Ah, another Yuffentine! My second. Vincent Valentine is a successful business man in Midgar, living his usual life until it's interrupted when he comes across a young girl he can't help feel sympathy for. Shes waiting for her father to come and get her, take her home and so, he makes conversation with her to learn more.
Rated T for later on, language which might turn it up to an M. Perhaps some funky scenes, eh? Enjoy.
Disclaimer; I do not own any of the Final Fantasy places or characters, nor do I own the song 'The Man Who Can't Be Moved' which belongs to the band, The Script and whichever recording studio that they are with. I own merely the ideas and original characters that will most likely be in this story and pointed out throughout chapters.
Every morning, Vincent Valentine had the same routine. He would get out of bed at five in the morning, take his daily shower then get changed and ready for work. He would wash and dry the dishes from the night before, walk to the corner shop to buy some fresh milk and bread, go home to make himself his usual breakfast of scrambled egg on toast, brush his teeth, finish readying himself for work and then head off to the office for a day of paperwork and business meetings.
Mr. Valentine was a successful business man in the retail industry, selling high range formalwear in one region and a franchise of his car company 'Valentine motor vehicles'.
However, being so successful it would seem he would fit the stereotype of a millionaire by living in a
large mansion with at least three cars, a gold-digger wife, children with rich names such as 'Preston', 'Theodore' and 'Elizabeth' who went to private schools and had everything they could ever want.
Vincent fit none of these stereotypes. He lived in a two bedroom cottage house, not far from Midgar, on his own. He had one car, a classic four door car that could go up to 120mph without fail and lived alone.
No girlfriend and no hope for one any time soon. Of course, he had women who would try to use him to get into his business or to get a promotion and in his time of wants and needs, he would take advantage of that. Although, everyone else saw him as your average man living in an average town with an average life.
It was a Saturday and Vincent had to go into town to the shops to do his usual errands. Buy the fresh milk and bread, then pick up his suit from the dry cleaners, perhaps have lunch with the occasional client then go back home with nothing left to do.
And so, with his casual jeans and t-shirt on, after slipping on his shoes, Vincent walked out the door and headed toward his car and unlocked it with his keys before opening the door and getting in. It didn't take him long to get into town, around ten minutes at maximum including the traffic around at that time of day. A shorter journey than it would be to the office, that's for sure.
The moment Vincent had gotten out of his car, his eyes trailed to a small girl sat helplessly on the floor.
She sat there on a scraggy old red blanket, her jeans torn and muddy, a jacket two sizes bigger than she should have been wearing and a baggy old t-shirt. Her hair was black and short with split ends and outgrown layers. She was asleep in a shop doorway, the shop not yet open but still the owner was inside and not looking too amused by this teenager taking over his doorstep.
In front of her was a small coffee cup with loose change in it, hardly anything – not even something to buy herself a small bottle of water with. He took sympathy upon her and walked over, gently shaking her shoulder to wake her up. The girl groaned quietly and her eyes flickered open, startled she jumped in her place and hit her head against the door then winced, glancing at him.
"Sorry…" He smiled slightly but apologetically and put his hand in his pocket. The girl watched warily as he did so and frowned in worry of what he was doing. "Maybe this is enough to get you some breakfast?" He asked, putting a handful of money into the cup. She remained silent, watching him and shook her head. He tilted his head slightly in response.
"Not enough?" The second he put his hand back into his wallet, she caught his arm and stared at him with wide eyes.
"Why do you pity me? I can do things on my own." She frowned releasing him.
"Because you need…" He looked away thinking how to say it without offending her. But what possible way was there to tell someone they need a bath for one and to put on weight as another point? He sighed quietly and stared back into her eyes. "Because you need help, clearly." He said. Wrong. The worst thing to say and also the stupidest. The girl scowled and picked up the cup, handing it back to him.
"I don't need your money. It just so happens that I'm a princess." She responded folding her arms.
Vincent smirked slightly in disbelief.
"A princess, eh?" He questioned. She nodded and rested back against the door.
"My fathers coming to get me soon, I just have to wait for him. He told me to wait here, so I am."
Immediately, the song 'The Man Who Can't Be Moved' sprung into Vincent's mind. He glanced up at the impatient shopkeeper who made a hand gesture, obviously as a way of asking him to move. Vincent smirked and sat beside the girl as she coward into the corner of the doorway.
"How long have you been waiting here?" He asked sympathetically, holding the cup between his hands and looking at her.
"… Three months." She replied truthfully. "But he promised me that he'd come back soon and then we could go back home together." She fiddled with the edges of her navy blue coat anxiously, questioning for herself if her father were really coming to get her or not. Vincent sighed quietly and nodded.
"So, what's your name?" He smiled.
"… You're not going to kidnap me, are you?" She asked raising an eyebrow as he shook his head. "…
Alright then. I'm Yuffie, Yuffie Kisaragi, the great ninja of Wutai." She grinned brightly, unfolding her arms.
"Ah, I've heard of you." He smirked.
"Really?"
"No." He shrugged. Yuffie gave a subtle scowl and nudged his arm.
"Alright then, who are you?"
"Vincent. Vincent Valentine."
"I've heard of you, actually."
"Really?"
"No, never." She grinned. Vincent let out a light chuckle at their little joke and nodded. "So, Mr. Valentine. Why are you sat down with a mucky little kid like me?"
"Conversation I guess." He replied placing the cup back into her hands. "Consider it a… job. You've just been paid." And with that, Vincent stood up leaving Yuffie to wonder what exactly she meant by 'job'.
"You're paying me to talk to you… A conversation prostitute?" She tiled her head. He shrugged a shoulder.
"I guess you could call it that. See you tomorrow." He nodded, walking away to go do his usual errands and most likely fetch some breakfast to take back to her.
Yuffie Kisaragi, the great ninja of Wutai. The name rang around his head as he walked, thinking where exactly he knew the name from.
The moment he averted his eyes from the pavement, he saw Tifa Lockheart, a client in his company – one who had been begging him for a raise often.
"Good morning, Vincent." She grinned, walking beside him into the shop. It wasn't where she was heading but any chance to make conversation and get a good word in with the boss would be a good opportunity for her.
"Morning, madam. Aren't you supposed to be working?" He smirked.
"Perhaps, perhaps not. Perhaps I called in sick this morning just to talk to you and accompany you at the shops." She grinned, still following beside him like a love-struck puppy without a leash. "I'm kidding, I don't work until the afternoon today. You were talking to that little… scraggy kid is there a reason for that?" She questioned raising an eyebrow and grabbing a shopping basket for him. Vincent scowled slightly, still feeling the sympathy for the girl.
"Just putting in a good word for the company."
"Not that she'll ever get too far…" Tifa remarked, glancing around at the food. Vincent felt a slight shock of anger run through him when he looked at her with a glare. The moment she turned to him, he forced the glare from his face and shrugged.
"Dinner, Tuesday. My place. Do we have a deal, Miss. Lockheart?" He asked, knowing it would be the only thing to shut her up and leave him. She grinned brightly and nodded, handing him the basket.
"See you Tuesday!" without another word, Tifa ran off out the shop which Vincent guessed would be to call her fellow employees and friends, just to tell them about what she would call a 'date'.
He sighed quietly and rubbed his temples before resuming his shopping in silence, wondering what exactly he could do to help the young girl who lived on the side of the street.