Tainted
By Ridia Seascar
Solace found within the darkness is simply shattered by the entrance of light. The creaking of long-forgotton hinges alert the crimson eyed being of the woman's entrance, her bulky shoes betray her steps. Turning those startling, Mako brightened eyes upon her achingly familiar form, his night vision slowly receeds in the of this silouette haloed by the light streaming in behind her.
Illusion is faded with the utterance of her words, a voice much higher than the angel he had envisioned standing before him. Mind brought firmly back to reality, he impassively listens to her pleas that he come out from his self-imposed confinement, that he please come out and talk.
Turning away, he dissmisses the woman from his mind. Ears much more acute than any human's pick up the slight rustling of her clothes, her very breaths as she approaches him, stopping to stand before him, hands upon those shapely hips as she looks upon him with worry in her eyes. Huddled in the corner as he is, the Death Penalty within reach, he wonders at her private thoughts of him. What a sight be must seem to her, his hair unkempt, and clothes rumpled. But then, who on this earthly plane would care for a demon such as himself? The only such soul was lost...
"Vincent?" words prodding at him. "Vince? Are you alright?" Meaningless sounds composed and aimed for him. "You've been in here for a while...." obligatory concerns. "Vincent.... I'm worried about you." Needless words.
Empathy with a creature such as himself is impossible, and he knows it. Darkness and solitude summon him like a moth drawn to open flame. Charmingly seductive as a siren's song echoing through his mind. Folding her legs neatly beneath her, sitting before him, the woman places a hand upon his cheek, brushing raven's wing strands from dead seeming eyes. He refuses to react. The cool pads of her fingers run over his pale skin, tracing the lines of his face... along his cheekbones, down the bidge of his nose and jumping the gap to ligthly apply their gentle pressure upon his lips.
"Come out of your shell Vinnie.... c'mon...." a plea. He meets her eyes, his bright crimson glowing in the faintly corrupted darkness, her's shinning with the pure strength and vitality of her youthful will.
"Leave me." his deep voice is quiet, almost silent beyond her hearing, yet the girl... young woman? Is able to pick them out. Determination is added to the light with her response.
"Never." a simple word. A damning word, sealing herself to him. Have to get away... have to free her from any such commitment.. before it was too late... before the demon destroys her.
"Get away from me."
"No."
Silence. They stare eachother down, neither willing to give an inch lest they loose their footing entirely. Time drags, the minutes seeming hours to their minds. How to escape? How to back out?
None.
"Why?"
"Because you're you."
Puzzlement.
"Because I'm me...?"
"Yeah... because you're the big scarey guy with the glowing eyes. Because you're the depressed guy. Because you're so damned -beautiful-."
A pause. Beautiful? Him? A mirthful laugh.
"Beautiful? Only if your taste runs to demons."
"You're not a demon."
"How are you so sure?"
More silence, punctuated by a sudden sob as the girl throws herself at him, flinging her arms around his slender shoulders. "DAMN YOU!" she cries. Shocked, he holds utterly still as she burries her face in his shoulder, her tears wetting his sleeve.
A miraculous transformation. Hard eyes soften, the lids lowering fractionally as he looks upon her quivvering form. Why...? Why hadsthis young pixie coosen to tie herself to a demon?
Why does Yuffie Kisaragi love Vincent Valentine?
Tainted. A tainted devil holds an angel in his arms.
And a single tear falls from expressionless eyes.