We're getting close to the end. I think you can finally trust me on that, ahahaha.

I.

Mako tainted eyes were glazed over from the effects of a hefty dosage of sedative. Cid, who growled every now again, didn't provide any other protests to those who were working in the darkened room around him. A team of one or two researchers strapped down his head. Others held portions of his tail in place to keep it from absentmindedly flicking back and forth, and burning expensive equipment. A pause.

... ... ...

A mechanical whirr was followed by a sharp beep. "Next segment." They were all moving again; momentarily removing radiation smocks to take shots of something else.

"Do you know when we're allowed to go in?" Shera was visibly anxious. She pulled at the joints of her fingers; still barred behind the facility glass. She had watched them feed Cid in small portions before the procedures began. They wasted nearly an hour trying to coax Cid into allowing anyone near. They gave up, reaffirmed that he was food aggressive, and (im)patiently waited for him to finish eating.

"No." Vincent murmured. He uncrossed his arms with a hardly audible sigh through his nose. "Did Reeve hand you the vial?" He glanced down at her from behind the cover of his collar.

"Yes, he did." Shera rubbed her arms. The lights snapped back on. They were sliding the x-ray equipment back into a nearby storage unit. They must have been taking the poster sized developments to some other room to piece them together.

"I have to go. There's something I need to take care of." Vincent turned from the corner he stood in and was already striding back down an adjacent hall to the exit. Shera didn't even get to inquire where he was going. It was just her now. She caught Vincent's previous sigh and nervously gnawed her knuckle; only perking up when someone addressed her by tapping on the glass.

II.

Shera's nose scrunched while unrolling the heavy manila wrapping of ground meat she was given. It was prepared with some sort of SOLDIER supplement that made it smell bitter. They told her she could come in and be with Cid if she could distract him while they took his last measurements.

She very cautiously padded around the textured floor to where Cid had laid his head. Shera took another few steps; eyes fixed in place by the canine ones that were gazing into her own. "Cid?" He seemed irritated (typical). They were still trying to get his tail to lie still so they could measure his composite length. Gently, Shera clicked her tongue to keep from losing his attention. "Huh? Still hungry?"

Cid's eyes immediately darted to the unraveled feed. Protein powder from the previous coil of meat still lingered in the fur of his jaws. He seemed to consider it for a long while, but eventually lowered his head again with a passive grunt. Not interested.

What in the world was she supposed to do if he wasn't hungry? Cid kept looking behind himself. They were tugging on him, and he didn't like it. Sensing Cid's agitation peak, Shera did the best thing she could think of, and came close enough to place her extended hand on his sturdy neck. His focus snapped back in her direction, and Cid immediately mouthed her arm. She froze. The points of his canines grazed her skin and left faint trails of his saliva behind. Thankfully, he didn't apply any pressure, and Shera was relieved enough to attempt petting.

Pausing only to place the ground meat aside, Shera busied herself with scratching and patting his head, neck, and ears. While minding herself, of course. Cid still stared at her in a way that was heavily unnerving. Notably, being around him, the way he was, wasn't as nerve racking as that morning. Shera realized that he had adopted a more docile demeanor. She couldn't blame it on the sedative. It would wear off soon. She considered he was just adequately fed for once and didn't feel the need to be overly aggressive.

The ambiance of the flickering facility faded; smothered by Shera's deep thoughts. She nudged her glasses up her nose and lowered herself to sit on the floor. Cid licked his jaws, and gracelessly shoved his head in her lap. Stubbly whiskers poked through the fabric of her pants and made her thighs itchy. After a while, Shera's ginger petting became bold, and absentminded. She didn't register half the researchers leave to file their recordings. She was nearly alone, aside from one or two cautious onlookers. She didn't realize that Reeve had walked in either.

"Is something wrong?" Seeing Reeve approach tugged her back to reality. Cait Sith was snickering from where he sat on the former ShinRa director's shoulder.

Reeve did in fact have something important to relay, but he was too amused to gather his thoughts at the moment. Cid's eyes were closed, jaws parted, and ears contently limp. He didn't know if Shera noticed (how could she not?), but Cid was purring low enough to rattle the room's metal storage bins.

III.

HIGHWIND, CID S.

Age: 33

Weight: 1,224lbs

Height: 8'4

Length (shoulders to tip of tail): 18'6

One hand under Cid's chin (he wouldn't allow her to discontinue giving him attention), Shera placed the data tablet she was handed in her lap and swiped through the freshly logged information. Cid's normal, daytime measurements were on the previous page; his developing blood-work on the next. Numerous, varying profile images of him had been uploaded into a small gallery; a compilation of his individual x-ray images followed. Shera paused her swiping and became transfixed on a scan of Cid's skull. So many teeth…

"His blood is still being processed. They should have some results by the end of this week." Reeve held out his hand to take the tablet back from her. He tucked it under his arm and Cait Sith leapt down from his perch to hand Shera something else.

"What's this for?" Yet another thing she was going to have to keep an eye on? She was having a hard enough time talking, and keeping Cid relaxed at the same time.

Cait seemed to still be wholly amused. "For the most important test, lass! You think Cap'n would want to play?" The toy cat slapped the new responsibility in her palm. Confused, Shera lifted the object to examine it more closely. A small, metal wand. She curiously pressed a button at the center. It was a damn laser pointer.

"You've got to be kidding me." Shera's expression was as deadpan as she could make it.

"They used to entertain the service dogs with these all the time. Don't worry! It might keep him busy when the sedative fully wears off." Reeve was trying to hide his chuckle behind his sleeve. "Who knows when Cid will wake up."

"I was just thinking about that." Shera bitterly shook her head and crammed the pointer in her back pocket. She was slowly being smothered. With a wheeze, Shera dragged herself out from under Cid's shoulder. He had rolled onto his side over the textured facility floor. Thick clumps of his shedding fur clung to her clothes and skin. "Ugh…" She sputtered and spat. Some of it was in her mouth. Cid owed her…so damn much.

"When he'll wake?"

"Yes, UGH!" Shera yanked her legs from under him. They felt like television static. "I mean, I was thinking maybe there was a way to wake him up, without Cid waking himself." She hoped that made sense. Was he actually sleeping? The Cid she'd known for nearly eight years was in there somewhere.

"Perhaps, there is. Having a good look at his blood can only tell us what's happening chemically." Reeve pensively tapped his forearm. "In the morning, or, when he decides to wake, you both have the go-ahead to head home. I'm sure you're both as tired and in need of some rest as the others."

"Are you sure? What about Cid…?" Shera frowned, resettled on her knees, and leaned over to pat and ruffle the sides of the Captain's belly. She dug out shedding fur with her fingers and tossed the soft, russet wads aside on the floor. She knew good and well that the solution to their problem wouldn't be developed over night. Some sort of counter for Cid's transformations could take…years. But, god, she hoped not. Nothing was certain.

"I'm seeing if I can get my hands on some more of the powder they placed in the food there. It's for shakes. Cid should probably drink it during the day, and it would do him some good to prepare food with it. He should be able to have enough to sustain his turning, and properly heal." Reeve plucked Cait from the floor. Shera was surprised the silly toy cat didn't jump at the opportunity to turn on the laser pointer and harass Cid himself.

"I think he's quite manageable when he's fed. You seem to handle him well now." Reeve granted Shera one of his knowing, eye crinkling smiles, and she skeptically squinted. "A little warning, though. Being that it was made for SOLDIERs, it might make him…hyperactive." He waved the thought off. "I have things covered. I don't mind investing in something else important for a friend. Get some rest tomorrow. Call me if something pops up."

"If he bites me again, I'm blaming it all on you." Shera puffed out her cheeks and deeply exhaled through her parted lips. Always work to do. The prospect of having to deal with Cid alone did, and didn't bother her. "You hear that?" She smoothed her hand over Cid's visible eye. The eerie blue iris rolled back and acknowledged her in a half lidded glare. "You better be nice to me."

IV.

"Hoo hoo hoo~" Shera's cheek was gracelessly mushed by her knuckles. She lethargically kicked her legs at the edge of the metal bench she dragged out from a corner of the room. "Come on," she yawned, wiggling the pointer back and forth until Cid noticed were it had darted off to "get the dot." He saw it, but passed it by. Shera had been trying to entertain him for hours, but she could feel it growing later. It didn't help that they had dimmed the lighting to two or three artificial sections. She placed the pointer back in her pocket and leapt down to stretch and keep herself alert.

"Ow…" Stretched too much. Her side throbbed, and Shera remembered her bandages. "Pst, hey, don't go over there." She muttered and rubbed her tapping until the ache dulled.

By now (she couldn't remember when the 'exercise' started), his attention was waning. The curiosity and rather playful vigor had worn off. Cid took to scanning the holding area; sniffing here and there. He walked the length of the full wall window. Turned his head up to examine the ceiling beams and rafters. Scratched at pull-up latches in the floor. Shera had the inkling that his snooping certainly had purpose. She didn't question Cid's level of intelligence. He had Nanaki's keen eyes.

V.

Dark hair and a face squared into an infinite sneer. The world was dark with pockets of fidgeting, blurry blue light. The eyes of the opposition were demonic behind the foggy lenses and wire frame of their glasses.

Yes, you. You'll be perfect.

Fucking shit. He thought they had a knife. The aggressor snatched something out of their lab coat pocket, and was swinging in fast for his neck. The metal made contact; puncturing the skin of his shoulder with a sharp sting, but the needle was nothing compared to the hot burn of Mako that was catching fire in his veins.

The hand that ripped the needle away had polished fingernails. He threw back his head in agony and roared. His teeth snapped down in vengeance, and they crushed her skull.

VI.

Cid tried not to frown too much, because frowning caused his brows to knit, and when his brows were tensed, it caused the throbbing knot on his forehead to ache more. The ice pack he was holding to it really wasn't helping, either. He didn't really mean to hit her. The Captain had had an unsettling dream.

This morning, he had woken up with a jolt, and smacked right into Shera's forehead. She had a matching welt and cold press beside him. They were both silent; for him really. Cid took in the sight of the wall before them. They had pinned up each piece of last night's x-rays, and aligned them into one composite image. It took up the entire plane of the light-boarding.

"Holy shit…" Cid rubbed the base of his neck. He couldn't believe it, really. It was all so surreal. Until now, he had no idea what he looked like.

"Yep." Shera assuaged the bags under her eyes. Her eyes stung a bit from a lack of sleep. She finally managed to avoid dosing off on her partner. "That's you. How do you feel?"

"Eh." the Captain pressed his lips into a hard line and tossed down the tablet of logged info he had been looking into. He tightened the draw string of his sweatpants, and plucked russet fur from the blond hair of his chest. "I dunno. Not too bad, I guess." The sensation of brushing up on himself was odd. He saw a beast in all of the photos, but truly, he recognized himself in each and every one. Cid didn't know what to say. "I ah, my head doesn't hurt." No migraine. He was tired and achy, but certainly not sapped and in misery.

"Well," Shera gently smiled and lowered her ice pack. It was an optimistic quirk of her lips that made his heart well "that's a start. Good news is good news." She had the same ugly knot on her forehead as him, and circles under her eyes, and a frizzed up ponytail, and hound hair all over her clothes, but damn, Shera's thoughtfulness made her beautiful. He really felt like things were going to be okay.

"So, what the hell is next? They gonna make me jump through a flaming hoop now?" Cid thickly swallowed through a straw. He crinkled his nose and gagged. The fucking protein drink that was shoved in his face for breakfast was harder than back country moonshine, but the more he drank, the better he felt.

"What's next? Home." Shera placed the ice back on her head; her other hand on her hip. "Ain't you hear?" She mimicked his tone of voice. "I'm the boss of you now."

Cid narrowed his eyes. He couldn't tell if she was really joking. "No, you ain't."

"Yeah, I am."

"Nah."

"Do you want me to call Reeve?"

"Reeve ain't the boss of me neither!"

"But he's funding your new ship, isn't he?"

Now, how'd she figure that out?

VII.

Shera didn't make it to her room upstairs. She opened her phone on the couch with every intention of remaining there all day. Reading was a little hard, but she got through most of her messages. Barret was coming to check up on them in the next few days. Cloud was going to drop by sometime that week with food on Tifa's behalf. Nanaki was still recovering in the area and planned to visit. And well, Yuffie was still in and out of feeling well. That was that. Shera turned her phone off and curled up; forgetting to take off her boots.

Cid already knew he wasn't allowed to go to sleep. He hadn't been gone for long, but he truly missed the comfort of his own home. He peeled off some of his bandages, took some pain medication, washed up, shaved for once (his stubble was growing a little too thick), and griped for a moment or two in the mirror about his changing hair color. Good glory. He was turning into a goddamn ginger.

He guessed there wasn't a use in moping around about himself either. Much of the past month or so was heavily settled on his mind, but Cid knew he still had things to do. Life keeps going, right? He had a one track mind to get back into the swing of hoarding machinery parts. Maybe he'd pull up the schematics he had been changing around in the garage. And fuck…Shera mentioned he probably had some pets he had to replace. Alright, whatever. He'd think about going to a hatch yard to replace the chocobos. He'd mull over the cat, and whatever the hell else he ate later. Anything to keep himself from feeling so stale.

Smelling of aftershave, Cid trotted down to the end of the stairs. He slowed at the sight of Shera sprawled out on the couch. She was going to break her neck sleeping that way. His poor woman. He'd been trying not to put her through hell. So much for that. Trying his best not to wake her, Cid lifted, and resettled her position. He yanked a blanket from the back of the couch and draped it over her after tugging off her shoes and placing them on the door mat. A warm touch to her hip, a kiss between her closed eyes, and another on her neck. Cid scribbled down a note on the coffee table, dug around for one of his older jackets, and figured he was just about ready to go.

"Probably bring'er back somethin' to eat." Cid muttered to himself. Maybe a movie, too. They were in desperate need of some normalcy.

He was tucking a box of cigarettes in his pocket when a knock came to the door. Cid groaned. "Don't fuckin' tell me."

VIII.

"What do you want?" He wasn't as nice as Shera. Cid didn't allow Ross to walk in past the potted plants near the front door. The pockets of silence between their stiff conversation were painfully uncomfortable. They were both skirting around the subject.

"Just following up. That's all." Ross cleared her throat. She was still standing on the doormat; arms crossed over her middle. "Are you feeling well, Captain Highwind?" Her eyes scoped past him to Shera sound asleep on in the living room.

"Yeah...M' fine." Cid grew impatient. "Don't wake 'er up, alright?"

"I wasn't going to suggest disturbing your mate." Ross cocked her head to the side, inquisitively looked Cid up and down, and then in the eye. "We aren't going to have any…issues now, are we?" She pursed her lips. "Mr. Tuesti phoned me after yesterday morning. It was an interesting explanation."

Cid pinched the bridge of his nose. This was extremely awkward. "Don't think we will."

"I suppose that will be a satisfactory conclusion for now. If I hear anything—"

"You'll be fifty feet up my ass crack, yeah yeah."

Ross chuckled. "Indeed, I will. Also," her voice lowered and she motioned Cid close with a stern finger "I came to warn you."

"Warn me? Of what?!" Cid's brow tensed; agitating the bruise near his hairline.

"The town reporter stalked me here. You have less than ten minutes after I leave before she tethers you to the house for an 'interview'. Good luck."