KH: Before Dusk
Word Count: 4459
Genre: Romance, drama
Summary: Maybe it's foolish to be afraid of the dark and the things it hides. Maybe it's foolish when you'd give up your love because of fear.
Ships?: Vexen/Lucrecia
→Friendships?: Xigbar&Xaldin, Lexaeus&Zexion
Characters: Vexen, Lucrecia, Xemnas, Xaldin, Xigbar, Lexaeus, Zexion, Hala (OC)
→Mentions: Axel
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: Nope!
Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or any related characters. This was written out of enjoyment of the series, and no profit is being made.
Music: Sleep Tonight
Notes: Yes, yes, vampire fic, how original. [/sarcasm] Still, I couldn't help it. In an RP with my friend Ana, we decided to have Vexen and Lucrecia be together romantically. Again. Hey, sue me. Or, rather, I gave Vexen the last name of 'Crescent' and Ana blew up at me for it before submitting. XD
Before Dusk
"Miss Lucrecia? Miss?"
She had dressed in her usual attire without thinking twice about it. The fine clothes, the warm cloak to protect her from the cold and fog- even the brooch he had given to her one night.
"Are you alright?"
How clearly she remembers it. Anxiety had crept into his every movement, and at first, she had thought he had been in trouble with debt or some such thing, despite how he had hid behind pride and confidence. Then he had given it to her, all fumbling hesitation and desperation and I saw it and thought maybe will you accept it?
"...Lucrecia?"
She'd felt like a little girl being given flowers by a childhood love.
"I'm coming in now, Miss."
They'd always meet and leave one another at an old bridge over the river, and never once had she questioned her safety. Stories had been told, but he had told her she'd be safe. What a foolish woman, to never pay attention as the stories changed and to never make the connection...
"Oh, Lucy." A hand on her shoulder, and as Lucrecia looks into her vanity mirror, she realizes she's crying. With a sob, she slumps against her maid, Cindy. Comforting arms wrap around her and keep her close. "You poor girl. Did something happen with your young gentleman?"
The question brings a blur of memories, and Lucrecia can only cry harder as she remembers fangs against her lips and screaming.
----
For a while, she tries to forget him. She's heard the stories of his evil and deceptive kind, like everyone else. There is nothing else he could want of her, Lucrecia thinks with pain in her breast, save for one thing.
Try as she might, his memory follows her footsteps. Just a glimpse of some blond man on the street, whether noble or beggar, is enough for her heart to leap in simultaneous joy and fear. The books in her father's library, once her delight, seek only to remind her of vivid, fascinating conversations with one who seemed entranced with her knowledge instead of repulsed by a woman who could think and speak for herself.
A flower is a stroll through a park. Couples coyly holding each others hands draw a memory of his arms tight around her waist and her bosom against his chest. The brooch shows his eyes, pained and sad and angered. Such a bright green...
One night, she decides on something at long last. Wrapping her warmest cloak about her shoulders, she takes off into the dark streets of her city with a pouch full of coin and a heart full of determination.
----
Her journey, and a fair bit of money in exchange for information, lead her to an old large house on the very edges of the city. Now that she is here, Lucrecia is suddenly hesitant. In her time with him, he had spoken of... companions. Gripping the handle of her umbrella, her hands shake. Perhaps she's stepping in too deep, over boundaries she had never imagined, and the consequences could be-
Through rain and fog, high up on the stone steps Lucrecia has dared not take, there is alone figure on the patio. Lucrecia remembers her reason for coming, and it strengthens her.
Once she reaches the top, Lucrecia can see the other person more clearly. It is another woman, with skin darker than her own. It is a pleasant and light brown, a contrast to the stranger's startlingly short silver hair. For that reason alone, Lucrecia almost would have guessed the other to be a man, save for the elegant dress she wears. To add to her peculiar appearance, the woman is blindfolded; like the rest of her clothing, it's gray. As if sensing her gaze, the strange woman turns her head and smiles at Lucrecia from beneath her own umbrella which shields her from the lightly pouring rain. "Good evening, Madam."
"Good evening." Lucrecia lingers by the steps a moment longer. "It is a strange evening to be out, do you not agree?"
"No." The smiles becomes slightly more mysterious. "The rain can tell a soul many things, if the soul takes the time to listen." She tilts her head to the side as if inspecting the brunette. "I believe you wish to see one of my masters, Madam."
For a moment, Lucrecia is taken back before she composes herself. Of course she wishes to see someone here, or else why would she be on their doorstep? "That's correct. May I inquire as to which of your masters is present within? And your name?"
"I am called Hala," is the first response, the name short yet soft and foreign. "Not all of the masters and mistresses of this house are present, but that is also because they have not come into being, as of yet." With a twirl, the umbrella scatters fallen rain from its surface as Hala directs her hidden gaze to the cloudy sky, behind which stars shine. "For now, within this chosen house, one my find the Lord Xemnas, Masters Xigbar, Xaldin, Lexaeus, Zexion, some others..." Her voice drops lower, as if sharing a little bit of gossip, or a secret. "If one were to search deeper still, one may find Master Vexen, yet his presence has been rare these passing nights."
There's a twinge of something within her chest, and Lucrecia can only hope this is a good omen. "May I be allowed to speak with Master Vexen?"
"Few things can persuade Master Vexen out of his room," Hala muses. "Only the lord of this house has been successful in his attempt. I believe he is whom you wish to speak with." Without another word, Hala turn around and walks with slow grace to the front door of the large home. Having come this far, Lucrecia can't bear to let herself flee now; slowly folding away her umbrella, she follows after.
The inside of her the home takes her breath away. Lucrecia is no stranger to places filled with antiques and riches from exotic far-off lands. Those of the higher classes try so hard to outdo one another, subtle battles for superiority. This place, however, beats all of those places easily. Not only are there ancient paintings and artifacts, but it's arranged in such a way that there is no need for excess or boasting. She had known, or suspected rather, Vexen to be of a noble family, but this is far beyond her expectations. In a daze and unable to contain her rudeness by staring, she can only follow Hala to a small parlor room. At Hala's polite gesture, Lucrecia enters, standing for a moment longer instead of immediately seating herself down on the luxurious red couch. "I shall retrieve Lord Xemnas now, Madam. My return shall be in a moment." That said, Hala silently leaves, leaving Lucrecia alone in the room.
It is the the most uncomfortable two minutes of Lucrecia's life, despite the couch she eventually sits on.
Upon hearing footsteps, she stiffens, hands fisting in her lap. The man who appears in the doorway is a strange, slightly intimidating sort; a scar mars one side of his face and his eyes shine bright yellow. Leaning against the doorway, he crosses his arms and grins. Lucrecia's heart gives a frightened, painful twist as fangs glint in the light. "Now, what do we have hear? We don't get guests, dear lady."
"Are-" For a moment, her voice goes dry. Lucrecia has to swallow. "Forgive me, but are you the lord of this house?"
Despite how well off his clothes say he is, the stranger speaks more like a sailor: rough and informal. "Nah, I ain't Xemnas. Name's Xigbar, if it pleases you, or even if it doesn't." As he speaks, he strolls further into the room. Something about the way he walks reminds Lucrecia of a predator sizing up potential prey. "Now, why don't you be a good poppet an' tell us who you are and why you're here." The 'us' alerts her to yet another presence, a tall man with dark long hair wound into many braids.
When she was just a young girl, Lucrecia had been told predators and other beasts could be scared away if one made oneself as big as possible. That is what she does now, drawing herself up tall in her seat despite how all the teaching her mother had taught says otherwise. "I am Lucrecia Valentine, and I am here on personal business which I wish not tell you besides that I am calling upon someone who lives in this home."
Xigbar let's out an impressed whistle; Lucrecia can't tell if he's mocking her or not. "What do you know, Xaldin! Aren't the Valentines one of those really posh families?" Tucking his hands into the pockets of his trousers, Xigbar comes far too close to her for her liking. "Why would someone like you be interested in nobodies no one knows about?"
"My business is my own." Lucrecia falters for a single second before forging on. "Sir, I implore that you leave me be lest I am forced to drastic measures."
Xaldin raises an eyebrow in bored curiosity while Xigbar smirks. "Such as what?" In an instant, Lucrecia reaches into her small purse and flashes her church's holy symbol at the vampire. It is a strange pointed cross which seems as if it is stabbing into an upside down heart. Thick and made with the finest silver, it fills her hand nicely.
Xigbar just laughs at her gall. "Humans and superstition. Really." He narrows his eyes in dark amusement, leaning closer to her face. "Did you know, Miss Valentine, such symbols don't work on us?"
To his surprise, she smiles at him. "Oh yes, kind sir. I noticed that." Then, without hesitation, she presses down on the top of the cross and squirts a heavy dose of the most smelliest perfume known to Earth right into Xigbar's face.
As Xigbar stumbles backwards and trips over a small table, yelling curses all the while, Lucrecia leaps to her feet and backs away from the two vampires. She's shaking as she glances at Xaldin, but he's just laughing as his companion practically chokes to death on perfume and swears. "You are a clever woman," he acknowledges, violet eyes glittering unpleasantly. "Not many know about that trait of ours." Something subtle and dangerous is hinted in his words, and Lucrecia trembles all the more violently.
"What is happening here?"
A deep, dark voice interrupts them all, and all three of them look to the doorway. The man who stands there has vivid orange eyes which seem to see right through them, and dark tan skin to match Hala's. She stands behind him, docile and obedient while his gaze sweeps over the two vampires and the human guest.
"Xemnas!" Xigbar coughs, getting onto his feet and rubbing at his eyes. "This woman-"
"Is a guest, according to Hala," Xemnas interrupts smoothly.
"She may be getting old," Xaldin points out as he goes to stand besides Xigbar. "Miss Valentine here knows a little about our weakness, it seems. Perhaps she is a fledgling hunter."
"Perhaps," Xemnas responds enigmatically before his full attention falls onto Lucrecia. Something inside her freezes; there is a powerful feeling radiating from this man that stops her from doing anything. Finally, Xemnas shakes his head. "She does not have the make, and men so rarely pass that filthy trade down to women. Now, Miss Valentine, tell me what you seek here. Do not lie."
Just like that, Lucrecia feels her breath return to her, although her shaking does not cease. Sensing hesitation could be her undoing, she answers quickly. "I come in good will, and wish only to apologize to someone I was told lives here. I... I believe I have wronged him. His name is Vexen-"
She's interrupted by Xigbar, who bursts out laughing. "So you're the reason why he's been holing himself up in his room all month!" he chuckles. "That's hilarious. I have got to hear this tale."
Xemnas doesn't reply to this; he only blinks his eyes slowly, like a cat. At last, he tells Hala, "Fetch Vexen. If this is truly a matter of his, then he shall take responsibility for it." Hala bows respectfully before vanishing from the room. Silence falls again, for a moment, with Lucrecia declining to take her seat again. Eventually, however, Xigbar and Xaldin begin a friendly chat with one another in a language she's never heard before. Itt pauses, for a moment, when a distinct crash can be heard deeper within the house, only to start up again. Xemnas remains perfectly silent in a grand red chair.
After some amount of time, a youth with odd blue-gray hair pokes his head into the parlor. "Hala recently and successfully requested Lexaeus' assistance in physically removing Vexen from his room after our esteemed comrade threw a lamp at her head," he announces, gaze briefly going to Lucrecia. "Is there something I should know about?" Another crash, closer this time and accompanied by vicious curses. "We'll have to replace a few things, by the by," he adds genially.
Coolly and in a manner completely unsurprised, Xemnas raises an eyebrow. "Has he injured anyone in his temper, Zexion?"
Strolling inside, Zexion leans against a chair, smiling pleasantly at Lucrecia before smirking to Xemnas. "He managed to bruise the area around his eye all by himself." Xigbar snickers. "Also, Axel may or may not have been kicked in the head when he peered out from his own room."
Laughing along with his friend, Xaldin comments, "That shall pain our fiery friend for some nights, then. Vexen possesses not only the temperament and stubbornness of an ass, but the kick as well."
"Better to be an ass than a fool," Lucrecia says before she can stop herself. With eyes on her, she flushes but forges on. There's no taking back words. "The qualities you mock are qualities which can go by different names, such as determination and settling for no less than one is worth."
Xaldin crosses his arms, eyes boring into her. "Vexen more often than not views himself more than he's truly worth."
"Than he only needs one to gently show him the truth and raise him to that worth," she counters. Xemnas makes a small nod as she says that, making some unknown mental note to himself the rest can only speculate on. A large and nearer crash sounds, and Lucrecia blinks as Vexen's familiar voice becomes clearer.
"-ylight claim you, Lexaeus! Ash and blood, so help me but I-"
A large muscular man walks in, then, unperturbed by the threats and elbow jabs which smack into the back of his head, all done by the blond man he has slung over his shoulder. Hala trails innocently behind them, hands held politely before her. "Calm down, Vexen," Lexaeus says simply and soothingly as he sets Vexen down on solid ground. "You're being rude to our guest."
"He can-" Vexen begins to snarl as he bats Lexaeus' hands away, but stops once he spots Lucrecia. Expression morphing into a look of shock, Vexen ends up letting his mouth fall open slightly. "Ah."
"Do you know this woman, Vexen?" Xemnas asks.
Fiddling with and straightening his clothes, Vexen's only response is to tap one foot rapidly. Lucrecia recognizes the tic; Vexen is most certainly nervous. "In a manner of speaking."
"And you didn't drain her whyyy?" Xigbar prods.
Vexen's jaw locks into place as he glares at the other man, although Lucrecia has a sneaking suspicion he's glad to be looking at something else other than her. "Think, you bumbling halfwit. She is of a highly respected family which holds much influence in this city. Were she to go missing, we'd have half of London on our trail. Do you desire another conflict with the hunters- Nevermind." Vexen raises one hand to stop Xigbar's words before he can start them, while his other hand goes to massage his temples. "I already know the question for that. I wonder for the state of your sanity, Xigbar."
"Come now, Vexen," Zexion berates, wagging a finger back and forth. "You're a smarter man than that. I'm sure it occurred to you that you could make it seem as if she had eloped, bringing shame upon the Valentine name." The mention of this not only warms Lucrecia's face, but Vexen's as well. Ah, hope! The warm feeling quickly sinks, however, when she notices the sharp look Xemnas is sending Vexen, along with the frown beginning to form on Xigbar and Xaldin's faces.
"Bloody hell, Vexen," Xigbar says, "don't tell me you fell for this haybag-"
CRASH!
Lucrecia starts in surprise, her eyes wide as they land on the shattered vase on the ground before flickering up to Vexen. The blond vampire's fangs are bared in anger and one of his hands has a tight grasp on the front of Xigbar's shirt. "You'd do best to hold your tongue," he snarls, gaze positively acidic.
A person could hear a pin drop in the silence of the room. Slowly, Xigbar smirks darkly. "Guess that answers that."
Trouble is most certainly brewing; there is no doubt about that. Lucrecia has thought that all this time, a relationship between her and Vexen would be viewed terribly in the realm of man, but perhaps, contrary to all the legends and rumors of his kind, Vexen's own realm has its troubles as well. Has she made a mistake in coming here, wrought misfortune upon his head with her presence? If this is truly her fault, then it is up to her to fix it. Despite her determination from earlier, she suddenly finds herself unable to say a word; the tension in the air is so thick, thicker than even the fog which awaits outside the doors and windows. Yet how can she sit by and do nothing while Vexen faces his no-doubt angered companions?
"I believe our lady guest wishes to speak."
Her heart thumps painfully in her chest as she turns to look at the speaker. It's the man who brought in Vexen, Lexaeus. His gaze is not, like the others', disapproving. In a way, it's almost understanding, hidden by veils of neutrality.
As if prompted by the taller man's words, Zexion nods his head in agreement. "What hosts would we be if we allowed ourselves to be so rude as to let a lady go unheard?" Gracefully, he pushes himself away from the chair and positions himself besides Lexaeus. Ah, she's beginning to see a pattern here...
Neither Xaldin nor Xemnas seemed particularly pleased at her presence or connection to Vexen, but the lord of the house nonetheless nods his head politely to her, allowing her to speak. Just as politely, she curtsies, still holding the cleverly disguised perfume bottle in one hand. "I apologize for bringing strife within your household," she begins, voice becoming just a little more solid as she continues. "I was unaware that my mere presence could offend so many. If I may be so bold-" Quite a request she's making, but if she knows Vexen as well as she thought she did, then she knows he will not speak to her while under such heavy scrutiny from his peers, or even open up with others around period. "-may I request that Master Vexen and I be left alone for some minutes to converse?"
Lucrecia is expecting an instant refusal, but to her surprise, Xemnas appears to think it over. "Very well," he replies, nodding to the rest of the vampires in the room. Vexen looks just as surprised as Lucrecia feels, eyes wide and mouth agape. He's long since released Xigbar's shirt. "I need not warn you that to try anything within our own home would be very foolish indeed, Miss Valentine." With that final warning delivered, Xemnas walks out of the room, the very last to leave. The doors shut with a click, and the two are left by themselves.
It is not the romantic, teary reunion one might expect.
With his hands curled into fists at his side, Vexen avoids meeting her gaze as he glares down at the shattered vase. "Why are you here?"
Clasping her hands together, Lucercia finds her lips pursing together. "I wish to make amends."
That brings a sneer to his face; it's always been one of his more uglier expressions. "You cannot truly expect me to believe such a flimsy statement. With my head clearing once more, I must grudgingly admit that perhaps there is some truth to Xigbar's words." She can practically hear bones crack as Vexen tightens his fists ever the harder. "Maybe I am nothing more than a fool after all to feel such pathetic emotions for a woman who would scorn me and call me monster."
"Vexen-"
"Silence!" he snaps, his eyes finally looking up to meet hers. It's the same expression as from barely a month ago: all that anger, tainted by sadness and pain. "Whatever words you may say are nothing more than hollow lies. The stories of our kind are sullied with lies and exaggeration, but there is some honesty left in them yet." He's in front of her before she can blink, and Lucrecia can only gasp as he pins her to a wall, his hands pressing against the wall on both sides of her head. "We are monsters, drinkers of human blood and killers of men. Even as I speak, I want nothing more than to throw you down and pierce through your flimsy skin to get to the red liquid which lies beneath!" He pauses, and something inside his gaze almost softens as he sees how badly she is shaking. Dropping his voice to a whisper, Vexen urges, "Go. Leave this place, speak not a word, and you shall never worry about my kind again. Your position keeps you safe. I did not stop you from running before, I shall not stop you now."
That would be so easy, wouldn't it? To burst from this room and out of this cursed house, never looking back.... Lucrecia closes her eyes. "I cannot."
Frustration burns through Vexen's voice. "Why not!?"
It takes strength to open her eyes, strength to raise her hand so that it settles upon one of his bony cheeks, and strength to say softly, more sincerely than anything else she has said in her life, "I love you."
A fist slams into the wall, the sound hurting her ears somewhat. "I don't want your thrice-damned love!" He recoils from her touch, whirling away from her to pace madly about the room which his hands threading in his own hair. "This is a union doomed to fail from the start! You are nothing more than a weak human, worse a stubborn woman, and I am that which preys on you! Whatever disregard for your own life you showed by tracking me here, I shall not stand for it. You may not care for your life, but I do, blood and ash curse it all!"
Frustration of her own takes a hold of her then, and Lucrecia storms up to her forbidden lover, grabbing him by the wrist in a most unladylike manner. "Is a romance between your kind against your laws?" she demands.
Blinking in confusion, Vexen finally stops his aggravated steps and shakes his head. "No-"
"Then our solution is simple," Lucrecia declares, voice strong even as her hand slips shyly down to entwine with his.
Realization dawns on him. "No." His hair flies about wildly as he shakes his head. "No, no, no, I refuse, you cannot do this-"
"I can!" Lucrecia argues, forgetting all the manners that have been taught to her, as is so often the case when it concerns Vexen. He awakens something different inside of her, just as she is sure she does to him. "The true question is..." Now her voice becomes quieter again as she reaches with her free hand to his face, trying to get him to look at her once more. "Will you help me with this?"
"No," he repeats softly, brow furrowed even as he lets her soft fingers guide him by the chin so that they are looking into each others eyes. "Lucrecia, you have no inkling of what this life is like-"
"The life matters little," she interrupts gently, "if you will love me, and stay by my side as I will yours. Please, Vexen..."
Vexen squeezes his eyes shut, and his hand tightens around hers. Lightly, they press their foreheads against one another. "You do things to me," he hisses, as if in pain. "Things I had never imagined..." They stay like that for a moment longer before... "You have thought this through?"
"Ever since I had run away from you in mistaken fear and almost lost you forever, my love, and I shall wait for you that long and longer still need it be, if you must think on this."
----
As is customary, they have returned once more to their established territory, the place they spend most of their time in. Time must be given for Destiny Islands to heal, after all, if they wish to keep this place their feeding grounds. As the rest of the coven bustles towards the castle they keep on the cliffs, two figure stay behind, listening to the chatter which fills the night air.
Ever since that Victorian era so long ago, the coven has grown. Three more vampires have joined the ranks, along with a few Dolls. Some may see the odd in-between creatures as friends or surrogate children, but Lucrecia can't help but not feel interested in that. It is just one of the downsides of being a vampire, she supposes; once turned, one loses the ability to create life with but their own body. Still, there are other things to enjoy...
"Lucrecia."
"Hmm?" Knocked out of her thoughts, the brunette looks up
As if somehow sensing the direction of her thoughts, Vexen's loose grip around her hand tightens somewhat. The blond vampire has been in thought for quite a while now, and Lucrecia cannot help but worry. There are times when he gets a bit strange, and he has such a difficult time remembering to feed as it is...She stares at her husband in curiosity. Vexen is frowning again, refusing to look at her and instead settling for their manor.
"I... I have been pondering something, for some time now."
"Go on then, Vexen." Smiling and knowing how odd he can get about asking others questions, Lucrecia leans reassuringly against his arm. "What troubles you?"
Silent for a moment more, Vexen just taps his foot a few times before coughing. "...Do you regret making the choice you did? With... myself?"
Ah. So that's what this is about. Lucrecia lets her eyes close. "Sometimes I regret, Vexen." She doesn't have to see to know the expression on his face, a mere ghost of that painful look from centuries ago. Before he can speak, she twists around so that she's standing in front of him, and places a dainty finger on his lips, still smiling softly.
"But you are enough to remind me that it is all worth it."