Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ White Devil's Kiss ❯ May You Live ( Chapter 7 )

Yay! New chapter time! This will be the last update for a while on any of my stories. Pity. I have no regular internet connection. *cries to a very non-sympathetic cardboard cut-out of Vincent* Plus, I keep getting my brain stuck on things that have nothing to do at all with the stories I'm writing. For instance: I recently bought Advent Children on DVD and cannot get my mind off of Sephiroth and Yazoo. Sad, ne? Oh well. As I have stated before, though, AC will have no effect on this story whatsoever.

And thank you and much kudos to dracoqueen22 for reviewing! I was beginning to loose my faith. But it will never happen again! We shall continue onward!

Anywho, I don't own anything except Ariah and Ariaus. They are my original peoples.

Now, on with the story!

 

7

The next day, everything was prepared for the experiment. Ariah and Ariaus were brought one at a time into the lab and laid out on the operating tables. Sephiroth stood next to his daughter to console her while Vincent waited beside his son. Soon, Adam came in with a pair of vials.

 

“Are they ready?” He asked as he prepped a small table with his tools. Both men nodded.

 

Eve then entered and went over to the machines behind the tables.

 

“We're going to have you two take a little nap, okay?” She brought out a pair of oxygen masks and placed them over both children's faces. “Breath deeply. Don't worry about anything. Just go to sleep and rest. When you wake up, you will be better than you ever dreamed possible.”

 

Slowly, the two fell into a dreamless, drug induced sleep. Vincent and Sephiroth left the room and waited outside in the warm, summer-like light. After a long silence, Sephiroth finally spoke.

 

“How long do you think it will take?”

 

“At least an hour. Then they have to recover in their tubes and that could take another hour or two.”

 

The general nodded and fell silent again. An hour passed like that until the two scientists came out carrying Ariaus' unconscious body. He still wore an oxygen mask connected to a tank attached to Adam's back. Vincent stood to help and took the boy in his arms while Eve took the tank from Adam.

 

“Did it go well?” He asked as he followed out to the tube.

 

“Yes.” Eve said petting the boy's hair. “They both did very well. He will wake up in a few hours feeling better than ever. Adam will take Sephiroth in to be with Ariah when she wakes. Will you stay with Ariaus?”

 

“I will.” Vincent said.

 

They reached the tube and Eve put in the codes and keys to open it.

 

“He must be prepared to sleep now. Also, he must have plenty of room to grow. He has at least ten years of catching up to do in just a few hours.” As Vincent set his son down inside the tube, he felt the muscles beginning to twist and grow underneath the boy's skin which was rapidly changing color.

 

A mask inside the chamber was placed over his face and then the two left. The doors slid shut and water rushed into the now sealed container. Eve stopped Vincent before he could rip the doors open. “This is how it works. The water will keep him in a suspended state, giving his body plenty of room to grow. That is why I placed the other mask on him.”

 

“Is Ariah in a similar state?”

 

“Yes. I need to return to the lab to make the report. Will you be all right alone?” Vincent sat on the metal path and leaned against the tube.

 

“I will be fine.”

 

Eve bowed and left the vampire to ponder the fate of his son.

 

 

An hour later, the water in the tank began to drain. Vincent looked up from his spot to see the doors slowly sliding open. Ariaus stood in the opening, his naked body glistening with droplets of water. He stumbled down out of the tank and fell into his father's chest. The vampire clung to him, holding him upright until he could gain his footing.

 

The boy had changed into a man in the short span of an hour. His height was now close to his father's; at least 5'11”. His skin had a pale tan instead of the usual black and his wings had disappeared. When he was able to stand, Vincent removed his cape and wrapped it around Ariaus.

 

“We need to find you some clothes. How do you feel?”

 

“I feel….” He paused for a moment and touched his throat in surprise. He had found the ability to speak normally and not falter and stutter. “I feel better than I ever have.”

 

“Good. Let's stretch your legs a bit to get them used to walking.”

 

“Yes, father.” Ariaus followed Vincent slowly over the metal path, almost unsure of his own footing but gaining confidence as he moved. When they reached the grass, the young man bent down to touch it. “So this is what grass feels like. And the soil beneath it is so warm and full of life.

 

“The rocks are so strong. I wish I could speak to them. They must have wonderful stories to tell.” Vincent watched in wonder. Hadn't they ever let him touch the ground? Was he really so isolated as to not even know the ground beneath his own two feet?

 

“Have you ever touched the ground before, my son?”

 

Ariaus shook his head as he stood to touch a nearby tree.

 

“No. They carried me everywhere. I have only felt the water that would surround me and the cold, lifeless metal that encased me while I slept. I've never felt anything like this before. It's so wonderful. Thank you for giving me this chance, father.”

 

Ariaus hugged Vincent in a tight embrace. He seemed to be in perfect harmony with himself and everything around him. Until, he began to be aware of the few life-forces that surrounded him. He recognized all except three. Those three did not bother him though. If they were here they were safe.

 

But, when he felt Ariah's heartbeat, he snarled in rage. “She is alive! Why must they keep her alive! She is a useless waste of flesh!” The feral rage that washed over Vincent in waves caused his body to shake in what may have been fear. It was hard to believe that this was the same man who had left his tank only moments before.

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“Her! She denies my very existence! She'll kill me the first chance she gets. Keep her far away from me father or I will kill her.”

 

“Of course, Ariaus. I will not let anyone hurt you.” Ariaus went back to being his curious, gentle self after that.

 

After half an hour, he had thoroughly examined the perimeter of the lake and was now sitting on the cool grass, fully dressed in a loose shirt and black pants, and enjoying the meal that Eve had brought for him. He did notice that Vincent was not eating at all.

 

“Aren't you going to have any, father?”

 

The vampire shook his head.

 

“Not right now. I'm going to eat later when I go to talk with my companions.”

 

“Oh. All right.” A few minutes later, Eve came up to them carrying a basket loaded with bathing supplies.

 

“It's time for a bath, Ariaus. You've been out playing and now its time to clean up.”

 

“Yes mother.” Ariaus stood to take his basket and Eve turned to Vincent.

 

“Your friends are waiting for you in the lab. They asked if you could go see them right away.”

 

Vincent merely bowed and walked away towards the lab.

 

 

When he got there, he saw Sephiroth standing in front of Ariah's tube with Adam while Cid and Nanaki sat at one of the desks, waiting. Vincent went over to them.

 

“Hasn't she come out yet?” He asked as he reached the desk they were at.

 

“No.” Nanaki said as he stretched out his legs. “They don't even know what stage she is at right now.” Cid was merely glaring at Sephiroth with a determined air.

 

“What's wrong Cid? You seem…distant.” The spear-wielder just grumbled angrily under his breath and kept staring. Vincent shook his head and pulled up a chair so he could sit down as well.

 

 

They sat there for at least another half hour like that. It was so quiet; you could hear a pin drop. Then, the sound of draining water filled the room. Adam checked the computer and nodded to Sephiroth. Vincent stood up out of curiosity and stood next to his sworn enemy.

 

The door to Ariah's tank slowly began to slide open, and a small amount of water poured out onto the floor. It was dark inside the tank, but a beam of light managed to fill most of the tank. A tiny sound came from one of the dark corners and the three men moved to try and see in.

 

But, Ariah moved again so they couldn't see her. Sephiroth stepped up into the tank with her.

 

“Ariah?” He looked into the corner and saw her. She was sitting with her arms crossed over her now well developed chest.

 

“Daddy?” She said quietly. “It's cold. And I'm hungry.” He laughed slightly and pulled off his cloak so he could wrap it around her. When he helped her to stand, he found that she had grown taller. She was now 5' 5'', but her legs were having a hard time supporting the rest of her body.

 

But she made a valiant effort to walk on her own from her confinement. Like her brother, she had changed drastically. Her skin was no longer milky white, but a rich, dark tan. All of the demon features had disappeared leaving her looking like a normal teenage girl. After taking a few steps she could easily control herself. That's when she pulled away and stood up smiling.

 

“Hello, everyone. I'm back. Sorry I took so long.” A peaceful feeling filled the room and everyone smiled. Even if they believed they were standing next to an enemy, they felt happy. Adam took her by the arm and gently led her to another room.

 

“Come, young one. You need new clothes. Then you can practice with your new body.” She followed him into a separate room. When she came back out, she was dressed in jean shorts that came to mid-thigh, a loose, blue tank top, and black, elbow-length gloves with the fingers cut off. Even Vincent had a hard time controlling himself when he saw her.

 

Sephiroth took her outside and to a large meadow adjacent to the camp. Vincent came along to watch as did Adam.

 

“Do what you feel like doing.” Her father said as he turned her loose. For a moment, Ariah basked in the warm light, just as Ariaus had done. Then, she broke into a run and charged across the grass. A pair of chocobos fell into step beside her and jumped onto one's back.

 

A delightfully warm feeling filled the three men as they watched. Adam and Sephiroth felt like very proud fathers seeing their child take it's first steps. Vincent saw her altogether differently. Instead of being a young child, he saw her as a grown woman, able to make her own decisions and decide her own future.

 

They watched her for an hour before the light began to dim again signaling the end of another day. That's when Sephiroth finally called her in and they went to their respective tents to rest.

 

A few minutes after Vincent laid down there was a small chirp outside his tent.

 

“Come in.” He said as he closed his eyes. Ariah entered with a box held under her arm.

 

“Hi Vincent. Can I talk to you for a minute?” He sat up, a little surprised to see her.

 

“Of course you can. What do you need?”

 

“Well,” She started, sitting down next to him. “For one, I still have a lot of chocolates and I was wondering if you wanted to share some more.” When Vincent nodded, she opened the box and continued, handing him one of the treats. “I was wondering that, if when you leave to go back to the surface…can I go with you?”

 

“What about your father? Isn't he taking you with him?”

 

“Yes, he is. But we just have one problem. Daddy walked here. He said he walked over two continents to get here. I was wondering if…maybe you could ask your friends…. I don't know. You must not have walked all the way here. You had to have had a faster way.”

 

Vincent sat in thought for a moment while he ate a second treat that she had just handed him.

 

“We did fly here in an airship. But I don't think that Cloud wou—”

 

“Oh, don't worry about that. Daddy said he would stay under his cloak the whole time. And he will not say a word so that they don't recognize his voice. He's taking all kinds of precautions you know.”

 

“I'm sure he is. But that doesn't change the fact of who he is and what he did.” This silenced Ariah and she stared at the floor sadly. An overwhelming sadness filled the tent and Ariah stood up, leaving her box of chocolates.

 

“I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked. It was stupid of me. I was only hoping that I could help father so he wouldn't overexert himself. I'm sorry I asked. Goodnight.” And she ran out of the tent before Vincent could say a word. When he looked at the floor, he saw several small stains where teardrops had hit the dirt below.