snow | Page 7

silent by the door. Vincent gave
her an odd look, as if wondering whether she understood him or not, then turned
his back to her again.
She didn't know what he was doing, as he began pouring water into a pot and
turning some dial. He then ripped some packet open and poured its contents into
the pot.
Not once did Vincent turn around, but Aeris knew he didn't need to; he could
still see her behind him.

When he finally finished, Vincent placed a small, steaming bowl of soup on the
table. He took off his coat, tossed it on the counter carelessly, then sank
into the chair in front of the disassembled gun. Aeris looked at him
mistrustfully.
"If you're hungry, you can drink that," he said coolly, indicating the soup. He
picked up the gun and examined it carefully.
She remained near the door for a few moments, then stepped cautiously into the
kitchen. Vincent, however, ignored her and squirted some of the bottle's liquid
on a piece of cotton. He began rubbing the muzzle of the gun.
She stood facing Vincent, in front of the bowl of the soup. Despite the
suspicious look she gave him, he continued to clean the gun. Sitting down,
Aeris slowly picked up the bowl. Vincent glanced at her as he squirted more of
the liquid on the cotton; but otherwise, he paid no attention to her.
"Mm! This is delicious!!" she exclaimed after she took a sip. She gulped the
whole soup at once, and smiled delightedly. Vincent picked up another gun part
and cleaned it silently.
"You're an excellent cook!" she praised.
"I only boiled the water," he replied, not looking at her, " anybody can make
soup if it comes from a packet."
Aeris smiled at him more trustfully. He did appear frightening, but she felt
sure he meant her no harm.
"What's your name?" she asked timidly.

"Vincent. Vincent Valentine."
"Vincent Valentine.." she repeated in a whisper.
He looked up at her significantly, and she felt her face turn crimson: she did
not feel comfortable when he scrutinized her so intently.
"And...you called me 'Aeris'...right?"
"Yes," he answered, fitting a tight spring into the top of the gun.
"Hm.."
"What's your name?"
"I don't have a name, really. Um..they sometimes call me 'girl' or 'A-25'."
"Who are 'they'?"
Aeris was silent for some minutes. As she bent her head thoughtfully, some of
her loose, thick curls fell on her face and bare shoulder. Vincent was
surprised he never noticed before how pretty Aeris was.
"The guards..and the Professor. They call me that.."
"What Professor?" he asked, assembling his gun indifferently. Aeris was
impressed how easily and quickly he fitted the gun parts together; he wasn't
even looking at what he was doing. She realized that Vincent was no amateur,
but had complete mastery over that gun.

Vincent loaded the gun with a loud click, which startled Aeris. He looked her
straight in the face, expecting an answer.
"I..I don't know him. I never saw him," she stammered, "but he does all these
...things to me. Things that hurt me. So, I just ran away last night.."
"Three days ago."
"Huh?" she looked up quizzically.
"It's been three days since you've escaped. You've had a severe fever for the
last three days because you weren't dressed warmly, and went running around in
the cold."
"Oh," she said quietly. she felt her cheeks flush red as she lowered her eyes
bashfully, "then, I suppose *you* undressed me and put this shirt on me."
Vincent understood why she blushed, and turned his head away.
"Ah.." he answered, with a slight cough, "you must understand, Aeris, your
clothes were drenched, so I had to remove them."
She looked up at him, and thought she saw him blushing slightly too; but she
couldn't be too sure.
"Sorry the shirt's too big for you," he apologized, "It was the only clean one
I had at the time."
"It's alright," she smiled kindly, "I still have to thank you for saving me and

taking care of me. Thank you, Vincent."
She bowed her head gratefully. Vincent seemed slightly embarrassed as he
scratched the back of his head nervously.
"No problem," he muttered.
"Now," she began after a slight pause, "can you tell me why you keep on calling
me 'Aeris'?"
"Yes. About a year ago, I knew a young girl named Aeris. We weren't intimate,
mind you. In fact, she barely knew my name."
"Hm..and this Aeris..she looked exactly like me?"
"Yes. However, she died about a year ago."
For some reason, Aeris kept her eyes downcast, even though she knew Vincent's
eyes were fixed on her. She began feeling very uneasy.
"Maybe...," she faltered, "maybe she never died.."
"Impossible. A man stabbed her with a sword right through her chest. She
couldn't have survived."
Suddenly, Aeris jumped out of her chair and stared at Vincent sharply.
Something immediately struck her.
"I have a scar on my back and chest..is that where I got them?! Some man
stabbed me with a sword?! You saw the scar when you were dressing me, didn't

you?!!"
"Yes, I did," he replied calmly.
"Then..how come I'm standing here, when I should be dead? You..you say I'm
dead..but I...."
Vincent got up and moved towards her, but she ran