Disclaimer: "The Pink Panther" does not belong to me, neither do the characters Sephiroth and Vincent. Everything else, especially the idea is MIIIIINE! ) No other disclaimers will be given.

The Pink Panther

Avina Garamond

Chapter 1

It was a complete lie that wealthy businessmen don't go to bars but go to some sort of fancy cocktail restaurant. But for some reason, everyone thought that going to a brothel wasn't beneath them. It made no sense. Sephiroth never went to a brothel. But he did go to bars.

In fact, he was in one now, drinking a shot of whiskey, on the rocks. It was good to sometimes go to a bar and have a shot of cheap whiskey. The man next to him was surprisingly silent. He downed a glass of something very dark. He coughed and sniffled. Sephiroth thought that he had a cold. He recommended vodka and black pepper.

The hunched figure let out a sob. He was thin, and the sob managed to make his entire body shudder. Sephiroth thought to himself that the man was probably drunk and he shouldn't ask questions.

"C... could you pay my tab?" he asked quietly. Sephiroth looked at him.

"What?"

"I... I don't have money..." the man said.

"What did you order?"

"A glass of Jack Daniels." Sephiroth nodded. He asked for the man's tab. That wasn't so bad.

"Thank you," the man said.

"Why go to a bar if you don't have money for a drink?" Sephiroth asked. The man next to him chewed on his lip. Sephiroth noted the many bite marks on it already. The man looked down, hair falling over his face hiding it from view. His shoulders jumped occasionally. Sephiroth realized the guy was trying very hard not to cry. Probably his wife left him or kicked him out of the house. No money, depressed, only a bar to go to. Made sense. Sephiroth finished his whiskey and set the glass on the table with money and tip.

He left the building and sat on a bench down the street, waiting for the effects of alcohol to get out of his system. He watched the bar. It was interesting to see who went in, who weaved out. A few minutes later, he saw the man he had been talking to come out of the bar.

A black SUV pulled up. Several men came out and caught the guy by the arms. One of them punched him in the stomach and they dragged him to an ally. Sephiroth jumped. That was unexpected! A wail hit the night sky out of the ally. Sephiroth jumped out of his seat and ran up the ally. Four men were mercilessly beating the guy to the ground. He had a broken nose already and twisted on the filthy ground away from a kick.

"Stop!" Sephiroth yelled at them. They paused, turning to see who yelled that.

"Who are you?" one of them growled.

"Why are you beating this man senseless?" Sephiroth asked, the voice of reason.

"He owes our boss money," another man answered, cackling. Sephiroth looked at him. He was surprised the man didn't choke on his cigarette, the way he was laughing.

"Where's the boss?" Sephiroth asked.

"Why? He's in the car," yet another man said. He covered his face with a bandana, making him seem slightly cowboy-ish.

"Don't touch that man. I'll speak to the boss," Sephiroth said. The four thugs looked at each other in confusion. Should they listen? Sephiroth was already gone.

He walked up to the SUV and knocked on the window. The passenger window rolled down and Sephiroth walked up to the boss. He had a chubby face and puffed on a fat cigar.

"Did you tell those men to hurt someone?"

"Ya caught me. Watcha gonna do about it?" the man said gruffly.

"I want you to call your men off."

"Can't do. The man owes me money and until he gives it, he's gonna be punished."

"Well... what does he owe it for?"

"He bet forty g's on a horse. That horse that was shot like a month ago and never finished the race. He bet on it and lost."

"How much does he owe now?"

"With what he keeps borrowing from us? About 80 g's around now." Sephiroth shook his head.

"If I payed his debt, would you forget about him?" he asked. The man looked at him suspiciously.

"Who are you?" he asked, puffing on his cigar. Sephiroth shrugged.

"It shouldn't matter."

"Can you pay cash?"

"Only way I would pay you. Tomorrow?" Sephiroth asked. The man nodded. Sephiroth smirked.

"Would you like it in a suitcase hidden in the park?"

"Don't get smart with me. Just bring the money however you'd like and give it to me at the bar tomorrow. At around eight o'clock." Sephiroth shook his head.

"I get off work at eight. How about nine?" The man looked ready to punch him.

"You making deals with me?!" he yelled. Sephiroth looked at him nonplussed.

"I'm stating how it is. Plus I need time to go to the bank of course."

"Ya know what, ya bastard?! In the most expensive suitcase you can afford, in the bar tomorrow at midnight!" Sephiroth nodded.

"And I want you to completely forget about the man your goons are pummeling."

The boss snorted and nodded. Sephiroth stepped back. The car turned and backed up towards the ally.

"Hey you faggots! Get inside the car!" the boss yelled out the window. Four men ran out of the shadows and jumped into the SUV. The car drove off. Sephiroth went into the ally. The man lay still on the ground. Sephiroth shook his shoulder. He only groaned in response.

"Come on, lets get you to a hospital," Sephiroth said. He helped the man to his feet. He stumbled frequently as they walked to the hospital. It was several blocks away. A police car stopped for them and asked if they needed a lift. Sephiroth accepted and led the man into the car. He sat himself in the passenger seat. He told the police officer he found the man in an ally with goons beating him up. The goons ran away and left him there. The police officer nodded and asked if he could describe them should he be asked. Sephiroth shook his head.

"They all wore sunglasses, and hats, and completely covered themselves in clothing. I didn't see anything." The police officer nodded and stopped at the hospital.

"I'll go with you. I don't think this man has insurance, and his wallet was probably stolen as well." Said man coughed.

"I have insurance. Vincent Valentine." He coughed again. "Wallet's in... my pocket." He coughed again and spat out a hunk of congealed blood.

"Doesn't look too good," the officer said. They dragged him into the emergency room. The police officer said he had to leave but would appreciate Sephiroth's phone number to call later. Sephiroth gave him his cell. The officer left and Sephiroth sat in the waiting room, reading magazines. Eventually, a nurse called him in.

She led him to a little curtained room. She drew the curtains back and Sephiroth saw Vincent. He sat on the gurney, a little bandaged, bruised, with a swollen face.

"Feeling alright?" he asked.

"I'll live," Vincent said. He waved his arm, an IV in it. "They're pumping me full of painkillers and antibiotics." He paused. "Thanks."

Sephiroth nodded.

"No problem. How much did you owe those men?"

"Total? I dunno anymore. Sixty grand, seventy. They didn't really care until I lost a bet."

"On the horse that was shot?"

"Uh-huh. How do you know?"

"I talked to the boss. He said you owe him eighty grand." Vincent shook his head.

"I don't owe that much anymore. I already payed back forty grand. He's pulling money off of me."

"Off of me actually. I said I'll pay your debts." Vincent straightened, shocked.

"You... you didn't. Don't joke!" he cried out, turning heads. His eyes were bloodshot and his eyelids were swollen where they weren't black. He looked near hysterics.

"I did. Now, a more important question, where do you live?" Vincent shook his head.

"No where. The gov took my home a few weeks back and kicked me out. Haven't been able to find an apartment or work or anything since." Sephiroth nodded.

"Then you can live with me for a while until you find a place." Sephiroth said. "Do you have to stay the night in here?" Vincent nodded.

"The painkillers will make me loopy for a while."

"I'll be back for you in the morning. Can I see your wallet? I need to check your insurance information at the front desk." Vincent gave it to him trustingly. Sephiroth flipped through it in front of Vincent. He took out his driver's license and his insurance information. The wallet was flat, no credit cards, no checks, no cash, not even a penny to his name. There were a few other identification cards, but driver's license and insurance was all Sephiroth needed.

He gave Vincent his wallet back and went to the front desk. He talked to the receptionist for a while, and finally paid with his own credit card. He gave Vincent his driver's license and insurance card back.

"Your insurance is nonexistent," he said. "The card expired a year ago and we did a check on your name through all major insurance companies. We can't find you." Vincent nodded.

"So you're paying for a hospital visit and antibiotics and painkillers. Thank you." Sephiroth smiled.

"You'll pay me back eventually. I won't beat you to bits though." Vincent smiled and winced.

"I'll pick you up tomorrow morning," Sephiroth said. He left.

He took a cab to the bar and took his car out of the parking lot. He drove home. He lived on the top floor of a rotating condominium. The fact that it was outrageously expensive didn't matter to him. He had the money. The inside was all in sleek futuristic design. Three computers hummed on his desk. He took a shower and plopped on his king-sized bed. He tossed most of the pillows off and lay on one, smack dab in the middle of the bed. He lived alone.

Sephiroth drove to work first thing in the morning. He opened the doors and went up to the top floor, his office. He started up the computers, unlocked everything and waited until the vice president of his company came in.

He came in with a file of reports from yesterday. Sephiroth looked through them and told him that he was going to take the day off. The vice president nodded and asked if he would come back to lock up. Sephiroth said he would. He looked through the papers in the file. Apparently a promotion was in order for one of the workers in the lower floors. Sephiroth signed off a few of the papers. Most of it were charges made. He also looked at how many people went onto which websites. He found an annoying amount of people hanging out at and youtube. He decidedly blocked the two websites and some other popular websites. If people were bored of their work, there was a lounge on every floor. They didn't have to fool around at the same time as doing work as well.

Sephiroth left. He drove to the hospital and picked up Vincent at exactly eight o'clock. Vincent looked better. The swelling was down and a nurse was finishing wrapping new bandages around his arm. Sephiroth said he was here to check him out. Vincent smiled and left with Sephiroth.

He liked Sephiroth's house; not many didn't. He picked out the smallest guest bedroom to stay in. He was appalled that even it had its own tiny little bathroom complete with jacuzzi and shower cabin. The closet was enormous and quite empty. The room had its own miniature TV, mini Dell laptop, mini fridge, and microwave. The entire room was a house to Vincent.

He asked if Sephiroth would charge him rent. Sephiroth said only after Vincent found a job. Vincent only nodded in agreement. Sephiroth charged him with bed rest for the day. He showed him where the kitchen was in case he was hungry or thirsty and said he can explore the rest of the house tomorrow. Vincent only agreed to all of Sephiroth's terms, indebted and in gratitude.

Sephiroth spent his entire day in the office, looking up stocks and buying and selling on the computer or on the phone. Finally, he left to go to the bank with one of his less expensive suitcases in tow. At the bank, he asked for two hundred grand in cash. They gave it to him, albeit slowly.

Sephiroth was ready for his showdown with "the boss." He drove back to work at seven and looked up at his concerns. He frowned at the complaints and sent an e-mail to everyone reminding them that there is a lounge on every floor that they're allowed to go to at any time. They do not need to play on the Internet while they work. Its not productive and if there is anyone with a problem with his demands, they should see him directly. Some other complaints he took more seriously. Some washrooms were acting up so that would have to be fixed. He sent out another e-mail with a list of complaints he would look into and approximate time each would be fixed.

At eight, he closed down the place, shutting off computers, elevators, card accessed doors, and such. He locked the door from the outside and went back home. He checked up how Vincent was doing. He was visibly better and was even feeling a little restless. Sephiroth asked if he wanted to come with him to the bar. Vincent said yes. He didn't want them to swindle money from someone who was helping him so much. They both took a suitcase. Sephiroth took a larger one with money, and Vincent took a smaller empty one.

They drove to the bar. Sephiroth got himself a water and Vincent the same. The bartender frowned at them disapprovingly. What was the point of coming into a bar for water?

At midnight, the boss and his goons arrived. They sat across from Sephiroth. Sephiroth led the negotiations. Vincent said how much he borrowed and payed back and when. The boss took out his list of Vincent's expenses. Vincent quashed. He had forgotten borrowing so much. The expenses rallied up over eighty grand and into a hundred forty grand. Vincent flinched. Sephiroth simply offered a hundred and fifty grand and gave them the suitcase as a gift. He packed the rest of the money into Vincent's smaller suitcase, said bye, and left.

Vincent was silent. He owed much more than just money to Sephiroth. Sephiroth told him not to worry about it and to go to sleep which Vincent readily did.

Sephiroth was gone the next morning, and remembering what he said about exploring, Vincent took it upon himself to explore. The condo was gigantic. It had Sephiroth's bedroom, three guest bedrooms including his own, an enormous office with computers and fax machines and copy machines stacked neatly side by side to each other. A stack of printer paper rose to the ceiling in one corner. Sephiroth also had a library with many books. Some books were under glass and Vincent peered at them, wondering what they were about. Some books were in a glass cabinet that could be opened. These books had ornate covers. Vincent looked through them. They were regular books that could be bought in any bookstore that Sephiroth had bought special book covers for. They were probably his favorite.

Vincent decided to count the computers. Three in the living room. There were four in the office. There were two in Sephiroth's bedroom. And there was a tiny one in each of the guest bedrooms. And Vincent knew for a fact that Sephiroth took two laptops to work in the morning because he had seen them yesterday and could not find them now. That made fourteen. Fourteen computers?! He was appalled.

He decided to use the laptop in his bedroom to start looking for jobs. He made himself an e-mail account with some difficulty and then started making himself accounts of job websites. His resume was weak. He did not have any previous job experience except working as a waiter and he did not have college education.

Two weeks and Vincent couldn't even get a job at McDonald's. Sephiroth patted him on the back reassuringly.

"Well, what did you learn in college?"

"I never went to college."

"Well... what subjects did you do good at in school?"

"I... I skipped most of high school." Sephiroth looked at him strangely.

"You graduated." Vincent turned a bright red and mumbled something.

"What?"

"I... I..." Vincent stuttered. His eyes were becoming bloodshot again. Sephiroth gripped his shoulder.

"Its okay. What happened?"

"I..." Vincent chocked on his own sob. "I slept with my teachers. For good grades." Sephiroth froze in shock.

"Not all of them."

"All of them. Except for my math teacher. I did pretty decent in her class even skipping out."

"You're good at math," Sephiroth said confidently, still a little shaken. Vincent nodded.

"I guess..."

"You should go to college. Get some Calculus in. If you go into accounting, I can get you a job in my company."

"I owed people on the street a hundred and fifty grand. How am I supposed to pay for college?"

"Because you'll get a job and save up. I'll find you a job."

"At this rate, only job I can get is in a prostitution house," Vincent said glumly. Sephiroth thought.

"That... can actually be arranged very easily and it would pay a lot too. Over a thousand dollars a night." Vincent looked at him in shock.

"Where is that?!"

"The Exhibition Hall. Heard of it? Its one of those cocktail party halls. At night, private businesses show off their prostitutes. They charge enormous amounts of money." Vincent looked at him suspiciously.

"How do you know this?"

"I am the owner of an entire company and work on the seventieth floor. I live in a rotating condo. I have friends who own other companies and work on the top floors. The Exhibition Hall is a classic meeting place between us."

"With prostitutes?"

"With prostitutes. Old men have to have their fun."

"You're not old..." Vincent said. He frowned. Sephiroth laughed.

"You'll find that a rarity with me. All presidents of companies are old. Though there are plenty of young vice-presidents there to talk to. The Hall is not just for those over fifty." Vincent looked at him.

"You've almost persuaded me to whore myself."

"I'm not trying to persuade you. I'm giving you the facts. I'll try to find you a decent job and if by next week I haven't found it... well... it might be the only other option." Vincent nodded.

"Thanks for helping me." Sephiroth said he simply liked helping people.