Hey, guys. I got some help with my story. I wanna thank Academy and everyone else who took their time to read and review for helping me with a few things. I updated the chapters so now they look a little more decent. None of the plot's changed, though.

Chapter 2 - The Rose

It had been thirty minutes since Cid and Vincent arrived at Vincent's home. It was a rather lovely two-story house with a nice, dark, cherrywood staircase with railings made of the same material. The upper area's floor was covered with what seemed to be silk carpetting. The same was carried out inside of each of the five bedrooms and even in the bathrooms at both ends of the hallway. What made the house stand out in Cid's mind was the fact that its wallpaper was black.

"Why did you and Shera break up after only two weeks?" Vincent asked, scaring Cid enough to break him down to one knee.

"Dammit, man!" Cid screamed. "You scared the shit outta me! Well, I guess we found out that we're not much of a fucking 'match'. She wanted a kid...I didn't. Simple as that."

I could never imagine another fowl-mouthed smoke factory walking around Vincent thought to himself. I'm glad he didn't do it! "Would you like something...to eat?" he then asked.

"No." Cid replied adding a hint of sarcasm. "I was only kicked outta my fuckin' house before wandering all the way out here to sit and watch a pool of fuckin' water! Hell yeah I want somethin' to eat, Dammit!"

"I offer you food and you give me lip?" Vincent gave Cid the Glare of Death. "Are you really hungry, Cid?" Cid folded his arms over each other, shifted his weight to one leg, and hung his head towards the ground.Then, almost as if it was realizing a signal, his stomach began to growl. No longer able to deny it, Cid held his head up to nod.

"Alright." Vincent starts. "I can make a hamburger or two."

Cid was almost in shock. "Did you just say that you could make a hamburger or TWO?" "do you not want them?" Cid folded his ams once more. "I'm not eatin' no two fuckin' hamburgers, Vin! Who in the HELL cooks TWO hamburgers any-fuckin'-way?"

"Do you want more?" Vincent suggests. "I will go out and hunt down some wild, unsuspecting buck if you need more meat."

Cid handed Vincent a few airy chuckles of disbelief. "You gotta be fuckin' kiddin' me, man."

"Oh..." Vincent reassured his friend by brandishing his sawed-off shotgun and cocking it with one hand. Cid blinked at the sound.

"Alright. Alright. I'll take the fuckin' burgers!" Cid said, now sitting down in one of the dining room table chairs. "But just where did you get the meat for them damn meat patties? It ain't deer meat. That's for damn sure!"

Vincent turned his body around to face Cid. "A good chef never reveals his secrets."

"Shiiiit! Like you somebody fuckin' special"

"Well, I'm sure that if I told you everything I put into the 'meat patties' you would not eat them."

"Ya DAMN skippy!" Cid rose to his feet and stretched his arms over his head while giving a large yawn.

"I'm fuckin' tired. I'm gonna go take a nap. I'll be back down when it's time to eat." Cid left the dining room and walked up the staircase. He made it half way up when he turned to notice Vincent at the foot of the steps seemingly watching him. "You know..." Cid started. "You scare the hell outta me sometimes. I guess it's part of what makes you special, Vin." Cid turned and headed back up the stairs to his room. He didn't see the very slight and somewhat empty smurk given to him by Vincent.

...Nice ass.

Upstairs, Cid sat on the side of his bed and started to think his airship. He gave a loud sigh, laid down, and closed his eyes.

"I miss you already, Baby girl. I hope that bitch don't fuck wit' cha none at all!" A silence was casted upon the room, though it was rather short lived. Cid found himself bored, so he sat up and turned on a radio sitting on a nightstand near the opposite side of his bed.

An hour has passed. Cid woke up to find three hamburgers and a rose with a letter wrapped around it sitting on his lap. He opened the note and begins reading. "Not all beauty has a price. Hold this close to your heart to help you sleep a little better." Cid sat there to think on the letter. "What the fuck? Can't hurt too bad." Cid flipped the note over to find another smaller message. "P.S. I apologize. I burned your 'meat patties' cutting the thorns from this rose. You can sleep through anything, can't you?" He lifted the bun of one of the burgers to find the meat has been burned to a crisp. "Damn! It would've been better had you burned the fuckin' rose instead of the damn meat, man!" The fact of the burned meat didn't stop Cid from eating the sandwiches, and on a full stomach, he fell back to sleep. Vincent secretly stood in the doorway watching Cid and admiring his old friend.

"I'll get you soon, dear friend. Soon."