Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ White Devil's Kiss ❯ My Home, Lonely Home ( Chapter 9 )

Dirge of Cerberus has arrived! YES! And I own it! Woot for me! And now that I have completed the story line, there are some very important facts that I may or may not use. I'm not sure if I will incorporate anything yet. Probably not.

 

Well, anywho, here's the next chapter and I hope this story is enjoyed by whoever reads it. Please R&R so I know what you all think.

 

I do not own Final Fantasy VII.

 

9

The journey to Nibelheim would take a day and a night so Ariah spent that time exploring while her father rested in the cabin they had been given. When night fell, she went to the observation deck and watched the ground and sky darken. She had changed out of the winter clothes and returned to the same outfit she had worn before she left. She preferred the shorts to pants anyway.

 

As she leaned against the railing, Vincent appeared on the deck. He quietly stood next to her, waiting for her to say something. She smiled and looked up at him. “Thank you for catching up to us. Daddy didn't want to say it, but he was exhausted. This will be good for him.”

 

“I'm glad you agreed to come. I was worried that Sephiroth wouldn't allow it.”

 

“Yeah. I was afraid too.” They stood in silence for a while longer until the moon began to rise. Ariah stood up straight and stretched out. “Wow. It must be really late if the moon is rising. I never thought it was that beautiful.”

 

Vincent merely nodded, afraid of his own tongue and what it might say without his permission.

 

“It's such a calming sight. I've never really seen the moon like this either. So bright…almost like it could light the world just as good as the sun.”

 

Again, Vincent nodded, his mind full of many thoughts, but none he could say out loud.

 

Suddenly, Ariah was standing in front of him, a stern look on her angelic face.

 

“Okay, what's wrong? And don't tell me `nothing' `cause that's a load of bull!”

 

Vincent was almost to shocked to say anything. He stood there for a moment looking almost like a beached fish, trying to find words to say.

 

“W-well…I was merely…thinking.”

 

“About what?”

 

Vincent was caught in a corner and he knew it.

 

“About….” `Your hair, your eyes….' “What you said. I was thinking about what you said about the moon.” `And how beautiful you look in it's light.'

 

“Are you sure?” Ariah asked, continuing to drill the poor man.

 

“Yes. That's all I was thinking about.” `Plus how wonderful you are and how I wish I could tell you just how I feel about you.' The vampire felt his heart being stolen as he spoke. With each thought, a little more of him was stolen by this little creature that had been dubbed the White Devil.

 

Ariah pulled back to her spot on the railing, seemingly satisfied with the answer.

 

“Okay. You just looked a little sad for a minute and I was worried about you.”

 

His heart was now officially hers, though the young girl had no idea.

 

“Thank you, Ariah. I'm glad you care enough to ask.” A deep silence fell between them as Ariah watched the ground for long minutes that felt like an eternity. Then, the young woman stood up straight and turned to Vincent.

“How late do you think it is?”

 

“Very late. At least past your bedtime.” He answered, looking at the sky.

 

“Oh. Well…before I go to bed…umm….” She looked at the ground, shuffling her feet in embarrassment. “Can I…umm…..”

 

“Now here's a first.” Vincent said as he turned to face her as well. “I don't think I have ever seen you speechless before.”

 

“Well…this is kind of hard to ask. I was wondering if I…I wanted to ask you something.”

 

“All right. What is it?”

 

“Why don't you hold me like you used to? Before I changed, you would let me sit in your lap and hang onto you. But now, it's like you don't want to touch me.”

 

Confusion and pain washed over Vincent as Ariah waited for his response. He was beginning to dislike this new ability of hers. The transfer of feelings was good for some things, but not all of them.

 

“It's a little harder for me to hold you, Ariah. You've grown up and gained a few new…err….” For the first time in over thirty years, Vincent blushed. “You've developed…into a woman.” He finally finished. But Ariah was still not satisfied.

 

“What does that mean? I noticed that my chest got bigger,” A deeper crimson colored the vampire's cheeks at this. “But that's all. What is so wrong with that?” She stepped closer to him and leaned against his warm body. “I miss hugging you.

 

“I felt safe. Even if you couldn't touch me with your left arm, it still felt nice.” Ariah then slipped her arms around Vincent's waist and held onto him as if he would vanish into thin air if she let go. “I feel different when I'm around you. A feeling that I've never felt before.”

 

A new emotion was invading Vincent's senses. It was powerful and potent while at the same time, so meek and innocent. Was it love? Was this what it truly felt like when it first touched the heart? He had felt it before, yes, but never quite like this. How could he return something so innocent when he himself was not?

 

There was another long silence as the two stood there, waiting to see what would happen next. Then, Ariah looked up. “Vincent…may I…try something?”

 

“What is it you want to try?” He asked, trying to keep his voice level.

 

“It's something I saw Adam and Eve doing.”

 

The older man hesitated for a moment before answering. What could this thing be that she saw and wanted to try? He could only hope that it wasn't to bad.

 

“…All right. I suppose you can.” Slowly, Ariah stood on tiptoe so she could reach Vincent's face and very softly kissed his pale lips. He didn't kiss back. He was much to surprised to do that.

 

She lingered there for a few moments, allowing the feeling to really sink in, when suddenly, her lower half came into contact with Vincent's. Ariah had not meant to, but she had ground her hips on a now very shocked Vincent. She gasped as he pulled himself away from her and found refuge against the wall of the airship.

 

“Vincent…? I'm sorry. Did I do it wrong?” The man could not answer. He had lost his voice to the wonderfully sensual feelings rushing through his body. The air had rushed from his lungs so quickly he didn't know how long it would take for him to recover.

 

Ariah moved once again towards him. He didn't make a move to touch her. He merely stood there, trying to gain control of his body. “Vincent? Are you okay?” Tears were beginning to well up in her beautiful green eyes. “I'm sorry. I won't do it again if you hate it. I promise.”

 

Still, he could not speak. He was more afraid of himself than he had ever been. Chaos was so close to the surface, he was sure that if he lost what shred of concentration he had now, something terrible would happen and he would never see Ariah again. But her tears were killing him ever so slowly.

 

Finally, the waves of sadness hit him and she looked at the ground. “I swear I won't do it again. If it makes you hate me, I won't ever do it again.” And with that, she ran back inside to the cabin she shared with her father.

 

Vincent was left to sink to the deck and regain composure. He sat there, holding his head in his good hand and taking deep gulps of air. How had he lost himself so quickly? How had she caused such a reaction in him that only one woman in his life had ever been able to do?

 

The tortured man stayed out on the deck for the rest of the night, dozing as he sat and thinking hard when he was awake.

 

 

He was still out there when the Highwind landed in front of the entrance to his hometown. Slowly, mechanically, he disembarked and walked down the cobble-stone street before anyone could say a word. When he reached the door to the Shin-ra mansion, he heard a voice calling out to him.

 

Ariah was running to catch up to him with Sephiroth, still covered by his cloak, following her. He waited until she had caught up to him and watched as she bent over with her hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath. “I wanted to say…I'm sorry for…last night.” She said between breaths.

 

Vincent nodded.

 

“That's all right. We both acted a little…silly. Do you and your father want to come in and rest?”

 

Ariah looked sad at this question.

 

“I wish we could, but daddy says that we need to go now. He wants me to learn as much as I possibly can about the world.”

 

“Oh.” Vincent tried to hide the disappointment in his voice, but Ariah caught it.

 

“Don't worry. We'll be back. Maybe by that time, I'll know enough and be grown up enough for you to love me the same way you did before I grew up.”

This hurt Vincent slightly, but he held it in where no one could see.

 

“It's for the best.” He said, not believing his own words. “You still have a lot to learn. Your father will do very well in teaching you.” `Even if he teaches you to hate me.' This thought hurt the most. He knew that Sephiroth would try to teach her that. He could only hope and pray that it didn't work.

 

“I hope so. But I have to come back anyway. You can teach me how to transform again. I miss my wings and being able to fly.”

 

A nod was her only answer as Sephiroth finally came up next to her.

 

“All right, Ariah.” He said taking her arm. “You've had time to say your goodbyes. It's time to go. There is much for you to learn.”

“Yes father.” She turned and followed him back down the street, counting the stones in the path. When she turned back to wave to Vincent, he was gone. She looked around, but he was nowhere to be seen.

 

In a window on the second story, he stood, watching her slowly walk away and feeling his heart tear into little tiny pieces. How could this happen to him? If he hadn't made her cry, she would still be here.

 

When he could no longer see the two departing figures, he pulled himself from the window and began to walk around his home. The mansion seemed large and empty, somehow. He had noticed it before, yes, but never paid it any mind. But now, he noticed it more than ever. The Highwind had long since taken off, taking his friends back to their homes and leaving him alone.

 

He wished Ariaus had come with him. He wished that Lucrecia were still alive. He wished that he had never interfered with Hojo. But, most of all, he wished that Ariah had stayed with him in this empty shell of a house and help him turn it into a warm and loving home.