Disclaimer: I don't make profits with this writing and characters belong to Square Enix.
Meanwhile in Nanaki's Home
Cid Highwind found an opportunity to expand his business as well as Grimoire Eco Farm, purchasing some available lands in Rocket Town, a win-win deal for both enterprises.
It was far from Midgar, but not from Gongaga, and that was why Vincent Valentine, comfortably sitting on Nanaki's home in Cosmo Canion, was drinking a tasty local wine, with a bong on his hand, letting out smoke from his mouth.
Surely, as soon he stepped in the village, the day's topic was about a mysterious apparition of a monster, defeated on the canyons, by two even more eerie men.
"Fuck, you have no idea what it is to deal with those peasants Vincent. The way they looked at those two boys, if I was not there, I bet they would eat them alive. Now, they believe the city needs a cleaning ritual because of the meteor's plague, which means close it for tourists. Still, I'm committed to turning this shit in a tourist paradise. Man, I'm stressed out more than if I 'd fight against some threat from the planet."
"Where are they now?"
"In the hotel. Silly tourists like any others, still it's weird since one is a ranked Turk and the other Sephiroth's clone. Give me the weed; I really need to relax tonight."
Vincent choked with the wine, the weed, and almost fell from the couch.
"Hey, are you ok man?"
"Yep."
Vincent nodded still coughing. He spoke with Loz earlier, he was in Edge, so it only could be Yazoo and Reno.
"I told you about this weed."
Vincent let out a long puff of smoke and passed the bong to Nanaki.
A pause between them followed, Nanaki making smoke circles with the weed, and Vincent trying to understand why he was feeling jealousy while he processed the creepy tale. A monster in Cosmo Canyon, Yazoo, and Reno.
"Maybe, they already had left."
"They rented the honeymoon suite, and I hope they'd stay there, fucking their skinny asses out, and not get in trouble on my night off."
Nanaki coughed after a long drag and rolled to aside, crossing his paws one above the other, and rested his head on them.
"I won't succeed, in making this place touristic viable, with all those shitty creeds."
Drinking his wine, he looked at Nanaki. Vincent did not know how many updates the feline had about Avalanche, and he carefully chose his words. Damm, he was too high and too curious to know more about them.
"How did you find them?"
"I usually patrol the area around the canyons and found them fucking in the desert, celebrating the monster's death."
It was official, they were a young couple on a romantic trip, and Vincent tried to sound casual while asking for the details.
Do you think they have something to do with the Bahamut?
"No. When I heard rumors that we could have a monster roaming the canyons, I didn't believe it. Nowadays, a lot of weirdos come here, do rituals for the planet, but mostly to stuff their faces with drugs, by listening to bad music. However, someone from Shinra's hunting on my land, it makes me wonder if they knew about the monster and planned a fun hunt. But there's nothing wrong with your boy, but he's a pain in the ass. "
Vincent coughed his wine, frowning at Nanaki's statement. He was high as a rocket, only focusing on Yazoo and Reno's romantic trip.
"My boy, he's Reno's boy now."
Nanaki stared at him.
"What?"
"Hun…weed?"
Nanaki shared the bong, fixed eyes on Vincent, and he hoped the feline would let it slip on behalf of his curiosity. Not Nanaki who rolled aside and stopped closer to Vincent.
"I know Avalanche fostered Sephiroth's clones. One of them is working in the bar with Tifa and the other with Cid, which means with you."
"Don't call them clones, Shinra itself attested them as humans. The one here is…"
"Yazoo. Yeah, cheeky and grumpy. Can you believe he called me an imbecile? Fuck, he's so petulant that I had to call him sweetie."
Vincent smirked, remembering the first time he tried to approach of Yazoo. Aloof, pretending he was tough enough to care for nothing, but from the inside, just another scared kid using disdain and coldness to mask his fears.
"They are my friends Nanaki, and won't mean harm to no one, you can trust me. Loz is cheerful in life, friendly, and Tifa had never complained once about him. I agree with you, Yazoo is difficult, but he's also brilliant with mechanics, clever, and peculiar in many things."
"Oh, please don't say that you fucked one of them."
Vincent coughed the smoke, mentally cursing Nanaki's high level of perception. He would not lie but could omit.
"I felt in debt with Lucrecia, and selfishly took responsibility for them. I wished they could have a better life than their creator."
"You never was responsible for Sephiroth, take this out of your mind or you'll never stop whining."
Nanaki narrowed his eyes at Vincent, knowing him very well, and the solitude of his acts, wrong or not, sought the good.
"I know, but I found them barely alive, and help them get on their feet again, soothed me. That sad feeling that I had because of Sephiroth, Lucrecia, and Hojo, easied and they're good boys Nanaki."
"Hum, I sincerely believe they already have better lives, first place, they're alive. Whoever you are fucking on this scenario, I suggest you take care, though. Let the bong with me you have your wine."
Vincent coughed again and emptied his glass in one gulp, helping himself more wine on it.
"Do you want some?"
"Fuck you. I won't lick the wine in a pot to making you laugh. Instead, give me the pot on your fingers. I'm too tired to discuss my romantic life, what to say yours."
"By the way, how are the puppies?" "Growing fast, noisy and all that shit about kids, but damn, they are so fucking cute that I want to punch me for having more soon again. Hey, what about the flea of Wutai? Still biting you?"
"Congrats my friend, I guess theses canyons are really childbearing. Well, it's hard to say. We barely spoke last time in Gongaga, she brought a team, to fix my father's house."
"Yuffie came here last month. We chat a lot, she helped with the harvest, taught the kids how to make shurikens."
"That's good." "No, it was not, I've received a lot of parents complaining the kids got wounded with the artifact. Next time we'll try gardening. Have a good night, Vince I have to sleep, my friend."
Vincent chuckled, nodded at Nanaki and took his bottle to finish in the outside. He sat on the floor, looking at the huge moon and wondering why destiny put him in Cosmo Canyon tonight.
He felt a little bit of envy, on the other hand, he felt satisfied to have helped Yazoo. Somehow, the night they spent together made him felt confident enough to give another try with the Turk, and it worked well.
Yazoo and Reno made sense, they were pretty boys, with all the young disposition to build, and hereafter crashes a relationship. "Thankfully I hadn't called insisting on a visit to Gongaga."
It was funny how the things that seem irrelevant in one moment become uncomfortably linked in another.
"Yazoo and Reno, together and here."
Vincent drank the last glass of his wine, shaking his head at the nonsense of his last sin.
At this point in his life, to have attachments with someone was something he did not want. He tried with Rosso, Yuffie, but love Lucrecia took out of his heart.
He was sixty with the appearance of thirty, recently divorced, no kids, friends he cared, and a profitable business he liked to run. A walking cliché.
At this point in his life, to have attachments with someone was something he did not want. He tried with Rosso, Yuffie, but love, Lucrecia took all out of his heart.
***Next morning***
Vincent opened his eyes, frowning at the clarity, dizzy as he always got after meeting with Nanaki. The feline, on another hand, was very alert and ready to start the day.
"Morning, sunshine. I'll go to the hotel, to check if the police gave back their bikes, and if you want to join me, we can go together to Rocket Town later. I know the owner of those lands that you want to buy."
Lifting from the ground, Vincent stretched his body and nodded at Nanaki. He was sure about accepting the help of his negotiation, but not fond of the idea of meeting Yazoo and Reno. Damn linked situations.
"Is it okay if I don't pry in this subject, despite meeting Yazoo?"
"I'll go to the reception Vincent to speak with the manager, not knocking on their room."
Vincent assented with his head, and after a while, they were in the downtown, following to the hotel.
The manager received them with deference and told they already had checked out, for Vincent's relief. He veered his head at Nanaki.
"See? I told you, just boys."
Nanaki rolled his eyes at Vincent.
" I assume they got their bikes back. Ok. Was the night calm?" "Yes, sir, they ordered food and stayed in the bedroom all night. We had one complaint about the noise, from the guests bellow them, but nothing serious. It's usual with the honeymoon suite."
"Noises? What kind?" Vincent frowned at the manager.
The manager, a middle-aged woman native from the village, blushed, cast down her eyes to the balcony, ashamed to answer the question.
"Ok. Thanks, madam and have a good day."
Nanaki, glared at him, bowing his head to the exit. Once they were outside, watching his thoughtful friend, he stopped in the way.
"Vincent Valentine, listen to me. Whatever you have got into, I shall advise, get out."
Vincent gulped, staring at his friend, and nodded at him.
"He's Sephiroth's clone! It's kind of incestuous, damn."
"Fuck, Nanaki! How many times I have to say that Sephiroth is not my son? And Yazoo and Loz are not their clones. The similarity is because of Jenova's cells.
"Are you sure?"
"Since my thirteens I'm sterile. Sometimes, I wonder if that was not why Lucrecia dumped me."
"I'm sorry if I offended you."
Nanaki shook his head, and although much more human than many humans around, he petted his gloomy friend with his furry nose.
"You didn't. Let's go I have lands to buy"
"Yeah, that's the spirit, my friend."
Vincent nodded at Nanaki, and they came back to the observatory. While walking through the private trail, to access Nanaki's house, Vincent spotted Yazoo and Reno.
They were climbing down the steps of the touristic route, entwined hands, like any young couple. Smiling and talking. They reached the bikes, and one of them carried a picnic basket. Before they mounted, Reno pulled Yazoo closer for a long kiss. They whispered something for each other and Yazoo laughed, with arms around Reno's neck. Like any young couple. Vincent's brain seemed obsessed with this sentence. Another smooch, they followed separated to each bike, and Yazoo carried the food.
Nanaki passed through him.
"I told you..."
Vincent veered his eyes at Nanaki and continued his path.