Chapter 1
Another long day has seemed to pass. Why were his days always so boring? Always the same routine; nothing exciting, he thought as he stared at the new forming sunset overhead the ShinRa building. However, nothing was out of the ordinary. He was used to it, everything. Even though Vincent Valentine was so dark, so emotionless, the sunset was something that even he enjoyed very much. He wasn't forced to look at it and was one of the things he looked forward to seeing at the end of the day. "I better get going." Even at times like these, Vincent was always so calm, so mysterious, as if he was an emotionless robot. He chuckled at his past memory, "Oh Vinnie, you're an emotionless robot sometimes!" Yup, he's heard that before. Drearily he gets to his feet, knowing it's time to leave. Better get going. With one last glance back, he silently leaps into the air and into the sudden darkness; a perfect angel.
…..
The door of 7th Heaven seemed to have been closer than Vincent thought. He always gets so wrapped up in flying at night that he forgets how fast he actually fly's. Well, it was fun while it lasted… Vincent hates making noise and being loud, (not that he could do a good job at that anyways) so when entering 7th Heaven, he remembered to skip the first creaking floorboard that would have given him away. *Sigh, At least I remembered the step, unlike Cloud or Yuffie. "Crap, it's that late already? I guess I can't watch TV then," Vincent said while looking at his watch that just struck midnight. Well, hopefully everyone's asleep. Being quiet was never a big deal for him, he always is anyways. He silently hurried across the hardwood foyer to the main staircase that led him upstairs. Skip the 5th step, which still needs repair. So much work needs to be done.
…..
"Of course my room is the very last room in the hallway," he said with a humph. I hope Marlene and Denzel are sleeping. Peeking his head in their room to check, he found 2 children fast asleep. He grinned at the sight and then quickly closed the door behind him. Everyone else seemed to be asleep too. Good. He saw a small light on in Yuffie's room. What's she still doing up? He quietly knocked on her door which was soon answered by a smile he knew well. "Hey Vinnie! I was waiting for you to come around!" Although it was after midnight, Yuffie doesn't fail to be wearing a smile; it seems to be permanently painted on her face. She quickly ran and gave him a hug, something which Vincent was not used to and did not want. "Shh. Everyone's asleep." He always had to quiet her, seeing as she's the loud- mouth of the group. Its funny how opposite we are. No matter what mood Vincent was in, he could always count on Yuffie to ease his unsteady emotions. "Sorry Yuffie… I didn't mean to keep you waiting."
"That's okay Vince. I just wanted to make sure you were okay." These were the things that made it hard for Vincent to hide his smile. Being used to the loud, obnoxious Yuffie he knew, seeing her in a caring perspective was somewhat odd and seemed out of place.
With the night dark, Yuffie just made it a little brighter. Not a lot, but just a little. Why did she have to do that? Vincent didn't want to admit it, keep all those feelings locked up in a box. That's something he didn't want to unlock and use anytime soon. "Well Vince, now that I know your safe, I'm going to go to bed now. I'll see you in the morning. Goodnight!" " Goodnight." The door closed quietly as Vincent was walking back in the hallway to his bedroom. That was nice of her to do; I know she hates staying up so late. I thought she would have stayed up in case Denzel was having a bad dream. He's been having them a lot lately and Tifa needs her sleep. After closing his bedroom door, he noticed there was something left on his bed. What the… Completely ignoring the light switch, he continued walking towards the mysterious object. Vincent, unlike everyone else, did not need the extra light to see better in. His eyes were so used to adjusting in the dark. The object that still lay on the bed happened to be a picture; a drawing. He could quickly tell by the stick people and basic colors of whose it was. Marlene. It said To: Vincent. Love: Marlene. The drawing was: Marlene, then Vincent, then Denzel, all holding hands. He smiled, but this time, for a long time. He quickly felt a sudden warmness inside him, something that he never felt before. It was new to him, but something that he liked. Then he did something that he didn't normally do. He took the picture from where it continued to lay and taped it on the wall beside his bed. This way every time he looks at it, it will remind him that this is where he belongs, and no where else. It makes my room a whole lot better now, he thought with a chuckle. That was his last thought before closing his eyes for the day.
….
Vincent was sitting at a table inside 7th Heaven with Yuffie while watching Cloud play with Denzel and Marlene outside. "Hey Vince! Check out my new boots I bought! They're all black and made from real leather; I found them in Wall Market. The best thing is that…" Well, I should expect this if I'm with a girl- especially Yuffie. I don't even know why she would tell me about her slippers or whatever. "…Isn't that cool, Vince?" I think I heard Tifa in the kitchen; I'll go see what she's doing. "Huh? Oh yeah. Excuse me one second Yuffie."
"What a sunny day out, I think we should all go out for a picnic. I should probably go see what Cloud and the others are up to." While Tifa prepared food, she continued talking to herself, not realizing Vincent came in the room. "Tifa, the others are out front." "Oh! It's you Vincent, you gave me a fright!" Just as Vincent had said, she saw Yuffie and Cloud watching Denzel and Marlene out front. "Great! Let's go then." I think I would look out of place having a picnic with the others. I don't exactly socialize… Still, Vincentfollowed Tifa out the kitchen.
….
After the picnic, Denzel and Marlene ran around and played with each other while Cloud, Tifa, Yuffie and Vincent started talking, well most of them talked. I know that face, Tifa's scared. She must want something really big from Cloud. Just as he thought, Tifa sat upright and said, "Cloud, I think its time for us all to live somewhere permanently in Midgar. I mean, Denzel and Marlene know the area well and we all have friends here. I think 7th Heaven is the perfect place for us to live. What do you think?" Cloud has a look of uncertainty and confusion on his face which we can all easily notice. "I'm going to have to think about that, I'm not too sure. There's something about Midgar..." "Oh Cloud, think about it! You, Tifa, Marlene and Denzel living together in Midgar! Don't you want that?" Yuffie is good at convincing people which is why Tifa must have brought her along, I believe. Tifa winks at Yuffie and then turns to Cloud, still waiting for an answer. Oh yes, I'm definitely right. "Well Tifa, if it's what you want. I think we could do pretty well here." "Oh thank you Cloud!" Tifa says as she returns the agreement with a hug. "Oh! But what about you, Yuffie? Surely you need a place to stay as well." "Oh Tifa stop. I hope to find a small house somewhere in the city soon!" "Yuffie, you are more than welcome to stay with us, we don't mind at all. Plus, who are you going to live with? I think the best option is with us." Hmm, wasn't expecting that to happen. "I guess your right Tifa. Only if it's okay…" "Of course it is! What about you Vincent? Do you want to live with us too?" "Oh no, I'm fine. Thanks." Uh oh, Yuffie's going to talk now. Yuffie spoke up, got really excited and said "Oh Vince! You're always by yourself! It would be so much fun if you stayed with us too! Please!" Well, it's not like I have anywhere else to go…*Sigh "Oh alright, I suppose." "Great!" cheered Tifa and Yuffie together while Cloud smiled.
With all 6 people going to live together, Yuffie and Tifa did what all girls would usually do- talk about decorations and what the house should look like. Yuffie, more excitedly than Tifa, but she didn't mind. Cloud occasionally joined in but he really didn't care because he was more concerned with the children. He liked to watch Marlene and Denzel because no matter what the weather or mood, they always had fun together. The conversation had to get cut short due to the fact that weather slowly started to change. Light gray clouds started forming together in the sky which led to little drops of water falling down, wet and cold. Marlene and Denzel shrieked with laughter as they now started dancing and singing in the rain. Tifa and Yuffie laughed, and then joined in too. Vincent turned away and watched the sunset go down, the perfect ending to a day especially with the people he could now call family.
….
"Vincent! It's time to get up!" Ugh, I hate waking up to the sound of Yuffie barking at me. Does she ever shut up? "Yes, okay Yuffie. I'm coming." Hmm, that was a weird dream I had. Well, memory I suppose. "You better not keep us all waiting Vincent. We have a big day ahead of us!" "Alright, alright. I'm up." I wonder why I dreamt of that, it felt as if I was re-living my memory. Humph, oh well. Not being able to explain why he dreamt that, he shrugged it off and made his way downstairs to meet the others.