Chapter 4- Take These Sniffles Away

Achoo!...
Sniff...
"Aw Gawd, Vinnie, i'm sick!"

Vincent awoke to the sound of his wife's coughing.

Sniff...

"Great, i've got it too, Yuffie."

"We were 'sposed to be moving out today. Now Hunter's gonna catch it too. Did you bring a heal materia?"

"No."

With runny noses and scratchy throats, Yuffie, Vincent, and Hunter hit the road. Yuffie sat in the back seat with Hunter while Vincent drove.

"Hey, Yuffie, where are we going?"

Yuffie slumped down in her seat in order to catch some more rest. Before she dozed off, Yuffie simply pointed forward and moaned, "Jus' go dat way...sniff, cough...'til we find a city."

Yuffie did not really find rest. Every bump of the road jarred her consciousness awake, making her feel even worse. Finally, the family arrived in Costa Del Sol. The beach town was virtually empty, since it was the beginning of November. As they pulled into town, Hunter started to cry.

"Is he hungry?", Vincent queried.

"No, he can't be. I jus' gave him a bite to eat. I think he's thirsty, though. Can you pull over by the store and get some formula? We're out."

"We don't really have to. You can give him some of your own milk. That's what they're there for."

"Vinnie, don't remind me. I don't feel good."

"I guess you're right. I'll take care of Hunter, but then we're both going to the doctor."

"Fine."
Achoo!

The last thing that Yuffie wanted to feel at a time like this was the cold metal of a doctor's table. The freezing sensation quickly sent shivers down her spine. When the doctor came in, he did a basic kind of checkup.

"What are your symptoms?"

"I've got a runny nose, scratchy throat, i'm starting to run a fever, and it kinda stings when I use the bathroom. Does that sound like the flu?"

"Slightly, but tell me more about the 'stinging'".

When Yuffie left the room, Vincent was already waiting for her, nervously. "Well, Yuffie, i've got a prescription for cold medicine.", Vincent lied. "What did you get?"

"It's anti-viral medicine."

Vincent tried to act shocked as he queried, "What!? You have a virus? But it's still basically giving you flu-like symptoms, right?"

When he looked into Yuffie's eyes, he could see that she was not happy, and that she was glaring back at him with a very hateful look in her eyes.

"Vincent, let's just get in the car and leave."

"Yuffie, tell me what the problem is."

Yuffie began to cry a few tears, but they were not out of sadness. Yuffie gritted her teeth as she accused, "My problem is you, you dirty lying cheater!"

"Uh...Yuffie...what are you talking about?"

"Vincent, you gave me Herpes!"

"We'll just take the medicine, and everything will be cured, right?"
"Wrong. This stuff will just mask the symptoms. We'll still be genetic carriers. I know you got it recently, because Hunter doesn't have it. So in the short time after he was born, you had to have gotten it from another woman! Now this virus will pass on to all of our future children!"

"You only wanted one anyway, right?"

"Vinnie, that's not the point! While I was at home, taking care of Hunter, you were off having an affair with some bug-riddled trailer trash! Who was it?"

Vincent started to walk away. As the fragile family got into the car, Vinnie muttered, "I'm not telling you anything."

Yuffie's hand flew through the air and landed across Vincent's face as she gave him a fierce slap. "If you're going to treat me that way, then stop the car and leave me here. Better yet, i'll take the car."

"You can't afford to do that. You've a fugitive from the law, and now i probably am too, for providing your escape. This is my car, and i'm the one with the money. Hunter is our son, and i'm not leaving. But having said that, I cannot tell you who I was with."

"Why not?"

"Because of the implications. There's something at work in our world that only I can see."

"Why is that, and why aren't you doing something about it?"

"I'm the only one that can comprehend the genius of 'The Plan'. It's going to happen, and there's nothing we can do to stop it."

"Vinnie, you're scaring me."

"Can you give me some kind of clue about what's going to happen?"

"I can only let you see the tip of the iceberg."
"That's fine."

"Okay."

"Well, what is it?"

"Hojo is back."

"What!? How?! After he mutated and fell into the Mako, he died!"

"Firstly, we only thought that was Hojo. Apparently, he had engineered a clone to look like him. The real Hojo is still alive. He's the one who created the 'Sephiroth Materia'."

"Ooh, I can't wait to get my hands on him! I'll make him pay for what he's done! But why has he waited seven years to reappear?"

"Seven is the perfect number."

"Tell me who your mistress is."

"Nope."

"You'll have to tell me sometime."

"No, I don't."

Since it was late, Yuffie and Vincent stopped by the drug store to get their medicine, but then checked into a nearby hotel. They specifically ordered a room that contained two separate beds.

When Vincent woke up in the morning, he found that everything was gone. There was no sign of Yuffie or Hunter. His wallet was empty. His car was not in the parking lot. Worst of all, his anti-viral medicine was no longer on the nightstand. There was no doubt in Vincent's mind. This looked like a classic Kisaragi heist. It was her first in years.