Vincent slammed the wooden door to his room as he entered in a fit of justified rage. To think Gustin had actually taken a swing at him! Anger flooded his veins, forcing him to fight the most animalistic urges in him. He felt a great sense of languished time, as if his presence here had been futile. After all, he had been called here and had done his job well, and now he was being sent home.
His small sack was packed quickly for he had very few objects with him. Most of his guns and ammo were carried on his person, and extra clothes and a toothbrush did little to fill the bag. If he hurried, he could catch the midnight boat departing from the Wutai shores.
Just as he swung his door open his eyes happened upon little Nico, standing in the doorway with tears in his eyes.
"Mama!" The boy cried.
Vincent dropped his bag and knelt before Nico placing gentle hands on his shoulders "What is it? Is your mother alright?"
"No!"
Vincent's heart went cold "What happened?"
"She's sad again! She's yelling at Cap'n Gustin, and throwing vases!"
Vincent stood with the child's hand within his own and made his way to the throne room. Before he reached it he could hear Yuffie screaming. He knelt beside Nico again.
"Stay here Nico" He tried, with all the gentleness he could muster, though it sounded strange on him.
"No! I wanna go with you, im scared"
Vincent's heart softened "Alright then" He took Nico's hand again and entered the room.
"How dare you!" Yuffie screamed "You have no right, no authority to make those kind of decisions without consulting me!"
"It was for the best. Mr. Valentine has other priorities besides the safety of The White Rose. I can assure you I made this decision with the interest of My Lady in mind" Gustin was calm, assured that his Lady would back him up on any decision, so sure that she wanted Vincent gone as much as he did.
"You didn't make any decision! Vincent is NOT leaving, and you are NOT getting away with undermining my authority!"
Gustin sat confused for half a second "But My Lady..." Then it dawned on him: She was choosing Vincent over him. Vincent, who had allegedly broken her heart and sent her crawling back to Wutai as a pathetic excuse for a princess.
Gustin stiffened in place, arms by his side, shaking in anger "You...you haven't learned anything have you?" He said to Yuffie in a dazed tone, gazing right through her.
"Excuse me?"
"I should have known..." He continued "...that your loyalty was never with Wutai. You learned nothing of what it is to rule Da Chao. You still let your heart lead you when it should be your mind. Your father looks upon you from the Scales of Leviathan with disgrace!"
Yuffie stood, mouth agape, as she listened to Gustin speak. Vincent saw a range of emotions track her face. First was shock, she certainly wasn't used to be talked to like that. But then he saw another emotion, one he didn't like to see on her beautiful, porcelain face: shame. It was too much for him to just stand on the side and watch as Gustin verbalized Yuffie's worst fears.
"Perhaps you should take your own advice Captain" Vincent stepped from the shadows, Nico in tow. "You have let your heart lead you, and in turn have made mistakes that nearly cost Yuffie her leg"
Gustin sneered in his direction, glaring at Vincent's hand clasped tightly around Nico's "What do you know of this matter? You should be gone! Leave this place and go back to your city where the people welcome monsters trying to pass off as human!"
"Your words can very well have you removed from my Guard, Gustin. Still your tongue before you cause further damage to your reputation" Yuffie said, recovering from Gustin's attack with full force.
"My Lady...you wouldn't...have me removed. Would you?"
"Your damn right I would! As for now Gustin Atori, you are suspended from my services. Go home and do not return until I send for you"
"I do not think that is wise My Lady..."
"Vincent will take over your position until I see fit for you to return"
"Him?" Gustin pointed an accusing finger at Vincent. "He's going to take my place?" He screamed, face turning purple in anger. Vincent knew he wasn't just talking about his position in the guard.
"Why not? He's a former member of the Turks, unmatched sharpshooting skills and , not that I have to run things over with you, but he's also thirty one years your senior"
Gustin looked incredulously from Yuffie to Vincent before storming out of the room.
Vincent approached Yuffie and handed over her son, wide eyed and afraid. She gave him an appreciative look.
"We should hurry" Yuffie said, grabbing Nico's hand and rushing, as much as she could with her bum leg, out of the room "We need to get things prepared, talk to your ward before they start freaking out"
Vincent followed in confusion "I don't understand"
Yuffie continued her pace without stopping, looking back every few steps to make sure Vincent could hear her as they made their way into the depths of the pagoda "The guard is made up of several age groups, most of them no younger than fifteen. We need to assure them that things haven't changed just because Gustin is under suspension. They don't like to see change, especially in a time like this" She then stopped and turned to Vincent. He nearly ran into her. "Despite the air of repose we display, things around here are far from restful Vincent. Everyone is on edge since I was attacked. Word has spread of a traitor in our midst and so noone is trusted. Not even you."
Vincent nodded, wondering why she felt the need to tell him this "As long as you trust me"
Yuffie continued walking "I do. But Gustin's guard is loyal to him, most of them have been training under him from the age of five. They're not going to like serving another captain, no matter how temporary."
"Ill do my best" He said, though a small fear began worming into his stomach.
They entered what looked like Nico's chamber. It was a very large room, and if he remembered correctly, the adjoining room was her own, separated by only a thin shoji screen. A mound of toys and dolls were gathering dust in the corner, replaced by wooden swords and a target on the wall with a few ninja stars lodged in it. One had even found its mark in the very center. Vincent smiled softly. On the far wall hung Yuffie's old weapon, the Rising Sun.
Yuffie hugged her son tightly, whispering something in his ear before laying him down on the bed. Vincent turned away, feeling this was a private moment, and began examining a few paintings on the wall. They were very good, though obviously done by Nico himself. The first was what looked like Da Chao, it had a large primitive smiley face. Vincent smiled and moved onto the next painting and was shocked to find that he recognized it. It was a red lion-like creature with a scar above its right eye and many braids decorating its fiery mane. To anyone, especially Nico, this could have been any of the species that once resided in Cosmos Canyon, for tales of the almost extinct species were well known. But this wasn't a painting of a random lion of Naniki's kind. It was Naniki. Right down the XIII tattoo on the shoulder blade.
For a moment Vincent felt a small sting of anger. If Nico was drawing pictures of Yuffie and Vincent's friend and comrade, then surely he must have seen him. Met him. Yet Yuffie had assured him that noone knew about the birth of her son ' for safety reasons' she had said.
Vincent sighed, feeling he was getting ahead of himself. Of course it wasn't that strange that Yuffie was in contact with Naniki. After all she was the head diplomat of a large nation, and Cosmos Canyon had a myriad of resources that were of great use to the country Yuffie was bringing back from the embarrassment it had once been.
Just as he felt Yuffie's presence behind him was just about the time he realized he had been staring at the "Portrait" of Naniki for quite a long time.
"He never asked questions" Yuffie said softly from behind Vincent's left shoulder "He only asked that he be allowed to visit Nico again"
Vincent understood immediately and smiled at the wiseness of the large feline. Of course Naniki knew that Nico was Yuffiie's son. But as long as it wasn't said out loud, Nico was safe.
"So what's our next move?" Vincent whispered, noting that Nico had fallen asleep. Yuffie waved a hand for him to follow as she slid open the screen that led to her room. She then sat on a stool in front of a large mirror and began removing pins and combs from her long ebony hair. Vincent watched in appreciation as she let down the full length to reveal black waves longer than he had first noticed.
She rubbed at her temples "First thing tomorrow morning you need to talk to the younger gen. The older ones were ruled by Godo and will do as I say. Try to assure them that this is only temporary and nothing is going to change" She then grabbed an emerald comb with long teeth. It was probably carved out of one solid piece and looked very old. She ran it through her hair absentmindedly for a few seconds. Vincent watched without speaking, recognizing her thinking face and waiting for her to continue. Eventually she did "It may have been a mistake to suspend Gustin..." She sighed resolutely "No...I don't think it was. He is a great captain. But since the attack, he's been overly protective, no almost possessive of me. I understand the need for extra protection but it seems like a stab in the back to Borlias." She stopped combing her hair, eyes far away as if remembering a fond memory "...They were best friends; Borlias and Gustin"
Vincent shifted his weight, uncomfortable at the direction she was taking. Nevertheless he replied "His death could not have been easy. For anyone"
Yuffie looked over to him, eyes scanning his face. He seemed sincere enough, but his statement shocked her "You hold no malice for my husband?" She stood and walked to stand before Vincent, feeling that this sort of conversation needed to be executed face to face. He looked down at her, not having the strength to lie.
"Strangely no. Your eyes have always been your tell. It must be in Wutain blood to show the most deepest of emotions through the eyes: For when you speak of him there is no love in your voice"
Yuffie smiled despite herself. "I did love him. But not the way a wife should love her husband. We understood each other, both being forced into the marriage with our parents and our love for our country to spur us on. He wasn't a bad man, and he didn't love me either." Yuffie turned away from him, focusing on her son's paintings as a means of distraction. After a few moments of looking like she was in deep concentration, she continued "I guess you could say we became the best of friends. Borlias never looked at me the way Gustin did. I even tried to get him to look at me that way, though I was never good at flirting. No, it wasn't a stab to my ego. He just wasn't interested in me sexually" she sighed and drew in a shaky breath "Borlias left his heart with a stable boy back in his hometown. He was broken, as was I. And that drew us closer than any love could have"
Despite Yuffie's confession, Vincent felt no jealousy at her words, no anger. She had found a friend, a confidant, in a world that wasn't altogether new to her, but treaded precariously on grounds that she wanted no part in. If Borlias gave her the kind of love that kept her going these past five years, then it seemed he was a great man indeed. But if Borlias was in love with a man, how could he get past himself to have sex with Yuffie? How could she?
Yuffie seemed to read his mind in that moment. Almost knowing the thoughts that flew through his head as if he'd said them aloud.
"We agreed to have Nico, more out of convenience than anything else. And it took a lot of saki to get into bed together. It only took one time, and we were both so happy when he was born. We never had sex again after that"
"Does Gustin know? About Borlias's stable boy?" Vincent said, his curiosity getting the better of him.
"Yes. But he is the only other. They often took trips back to where they grew up, so that Borlias could be with Ryui, even if it was only temporary" She looked at him for along time, noting that he hadn't changed one bit, at least on the outside. Not that she expected him to, he was immortal after all.
He met her gaze unflinchingly, staring at the contours of her face lovingly. After a few moments she spoke "Lets go for a walk. Ill get someone to guard Nico"
