Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Responsibility ❯ Prologue ( Prologue )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

Disclaimers: Don’t own anything from Final Fantasy 7. Don’t sue.

Responsibility

By Charles Xavier

Prologue

“Here comes the Highwind!”

Hikari Kisaragi opened her mouth as her mother delivered her last spoonful of rice. Lord Godo was unable to keep his eyes off the sweet face of his granddaughter. He only wished Yuffie could spend more time with her child, rather than wasting away her days hunting down gil or Materia. Such a man of experienced age was no longer fit to take care of a five month old baby.

As for his new (ungrateful) son-in-law, Vincent was ever hardly in Wutai to watch his daughter grow fast. At dawn, he would revisit the old Shinra Mansion, a dump that would have made his servants’ homes look as posh as Rufus’ five-star bathroom. In the afternoon, he would disappear into Lucrecia’s cave, and Leviathan knows what he’d be doing there.

For the past few months, Godo had been forced to change Hikari’s diapers, feed her with milk, wash her clothes, give her baths, and comfort her to sleep endlessly at night. This daily routine was driving him up the pagoda, even with the servants. Such tiresome tasks were truly worthy for those who gave birth to her.

In short, Yuffie and Vincent were lousy parents.

As for today, however, it was a rare occasion for the couple to be out together in this calm afternoon, picnicking with Godo and Hikari. While Yuffie constantly insisted Vincent to pull a happy smile, Vincent felt it was unnecessary and only wished to watch his wife play with their daughter. Godo hoped everyday to be like this for the family. Unfortunately, this new generation had become rather sloppy to his standards.

“Yuffie!” he suddenly stood up firm. “It’s about time you and your husband finally learned a new word called ‘responsibility’. It’s become apparent to me that you both are taking ill care of my granddaughter, Hikari, after all these times she’s been in need of you.”

“You worry too much.” said Yuffie casually . “Admit it! You know perfectly well that Vincent and I have always kept our eyes on our little angel! She’ll always be part of us, you know!”

“Oh?” Godo raised a brow suspiciously. “Then where might you have been yesterday…and the night before…how about last week? Probably looting every Materia store in Midgar? And Vincent…would you care to explain the same too?”

Neither of them could give a straight answer.

“Just as I thought. In all my life, I have to admit that you two are the worst mother and father in Wutainese history.” Godo continued to stare into their guilty faces. “It’s far beyond a miracle to believe that my very own daughter and son-in-law could neglect so much their own child. She sheds tears for a parents’ embrace when she suffers from bad dreams. She cries for them when she’s desperately hungry for milk. And where would you two be next when she’s in need of…”

Godo was getting so carried away that he let his set of teeth drop out from his mouth. Glancing at her grandfather’s toothless yet frightening grin, Hikari burst into tears, wrapping her tiny arms around her mother to keep her safe from the yelling beast.

“It’s okay, Hikari! This is what happens when grandpa is too old for this! Just let me bend down and fetch my…YEOWCH!” Godo cried in pain when he was bitten by a wandering turtle, who had his teeth stuck in its mouth. “Why you! Come back here, you snatcher! I’ll teach you a lesson about biting an old helpless man!”

Yuffie and Vincent watched Godo in hot pursuit of the turtle, that was slowly (VERY slowly) getting away into the forest.

“Yuffie, perhaps your father’s right.” said Vincent. “You and I know perfectly well that we haven’t cared well enough as we should have for our daughter. I suppose it’s time we started taking some responsibility…”

Yuffie sighed, hearing the truth in her husband’s words. “Gawd…being a mother can suck, Vincent. But I guess there’s gotta be a start for everything.”

“Yuffie, fetch my frying pan!” the voice of Godo echoed from the trees. “We’re going to have turtle soup tonight…once I get my hands on that fast critter!”

…