hips.

 

“I was joking about napping”, he laughs.

 

“Then why were you sleeping?”

 

“The warm breeze... I was only going to rest my eyes for a minute. And before I knew it, I had fallen asleep…”, he replies, smiling.

 

“Well, I have to admit, the breeze is quite comfortable…”, she says, looking around the garden of her castle, “However, there is one thing that shouldn't be taken lightly…”

 

“What's that?”

 

“That I know every one of your weakness since you and your mother came to live with my mother and I after your father died when you were 5-years old…”, she says, pouncing on top of him, pinning him to the grass-covered ground.

 

Vincent just stares up at her, a dark blush enflamed on his cheeks.

 

“And want to know what else?”

 

“What…?”, he gulps.

 

“I can't see you as a friend anymore…”, she began, “I've fallen in love with you, Vincent Valentine…”, she whispers into his ear, making shivers up his spine as her breath tickled his ear.

 

“Lucrecia…”, he whispers, as the 18-year old laid on top of him, “I've fallen in love with you too… And I swear I will protect you from the vampires who want to kill you with my life…”, he vows.

 

“Did you just propose to me?”

 

“Yes…”, he nods, strain his head up to kiss her lightly on the lips, “And I vow to take you as my wife after we kill the Head-Vampire”.

 

(A/N: For those who do not know; in feudal-Japan and the Edo-era: if a man vowed to protect a woman, it was the old fashion way of proposing!)

 

“I accept your proposal…”, she replies, tears building in her eyes.

 

“You know, our mothers was planning on arranging a marriage between us anyway…”, Vincent informs.

 

“I guess we beat them to it…”, Lucrecia giggles.

 

“Guess so…”, he laughs.

 

 

 

Twelve Years Later;

 

 

 

 

“Lucrecia!”, a 27 year old Vincent yells, kneeling in the court-yard of the Vampire-Lord; Sephiroth's, castle, his hands shackled behind his back, as Lucrecia walks over to Sephiroth's side wearing a blood-red kimono, not even acknowledging Vincent's presence; her warm brown eyes cold and glazed over.

 

“She can't hear your voice while under my spell”, Sephiroth mocks, grabbing Lucrecia by the chin and deeply kisses her on the lips, a thin stream of blood begins to flow from in between their lips.

 

“Lucrecia!”, Vincent shouts, struggling to get to his feet despite the pain from his hair being pulled-out by the roots with the vampire's second in-command holding on tightly to his hair, “Release her you bastard!”

 

“The blood of the bearer with the power to easily destroy me and my kin, is the most divine tasting…”, Sephiroth says in ecstasy, licking the remains of Lucrecia's blood from his lips, “I want more… A whole lot more…”, he adds, moving to stand behind her.

 

Sephiroth simply tilts her head gently to the side, and leans over to bring his face to the nook of her neck, inhaling her scent before sinking his fangs into the tender-flesh above her artery, causing her to lightly gasp as he began to drain her blood from her body.

 

“No…”, Vincent whispers in horror, tears forming in his eyes as he is forced to watch the woman he loves being feasted on by the vampire, “Lucrecia…”

 

Vincent's vision fades to black.

 

 

-End Dream-

 

 

 

 

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“Lucrecia!”, Vincent calls out, as he bolts up-right on the couch, “It was a dream…”, he sighs, feeling a damp trail of tears on his cheeks, “Damn that Sephiroth…”, he curses, grinding his teeth and he felt the fangs still in his mouth, causing him to look out the window and see that dawn was still a few hours away; meaning he still had to deal with the annoying reminder of his curse and the blood-thirst until the sun rose.

 

He yawns and as he closes his mouth, he accidentally nicks his bottom-lip on his fangs; causing the flesh to bleed, “Just great…”, he curses, licking the blood off his lip and unconsciously starts sucking on the wound; drinking his own blood, he didn't notice what he was doing until he tried to sucking more blood from the healed wound, “Crap…”, he mutters.

 

Vincent gets up to walk around the apartment, trying to clear his head and ignore the voice calling for blood. Finding himself inside Karin's bed-room, looking down at the 21 year old College-student, and his gaze was transfixed on the vein in her neck as blood pumped through it, he closes his eyes in disgust as he turns his head away.

 

`What the hell am I think?', he yells at himself inside his head, as he quickly escorts himself from her room and back onto the couch, feeling like an alcoholic trying to avoid drinking alcohol for 24-hours as his hand started to shake. It was going to be a long three hours till dawn and the thirst for blood vanished until the next night came.

 

 

 

 

 

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