Resurfacing

He’d made a mistake, a TERRIBLE mistake, a ‘this couldn’t get any worse!’ mistake. He had outright slandered the one thing that was most precious to the person he was JUST trying to thank! Now Tseng was stuck with the bill and a huge shadow of guilt hanging over him. He never would have taken Vincent to be such a defensive person, especially not such a loud, venomous person! He sighed and drank the rest of his tea. Well, there was only one thing left that he could do, and that was apologize. He didn’t think he would EVER be able to get over the fact Valentine was with...Tseng’s eye twitched...HIGHWIND, but opposites attract, he supposed.

He lay a bill, one large enough to cover the drinks and broken coffee cup, on the table and stood up. He wasn’t sure where Vincent had disappeared to, but it couldn’t be too hard to find him. If he was anywhere, it was probably with Cid, and Cid stuck out in Wutaii like a sore thumb. Tseng sighed again and sat out among the crowd, looking for the blonde among the black.
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Cid wasn’t sure where Vincent had disappeared off to after he’d left Tseng sitting slack jawed at the café. Cid wasn’t stupid, he’d watched the whole thing from a store curb that stuck up juuuuuuuuuuust high enough. Everything had gone alright in the beginning, but towards the end things got just plain ugly. Tseng said something obviously stupid and Vincent had reacted the normal way: he got physical, yelled a lot and stormed off leaving Tseng sitting there with his foot in his mouth. The pilot had enjoyed every moment of it, and as he leaned against the store side he watched with a smirk Tseng walking towards him with a look of regret on his face. “Well, well, well, WHAT can I do for YOU?”

Tseng sighed, biting the inside of his cheek to keep from saying something rhetorical. “I need to apologize.”

“For what? Trying to hit on Vincent and failing or insulting me? Either one would get that kind of reaction from him.” Cid’s face changed from a smirk to a scowl to get his point across.

“So you were watching us?” Tseng wasn’t very surprised, really.

“Like a hawk. I’m simple, not stupid, and I know better enough than to leave him, much less anyone, alone with a Turk.” Cid lifted an eyebrow at Tseng’s blink of surprise. “So what DID you say?”

The Turk figured he might as well come clean with the pilot. His reaction, after all, might prove comical. “Valentine told me of his relationship with you, and I found it hard to believe.”

“NO, you found it hard to believe he’s with me, who, in your eyes, is nothing more than a redneck right?” Cid snorted as Tseng looked down to the ground without trying to defend himself. “Yeah, and you’re not the first one, pal. I’ve made everyone who meets me think that, sometimes on purpose. It’s a way to keep people away from me I don’t want around. Shit, if half the people who knew me knew I had a degree in aero-space physics they wouldn’t believe it, just like you wouldn’t. Listen, Tseng, I know you can’t believe it and I know you don’t understand why, but yeah, Vince was right about us. And I’m only gonna tell you this once, so listen up...I love him, and no one’s opinion’s about me is going to change that, you got it?”

Tseng stared down at Cid, thinking about the pilot’s words in his mind. He was USED to being insulted? Everything about that screamed that it was wrong. He called himself simple, not stupid, and in a way that rang true. “....I made a mistake, Highwind. I’m sorry, I only meant to thank him...I had no idea you and he were...involved.”

“Yeah well....don’t worry about it now. Give him some time and he’ll cool down, and then you can tell him that yourself, alright?” Cid waved it away with a flick of his wrist and a shake of his head.

“Alright....Highwind?”

“Hmm?” Cid lifted his head, wondering just what Tseng was smiling about.

“...I think I see what he was talking about now...just a little.” Tseng nodded down at the pilot before he turned, walking back into the crowd to disappear among the rest of the Wutaiians. Cid watched him leave and snorted to himself.

“Just like Vince... another creepy, confusing Wutaiian.” With that he lit a cig and started walking among the crowd, trying to find Vincent.
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“What did you want to talk to me about, Lord Godo?”

Vincent was walking alongside the Wutaiian leader, wondering just what it was he wanted to talk about. Up until now Vincent and Godo had just walked along the edge of the temple's pond, watching the colorful fish in the water, the leader telling Vincent the meanings of the different kinds. “Well, Vincent. I am to assume correctly that you are Wutaiian?”

“Yes sir, on both sides of my family.”

“Your family?”

“..Is gone.”

“I see....Vincent, have you considered coming back to Wutaii to live among your people? We could use another well known and considerably talented member of our culture to help us along in hard times.” Godo turned to Vincent with an interested look.

Vincent looked back down to the ground. Move back to Wutaii? It was true, he’d lived here before as a child before his mother died and his father moved to Midgar, and he’d considered coming here rather than go to Rocket Town with Cid. He was glad he’d gone with the pilot, and living in Wutaii would mean leaving both the man he loved and the town that was finally starting to accept him. “I have at one time, Lord Godo, but I couldn’t possibly bring myself to leave where I live now. There has become too many things there that are dear to me, and I couldn’t leave hi-them. I couldn’t leave them.”

Lord Godo lifted an eyebrow at the abrupt change of words but said nothing. “You have, then, something dear to you that you could not bring with you?”

“Not easily, no.” Vincent looked back down at the water in front of him, watching the long, colorful fish beneath it glide effortlessly across the surface.

“Some great love, then?” Godo watched as Vincent just nodded, his unruly, long black hair blowing in the faint wind. “I see...do they make you happy?”

“They do, Lord.”

“Someone you could not bare to be separated from?”

“Not if I could help it, no. It has taken me so long just to find them.”

“I see....then, if I cannot sway you to come here, know that you will always have a place among your people, if ever you should need it.” Godo nodded, smiling at the slightly taller man standing beside him. “You have in the past been a great help to my daughter, Yuffie, and for that I owe you my gratitude. You are always welcome in my home.”

“Thank you, Lord Godo.” Vincent smiled. It seemed out of everyone, only the older, wiser Wutaiian man could understand and accept his decision.

“WELL, I do believe that your acquaintance Mister. Highwind might be looking for you. If the rumors I’ve heard from my daughter prove true, perhaps you should go find him before he spreads some more...COLORFUL language to the children.” He waved Vincent off, watching the gunner bow and walk off back into town. He waited until Vincent was a good ways before he smiled, turning his attention back to the fish. “I always did love watching fish.” *
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Cid glanced up from where he sat as the tall, black haired man walked towards him, a slight spring in his step and a smile on his face. “Hey, you win the lottery or something?”

Vincent stopped, taking a good look at the man in front of him. He was casually stretched out from where he sat, one foot up on the table in front of him with his hands behind his head. The blue shirt lay against his chest, making the muscles stand out, and his blue eyes were an even brighter blue in the sunlight. “You could say that...Cid...do you think the crew would be at the ship right now?”

Cid glanced at his watch. It was only around two o’clock, and if he knew HIS crew not a single one of them would be in it if they could help it. “Hell no. I wouldn’t be surprised if they weren’t all passed out in the hotel sufferin’ hangovers.”

“Good....let’s head back.” Vincent motioned for the pilot to stand up, watching Cid carefully as he did so.

“For what?” Cid looked up at the tall gunner, curious about the request. “There ain’t gonna be nothing there for us to do.”

“True..nothing but each other.”

Vincent let the words hang there as he turned and made his way back to the front of the town. He didn’t know exactly what Cid’s face looked like or what he was thinking, but the footsteps that were hurrying to catch up to him as he walked towards the plane told him all he needed to know. He’d told himself time and time again he was going to get to know the pilot inside and out, and now seemed like a good time to do so.

Inside AND out. He was going to love this.
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AN- * I didn't know how to end that....it's awkward, i know...
I was in a weird mood when I wrote this, so I think it might read weird. I apologize, next chapter will make much more sense...and have sex. yay. ~D

Edited 3/11/08