Of Snowstorms and Demons

A/N: Ok, this is a prize story for SapphireDog since she was my 200th reviewer on Taming the Fates. She requested a Valenwind so here you have it, my very first Valenwind. I hope that all of you enjoy it.

~Of Snowstorms and Demons

"Vince! I know yer in there dammit! Open the damned door, it's freezin' out here!" Cid bellowed as he pounded on the large doors of Nibelheim mansion. He had been standing there for twenty minutes and could feel his feet going numb from the cold. Shifting his weight, he grumbled, "If that angsty bastard doesn't answer in two minutes, I'm breakin' in and burnin' his coffin AND his cloak."

The half-frozen blond raised his fist to knock again when the door was suddenly flung open, revealing a rather dazed-looking Vincent Valentine, "Highwind? What are you doing here?" The gunman glanced up at the cloudy sky, "And in the middle of a snowstorm, no less."

Cid glared, the cigarette in his mouth twitching as he frowned, "Oh, I jus' decided to take some vacation time this winter and freeze my ASS off on yer doorstep. Lemme in dammit!"

The raven-haired man shook his head as though attempting to clear himself of the dazed stupor, "Right, of course. Come on in."

Blue eyes glinted merrily, "Finally!" He stepped forward, eager to be out of the snow. He was stopped abruptly by a leather-covered hand on his chest and an all-too familiar scarlet glare, "What the hell, Vince? First you tell me to come in, then you-"

"You will put that cigarette out before entering my domain, Highwind."

"Hm?" Cid paused, looking down at the red ember before smirking, "Oops, guess I forgot 'bout that." He took a final drag before tossing it to the side, "Ya know, you should really lighten up, Vince. People might think yer tryin' to scare 'em off or somethin'."

The raven hung his head as the pilot passed, the long strands hiding his glowing eyes as he made a nearly inaudible whisper, "Maybe I am."

Cid gave a chuckle and shook his head as the door was closed, "Ya know, Vince, yer gonna have to quite this broody loner shit. Ain't healthy."

"And you would be the expert on healthy living, Highwind?"

"Not quite but damn close!" The blond playfully slapped a hand on the man's shoulder blade but frowned when Vincent gave a noticeable flinch. He pulled his hand away, blue eyes widening when he found red liquid on his gloves, his playful expression disappearing as soon as he truly took in his companion's appearance. The normally pale man was a deathly shade of white with dark shadows below his eyes. His hair was unusually disheveled, not even the red cloth was present around the gunman's forehead to help tame the wild mass. Cid then realized that the voluminous cloak was also gone. The black shirt and pants appeared to have seen better days, the sleeves and legs shredded and torn, "Damn! Looks like you met with the wrong end of a Marlboro. What the hell happened?"

A single glare informed Cid that he would not be receiving an answer but he simply glared back. He was one of the few that had a chance of winning the battle of wills with the gunman and he was damn proud of it too! There was a low sigh of defeat from the pale man before he turned, motioning for the blond to follow with his left hand.

The pilot followed but did a quick double take as he looked at the hand. The golden claw was gone! There was still a black glove covering Vincent's left hand but now it was obvious there was something there. When the gunman looked back at him, he realized that he had stopped walking and hurried to catch up, "Surprised to see ya without the 'glove o' doom'."

A dark eyebrow rose at the blond's remark, "There is no point in wearing such a weapon in my own residence."

"Jus' never seen ya without it. Why didn't you tell us it was removable?"

There was a small shrug as Vincent opened the door to the kitchen, "No one ever asked."

"Bullshit! I know Yuffie kept askin' ya every time she got a chance."

"I am not required to bow to the whims of a childish girl every time she gets drunk. If I did," The raven haired man simply shook his head, "Let's just say she wouldn't be alive right now."

Cid merely chuckled as he sat at the table, watching the gunman start some tea on the stove, "Yer probly right. Now, you gonna tell me why yer so bloody or am I gonna have to tell Tifa yer angstin' again? You know she would love ta get you over fer another shoppin' spree."

A visible shudder ran through the black-clad gunman and he fixed the pilot with a menacing glare, "You say one word to that insufferable woman and I swear to Gaia it will be your last."

Hands were raised in mock surrender as the blond grinned, "Alright, alright. I'm not that evil dammit. Still, I am worried 'bout you Vince. What's goin' on?"

Vincent just shook his head, "Why are you really here Highwind? You should be safe at home with Shera not in an old drafty mansion in the middle of a snowstorm."

The name brought a grimace to the pilot's face, "Shera's...gone. Apparently she's had enough of me and my big mouth. Left and went ta Edge 'bout a month ago." He leaned back with a sigh as the gunman set two cups of tea on the table, "S'alright though. It's not like we were married or anythin'. Hell, I haven't looked at her like that in about two or three years. It's good she found someone that actually 'preciates her and all."

Vincent let the blond mutter, he could see the depression and loneliness in the blue eyes. Then, as quickly as it had appeared, the pained expression was gone, replaced by a happy grin and a mischievous glint, "Now enough stallin' Vince. I came here to see ya and find you walkin' round lookin' like the living dead. Well, moreso than ya usually do. You tell me whats got you so beat up and now."

The raven-haired man gave a sigh, "You're not going to drop this, are you? It's nothing really. I'm just having trouble sleeping at night."

Cid raised an eyebrow in disbelief, "Yer still bullshittin' Vince. There's no way in hell a little sleepin' problem makes a man look like ya do right now. And it hurts ta think you don't trust me enough to tell me."

"Don't start that, Highwind. Just leave it alone."

"Fine." A small corner of the blond's lips twitched upward, "Jus' make sure Tifa gets more damn pictures this time."

"WHAT?!" Scarlet eyes widened as the cup slipped from his grasp, shattering on the floor. The gunner made no move to clean up the mess however, he simply sat staring at the pilot with wide eyes.

Cid gave a large grin as he pulled out his phone and opened up the photo section. Pulling up a single image, he turned it to the raven-haired man. Sure enough, it was a picture of Vincent in a flowing red gown, a silky black cloak over his shoulders and covering his claw arm. To anybody that didn't know the gunman, it would have seemed a picture of a rather gorgeous woman, a slight blush of embarrassment on the pale cheeks. "How many drinks did she get into ya to get ya to wearin' THAT little number?"

The joking smile slowly faded as a small cracking sound echoed in the room. Cursing, the pilot jumped across the table, barely saving his phone from the gunner's crushing grip, "Damn it Vince! Don't go breakin' my stuff just cuz ya look good in a dress. You should be flattered. Not many guys can look as hot in a dress as they do normally."

The man's head suddenly whipped up, fixing the blue eyes with a strange dark gaze, "You think I look..." Something flashed in the scarlet eyes, a golden gleam disappearing so quickly that Cid wasn't sure if he had just imagined it. Then Vincent blinked and shook his head, "Never mind. Look unless you have a reason for being here, I suggest that you head home soon. The storm is only going to get worse."

"Sorry Vince, no can do. Snow was bad 'nuff already when I got over the mountains and I ended up with my engines half-froze. I'm stuck 'till this blows over."

Casting a wary glance at the growing darkness outside, the gunman gave a sigh and rose, grabbing a towel to clean the shattered glass on the floor, "Then you might want to hurry to find a room at one of the inns before it gets too late."

A blond eyebrow rose, "Yer kickin' me out? Why'd ya invite me in in the first place if you were just gonna tell me ta leave?"

A corner of the pale lips twitched upward, "I know you Highwind. If I had not answered the door, you would have tried the windows. When you found the first floor's barred, you would have climbed up to the second floor, and then the third. Upon finding all of them impossible to get into, you would have tried the chimneys on the roof where you would have slipped on the ice and fallen to your death or else gotten stuck in the chimneys and I would have been smelling burning pilot for weeks. It was a lot less trouble to answer the door and let you in for a few moments at least."

Cid gave a small grin, the man was probably right, "Alright, you win on that one. Why not let me stay here? I know ya got at least a few dozen rooms."

"Most of them without heating and missing glass in the windows."

"So lemme stay in a room with a fireplace Vince! Damnit to hell, I won't go and stay in a damn inn when it looks like yer about ta keel over. Ain't right for you ta be stayin' here alone when somethin's obviously wrong."

Vincent gave an angry growl as he tossed the towel and broken glass into the trash, "Look Cid, I'll pay for the room. Just please-"

"Nope!" The pilot crossed his arms and shook his head stubbornly, "I'm stayin' and that's final!"

Cid soon found himself slammed up against the kitchen wall, leather bound fingers clenching tightly into his shoulder. Vincent leaned in close, an oddly pleased look on his features though his eyes flickered wildly between scarlet and gold, "You know, Highwind, your stubbornness is going to get you killed one of these days." A bare hand reached up and caressed a stubbled cheek, "Do you have any idea what its like having them whisper day in and day out that I should simply take what I want, what my body needs with every fiber of its being? And now..." A small smirk revealed slightly elongated canines, "Now you're here and you won't leave. Its so hard to fight when what you crave is only inches away."

Blue eyes glanced nervously at the fangs, his confusion growing at the dark haired man's purring tone. 'Sweet Shiva. I hope Barrett wasn't right 'bout the whole vampire thing.' "Um, look, Vince, if ya lemme go I might be able to- Mmph!"

Cid's words were cut off as warm lips crashed over his forcefully, his body stiffening in surprise. His rigid posture seemed to break through to Vincent and the gunner pulled away, his scarlet eyes wide and fearful, "Oh gods," Pale fingers raised to touch his own trembling lips as Vincent backed away, "Cid...I...I..."

Suddenly the dark haired man turned and fled, leaving a stunned blond leaning against the kitchen wall. It was only when Cid hear the familiar creaking of the secret passage to the basement labs that the pilot moved into action, swearing as he chased after the man, "Dammit, ya dark bastard! You don't do somethin' like that and jus' turn tail."

He slowed as he came to the old wooden stairs, careful of the rotting boards. As he finally made it to the last step, he hollered, "Vince! Get yer angsty ass out here now!"

Only silence greeted him and he felt a chill as he began to search the dark rooms. One of the first places the blond checked was the room where they had found Vincent but surprisingly the coffin still sat open and seemingly untouched. Cid paused as he came to the library, finding several open books and sheets of scrawled writing. The pilot glanced at the notes but could only make out a few words. He knew the gunman had been born left-handed and was now teaching himself to write with the other hand but much of what he wrote was still barely legible. 'Demons...every 2 years...1 month. What's this about?'

The uneasy feeling of being watched raced up Cid's spine and he whirled around, blue eyes wary of any movement. 'Shoulda brought my fuckin' spear.' "Alright, Vince. Enough with the spooky shit. I jus' wanna talk to ya."

A low chuckle caused him to raise his eyes and he took several steps back as he locked gazes with brilliant golden eyes, "The host isn't in right now but perhaps I can be of some assistance, human."

Cid continued to back away nervously as the winged demon crawled along the ceiling towards him, "Uh, sorry but no thanks, Chaos. I really wanted ta talk to Vince."

"Oooo, I am so pleased you remember my name, manling," A fanged grin spread wide over the silvery-gray features, "It will give you something to scream later."

As the creature dropped from the ceiling and leapt at him, Cid quickly sidestepped into an open doorway. He tripped and fell back, nearly hitting his head on the old coffin. Chaos chuckled as he entered the room, folding his wings to fit in the narrow doorway. The blond attempted to regain his feet but suddenly found his arms pinned to the floor and a gray-skinned demon straddling his waist. "Now now human, no need to be so frightened. You and I are going to have fun."

"I wouldn't 'xactly call bein' ripped ta pieces fun."

Cid squirmed uncomfortably as Chaos leaned forward, inhaling deeply at his neck before running a warm tongue along the tanned skin to his ear, "Oh I have something even more pleasant than that in mind. We can do the torture and murder later if you wish."

"Look, you mutated bat, get the hell offa me right fuckin' now!"

The demon pulled back and laughed which only fueled the pilot's rage even more. Wrenching his arms from the clawed grasp, Cid reached around to the back of Chaos' head and grasped tightly at the spiky black strands. Crashing his skull into the silvery-gray forehead, he then maneuvered his feet into the dazed demon's stomach and flipped him into the open coffin. He scrambled to close the lid before the creature regained his wits and retaliated. Just as he set the lock, there was an angered roar and the wood shook violently.

"Fuck. Never thought I'd say this but I'm glad Hojo made it damn near impossible for that fucker ta get out by 'imself," Cid grumbled as he pulled out a cigarette and sat atop the shuddering coffin, "Well, looks like I'm stayin' after all, Vince."