Chapter Eleven

The group sat together on the bridge deck, discussing what to do.

"Could we defeat the robot in battle?" Yuffie suggested cheerily. "That could be fun."

Vincent rolled his eyes. "Could be fun, would be dangerous."

Nanaki lifted his red head from his paws. "Vincent is right. Battle with that robot would be immensely dangerous. It could also damage the airship badly. And then how could we chase down Thorn and the masked man?"

"Well, how the &%$ can we chase them down now?" Cid growled. "If we can't move, we can't chase."

Maena was quiet. Vincent noticed. He gave her a nudge from where he sat perched beside her on the deck. "What is it?" he whispered.

Maena shrugged. "I was just thinking…"

"Thinking what?"

Maena turned to glare at him. "You don't give up, do you?"

He smiled wryly. "Depends."

Maena was quiet. "I'm thinking about what I should do next."

Vincent said nothing. He just looked at her with his cherry-wood gaze.

"All right, all right. I'll tell you." Maena looked around at everyone else. They were all watching her. "I think I should use my magic to find out who this masked man is. Somehow, I have to make myself have another vision so that I can see him."

Everyone was quiet for a moment.

"Do you think you could do it?" Shera asked quietly.

"I think I could try. That's really all we can do right now, isn't it?" Maena drew her knees up to her chest. "If we don't know who our enemy is, how can we know how to face him? How can we defeat an enemy if we don't even know his name?"

Everyone was quiet.

Then Cid spoke up. "Shera, you and I have some experience with mechanical stuff. Why don't we try to reprogram that robot while everyone else tries to find out who this masked man is?"

Shera nodded. "Great idea!"

"I'll help you guys out," Yuffie spoke up. "I'm sure Vincent, Maena, and Nanaki can work just fine without me."

"Okay." Cid stood. "Does this sound all right to all of you?"

There was a chorus of yes's.

Maena and Vincent remained seated on the deck after the others had gone.

Vincent wanted so badly to kiss Maena. He looked over at her, his eyes drinking in the sight of her golden hair dancing around her slender shoulders in the breeze, her eyes fixed on some point far away, perhaps not in this world. She turned to smile sadly at him, then stood, the nightgown billowing around her long legs.

"Good-night, Vincent," she said quietly.

"Good-night," he replied, trying to keep his voice even.

Maena stood there for a moment, as if waiting for something.

Something that didn't happen.

She gave him a sad smile, her deep green eyes portraying a look of utter sorrow. She bit her lip and nodded politely to him, then walked away, looking like a ghost in the moonlight.

Vincent winced. He could have shot himself then and there. She was waiting for me, he thought. She was waiting for me to finish what I started, to tell her I love her, to take her in my arms and kiss her. And I didn't. I didn't do a darn thing. Once again, his past as the lonely, pessimistic recluse he had been come back to haunt him, come back to hinder his life.

Slowly Vincent stood, his long, lean form silhouetted darkly against the light of the huge golden moon behind him. He stood there for a moment, the wind whipping at his dark hair.

"Vincent, aren't you tired?" Yuffie's voice reached his ear sharply.

He looked around to find her staring up at the blue robot.

Vincent shrugged. "I'm a night owl. I have found it hard to adjust to sleeping at night. It's not natural." And I have bad dreams…

"Go to bed, you vampire, so you can wake up bright and early and look good for Maena," Yuffie replied. She leaped onto the deck beside him.

"Go to bed yourself," Vincent said sharply.

Yuffie pretended to be hurt. "Ouch, Vinny. That one'll sting for a LONG time." She smiled, standing akimbo and shaking her head. "Dude, I don't know what to say to you…"

Vincent frowned. "What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean. You've been doing so well, even to the point of acting a bit cheerful now and then. SO DON'T QUIT NOW!!"

Vincent blinked at Yuffie's yell. But his reply was, "…"

"Forget it!" Yuffie cried, throwing her hands up to the dark sky. "I QUIT!" She looked at Vincent with an almost evil gleam in her eyes. "You are a basket case, Vinny. Anyone who lets MY best friend be lonely is a real jerk. A basket case. Like you." And she stomped off.

Vincent shrugged. What to do? One woman was probably in tears because of him, the other red in the face with rage.

"Hey Vincent!" It was Cid's rather gruff voice. "Wanna give me a hand here?"

"Sure." Vincent slowly walked towards the sound of Cid's voice. Perhaps Cid would have some good advice for him…

(A/N: Sorry this chapter was so short, but it's really just a connector between the last chapter and the next one. I was experiencing a major case of writer's block and now I'm not, but I would love to have some ideas on what to do next. Thanks to all my wonderful readers!!!)