V
The Drug Lord of Wutai
The cold of the basement was all around me, yet I still wasn't used to it. Odd, since I had been down here for who knows how long, on this slab of a operating table, just listening to my own mind tumble down to slow insanity. The door opens, closes, locks, he must be back. The wiry doctor walks over to my table, his coke bottle thick glasses shining down at me.
"So…how are you?" Hojo's breathy voice says from above me, like a small stature god looking down at his creation. I say nothing, I have no words for him.
"Silent as always, Mr. Valentine, well you won't be for long." He tightens my straps, and goes over to another table. I brace myself, not matter what, I will not scream. He picks up a scalpel, it's blade gleams in the muggy light.
I will not scream…I will not scream…
Hojo walks over and put his right hand on my face, forefingers parted over my left eye.
Oh God…I will NOT scream…I will NOT scream…
"Lets see…I've always wanted to improve your eyesight." he murmurs. I suppress a whimper. Hojo makes an incision.
The pain! My teeth clamp down and threaten to break each other, my eyes water, a mixture of clear fluid and blood runs down my face.
will not….will not…
An earsplitting scream escaped Vincent's lips as he woke from his nightmare. Clapping a hand over his mouth, he bolted up, and whacked his head on the table he had been sleeping under. Looking around with frightened eyes, he quickly remembered where he was and slowly lowered his hand.
he sound of footsteps, running barefoot down a hall. The door the meeting room, also known as Vincent's room, came open.
"Are you okay?" It was Loki, her hair frazzled and her eyes wide. Vincent slid out from beneath the table, sleeping under the table had become a substitute for his coffin, and just blinked at her. She walked over and came down to eyelevel, looking worried.
"Nightmare?"
"Yes." She noticed that he was covered in sweat and trembling. He looked vulnerable, lost and unloved and she felt some weird compassion come over her
"You okay now?"
"I'll be fine." He looked away, and she did probably the most romantic thing she had done in her entire life. She hugged him.
Vincent jerked a bit at her arms closing over him, but she was very warm and he wanted it in a strange way. Putting his human arm over her, he swallowed and was at a loss of words. Then he realized that he was shirtless, and blushed. Funny, how he went to bed with shirts on…but they were usually in some odd place in the morning. Like the refrigerator. Gingerly, he put his claw arm over her as well and sighed.
What do I do?
"Loki…um…" Then he noticed her slack grip and how her breathing had changed. She had fallen asleep on him! He shook her a little, but she wasn't roused and he didn't have the heart to wake her. Plus, he didn't know where her room was…
Taking her off his lap, he placed her on the floor, for once sorry he didn't sleep in a bed. Taking up his cloak, he thought twice, then put it over her.
"Yeah…so now…where the hell is my shirt?" Scratching his head, he looked up…and saw it on the fan.
Not even gonna ask…
Going outside the room, he now found out why the others didn't wake up. Cloud snoring, combined with Cid's was like a train. Moving quietly upstairs, he went outside. On the top of the ship, he saw it was a clear night, the moon burning bright. It was on night's like this that he'd take Lucrecia down to the lake and…
He smacked himself.
"Great. I'm still in love with Lucrecia and here her daughter is falling all over me!" Feeling a pang of guilt, he looked over the side. Ironic, he was over the lake where he had met Lucrecia and received the Death Penalty, his cherished gun. If he let Chaos take over he could fly over and see her, but no, he had left that part of his life for too long. She probably hated him.
"The world mocks me tonight…" And he'd be damned if he didn't feel something for Lokilos.
The next morning…
Vincent yawned as he sat at the makeshift breakfast table slash the meeting room slash his bedroom. He hadn't slept the rest of the night, and Tifa came in looking as tired as he felt.
"Hey Vince…" She mumbled and poured herself a cup of coffee. Sitting next to him, she ran a hand through her long hair, trying to tame the masses of knots. Vincent yawned again, and nodded to her.
"What kept you up?" he asked in a quiet voice.
"Cloud's snoring…" she shook her head, "And Cid talks in his sleep…well, more like curses."
"Ah."
"What about you?" he debated telling her about the dream and the events that occurred after it, but he merely said, "Same thing."
Cid walked in, whistling "Straight Up and Fly Right", and smiled at them. "Cid's…happy?" Tifa and Vincent exchanged glances then looked back at the blond man, who was busy pouring a cup of tea for himself.
"Saw a certain someone in the shower…heheheheh." He winked at Vincent and left the room.
"What? Hey!" Tifa chased after him, a little miffed. Vincent looked down at his tea, as Cloud walked in, muttering something about Cindy. "Luscious…stupid Cid and his damn…full hips…" he looked over at the dark haired man and shook his head, "I was THIS close to getting some." He sat next to Vincent, drinking milk from the carton.
"You ever gotten any Vince?"
"What?"
"You know…gotten it on…" Cloud winked, and Vincent just blinked at him.
"Aw…guess were just a couple of virgins.." he slung his arm over Vincent's shoulder, leaving Vincent looking bewildered.
"WUTAI HO!" Cid called out from the bridge. Cloud got up and ran to see them land. Vincent drank more of his tea.
The little town buzzed with excitement. There were plenty more tourists then before and business was booming everywhere. The Highwind landed just outside and as everyone walked in they were greeted by salesmen of all kinds.
"Free lunch at Kinka's diner if you spend 50 Gil at my store!"
"This potion is guaranteed to make you grow hair on your-"
"Once in a lifetime offer! This rare penguin is a genuine Ancient!"
"Child for sale!"
"Oh that's just wrong…" Tifa said, looking at the crying red head on the corner and the older pock marked brother desperately trying to sell her. Cloud didn't even look up as he collected tickets and trinkets from everyone.
"I didn't remember it being this busy…" Loki said quietly, following the others into a bar. Inside, it was a little less noisy and they sighed with relief. Cid went to the bar and ordered a round tea in a loud voice, while the other grabbed a table. It was then that a familiar voice was heard over the din.
"Give me my money damnit!"
"No refunds girly, sorry." The red head lit up a cigarette and tossed back his hair, "It's not my fault if you didn't get the kick you needed."
"It wasn't for me nimrod, I sell this shit for a living!" The black haired ninja looking girl pointed at the man, "You fraud!"
"Hey hey! You watch your-" the man looked over at Cloud's spiky head and gaped. His lit cig fell onto the floor and he looked bewildered.
"Not fucking possible." The man in blue went over and poked Cloud in the shoulder, "You! What are YOU doing in Wutai?"
"RENO?"
"In the flesh, spiky boy." Reno sneered, and lit up another with his silver lighter, "Folks around here call me 'Sir'."
"Fucktard is more like it!" The girl stormed over, "This guy sold me some bad Materia!"
"Yuffie?" Tifa exclaimed and Cloud raised his eyebrows.
"No duh."
"This whelp stole 500 Gil from me!" Reno's attention was back on Yuffie and he drew a gun from its hip holster. Yuffie put a hand on her shiruken and glared.
"Knock it off you two!" Loki got in the middle, which shocked everyone even more.
"You know them?" Vincent said calmly and Loki sighed heavily.
"Hello? Followed you guys? Plus they both live here, how can I not know them?"
"Let me at 'em Loki!" the ninja screamed and struggled to get around Loki.
"Oh come at me you little w-"
"SHUDDAP!" Cid yelled, breaking his white teacup in anger.
"Lets talk about this okay?" Tifa said, looking at everyone. She really didn't feel like a fight today.
At Yuffie's pagoda, Loki explained everything while Cloud eyed Reno carefully. Reno stuck his tongue out at him, and Vincent had to restrain Cloud from striking.
"So that's what you're doin' back." Yuffie scratched at her head, "Alright, forget Reno, I'm comin' too!"
"Hey wha? Forget me? The hell you will, I'm follwin' you till you pay me back that Gil!"
"No way!" Cloud yelled, and Vincent struggled against him.
"Calm down damnit!"
"No way Vince! I'm not letting him come!"
"I don't like it too well either, but he could help!"
"I'm with Cloud, I don't trust 'em." Cid eyes were narrow and he glared at Reno.
"Well, I agree with Vince, he could help. Even if he IS a part of ShinRA." Tifa said, although the word 'ShinRA' was full of anger.
"Look, ShinRA's done. I hate those pricks! Royally screwed me over is what. 'Sides it's not like I wanna do this shit either."
"Look, anything he does, I'll take responsibility ten fold." Loki spoke up, and everyone looked at her.
"Do you know what your getting yourself into?" Tifa asked and Cloud nodded, "Yeah, Reno's a real prick."
"Looks who's talkin' spiky…"
"So…he insults me, I get to hit you?" Loki merely looked at him, and Cloud broke away from Vincent, and swung at Loki. Vincent quickly caught his arm with his metal hand, drawing ruby droplets from the grip of it.
"Don't. Hurt. Her."
Cloud looked at him, the man's red eyes filling with anger. "Vincent…let him go. I don't want Loki hurt either…but c'mon you guys we can't fight like this." Tifa put a hand on Vincent's own, and he let Cloud go.
"I apologize Cloud." He said in a low voice and left abruptly. Reno looked frightened, and for once Cloud shared the same sentiments.
Outside, Vincent looked up at the sky and sighed. He wasn't the type to get angry easily, but he felt protective of his lover's daughter. A sliding door opened and closed, and a soft voice was heard.
"You didn't have to do that."
"He would have hit you."
"It's alright…Reno and I…we have a history."
"It's not alright! Its nothing to get hit over!" He looked at her with anger, but she didn't flinch. She still looked calm as ever, a type of sadness was present in her eyes. Surprisingly, she took his claw hand, and wiped off the blood. Licking it off her fingers, her yellow eye glowed.
"Thank you…for last night. You aren't the only one with nightmares…" Vincent felt his anger ebb and he looked down. Looking up again, she was gone.
