The last thing Cid remember was pain and crimson eyes, so it was fitting those would be the first things when he awoke.

Cid cursed in his head for a long time, trying to remember what happened. He remembered that %*$@# Sephiroth changing into some freak-@#^ Angel thing...and then...it was going to kill Vincent...so he took it for him. Cid wondered to himself why and found no real answer. Was his debt repayed? Where was he?

He tried to move and pain flared from his chest, paralyzing him. The thing had slashed him in the chest...he remember vaguely. He remember seeing Vincent's eyes before he collapsed, but nothing else. He guess Holy must have got Meteor, because he was still around. Speaking of which, where was he?

He slowly opened his icy-blue eyes to find a dark red covering his vision. Frightened for a moment, he jerked and got another burst of pain for his efforts. Attempting to remain calm, he tried to think of what the red could be. Not blood...if there was that much, he'd be dead. God, he would die for a smoke right now. What the #%&# was going on?

He could detect the red moving slightly. It suddenly struck him that it was most likely Vincent's cloak. Had the moron tried to give it to him again?

Cid struggled against the pain and turned his head, looking around. His Highwind seemed pretty bad, but could still fly. However, where they were seemed to be a more pressing problem. It seemed like some jungle place.

He looked back and saw that it was Vincent. He was sleeping peacefully for once, and his head was leaning on Cid's. Cid tried to comprehend this as he realized that Vincent's claw was on his shoulder. Cid tried to move, but only found the pain. Despite his best efforts, he made a soft noise.

Of course, it would figure that Vincent was a light sleeper. The crimson eyes opened and stared into his own with same unreadable feeling they always had. The two stared at eachother for a moment, then Vincent looked away, staring at the sky.

"Do you remember what happened?" he asked softly. Cid groaned and tried to move again, angry at his own weakness. More pain came for his efforts, stopping his useless struggling. He found some solace in using as many obscenities as possible in succession before speaking.

"Not really...where the #$&# are we? What the $#&# happened? Did Holy get the $#&#%&# Meteor? Is that %&#@# $#&#% Sephiroth %&$#@# dead?"

"I don't know, you were injured, yes, and yes. Or at least, I believe so." Vincent did not look back at him. Cid vaguely realized that he was leaning against Vincent's shoulder heavily.

"Injured? What happened?"

"The Angel attacked and you took the blow for me. Then me and Strife together defeated the Angel and escaped the crater. We also watched Holy destroy Meteor."

"$@%&." Cid said angrily. "I #$&#$%& missed that? %^$@, I did all that work for %&#^^%& nothing."

"It was not something you would like to see. It did very heavy damage to Midgar before it was destroyed."

Cid responded to this with some more swearing. There was a slight pause before either spoke again.

"You saved my life again, Highwind." Vincent said quietly. Cid again responded with curses. Vincent continued. "I saved your life, however, so I guess we're somewhat even."

"You #$&#%$# did what?" Cid asked, feeling the extreme need for a cigarette at the moment.

"When you were injured, I carried you out of the crater. Then I shielded you mostly from the impact of whatever hit us."

Cid sweared more before responding. "What $^#^&@# hit us, anyway?"

"I do not know." Vincent stared at the sky, his face as unreadable as it had been the first time they had met. "It put everyone to sleep but me and had a limited effect on you, I suppose. I do not know when they will awaken."

"%$&*." Cid said. "%$&* %$&* %$&*. Where are they all?"

"In front of you, if you wish to look."

Cid tried to turn, but found the pain in his chest too great. He groaned again, this time with more swearing then before. Vincent sighed and gently pushed him back, allowing him to see the others clearly.

Barret was lying face down, his gun arm to one side and his other arm beneath his chest. Red XIII had his head stuck in the back of the Cait Sith's Moogle, which in turn had somehow gotten lodged between two crates. Yuffie had Cait Sith on her face. Cloud had been knocked against a railing and his sword was missing. Near him lied Tifa, who had curled into a ball as she had hit the deck. So far, the odd angle of the deck had kept everyone's position's fairly well.

"%$&$." Cid said simply.

"I have been sleeping on and off for...I believe seven days. You're the first to awaken."

"Seven $^&$#%@ days!?" Cid looked at Vincent in surprise. "How can anyone sleep that long?"

"I slept for over 20 years. A week or so is nothing to me." Vincent said simply. Cid looked at him oddly until he understood what he was talking about, then nodded.

"Why did I wake up so early?"

"I told you. Chaos' form protected us both."

"Chaos?"

"Yes...I had it's form, but fortunatly not it's mind. I was able to protect us and get the Highwind to safety."

"How'd you do it? I didn't think you could fly it."

"I'm more observant then you may think...I watched you at the controls."

The stabbing pain in Cid's chest had lessened to an ache, and he felt a drowsiness and a desire to get away from the pain overtaking him. Vincent noticed this, looking at him with the same emotionless expression. The eyes, however, seemed concerned.

"Are you tired?"

"$&#$ yeah..." Cid mumbled sleepily. He yawned despite himself. Vincent wondered mentally what his reaction would be when he realized that, along with his goggles, he no longer had his cigarettes. Cid's eyes closed and he was soon sleeping soundly, again leaning against Vincent, his head resting on his shoulder. Vincent watched him for a moment. When the pilot was asleep, he didn't seem quite as anti-social or hostile as he did awake. It helped that he wasn't constantly swearing, cursing, or smoking. Vincent smiled to himself, finding his previous thought humorous slightly. He immediately suppressed this moment of happiness out of habit, before realizing that no one was awake to see him.

"Not used to laughter, are you?" Chaos hissed. "Of course not...so many screams must have deadened you."

"I don't like these pleasant feelings." Galian said angrily. "I don't like it. Let's go kill something. I want blood."

"Always wanting blood. Sleep." Death Gigas stated simply.

"You ALWAYS want to sleep!" Galian growled. Vincent remained silent and listened to the demons fight. It was rare that their focus was moved from him to eachother.

"Yeah! Let's tear it up!" Hellmasker shouted, the chainsaw revving. Galian and Death Gigas were silent for a moment.

"We aren't here to hurt eachother..." Chaos said quietly. Vincent borrowed a word from Cid to describe his feelings for Chaos at that moment. "We're here for Vincent."

"Leave me alone...can I have one moment of peace?" Vincent said uselessly. The Demons snickered. Vincent sighed mentally, not wishing to fight this mental struggle.

"Sorry Vincent...we're here to stay." Chaos said with audible amusement. "We are you, therefore we go where you go. We'll never leave."

"I want blood!" Galian shrieked hoarsely. Vincent winced.

The demons were suddenly silenced. Vincent wondered why, and found it was because Cid was moving. Remembering the demons reluctance to move or speak when others were around, he breathed a mental sigh of relief.

"That's another thing I owe you..." he said mentally to him. Cid, having fallen deeply asleep in a matter of moments (a special skill of his, especially when someone was talking), was becoming cold. Naturally, one's instinct when cold is to move someplace warmer, which meant Cid had moved closer to Vincent and was making quiet noises of discomfort. Vincent recognized this behavior from before. Cid was surprisingly vulnerable to cold, despite his furious denial of this when awake, which was why he was acting in this way. At this rate, Cid would waken, and that would not be good for his health. He needed sleep to recover. Vincent watched him silently. Sighing, he took his cloak and wrapped it around both him and Cid, covering them both, then stared at the sky. Cid stopped moving, now warmer and slept soundly. The demons, however, were not approaching him as before. Vincent wondered why briefly as his mind began to shut down as it usually did when he would sleep for long periods of time.

By some unknown urge within him, Vincent gently brushed his claw against the back of Cid's neck, noticing that Cid arched his back in an effort to get away from the frigid metal, moving closer to him. Vincent felt a pang of depression hit him. Had his hand been flesh, it would not have been so cold. It would not have elicited such a hostile response.

But it was one he deserved...for all that he had done wrong.

Sighing, he closed his eyes, wrapped tightly in his cloak with Cid sleeping next to him, fighting inside with both feelings of depression, self-hatred, and some vague sense of comfort.

~~~

Cid wasn't sure in his mind who he was sleeping with. In his mind, there was no one attached to that behavior. Shera usually slept on the couch, leaving him the bed. He briefly wondered why she kept hanging around him. Either way, Cid had always been used to sleeping by himself. That meant that most of the warmth had to come from him, and as much as he hated to admit it, he always felt cold. Nothing ever seemed warm enough for him, especially when he tried to sleep. That's when he was the least active.

However, right now he could feel someone near him. Someone who was providing a alternate source of warmth, which was comforting. He couldn't quite connect in his mind who it was. He didn't really care...at least he was finally warm.

This was unknown to him. Feelings of satisfaction or comfort were things that normally didn't come to the pilot very easily. Everything always seemed to be wrong, and everything always seemed so cold. It was depressing. That was probably why he identified with Vin...he always seemed to have the same expression.

At his name, his mind slowly began to piece together where he was. Vin...Vin was the only one awake. He vaguely remembered talking to him for a while, but he couldn't remember what he had said. He supposed that it must be Vin that he was leaning against.

Something in his mind recoiled in fear as his mind flashed by memories of how distant, frightening, and disturbing Vincent could be. He wanted to move, but found his body couldn't respond. After the flash of fear, a part of his mind kicked in that remembered the things that Vin had done for him. Like at Gaea's Cliff...and other times when Vincent had swept in and taken a blow for him, or done things for him. There was nothing to be frightened of...he tried to tell himself. Vin was a good person...he just was decieved a long time ago and never recovered.
Cid felt a tinge of recognition with Vin's torment. He, long ago, had also been decieved. By the same corporation, no less. And he too, had refused to let go. Cid sighed. He wished he had a cigarette right now.

Feeling a cold gust blow nearby, he shivered. He was aware that Vin had draped his cloak over them both, vaguely, but still he felt the cold. In his half-sleeping, half-awake state he wasn't fully aware that Vincent had again awakened. He just knew he was cold, and wanted warmth.

He felt someone lifting him upwards. He wasn't surprised. Although he worked with machinery and other things that required a lot of strength, his body wasn't all that heavy. He was lanky, not muscled, and it was hard to tell how strong he was by how he looked. He knew this well by how people reacted when they saw him. Underneath his arms he felt both what seemed like a warm glove and cold metal. He shied away from the metal, but it didn't linger for long.

He wasn't sure exactly where he was being moved, but it didn't last long. Now, his whole left side was flooded with warmth where he was. It made him exceedingly drowsy and also gave him a feeling of happiness. Something about warmth made him happy. He just never experienced it this close before. He sighed in contentment and fell back into his deep sleep.

~~~

Vincent sighed to himself. It seemed at this rate that no one would ever wake up. The others showed no signs of waking. Only their constant breathing let him know they were still alive. Cid had snapped out of it for a moment, but then lapsed back into the deep sleep.

Although he had slept for over 20 years, he found this slightly tiring. He wished that the others would wake, and he wished that he knew where they were or what had happened.

Cid, however, as usual, seemed to be quite energetic, even when sleeping. While the others remained mainly motionless, Cid kept moving or twitching, especially when a cold breeze would go by.

This breeze was noticed with worry. Vincent hoped that no inclement weather would come to strike the Highwind while it's passengers were helpless. So far, it had been rather docile. He did not know how long it would last.

He watched his long hair float in front of him as the wind began to blow again, this time with more determination. He remembered back when his hair was short...in his long sleep, it had grown a good deal. He had yet to trim it, but he found that he, at some subconcious level, liked it.

"It gives you a more wild look." Chaos said softly. "Like you don't care about anything."

"Vicious, vicious, vicious!" Hellmasker said in a harsh, sing-song voice.

"The bandanas help..." Galian growled, "Very ruthless. And the eyes. Very nice touch...I must compliment Hojo on his work..."

"Leave me alone..." Vincent said uselessly.

"Don't like looking at yourself, do you? Maybe that's-" Chaos stopped in mid-sentence, causing Vincent to give Cid another silent thanks.

Cid was again moving, this time because of the wind. Vincent, not sure why Cid now seemed so vulnerable, wondered what to do. Cid moved closer, almost clinging to him. Vincent wondered to himself what possible way he could help Cid get any warmer then he was now.

A vague idea lit in his head, and he decided he had no other real option other then having Cid wake up, hindering his recovery. He turned, gently pushing Cid off of him. Cid gave no resistance, nearly flopping over if it hadn't been for Vincent's hold on his arms. Cid shivered as he held him, and Vincent knew it was because of the cold of the metal. Again he felt a pang of guilt, but tried to ignore it. He gently pulled Cid closer to him, pulling him onto his lap. He waited tensely, wondering whether this would work or not. Now Cid was sitting almost directly on top of him, leaning on his chest. His head rested just beneath his own. Vincent put his two arms around Cid, pressing him closer to him, hoping that he would not wake.

In response to his efforts, Cid seemed to sigh happily and then was still.

Vincent breathed a sigh of relief. The last thing he needed was for Cid to wake. Cid needed as much sleep as possible to recover. He sighed again, waiting for his demons to approach him, but they refused to speak. He sighed again, glad that he was saved from his mental torment for a moment.

Cid's hair brushed underneath him for a moment. He could feel the hardened spikes, long stiff from the dried blood that had never been wiped away. He noticed his own hair, now falling on Cid's head, which was such a contrast. This dark, black, silky hair against the harsh, blond, stiff hair. It seemed fitting, and Vincent sighed again. He wondered whether or not, had things worked out a long time ago, whether this would be what it would have been like for him to be able to hold a son. Lucrecia's son. Protecting someone so vulnerable and weak...someone who needed him. He sighed deeply at the thought. In the end, he had never experienced what he so longed for...years and years of his life, stolen and taken away from him...even his humanity was not left intact. He was a monster...

And yet, here he was. Someone had trusted him with their life and needed him. Him...a monster. This was very puzzling to him and brought him back to the One Winged Angel. Why had Cid taken the strike meant for him? Why was Cid willing to do so for someone who was like him? A monster...he didn't understand.

Now, someone needed him, at least. Someone who needed his protection, his comfort, his warmth. This gave him a sense of belonging, the sense of worth that he had long desired.

Even though he knew this was all an illusion, all a moment of happiness that would be taken away, he could not help but try and enjoy it as much as possible. His only chance to fully experience this was now.

He gently raised his gloved hand and watched Cid's response. Cid slept soundly, obviously trying to get as much warmth from Vincent as possible. Vincent watched him cautiously as he placed the gloved hand on Cid's shoulder, which still elicited no response. He gently moved his hand upward. Still, Cid slept on. Vincent gently brushed his fingers through the thick, spiked, rough hair, much as a father would to a small child. This gave him a sense of fullfillment, as if Cid were the child he had always wanted, and a rare smile crossed his lips. Cid simply moved closer to him, mumbling something. Vincent carefully brushed some of the dried blood out from Cid's tangled hair, watching his responses. Cid seemed less and less likely to wake up, instead moving deeper into sleep. Vincent, wondering why fate had been so cruel to him to deny him the right of a true son, looked at the sky. He placed his hand on the back of Cid's neck, watching carefully. Cid seemed to snuggle his head deeper into his chest, as if he really were a child, and again sigh. Vincent wondered to himself what kind of past the man had to act this way to such simply signs of affection from a parent. Had Cid ever had loving parents as a child? Cid never spoke of his parents. Perhaps that would explain his strange reaction to these parental gestures. He had been deprived of love as a child. That would, actually, explain his behavior awake as well. Vincent resolved to ask him these questions once he woke up to try and get a explanation.

If only things had been different...Vincent thought sadly to himself, staring down at the blond pilot he held in his arms. If only Lucrecia had...Vincent shook these thoughts away. The time for regrets had passed, now he must attempt to atone for these sins he had caused. He could not think of what could or might have been. He must remain in the present.

He gently rubbed the back of Cid's neck, causing him to move even closer, a visible sign of someone who was unused to such affection and wished for more. Vincent felt pity rising in his heart. Truly, Cid was lacking something in his life if he responded so desperatly and favorably to such attention. Cid seemed to whimper as another gust of wind blew by, and Vincent drew him closer, trying to keep him from waking.

"Why are you so different, Highwind?" he whispered softly. "You act so angry when you're awake, but when you sleep, you crave affection. You act in such a odd way. Two different faces...much like me."

Cid did not respond, only moving closer to him. Vincent again felt the pity for one who desired affection so badly. Truly believing now that Cid's parents had not been supportive at all, Vincent felt as if it was his duty to make up for it.

He began flicking off the dried blood that flecked Cid's hair, brushing it gently and running his fingers through it occasionally. Then, moving Cid's face towards his own, he brushed away the dried blood that he accumulated on there. After this attention, Cid let his head fall back on Vincent's chest, sighing again. Vincent wrapped his arms around him, placing his flesh hand on the back of his neck, rubbing it occasionally. Vincent could see from Cid's face that he seemed happy. Vincent smiled again.

"I'm sorry it had to happen to you..." Vincent said softly, leaning back and feeling sleep coming again. "So deprived of what you seek, like so many...I will watch you for now so you may have some moments of comfort."

Cid's hair brushed against his throat, only now it was softer and less stiff.

~~~
What was it like...

Thoughts floated around disjointedly in Cid's mind, rendered almost incoherent by sleep and his dreams. In his dreaming state, Cid remained a child. A child lost in the vortexes of half-remembered thoughts and memories.

What was it like...to have parents...

Cid couldn't remember anything about his parents, except the vague idea that both were blonde, and he was sure this was because of his own mind's desire to forget. The only person he had ever felt remotely attached to was a old mechanic named Cyril that taught him everything he knew. The only kind of parental figure he had had, and Cyril was not the most loving of people. As of such, he had become withdrawn and hostile, picking fights and isolating everyone around him. He even isolated himself from his own feelings. When Cyril died, he had not shed any tears.

He couldn't remember his home, nor anyone from his past other then Cyril. He had always lived alone, as long as he could remember. Perhaps not physically, but mentally he was always alone. Alone and cold.

And frightened.

Cid hated himself for feeling this weak and needy. His inner thoughts were expressed by the fact that in all his dreams, he always appeared as a small child. A child that could not hide behind cigarettes or airplanes or harsh words. He had no defenses as a child.

Cid hated these kind of dreams because they made him wonder.

Cloud had talked about the death of his mother often and regarded it with great sadness. "What was it like..." Cid thought, "To actually care for someone and have them respond? What would it be like to have some support when you're weak and love when you're alone? What would it be like to have a mother or a father..."

Cid sat down in the nothingness of his dream, staring at his tiny, childish hands. He sighed deeply.

He felt something that managed to waken him from his deep depression.

Although he had no parents of his own to speak of, he had watched the other children's with curiosity. He noticed the simple signs of affection and love that were viewed as non-important to the reciever. He had always wondered what it would be like to have such affection.

He felt someone ruffling his hair. It wasn't harsh or cruel, as he remembered some people doing so, perhaps his parents. It was soft and gentle, as if wary he would respond negatively. In his dream, his hair was still matted and tangled and he could still feel blood-hardened strands near his eyes. However, the unknown touch moved and gently brushed the blood from his hair.

"This must be what it's like." Cid thought quietly to himself. "It feels nice...no wonder the other kids seemed so happy at home."

He felt the hand withdrawing, taking along with it all his feelings of comfort and worth. Not sure where it was going, he turned to where he had last felt it.

"Who are you?" he asked to his own mind. "I don't know anyone who would do things like this for me. Who are you?"

Not sure of what else to think, his mind retreated to who could possibly be doing this. He thought of Vin, who was the last and only person he could remember at the time. As soon as he got the image in his head, the vision appeared in his dream.

Cid, still in the form of a small child, stared at the older man with his customary reaction to older authority figures. Fear and resentment. Vincent kneeled and held out his arms, ignoring Cid's reaction. Some unknown light glinted off the claw.

"Why are you here?" Cid asked suspiciously, secretly longing for more of the simple affection that he had so briefly experienced. Vincent remained kneeling.

"You wished for someone to be here for you, so here I am." Even in his dreams, Vincent still seemed to be the same. Distant and expressionless.

"Do you want anything?" Cid edged closer.

"No. You know what happened in my past...how I was deprieved of a normal life. So were you. Maybe we can fix this."

"This has got to be a dream."

"It is a dream."

Cid moved closer to the older man, aware of how tiny and frightened he must seem. He felt that way.

"A dream?"

"A dream."

Cid stood in front of Vincent now, his child-like height barely matching Vincent's while kneeling. Vincent still remained, his arms held out. Cid watched him cautiously, trying to find some sign of deception. He found none. Two feelings were fighting in his tiny body. An intense desire for more of the affection and an irrational fear and suspicion from being close to anyone. In the end, his desire was stronger then his fear and it took hold of him in a sudden rush. He practically threw himself into Vincent's arms, more then likely startling him. He fought back tears, of gratitude or sadness he couldn't tell. He felt the dream Vincent lifting him gently, holding him in his arms. Especially in Cid's child state, Vincent seemed more and more father-like.

Cid felt warmth again. He could feel Vincent placing a hand on the back of his neck and was overcome with intense feelings he didn't understand.

For once, Cid felt as if he could simply let go of all his responsibilites and let someone take care of them. He didn't have to worry anymore...he didn't have to be frightened or cold. He knew, somewhere, that this figure which held him would protect him as long as he wished.

"Is this what it's like to have parents..." Cid wondered to himself. He felt something unusual for him rising. It was the feeling of returning these signs of affection. Something that Cid had never personally believed in. For as long as he knew, the rules of his life were to take and not repay. But now he felt as if he must, as if this kind of gift required some sign of awknowledgement and thanks. Unable to think of anything, he let his child-like instincts take over.

He snuggled against Vincent's chest, wishing there was someway he could put his thoughts into words. He could not. He wished there was someway to repay Vincent for this tremendous show of kindness to someone who didn't deserve nor wanted such. For someone who pushed any signs of caring or familiarity away from him, frightened of what might result. He knew he wanted it, wanted it very badly...but he knew that no one would or could provide it. And here was Vincent, who owed him nothing, still doing this for him. Cid wondered how he could ever repay this, even in dreams.

Vincent pulled his cloak around them to protect them against the cold of Cid's mind, trying to protect him. Cid tried to get closer, attempting to get away from the cold wind. Vincent simply held him, as if waiting for Cid to push away or say something.

"Why..." Cid managed to ask, not sure of what kind of response he expected. The dream image of Vincent smiled in his strange way, again raising the flesh hand to his hair. As he spoke, he gently ran his fingers through Cid's hair, giving him a growing feeling of drowziness and security. He rested his head on Vincent's chest, trying to listen.

"You saved my life three times, Highwind. I owe you this much. That's not why I'm doing this, however. My life was taken away from me...my own body was torn and manipulated...I never had the experiences someone of my age and status should have. I should have been able to have a family...a son, perhaps. But the women I love is dead now, and I have no one. I want to experience that feeling at least once...the feeling of having a son. And I know you wish to experience being one. It works out evenly on both sides."

Vincent lifted Cid's face until it was near his own. Cid could see the look of paternal affection. He brushed the blood off Cid's face with a gentle touch, something that Cid was not used to. The crimson eyes stared into his own with the simple love of a father. After he had brushed the blood away, Cid rested his head again underneath Vincent's, not sure of what to think. He had never experienced such intense feelings of safety or affection. It was something alien to him. The dream spoke softly, as if not wanting to wake him.

"I'm sorry it had to happen to you..." he said, brushing his lips against Cid's forehead in a affectionate gesture. "Go to sleep, young one."

Cid sighed and let his eyes close in his dream, not sure of what he would find. Another dream, perhaps...

~~~

Cait Sith woke first, although it happened to be at the point when no one else was awake.

The cat streched and rubbed his back, which ached painfully. He pulled his claws from Yuffie's face and leaned back, trying to work out the crinks and knots in his muscles from staying in one place for so long. He ignored the fact that Yuffie was bleeding again from her face from his abrupt removal of his claws.

"I guess Holy saved the day." The cat stared at the sky, smiling brightly. "I'm glad! It's nice to do something for my friends." Cait Sith looked around, as if noticing something for the first time.

"Hey, Moogle!" he called.

The Mechanical Moogle instantly lept to it's feet and hopped over to him, dragging along Red XIII who still had his head stuck in it's back. Cait Sith hopped up on his customary perch, feeling safer already.

"I bet I woke up first 'cause I'm not really here, but at ShinRa." Cait Sith thought hard, during which he tried to extract Red XIII's head from the back of his moogle. "But wasn't that in Midgar? Is Midgar still standing then? It must, or else I wouldn't be here."

The cat yawned again, giving up on removing Red XIII and hopping over to the steering wheel, looking out.

They were on some kind of jungley cliff, because the cat could see for quite a distance both straight and downwards. It was a very steep drop. His attention span was too short to look much longer then that.

"Where the heck are we?" Cait Sith scratched his head, mimicked by the moogle he was sitting on. Shrugging, he turned back to his crew members.

"You guys are great..." he said as he walked back. "Seriously, I mean, we really did it. We saved the world. What a great feeling. This feels great."

The cat smiled and began purring to himself, wondering why a toy had such a function. Not putting much thought into it, Cait Sith continued stomping around the deck, unsure of exactly what to do. No one else seemed willing to wake up anytime soon.

Also the clunking noise from the bracelets Red XIII was wearing constantly hitting the floor was getting annoying. Cait Sith wondered as to how to remove the...whatever it was.

"This is great, Red. Thanks a lot. Hmmm...how do I solve this?"

The cat hopped down and was struck by the thought that maybe if he unzipped the back of the moogle some more, Red XIII would be able to escape. He hopped on Red XIII's back, but found to his dismay that he was more firmly lodged then previously thought. The zipper had zipped down very close to Red XIII's neck, thus trapping in between the metal teeth the majority of Red XIII's mane. Cait Sith winced. Unzipping it would be very, VERY painful.

So would, for that matter, trying to pull him out.

Cait Sith was utterly puzzled and couldn't figure out a way to solve this problem.