Disclaimer: I own nothing Final Fantasy VII.

As with all my stories, there is a full summary and an explanation of the origins of this story on my profile page, but this one needs a tiny bit of an explanation here as well. This is basically the first draft I had in my brain of what is today Inertia. Because this is sort of a parody-sort of- of that, there will be a few parallels between the stories, in addition to the semi-related title, for any of you that have read Inertia and/or care. That being said, I'll let you jump into the story now. Hope ya like it! :)

Kinetic

Chapter 1: An Unexpected Proposal

Vincent leaned against the wall as he waited for Reeve to arrive. The WRO Commissioner was late as usual, though as busy as the man was rebuilding his headquarters and helping with the rebuilding of the other towns and cities damaged by the attacks of Deep Ground and Omega, a little tardiness was to be expected. Fortunately, Vincent didn't have to wait long. The office door opened to reveal a worn and tired looking commissioner who gave a tiny smile at the sight of his old war-buddy. "Vincent. Thank you for coming. Please, come in." Even Reeve's voice sounded exhausted, Vincent noted as he walked past the man and into the small office in the WRO's temporary headquarters.

Vincent only glanced briefly at the seat facing the desk before he opted to stand instead. Reeve followed him and closed the door before taking his seat at his desk. He sat there silently for several long moments, watching Vincent cautiously as he debated what to say. "Why did you call me, Reeve?" Vincent finally asked, tired of the awkward pause. His answer was a heavy sigh, and Reeve leaned forward on the desk.

"I… I need to ask you to take on another heavy burden… I hate asking this of you, but there is no one else I can trust with something this important… please, Vincent…" This was close to what Vincent had expected when Reeve had called, but the fear, anxiety, and pleading from a man Vincent had come to know as one who never begged- or needed to- to get what he needed out of a person, told him this was a different sort of favor. His interest piqued despite his better judgment and his desire to stay out of more battles, Vincent found himself nodding.

"When you put it that way…" he muttered, only mildly irritated at the delay this would pose to his wanderings. "What is this burden, then?" he asked, shifting his weight and crossing his arms as he braced himself for another mission to save the world from ultimate destruction from super-villains with over-inflated egos.

"I need you to be my daughter's bodyguard."

Vincent had never been more grateful for his high collar than at that moment, because he was sure his jaw had just dropped two feet. "Your… your what?" He could have sworn his voice just squeaked, but that was much less worrying than what had to be auditory hallucinations. Maybe he'd been spending too much time in the sun and it was beginning to sizzle his brain. That was far more likely than what he thought Reeve had just said. That… just couldn't be right… could it…? Before Vincent could continue his internal debate, a door behind Reeve's desk opened, and dark pig-tails and large honey-colored eyes peered out at him curiously.

"Vincent, may I introduce you to my daughter, Kiyoshi Tuesti. Kiki, meet your new bodyguard, Vincent Valentine." The little girl inched further out from behind the door slowly, her wide eyes never leaving Vincent. Once she was completely visible in front of the door, she darted forward and hid herself behind her father's chair, peeking out around his arm at Vincent, who was staring at her with just as much awed curiousity and trepidation as she gaped at him with.

After blinking at each other a few times, Vincent remembered his manners and bowed gracefully. "A pleasure to meet you, miss," he said, his voice still soft with shock. There was a soft giggle, and then the small girl stepped out from behind Reeve's chair and gave a wobbly curtsy as she grinned widely at Vincent, her fear forgotten.

Reeve was beaming at his daughter, and Vincent could feel a small smile tugging at the corner of his own lips at the two of them. Before he let it run away with his face, though, he quickly schooled his confusion and amusement back behind the stoic mask he always wore. "I'll do it. But I would appreciate an explanation," Vincent said softly, and Reeve nodded silently, motioning for his daughter to leave them once more. He didn't speak again until the door was firmly closed behind the little girl.

"What would you like to know?" Vincent noted the resignation in his voice and the slight flash of fear in his eyes, and decided now would be a good time to take a seat.

Once he settled and had set his thoughts in order, he replied. "For starters, I'm curious to know how you even have a daughter, much less how and why you've kept her hidden all these years… and what is so urgent that you would reveal her existence now, and to me, of all people."

"Ah." Reeve sighed and laced his fingers together. "This… might take a while…"

A/N: Well, I know it's short, and doesn't really have any explanation whatsoever, but think of it as kind of a prologue… ish… thing… Besides, if I didn't get SOMETHING up for this story soon, I never would, and I really like this idea. But, what matters is what you think, right? So, drop a review via the button right under this and let me know! :)