Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters! Cause if I did, Zack would have never died!
C4tth3gr34t: Okay, First off I will be answering/responding to reviews at the end of chapters! Thanks for the two that have reviewed!
Chapter 4: Best friends are forever!
"I agree, Rufus, it's completely unnecessary for the children to get impure water. I will have words with Tifa when I get back…. Yes, spending their time running around the city is both wasteful and dangerous. They do need to go to school and I am okay with you teaching them, so long as they are never near the Science Department, if I find out that they were allowed into the Science Department or left alone with a Scientist then you will never be allowed to watch the children again. Talk to you again when we get back to Midgar." Cloud closed his phone as he entered his room. Zack was on the second bed, letting Kadaj and Yahzoo brush and play with his hair. Loz was standing by the door and rushed up to Cloud to be picked up as he entered the room. Cloud bent down and picked up Loz.
"So, you have two more kids in Midgar and you trust them with Rufus Shin-Ra?" Zack raised an eyebrow but didn't move because Kadaj and Yahzoo had started to braid his hair.
"Yes, he isn't his father. He helped out getting rid of Sephorith and he figured out what Shin-Ra owed me for those years in the lab. Oh, apparently Rude already told him about you and the children. He already has his accountants working out what they owe you and he is raising my pay for the job. He has a soft-spot for children, but don't tell anyone, they won't believe it." Cloud sat across from Zack and laughed at how he looked with braids.
"I see that you have already showered. I am going to take the little ones to get them cleaned up. You should get ready for bed, you need to get your strength back. Come on you three, Vincent found you some nightclothes. We will go shopping for more clothes when we get back to Midgar." Cloud led the children into the bathroom.
"Ha, Cloud is all grown up!" Zack shook out the braids out and jumped off the bed. "So I have an hour before Cloud gets done with the kids. What to do, what to do? I know! I will get to know Vin better!" Zack bounced out of the room.
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"Lady Yuffie! What is the meaning out this? You have to get ready for a meeting with the elders in ten minutes!" A servant worried when he found Yuffie in her travel clothes and half way out her window.
"Well, Reno called me about finding something really cool! I think it might be some new materia! So I'm leaving for a while! Let my dad know! Also I have tied up the honor guards and the secret forces, so I will be long gone by the time you guys find them and set them free!" Yuffie jumped out of her window.
The servant whimpered and ran to tell Yuffie's father, but, as Yuffie said, by the time they found and freed the guards, Yuffie was already out of the country with no trace of her whereabouts.
"Why is she set on running away when it's finally time for her to take up the mantel of the heir to my throne! Guards do not rest until she has been found and brought back to this castle! Also find out who this Reno is! I will not have my heir in contact with filth!" The Emperor of Wutai raged and threw his cup at the wall.
"Well, sire if I speak so freely as to say that she is used to the freedom she had before you made it official that she would succeed you, that is why she runs off like this all the time. I suggest if you cannot stand her actions then you could always find a replacement." The slimy advisor was the only one brave (stupid) enough to approach the emperor when he was enraged. ~Thunk~ The ornate letter opener buried itself into the wall next to the advisor's head.
"Think before you open your mouth. Someone could take such talk as treason, but luckily I know better. Leave me and only come back once my daughter has been found." The emperor sat down at his desk and began to work. The advisor, visibly shaken, bowed and rushed out of the room. Once, the advisor had left and was out of earshot, the emperor turned to a shadow at his side. 'Kill him and anyone within his circle of trust." Then the emperor returned to his work, no one talks about his daughter like that.
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"Hey Vin! I wanted to talk to you!" Zack burst into Vincent's room. Vincent sighed at the nickname.
"My name is Vincent Valentine. I do not do nicknames." Vincent moved to the table so they could look at each other as they talked. This was shaping up to be a very long day.
"Okay! ~smile~ Vin tell me how you and Cloud met and stuff!" Zack flopped onto the chair
"~huff~ Why don't you ask Cloud? He can tell the story just as well as I can."
"Yeah, but the kid is so shy and he's busy with his new kids! C'mon spill! Or I will start calling you Vinny!" Zack smiled his thousand-watt smile and Vincent crumbled.
"Okay, I was in a coffin in the basement of the Shin-Ra Mansion. I was an experiment of Hojo before Sephiroth was born. I am unable to sleep or age and thus for me to "sleep" I needed a critical wound that put my body in a status to heal said wound. Once, Cloud found me and told me what Hojo had done to my son, Sephiroth, I agreed that he must be killed for it was the only way to free him from Jenova and save him from the twisted destiny that Hojo had planned for him. After the final battle, I realized that Cloud still carried a heavy load and I vowed to help him in any way possible." Vincent looked a little startle about how much he told this stranger.
"Oh, so that was you in the coffin. I found you but I thought you were just sleeping and it creeped me out and so I didn't wake up you up! I am glad that Cloud has found such good friends! I was worried about the little guy, he is just so shy! It makes me want to hug and protect him!" Zack bounced up from his chair.
"I see."
"Hmm, it took me longer than I thought it would to find your room, so I got to go back to mine and Cloud's room before he gets upset that I ain't resting. He is such a Mama-chocobo!" Zack bounced out the door.
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"Cid, I know you're home! You are the only one who would take my bike! We need a ride back to Midgar!" Cloud shouted at the airship. Zack was doing squats as they waited for this Cid person to respond.
"Yeah, Yeah I hear ya'! My ship ain't your fucking ferry service!" A blond man appeared onto the deck on the ship.
"Shera said that if you swore in front of the kids you would owe us a free ride to where ever we wanted to go." Cloud smiled as Cid was flabbergasted at the mini-Sephoriths hiding behind Cloud.
"Aw come on Cloud, Mini-Sephoriths? Please tell me you didn't take them to Shera and I swear I'll take you where ever you want to go." Cid was slightly panicked as Reno and Zack started laughing.
"No, I didn't, but I told her about them and I will take them to spend the day with her if you don't take us to Midgar." Cloud smirked.
"Okay, Okay! Don't get pushy. Are the mini-Sephoriths on our side or will they be planning to take over the world?" Cid waved the group on to the ship, grumbling as the Tucks landed their 'copter on the heli-pad.
"Hi! My name is Zack Fair! Did you ever get into Space?" Zack bounded up to Cid.
"What? No! The old bastard of a president pulled the funding at the last moment! How the hell did you know that anyway?" Cid was thrown off guard by Zack's friendliness.
"Oh! I was a Soldier First Class! I was the one that escaped from Hojo and freed Cloud before I was captured again! So you are a friend of Cloud's? How did you guys meet? Did you help stop Sephorith with him? What is the name of your airship? Did you make it yourself?" Zack bounced in place waiting for Cid to answer.
"Cloud broke one of my planes and I liked how he was going against Shin-Ra with that tiny group, the rest is history! I made my ship! Her name is Sherra! Now get inside, so I can get these Turks off my ship!" Vincent stopped beside Cid as Zack bounded after Cloud.
"So tell me, Vincent and Cid what is it like to be interrogated by the Planet's friendliest puppy?" Reno had just gotten over his laughing fit.
"Strange, he is rather disarming and you feel like you can tell your whole life story to him and it wouldn't faze him." Vincent was clearly uncomfortable about this subject.
"Yeah, I never thought I would answer that question. It's weird. Is he always like that?" Cid looked at the door where Zack, Cloud and the children disappeared into.
"Nope! He was holding back today. He didn't want to overwhelm Cloud's friends. Now, you know why he was Sephiroth's friend before the whole Jenova thing. Sephiroth never stood a chance." Reno waltzed into the inner of the aircraft; Rude followed him after securing the helicopter.
"So what do you make of him, Vincent?" Cid knew Vincent would have the best opinion of this old "friend" of Cloud's.
"He is very loyal to Cloud and a truly good person and very very cheerful and naïve. He has not lied once since we found him." Vincent knew this because of the monsters living inside him reacted when someone lied in his presence.
"Good, it's been awhile buddy. I was thinking of going for a fly for awhile, want to join?"
Cid started to head into the aircraft.
"Shera asking about children again?"
"Shut ya' mouth!" Cid blushed and stomped the rest of way inside. Vincent smiled and joined him.
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"Sire, we have information about Reno." A group of ninjas kneeled a respectful distance from their emperor.
"Well, stop stalling and tell me!"
"Reno appears to be a Turk for Shin-Ra."
"What!"
"He was also in our country around the time when that Don was here."
"What!"
"And there have been sightings of Lady Yuffie and Reno… holding hands, Sire"
"WHAT!"
"Sire, remember your blood pressure!"
End of Chapter
Authors note: I have nothing really to say, but I have decided that Vincent is Sephorith's father and he knows it. Sephorith did not know this fact.
P.S. People who review will get a hypothetical Zack Hug!