What Friends are For

'What Friends are For' Chapter 10: Promises
Cid and Vincent finally get married - with a few unexpected guests. [Nothing but fluff in this one - turned out longer than I'd expected.]

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I felt strangely calm when I woke the next morning. Vince and I were only a few hours away from taking a huge step in our lives. I wondered if it was what I really wanted, if we were doing the right thing. I only had to turn my head a bit to see Vince propped on his elbow, smiling down at me as he squeezed my hand with his, to know the answer.

Hell yeah.

I shifted to roll onto my other side so I could face him, and he slipped his arm around me to pull me close. We didn't say anything, didn't have to; we just met in a tender kiss that said everything for us. We stayed like that for a little while, probably would have all day, if we hadn't heard the doorbell chime and one of the hotel employees tell us it was time for our wake-up call.

I groaned, and forced myself to roll out of bed, trying to ignore the sudden cold feeling after being pressed so close to Vince, and doing my best to pay no attention to the smirk he gave me. I pulled out a set of clothes for the morning, and crossed back to the bed to drop them on the blanket. Vince was curled slightly to watch me where I stood at the foot of the bed, and he was wearing his usual secretive smile.

Our eyes met, and we spent a moment simply looking at each other. It was so different from trying to watch him when he was unaware; I didn't have to hide my interest anymore. It was relieving, yet somewhat disappointing, like the end of a fun game. But it was the beginning of another, one we could both play this time.

I grinned a bit, and pulled on my shirt. "Are ya gonna lay in bed all day?" I asked; the fabric muffled my voice for a second.

"Mm. If it means I can watch you, then of course," he murmured. "You are a delicious creature."

I chuckled, shaking my head as I slipped into my boxers, and then my pants. "If I didn't know better, I'd think ya were tryin' ta lure me back into bed." My boots and socks were quickly gathered before I moved to his side and sat down next to him; I dropped my burdens to lean over and kiss his bare shoulder. "Come on. We have ta pick up our clothes."

Vince sat up and slid his arms around me, pulling me in for another kiss. "I would tempt you to remain here and skip to the honeymoon, but I am as eager as you to do this."

I grinned, and nodded. "Good. No second thoughts for you either. This is the right thing for us, Vince, I can feel it."

His arms moved around me and he held tight a moment, moving to press his lips to my cheek. "It is not merely right, it is perfect," he replied softly, then moved away enough to give me a light shove. "Now get up, I still have to dress."

I laughed and stole another kiss from him, then stood and let him ease off the mattress. It wasn't easy to keep my hands to myself as we both got ready to leave.

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Vince and I had breakfast in the restaurant adjacent to the Turtle's Paradise. There was still quite a bit of time before we had to be at the temple, and there wasn't much to do before then, other than enjoy each other's company. Even though it's something we've done time and time again in the several months since I first asked him to live with me, it's still comfortable to have a silent meal with him. We didn't need to fill the space between bites with pointless chatter.

Half an hour later, I was paying our check, making sure to leave a good tip for our waitress. We were just stepping outside when I felt a weight drop across my shoulder and someone lean into my side - someone who definitely was not Vince. It was too tall to be Yuffie, but even still, I didn't want to look and see who it was.

Of course, he decided to greet me in his lazy drawl in a voice nobody could - or would want to - duplicate. "What, not gonna stop and see us, yo?" Oh that was just great.

"Hello, Reno," I sighed. "Mind gettin' the hell off'a me, please?"

He snorted and dropped away. "Since you were kind enough to ask nicely, yo." He moved around me, practically flouncing, to lean against Vince. "You'll have to excuse the old guy, Valentine. You know how people get grumpy in their later years."

I expected Vince to shove the redhead away, but he just gave the annoying little Turk a nudge with his elbow. "Everyone seems to forget that I am older than anyone else we know. Perhaps I should accept it, and enjoy the faulty memories."

Reno made a low amused sound that wasn't quite a laugh - the laugh came from behind me, in a deeper, less annoying voice. "And you'll have to excuse my partner. He still hasn't learned to keep his personality to himself." And there was the other half of that amazing duo, Rude. He moved around me as well and hooked his arm through Reno's, using his grip to pull the smaller turk away from Vince. Those two were damn odd pair, with all the differences between them, but I knew they made a good team despite - or maybe because of - the differences.

A lot like me and Vince, I suppose, though it didn't hit me until that point. I remembered the thought I'd had not long ago, of how similar our crew was to theirs. Maybe there was more to it than I figured.

"So what brings you two to Wutai?" Vince asked. "I suppose the rest of your team is not far?" I probably could've answered that for him - there's really only one reason people go to Wutai.

"Vacation, yo," Reno replied. Yep, that was what I'd figured. "And yeah, though Tseng and Elena are off doing their own thing. What about you two? Would your being here have anything to do with a certain clawed gunman and blonde pilot that're supposed to be getting hitched today?"

I froze, staring at the lanky Turk; he was grinning, and Rude wasn't doing a very good job at hiding his own smile. "How the hell did you two know about that?" I demanded.

I'd swear Reno's grin got bigger. "Okay, let's see," he said, holding up his hand, ticking off his fingers as he spoke. "One, an airship isn't exactly an inconspicuous mode of transportation, yo. Two, your first stop was the temple - and as far as I know, you two don't exactly follow their line of worship. Three, you rented a very expensive honeymoon suite - together." He paused, and glanced over at his partner. "I miss anything, partner?"

The bald man shook his head, and Reno shrugged, wiggling his fingers. "We're still Turks, you know. And part of that does involve watching what goes on, even on vacation." The grin returned, and he looked at us with a lifted eyebrow. "Though I gotta wonder what took you two so long. From what I hear, you two should've been hooked up ages ago, yo."

I just groaned, and covered my face with my hands. There just had to be someone out there doing that to me on purpose. Some twisted, sadistic bastard that liked seeing me squirm. I heard them laughing - even Vince, in that quiet chuckle of his.

"Everyone seems to be saying that lately," my partner said, and I sighed, though I didn't say anything - or look up. I'd probably want to hit that grin I could still feel aimed my way.

"Well, that should tell you something, yo," Reno replied. I heard him pause a moment, before he continued. "I know it's not polite or anything, but think we could come?"

That was unexpected. I finally looked up, blinking in surprise at Reno. The grin was gone; the serious look he had was definitely out of place on him. "You wanna see us get married?" I asked. "What the hell for?"

The two Turks looked looked at each other for a second, before Reno responded. "Because of Valentine, yo. We're practically brothers, I suppose. Once a Turk, always a Turk, and he was one of the best. Nobody knew what happened to him, but there are still stories told about him." The redhead paused again, and the grin snuck back. "And besides, how often do you get to see a legend get married, yo?"

I looked over at Vince; oddly enough, he was blushing. He motioned to me though, giving the decision to me. I considered the question; it made me feel guilty to know our friends didn't know what we were doing, but these guys who'd tried to stop us did - and I was inviting them to our wedding.

I was gonna be in serious trouble when Tifa finds out.

"Fine," I replied. "You can come. All of you. But don't cause trouble - and don't do anything to make us regret it."

"You got it, captain," Reno said with a half-assed salute. "And thanks, yo."

Rude nodded his agreement, and they stepped aside to let us be on our way.

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After making the arrangements for the ceremony the day before, we'd taken the man's advice and went to a garment shop in the town. The matron was used to having rushed orders, considering Wutai's notoriety as a good place to elope. She was overjoyed to have two of the people who saved the whole damn world come to her for their wedding clothes, and promised she'd do us proud. She lived up to that; the outfits we had fit like a dream. I'm not sure what they were made of, but they were soft and a bit shimmery, and very comfortable. It wasn't exactly like a suit, but they were a hell of a lot more formal than anything I owned. We tried them on in the dressing rooms to make sure there weren't any last-minute adjustments to be made; I wasn't too surprised to see they fit just right.

The two outfits went well together, I thought; they were identical in cut and style, differing only in color - Vince's was black with red , and mine was black and gold. Despite my complaint of having us both wear dark clothes, I had to admit we looked damn good, especially once we were standing side by side, though it felt weird to wear something that felt more like pajamas than a suit.

We paid the matron, and gave her our thanks - she really did do good work. When we stepped out the door, Vince stopped me, and offered me the package holding our new clothes. I took them with a questioning look.

"I have an errand to run before I return to the hotel," he said quietly. "I shall be there as soon as I can."

I was curious, but we had a bit over an hour to go. I'd have time to go get cleaned up before getting ready. "Okay," I replied. "I'll see ya there, then. Don't take too long."

He nodded and pulled me close to place a kiss on my forehead. Without another word, he turned, and was gone. I shrugged and went in the other direction; I was sure I'd find out what he was doing later.

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Vincent strode through the town. He knew the place he wanted; he'd been there before. But this time, he had a specific reason to visit. Hopefully they'd still have what he was looking for.

He entered the shop and glanced around; it was similar to what he remembered from his last time there. The place primarily sold materia and jewelry. The small, colorful balls lined the walls in locked shelves, and cases held accessories made of both common and precious materials, some decorated with its own materia or normal jewels and gems. He gave a nod of greeting to the shopkeeper, and moved to the case that held necklaces and bracelets. 'Ahh, it is still there.'

Vincent pointed out his choice to the man, and laid his own green marble-sized orb on the counter top. There was little explanation needed; the jeweler nodded, took the materia, and stepped into the small workshop in the back. It only took a couple of minutes for the man to return and hold his work up for Vincent's inspection; the gunman nodded his approval, and his purchase was placed in a padded box which he slipped into a pocket.

He was about to leave, when a voice only he could hear spoke up. He paused, head canted to one side to listen, then nodded to himself and turned back. As if drawn there, he moved to one of the other jewelry counters and glanced inside, feeling a slow smile ease over his lips. 'Sometimes you surprise me, demon,' he murmured in his thoughts.

A second purchase was made - more expensive, but equally worth the price. Content with his gifts, he turned to head back to the hotel.

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Dressed in our new formal clothes, Vince and I headed to the temple. To be honest, I don't know if it really is a temple, there's just something about the place that makes me think of it as one. It was where all of the weddings that were done in Wutai took place - probably still do. Because of who we are, the lord of Wutai himself offered to officiate. It felt weird - I wasn't used to being fussed over and having people make a big deal out of me. Guess that was why I always spent so much time on the Highwind.

The ceremony was simple, which suited us, I suppose. The Turks were there, of course, though other than them, the room was empty. The four stood far enough back that we were practically alone.

Lord Godo spoke of how we should remain together through all that could happen, from the best to the worse, how we should care for each other no matter what happens. We should love each other always, to have no other, and nothing should ever break us apart. It was a promise I'd made to Vince a long time ago, though I was too damn afraid of what he'd say to tell him. He said he knew I'd cared for him for a long time now, but I didn't know if I could ever tell him how I'd fallen for him so hard, so completely, without realizing it. It had surprised me, and scared me, but I'd accepted it, because he filled a part of me I didn't know was empty, even when we were only friends.

Lord Godo cleared his throat, startling me from my thoughts. I'd been so wrapped up in loving Vince that I'd almost missed marrying him, and that would be a damn shame. They were waiting for me to give my agreement, and I did, feeling my cheeks heat up from my inattentiveness. Vince was smiling, though, as if he knew what had been on my mind - perhaps he did. Then it was his turn, and hearing him say he wanted me, only me, for the rest of his life, was enough to make me ache in the best damn way possible.

And then his lips were on mine, his arms around me (he'd worn his gauntlet for this - "It is part of me now, and I want to be whole for you" he'd said) and mine were around him. There was a five-part chorus of cheers somewhere close by, but there was something more important - namely, the perfect way Vince fit against me and our arms around each other, and the way he whispered in my ear, "I am yours, and you are mine, forever."

I laughed - there was nothing else I could do, other than cry, and I was too damn happy to cry. I tightened my arms around him for a moment, and we stepped apart. But before I could turn to our 'guests', he stopped me, and pulled something from his pocket.

"I have a gift," he said softly. "It is not from me, but from... a mutual friend, who could not be here in person to give us his well wishes." My eyes widened; I had a feeling I knew who he was talking about, but I'd ask later. When he pulled open the small black box he held, I caught my breath at what was inside.

A pair of silver rings, but not plain. Each band was shaped as a pair of wings that wrapped around, and each had a single cut gem that caught the light and shattered it into fragments in the place where the wings joined. One was feathered like a bird's wings, and its gem was a sapphire. The other was formed of a bat's wings, topped with a blood-red ruby. I watched Vince lift the bat-winged ring from the box, which he slipped into my right hand. He then took my left, and eased the band onto my ring finger; it nestled into place perfectly.

"Because of the gauntlet, I cannot wear mine on the correct hand, but this shall suit," he said, offering his right to me. I tried to still the shaking in my hands as I lifted out the feathered ring and placed it on his finger. When we pressed our palms together, the bands mirrored the touch, and like everything else, it felt right. I laced my fingers between his, and this time it was my turn to pull him into a kiss, short but intense, broken by another cheer from off to the side. I rolled my eyes and pulled away, leaning against Vince as I glanced over.

The four Turks were still there, laughing and grinning; I knew they'd be hitting the bar after, whether we went with them or not. But with them was an unexpected face - the fifth voice I'd heard cheering for us, though it hadn't registered at the time.

I just couldn't quite manage to bring myself to be annoyed at Yuffie's presence, as the five came over to congratulate us with hugs and handshakes. I had to ask, though, how the hell she knew we were there.

"I told her, of course." I blinked, and looked over at Lord Godo; he's the one who spoke. "You must have forgotten Yuffie, unruly as she may be, is my daughter." He chuckled at what was probably a very surprised look I was giving him; I had forgotten. "I felt it would be remiss of me if I failed to inform her of the marriage of two friends. Though I did do you the service of demanding she behave in exchange for her attendance."

I thought about getting mad at that, but hell, who wants to be pissed off five minutes after saying 'I do' to someone like Vince? Besides, the kid had already squeezed between us and her arms around me and my... Hell. My husband. That had a good ring to it. "A good thing he did, too!" She said, giggling. "I can't believe you two were gonna do this without telling me! That's almost enough to hurt my feelings, you know."

"Sorry, brat," I replied, giving her a one-armed hug despite myself. "Ya know how shy Vince can be. Didn't want to traumatize him."

Vince shot me a glare over her head that was only partly serious. I knew he'd be getting me back for that little comment.

I couldn't wait.

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Lord Godo dragged us all back to his place to throw us a feast. He said that after rescuing his daughter from Don Corneo, as well as saving the rest of the world, it would be impolite of him to not properly celebrate our joining. It was a private thing - me and Vince as the guests of honor, him and Yuffie, and all four of the Turks. That surprised me a bit. ShinRa and Wutai didn't exactly have the best of relations, even after peace had settled over the planet. He said that marriages were a time for new beginnings, and extending friendship to former enemies was a good way to do that.

I caught Yuffie up on everything Tifa had passed on to me about how our friends were doing. She was the farthest away from us all, and it was harder for her to keep in touch, though she still managed. It was strange to think of Yuffie as a princess, and not the annoying little ninja brat who was always getting airsick. She'd grown up a bit since the last time I really talked to her. Guess her father had been training the kid to take over, though (hopefully) she was still a few years away from that.

It was interesting to hear Vince recount some of his more amusing stories from his time as a Turk. I still didn't know much about that time in his life, but I didn't mind. I just listened, and laughed along with the others; it was kinda like a veteran entertaining a bunch of rookies, though I knew there was nothing rookie-like about those four. The others added their own tales, as well. The one Reno had about a dare involving a chocobo, whipped cream, and the President's office had us all laughing ourselves silly.

Eventually the meal ended. I guess they all decided Vince and I were catching hands a little too often and sneaking in a few too many kisses. It seemed like a mutually spontaneous decision for the Turks to decide to hit the bar, Yuffie to go back to her training, and Lord Godo to return to his work.

The two of us headed back to the hotel alone after parting ways with the rest; it was eerily like when we left Tifa, Cloud, and Marlene. There was a difference, though. Vince and I were officially married - not just together, but joined. When I took his hand in mine, I could feel the rings click together, and knew I'd be able to easily get used to that. I glanced over at him, and he at me, and we shared a smile. I could see promises of things to come in his eyes; after all, it was time for that honeymoon we'd planned for.