Untouchable Pt. 1

He hurt. It took all their combined strength to take down that behemoth and one very spectacular transformation into Chaos. Now he lay there in the trees listening to his teammates try to figure out where he was. But that fight drained him, and Chaos sapped the last sliver of strength he had and left him in the woods where he fell. Painfully, Vincent managed to roll onto his side before he lost consciousness not yet fully aware of what damage he sustained.

Exhausting some master level cure materia on everyone including himself, Cid propped his Venus gospel on his shoulder scouring the area for any signs of their friend.

"He couldn't have gone far." Cloud stated plainly, kicking off a splot of blood from his boot.

"Let's check over here." Tifa started for the tree line, Cid and Cloud in tow. Thankfully for them they didn't have to go far to find him as Cid set eyes on that familiar tattered cloak first.

"Vince!" They ran to him. Cod nearly sliding on his knees to reach his fallen friend. Cloud held his weapon while he and Tifa gently searched the gunner's body for life ending wounds. She smiled when they didn't visibly see any and sat back on her knees, looking around.

"This is a good spot to camp for tonight."

It was unanimous, that's where they were camping. Mostly because no one wanted, no, dared to move Vincent when he was unconscious.

The sun settled low in the sky, painting it vivid hues of reds, orange and purples. Cid sat next to Vincent, Cloud and Tifa meandered out to find food. Sitting in silence was never Cids thing. He couldn't mope. So instead he talked to Vincent as he tinkered with a small radio from his bag. It wasn't until he moved the dial to find more than static that Vincent stirred, a soft pained groan leaving his lips and he sat up. He was still sore, but injuries were minute. Except one.

"Wakey wakey." Cid hummed, looking over to see Vincent go to put all his weight down on his brass covered arm only to have it buckle underneath him, making him yelp.

"Shit Vin." Cid went for him, dropping the radio in the dirt he instantly helped the struggling gunner sit up.

"What was that? "

Vincent stared in mild bewilderment at his left arm, seeing the deep fissure in the casing.

"I think its broken?" Red eyes looked at Cid, puzzled. It was a cute look on him.

"Ya mean ya don't know?" Cid asked, reaching for the golden appendage and trying not to be torn to shreds.

Vincent shook his head at the question.

"Ya ain't healing?" Vincent shook his head again and stared at the calloused hands that now cradled the heavy arm in his lap. "My…regeneration doesn't work as quickly for…this arm…" He admitted softly. Cid eyed the crack in the casing, how it unevenly reflected the sky.

"We gotta take it off. I gotta see if its broken." He ran his fingers along the crack. "This one looks bad."

Vincent was scared. This would be the first time anyone saw what laid under those claws. But Cid was right, they had to find out if it was broken. Nodding, Vincent reached up and gave golden forearm a sharp twist, wincing at the pain that blossomed behind his eyes. Growling softly, he let out the breath he held.

"Cid…I don't know…"

"Shit Vince stop that. We gotta look, I don't care if you don't have an arm. But I can't fix this with it on anyway."

For a moment he sat, scanning those eyes for any kind of insincerity, but found none. Even Chaos snapped at him making him wince.

"Vince?" Cid watched him carefully.

He pulled the appendage off and let his bare arm sit in Cids lap and looked away in shame, shivering slightly as the air brushed across the sensitive skin. His arm, black from the gold ring that permanently attached, just under his elbow down to the tips of his mutilated fingers. Negative energy crackled under his skin; blue veins strained at the scared skin. Honestly Cid was surprised he had an arm. Yuffie kept saying he had nothing there.

Cloud stopped Tifa in the woods with an arm bar across her chest. She was about to protest when she looked to the campsite and saw Vincent separated from his trademark claw. They were far enough away she hoped he wouldn't sense them.

With a touch far gentler than Vincent thought possible, Cid touched the skin and watched as the negative energy seemed to follow his fingers. "Its soft…you ain't gotta tell me if you don't want to." Cid said softly, waiting for those beautiful eyes to meet his.

"I was injected with tainted mako…he tried to cut it out. I used to be left-handed once…now…it's this. I can't use it without that." Vincent threw a glance at the claw laying at Cid's feet.

Cid frowned. He wanted to kill Hojo over and over, resurrect him and do it again for this man's suffering. But the claw made sense now, looking at the ring he could see tiny electronics embedded in it and seeing the blackened arm in his hands, how his fingers curled inwards skin barely covering bone. That claw was so he'd never feel vulnerable on that side and it's also why he never took it off.

"Does it hurt?"

Vincent shook his head. "It used to. Tainted mako ….it burns. It melted my arm from the inside."

Just then Vincent growled and jerked his arm back, his eyes flashed with pain.

"Shit Vin…I'm sorry…but it's broken." Cid apologized; he'd squeezed it a little too hard, but he got his answer. Deep down, he seethed with anger. He didn't dare imagine what Vincent felt when it was happening to him, but he knew he was stronger than he ever was and would be.

Cid reached for the arm again, taking it gently in his hands. "We gotta splint it and I hafta fix this." Throwing a glance to the abandoned claw in the dirt at his feet.