Chapter 4: Traveling

"Why'd you adopt me?" Vincent finally asked after a long while. He'd been trying to glare holes through Jason's back throughout the long car drive, but to no avail. The car ride had already been a few hours and Vincent was starting to wonder where exactly this man was taking him. Although Vincent was drowsy, he stayed awake, not trusting Jason.

"Why would anybody adopt a child?" Was Jason's reply. Answering a question with a question. Damn him...

"Because they want to." muttered Vincent. It was all that Vincent could think of at the moment. He was too busy trying to recognize their location.

When he looked to the left horizon and right horizon, he saw the sea. What was near the sea? He tried to remember the map at the orphanage. Cosmo Canyon and Gongaga were close enough, but he knew there wouldn't be water on opposite horizons. Maybe they were at Rocket Town? No, it would be too close to have to drive for hours. Then where were they? Vincent racked his brains for the answer, but by the time he'd found it, it was dawn and they'd already arrived. Costa Del Sol.

Jason got out of the black car and slammed the driver's door. Vincent followed suit.

"Where are we?" Vincent asked, just to make sure.

"Costa Del Sol." was the shorter man's answer. He didn't seem too interested with Vincent. It seemed as if he was ignoring him and it bothered Vincent. When someone adopts a child, shouldn't they be caring for them or at least appear to look like they care for them? No... something wasn't right with this man at all.

"Is this where you live?" Vincent inquired.

"Why do you ask so many questions?" Jason asked, not answering Vincent's question. He'd already started to walk in a quick pace down the street and Vincent kept in stride easily with his long legs.

"You didn't seem too keen on talking to me before. Why start now?" Jason continued.

"I'd just like to know these things..." Vincent muttered.

Silence ensued. They walked on down the road and past resorts. Jason completely ignored Vincent the whole way, concentrated on his destination. Finally they came to a small beach house with a few docks. Most of the docks were empty, but one dock had a boat left.

They both entered the beach house, which was surprisingly open during the early hours of dawn. It was occupied with only one sleeping man at the desk. Jason strode to the front desk and tapped the bell impatiently. Immediately the round man awoke from his snore-fest and came to full attention.

"Hello." He said gruffly, "Welcome to Costa Del Sol boats..."

"Yes, yes, that's nice. I need to use your last boat out there to go to Midgar." Jason cut the other man off and got to the point quickly.

The chubby man before him glanced out the window at the docks and said, "I'm sorry, but that one's reserved."

"Well then move the reservation and make space for us!" Jason commanded while gesturing to himself and Vincent.

"Look, dude, you can't just barge in here and order me around!" The receptionist exclaimed, now standing up. He wasn't much taller than Jason.

Jason just smirked at the other man and leaned on the counter so their proximity was closer. "Do you remember Gary?boat" he whispered dangerously. His voice was too low for Vincent to hear, but the male receptionist heard him fine. He visibly paled and gulped, knowing full well what happened to his friend, Gary, for not following through with one of their customers' orders.

"O-okay... Ju-just wait for a m-moment there." he stuttered, clearly nervous now. No, he didn't want to have Gary's fate. Jason sneered at his success and at the man's cowardice.

"ANNA!" the man hollered after typing away on the keyboard for a few minutes. An even shorter girl in shorts and a bikini top promptly arrived from the back of the beach house.

"Yeah, Marty?" she said.

"Take these two men on a boat ride to Midgar." the receptionist, Marty, said.

"But..." Anna started, but Marty shook his head and gestured with his hand that she shouldn't disagree. "Okay..."

She turned around to face Vincent and Jason and gestured for them to follow her out. They did so and came to the boat at the dock. Without any conversation they mounted the steps onto the red sea vehicle.

"Why're you guys goin' to Midgar?" Anna inquired while preparing the boat to leave. Vincent glanced at Jason, but it seemed as if he wasn't going to answer. After a few moments of silence, Anna shook off the fact that she was being ignored.

"Midgar's my home town, y'know." she informed them, although it did nothing to stir conversation. Sighing, she started the boat's engine.

"We'll be there by noon." she yelled over the roar of the engine and then no one spoke afterwards.

The sky was still dark even as the sun rose from the horizon, and the sea was calm enough for a short boat ride. It was silent throughout the following hours. Vincent always stayed far from Jason, but he'd always be close enough to keep an eye on the short man. He was just so suspicious of him. There seemed to be this dark aura surrounding Jason that Vincent couldn't ignore. He noticed how the man's expression was that of someone triumphant. What he triumphed in, Vincent did not know. He also wasn't sure if he wanted to know...

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It was already noon by the time they arrived at Midgar. It was smooth sailing during the whole boat ride with the exception of a light drizzle during the middle of the morning. Jason and Vincent went off the boat and began to walk away. Vincent wondered why Jason didn't pay the girl who brought them here.

"Hey, you!" Anna yelled out. Jason paid her no attention and continued to walk.

"Pay her." Vincent said firmly. This wasn't right. They shouldn't force the receptionist to change the reservations and then not pay the sailor. Who did this man think he was?

"Look, son," Jason said, spitting out the word like it was something vile, "when you have priorities like I do, you'll see that you don't have to pay. Got it?"

Vincent stopped walking. Jason noticed this and spun around to face him. He had a twinkle in his eye that gave him a sinister look. But Vincent didn't back down. No matter how much he could seem like he didn't care, inside he truly did. This wasn't right and he wasn't going to ignore it.

"You've made those people do things for us that they didn't have to do." he said. "I don't know what you told that receptionist, but it sure as hell got you what you wanted, so go over there and pay her!" His voice was in a risen tone and there was a look of defiance in his eyes. Jason brought out the talkative side of Vincent, it would seem.

Jason looked like he was about to hit Vincent, but he clenched his fist and closed his eyes. When he reopened them, he had this malicious sneer on his face. "Okay." was all he said before stalking off to the boat they had just ridden. Vincent watched as the short man ascended the steps and approached the angry woman aboard. They spoke for a few seconds before going into the cabin. After that, Vincent couldn't see anything that happened, but when Jason came out, he was alone. Somehow, Vincent didn't think that anything good conspired during the time they were in the cabin.

When Jason returned he waved his hand to Vincent in a gesture for him to follow. But Vincent didn't move.

"What did you do?" Vincent asked accusingly. Jason stopped again and turned around.

"What do you mean?" he asked as innocently as possible.

"What happened to the sailor?" Vincent asked more specifically and with more accusation than before.

"I merely paid her the sum required." Jason replied, "Now follow me."

Vincent glared at the older man's retreating back before turning around and looking at the boat. It was now drifting into sea, but something still seemed wrong. Vincent worriedly took a last glance at the boat before following Jason. Little did he know that Anna, the poor girl, was sprawled on the cabin floor, dead and poison shooting through her veins.