Revival

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He'd always been observant; it was his job. Watcher, fighter, thief, murderer. Turk.

And he thought it - like the rest of him - was locked away, until they awakened him from his stagnation. Fighters, they weren't. Assassins they certainly weren't, despite the pipsqueak ninja's claims. But their eyes made them warriors, especially the woman whose eyes matched his; merlot sparks reflecting his shadows, distilling them with each cautious smile, each deliberate inclusion, and transforming them into slivers of light. Life.

He knew his crooked smile could stop her heart; he wasn't sure if it was in shock, or...

Not that it mattered.

It didn't take Turk training to see the swordsman's demeanour was doing more to break her than the efforts of Shinra and his so-called son combined.

He wished, sometimes, when he saw her shattering slowly, that he could steal her darkness in return. But he was Destruction, and he didn't know how. He watched her instead; he knew that skill, at least. He wanted to love her… but his heart had stopped years ago.

She deserved love; she radiated it, reviving him slowly. But until he could offer her the same in return, he shied away.

Better fate to be invisible than to burn.

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Disclaimer: Again, the Square folks belong to Square.

Sabriel's Scribbles: The first of a set of drabbles done for a challenge on Livejournal; this one is for Jess Angel, who is one of the authors who got me to read Vincent/Tifa, and is a fantastic writer in her own right. The last phrase, as condition of the challenge – "Better fate to be invisible…" is © Jess Angel.