Chapter Two: Only Human
A/N: I apologize in advance. I am not used to writing Cid's informal way of speaking. So many red lines. :(
Cid Highwind was beside himself with worry. Tifa had called to tell him that Cloud was missing. No one had heard from him in days, which wasn't like him. Especially not after Vincent had disappeared. Cid refused to believe he was dead and had been working with Cloud on trying to find him. When he'd last heard from Strife the swordsman had been checking out some rumors about a supposed Vincent sighting, but he didn't know where. He was getting the feeling he should just turn on the tracker Cloud's phone had trace it to wherever the chocobo head was. Before he did that, though, he should probably try calling again. The pilot snatched up his phone and dialed Cloud's number for the fifth time. To his shock and relief the blonde swordsman answered on the third ring. "Cid." Cloud's voice was strained.
"Spiky!" Cid cried. "Where the hell-"
"Shut up and listen Cid." Cloud cut in. "I found Vincent, but something's wrong with him. I need your help."
"Where are you?"
"I don't know, I need you to track my phone."
"Is he with you?" Cid's heart was beating frantically in his chest as he raced through his ship towards the bridge.
"No. He took off after..." Cloud trailed off his voice pained. "I was injured while looking for him and when I woke up he'd healed me, but...damn it Cid he's lost it or something. He said he would have ripped us all apart if he'd come back."
"WHAT?!" Cid cried stopping in his tracks as his blood turned to ice in his veins. "Why the hell would he a dun that?"
"I don't know!" Cloud replied. "All I do know is that I'm too weak to move very far on my own and Vincent has some serious shit he's dealing with. Don't call anyone else. Barret would try to kill him, Tifa would be scared and Yuffie wouldn't know what the hell to do."
"What about Red?" Cid asked.
"He'd be fine, but I need you to get here now."
"Red's with me already." The pilot said as he started to run again. "I was takin' 'im back to the Canyon, but this is more important."
"Damn right it is." Cloud snapped angrily. "Get here as soon as you can." Cid heard a click signaling that Cloud had hung up. He swore softly and slammed through the door to the bridge. Luckily Nanaki was already there.
"Cloud found Vince." Cid shouted. "Track his phone an' quick."
"Vincent is alive?" Nanaki asked, his ears perking up.
"Yeah, but it sounds like all hell is breakin' loose in the vamp's head." Cid replied then related the conversation he'd had with Cloud to the lion-wolf. Nanaki's golden eyes grew concerned.
"Then we must hurry."
Cloud shivered as he lay on the floor. The fire had gone out some time ago and he couldn't make it back to the bed. Night was falling and a cold wind was howling around him. It had been almost twelve hours since he had talked to Cid and he desperately wished the pilot would hurry. Vincent hadn't come back, but he knew the man was out there somewhere battling demons only he could hear. The swordsman would have thought that with Chaos gone that the other demons Hojo had planted in the gunman would have disappeared as well. No such luck was to be had though, and it seemed like the demons had gone crazy without the influence of Chaos. Why was that?
A loud snap outside the cave made Cloud flinch then sigh in relief as Cid and Nanaki ran in. "Shit kid, the hell happened to ya?"
"As I told you on the phone, Cid, I'm still weak from the healing Vincent gave me. I lost a lot of blood." Cloud sighed as the older man helped him to stand.
"Where is Vincent?" Nanaki asked calmly.
"I don't know." The swordsman replied with a shake of his head. "He took off last night and hasn't been back." The dying scream of a monster sounded off in the distance making all three of them jump.
"The hell?" Cid frowned.
"That was less than a mile away." Nanaki said quietly. Cloud nodded, having already come to the same conclusion. "Cid, give Cloud the potion, we must make haste."
Cid ran alongside Cloud and Nanaki as they raced through the forest in the direction of the horrific screams they could still hear echoing around them. Suddenly they heard the unmistakable sound of a chainsaw. The three friends shared a look and ran faster. Cid was seriously regretting the fact that he smoked...and that his two comrades were younger. He was having a hard time keeping up with them and his breath was coming in short, wheezing gasps. All of that was forgotten, though, as the three of them stumbled into a clearing and came to a halt. The ground before them was littered with the mutilated and bloody corpses of monsters. In the center of the slaughter was a figure that they knew all to well...Hellmasker. The demon held its saw aloft and was screaming in triumph. "Vince..." Cid breathed. "What the hell happened to ya?" The masked demon turned towards them slowly, breath ragged from its efforts.
"Kill." It hissed. "Rip...tear...shred." All three of them took a step back in horror. Hellmasker was covered in blood and it's eyes glowed violet with flecks of crimson through the sockets of the mask. With an insane shriek it lifted its saw and ran at them only to stop a few yards away screaming in anger. The demon's form melted away and a second later Vincent Valentine stood before them slowly swaying on his feet.
"Highwind?" The gunman gasped, falling to his knees. Cid ran to him and caught the other man before he could collapse further. He stared down into the blood spattered face of his dearest friend and felt his heart breaking from the pain he could see in those crimson eyes. Tears burned in his eyes as he carefully moved blood soaked hair from Vincent's impossibly young looking face. "You...can't be here...I-"
"Shut up." Cid snapped. The ex-Turk blinked up at him, his beautiful eyes widening. "Yer a damn fool Vinnie." Red eyes winced.
"Vincent." The gunman whispered in correction. Cid just threw his head back with a laugh. Some things never changed.
"I ain't never gonna call ya by that stuffy old name so quit yer bitchin'." The pilot snickered then scooped Vincent up into his arms. The older man protested weakly, but Cid shook his head. "Yer comin' with me an' that's final."
"You do not understand Highwind." Vincent tried again to push Cid away. "I am not safe."
"Shut it." The blonde snapped. "I been worried sick about ya." His eyes filled with tears again. "I thought you was dead." He added quietly.
"I can't die." Vincent muttered darkly, refusing to look up at him. Cid held on to him tightly as he began to cry in earnest. Why did he make it sound like being alive was a bad thing?
Vincent closed his eyes tightly as the demons screamed for release. Highwind was still holding him close and it took all the strength he had left to push the pilot away. They both fell to the ground, Cid still crying. The tears unnerved Vincent. He had been so sure that none of the others would care this much about him. As he got shakily to his feet he noticed Cloud and Nanaki standing a few yards away, both of them glaring at him angrily. Vincent took a step back, intending to run, but his heel caught on something and suddenly he was falling. He landed with a disgusting squelch in a pile of Hellmasker's leftovers. Welcome to my life, he thought darkly as he struggled to free himself.
Warm, strong hands clasped his and pulled him to his feet. Vincent stared into Cid's stormy blue eyes and cringed inwardly. The pilot looked pissed and Vincent didn't have the strength to fight back anymore. His body was shaking with exhaustion. Highwind noticed his trembling and muttered something colorful under his breath before sweeping the gunman's legs from under him and lifting him up as though he were a bride. Vincent closed his eyes tightly as his head fell onto Cid's shoulder. "Yer a damn fool." The pilot snapped.
"Perhaps." Vincent whispered. He certainly felt like one at the moment. The trembling in his body eased somewhat as Cid carried him through the forest that had been his hunting ground for almost a year. He heard Highwind speaking to the others, but his words were garbled. The ex-Turk was losing consciousness rapidly, which scared him because he had no idea if when the darkness overtook him he would be able to hold back the demons. Oddly enough, though, they were quiet. There were soft mutters in the back of his mind then came Galian Beast's soft chuckle. Vincent calmed. Hearing his favorite demon's voice for the first time in months was a balm to his soul.
'Sleep Host.' The wolf-like demon whispered. 'We like this one.'
Cid almost jumped in surprise when Vincent suddenly went limp in his arms. He'd been having to basically fight the gunman with each step for the past few minutes so he almost fell when he suddenly quieted. He looked down at his friend's bloodstained face and felt a thrill of fear race up his spine. The eyes looking up at him were no longer crimson. They were a bright blue-violet...the color of one of Vincent's demons. "We are letting the Host sleep" A deep, growling voice issued from behind the collar of Vincent's cloak. "We like the one that smells of the sky so we will allow these liberties you take with us, but we will kill the others. If they wish to remain living they will stay away. Tell them flying man." Cid nodded dumbly as those odd eyes closed and Vincent's head fell against his shoulder.
"Well shit." He muttered. The pilot had sent Cloud and Nanaki to retrieve Vincent's belongings from the cave so he was alone on his trek back to the Highwind. Part of him wanted to grin in pride at the knowledge that the demons wouldn't attack him and only him. Another part was terrified, but mostly he was just shocked. The last time Vincent had opened up to him about the demon's was to tell him that they didn't like anyone. All they wanted him to do was kill everyone around him and it took all his strength just to stay in control. What had changed for them? Why did they suddenly like him? Was it a lie? He'd read somewhere that demons lied to lure humans into traps...but if that demon had been lying, why did he warn Cid to keep the others away? The pilot shook his head with a growl, pushing the confusing thoughts from his mind. He would take Vincent to his quarters, get him cleaned up, and then let him sleep.
It was only a few minutes later that he came to the rope ladder leading up to his ship. Cid hefted Vincent onto his shoulder then began to climb. They'd been unable to find a clearing large enough to land the Highwind in so the large airship was set to hovering just above the treeline. It wasn't an ideal position, but it had been the only way to get close to Cloud. It was quite the strain on his 36 year old body to climb the ladder while carrying Vincent, who wasn't heavy, but was basically dead weight. Cid somehow managed to get both himself and Vincent into the ship without falling to their deaths. He laid his burden on the floor of the cargo bay as he took a moment to catch his breath and give his trembling and strained muscles a break.
When he heard Nanaki and Cloud on the ladder Cid scrambled to his feet. If what that demon had said was true he couldn't let his other friends be in Vincent's presence or their lives would be in danger. He lifted the prone gunman back into his arms and sprinted to his quarters. Once inside he slammed the door shut and locked it then took a deep breath and carried Vincent into his bathroom. There was no way in hell he was going to let the ex-Turk sleep covered in all that blood for another minute. His heart pounded wildly in his chest as he set Vincent on the floor and reached with shaking hands to undo the straps on his cloak. Cid had never seen Vincent without it. No one had. No one knew what Vincent looked like beneath all his defenses. Well that was about to change. Cid fumbled with the buckles, but finally managed to get the cloak open. He attacked the headband next, pulling it away from Vincent's face with a small smirk. It was sort of like unwrapping a present in a way and he gasped down at the beauty of his prize. Even covered in blood it was easy to see.
He shook himself and began unbuckling the leather armor Vincent wore. Flakes of dried and still congealing blood covered his hands as he pulled the leather off, but he ignored the part of his mind that began shrieking in disgust. Beneath the armor Vincent wore a sleeveless black shirt and form fitting black pants. Cid almost laughed at how many layers he was having to peel away from his friend. He took this opportunity to inspect the golden gauntlet on Vincent's left arm. As he looked it over he realized that the damn thing was removable. He thumbed the catch that kept the gauntlet on and watched it fall to the floor with a satisfying clank. Damn thing was a nuisance. He slid the black glove that had been underneath off Vincent's hand and promptly forgot how to breathe.
If Cid didn't know any better he would have believed what he saw was geostigma. The skin of Vincent's hand, from the tips of his fingers all the way up to about the midpoint of his forearm was completely black. Cid had seen something similar on a man who had gotten frostbite, but he'd never seen anything exactly like Vincent's arm. There was a luminescent sheen to the blackened skin that was almost hypnotizing. The pilot sat there just staring before a knock at his door broke through his haze. He quickly got to his feet and ran to the door. "Who's there?"
"Its Cloud, let me in."
"I can't kiddo." Cid took a deep breath then related what the demon had said to him to the younger man. "I'm just gonna git 'im cleaned up an' into bed. Let my crew know where ya wanna go."
"Alright, but...be careful Cid." The swordsman's voice was heavy with concern. "Vincent isn't right in the head, I don't think he ever was...not since whatever Hojo did to him, but he's lost what control he-"
"I'll be careful." Cid didn't want to hear the rest of what Cloud had to say. "Besides, Vin an' I have always gotten along." There was a heavy sigh from the other side of the door.
"Fine, but remember to call if you need anything. Oh, I almost forgot. Nanaki and I put Vincent's belongings in his old room."
"Thanks." Cid replied then listened for a moment as Cloud's footsteps receded down the corridor beyond his door. He then turned and went back to where he'd left Vincent. The raven-haired man hadn't moved. Cid walked past him to fill the tub with water. After making sure it wasn't too hot he returned to Vincent's side to remove the rest of his clothes. He started with the thick leather boots and as he removed the last scrap of clothing form the gunman he gasped yet again. Vincent's skin was a sickly pale and covered in scars from his neck down to even his feet. The pilot felt like crying again. It was obvious from the placement of some of the scars that they were from Hojo's experiments and torture. He quickly lifted Vincent and placed him in the warm water filling the tub. Cid wondered, as he washed the blood from the ex-Turk's body, how he was going to help his friend. Seeing the scars covering his physical body made the blonde wonder what scars were hidden behind those pained crimson eyes.
Vincent was floating through the darkness of his mind trying to wake up. Galian and the others were silent, but he couldn't help but feel as though their silence was only temporary. He wouldn't put it past them to be waiting for him to awaken and see what they had done to his old comrades. He'd never thought of them as friends...well most of them anyway. Highwind was the only one of them who hadn't shown fear after his first transformation four years ago when they'd woken him from his thirty year sleep. Cid had actually asked him if he was alright and since then Vincent had felt a softness towards the blonde. He was different from the others in a way that made the gunman feel safe enough to open up a little to him. It was for that reason that he had stayed away. He couldn't bear it if he killed the only man to ever try to be his friend.
Consciousness slowly returned to him. Vincent opened his eyes and felt a shock of fear shoot through him. He wasn't in his cave, nor was he in the forest. He knew where he was and he really didn't want to be there. Cid's ship was the last place on Gaia that he wanted to be. 'Calm yourself Host.' Galian's voice washed over his mind.
'No kill.' Hellmasker sounded sad.
'Quiet fool.' Vincent almost smiled at the Beast's growl. Galian had always been protective of him and it was nice to finally hear his voice again. He had been oddly silent since Chaos's departure. 'We must apologize for that, Host. Chaos put us to sleep when you forced him to depart our mind.'
'I was afraid you had left me.' Vincent admitted silently.
'Even if we wanted to we would not, Host.' Galian replied affectionately. 'We have been through much together. Now you must rest. We will keep the brainless ones quiet.' Vincent did smile slightly at that.
'Thank you.' He felt the wolf's warm embrace as he settled back into sleep. Damn Chaos. The bastard had always been trying his damndest to force Vincent to descend into madness. By quieting Galian, who was oddly the only voice of reason in his head, it had allowed the others to take control. For the first few months Vincent hadn't even noticed the absence of Gailian's voice, but as more time went on he had begun to get scared. Without the Beast's help he couldn't control the others, which was something he had always taken for granted. So with his mind his own again for the first time in months the gunman finally relaxed and slept like the dead.
A/N: In case anyone is confused or wondering why Galian refers to himself as 'we' I will explain. When I started writing him I was wondering what I wanted him to sound/be like. I decided that Vincent needed a voice of reason in his head so I wanted to make one of his demons be kind of fond of him. I chose Galian because I got this idea that before he was inside Vincent's head he was basically Demon royalty and the leader of his own clan. In a lot of anime and manga I have read some of the queens and kings would refer to themselves as 'we' instead of 'I'. Hence his more formal way of speaking.
Oh and I decided to make the gauntlet removable. Don't know if that's canon, but I don't care.