Chapter Ten: You're Welcome
Vincent Valentine was silent for a long moment, before he finally sighed. "I guess this is goodbye, then," he whispered, hanging his head. His eyes were fixed on the ground.Miyo instantly turned to Vincent and looked at him strangely. "Goodbye?" she asked him, confused by his words. "What do you mean?"
Vincent lowered his gaze to the ground and he let out a soft sigh. "You heard what that man said. This won't be the last encounter with the likes of him. Next time it could become violent..." he said with a serious tone. "If I stay with you, the others might try to hurt you and Kohana. And if they ever hurt you, I... I would never forgive myself."
Miyo walked over to Vincent and held his hand. "Don't do this, Vincent," she replied, tearing up a bit. "Please don't go! I'd miss you so much.. "
Vincent frowned and looked into the young woman's eyes. "It's alright, Miyo," he said to her softly. The man shifted his eyes and saw his hand in hers. He smiled and looked up once more. "You and Kohana are...the only true family I've ever had. You're both very important to me now. I know I've only known you for a day, but I feel like I've known you for a lifetime. I want to keep you safe, Miyo."
Miyo blushed at Vincent lowering her head. "I feel the same way, but how would leaving protect us? If anything, it would make things more dangerous," she replied softly, "I don't want you to die again. I just couldn't bear the thought... I really do care about you, Vincent Valentine."
Vincent was silent for a moment and repeated Miyo's words over and over again in his mind. "She... cares about me?" he asked himself. "Someone actually cares about me?" There was the strangest feeling in Vincent's heart at this moment.
He felt like he was willing to sacrifice his life for the young woman before him, and he felt like he could do anything with her at his side. He felt his pulse race as he laid his eyes upon her and the chemicals in his mind were going crazy. It was the feeling that he had for Doctor Crescent over thirty years ago; it was the feeling of love.
The Turk smiled and nodded. "I suppose you're right... are you certain that you don't mind me around?" he asked Miyo aloud. "Are you willing to put up with a guy like me?"
Miyo nodded, energy building within her. After a few moments spent biting her lower lip in anticipation, she finally released her emotions and gripped Vincent in a tight embrace. It was so unexpected that Vincent fell back with Miyo on top of him. She gazed into his eyes for a moment, soon realizing the position they were in. Miyo's heart skipped a beat as she quickly got up and turned red. "I'm sorry," she said a little flustered. "That was a bit forward of me... are you okay?"
The Turk couldn't help but smile. "I'm fine," he said softly looking up at Miyo. Then, Vincent Valentine did the unexpected, and he began to laugh, something that he rarely did. He sat up and brought his knee to his chest. "More than fine; great, in fact."
Miyo blushed, burying her face in her hands from embarrassment. She soon looked up, lowering her hands and gazed at Vincent in the bright moonlight.
"Never in my life would I have imagined falling for someone in a day's time," she thought. "It's strange, but I really enjoy this feeling. There's been an attraction to him since our first meeting, but it's grown so much stronger. I feel happier than I have in a long time...all thanks to the man from Midgar."
Miyo looked over to Kohana and saw she remained sound asleep, then glancing over at Vincent. "I'm glad to hear," she replied with a warm smile. "And yes, Vincent, I...would like it if you would stay with us."
The man nodded and gazed up at the shining light coming from the moon above. "I'm glad," he said with a smile. Vincent looked over to Miyo sitting beside him, and again, he felt his heart race. He wanted to tell her so much, but his mouth could not reach for the right words. He sighed and simply settled for, "Thank you."
"Heh, you're welcome," Miyo said with a giggle. Her smile soon faded to a frown, though, as thoughts of the mysterious hooded man plagued her. She finally asked, "Vincent...who was that man earlier? Did he say what kind of danger you were in?"
"I'm not sure," Vincent replied. "But since he asked me about what world I was from, it could mean Kikyo and anyone else who arrived from the vortex could be in the same danger. If the danger is real, we might be in for trouble." The Turk touched Cerberus at his side and nodded. He would be ready if someone attempted to harm him or his friends.
"Did he seem to know why you arrived here?" Miyo replied, "I mean, if danger is specific to those from the vortex, there has to be a reason you're here."
"I'm not sure. He didn't inform me of much," the man said looking down. He took a deep breath and exhaled. "He didn't say why I was in danger, it was just an assumption. But I don't care about me, my goal is to keep you, and Kohana, safe."
Miyo smiled and was silent for a bit. She took in his last few words and felt ecstatic that he wanted to stay, pushing all thoughts of the danger aside. "To be honest, I've always thought you were handsome," Miyo said, blushing. "It's silly, but that's one of the reasons why I let you stay over."
Vincent smiled and lowered his head. "Funny you should say that," he said lifting his head after a moment. "The reason I came into your house was to see your face more clearly in the light. I know this sounds poetic, but I got lost in your eyes." The man fell silent and he looked away in embarrassment.
Miyo felt an overwhelm of emotion for the Turk and struggled to keep it inside, for now. She knew Vincent was a man of little emotion and she didn't want to make him uncomfortable. Still, Miyo felt he needed comfort, so she placed her hand on his shoulder. "I became absorbed in yours as well," Miyo replied with a flushed face. Her fatigue was getting the better of her; she could no longer fight of the urge to yawn.
Vincent turned his head toward Miyo and revealed a broad smile. He was silent once again and simply stared at Miyo's beautiful face. "It's getting late," he said after a few moments. "I think I should be getting you girls home. It's been a long day for all of us."
Miyo gave a small nod as the two stood to their feet. Vincent scooped a sleeping Kohana in his arms and carried her as Miyo walked beside them. The festival had come to a close and most of the villagers had already returned to their homes. The group soon followed suit.
After a bit of walking, the group finally arrived at Miyo's home and went inside. Vincent carried Kohana back to her room and traveled back into the living room. He and Miyo stood before each other for a few minutes, simply gazing and smiling to one another. Neither one wished to part, but sleep was inevitable. Vincent held out a hand to shake, but a grinning Miyo soon pulled him into a soft hug, causing the Turk to blush.
They smiled at one another and parted for the night, falling asleep with comforting thoughts of their time together.
Chapter Eleven: The Garden > >
