A Final Fantasy VII Fanfic
By Susycreamcheese
The game of Final Fantasy VII is owned by SquareSoft.
Rated R
Chaper Five
Nanaki arrived in Sector 7 and, nosed around some, literally sniffing out any possible direction that Cloud and Tifa could have set out on. He ended up just being bombarded with a cacophony of different odors and smells that eventually led him in a circle.
Nanaki finally gave it up for a lost cause and traveled to Tifa and Cloud's bar. Pushing the door open slightly with his stout, he took a quick peek inside. Not seeing either Cid or Vincent, Nanaki did not go inside. He had experienced some bad situations in bars when prejudiced drunks took exception to his presence and he had since learned the value of discretion.
Nanaki decided to try next at Tifa and Cloud's house. Even though no one was there he discovered that Cid, perhaps foolishly, had left it unlocked, so he went inside and patiently sat down to wait.
Vincent arrived next and observed Nanaki waiting in the living room watching the evening news on the television. Upon Vincent's inquiring, Nanaki answered that he had learned nothing of value pertaining to the disappearance of Cloud and Tifa.
Vincent proceeded to tell him what he had learned at Don Corneo's former mansion. When he had finished explaining what he had learned, Nanaki asked, "What do you think this means?"
Vincent replied, "I'm not quite sure, but I'm worried that it might be either the remnants of the old Shin-Ra or the rebirth of a new one."
Nanaki's stomach rumbled and he glanced embarrassedly at the dark-haired man. "Excuse me," he entreated, "but I'm starving and I couldn't find anything in the refrigerator that wasn't spoiled, except some lemons and a box of baking soda."
Vincent sighed, but realized that Nanaki was still a growing boy who was going to need dinner. He instructed Nanaki, "Set the table and wash the dirty dishes and I'll go shopping for dinner."
Not waiting for a response from Nanaki, Vincent wrapped his red cloak around him in a swirl and stalked from the house leaving Nanaki sitting with his mouth agape. Cid returned a short while later and, upon entering the house, he smiled to himself when he was immediately greeted by the sight of Nanaki sitting on a foot stool in front of the two kitchen sinks with a plate in his mouth. He was in the process of dipping the plate into a sink of soapy water and then holding it under running water in order to rinse it.
The veteran pilot couldn't quite decide what he thought about that, but he supposed since his animal comrade was using hot water and large doses of soap it wouldn't be too awfully unhygienic.
"Hi ya, kid!" Cid greeted.
Nanaki turned his head still holding a plate in his mouth. "Mmf," he said.
Cid laughed and crossed the kitchen and removed the plate from his friend's mouth.
"Thanks, Captain," Nanaki acknowledged. Cid glanced around the first floor of the house. "Where's cheerful anyway?"
Nanaki explained, "Vincent went out to obtain us some groceries in order to cook dinner."
"Oh, ho!" Cid laughed. "This I gotta see."
"Why do you always give Vincent such a hard time?" Cid's companion asked him.
"It's a dirty job but somebody has to do it," Cid quipped.
Vincent swept into the house holding several paper bags of groceries. Whether he had heard Nanaki and Cid, he gave no sign, but Nanaki was positive that Vincent had heard them. Vincent carried the groceries to the kitchen, opened the refrigerator and began putting food items into it. When he had finished with that task, he took the rest of the groceries and lay them on the counter. Seemingly oblivious to the opened mouth staring of his compatriots, Vincent set about preparing dinner.
He turned on several burners and leaned down and placed the oven on preheat. He then ran water into several pots and pans and placed them over on the counter to hold back for when he needed them in preparing the meal. The dark-haired man then took two huge cuts of steak out of the refrigerator and lay them on the broiler in the oven. Vincent then began the laborious task of making mashed potatoes from raw potatoes, rather than a pre-mix. He never skimped when it come to cooking.
"What's this?" Cid laughed uproarishly. Nanaki tsked at Cid and shook his head slightly which did absolutely nothing to calm the gleeful pilot.
Never turning his head from his task, Vincent answered in a low tone, "I am fixing dinner. You've had dinner before, haven't you?"
"Oh, ho!" Cid replied. "A touch, a definite touch. Yes, I've had dinner before, but never one fixed by you. What do you know about cooking?"
"I know everything about cooking," Vincent answered. Even though it pained him emotionally to have to answer to Cid, he did understand that both of his former comrades would naturally have questions pertaining to his cooking expertise. "I held a position as a short order cook for six months at a restaurant in Mideel," the dark-haired man explained, while glaring at the Captain as though daring him to say just one more word on the subject.
Cid, reading Vincent's mood correctly, changed the subject. "Let me tell you what I found out, while we anxiously await our cuisine," he said grinning wolfishly at Vincent. Cid proceeded to tell Nanaki and Vincent the upshot of his conversation with his former colleagues.
"Sephiroth!" Nanaki and Vincent both exclaimed.
The Captain nodded. "Yep, the old boy himself. I have no idea what any of this means, but I'm going to find out tomorrow."
"I will go too," Vincent dealt himself in.
"No, you won't cupcake!" Cid vehemently disagreed.
The dark-haired man flushed dangerously at him. Nanaki swished his tail quickly several times at Vincent as a signal to please calm down and was relieved when he observed Vincent relax somewhat.
"I can't take you with me, even if I wanted to, which I don't," the blond-haired man explained. "The only reason I'm getting to go is these are guys I used to work with way back when. And another thing, we have no idea what lies down there or what might happen. I might need you two to come rescue us."
With that said, Nanaki noticed Vincent had just relaxed his hands which had automatically curled into fists just a short while earlier. Wow, he is really wound tight, Nanaki thought. I have never seen him this bad. Is it Tifa? He idly wondered before returning his attention to Cid.
"I'm going to meet them topside at six tomorrow morning. I'm gonna take a PHS with me and you make sure you keep one on you at all times."
Vincent nodded his agreement solemnly while he continued to prepare the flounder for baking, after the steaks were finished. Vincent never ate red meat in an attempt to keep Chaos deep inside of him.
Nanaki proceeded to explain to Cid what Vincent had discovered at Don Corneo's.
"God damn it! What the hell is going on here?" Cid cursed.
"What are we gonna do?" Nanaki threw out to the room at large, while Vincent served the two plates of steak, mashed potatoes, and green beans with a small salad on the side. Vincent soon returned to the table with his fish, but with the other entrees that he had served the others.
Seating himself, the dark-haired man asked, "Nanaki, get the drinks, will you?"
"W - What?" Nanaki almost choked on a piece of steak he had been chewing.
Cid burst out laughing again. "Don't worry, old buddy," he said while standing up from the table. "Vince is developing a sense of humor in his old age." Crossing to the kitchen and bringing back two brews and a soda for Nanaki, Cid nodded at Vincent while handing him the beer. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."
"Thank you," the usually morose man replied, leaving both Cid and Nanaki uncertain as to what Vincent was displaying gratitude for - keeping his attempt at humor a secret or bringing him the beverage or both.
"Let's wait to talk about what we're going to do until we finish eating," directed the dark-haired man finally answering Nanaki's question of a few minutes before. Everyone apparently agreed as they fell into devouring their chow.
After they had finished their meal, Cid pushed his chair back from the table, loosened his belt in the classic move of the man who had eaten too much and then let rip with a giant belch. Nanaki laughed at the Captain while Vincent stared flatly at him.
"I stand corrected, you can cook," Cid admitted.
"I'm so happy," Vincent replied completely dead panned leaving Cid confused as to his true intent which was Vincent's idea the entire time. Standing up from the table, he announced, "I'm getting some shuteye. I suggest that while Cid travels to the North Cave, Nanaki should search some of the other sectors and I will begin the odious task of looking for Tifa among the riff raff at the topless bars." Not waiting for a reply, Vincent stalked upstairs for the evening.