A/N: Gah! Another idea just popped into my head…this is an experiment for a family/romance story, and as usual, this will be a Yuffentine. In this chapter, we see how bad everything is…

Vincent sat in his armchair watching as the movers took everything in his house to pay for the debt that the alimony had racked up. All he had left was a glass of his vintage 1970 Chateau Francois Corel Cabernet Sauvignon, as he had offered the rest of the bottle to the movers before they continued moving his stuff into the truck—with looks of guilt and pity in their eyes when they tried to face him. There was not much point to stop them…after all, she had cleaned him out of everything except his daughter—as he thought back on it, he began to wonder where in the marriage did he go wrong? Perhaps he had failed to time his scheduled performances in the Seventh Heaven correctly so that he could spend more time with her? Did he spend too much time around Tifa and Cloud? What went wrong?

The two movers continued to walk across him still refusing to face him. They saw the dead look in his eyes, and they felt bad for rubbing it in—as if the divorce were not enough, his so-called wife saw fit to take everything in their house lock, stock, and barrel, including his beautiful daughter Minami. They even took his beloved lacquered mahogany grand piano Maria from him, as well as his custom acoustic guitar Alice, both of which are works of art in terms of craftsmanship and sound. The two movers assigned to his case were his drinking buddies in Seventh Heaven, and so they felt like they were betraying him with each object they took—they especially knew from conversations with Vincent that Maria was a birthday gift from his foster father Grimoire before he died. They hoped that the divorce would not affect his playing…he would not be getting good tips if he played horribly, and it would not do Minami any good if he died of starvation when she finds him one day.

"I've had it!" shouted the larger mover dropping the leather couch to the ground, causing his partner to grunt in pain as he lost his balance, and Vincent turned turned his attention to his friends, "I can't take anymore of this shit! Vince! You don't fucking deserve this! I refuse to fucking do this anymore! If it were some other asshole I know that deserved it, I could understand, but you didn't do anything to warrant this! Hell! She should be the one to get the fuck out and pay you back! This ain't fair! You had to go through so much shit already, and now this bullshit comes and happens to you?! To hell with the pay from this job! I'm fucking quitting now!"

"He ain't the only fucking one," yelled his blond friend in agreement, as he dropped the other end of the couch, "in fact, I'm going to fucking quit here and now!"

Vincent stood up, and sighed as walked towards his friends after putting down his glass. "Cid, Barrett, there's no avoiding this. Reeve and I fought as hard as we could, but her lawyer fought better—dirty as it was with all those lies he fed to the jury. I forbid the two of you to quit now, especially you Barrett…you still have Marlene, Aeris, and Elmyra to think about—I refuse to have the four of you starve just because you defended me. And I refuse to let you, Cid Highwind, to give up on your promise to Shera to become a pilot and make her proud. I appreciate your offers to give up your jobs for me, but think about it…if you refuse to do this, not only will you not be paid, but someone else will be sent to do the job instead. If anything, I'd rather you be paid to hurt me more than to die in the streets for me. Besides, I'll be fine…Tifa's offered lodgings to me in the Seventh Heaven."

Barrett and Cid calmed down, but the pain in their eyes towards his situation betrayed the calm atmosphere. "It's not that Vince," Barrett said, "it's just that it ain't fair…that slut two-timed you for her lawyer…and he was the one who got away with it."

"I understand Barrett, and I thank you and Cid for your loyalty to me. But I'll be fine. Just take everything and go; I won't blame you. I just need some time to think."

The two of them had bowed their heads in guilt. They reluctantly went back to work, dragging furniture and loose objects to the truck in the dead of night. As they continued to move, they noted that Vincent had a metal lockbox on his lap as he sat back on his armchair with his wine within reach. They noted that the box was open, and they saw what it was that was in the container: it was beautifully crafted Dan Wesson PPC revolver with an engraved motif of a beautiful woman on its barrel, obviously chambered for the.500 S&W rounds in the box underneath it with his trademark logo chained to the bottom of the pistol grip. "Don't worry…I don't plan on shooting myself…I'm too confused and depressed to even do that now."

With that, Cid immediately shut the lockbox, and took it away from his friend. "It doesn't hurt to be too careful," said Cid as he snapped the lock in place, "but I tell you what…if I think I can trust you with this gun, then I'll let you have it back. Deal?"

Vincent simply smiled sadly. "You have a deal—but while it's in your care, do me a favor and take especially good care of her…that one is a beauty."

"I know…"

It would be another three hours of reluctant moving before the house was finally empty, and Vincent's glass matched the state of the house. It was then that he got back up with his suitcases packed, and started walking. Tifa was waiting for him after all, and with concern in her heart no doubt…

A/N: If you were expecting another chapter of "The Flying Demon", then please wait a bit longer…but otherwise, read and review would you kindly?

Songs Played:

"Obokuri Eeumi"—Ikue Asazaki, "Samurai Champloo"