Untouchable Pt. 2

Vincent nodded. He knew it had to be done it just made him more anxious than he cared to admit. He sat still as stone and watched as Cid, still holding his arm looked around for two pieces of wood big enough to do what he needed.

"Ha! There ya are!" He whooped, leaning over to grab them. Placing them on his free thigh, he reached up and pulled off his bandana from his neck and smiled at Vincent who was watching with him with all the intensity of the sun that was almost fully set.

"Do you have a cure or did Yuffie knick it?" He asked, being as gentle as he could placing the two pieces of wood on his arm, holding them in place with his fingers.

Vincent blinked and looked down, reaching into his cloak to pull out a level 2 cura. "I only carry it…for the rest of you." He admitted, holding the glowing green materia in his leather clad palm. This time it was Cid's turn to blink, puzzled. It only took a few seconds to realize what he meant and start laughing.

"Cause we are squishy?" He laughed, placing the slightly dampened bandana over Vincent's arm. "Right, gonna hurt Vin." He said, meeting those crimson hues peeking out over the top of his red rimmed mantle. He said nothing but broke the gaze to lower his head and close his eyes. Cid thought it looked like some sort of trance or something. He used that as his cue and wrapped it tightly around the blacked flesh, hearing the soft crunching of bone as it was squeezed and pushed back into place. Vincent's brows furrowed deeply but he was silent, flinching when Cid tied it and placed his hand on it, materia on top. He never felt the pilot take it from his other hand, but he did feel the coolness seeping into his skin and the throbbing dissipate.

"I don't think it'll work as well on you Vince, but…" He pulled it away and grinned. "It oughta do for now."

When Vincent opened his eyes and looked down, he was quite surprised to see the care and gentleness that was taken and now Cid made sure to wrap it all the way down his hand where only the very tips of blackened fingers shown. He couldn't help but stare at it, he was vulnerable. Weak. It didn't feel good and even Chaos bristled. He didn't like it.

"Cid…"

The pilot waved him off and lit a cigarette. "Gotta get you wrapped up, Cloud and Tifa have been waiting to come back for awhile now." He said, throwing a glance to the pair who was waiting just outside his peripheral vision now looking around and pretending they weren't watching. Vincent pulled his arm inside his cloak, using his good arm to pull the red fabric to his chest where he'd hold it. "How long have they been there?" He asked, turning to see them now scratching their heads and pointing at random things and doing the worst job at acting like they didn't see anything.

"Without you noticing? The whole time." Cid answered, picking up the claw from the dirt and waving them over with it before giving it a shake and watching as sand particles fell out and what he swore was some fur and bone. Vincent's cheeks burned hot and he hid his face in is cloak as they approached, slow and cautious even now. From the corner of his eyes, Cid watched as the man shrunk into his cape but watched every move he made with his weapon and taking up a new spot on a rather large log.

"Hey guys! Glad to see you awake Vincent!" Tifa said joyfully, holding out the rabbit for Cloud, who took it and propped up his sword next to Venus Gospel.

"You okay?" He asked, mako eyes darting between him and what was in Cid's lap.

All he got in reply was a curt nod and Vincent trying to turn invisible right there on the ground.

"We got rabbit! Should be able to head back tomorrow morning." Tifa noticed his claw in Cid's lap as he ran his fingers along the inner rim but chose not to make Vincent feel anymore inferior that he probably already did. Cloud impaled the rabbit and they set it over the fire, chatting with Cid as it cooked. Vincent would turn his eyes from Cid to the grease that would fall from the meat, watching as the fire would dance and flames licking at it.

He loves you host.

-Silence Chaos-

You let him take a piece of us.

-Shut. Up.-

You love him too, do you not? I see your thoughts host.

Vincent pinched his eyes closed. Only Cid seemed to notice, though he said nothing.

He watches you now. He cares for you.

-Stop-

Cloud now noticed when Vincent didn't answer a question he was asked.

Now the chocobo looks at you.

-Shut up!-

Vincent snapped, opening his eyes to see everyone now staring at him. Tifa very worried, she never could hide it from her own soft features.

"Vincent?" She asked, leaning out to touch his knee.

Something in him snapped and he panicked. He jerked his knee away from her and stood up so fast he almost stumbled over the log he'd moved to after his arm was set. Shaking his head, he strode off disappearing in the dark. When Tifa stood up to go after him, it was Cid's hand that reached out to stop her.

"Leave 'im be Teef. He'll be fine." Cid reached into his pack for a tiny screwdriver when she looked down at him. "Cid…he's…he only has his gun." She reminded him.

"Yeah, and four very irritatin' demons renting out his head. He'll be fine." Vincent smiled when he heard it and disappeared behind a tree not far from camp. Even though he was missing his claw, he wasn't helpless and showed it to himself by jumping up into a tree so he may watch over the camp without them realizing it. Well, Cloud might have known it. But everyone else wouldn't have a clue. While he perched in the tree and watched over his friends, he also listened to the night and unfortunately Chaos. While he had his internal argument, Tifa cloud and Cid were back at camp having their own discussion.

"Did he get that from the fight yesterday?" Tifa asked, sitting where Vincent had just vacated and eyeing the golden claw in Cid's hand.

"Yup." Cid said, squinting to see what he was adjusting.

"I am surprised he even let you have that." Tifa said softly, hugging herself as the chill set in.

"I am surprised that he had an arm under it." Cloud admitted much to Cid's annoyance.

"Course he does Spikey!"

"Well, it's just that Yuffie said…"

"That she saw it once and he had nothing? She also steals materia." Cid cut her off, holding up the broken forearm to see the depth of the damage in the moonlight.

Cloud and Tifa both nodded and shrugged. They knew she'd never seen his arm because even now, they haven't either.

"Is it a normal arm?" Cloud asked, leaning forward to stoke the fire.

This time Cid rolled his eyes. "Why dontcha ask him yerself."

He took the hint. Cid wasn't going to betray his trust that he'd shown him by telling everyone what was hidden under it. That was just between he and Vincent. The others would find out if the gunner wanted them to and he knew that. Leaning back against the tree, Cloud watched Cid work on Vincent's claw with his colorful language when the thing cut him, or he didn't get it working just right. Tifa, kept looking in the direction Vincent had left, still worried about him, shaking her head at a particularly colorful string of cuss words.

Vincent sat quietly in that tree, looking down at his left arm and the splint. He could feel the bone knitting back together and Chaos complaining. The other three slumbered in the deep recesses of his mind and he was thankful for that.

I miss my hand

-Chaos…it hasn't gone anywhere. -

No. My other one. The human has it.

-The humans name is Cid.-

See host, you do love him.

-No, I don't-

Chaos dragged his own bare claw of negative energy down the wall in Vincent's mind making him hiss and jerk his head away from him, hitting a branch and catching Clouds attention as he clung to the tree.

Lies. Do not deny me Valentine

-Why him? Why have you chosen him Chaos-

The claws again, this time he almost fell out of the tree with his left arm practically useless. Cloud was on his feet, scanning the trees.

Do not question me

Last time, this time Vincent jumped down and dropped to his knees pressing his palm to his temple, his broken one to his chest and growled audibly.

You will not do it again.

The pained growl in his head sounded far smaller than he meant it to be, but it was enough. Chaos withdrew his claws from his mental walls and laughed while Cloud finally sat back down. Vincent stood up and watched Cid as he pulled something else out of his pack and Cloud on his feet again, was holding something, elbow up to avoid one of the sharp fingers.

Vincent didn't know why Chaos had latched onto Cid the way he had, maybe it was because Cid didn't push him like the others. He understood what it was to just sit in silence and think, even if he did joke and say he did that too much. Or because it was Cid that saw Chaos for the first time and refused to back down until he'd released him back to the pilot. He recalled only a little of what happened when he collapsed at Cid's feet that day. Those striking blue eyes as bright as a cloudless day staring down at him, the slight crinkles on the edges as he smiled and offered a hand to help him when others weren't sure what to do. It was Cid who always called when a demon took control and wouldn't let him go, or when he started to have a breakdown and it was always Cid who had the patience to sit with him, when he had none for the others. Sighing he shook his head and plopped down at the base of the tree watching as Tifa laid down for sleep and Cloud joined her, having been shooed away by the brash Captain.