Knight in Red

i won't give up on you

Vincent loves Lucrecia. It's as simple as that -- no strings attached, nothing but pure, true adoration. Vincent would willingly put his feelings behind him if it meant Lucrecia was happier that way. It wasn't always the best decision for him to make, but it does demonstrate the depth of his devotion to her. Aside from the fact that he directly states that he loves Lucrecia ("I let the one I loved, the one I respected most, face the worst."), it's pretty obvious just how much Vincent cares about her. In fact, his romantic feelings for Lucrecia are the most blatantly depicted in the Compilation. Unfortunately for him, he was also the one who got the most hurt by them.

At first, Vincent's feelings were kept as suppressed as possible. He was too shy to make any strong moves on her; in fact, at that point in time, Lucrecia was the more assertive one in their relationship. Dirge of Cerberus' one happier flashback is evident of this. Vincent probably had a crush on Lucrecia -- nothing more, nothing less -- and reacted with predictable fluster when she teased him.

As with most introverts, Vincent was inclined to bottle up his feelings. He paid them little thought at that stage, and was kept his focus on the existing friendship he shared with Lucrecia. Nevertheless, his love for her continued to grow, whether he wanted it to or not.

However, crisis struck before mutual romance had any time to bloom. Vincent discovered Lucrecia's partnership with his father, and how she had inadvertently caused his death. Too frightened to face Vincent's reaction, Lucrecia distanced herself from him. Vincent never got a chance to confess his feelings, but he accepted her choice. He compliantly kept away to avoid causing her further discomfort. When she was drawn to Hojo and his Jenova Project, Vincent, once again, passively let it go. As he so famously said, "As long as she is happy, I don't mind." If Lucrecia's happiness could be found in being with another man, Vincent was all right with it, no much how it personally hurt him. He was not angry or vengeful towards her for her choice; he simply tried to forget it and move on.

Yet, his love was put in a difficult situation when Lucrecia agreed to subject herself to Jenova injections. Would he respect her wishes and leave her alone? Or would he stand up and protect her, even if it meant crossing her? It was a lose-lose situation. If he let her be, he would be letting her run head-long into danger. If he tried to stop her, she would be furious at him for interfering.

Once again, Vincent showed just how much he loved her. He didn't care if it meant she would get angry at him -- he was more concerned about her safety than his feelings. He exhibited some caution in trying to corner Hojo alone, but Lucrecia discovered and interrupted them anyway. She immediately shot down his efforts to protect her, telling him that he should not be concerned with her personal matters. Vincent retreated again, hurt; he didn't have the courage or confidence to continue his crusade. He let her continue with the dangerous experiments out of love for her, out of the belief that that was what she wanted for herself. Though seeing her suffer was unbearable, Vincent took Lucrecia's words to heart, believing he had no right to meddle with the choices she made.

But when the side-effects of Jenova treatment began to worsen, Vincent threw aside all precaution. He had already ticked off Hojo once; there was no doubt that toeing the line a second time could only end badly. Yet, he didn't care. He loved Lucrecia to the point where he was no longer concerned about himself or his safety -- all he saw was her suffering, and he would do whatever he needed to stop it.

Interestingly, Vincent chose to confront Hojo -- not Lucrecia -- when he finally decided to take a stand. Strange, when considering the fact that Hojo never forced Lucrecia into the experiment; it was a choice on the table, nothing more. Lucrecia underwent the treatment because she wanted to, and was suffering as a result of her own choices. Yet, Vincent didn't try to persuade her to stop; instead, he went to Hojo, who was significantly more threatening, and -- truthfully -- only an indirect source of the problem. He loved Lucrecia so much that he couldn't blame her for her situation, even if it was almost entirely her fault. He would rather risk himself in front of Hojo than cause Lucrecia unecessary pain.

He gave it all up for her -- his life, his human body, his happiness.

And even when it was all over, 30 years later, Vincent continued to avoid laying the blame on Lucrecia. He genuinely believed that it was his mistake for not stopping her before it was too late, even though in reality, it was far from being his fault. He loved her that much.

Was it a wise thing to do? It could be argued that Vincent's inability to place any blame whatsoever upon Lucrecia was one of the things that destroyed them both. Either way, it demonstrates the immense care he took with handling her feelings, and the strength of his love for her.

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