Chapter 20
The Galian Beast woke Vincent just after dawn by carefully poking his side with his horns. All that kept the Beast from getting shot was the fact that he handgun had no ammunition anymore.
For his part, the Galian Beast looked surprised to be staring down the barrel of the gun as Vincent's brain caught up with his reflexes. "Don't do that, Beast."
Vincent lowered the gun and reholstered it, while the Beast snuffled in apology. Vincent patted his companion's head consolingly. "Its all right, Beast. Did you find any breakfast?" The gunslinger wasn't expecting a positive answer—or at least not anything he could have eaten.
Therefore, he was pleasantly surprised when the Galian Beast dropped the carcass of a large rabbit in his lap. Vincent couldn't help but think that the creature looked incredibly pleased with himself.
"Nice work," he said. "Have you eaten?"
The Beast nodded and looked at Vincent expectantly. Vincent laughed at his expression. "I'm going to eat the rabbit, Beast. I just have to clean it and cook it first."
The Galian Beast seemed satisfied with this answer, as he turned away from Vincent and took up his guard position by the door.
For once, the gunslinger found himself being grateful for the sharpness of his clawed hand as he used it to skin the rabbit. He wondered, though, why the Planet had left him with it when he was reconstructed. Perhaps the Planet simply assumed I was supposed to be this way. I doubt that it keeps track of the exact lives of all its inhabitants, after all.
Inwardly, Vincent shrugged off his thoughts before they could turn down the dark, brooding path he'd felt them taking; the claw was a reminder that even though his body was his own now, he still didn't feel entirely human. There was…something still inside him, something dark that he feared to see brought forth.
And yet, like the demons, he knew that this last secret would also be pulled into the light at the least convenient moment.
He thought about Yuffie instead. About her warm smile and bright eyes. How mature she really was, even if she still often acted like a child. How she could make even the most horrible ordeal bearable just by being there.
About how much he loved her.
The rabbit was less done than he would have liked normally when he pulled it out of the fire to eat, but he was seized by a desperate urge to move on as soon as possible. He was still worried about Chaos, but he suddenly, desperately needed to see Yuffie again.
