Update: This story is being continued on Archive of Our Own. So if you'd like to start it there, please go to my profile and check out the link provided there or google my AO3 username CerebralHedonist if that is causing trouble. have at thee! Thank you for coming and thank you for reading. (01-27-2018)

Akino: SO I've had some computer complications. The whole time my comp has been uber stupid and I've hand written five chapters of Chanterelle and two of Crimson Sins. So I have to type like ALL that up. I fail epically I know. _ this is just something I was readily able to type cause well… I suddenly had inspiration while replaying Dirge of Cerberus

Disclaimer: If I owned FFVII….well Aerith would be alive right now…other than that I wouldn't change a thing. Would take the fun out of fanfiction

Walking Out on Destiny

Prologue

"Am I sure? Am I sure? If this is just about me, then yes I'm sure!"

"What kind of woman are you?" Vincent whispered quietly, his crimson eyes narrowing at the love of his life. She had spurned his feelings; he accepted it. She had run into the arms of a deranged psychopath; he accepted it. She was continuing her research and drifting further and further away from him; he accepted it. She was carrying the spawn of this man's seed within her and was more than happy about it; he accepted that and was even happy for her. But now, she and this hell scum she called 'dear' were going to use this child in an awful experiment to create super soldiers. What the hell was wrong with her?

"Vincent, this is none of your business!" she shouted stalking away.

Vincent lowered his head. This was definitely a side of her he had not seen. They had been together here, shared whispers of love under the cloak of night and he'd felt the gloriousness of her body. When she'd looked into his eyes, he'd seen tears of such love and joy there that made him truly believe she loved him. Little had he known; it was not him she saw but someone from a not so distant past. And this man, Hojo, watched it all with a reserved amusement.

"Valentine, I won't pretend to like you. In fact, I've never pretended to be anything and I'll tell you that I've been more than honest in my dishonesty. So as advice from one man to another, only a righteous fool such as you would fall in love with a scientist."

He cut his eyes at the despicable man. Hojo merely smirked, his lips quirking almost evilly. "Scientist have no morals that they answer to. All that exists to us is the question to be answered and the drive to find that answer. I've been completely honest in my hate for you and my endeavors. I told you, from the very beginning, any child begat in this lab will be for the good of scientific research, even it's my own. You thought love would stop her then you have no knowledge of a woman's wiles."

Vincent glared at him, biting his tongue to stop the curses he wished to say to this man. He walked away without a single retort and Hojo took it for defeat. He eyed the gun in his desk drawer somehow glad that he didn't have to use it. He'd never admit it out loud, but Vincent's convictions were to be appreciated. They were a breath of fresh air to the "good of science" air he surrounded himself by.

l

Year One of the Jenova Project: Nibelheim Lab

Vincent lay on the couch where Lucrecia or Hojo would collapse after submerging themselves successfully in research. Dr. Gast popped in every once in a while but was often nowhere to be found for the majority of Lucrecia's pregnancy. He was too busy enjoying married life with his young bride. Vincent had checked into Ifalna's files while no one was around and learned that according to research, she was a Cetra. He hadn't brushed up on his scientific studies and ancient legends since his father had passed so it took a long time for the word to make sense to him. Cetra, that's what the remains of Jenova were supposed to be, that's what Lucrecia's child was destined to be or so they said. It was ludicrous in his mind, but, it was what she wanted and as much as he hated it, he backed off. In his mind, she'd lost hers. Being a mere mortal, he couldn't wrap his mind around using a baby to further scientific breakthroughs. Who injected a fetus with alien matter? Scientists. Feh, and his father wondered why he never went into ShinRa's Research department. He'd rather shoot people than experiment on them.

He put his arm over his eyes hoping to block out the annoying fluorescent lighting in the room. Damn things never turned off and they hadn't bothered to give him his own real room. He felt sleep clouding the edges of his mind and was happy to succumb to it. Then, the strangest sound filtered through the peaceful darkness he'd given himself. Crying?

Vincent lifted his arm so that he could look at his watch. Three in the morning…what the fuck? He got up figuring he most likely wouldn't be able to sleep through that racket. It was just inhumanely loud to even close his eyes against. He got up and made his way to the labs. He passed Hojo and Lucrecia's beds as he reached for the secret door and glared at the two exhausted professors. Lucrecia was curled against Hojo in some form of cuddling while Hojo merely had his back to her, snoring softly. Seriously? They really couldn't hear that?

He grumbled walking down the spiral wood stairs. The crying echoed louder at an earsplitting volume and he pinched the bridge of his nose at the sound. When he touched down on solid earth, the crying became annoying. He was supposed to babysit the scientists, not actual children. This wasn't in his job description and he wasn't about to make it a habit but if he was going to sleep before making the morning rounds, this kid had to shut the hell up. He went inside the labs following the source of the noise and found a generic incubator with a too small body inside. He leaned over it and paused. A little premature baby cried through an oxygen mask and wiggled as though everything hurt. Its mouth opened wide and screamed loud making Vincent realize it truly was in pain. A soft sound like hydraulics caught his ear and he popped the casing of the incubator curiously.

Vincent wasn't an idiot, he knew that premature babies were susceptible to disease and that was the reason they were incubated but something about the way this thing was made bothered him. Carefully, he picked up the wiggling little thing and arranged him so that he rested limply against his chest still crying. Something wet soaked his hands and he pulled back to find blood on his fingerless gloves. While balancing the tiny thing against him, he felt around the crib and winced at something poking him. He whipped back the cover and found strategically placed pins under the glass. Every few seconds one slowly rose and then receded. What…the…hell?

He supported the poor thing's head and removed the oxygen mask. Once it was gone, the baby began to quiet down to a mild whimpering until it was contentedly lying in his arms. It breathed deep breaths as if the oxygen mask had hindered more than help. Vincent gazed down at the poor thing, careful not to agitate his back. Big eyes slowly open revealing deep green pools glowing with the power of Mako. They dilated and slit like a serpent or felines as they tried to focus on the shape above him. Crimson and jade clashed with each other and slowly without Vincent realizing it…he began to rock the poor thing. The baby kept his eyes on him the whole time even as they began to droop. Vincent walked to one of the many chairs in the lab and took a seat. He leaned back in it so that both he and the baby were reclined and position him so that his head was once again on his chest. Jade eyes closed and a deep breath came from the child that made Vincent ache somewhere deep inside his chest.

"What the hell have you done, Lu?"

l

Year 2 of the Jenova Project: Junon Base Labs.

"Where is he?"

Lucrecia looked up from her charts. "Who, darling?"

"The boy, you idiot!"

"He's gone?"

Hojo gave her a condescending look. "No he's dancing on the ceiling, my dear."

"Don't take that tone with me. Vincent!"

One gloved hand came up from the couch as if to say "here" while the rest of the body was obscured. He had gotten use to simply ignoring the two of them until he was called and had developed the habit of lazing around considering nothing went on at the labs. Lucrecia rolled her eyes at his laziness. She'd never met someone so cynical.

"It's Sephiroth," she said and tossed a case of tranquilizing bullets at the hand which were caught gracefully. "Bring him back safely?"

Vincent sat up from the couch and grudgingly got to his feet. He loaded his Peacemaker with the tranquilizers though he doubted he'd need them. He knew exactly where the kid would go because he went to the same place every time though he never told tweedledee and tweedledum that. He allowed them to believe that he was just adept at tracking them down just so the kid could get a small break from them. Taking a long stroll would definitely be better than listening to the two of them crunch numbers. As he passed them he noticed the way Hojo eyed him as he slunk out of the lab with a poor posture. As a normal person, he would've ignored it, but as a Turk he felt his skin crawl as those pitch black eyes roamed over him in what he could only guess was suspicion. He really hated Hojo at times.

Vincent found the toddler in the usual, very odd place. The diminutive specimen stood at the end of the Junon'sMakoCannon which was almost complete in its construction. His bowl cut hair whipped around in the wind sparkling with strands of silver, white, and gray as too long bangs nearly obstructed his eyes. How he'd gotten this color was beyond Vincent's understanding. He could only chalk it up to all the Mako treatments Lucrecia had undergone during her pregnancy. He was practically swimming in the Junon Navy pajamas Vincent had managed to acquire for him. The medical bracelet that had become a permanent part of his wrist glinted in the evening sun letting all know that he was not human.

"Sephiroth?" he called calmly.

"Da nurse wet me out. It was easy," he said, his pale lips trying to form the words he couldn't yet pronounce. "She said I needed fweshaiw. Den she said I had to go back and I didn't want to. She twied to make me and I gawt mad and den…"

"And then what?"

"She fell ova and dis wed stuff came out of her head. I wan afta dat."

Vincent blinked comprehending what he just head. Great, it was the goldfish all over again. "You killed her?"

Sephiroth turned his back to him as if ashamed of his answer. "I didn't mean too, just wike I didn't mean to with Fio! You gonna tell Docta Lucwesha and Hojo?"

The Turk smiled a little bit and how he said his mother's name. "No, you know me by now. Just be more careful. A goldfish is replaceable but a human is not."

Sephiroth turned around, standing against the backdrop of the sunset. His beautiful jade eyes glowing almost as brilliantly as the sun with laces of blue frosting were admittedly beautiful. "Vince…awe you my daddy?"

"Huh? What gave you that idea?"

"Slimy Hojo said that I was his…best speshaman and Lucwesha said not to say that infwont of ya son. I dun want Slimy Hojo to be my daddy."

Vincent smiled and crouched in front of the child. "Seph, I'm not your father…but I can be your uncle."

"Ok!" Sephiroth spouted. "Unka Vince!"

Vincent found himself chuckling. "You want to go back to the lab now?"

Sephiroth nodded and took Vincent's hand securely. "But you gotta wead to me! I wanna wead da one wit da weird eggies and Sam!"

"Green Eggs and Ham?"

"Yep!"

"Sure thing kid."

I

Year Three of Jenova Project: Junon Base Lab

Sephiroth pressed himself against the back of the glass. His tiny body trembled as he held Tonny, his Tonberry doll close to his body not willing to let go.

"Professor Hojo says you ain't supposed to have toys, kid! Give it up."

Sephiroth was the bright age of three and he could speak for his self thank you very much. "Get away from me! A big dummy like you don't tell me what to do!"

The lab tech rolled his eyes and stalked forward reaching out for Tonny. Sephiroth twisted his body away from him and firmly planted his newly developed canines into the man's hand. He tasted the coppery flavor of blood instantly and pulled away with a triumphant smirk. The red liquid trailed down his chin and swiped his tongue over it finding the taste not too bad. It was actually kind of flavorful like the candy Vince snuck in.

"You little bastard!" the tech screamed and raised his good hand to smack Sephiroth but a stronger, glove covered hand grabbed his wrist. He looked back into the crimson stare of Vincent Valentine, the scientists' pet Turk. "This doesn't concern you."

"Uncle Vince! He's trying to take Tonny from me!" Sephiroth tattled.

Vincent arched his brow at the man. "Now why are you about to abuse a child over the possession of a stuffed animal?"

"Hojo's orders. He's ain't suppose to have any toys. It'll hinder his development!"

"The only thing hindering his development is your accent. Tell Hojo I said he can keep the damn tonberry." He twisted the man's wrist painfully and shoved him on his way.

Sephiroth sighed and slide down the glass. "You know he'll just take Tonny from me later."

"Not if you learn to hide it."

Sephiroth looked at his stuffed animal then up at Vincent. "He can see everything I do. So...I want u to take him!" he decided, handing Tonny to him. "Hide him til bedtime then you can bring him back to me."

Vincent eyed the boy for a moment, and then took the stuffed animal. "You are sure?"

"If Slimy Hojo takes him, I will never see him again. At least this way I can see him at night."

Vincent's smiled grimly. "Sure thing."

Sephiroth's smile brightened but then faded almost as quickly. His eyes seemed to be transfixed on something about Vincent. "Hey Uncle Vince?"

"Mm?"

"Why do you keep your hair so short?"

Vincent blinked and ran a hand through his shortly cropped mane. "I just do. My father never liked my hair to be too long and just became habit."

"Hojo likes my hair short too. Let's make a deal!"

Vincent smiled and tilted his head already use to these compromises Sephiroth loved to make for something he wanted. "I'm listening. Make your case."

"We should stop doing what our daddies say. I'll grow my hair out and you have to grow yours. Then when it grows we'll think of somethin' else our daddies don't like!"

He laughed and touched Sephiroth's bangs, the quicksilver strands slipping between his fingers like silk. "Deal. On one condition?"

"What now, Unc?"

"Stop biting the staff. You may catch something bad."

l

Year Five of Project Jenova: Corel Moutain Experiement

It took everything inside Vincent not to move. His nails dug into the fabric of his Turk uniform and he sneered as Lucrecia shouted words of encouragement while Hojo barked orders. He flinched when Sephiroth barely missed the explosion of a Bomb monster. A Bagnadrana hiding on the overhead rocks poisoned him when he dodged the bomb and he stumbled. He hunched over and Vincent took a step to go and aid him. Hojo subtly raised his hand while Lucrecia continued to record his progress. The Wutain doctor glanced at him secretly while his wife worked, his eyes clearly stating stay put. Vincent was in no mood to follow orders but according to the commands of President Shinra, this experiment would be a so-called breaking point. Watching the boy vomit green liquid on the ground was disturbing, but Sephiroth rose to his feet. His jade eyes were crazed with the need to survive this because in his young mind he wanted to go home and in order to go home, he had to kill these things. He took the small sword that had been given to him by his "parents" and without thought the Bagnadrana's head was severed from its shoulder. It fell over, the putrid smell making him choke. Unfortunately, the other Bombs chose that to be their moment to attack. One caught him in the back and exploded burning through his skin and making blood bloom from his shoulders. His face was one of shock but he didn't even get the chance to feel the pain before another hit him in the side and the other in the side of his face. He didn't scream or cry, his eyes simply went dull and he fell to his knees. His eyes locked with Vincent's red ones and seemed to flash a cry of help before they rolled and his tiny body fell forward on the ground.

Lucrecia clapped her hands. "Success. He was able to kill all targets without any prior training. Imagine when actually begins to train."

Hojo hummed in agreement. He watched as Vincent ran forward and pulled Sephiroth out of the dust and dirt and tried to wake him. The Turk pulled a tiny mastered cure from his pocket and placed the healing gem against the boy's blooded chest waiting for the major wounds to be healed. The soft green glow of the magic enveloped Sephiroth and the major wounds from the bombs were healed but the poison was still eating away at his insides. Vincent didn't have his full gambit of mastered materia with him and usually only took the cure materia on escorts with him. He was surprised to find Hojo kneeling down next to the boy with a blank expression. He pulled a Remedy from his labcoat pocket. He pressed it to the boy's lips while Vincent held him up and massaged his throat so that he could swallow. The two men locked eyes for moment. Hojo's orient eyes almost seemed to be laughing at him from behind is clear rimmed glasses as he got up.

"Vincent, carry our specimen back to the transport while me and Lu pack up here."

Lu? Vincent grit his teeth. That was what he used to call her in the privacy of her bedroom. How much had Lucrecia told him of their affairs? Had she even kept it a secret? All thoughts of jealousy and hatred flew from his mind when he heard Sephiroth moan painfully in his unconscious state. He lifted the boy in his arms and held him close to him. The only thing on his mind was making sure the silver haired boy would live. Something inside him felt just as wounded as Sephiroth as he watched those eyes moving behind his lids.

"I have to protect you," he whispered. He looked at Lucrecia and Hojo as they went over results. "Or no one will."

l

Year Ten of Jenova Project: Shinra Live Experimentation Ward – Midgar

Veld burst into the office of his Commander causing Vincent's red eyes to snap open. His obsidian hair was to his shoulders now and layered in thick layers around his face. The red-eyed Turk gave his second in command and friend a questioning gaze and Veld caught his breath.

"This is why you need to answer your office phone! I came up as soon as I'd heard from Nobel what they were doing next door to the Turk Lab."

Vincent felt his gut sink already knowing something awful had gone wrong. "What is it?"

"Its that kid you're fond of. If you don't get down there, he's going to die I know he is."

"Hojo hasn't stopped this?" he said getting up immediately.

"Hojo isn't here, Lucrecia gave the go ahead for this one," Veld stated regretfully.

Vincent's saw red and he bit his tongue to gain control of his anger. Without a word he marched coolly down to the labs below the Turk Floor and used his newly given authorization to enter the Shinra Labs. When an intern tried to stop him, he held a gun to her face making her scream and back off. He went to a large dome where a creature Vincent did not recognize from any bestiary he'd ever studied. It had to be a lab grown creature. Its mouth dripped with some form of acid and aches of electric current bounced along the walls. On the opposing side a bloodied and partially burned Sephiroth stood terrified in his white scrubs. His hair which had grown to his shoulder blades was matted with blood. He looked weak and tired as if his body was about to give out. All Vincent could feel were rage and a sense of protectiveness invade his senses. Vincent ran forward to where a group of white coats were observing. He came up beside Lucrecia and twisted her around to look at him.

"Stop this! He could die!"

She blinked as if Vincent had grown another head and smiled as if he were a child who had said something naive. "If he at some point ceases to function then we have a team ready to save him and give him all the medical attention he needs to survive this. You're in a huff for nothing silly!"

Vincent growled at her honey sweet tone and shoved her to the side. He went to the glass dome's keypad and shot it off. Malfunctioning, the door opened and he ran inside just as Sephiroth collapsed and did his best to back away from the monster. His eyes were filled with tears of fright and he was weary but a ray of hope came to him when he saw Vincent run in, his gun blasting the creature. He twirled the handgun in his hand and the small blue jewel at the end of its chain glowed. He fired a ice materia shot into the monsters face and watched it instantly turn to ice and shatter to pieces. He let out a relieved sigh and went to Sephiroth who desperately opened his arms for the man to pick him up. Vincent might as well had been one of those angel's he'd read about in story books. He was too happy and relieved when Vincent's strong arms lifted his battle weary body from the ground and carried him out of the dome. Lucrecia blocked the way.

"What do you think your doing, Commander Valentine?" she said, suddenly sounding authoritative. "You can't just grab my son and walk out of here without authorization from me and Professor Hojo!"

Vincent almost lifted his gun to her when he felt tiny hands clench the fabric of his uniform. He breathed in and then out slowly. "Dr. Crescent, if you do not remove yourself from my sight I will be forced to shoot you. Move."

For a split second Lucrecia cringed from the promise in those eyes, having never had Vincent look at her that way. She moved to the side and the others did the same allowing him to leave with a downcast Sephiroth clinging to him for dear life. However, fear did not stop her from making threats.

"You will be demoted for this Commander Valentine. You are interfering with very delicate projects and the president will not stand for this! You will return my son!"

"He hasn't been your son since he was conceived," Vincent muttered.

"Vince?" was the small strained whisper. Vincent tilted his closer to Sephiroth indicating that he had heard him. "I'm…so glad it was you. I'm so glad it was you, cuz if it wasn't…I don't think I would've been okay."

"Don't worry, Sephiroth," Vincent whispered as he carried him down the hall. "I will always protect you, no matter what happens. I'm your family now…and I always will be."

Sephiroth dared to smile through the pain. "You're my Uncle Vincent…"

l

Year Ten of the Jenova Project: President and Vice President Office. ShinRa Tower

"AN ABUSE OF POWER! DO YOU KNOW WHAT THIS DO TO YOUR CAREER? WHAT YOUR FATHER WOULD THINK OF YOU IF HE SAW YOU NOW?"

Vincent stood silently as President ShinRa ranted and raved. He paid the man no mind but he continued to cut his eyes toward the woman in white sitting casually in the president's chair. Her bi-colored eyes stared into Vincent's crimson ones. She rolled her eyes when President ShinRa made another round and bellowed. Her blond hair fell over much of her face though it did nothing to hide the one Mako infused eye that glowed beneath the strawberry blond hair. She stood up in her white leather heels and walked around the desk, her posture that of a true business woman and lady. Her business suit was white with a pink chemise covering her breasts where a silvery pendant hung in the shape of ShinRa's trademark. She touched President ShinRa's shoulder and he whipped around on her but stopped short, fuming because he had to look up at her as well as Vincent. She stood and a good five foot ten which was impressive for a woman. She towered over the president's five foot six with the extra four inches added by her heels. This woman, in her calm collected glory was the "Lady ShinRa" the founder of the Turks.

"I think you've gotten your point across. Now let me deal with him so that you won't end up with another headache over it. Please, darling?" No matter how hard she tried to sweeten her voice, the commanding air was still there letting her husband know that there was no room for discussion.

"I'll let you handle it but your pet Turks are becoming more trouble than I think they're worth. I still plan to discontinue them once the SOLDIER project is perfected and he's the one hindering that."

"Enough, Reginald. Let a lady clean up her mess."

At the use of his first name, President ShinRa growled and walked out on the conversation. Once he closed the door, it automatically locked and the room was instantly sound proofed. Vincent went to her now and found his way into her arms. She willingly accepted the hug.

"You are more trouble than your worth, Valentine," she said gently, her cold mask slipping away. "You've laid everything out in a report, but I'd like to know, are you sure?"

"I am, Lady," he said quietly.

"You wish to give your command over to Veld and be demoted to a simple third-ranked commander. Vincent you can't expect me to allow this. You were one of my firsts and one of the best. You're an Elite for Gaia sake. Why do you make me do this?"

"Because I've found something more important to protect. Do this for me, Elloria? Give custody of Sephiroth as a child and authority as a specimen over to me and I'll renounce my title as Chief Commander and never again try to gain the position."

"So you can't be accused of abusing power for Sephiroth." She sighed. "Where has the time gone that you have found someone you care about more than me, my beloved Hellhound."

Vincent's smile was a soft one. "You will do it then?"

"I won't like it. Hell, I didn't want to send my up and coming protégé to backwoods Nibelheim but I did. Besides, how can I say no to you? I'll do this on one condition."

"Anything, Lady ShinRa."

"You remain second in command until you yourself choose a suitable replacement and you continue to work under my rule. Once I'm gone, you, Veld, Nobel, Dante, Tsuki, and Melitta are free to choose if you wish to remain under ShinRa."

Vincent nodded. "Understood." With a final bow he left the office with a light smile on his face. Lady ShinRa watched him go and touched her chest.

"My dear Vincent. I fear I'm going to make this a bit more complicated for you but I hope you enjoy yourself. Anything for the happiness of my Turks."

l

Year Eleven of Jenova Project: Midgar

It had taken time and much resistance from both Lucrecia and Dr. Gast. Hojo had no complaint as long as Vincent agreed to have him brought in for his Mako treatments and experiments. Vincent asked that he be present at all times of course. However, Vincent won this argument with Lady ShinRa whispering into her husband's ear. Lucrecia cried and fussed about not being able to see her son but Vincent was assured by the President that she would not have unsupervised visits with the child and would be barred from seeing him one he entered the SOLDIER training program. It was finally done and Vincent opened the door to his home in Sector 3, graciously designed by the Executive of Urban Development. Sephiroth wondered in, holding Tonny the Tonberry like a lifeline while Vincent hit the lights. It was spacious one story house with lavish décor and smelled like Wutai flowers. Lots of souvenirs from his father's travels and well as his own adorned the walls and the couch was a plush soft material that sunk in when Sephiroth curiously sat on it. Vincent placed his brief case on the floor by the door made sure all the lights were on before leading a curious Sephiroth around. He showed him the large bathroom which was across the hall from the master bedroom that Vincent slept in. Sephiroth managed to peak at the monster-sized bed in that room before he was led to the large bedroom that was meant to be his. It was originally a guest room so all that was there was a bed, dresser, table and a desk. Vincent showed him the attached bathroom.

"I get my own bathroom!" Sephiroth spouted. "YES!"

Vincent chuckled as Sephiroth explored the room. He was happy to see Sephiroth acting like a normal child in a new and safe place. "This room is yours from now on. Decorate and do what you will with it. In a few years you start SOLDIER training but you won't have to live in the barracks as long as I'm second in command."

Sephiroth whipped around him. "But I want to! I want to be just like all the other kids. I wanna go to school! I wanna make friends. I wanna get my butt kicked by bullies, and-"

"Slow down kid. You get your ass kicked by bullies and I'll kick it again when I get home."

Seph grinned and Vincent winced at the missing tooth from the last experiment he went through. Hojo assured him he'd regenerate it but seeing that gap still made him feel guilty. "Either way, it's whatever you want kid."

"Thank you, Vincent. Thanks so much!"

l

Year Fourteen of the Jenova Project: Vincent's House 6:00am

Vincent lay sleeping peacefully on his orgy sized bed (as Veld called it) having gotten in around three in the morning. His smooth pale back was bare as he lay beneath covers naked having grown accustom to sleeping as such in his own home and Sephiroth's presence hadn't changed that. His hair had grown well past his shoulders and laid like threads of black slick around his shoulders nearly concealing the Turk initiation tattoo he had gotten when Lady ShinRa had announced that the Turks were officially a ShinRa organization and they were given real uniforms. They were all barely fifteen and all oh so very wasted. There were a few scars and cuts from close calls and scars on his lower back where he had been stabbed by a spy who was attempting to steal ShinRa secrets back when Mako research was still starting. He luckily had missed his kidneys and only required a few Mako treatments and a cure. There was a light discoloration on his nose where Veld had burned him with a cigarette when he almost fell off a balcony. Vincent had saved his drunken partner from a plummet and was rewarded with scars. One would never notice this scar unless they spent an extended amount of time in the gunman's presence. If they knew him like Sephiroth knew him, they would know about the light scorch marks on the meat of his hand where his thumb and index finger met. And after being in Vincent's care for almost five years, Sephiroth knew that the man hated to be watched while he was most vulnerable.

Sephiroth smirked from the doorway as he stealthily slipped into the bedroom. His bare feet padded across the lush black carpet without a single sound. This was the perfect opportunity to do this now. He was tired and had been asleep for only three hours meaning he was not in a good state of mind to defend himself if he did manage to somehow wake. The cherry on top was that Vincent could sleep through the freakin' earthquake. This was perfect. His scrawny limbs crawled carefully across the memory foam mattress to hover Vincent as he lay like a dark angel on his stomach. Sephiroth slipped his hand under one of the pillows and removed the nine millimeter that was there. He slipped his other hand near Vincent's limp hand and found the knife he kept beneath the other pillow. He put both weapons silently to the side and straddled his guardian's pale body. He leaned closely to Vincent's ear and blew gently, satisfied that the man didn't move at all. His grin turned feral and pulled an object from his pocket holding it close to Vincent's ear and…

The birds outside flew away at the sound of air horn going off followed by a loud thump and light Wutain/Migardian cursing. Sephiroth stumbled over his hands and feet to get the hell out of the room before Vincent figured out where his gun was. A shot rang out past his ear and hit the bathroom tile. Sephiroth laughed as he ran for his life, hearing Wutain equivalents to "Bastard" "Son of Bitch" and "Mother Fucker" and "Shoot you new asshole!" He safely made it to his room and grabbed his bag. He jumped out of the window with his tennis shoes in hand and dodge rolled to the sidewalk. Without pause he took off as a bullet hit the ground where he had landed. He didn't bother to put his shoes on his feet until he was out of firing range. His ass was grass when he got home…but it was worth it.

l

AKino Hakume: Continue? I mean…this is actually a pretty hilarious/serious story. XD I wrote a lot of this in class on the comp. XD I get to explore a non homicidal Seph and non-self-destructive Vincent. How awesome is that? My other stories were so serious at the moment that I needed a break and then my comp died so it was like ain't that a biotch. Anyway. Be kind. Rewind…or uh Review!