Chapter Nine: Only Human

A/N: This one will be short I swear. I forgot to say in the last chapter that because Vincent has begun to hope for something more to his life this will change his outlook a bit. Since he is not a very expressive person I hope to make his transformation a bit more subtle. Instead of being dreary, depressed, and slightly submissive I hope to make him more happy, secure, and sure of himself.

Vincent sighed slightly at the clothes Cid held out to him. They were still not his own, but they would have to do. He took them into the bathroom and stepped into the shower. The water was cold, but temperature no longer bothered him and for the past year he had been bathing in a lake fed by a glacier so to him the water was actually quite warm. He finished quickly as was his norm. He contemplated the clothing lying on the bathroom counter as he dried his skin and hair. It was a pair of jeans, boxers, a t-shirt, and a jacket, none of which would fit properly and were lightly colored. It wasn't so much that he liked dark and dreary colors, to him they were just more practical. Especially when you spent most of your days covered in blood...and other fluids best left to the imagination. He sighed again as he carefully slipped the clothing onto his body. What his days consisted of were beginning to change, and though it was a welcome one, he was still having trouble adjusting. With a small cringe he quickly pulled the black leather glove over his cybernetic arm and adjusted the jacket to cover all but his hand. Now that he was finished dressing he took a deep breath and looked into the mirror.

The jeans were too large around the waist, but didn't drag on the ground, which was an improvement. He made a mental note to inquire about a belt. The t-shirt was loose but didn't hang to his knees. The jacket was almost a perfect fit, only a little loose in the shoulders. Whoever it belonged to must have had a similar build to his own. For that he was thankful. Vincent was tired of looking as though he were wearing his father's clothes. He took another deep breath and allowed his eyes to travel up to his face and hair. The mirror reflected his wince of disgust. His hair had grown beyond a manageable length and hung in his face, making him long for the headband he normally wore to keep it tamed somewhat. There was nothing he could do about his almost feminine features, but he had come to terms with that long ago. It had always been a source of endless grief for him when he was a member of the Turks. His deadly accuracy shut many a flapping mouth. He almost smiled at the memories, but then his eyes caught sight of the hideous scarring on his neck. He turned quickly from the mirror and, for what seemed like the millionth time, wished to have his cloak back...or at the very least a scarf.

Vincent left the bathroom and sat down on the edge of the bed. He pulled on a pair of socks then the boots Cid had loaned him. Luckily they wore the same size. The last thing Vincent wanted was to trip and fall in shoes that were too big. Today they were heading into Rocket Town to meet up with Shera and figure out where to go from there. The gunman refused to stay in Cid's house. That would put Shera and the town in danger, so until he got control over his demons he wanted to remain isolated from civilization. Cid had argued that it wasn't good to distance himself from their friends. Vincent's reply to that had shut the pilot up pretty quick. He was perfectly fine with letting the others know where they went and had told the other man that they could even come visit. The gunman was more worried about people who couldn't defend themselves from a bloodthirsty demon.

It had been strange for him to realize that he now believed controlling his demons was a possibility. For the past couple of years it had seemed a moot point, but Cloud had given him reason to hope. Cid had planted the first seeds, there was no denying that. He had been the first to say he was human. Cloud, though, had understood his plight. He'd gone through something similar so he'd known what Vincent needed to hear. It was comforting that the words had first come from Tifa. In a way it helped him to believe in them. The woman had either been channeling Aerith or had the soul of an Ancient. A small smiled graced his lips as he thought of the brunette. He hoped that Cloud had gotten up the courage to tell her the words she had been longing to hear for years.

A violent shudder of the airship told him that they were taking off and also threw him off balance. Vincent managed to catch himself before tumbling off the bed. He waited until the shaking stopped to stand. The ex-Turk had decided that the first test of how much control he had would be to go onto the bridge and stand with Cid as he flew them to town. The pilot had explained that there were only five people besides himself present up there when Vincent had talked to him about what he wanted to do. The demons had been oddly quiet over the past couple days so Vincent wanted to see how they would react to being around people. He would stand near Cid so that he could let the blonde know if they stated to make a ruckus. That way they would have ample time to let the other pilot take over and retreat to the cargo bay until they landed.

Vincent went over the plan in his head twice before finally leaving the room. On the way to the bridge he saw three crew members, who smiled at him and waved. He returned their greetings as was polite and relaxed slightly. So far his demons hadn't made a peep. He stepped onto the bridge hesitantly and made his way over to where Cid sat behind the flight controls. The younger man grinned brilliantly at him, a cigarette between his lips. "How ya doin'?"

"Everything is well so far." Vincent replied, glancing at the other people seated at the different control stations around the flight deck.

"Ella over there at the radar station is the one who gave ya the glove." Cid said quietly and pointed at a young redheaded woman. Vincent understood what he wanted and nodded. He took a steadying breath then walked over and sat down on the empty chair that was next to Ella. She lifted her head from where it had been bent over the radar screen when she sensed him sit. Her face broke into a beautiful smile at the sight of him.

"I hear I have you to thank for this." He spoke quietly and lifted his left hand to show her the glove. She blushed a little and nodded. "Thank you." He murmured, bowing his head slightly. "Not many would lend their things to a stranger."

"You're welcome, and please keep it." Ella placed her hand on his and gave it a little squeeze.

"You are sure?" He asked, trying not to flinch from the contact.

"Yup! Its kind of funny. I lost the other glove a while back, and I hadn't gotten around to getting rid of that one." She giggled. "So actually, you're doing me a favor in a way. Besides I think it looks way cooler on you than it ever did on me." Vincent blinked slowly. Humans were such an interesting lot.

"I see, well thank you again."

"No problem." She waved at him happily as he stood and walked back to Cid, who was grinning at him.

"How'd it go?"

"Better than expected." The gunman replied. "She is an interesting creature." The pilot threw his head back with a laugh.

"She is at that." He agreed, still chuckling. "She's been askin' if yer ok jus' 'bout ev'ry damn day." Vincent felt his eyes widen in surprise. "She's like that. Likes to make sure ev'rybody's doin' good." He smiled fondly at the woman's back. "Ella's a good kid. Lost both 'er parents a couple'a years back when their boat sank. Been with me ever since I picked up the survivors." Vincent glanced over at the young radar operator. He felt a pang of sympathy for her. It was hard to lose ones parents at any age. He had lost his own mother early on so he didn't remember much about her. His father he knew even less about thanks to Chaos and he deeply regretted the huge gaps in his memory. At least Ella knew her parents and still had all her memories intact, good and bad. The gunman hated that all he remembered of his of his life before becoming a part of AVALANCHE was tragedy, torture, and pain. In his mind the bad memories far outweighed the good and he had a hard time not dwelling on the past.

He took a seat near Cid and watched the sky outside the windscreen. A sudden muttering in the back of his head made him freeze in fear. His demons were grumbling amongst themselves. He couldn't hear them very clearly, but he understood the gist of it...especially when Galian finally spoke. 'Leave this room Host.' The wolf said urgently. 'There is the scent of blood on the air.' Vincent stood shakily as it hit him.

"Something is wrong." He whispered looking around. With his gloved hand covering his mouth and nose he quickly left the flight deck. Behind him he heard Cid call after him, but he quickened his pace until he was in the cargo bay. There was a loud commotion somewhere on the ship and he knew without a doubt that someone had been injured. How badly was the question.

Cid handed the flight controls over to James and was about to follow Vincent when one of the cooks came running onto the bridge. "Captain come quick!" The young man cried. Cid saw the fear his eyes. Vincent's words before he ran off came floating back to him. Something is wrong. He forgot about his friend for the moment and followed the cook down to the engine room. He found one of his mechanics half crushed by large canisters that held extra fuel and oil. Immediately he began barking orders. The cans were moved aside and the young mechanic, who was bleeding profusely, was carefully lifted. They got him to the infirmary, but after that the pilot was at a loss. He didn't have any Cure materia on the ship and without one the boy would die. At this point all he could do was try to make him comfortable.

He was about to despair when suddenly Vincent came striding into the room. "Back away." He said calmly to the men hovering by the injured mechanic. Cid could see the hesitation and distrust in his crew's eyes so he reinforced the order with a gruff bark. Vincent pulled of his jacket and got to work. His hands moved with speed and confidence as he removed he man's clothing. Cid finally recognized the young man as Eric, who he had hired a few months previous. Pain and fear filled Eric's blue eyes as he eyed the gunman. "Your back is broken." Vincent told him in calm tones. "I can help you, but I need you to trust me. Can you do that?" Eric hesitated before nodding. His pleading eyes moved to Cid. The Captain strode forward and took the boy's hand. While they were distracted Vincent did something that made the mechanic scream then pass out. Angry mutters were heard from behind them. "I am sorry." Vincent murmured, sliding his hands out from beneath Eric's limp form. "The worst is over." He said looking up at Cid. "I just need to set the rest of his broken bones." Cid nodded numbly and watched the older man work. "Hold onto him." Vincent's red eyes met the pilot's solemnly. "I wish there was an easier way." He pulled a small glowing orb from his pocket and held it out over the young man in his care.

The materia flashed and a green glow surrounded Eric. Vincent took the mechanic's other hand as his eyes flew open. Eric screamed in agony as his bones began knitting back together. Cid grimaced in pain when the grip on his hand tightened and he felt the bones of his fingers grind together. A quiet snap came from Vincent's hand, but the man didn't even flinch at what must have been his finger breaking. Eventually Eric collapsed back on the bed, breathing heavily. His grip relaxed on Cid's hand as he stared up in wonder at Vincent. The gunman moved away and gathered some items from around the room. When he came back to Eric's side he inserted an IV into the man's arm. "You have lost a lot of blood. When we get to Rocket Town you will need a transfusion, but this should help for now." He said quietly as he hooked a small liquid filled bag to a metal pole at the head of the bed. "This will keep you hydrated and replace some of what you have lost. Would you like some morphine?" Eric nodded painfully. Vincent picked up a syringe and injected the liquid inside of it into the IV drip. Almost immediately the mechanic began to relax and breathe easier. The gunman covered him with a blanket as Eric drifted off to sleep. "He will be fine after a transfusion and some rest." Vincent sighed as he walked to the sink and began washing the blood off his arms.

"Thanks Vince. I didn' know what the fuck I was gonna do. I ain't got no Cures." Cid collapsed into a chair as his body began to shake from the loss of the adrenaline that had been coursing through him up until that moment. He was dimly aware of the sounds and sensations of the Highwind as it landed. Later he knew he would yell at James for landing without his permission, but at the moment he was glad the other pilot knew how. There was no way he would have been able to land the large aircraft in his condition. He heard Vincent's toneless voice telling his crew to bring Eric to the town's doctor and to be careful with him. They complied without complaint. Soon he and Vincent were alone in the small infirmary. Cid jerked in surprise when a hand reached into his front shirt pocket where he kept his cigarettes and stared up in shock as Vincent put one to his lips and lit it with slightly trembling fingers. "Uh...Vince?" The pilot was speechless. He never knew the older man smoked. Vincent exhaled blue-gray smoke then took the cigarette from his mouth and placed it against Cid's lips.

"These are bad for your health, Chief." He said with a smile as the younger man took it gratefully and inhaled deeply. "But you look as though you need one." Cid's eyes widened slightly when he noticed that Vincent's canines had lengthened. They looked dangerously sharp and he had a feeling he now knew the reason why his crew had been so hesitant about letting the gunman near Eric. His friend noticed his expression and half smiled. "Galian is helping to suppress the others." He said in explanation.

"They given ya a hard time?"

"They were excited by the scent of blood." Vincent sighed. "When I felt the boy's life slipping away Galian told me to help."

"I'm glad ya did. Where'd ya get the cure?" Cid felt confused because he knew he didn't have one on board.

"I had one among my belongings." The gunman replied with a shrug. "I did not realize they were on the ship until I sensed the materia in passing."

"Oh...I totally fergot that shit was on board." The pilot laughed. "I sent Cloud and Nanaki after it back when we found ya." He looked up at his friend with a smile then frowned when he noticed the man shaking slightly. "Ya okay?"

"I need to leave this room." Vincent replied tightly. Cid got to his feet and led the older man out and back to his quarters. "Thank you." The raven haired man sighed as he sat on the edge of the bed. A moment later he stood back up and began stripping off his shirt. "Get rid of the blood." His practically snarled thrusting the offending item at Cid. The blonde grabbed it then fled the room.

Vincent couldn't stand it anymore. He ripped the rest of the clothes from his body and went into the bathroom where he scrubbed his skin almost raw in the shower. As soon as he could no longer smell blood he relaxed. He could hear Cid moving about the other room then enter the bathroom. "Here's some new clothes." The pilot said gruffly.

"Thank you Cid." Vincent sighed as he shut off the water. "I apologize for-"

"No need Vince." He could hear a smile in the younger man's voice. "Ya got nuthin' ta be sorry fer. For fuck's sake ya saved Eric's life!"

"I-"

"If yer sayin' sorry cause ya snapped at me, save it. I get what yer goin' through and I want ya ta know that I'm proud a ya. Ya saved the kid's life and ya controlled yer demons." Vincent gasped as he realized Cid was right. He had controlled them. Sure Galian had helped, but that didn't change the fact that he hadn't transformed. He heard Cid chuckle. "I'll let ya get dressed now." With that he closed the door. Vincent stood there for a moment pondering the implications of what had just transpired. Despite the odds against him he had managed to stay himself. This was the first time in almost a year that he had managed the difficult feat. What did that mean for his future? With a new determination Vincent got out of the shower and got dressed. For the first time in a long while he decided to allow hope to blossom.

A/N: Ok I hoped you liked this chapter. If part of it seemed kind of forced that's because it was lol.