The Calm after the Storm (working title) Chapter 10 Fandom:Final Fantasy VII Rating:PG-13 Summary:Chaos has returned to the planet along with Omega, but for Vincent there are still issues to deal with left in their wake. For the rest of Gaia, there's a planet that needs to heal and rebuild. The WRO on one side, opposing factions on the other, life doesn't seem to get any smoother. Author notes:Watch as I attempt with debatable success to move Cid and Vincent's relationship forward! Sorry kids, No Yuffie and Reno this time...well, this is a Cid/Vincent fic ya'know :P Disclaimer:I still am not director of Square Enix and have not turned into Nomura over night, so I wake this morning to find, surprisingly, that I still don't own these guys.
The Shera was heading for Edge. Cid had set course back there before Vincent had even had a chance to ask again. They stood on the observation deck, looking out over the night sky. Lights from Gold Saucer could be faintly seen in the distance. "I should drop the gil for the chocobo in to Ester; by I'll do it on route to Gongaga. It's a bit of a detour, but I may need to pick up another one to replace the one we lost. Seems daft to cart on all the way to Edge and back," Cid said, breaking the silence.
"Who's going to Gongaga with you?"
"I've got one of the crew I can take as an extra pair of hands." He looked back out the window and sighed. "Ya'know, I'm grateful to do it once, but it's like anything good. Once you've had a taste of it, you want it even more."
Vincent followed the line of Cid's gaze to a star blinking near the horizon. "Space?"
Cid nodded slowly, breaking the steady flow of smoke from his cigarette. "You should have seen it, Vince. Sometimes when a man dreams..."He broke off. "Argh, listen to me. Getting soft in the head."
"Sometimes when a man dreams, the stars become within his grasp." Vincent quoted softly, not taking his eyes from the stars.
"Loveless? Didn't know you read poetry, though I can't say I'm surprised."
"Once, a long time ago," Vincent replied.
"I saw the play once. Well..." Cid rubbed his nose. "I say saw. I actually fell asleep. Shera likes to read it though, and has quoted that line at me on a number of occasions."
They stood watching the stars for a few minutes when Cid turned round. "Well, I've got work to be gettin' on with."
"Do you require any help?"
"Nah, its fine. With you in Edge, I'm going to need to be more organised this time. Taking rookies," he sighed. "Always fun." He stubbed the cigarette out on the sole of his boot, looked around for somewhere to put the dog end, seeing nowhere nearby, he shoved it back into the cigarette packet. "Catch ya later."
Vincent nodded, not watching Cid stroll off. He shouldn't, as Cid was a capable man, but he was concerned about Cid's search of Gongaga alone with just an inexperienced crew member for help. Their last day in the Central Valley Vincent had woken early that morning while Cid and the chocobo still slept. It wasn't until he put his hand out to steady himself as he rose that he saw a bug impaled near his hip, pinned to the ground by Cid's knife. He had not mentioned it, just removed and cleaned the knife then returned it to the front pocket of Cid's jacket before he roused the man from sleep.
And he still hadn't mentioned it. He was indebted, as if Cid had been less sharp, it could have spelt disaster for them both. With Vincent poisoned, there would have been little hope of them making it back to the airship alive. He didn't have trouble expressing simple thanks and he wasn't surprised that Cid had still been that sharp even in his condition. He'd seen the man fight in worse shape during the Jenova war. What made him keep his silence was that he'd had Cid that close to him. To reach the bug, Cid would have needed to lean across him. Cid had been close enough for Vincent to feel him breathing, and he hadn't woken up. He wasn't sure which aspect of this made him feel more uncomfortable.
Cid yawned and stretched. He wasn't tired despite still feeling a little sore. But staring at the small print of the paperwork on his desk was making his eyes hurt.
He rose from the desk, crossed the room and stepped out into the hallway. He wasn't sure what he wanted, except tea. His last stop in Edge, he'd picked up an old fashioned stove kettle along with extra bottles of gas for the camping stove. He walked to the recreational area's small kitchen and made himself a cup of tea. With that done, he decided to return to his quarters.
Instead of his own, he found himself stood outside Vincent's. He debated whether to knock, then realised he had no reason to and returned to his own room.
He'd just settled into a comfortable slouch, tea within easy reach, when a soft knock came from the door. Cid got up and pushed the button. The door slid open revealing Vincent standing there. "Hi, Vince." Cid returned to his chair, rubbing the back of his neck.
"If I have disturbed you, I shall leave."
Cid gestured for him to come in. "What can I do for ya?"
Vincent looked like he was about to say something, seemingly changing his mind and started again. "Is there anything in Edge I can take of while you're in Gongaga?"
Cid did wonder why this couldn't wait until morning, it wasn't like Vincent forgot anything. "We stocked up pretty well with the last trip back. The rest of the fleet's tickin' over without me. I can't think of anythin' off hand." There was a niggling feeling he should say something else. There was something about Vincent that was different, but he couldn't place what.
Vincent spared him by speaking himself. "I spoke to Reeve earlier. They've finally cleared out the mansion in Nibelheim."
Cid understood the significance. "That's why you're returning to Edge?"
"Partly."
"Do you want me to come with ya?" Cid knew the answer before he asked, but the offer of moral support was genuine.
"No. You have your own business to attend and I'm taking up enough of your time with this detour."
It was the sudden formality in Vincent's voice that made Cid focus on what was different, the slight look of informality that clashed with the tone of his words. His claw. The surprise nearly made Cid choke on his tea.
Vincent rose to clap Cid on the back, who was now wiping his face with a tissue gesturing to Vincent he was okay. He looked at Vincent's right hand, though it was still covered in a soft leather glove.
Vincent noticed the direction of Cid's gaze and unconsciously moved his hand from view beneath his cloak.
"Sorry," Cid said. "Not somethin' I thought I'd see."
"My hand?" Vincent looked down at it before turning back to Cid.
"I thought..." Cid cut off; there were some things you just didn't broach. "...well...I...Never mind."
For a brief second Vincent looked almost amused. "It's alright. It's just a weapon, nothing more."
Now Cid was even more surprised. "I've never seen you remove it before. I didn't think it could come off." Hell, the man had always slept with it on.
"I've never had reason to remove it before."
In that one sentence, Cid realised the enormous gesture of trust Vincent had just shown. He placed a hand on Vincent's shoulder. "Vince, you never fail to surprise me." He hurriedly moved his hand and lit a cigarette, praying to Shiva that he hadn't given the wrong impression. Last thing he needed was Vincent's gesture of friendship marred by misunderstanding. Cid knew he wasn't known for his tact in certain situations, not when they involved himself.
Cid's seeming discomfort, though brief, did not escape Vincent's notice. "I have kept you from rest enough for one night, I will leave."
"I'm glad of the company, anytime. You know that." He gestured for Vincent to sit down again. "Look, I'll come to Edge with you."
"It really isn't necessary, Cid." Vincent did appreciate the captain's gesture.
"Ah, what are friends for? If nothin else, I can use it as an excuse to run that errand for Shera I was supposed to do before all this started."
* * *
There was still a full morning's travel until they arrived in Edge. Vincent made himself scarce, though he himself would have to admit to it hardly being necessary.
Cid spent most of the morning piloting the Shera. Unlike Vincent, the only motivation for his actions was he felt he'd spent too long on the ground the past few weeks. He was prepared to trust to judgment that Vincent hadn't taken his remark as Cid making light of Vincent's trust.
Half an hour before they were due to arrive in Edge, Cid handed over control of the helm to go and find Vincent. He found him on the small observation deck where they had stood the previous day. "Vince?"
Vincent turned to face him. "Reeve met with Rufus yesterday. Plans are being made to discreetly secure the area around the Glacier generator. He wants to see you as soon as we arrive."
Cid made a mental note to pick up a new phone. He knew if Reeve wanted to see him specifically, then Reeve either had something else for him to do, or it was something to do with Shera. "Well, good job I came back with ya then.
They disembarked on arrival, Vincent leaving Cid to go and see the Commissioner initially without him. With nothing pressing to do, Vincent went to see Shelke only to find she was in the mako chamber and would be there for some time. He sat at the desk in the half light and closed his eyes.
A lot had been answered. He was thankful to Lucrecia, she had saved his life. He liked to believe she had done it out of feeling for him rather than guilt at his father’s death. Vincent allowed himself a small ironic smile. “And I said it was you who always believed what you wanted to,’ he said softly.
He almost didn’t want to admit to himself that when he closed his eyes Lucrecia’s face was there less often. Finding out about Chaos, everything that had happened, it had answered a lot, and had laid a lot of his inner demons to rest, one of them quite literally. It had helped him come to terms with everything that had happened, but not everything had fallen neatly into place. He knew why Lucrecia had pushed him away, or at least he felt he did, but the only thing he’d never understood, was why she had chosen Hojo. He had wondered at the time if she had truly felt something for Hojo, and maybe she had. He had wanted her to be happy, but there was sometimes the selfish voice in the back of his mind wanting to believe she had run to Hojo for reasons other than love. Atoning for ones sins was all very well, but human failings had a tendency of getting in the way. The little voice in the back of his mind had, over time become louder. Vincent knew he found a strange sort of comfort in his culpability. But as time had passed by, he knew that Lucrecia hadn’t been as clean of blame as he wanted.
The WRO's clearing out of the Shinra mansion, ready for its subsequent demolition, has not unwelcome news, but it did drag back to the surface feelings Vincent had been more easily of late, pushing to one side.
Cid walked into Reeve's office, Reeve looking genuinely pleased to see him. "Cid! I'm glad to see you are well. After being told what happened in Central Valley it's good to see you in one piece."
Cid returned the proffered handshake. "Not gonna kill me that easily."
Reeve laughed. "I never thought anything would, my friend."
Cid brought Reeve up to speed with everything they knew so far.
"That's disappointing." Reeve said. "Mideel is within easy reach of Great Glacier if they go by sea, but the Northern Crater is still an unstable, dangerous region."
"They could take a boat down as far as Icicle."
"They could. But really the only place to moor a boat is the small port that services Bone Village." Reeve explained. "By the time the operation is ready to lure the group out, we could be talking the middle of winter. The glacial waters will be too frozen to get past. Even Round Island's frozen at that time of year."
Cid looked thoughtful. "They won't want to tackle that in winter, and across land, that's a long way to go."
"You see my problem?" Going east to Wutai would be easier for them. They're not going to take on a target beyond their capabilities."
"Until we deal with that magic, we can't get to the Wutain generator ourselves," Cid said.
Reeve sighed. "Thank you, Cid. I know you're going above and beyond the call of duty with this one."
"Ah hell, I get an airship outta it."
Reeve smiled. "You've heard from Shera?"
"Yeah, she called Vincent's phone just before I got back here, but there was too much static, couldn't make out all the excitement."
Reeve passed Cid a small data pad. "Shera transmitted this across this morning."
Cid whistled as he processed the information. "So you weren't wrong in you're estimate of the ground coverage."
"No. If anything, it would appear we underestimated it." Reeve took back the data pad as Cid held it out to him. "She's doing a remarkable job."
Cid grinned. "'course she is, she's a remarkable woman."
Reeve was about to reply when the intercom beeped. "Mr Valentine to see you, Commissioner."
Reeve pressed the button on the intercom. "Show him in."
The door opened to admit Vincent. Cid crossed over to him. "Shall I go?"
"No need." Vincent reassured him.
Reeve greeted him. “We found this. I’m surprised it survived for so long.” He said handed an aged envelope.
“What is it?” Vincent asked.
“Just read it. I don’t know what it contains exactly, just who it was written by.” Reeve smiled, placed a hand on his friend’s shoulder then left him by himself.
Vincent unfolded the paper. It was faded and difficult to make out in places, but his heart jumped as he recognised the small neat handwriting.
Vincent,
I know that you will probably never see this, but I have to try. I’m sorry. I know you didn’t understand my choice. I loved…oi……………..but worried about you……felt……..then I could………he hurt you.
I could never tell you ... …. ..
I’m … ..rry.
He folded the paper carefully again. The familiar weight in his chest for a moment became as acute as it had ever been. He left the room and walked past the others waiting for him, ignoring the concerned looks and Cid as he said his name and left the building.
Cid and Reeve watched him go; on Vincent’s lack of response to them they knew it was best to leave him to himself. He’d return when he was ready.
Cid lit a cigarette. “I don’t know about you, but I could do with a beer,” he said.
Vincent returned to Shelke's workroom. Shelke was now sitting at her desk, but she rose and looked at him questioningly as he came closer.
"Something is bothering you, Vincent?" She looked at him closer. "You are unhappy."
"No. But I would like to ask you something."
"Of course."
He passed her the letter. "Do you have any idea about this?"
Shelke looked at the letter. "No, I don't. Lucrecia's data fragments were needed to find the protomateria, I ignored the personal information beyond what was relevant." She looked at the letter trying to make out the marred words. "Isn't it enough to know she cared for you, must you know why?" She said as she handed the letter back to Vincent.
Vincent took it and placed it safely away. "Curiosity."
Shelke gave a disbelieving look. "Curiosity? Even if you knew, it may not bring the peace of mind you seek, sometimes the truth can hurt more than the fiction we create for ourselves."
Vincent nodded. "I shall see you again once I return from Gongaga."