"Words aren't the only way to tell someone how you feel."

-Tifa Lockhart (Final Fantasy VII)-

"Cell Phone Quest"

By: FenixPhoenix

Chapter 2: "The Choices"

By the time Yuffie stopped, Vincent found himself standing before a case containing vivid-colored, childish-looking cell phones. Mildly graveled, he noticed that the rest of the party was so busy fighting among themselves, that none was coming to his aid. He suppressed a growl and simply braced himself for the stupidity that was coming.

"Look at this!" Yuffie gasped with awe, dark eyes gleaming. She was so engrossed, that she kept leaning forward. Vincent debating whether to point that out, but decided she couldn't- her nose collided painfully with the glass and he almost laughed. Though she blinked back tears, she said unperturbed, "They're beautiful, aren't they?"

With the look she leveled on him, Vincent had to wonder if the tears came from the pain on her nose or from her emotional breakdown. He seriously hoped it was the first, but with Yuffie it was hard to tell. When she continued to stare at him expectantly, Vincent realized that the question had not been rhetorical. Did she honestly expect him to answer such a tremendously stupid question?

No, those models are hideous, he wanted to say, but couldn't bring himself to form the words.

"Oh! They left you speechless, didn't they?" She nodded solemnly and even had the gall to tap his back sympathetically. "That happened to me the first time, too. But if that amazed you, wait until you see…"

Yuffie paused dramatically as she searched for something in her purse. Her lips parted when she procured a bright pink cell phone with –to his increasing despair- a chibi figure of himself hanging from one corner. Vincent was not even going to ask where she'd gotten it. If he ignored it, perhaps it would disappear…

"Ta-tan! My beautiful cell phone, isn't it prettyyyyy!" She beamed, caressing the object with unhealthy longing, "And… it glitters!" She squealed delightedly, jumping in place for a couple of minutes, like a bunny under haste.

Just as he was considering leaving, she stopped abruptly and dangled the cell phone right before his eyes -her fingers clutching his chibi self fiercely. Hard as he tried to ignore the item, he couldn't. And it was only then that he noticed something even weirder. Her cell phone was… glittering?

"Yuffie… you didn't…," his hand shot towards his face as he realized what she'd used to bedazzle her cell phone. Retarded Yuffie Kisaragi had broken several materias –even some red summoning ones- and had glued them in flowery patters into every available space of her phone.

"I used the ones I had repeated," she explained way too cheerfully. It physically hurt his eyes to see what had become of the precious stones.

"…A summoning one?" he pointed out, wondering what poor guardian had been lost.

Yuffie scowled as she looked at the red pieces; displeasure burning hotly in her eyes. "Ifrit wouldn't come to me anymore…" She mumbled, before shaking her head as though casting away whatever memory had crawled into her mind. "Anyways…! You want one like mine, don't ya? Never worry, my dear vampire. I will bedazzle yours with the same patience and love I did mine!"

To Vincent's relief Cid came just in time to save him. Pushing Yuffie aside unceremoniously and non-too gently, he growled, "You stupid or something'?"

"Hey!" Yuffie glared at him from the floor, but Cid was already guiding Vincent away.

"Why'd he want such a goddamn piece of crap!" he threw at Yuffie over his shoulder. "Bedazzling my ass! You ain't honestly expectin' Vincent to glitter all over the fu&*in' place, are ya?"

Yuffie's eyes lit up, her angry pout swiftly replaced by a dreamy smile that made chills run down Vincent's spine. And as he followed Cid, he heard Yuffie mumbling, "A glittering vamp…"

That was his cue to press his pace in hopes that he would never ever find out what the wretched little monster was thinking. Vincent would rather kill himself than have her bedazzle him or any of his stuff. The mere idea of death penalty being bedazzled made him wince with pain. And a glittering Vincent? What a perturbing idea! He would sooner allow his soul to be consumed by the monsters dwelling inside him than to end up glittering all over the damn place!

-o0o-

Shortly afterwards, Vincent found himself facing a case full of more complex cell phone models. Cid was standing beside it as though he was the host of some show. He cleared his throat before taking out his cell phone and presenting it to Vincent. It was the same model that was being exposed behind the glass.

"This yer best fu&%in' choice, plain an' simple," he announced, signaling Vincent to stand beside him so that he could see the screen.

Physically, the cell phone seemed pretty straight forward, but when Cid began browsing through the options available, Vincent's head began to throb. Colors, letters and images began to swarm rapidly in the screen before his mind could register them.

"See'll ya can fu&*in' do with this!" his eyes were gleaming with far too much excitement, as his finger moved professionally across the tiny screen. "This baby 'ere can 'old an outrageous amount of fu&%in' data! Look 'ere, I've the Highwind's blue-prints too!"

A picture of the skeleton of the airship that was Cid's pride and joy appeared on the screen. Vincent couldn't help but seriously wonder if Cid loved his cell phone more than he did his ship. As the pause stretched, Valentine realized that Cid was looking at him expectantly –just like Yuffie had before. Perhaps he wished to know if he liked the model? Well… how was he supposed to like it when he couldn't even begin to understand it? Knowing it was better to keep on Cid's good graces, he nodded curtly. That seemed to satisfied the blond pilot.

With a shrug, Cid continued, "Additionally, this beauty can 'old hundreds of fu&*in' songs…"

Suddenly, music invaded the air around them. The phantom orchestra played a very familiar melody. A melody that always brought bad news…

*Noli manere, manare in memoria

Noli manere, manare in memoria

Sephiroth, Sephiroth…*

Before Vincent knew it, he'd upholstered death penalty. Around him, AVALANCHE tensed, likewise scanning their surroundings for the figure who'd inspired the song. And the music continued…

*Saevam iram, iram et dolorem

Saevam iram, iram et dolorem*

He heard the sound of Barret readying his machine gun and pointing it at the source of the accursed sound… Only to notice where the music was coming from…

"Sephiroth... Sephiroth," Cid sang along cheerfully. Oblivious to the fact that everyone was staring at him with murder in their eyes. Hell, Vincent and Barret still had their barrels pointed at him. "Oh, man! This 'as a fu&%in' awesome audio, ain't that right?"

"Cid!" Vincent cracked his neck to release the accumulated stress and promptly put his weapon away just as soon as he heard Tifa's voice.

"What?" Cid shot back irritated. He frowned when he noted how tense everyone was and shifted his weight from one foot to the other. Crossing his arms, he smiled almost sheepishly at the crowd. A slight blush tainted his cheeks when he became the center of a lot of un-wanted attention. "Well the song's fu&*in' catchy, ain'it?"

"Turn it off, Cid!" Tifa scolded, apologizing to the people nearby, who were backing away from the armed group, "Holy! You scared the ghosts out of us!"

Though grumbling reluctantly Cid did as told. His sheepishness was short lived, since a moment later his confident smile was back, his blue eyes zeroing on Vincent. "Anyhow, that's not'll this can fu&*in' do," he declared, shoving an oblivious Tifa into Vincent's arms.

Vincent's eyes widened in complete and utter shock at the action and his -even stranger- reaction. He turned to look wonderingly at the woman he was holding, finding an expression on her face that mirrored her own. It was stupefaction and something else, something he didn't quite mind.

"Say cheese!" they heard Cid say.

Vincent's attention switched back to him only to be blinded by a flash that came out of the device. He growled when dark spots assailed his eyes, making the demons inside wriggle restless. Was the damn thing some sort of weapon!

"Now is the time," Vincent began coldly, his eyes burning, "when you explain to me what just occurred."

Cid's smile widened as he handed his phone for him to inspect. When he took it, Tifa gravitated to him, peeping at the screen from beside him. There, staring back at them, was an image of him holding Tifa. Their faces showed the confusion and shock they experienced not long ago and yet the image was… surprisingly candid.

"Awww, you actually took a good picture, Cid," Tifa remarked. Snatching the phone away from Vincent, she handed it back to Cid. "Could you send it to me, please?"

Cid smirked as though the fact that the picture had come out well was all due to the power of his phone and the expert skill of his eye. But Vincent could tell it had more to do with dumb luck and the fact that he wanted to push the attention away from him.

"'Course, lass," he said, "Jus' turn on your damn blue tooth."

Vincent quirked an eyebrow and echoed, "Blue tooth?"

He waited for a blue-shade, horn-like tooth (similar to Nanaki's) to come out of the screen, but didn't. He felt silly at the notion. How could a tooth possibly help in the exchange of an image, though? Or was it a magical blue tooth of some sort which—no, he wasn't thinking this idiotic things.

Vincent sighed profoundly, feeling the accumulated stress of the day throbbing in his temples. Through the corner of his eyes he noticed someone coming towards him.

"Ah, blue tooth is just the name of a program that allows one phone to connect with the other without the need of cables," Reeve explained, almost as if he'd read his thoughts.

"I see," Vincent nodded, wondering where the man had been when they thought Sephiroth had come. Vincent was sure he'd not seen him around… Knowing Reeve, he'd most probably been cowering behind some desk.

"Well, to tell you the truth," Reeve dropped his voice to a whisper, "Cid's phone is good for simple-minded individuals. However mine is…" he took a black phone out of his pocket. "Hmmm, how should I put it…"

Vincent noticed with concern how the man handed the object with veneration. It was smaller than Cid's but at the same time thicker. He silently wondered if it was just as dangerous…

"This is…," Reeve continued to struggle for words, "Ah! This here is the death penalty of cell phones!"

Vincent raised his eyebrows not knowing whether he should feel interested, amazed or scared. Could the phone be as dangerous as his weapon? He eyed the small object curiously, trying to figure out –merely by looking at it- how much it could possibly differ from Cid's –or even Yuffie's models.

To Vincent's annoyance, Reeve –like Cid before him- began to browse through infinite programs and options. He showed him dictionaries that could automatically translate, games, music, data files and even maps. Not only that, but the cell phone did not have buttons like Yuffie's model. Nor was Reeve pressing the screen like Cid. Instead, the object responded to Reeve's voice automatically! Vincent turned grim at the idea of a device having a will of its own! If it had… then it was obviously a dangerous thing that should be destroyed at all costs!

Of course, most of Reeve's explanation made absolutely no sense to him. Vincent was about to suggest he should look up the word simple in his electronic dictionary, when something he said distracted him.

"And guess what?! This cell phone has a GPS included!"

Vincent's frown deepened, "GPS…?"

"Ah, right," Reeve looked apologetic. He had probably forgotten who he'd been addressing, "A GPS stands for 'Global Positioning System'. It is a radio navigation system that allows land, sea and airborne users to determine their exact location, velocity and time every hour of day, in all weather conditions, anywhere in the world!"

Vincent sighed for what felt the hundredth time, feeling his headache growing. He just wanted a cell phone to be able to call Tifa! He didn't want a blinding device that could capture an image, he didn't want to glitter and he most definitely wasn't looking for Sephiroth's orchestra to come out of the speakers! More importantly, he certainly- Wait a second… did he just said 'positioning system'…?

"Reeve… You mean to say that anyone would be able to track me down through my cell phone if I were to purchase that model?" he asked, not even wishing to touch the black, evil thing anymore.

Reeve nodded, "Exactly! It's that great! This way we can always come visit!"

That's it! That bloody cell phone was out of the question! Even if it was fine if the rest of the team were to visit him, suppose Yuffie learned how to track him down? No, that would be disastrous. His sanity would surely perish alongside his wish of living. To have his solitude and peace broken by the irritable ninja every time she felt bored? No, Vincent was not willing to take the chance. Even his courage had its limits!

And just when Valentine was beginning to regret his decision of wanting a cell phone –especially after noticing how complicated, and dangerous they were, Barret drew him with tremendous force away from Reeve.

-o0o-

"Stupid Reeve," he heard Barret rumbling as he was pulled to the center of the store. To his confusion, there were no cases nearby. "Ya should'ave seen the look on ya face! Ya looked s'lost, man!"

Vincent quirked an eyebrow, unsure what Barret was expecting of him. At the same time, Valentine couldn't help but brace himself for what was surely coming.

"Vincent, ya know dat ya an' I'ave similar tastes, yea?" Barret dislodged a brick-sized, silver phone from where it had been hanging by his belt.

Vincent's eyebrows met in an uncertain frown. Apart from both of them having a weapon attached, what else could they possibly have in common? Vincent was quiet and reserved, whereas Barret was loud and obnoxious. Vincent liked cold, empty and dark places, whereas Barret liked hot, open places filled with people. Vincent could have probably gone on and on thinking about their differences, except that something broke him from his musings. What the heck was that odd thing in his hand, anyways?

"Dis 'ere's wat ya need!" Barrent proclaimed, showing him his phone.

Vincent inspected the object hesitantly and with utmost caution. He took the brick-sized piece of ancient technology and realized the thing was actually heavy! What was it made from? Was it some kind of bomb?

Certainly, the object seemed like a phone in the fact that it had a receiver. However, the lack of other certain necessities did not go unnoticed. Contrary to the rest he'd seen so far, this had an antenna sticking out but it did not have numbers or even buttons! Sure, it at least had a screen where he guessed numbers appeared, but it was only a thin strip. There was no way the screen could have buttons as Cid's phone had. Could it be that this phone, like Reeve's, was voice-commanded? Or was there a secret within it that had to do with its odd size?

"So… how do you call someone?" Vincent asked when Barret had remained quiet for way too long.

"Huh?" Barret's brow furrowed, "I told'ya dis ain't dat complicated!"

"I do not follow."

"Whatcha mean?" Barret scratched his chin and his eyes became slits, "Stop complicatin' everythin', Vincent!"

Vincent sighed and took a moment to quell his impatience before guessing, "Are you implying that you can't call anyone with this phone?"

Barret smiled oafishly, "Of course! Dat's the beauty of it!"

The man winked at Vincent, who could only stare at him. Naturally, Vincent was completely and utterly surprise at the idiocy of the notion! Why would he want to have a phone that he would not be able to use to begin with? What was the purpose of such an item to begin with?

"Please explain," he requested calmly, his face stripped of emotion.

Still grinning, Barret explained. "Dis phone ain't complicated," he insisted. "Ya don't call anyone. Instead, they call ya! S'ya see, dis is perfect for ya, Vincent!"

Vincent frowned with something between incredulity and curiousness. Why would Barret think this phone was perfect for him? And realizing that the only way to find that out was to ask, he did.

"Let me see if I get this straight," he crossed his arms defensively. "This phone -that can neither save contacts nor can be used to dial numbers- is perfect for me?"

Barret nodded, "Dat's right!"

"Why?"

Barret frowned, "Whatcha mean why?"

Before Vincent could move away, the man had wrapped a heavy arm around his neck.

"Yer Vincent, man! Who da hell're yo' gonna call, anyways?" he said, complete oblivious to Vincent's scowl.

Naturally, if Vincent was looking to purchase a cell phone it was because he intended to use it! This man was simply… ridiculous! Thankfully, the rest of the team joined them before Vincent thought to allow a growling Chaos out. As soon as they saw Barret's phone a heated discussion ensured regarding –funnily enough- Vincent's taste and who knew what he needed most.

Vincent's headache grew by the second, especially when some people thought to gain his attention by calling to him loudly. He was about to bring death penalty out and fire a shot, when he felt a hand clasping around his arm. It was strange, but he immediately knew to whom it belonged. Only one person could send jolts of electricity with a simple touch.

He turned to Tifa, pleading her to save him and read in her dark orbs concern, amusement and empathy all mixed together. She leaned towards him, stood on tiptoes and whispered into his ear, "Do you trust me?"

He knew exactly what Tifa meant, so he nodded curtly and handed her his wallet. Tifa smiled, nodded and slipped out of the group quite stealthily. His eyes followed her before Yuffie clung to his arm and started yelling at Cid. Irritated, Cid flipped his cigarette on her face.

Vincent just scowled at Yuffie and shrugged her away only to feel –to his increasing despair- Barret's arm around his neck. He closed his eyes, trying to control the demons that wanted to wreak havoc on the bloody store. Chaos was never able to hide from the feeling of discomfort or, in this case, impatience Vincent felt.

Around five minutes later he felt –more than saw- Tifa lingering somewhere behind him. He spun around to face her. Once his attention was on her, she pointed at the bag she had. Before anyone could stop him –before anyone knew what happened, he scooped a surprised Tifa and glided out the store with god-like speed.

To be continued…