Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Love and Lies ❯ Love and Lies ( Chapter 1 )

Disclaimer: FFVII belongs to Square Enix, but Ariadne is my OC, and that's something they can't take from me! Mwhahahaha!!! The song is My Little Girl by Tim McGraw.

 

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Gotta hold on easy as I let you go.
Gonna tell you how much I love you,
though you think you already know.
I remember I thought you looked like an angel wrapped in pink so soft and warm.
You've had me wrapped around your finger since the day you were born.

 

 

Vincent smiled as he listened to Ariadne's soft coos of laughter. He felt her grip tighten around his fingers as he lifted her to her feet, watching with amazement as she took her first step. He listened to Yuffie cheering and coddling the baby from a distance, a beaming smile on her face.

 

“Look, Vince!” she yelled, kneeling before Ariadne. “She's doin' it!”

 

Vincent's smile softened as he nodded. He felt his heart leap painfully as Ariadne let go suddenly. His eyes widened as he watched her take a step forward, before tottering frightfully. Before he could catch her, she teetered too far backwards, landing squarely on her diaper-padded bottom. Hearing her soft whimpers, and knowing she was about to burst into surprised tears, he swept her into his arms, cradling her against his soft t-shirt clad chest.

 

“There, there,” he whispered, letting his fingers brush her cheek. “You just got ahead of yourself.” He watched as she turned her light hazel eyes on him, still filled with tears, but no longer whimpering as before. He watched as she pleadingly stared up into his face, and he smiled. “If you would like to try again, just don't let go.” He watched as she returned his smile, and even though he knew she couldn't really, he let his mind tell him that she was agreeing. Kissing her forehead softly, he knelt once more to the ground, looking up, feeling Yuffie's stare.

 

“What?” he asked, setting her on her feet again.

 

“She's got you whipped,” Yuffie giggled.

 

Vincent rolled his eyes. “She's had me whipped for a long time, then,” he quipped. He listened to Yuffie laugh again.

 

“You know you like it,” she teased again, rising to her feet. She frowned a little. “Well, I guess I ought to get goin'.”

 

Vincent settled Ariadne on the ground, looking up at her. “So soon?” he asked. It seemed as if she had just arrived from her trip to stay with them, and now she was returning to Wutai, and her palace life. He thought it was odd. He had seen the type of ruler she was, and it surprised him how different she was when she was there, bossing people around. She had matured a lot since their AVALANCHE days.

 

She nodded. “The council is all up tight about somethin' and they want me to sit and listen to them drone about their problems,” she said, waving her hand in a bored manner. Her eyes lit when she looked down at Ariadne, who was smiling up at her. “But when I get done, I'll be sure to come back and play with you, yes I will,” she cooed to the toddler. She smoothed Ariadne's tuft of charcoal-colored hair across her head, giggling. “See you guys later.”

 

Vincent nodded, watching her let herself out of the yard of the small house that he and Tifa had bought a long time ago on the outskirts of Costa Del Sol. Tifa had always wanted to live near the ocean, so as their first act of being married, they bought this house. It was small, but they didn't need anything too large. They had each other, and the baby on the way, and this suited their needs. It had been a while since Tifa had passed on, and some days it was still hard living with that fact, but Vincent found it was getting easier. He would never forget her; Ariadne made sure of that, with her large brown eyes; but he found that it was getting easier to think about her without it hurting so much. He knew it was thanks to his friends, and mostly Yuffie (he never thought he'd admit that), because they visited often, and that kept the loneliness from setting in. They had become just like family to him, and he relied on them heavily to help him through the tough times, even though he was sure they didn't know that.

 

Once Yuffie was gone, he settled himself on the ground beside his daughter, handing her a block as she began to stack them haphazardly in front of her. She laughed playfully, clacking the blocks together, before looking up at her father, who was watching her, his crimson gaze soft and loving.

 

“Dada!” she yelled suddenly, struggling to get to her feet.

 

Vincent's eyes widened as he watched her stand and totter toward him. Slowly, he held out his hands to her, grinning. “That's it,” he said softly, watching her carefully, ready to catch her this time. “Come to Daddy.” He felt his breath whisper past his lips in a tense sigh when she was finally within his reach. Smiling brightly, he swept her up, standing. “You're such a brave little girl, Ariadne,” he praised her, listening to her giggle. “Walking all by yourself.”

 

 

You're beautiful baby from the outside in.
Chase your dreams but always know the road that'll lead you home again.
Go on, take on this whole world.
But to me you know you'll always be, my little girl.

He listened to her gurgle, and playfully, he lifted her up, twirling around slowly. He laughed softly as she giggled more, her hazel eyes lit with laughter and excitement. After a moment, he cradled her to his chest, tapping her nose softly. “After all that excitement, I think it's nap time, don't you?” At her concurrent screeches of “Dada! Dada!” he laughed again, carrying her inside and to the living room. Once there, he settled on the couch, stretching out with her against his chest. It wasn't long, as he hummed softly to her the lullaby that Tifa had sung to her when she was still in her womb, before she began to drift into slumber, her dark-haired head resting easily against his heart. Vincent sighed softly, wishing that this moment would never end, and yearning slightly that Tifa could be here to see it.

 

 

When you were in trouble that crooked little smile could melt my heart of stone.
Now look at you, I've turned around and you've almost grown.
Sometimes you're asleep I whisper "I love you" in the moonlight at your door.
As I walk away, I hear you say, "Daddy, love you more."

 

Vincent sighed shortly as he sat at the kitchen table. He looked up as Yuffie walked in, hearing Cid and Cloud playing with Ariadne in the living room.

 

“That little girl is a handful, Vince,” she said, sitting across from him.

 

He watched as she ran a hand through her nearly waist length hair, noticing for the first time how much older she looked with long like that. He nodded mutely, glancing at the bills on the table, before leaning back in his chair, feeling exhausted. Things weren't going so well. Ariadne was six this year, and her schooling was costing him a fortune. And, as if that weren't enough, he was finding that he was in debt up to his eyes. He wasn't sure what he was going to do yet, but the job that he had right now wasn't cutting it. He supposed he was going to have to find another one. At his labored sigh, Yuffie turned in her chair to look at him.

 

“Listen, Vince,” she said softly, drawing his gaze. “I know you and Ari are struggling.”

 

Vincent's eyes widened in surprise, before narrowing slightly. “Have you been snooping again?” he asked, his voice holding a slightly teasing tone. He watched her roll her deep hazel eyes.

“Of course!” she exclaimed, leaning forward. “You guys are family! I gotta take care of ya, don't I?”

 

Vincent looked away, smiling a little. “Listen, Yu,” he said softly. “I don't want anything from you.” He met her gaze, surprised to see that she was hearing him out. “I know it sounds silly, but I want to do this on my own.” His gaze shifted toward the sound of Ariadne's laughter. “I want to do this for her.”

 

Yuffie nodded, staring at the table. “I figured you'd say that,” she said quietly. When she looked up again, her resolve was set. “In that case, I want you to send Ariadne to Wutai, so that she may receive proper schooling.”

 

Vincent sat up straight suddenly. “What?” he asked, shocked and surprised and confused.

 

Yuffie held up her hand to silence his protests. “Before you say anything, I'd like you to know that I can hire the finest tutors available for her,” she said, her expression serious. She watched Vincent bite his lip, looking away. “I know that you don't like the way this neighborhood is going, Vincent. I can tell by the way you frown when you hear your neighbors fighting.” She leaned forward, her voice earnest. “Come to Wutai, Vincent.” She searched his face, seeing his indecision. She knew this was going to be tough. She understood his less than willingness to leave this house. She understood very clearly what it meant to him, but she was concerned about his and Ariadne's safety. This neighborhood was being overrun by gangs, and it wasn't safe for them to stay here much longer. “I know this hard to leave.” She placed her hand over his, which were resting on the table, drawing his gaze. “I know why you won't leave. But don't you think Tifa would want Ariadne to have the best? I can guarantee her the best, Vince.” Her voice was pleading. “And you and her can live in a house in Wutai, near the ocean there. You can have everything you have here, and more.”

 

Vincent looked away. “I don't know, Yu,” he whispered after a moment. He looked down to where her hands still rested on his. After a while, he took her hand in his, giving it a little squeeze. “If I tell you I'll think about, will you leave me alone about it?” It wasn't that he didn't appreciate the offer; it seemed more and more appealing every time she brought it up. It was just, he had so many memories here, and he wasn't sure he was ready to give those up.

 

“That's all I'm asking,” she said brightly, glad to have finally gained some ground. She'd been working him over for years, and finally she felt as if she was getting somewhere with this stubborn man. She watched as he smiled, meeting her gaze.

 

“Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!!!” They both looked up as Ariadne ran into the kitchen, a picture in hand. Her long raven hair was pulled back in a braid, courtesy of her Aunt Yuffie, and it swayed behind her as she ran to Vincent, who caught her as she flew into his lap. “Look what I did!”

 

“What do you have there?” Vincent asked, settling her on his knee and letting her show him her drawing. It was crude stick figures, but Vincent laughed as he realized it was a sketch of Cid at the helm of the Shera, grinning and giving a thumbs up, and Cloud, standing next to him silently, his Buster sword strapped to him back. He looked up as the two men came into the kitchen behind her, smirks on their faces. They were slightly older than the last time Vince saw them, Cid beginning to get streaks of silver in his hair (from stress, according to his wife, Shera, because of their four kids), and Cloud looking more like he was nearing his thirties and less like the sad teen he used to be. Vincent looked first at them, then into Ariadne's beseeching hazel eyes. “Have Uncle Cid and Uncle Cloud been telling you stories again?”

 

Ariadne giggled, nodding emphatically, her raven bangs falling in her eyes. Vincent smoothed them back, shaking his head slowly. “You need a hair cut,” he said softly. He smiled a little when she frowned.

 

“I want my hair as long as yours, Daddy,” she protested, reaching up a grasping a fistful of his own raven hair, which reached nearly to the back of his knees. “Aunt Yu taught me how to braid. I can do yours if you want!”

 

Vincent felt his eyes widen in surprise at her statement, and he listened as Yuffie laughed softly. “Well, we'll see about that,” he said, setting her on her feet. “In the mean time, don't listen to what those two tell you.” He motioned to Cloud and Cid, who were watching from the doorway. “They're just silly stories from two silly old men.” He listened to Cid protest about being called old, while Cloud simply frowned.

 

“But I like their stories, Daddy,” Ariadne said, putting her picture on the table and gathering the hem of her pink dress in her hands.

 

Vincent cradled her chin in his hand. “So do I,” he said, tilting her face so that she was looking at him. “But they're just for entertainment, and nothing more. Remember that.” With that he tapped her nose, earning a toothy grin from her. “Now run along and do whatever it is you do.” He watched as she laughed, turning and catching Cid's fingers in one hand and Cloud's in the other. After they vanished into the other room, he looked up at the sound of Yuffie's voice.

 

“You're so weird, Vince,” she said, gazing at them from where she sat. She glanced at him over her shoulder. “You know she'll find out the truth one of these days.”

 

Vincent sighed. “I know she will,” he whispered. “But that day won't be today, and hopefully not for a long time.”

 

Yuffie watched him stand and move to stand in the doorway to watch as Cid and Cloud swung Ariadne between them as she led them out to the backyard to push her on the swing. “There are just some things that she doesn't need to know,” he whispered. Yuffie wasn't sure why he wanted to hide things from his daughter, but she figured it had something to do with his dark past. He had done a lot of things he wasn't proud of, and she supposed that he would tell her when he felt she was old enough to understand why he did the things he did, and why he was the way he was, and used to be.

 

“Whatever, Vince,” Yuffie said finally. “It's your funeral.”

 

At this Vincent glanced at her, frowning. He watched as she slipped past him, vanishing into the sunlight to play with Ariadne and Cid and Cloud as well. After heaving a short sigh, and glancing forlornly at the bills on the table, he pushed himself off the wall and soon followed suit.

 

You're beautiful baby from the outside in.
Chase your dreams but always know the road that'll lead you home again.
Go on, take on this whole world.
But to me you know you'll always be, my little girl.

 

The night air was cool as Vincent stood on the front porch of his and Ariadne's three bedroom house on the coast of Wutai. After months and months of nagging, Yuffie finally persuaded them to move, and it was shortly before Ariadne's seventh birthday when they finally got settled in. Now, as Vincent watched his daughter, now sixteen and beautiful, he felt a sharp pang in his chest. He didn't know exactly what it was, but it felt like pride mingled with sadness. His baby was growing up.

 

He watched as she twirled in her deep blue dress with silver flowers embroidered on it in the light of the full moon for her prom date, and he sighed deeply. She looked so much like her mother more and more every day. He felt fatherly jealousy overcome him as her date held out his arm to her and walked her to the waiting limousine, which Yuffie had gotten for her. Yuffie had done so much for Ariadne. She took her shopping for makeup, a dress, shoes, purses, and even took her to get her hair done, so that it now cascaded from a curly bun in twisting ringlets. Just as she had promised so long ago, she hadn't cut her hair, and it now rivaled the length of his own. Not that he minded. He wanted whatever she wanted.

 

“Oh, Vinnie, let them go,” Yuffie's voice rang from beside him. Vincent turned to glance at his friend, who was now a beautiful young woman in her early thirties.

 

“That boy better watch it,” he said darkly, his eyes glued to them again as he opened the door for her and they slid inside the backseat of the limo. He turned to look at Yuffie. “If she doesn't have a damn good time tonight, I still have Cerberus.”

 

Yuffie laughed, catching his arm and pulling him back inside as the car pulled away from the curb. “You worry too much,” she said, leading him into the living room.

 

“No,” he corrected, sitting on the couch beside her, “I worry enough.” He turned to look at her as she leaned on his arm, watching TV. “You on the other hand don't worry at all.”

 

This made Yuffie laugh, and she looked up at him. “What are they gonna do?” she challenged, sitting up. “They're two teenagers going to prom, which, might I mention, is being chaperoned by the finest body guards and teachers the school had to offer.”

 

Vincent rolled his eyes. He knew that. Ariadne's teachers were so strict, it was hard to believe they were being allowed to have a prom at all. He sighed shortly as he sank further into the couch. “That still doesn't make me feel any better,” he said softly. He felt Yuffie rest her head on his shoulder.

 

“It shouldn't,” she said quietly. “You're her dad. It's typical for you to worry about her.” She let her mind drift as she stared at the flashing screen of the TV in front of them, not really watching the movie. “I saw Barrett and the gang the other day.”

 

Vincent shifted, letting his forehead rest against his hand, his elbow propped on the arm of the couch. “Really?” he said, not really interesting, but knowing Yuffie would tell him about them anyway.

 

Yu nodded against his shoulder, yawning a bit. “Marlene's just graduated from college, and she's gotten a big job at some company out west,” she said. “And Denzel just got accepted to the Turk academy.” She felt Vincent shift again at this.

 

“Really?” he said, this time his voice was surprised. He glanced at her, just to see if she was lying. “I'm impressed.”

 

Yuffie laughed softly. “Thought you would be,” she said. “And Barrett finally got his arm all fixed up.” She flexed her fingers thoughtfully. “They figured out that it was a cable that was loose, and that's why he couldn't move his fingers.”

 

Vincent nodded. “Good,” he said, his voice distracted. “How is Cloud?”

 

Yuffie sat up a little, a frown on her face. “Well, he's got a new girlfriend,” she said. She giggled. “And from the looks of things, there's going to be a wedding soon.”

 

Vincent glanced at her, still leaning on his hand. “She had a rock, huh?”

 

Yuffie nodded. “And Cid, well, he's Cid,” she said. “You know he's retired now.”

 

Vincent nodded, not surprised. “Well, seeing as he's got four boys to do the work, I'm not surprised,” he said. He listened to Yuffie laugh.

 

“He's going to have a grandchild in a few months too,” she said.

 

Vincent nodded, still distracted. “That's nice.” He looked up when Yuffie suddenly slugged him. “Ow. What was that for?”

 

“Stop worrying about her for just a few hours, alright?” she said, sitting up. She watched as he stared at her, his expression blank. “And stop staring at me like that,” she added as an afterthought. She didn't know why, but the way he looked at her disturbed her. It was as if he was noticing something about her he'd never noticed before. And it made her blush.

 

“Sorry,” he mumbled. He turned to look at the TV. What was wrong with him? For a moment, he caught himself checking her out. Clearly, he had noticed that she was not the scrawny little ninja she used to be, but just then, when she had been so adamant about him giving Ariadne space, it struck something inside him. He didn't think he'd ever noticed it before, but she had always been a prominent mother figure in Ari's life. She'd always been around when some girl problem had come up, and she was always the one Ari called with boy problems, and…..she'd just always been there for Ari. Thinking back on it, he recalled her promising him she would be. It was a long time ago, but she had held true to her word. And he knew she loved Ari as if she were her daughter. After a while, he glanced at Yuffie, seeing that she was once again leaning against him.

 

She had become such an integral part of this family, and he'd never noticed, until now. He smiled a little as he watched her. “Thanks, Yu,” he said after a moment, causing her to look up at him.

 

Her deep brown eyes were wide as they stared up at him, surprised. “For what?” she asked, clearly dumbfounded.

 

“For everything,” he said, sighing a little as he looked away. “I don't know what we would've done without you. You really mean a lot to both of us, Yu.”

 

Yuffie blushed and looked away. “Well, it's what friends do,” she said, trying to think of something less stupid to say, when he suddenly turned to her.

 

“You're part of the family, Yu,” he said, taking the words right out of her mouth. “I don't know where we'd be without you. And I appreciate all you've done for us. We've never wanted for anything because you take care of us, and I know Ari admires you.” He looked away. “I just thought you should know.”

 

After a moment, Yuffie smiled. “That's what I'm here for Vince,” she said, leaning on him again. “I promised I'd take care of you guys because Tifa couldn't.” She felt him tense a little, knowing what he was thinking. “And I know she's grateful. I'm just happy that you and Ari are happy.” They said very little after that, simply enjoying each other's company, waiting for Ariadne to return.

 

Someday, some boy will come and ask me for your hand.
But I won't say "yes" to him unless I know, he's the half
that makes you whole, he has a poet's soul, and the heart of a man's man.
I know he'll say that he's in love.
But between you and me, he won't be good enough.

 

 

It was close to midnight when Vincent heard the lock twist in the door, waking him from his light sleep. He opened his eyes, glancing down at Yuffie, who somehow had worked her way onto his chest, noticing that he was sprawled across the couch. Slowly, he wiggled himself free, walking to the door as Ariadne entered silently, her dress flowing around her as she turned to close the door. She could feel his eyes on her as he leaned in the door way to the living room. She smiled as she turned to look at him. When he pressed his fingers to his lips, motioning for her to be quiet, she frowned curiously. She walked over beside him, stifling a giggle when she saw Yuffie asleep on the couch. She looked up at her dad as he took her hand, leading her to the kitchen. Once inside, he turned on the light, and she sat at the table, sighing.

 

“I'm so glad to get out of these shoes,” she said quietly, pulling off her silver high heels. She watched as her dad made them some hot chocolate, turning to look at her as the water boiled.

 

“So, how was it?” he asked, his crimson gaze watching as she smiled, pulling the pins from her hair to let it flow loosely around her shoulders.

 

“Oh, Daddy, it was so pretty,” she said wistfully, her light hazel eyes dancing with happiness. “And Ron, he was so handsome, and he was such a gentleman all night long.” She set the pins on the table, shooting him a teasing glance. “You know, he reminds me a lot of you.” She looked away. “I think that's why I like him so much.”

 

Vincent felt oddly touched. He couldn't stand the boy, but he guessed it was just because that's the way he was. He didn't want some idiot hurting his baby. But she said that Ron was like him. He tilted his head a bit, arching a brow. “So you had a good time, I take it,” he said softly, watching her nod as she smiled. He watched as she jumped to her feet and walked around to him, throwing her arms around his middle.

 

“Thank you so much, Daddy, for letting me go,” she said, hugging him tightly. “It was the greatest night of my life.” She looked up at him, watching as his eyes clouded over as he brought a hand up to smooth her hair from her face.

 

“I'm glad,” he said, a little smile on his face. He searched her gaze for a moment, his eyes narrowing a bit. “You look so much like your mother.” He arched a brow at her. “You know she'd be so proud of you if she could see you now.”

 

At this, Ariadne laughed, rolling her eyes. “You always say that,” she said jokingly.

 

Vincent nodded, releasing her and turning to finish making their hot chocolate. “I wouldn't say it if it wasn't true,” he said quietly. He listened to his daughter's melodious laugh as she sat again at the table. It fell silent for a while, before she shifted.

 

“Daddy?”

 

He glanced at her. “Hm?”

 

“Tell me about Momma,” she said quietly. She was sitting with her back to him, her long raven locks falling over the back of the chair.

 

Vincent frowned. “What do you want to know about her?” he asked, walking over to her and sitting beside her. He watched as she chewed on her lip, staring at the table.

 

“Everything,” she said finally. “I want to know everything about her. What was she like? What did she look like? Where was she born? What did she do? How did you two meet?” She looked up at him, her eyes shining hopefully. “I want to know everything.”

 

Vincent looked away, guilt seeping into his gaze. He hadn't anticipated this. How was he supposed to explain to his daughter everything without delving into his past? Sighing a little, he ran a hand through his hair. “Ari,” he said softly, sighing a little. “That's a difficult topic for me to talk about.” He looked up at her, seeing her look away, disappointment on her face.

 

“I understand,” she whispered, staring at the table top. She glanced up when her father sighed.

 

“It's not what you think,” he said, rising to his feet. “There's a lot about me, and about your mother, that I don't think you're ready to know.” He looked at her, biting his lip. Now he knew where she got the nervous habit from. His crimson gaze searched hers. “There are a lot of things that I've done, Ari.” His eyes softened as he looked at her. “A lot of things I'm not proud of, and the only way I could tell you about Tifa, would be….” He looked away. “Well, to tell you about myself as well.” He watched as she stared at the table, her dark hair draping over her shoulder. “I'm sorry, Ari. I wish sometimes that—that things had been different.” He walked over to her, letting his hands rest on her shoulders. “But if you wish to know, then I don't see any reason why I should hide it from you any longer.”

 

Ariadne looked up at him, leaning back against him. “Dad, I have to tell you something first,” she said quietly. She looked down again, twiddling her thumbs nervously.

 

Vincent was silent as he watched her, feeling a sense of impending doom creeping over him.

 

“Last week, in history class, we were studying the Jenova War,” she said quietly. She glanced up, looking out the window at the stars in the dark Wutain sky. “We were studying the causes and the effects, and the heroes.” At this she turned to look up at him. “Dad, your picture is in the book.” She smiled a little. “You look a lot different than you do now, but as soon as I saw it, I knew it was you.” She watched as his crimson gaze widened a bit. “It was your eyes that gave it away.”

 

Vincent looked away, letting his hand rest against his head. “I see,” he said quietly. This was just great. That's why she was suddenly interested in knowing about Tifa. She'd been mulling this over in her head for about a week now. “What else do you know?”

 

She smiled mischievously. “I know that the stories Uncle Cid and Cloud told me weren't really made up like you said they were,” she said, standing. She walked over to him, standing in front of him. “Dad, you're a hero. Both of the Jenova War, and the Deep Ground fiasco. Why didn't you tell me?”

 

Vincent rubbed his temples. He could feel a headache coming on. “Because I didn't want you to know,” he said. “The reasons are complicated.” He opened his eyes and looked at her. “But it seems Yuffie was right. She always knew you'd find out.”

 

“So you can tell me about Mom now, right?” Her hazel eyes were shining hopefully.

 

Vincent walked to the sink, seeing their forgotten hot chocolate. “You better sit down,” he said, bringing a mug over to her. “It's a long story.”

 

Ariadne giggled as she took the mug, sitting down. She was excited. Finally, her dad was going to tell her the truth. She couldn't wait.

 

 

You're beautiful baby from the outside in.
Chase your dreams but always know the road that'll lead you home again.
Go on, take on this whole world.
But to me you know you'll always be, my little girl.

 

 

Ari let her head drop to the table as she listened to her dad talk. This wasn't what she had imagined at all. What he was saying didn't make any sense. He couldn't kill people. He was her dad. And her mom, she couldn't have killed anyone either. This didn't make any sense! After a moment, she sat up, feeling tears in her eyes. “So, it's true then,” she whispered, looking up at her father. “Daddy.” She burst into tears.

 

Vincent sighed, standing and walking over to her. He pulled her into his arms, leaning against the wall of the kitchen and sinking to the floor. He listened to her cry as the past replayed itself in his head. The lab, the pain, Chaos…..Lucrecia, Tifa…AVALANCHE……then Deep Ground and Sephiroth….. He pulled Ariadne tighter to his chest, kissing the top of her head. “I'm sorry,” he whispered. “I'm so sorry.”

 

Ariadne looked up, sniffling. “People told me you were hiding things from me,” she whispered. “It was mostly the professors. They knew.” She met his gaze. “They knew, and no one told me.” She buried her head in chest.

 

“Sweetie, some things are meant to be a mystery,” he said, combing her fingers through her ebony locks. “But, things were different back then. We did what we had to survive. None of us wanted to be against Shinra, and always on the run. We all just wanted to live our lives, but we all had a cause that we believed in, and in the end, we wound up living for the cause, as we had nothing else. Trust me, Ari. Our intentions were pure. We just had to deal with a lot of people whose weren't.”

 

“Vincent bloody Valentine,” she whispered. “That's what they call you.” She looked up at him, her hazel eyes wide with fear and anger. “They make you sound like a monster!”

 

Vincent sighed. “Maybe I was,” he whispered, looking away. “I know that Chaos was.” He listened to her cry some more, before eventually her sobs dwindled into sniffles before silencing all together. He held her as her breaths evened, and he realized she was asleep. He knew he'd still have a lot of explaining to do when morning came, but it was still a few hours off. He pulled her closer, letting her head rest over his heart. No matter what you think of me, you'll always be my baby girl, and I will always love you. I just hope that some day you will not hate me any more for the things I've done.