The Spirit and the Grump

[High's .Valentine.]

[Open only to LoveLess]

Years before the many worlds of this universe were rescued by an young man with a great destiny, an older man sat in the dim world of Traverse Town, the sight of his ruined home still freshly etched within his mind…

He had intended to sell his precious gummi ship for some much needed munny. All he got was this empty building in the middle of the square and two...eggs. Cid Highwind, expert mechanic of the world that no longer was, Radiant Garden, sat back in the dusty chair, leaning on two legs instead of one. The building he was currently in was the one he received for the vehicle that had saved him and three other lives. Nevertheless, the man never wanted to see the thing again. Though the colorful machine had done its job well and actually gotten them to a world with inhabitants, it had failed to save the only other thing he held precious in his heart aside from his ambitious dreams of flying. No, it was not the ship’s fault. The Tiny Bronco had done nothing wrong. It was the pilot. He had lost her. And to punish himself, he will lose his dream too.

Thus, he sold the Tiny Bronco, and along with it, his goal and his dream. There was nothing left for Cid. Sure, he has the kids, but…

He didn’t even receive any munny from the desperate buyer. Just this god forsaken building and two suspicious egg about the size of his head. Cid didn’t even want to wait to see what was going to hatch from those two. The two eggs were of different colors, yet they were the same. One was blue and the other a pale beige, both were mottled with brown spots, smooth, and oblong. They were like bird eggs, except triple the size. Cid had placed them on the glass counter of the building, wondering what the hell he was going to do with this disappointing reward he had reaped from his precious ship.

To be honest, at the time of the exchange, Cid didn’t even care what in hell’s name he got from the man. He didn’t want to see a single block of the battered Tiny Bronco ever again. And so, here he sat here, emptied.

“Maybe I’ll start a shop,” leaning his head back, Cid crossed his arms above his face. An intense pressure was building up behind the man’s sky blue eyes, and it was not like anything he had felt before, or was familiar with. “Highwind’s accessories. Get yer crap and leave.” Chuckling, he stiffened, feeling a wave of unsuspecting tingling settling in his spine. Aw, not that again. Over the past few weeks, Cid had done his best. Yuffie, the youngest he had thrown into his ship, was always bawling. Aerith didn’t cry either, at least not in front of them. At night, he could hear her stifled sobs, concealed by Yuffie’s louder whimpers in their tiny temporary apartment. Squall, now called Leon, did not cry, but the young man was immersed in self pity. He was stuck so deep that Cid could do nothing except to continue to let him wallow in his pool of angst. Cid tried his best to cheer the three up, but he felt that he could never do enough for them. It was understandable. They were merely children, and it wasn’t fair for them to lose so much so quickly.

But was it ever fair for Cid? The man was still as much of a grouch as ever. It seemed that the incident did little to alter him. He neither shed a tear for the love and the life he had left behind, nor did he ever pause to think about what had happened or what he should have done instead. With the exception of the occasional tingling in his spine and pressure in his eye, he was still smiling, still scowling; a pit bull that was still barking. The only thing that changed was that he stopped talking about flying and gummi ships. He had not laid a hand on the Tiny Bronco since their touchdown in Traverse Town until today, when he drove the shuddering vehicle out of the storage hanger he had kept it in. After that, he scowled as usual and accepted the house and the two eggs.

“Damn…” Cid muttered. He was so heartless.

[/blockquote]

[LEO LION]

The Darkness had served her well to get her this far. The little child panted, a Spirit in a mortal’s world was new and unusual. Her body shook violently as she seemed to change from five-year-old to deer, to twenty-year-old- to child again. Her red-brown eyes were glassy, such a move, such an exhausting move. She collapsed onto the cold pavement with sweat shining on her face.


“Oh? What’s this then?”

Footsteps could be heard coming closer, but she could neither move nor open her eyes. She felt hands – warm hands turning her, heard a quick intake of breath. She could tell instantly that the thing near her was human. Humans left a strange sensation when near spirits. He must’ve been amazed to see one here in this strange world, this strange mortal world.

“A little girl! Oh no, she’s not waking up…”

She could feel her body being shaken, but she wouldn’t; she couldn’t respond. She felt as though her body was made of iron, heavy and metal, though the man picked her up with ease. Little girl, that meant that she was not in her spirit form, all the better.

“HEY NEW GUY, EMERGENCY!!”

There was pounding, was it in her head, no it was outside of her body. Beyond her, a door, sounded wooden – it was opened and she felt wind, glorious wind, sweep by her. Then a strange glow, a magic glow, spirit-like – powerful, she could feel potential from inside this room. Even if the room seemed cold, empty. No warmth. She could feel another body, a human, another human. She was thankful again that she was not in spirit form, but still so weak. Still she could not wake up. A transfer took place. Her skin felt translucent and her nerves felt as though they’d been shocked. There was power, a strong heart in the one that held her now. It gave her strength, a little strength. Her fingers twitched, tiny hands moved as if they would clutch, but before she was restored the other had laid her down gingerly on a cold surface, her white-blond hair spreading out behind her as the folds of her kimono’s flattened and created more weight for her to fight with.

“She won’t wake up, I found her in the center of down, by the lamppost…”

The voice she heard sounded worried, as if he thought she would die. Her, a spirit, die? Granted it wasn’t totally unheard of, but she could not die now. Not now when Herne’s Forest needed her. Slowly her red eyes opened. Everything was clouded in fog.

“What’s that? What’s she doing? Is she blinking? Oh good she’s awake!”

The voice sounded relieved, she wondered if that was some sort of authoritative figure. She felt it heading toward the door again – away from her, leaving.

“You have all those other kids with you; please make sure she’s okay. Maybe they can all be friends.”

It was odd, like the presence so near – that now she could see – hadn’t said a single word. She couldn’t tell what his voice sounded like, she hadn’t heard him speak. She imagined he had a very masculine voice though, he looked quite strong. Slowly she pushed herself up, sitting cross-legged on the counter. Her large red eyes blinked behind the orange ends of her blond hair. Slowly she was getting used to being mortal, to feeling mortal. She’d never felt such a thing, she had never left the forest that she had been born into.
The other had left. She wondered again if he was an authority figure, maybe a mayor. But her attention was drawn to the man. Mutely she lifted her arms to him, opening them, wiggling them up and down, her hands clutching at air as if she wanted something from him. And she did, she wanted to be picked up again. She made little noises as she did tiny grunts and squeaks. The large sleeves of her kimono seemed to engulf her hands as she motioned to the much larger male, she might hardly come up to his knee is she were standing.

[High's .Valentine.]

Bam, bam, bam!

Lowering his hands, the man sighed. Who was here to bother him at this hour of the day, when the sun was about to set? Surely it wasn’t Leon and the others. Despite rescuing their cute little butts, Cid could feel a strong tension between him and the kids. They were not use to him, not yet, and well, they just weren’t happy. More and more, each day, he started resenting them and their ability to grieve. No doubt they resented him for his act of apathy. Nevertheless, he tried to compromise. Leon, Aerith, and Yuffie…they were under his care now.

He headed over to the door of the building, rubbing his eyes, hollering for the man to hold his goddam horses. Snapping open the door, the man’s fist almost slammed into Cid’s face. About to shout something belittling, he stopped when he noticed the little girl in the man’s arm. Cid stood to the side, opening the door to the empty building, signaling for them to come in. Instead, he was handed the kid. Glaring at the man, Cid took the child, who was so light that most of the weight he was feeling was probably from her voluminous folds of clothing. Very rarely had he ever tried to hold a child in his arms. From time to time, he would pick up the crying Yuffie, trying to comfort her—which is utterly out of his premise of skills—but Yuffie was heavier and older than the child, much less delicate looking too.

Carefully, Cid walked towards the counter, where he had placed the two unknown eggs and gently placed the girl on the counter next to them. He watched her intently, picking up her small hand tentatively to feel for a beat. Apprehensively, of course. Cid didn’t want to find out whether the girl was dead or not. Luckily for him—and the poor worried soul behind him—there was a thump, thump under Cid’s calloused finger. Weak, but regular. Turning his head, Cid shushed the man, hoping to shoo him away. He had always been a bit of a worry wart, doting over the three kids Cid was taking care of, much to Cid’s unhappiness [not to mention he could never remember Cid’s name]. He didn’t mind the attention the man was giving them that Cid was unable to give, but dear Ansem, would he ever shut up?

“Damien…will ye shut yer yap?” Cid hissed quietly, threatening the man with an infamous blue glare.

Just then, Damien shouted in surprise, and Cid turned to find the child blinking. She was waking up. Directing his attention back to Damien who was celebrating the girl’s awakening with insistent chattering, Cid herded the man to the door, promising him that yes, he’ll take care of the kid, and yes, maybe they can be friends. Except the girl lying on the counter was years younger than Yuffie, Aerith, and Leon. Not to mention the other three seemed pretty isolated at the moment.

Finally shutting the door behind the man, Cid sighed and leaned his forehead against the unpainted wood of the door. What was he going to do? Another child? As if he could handle the other three at the moment. But Cid couldn’t kick her out. Especially not a toddler like her. Buffing up, he headed back towards the counter where he had left the child. Until he finds her parents, or someone willing to take her in, Cid would have to deal with the situation. Grief? Never. It was a luxury only the kids can enjoy. Nothing for him to do but suck it up. Cid glanced up, noticing that the girl was sitting up. Seems she was better off than the two had though.

“Hey kiddo,” Cid began, stopping next to the counter and looking her over. How unusual…there were things growing from the side of her head. Why did he not notice before? And what was she doing now? The little girl grunted, waving her stubby arms in a most peculiarly adorable manner. Cid frowned. What the hell did she want?

“Um…” unused to the behavior of toddlers, Cid looked around awkwardly, suddenly dreading Damien’s decision to leave the kid with him. What the heck was he thinking? Cid, the man who did not cry for his lost world. Cid, the one who still laughed and scowled and smiled without a second thought even when he was selling his most beloved gummi ship. He was as heartless as the things that roam Traverse Town. “Whatddya want? Am I suppose to pick you up…?” Reaching out, Cid picked up the kid, holding her an arms’ length away from him as if inspecting the child.

“Ye wanna get down? Is that what?” Sighing, Cid gritted his teeth, mumbling quietly. “Where’s yer parents kid…” Another sigh as a grim thought crossed his mind. “Please tell me they’re nice an healthy an still has their hearts.”

[/blockquote]

[LEO LION]

Damien so that was the man’s name. What a kind man for taking the time to pick her up and take her to safety. The spirit decided she would later reward his kindness. Though the more this man stalled the more frustrated Sika got. Her lip protruded from her small round face and she scowled at him as he asked her what she wanted. He picked her up and her small hands gripped fistfuls of his shirt, clinging to him. She cooed happily, ah, and he was warm too! He was so much better than cold ground, or that counter and more comfortable too.

“What pawents?” She said with a confused look. What was a parent? Is that something humans had? Was that were humans came from? Parents? She peered up into his face with her mysterious red eyes. It might’ve even been a little disturbing to see such strange coloration of eye-color in a girl so small and sweet looking. But oh the wonderful energy that was coming from him, it was a magic like the one from those eggs. She recognized them almost instantly – for eggs like that were rare and any spirit could tell what beast lay locked away. “Those, heat. Need heat.” Sika ordered to the man that held her in his arms, she was pointing to the eggs. Peering around, almost as if she was much older and wiser than the pilot would guess, she spied the fire place. “Fiwer!” She wiggled in his arms, squirming to be set on the floor. “Fiwer fo eggs!”

Once she had wriggled her way from his arms she crawled over the ground, at first fairly quickly, but the more she moved in the mortal world away from the man the weaker she began betting again and it wasn’t long before she had fallen over, slightly scraping her palm. She wasn’t used to feeling the aches of human bones or the tearing of flesh. Spirits didn’t get hurt. They weren’t physical beings, if they were hurt it was through emotions or actions taken upon the places they protect. Perhaps it was because she had left Herne’s Forest – but surely the forest did not think she had abandoned it. For they were tied together so closely, if it were to fall she would too.
She sat herself back up again, and looked at her hand. Slowly tears welled in her eyes, her lower lip began to tremble, her nose became runny, and soon she was sobbing about the small injury she had just suffered. She cried loudly and waved the wounded hand through the air as if it was burned. The ground here was certainly not child proof, nor was most of the unkempt yet empty building. There were lots of sharp edges, rugged flooring, and unpolished doors prime for giving slivers. And Sika had just experienced one of those many problems with this location. It certainly did need fixing.

[High's .Valentine.]

“An omelet?” Cid cocked his head, still holding onto the girl. Was she hungry? Cid had nothing for her to eat at the moment, besides he could not trust himself with feeding her. As a bachelor, Cid had never cared much about how to cook or at least to make the food appealing—later he would come to perfect the art of making food appear appealing, however they still were as inedible as ever—and nothing could have prepared him to become the ‘father figure’ to three [and now four] kids in less than a few hours. Nonetheless, there was surprise in his expression as the girl cooed and wriggled in his grip, clinging tightly to his shirt with immense strength for such a small being. The kid sure warms up pretty quickly. Very rarely does anyone hold onto Cid so tenderly. Very rarely…

The man frowned as suddenly, the girl began wriggling again, pushing against him. Cid felt a woozy surge of disappointment, as if she had done something wrong against him as he held her away from him again, this time setting her on the ground. That momentary clinging and snuggling…it was nothing Cid should take to heart. The pilot scoffed as the girl crawled off, like a baby that didn’t know how to walk. Turning his back on her, he glanced at the egg, contemplating his situation. She didn’t seem to understand him when he had asked about her parents. Cid would assume that the child did not know his language, yet she seemed perfectly capable of bossing Cid around for awhile there. Not to mention…was she human? Humans certainly don’t have antlers growing from their noggins.

As if to make sure again that he was not just seeing things, Cid turned to find the girl heading towards the fireplace, a bit wobbly and unstable.

“Hey!” Cid grunted, striding towards the girl in an attempt to pick her up before she gets hurt on the rough unfinished floor. “Ye’ll get hurt—“

Too late…

The girl fell over, and Cid dashed over, surprised by his eagerness to pick her up and hold her close again. She sat there, waving her hand around, sobbing the usual Yuffie bawl. Loud, obnoxious, waaails. Sweeping her up in one move, Cid slumped down in his chair as he tried his best to control the girl. Should he hold her close? Rock her? Sing?!

Cid did what Cid did best. He scoffed, scowling and grabbed her had, which almost thwacked him across the face in her self absorbed bawling. Glancing at the scrape, Cid grumbled and tried to remember what the heck those mothers do when their kids get ‘boo-boos’. Nothing came to his mind. Frowning, Cid muttered a string of strong language—very, very quietly of course. If he had been his older self years later, he would have smacked his silly younger self. Bad role model, very bad.

“Hey now, no cryin’…yer a big girl,” patting the girl with the arm he was cradling her in, Cid released the girl’s hand, placing it next to her mouth. “Kiss it an’ it’ll be a-OK. And I’ll get ye a band-aid when we get home, alright?” Saying the things that just randomly pops to his head might not have been such a good thing, but Cid remembered clearly witnessing a mother once kissing her child’s wound. That got the kid to shush up. But no way was Cid going to be going around kissing babies now. Maybe when he’s old and gray. So the kid would have to kiss her own boo-boo.

“An’ I’ll get those eggs near a nice an’ toasty fire too. Ain’t no way I can make a fire right now though.” Scratching his head, Cid hoped that might get the child to calm down.

“What’s yer name, girl?” A little distraction would do some good too.

[/blockquote]

[LEO LION]

He needn’t worry about feeding the spirit. She gained her sustenance from his living being – his strong heart gave her all the strength she could need and the more she was in contact with him the more strength she would have. Sika sniveled and whimpered as Cid looked at her small wound, then directed it toward her face. She gave him a questioning look before lightly touching her lips to her palm… of course this only made her hand sting and she started crying again, soon stopped by hiccups. Confused she clung to Cid until they stopped, once the pesky jumping hiccups were gone she looked up at the man with her large red eyes. “No. Fire eggs now. Need heat.” She frowned at him, puffing out her lower lip. Her eyebrows creased beneath her orange and blonde bangs.

Frowning more when he Cid said that he couldn’t make the fire right away she slid off his lap and onto the floor, her bare feet landing with a smack. She wobbled toward the door that she’d come in from. She needed her staff – she must’ve left it outside. When she reached the door she gazed up at the handle too far above her head to reach. “Sika needs out.” She said, pointing to herself then the doorknob. “Sika left something. Sika needs to get it.”
It was odd, but it seemed that the more time she spent around Cid the more coherent her sentences began to get. Her red eyes glimmered. He would never know that she was much older than him, much older indeed than she looked. She stood on her toes as she waited for him trying to reach the doorknob still, her tongue sticking out of her mouth and her brows furrowed in concentration as her fingers were still way too far to reach it. Giving up for the moment she turned back to Cid with her arms reaching out for him again. This time she was smiling at him, her eyes big and expressive as she grinned. “What’s yer name, girl?” She asked, repeating his question to him, though she didn’t care to change the gender specific ending. If he took much time to notice, he might see a little movement beneath her pink kimono – a twitching deer tail underneath.

Sika was concerned for those eggs, they needed to be kept warm, if they weren’t the things inside them could die. She knew very well that those creatures thrived off of heat, Cid might not be too happy when he find a pair of half-born fetuses in those eggs if ever he tried to cook them, or you know, hatch them. But if it took too long they wouldn’t hatch anyway.

[High's .Valentine.]

The pilot snapped back when she pressed her lips against her wound and then…started bawling again. Wasn’t it supposed to help? Those other kids stopped crying, so why didn’t it work on her? Was it because of those antlers on her head? Blue eyes wavered over them before deciding to ponder over them later. Getting the child to shush up was more important at the moment. Sighing, Cid reached into his pocket, searching for some kind of relief for the child.

Oh? Retracting his hand, Cid pulled out a handkerchief he had stuffed in his pocket before heading out of the house this morning. As a mechanic, a handkerchief was always a must. Yes, even mechanics have hygiene what with all the oil and grease one must tread through in that field. It was a habit Cid was trying to break though, for he was no longer a mechanic. But he always found himself stuffing a cloth into his pants every morning. If not for the negative connotation behind it, he wouldn’t have minded the habit. It helped to have a handkerchief handy whenever the need for it arose. Such as now.

“Hold still kiddo,” Cid began, but soon found the girl wriggling away from his grasp again, this time wobbling towards on door. Again, she spoke, this time much more coherent than a few minutes earlier. Cid paid her improvement in speech no mind though as he stood up to chase after her. “Hey, ye’ll scrape yer feet too!” Realizing that she was barefoot—the pitter pattering sure didn’t sound like any kind of shoe—made the situation all the more urgent, as ridiculous as it sounded. He didn’t want her to start crying again if she got a splinter in her tiny soft feet. Cid only had one handkerchief on him. And as much as he would want to, Cid couldn’t possibly use it to gag her. Grouch on the inside and out, but not abusive.

“Tch,” scoffing, Cid picked her up at the door and opened it. Flipping up the long hem of her kimono, enough for him to see her feet, Cid confirmed that she was indeed barefoot. Not fit for walking outside, when there’s sharp pebbles and shards of glass left over from depressed drinking binges lying around. Of course Cid did not notice the tail. He wasn’t about to life the kimono up all the way to find out. The pilot would just have to find out later.

“Stop runnin’ around, will ya?” Tucking her under his muscular arm like a potato sack—not the most comfortable position for the girl, but Cid wouldn’t know—Cid snatched her hand and loosely tied the clean white cloth on her palm. It was larger than her tiny palm, but it was the best comfort Cid could provide for the girl at the moment. “There, all better, yes?” She seemed so happy with him. Why is that? Cid wasn’t loving or doting, more abrasive than soft. Her smile…it was rare. He hadn’t been smiled at so brilliantly in such a long time, it seems. Not since he left Radiant Garden.

As he walked out of the shop, he transferred her to a more comfy position, looking around for stray things lying on the ground. Chuckling as she repeated his question, imitating his strange speech and accent, Cid tapped her on the forehead, as if trying to imprint information into her brain. “I ain’t no girl. Ye are. An’ the name’s Cid. Dun ferget that. “

As for the eggs, Cid wasn’t sure why she was so eager to throw them into the fire, but Cid assumed it might be because of something within those things. He wasn’t all that eager to find out what kind of strange—and rather big—creature was going to burst forth from within those smooth eggs.

“Alright, alright, bossy pants. Where did ye left yer thing?” Hopefully, it has not been pilfered already. Desperate thieves crawl all over Traverse Town.

[/blockquote]

[LEO LION]

“Can’t hold still!” she called back to him at the door. Tilting her head to the left and looking at him sideways, still smiling brightly, thought it faltered a little to take on a slightly spacey childish look that suggested confusion. Why should she hold still? But soon enough Cid had scooped the little Deer spirit up and crammed her under his arm. This didn’t much help in the not-moving department as she kept wiggling to try to free herself.
Soon he had tied the large kerchief around her tiny hand, she thought it might fall off, but he had tied it with a certain expertise. It seemed like it would fall off, but at the same time it was nice and tight to protect her delicate skin. She admired the tie and delicate knot. “Sowy…” she said softly as he ordered her to stop running about. “Much better thank you.” She beamed up at him again, her face seeming to shine.

She giggled melodically when he tapped her head and gave her the information she has requested. “Sika knows Cid is a boy, Sika knows a lot of things, lots of things that you don’t know.” She still smiled brightly, but soon her attention was taken to her item, her staff, and her most valued object. “Sika can’t call fireflies without Herne’s Staff.” She informed looking up at Cid, her tiny hands again grabbing at his clothing and clinging to him again. She was partially afraid to fall, partially just liked the energy that radiated from his body. He was permeating in the feeling of a good heart – she was feeding off it too. Not that he would notice, or maybe he would from her growing vocabulary and coordination. “Where Sika was found? Lamppost?” She asked, gesturing to the two crooked lampposts. If it wasn’t there, perhaps Damien had picked it up, thinking it belonged to her family or something. It had be right next to her after all, it must’ve been there.

“Maybe the man picked it up.” She offered to him as they traveled toward the two posts in the middle of the entrance. The first district was a rather lovely place, even though Traverse town was a rather sad location – home to those who had lost their own. It didn’t take her long before she squirmed and was attempting to climb up Cid’s chest to his shoulders – perhaps to get a better vantage point? Either way her little tail twitched as she grasped and tugged at his shirt until he would either place her upon his shoulder or she would reach her destination herself.

[High's .Valentine.]

The sudden turnabout in her speech amazed Cid, even if it wasn’t quite the moment to either ponder or ask about it. In this short time span, she had changed from grunting and warbling like a baby to a slurred speech of a toddler. Cid doubted that the girl knew about it herself. She was just a child after all, even with horns growing out of her head. What would she know? Yet she claim to know lots of things. Things Cid dun even know about. That made the buff man chuckle. Kids…there was just something about them that brightens someone’s day. Even someone like Cid Highwind. Their all too large notion of their own importance was amusing and adorable at the same time.

“Yah, of course Princess,” Cid patted the girl on the head, agreeing to her statement on knowing more than him [though he knew well what the truth really is], and avoiding her horns, which weren’t all that dangerous looking. Heck, Cid's kicked chihuahuas - yes, Cid kicks small dogs when their owners weren't watching - more ferocious than those horns, but who the heck wanted to touch foreign objects growing out of people’s head. Even if the person’s just a child. Besides, who knew if it would hurt her if Cid decided to let his curiosity take over and fiddle with them. He didn’t want the girl to start bawling again. Cid liked her much better when she was smiling so sweetly and trustingly at him. Taking the child with him, he walked down the stairs that lead up to his empty building, looking around with her for the staff, which was nowhere in sight. The two approached the lamppost, where the girl was supposedly found. Nothing there.

“Hopefully Damian took it with ‘im,” Cid muttered, wondering what the toddler meant about fireflies…

Call fireflies? Sound like magic to him. And what the heck is a child doing with a weapon? Surely times weren’t so desperate that a toddler like Sika would have to carry around a weapon with her? The thought sickened the man. Not to mention the fact that she still haven’t told him about her parents. Or a guardian…or some kind of adult. Was there no one with this girl? It shouldn’t surprise Highwind too much—they were after all, living in Traverse Town—but he couldn’t help but feel pity for the girl. It was too early for her to lose everything.

Movements in his arm snapped the pilot out of his thoughts as tiny fingers once again gripped a fistful of his shirt and puuuuulled. Looking down, Cid was disgruntled by the sight of the child wriggling to either get his attention or…get up? She had climbed halfway up his powerful arm by the time Cid realize what Sika wanted.

“Oy! Careful!” Cid muttered as she latched onto his neck, taking a double take all at the same time. What was that under the kimono?! Picking up the girl, he set her on his shoulders where she could grasp onto his head and hide herself in his wild blond hair. As bewildered as he was by the strange twitching thing, he was glad that she was no longer trying to climb up to the man’s shoulder. Cid wasn’t that tall to begin with, but even for a child, a drop at that height would yield some nasty bruises. Anything to keep the girl from hurting herself would mean fewer worries over how to comfort her. Assuming the girl was hiding some kind of creature under her robes, he stiffened up slightly. What if it bit his exposed neck…?

“More comfortable upstairs?” Cid asked, leaning his head as far back as he was allowed without pushing the child off of his shoulders. His blue eyed scowl smoothed over slightly when he saw her round face. Nah…he’ll just hope that whatever she has with her won’t try to sample a bite of his flesh. He was pretty tough after all. Grasping onto her legs, he held her still. “Dun try and poke my eye out, alright? An’ hold on tight. Dun want ya fallin and crackin open that smart little head of yers.”

Damian’s house was inconveniently situated near the second district, which was also where Cid lived. Heading back to the empty building, he explained to the girl that he’ll grab the eggs and they can head home on the way to Damian’s. It was about time Cid headed home anyway. Hopefully the kids weren’t waiting for him. And if her staff was not with the chatterbox, Cid would leave her at home and search around Traverse Town himself. It was most likely still around first district though. Though people [and things] often arrive in Traverse Town, despite its name, very little people have the means to leave this wretched place. Most of the time, they were uncouthly dumped in the cobble streets of Traverse Town without warning. For most of them, it’s a one way trip without the ability to teleport from world to world or some kind of traveling vehicle on hand. Which was probably why people were so desperate to get their hands on Cid’s gummi ship.

Grabbing the eggs clumsily, Cid headed back out the shop before locking the door behind him.

These round things need warmth, huh? Sighing, Cid considered tucking them under his shirt...which really was quite ridiculous. The eggs were the size of his head. Just holding onto them gave Cid trouble.

“Goddam, why do they do this to me…” Grumbling, the man gritted his teeth. The night air blew, forcing a shiver out of the two. Having heard about chicken eggs before, Cid knew that any more exposure to this kind of weather and whatever inside the confounded shells would freeze to death. And so…

Lifting his shirt up—Cid didn’t give a damn who saw his exposed stomach—he quickly snuck one egg under his shirt and lodged it firmly against his large orange belt and pulled his shirt down again, holding it in place with one hand. Cradling the other egg close to him, he just hoped to Ansem that he wasn’t making some stupid choices for that exposed egg there in his hand. Also, the one under his shirt better not take this chance to start hatching. That would not make Highwind a very happy man.

"Ya think this will work, Kiddo?" Glancing up, Cid asked the girl, surprised at himself and his expectation of her. Well, she seemed to know what the heck was going on.

If he had cared a bit more, Cid would have been embarrassed about his appearance. A kid on his shoulder with antlers, an unnatural bulge at his belly, and a large round egg held so close to him he appeared to be fondling a precious treasure. Thank goodness he didn’t give a shit. Yet, he hurried down the path towards Damian’s house, hoping to avoid any curious passer by.

Yet before he could arrive, he must pass an alley. In the alley, a figure lurked, and in his hand…a long stick.

[Wow. A one week break really WORKS. I'm flowing with muse and I haven't been this long winded since last year. o___O ]

[/blockquote]

[LEO LION]

Sika most likely wouldn’t have minded if he touched her antlers, she wouldn’t feel anything anyway, they were just growths from her head made of dead bone – surprisingly antlers are not horns, and the reverse holds true as well for horns are living bone protected by layers of hard skin and are permanent. Antlers will fall off periodically and re-grow, and though it is rare for a female like Sika to have such things growing from her head, it is not unheard of for females to grow antlers as well. “Sika hopes too, Sika would like to call the Fireflies again.” She gripped Cid’s shirt, she was more concerned about her precious Fireflies and Herne’s Staff, which had been entrusted to her upon her creation as a spirit of Herne’s Forest – than of falling, but it was still a good gesture to keep tight hold.

If only Cid knew the truth about her. Her age and her experience, he would be very shocked to learn that she was but centuries old as opposed to the age that he saw now. If only he knew that she’d left her home of her own accord to find a way to save it as opposed to being forced out by its demise, he might think differently of her.

But, returning to the tiny tines that grew from her head, she wouldn’t feel it or mind if he touched – he didn’t know this, but if he asked she might give him permission. Or maybe give him a crooked confused look.

Happily on his shoulders now Sika latched onto his head, her fingers gently brushing through his spiky hair – marveling at how soft it was! It looked as rough and coarse as the man from which it grew, but Sika supposed that there were always two sides to people, what they look like and how they really were. What a wonderful analogy! Cid was soft just like his hair. She giggled as he tilted his head back, her hands resting gently on his forehead. “Sika likes to be tall!” she said in a ringing tone of joy, she sent him another sparkling smile, showing him her approval. “Uncle Cid has soft hair.” She added shortly after, petting his head a little more before wrapping her small hands around either side of his head, carefully holding on – trying not to pull his hair.
Tail still twitching she looked around from here, her doe eyes sweeping over the area. She could feel its power, she could feel Herne calling out to her, the signal was better from atop the man’s shoulder. She closed her eyes and imagined a mist leading her to it, but she didn’t quite need it, for something told her that the staff was nigh too far from the two.

“Eggs need heat or eggs will die.” Sika said approvingly to his offer of picking up the eggs. She flailed her hand as he picked them up, reaching for the egg to touch it and when Cid lifted it to her hand she could feel the gentle warmth of the egg; she could also feel it beginning to ebb away, it was a good thing she’d warned Cid when she did – eggs needed to be incubated properly.

She was a little stunned when Sid stuck the egg down his shirt, and she giggled a little as the protruding made him look as though he was a pregnant man – although perhaps he was in some vague sense of the word, he was going to hatch two eggs after all. Wouldn’t he be surprised if he learned what would come out of those two things? She was sure that he would take good care of the eggs once they hatched, she could feel that he was a good and responsible person. “For now it should do.” At least the eggs weren’t left unattended where someone could swipe them, much like her poor staff. O, where could it be?! Where O where could her staff have gone? Herne would be terribly mad if she didn’t find that blessing that she’d been given; that gift to summon creatures to her aid.

They then hurried on their way, and Sika became ridged, her voice seemed to change as she spoke, her eyes trained on the darkness. “I feel Herne’s brilliance.” She murmured in a voice that sounded much more adult. “Uncle Cid, there’s something in the alley…” She added returning to the child-like talk that she had adopted in this form, having found the dialect that seemed to fit perfectly with the age of a five-year-old. “Sika can feel the magic, Sika’s staff is in the alley.”
Her eyes narrowed, staring into the shadows, and soon she could make out a figure, it looked sinister in the alley and made her nervous, she ducked a little behind Cid’s head, she could do nothing in this form… perhaps… “Down!” Sika ordered. She wiggled her legs out of his grasp and slid down his back with surprising ease, and she landed on her little feet – composure found at last. And if Cid were to turn around he would see little Sika, surrounded by a swirling light, suddenly grow into a young woman of perhaps twenty with a marvelous set of antlers. The beams were long and there were six tines atop her head. Two handsome brow antlers followed by two bez antlers and four tynes on either side of the long beams. Her kimonos grew with her, though once she was in the form of a lady her charming tail – hidden beneath the pink kimono in youngest mode – was now non-existent. “We must retrieve my staff.” She said, her once sweet round eyes now almond shaped, her face more elegant, and her hair vastly longer than before. She walked forward, her feet still bare, still seeming to glow.

count; 977
remarks; I was so close!

[High's .Valentine.]

Cid almost dropped the eggs. Almost. But he was so damn near going to if he wasn’t conscious of what was inside of them. The man had once again felt the sudden movement from the girl, who was slipping down onto the ground. The main reason Cid had picked her up in the first place was because he didn’t want her stepping on the ground. Her tone, though only for a short moment, had surprised the rough pilot. Sika sounded like no child he had ever heard of. Nevertheless, the next few scenes were even more mind blowing. Mind blowing.

He had turned, so he could scold her and make her climb back up, where her precious little feet would be able to avoid the dangers of Traverse Town’s cobble stone roads until Cid gets her a decent pair of shoes. He had expected a little girl. What he saw was something else.

A light surrounded the child, who began to grow. Grow at a rapid rate. It was nothing like Cid had ever seen or could imagine. They didn’t have shape shifters back in Radiant Garden, and he certainly had never seen one in action. Especially someone who had just been riding on his shoulders less than a few seconds ago and acting so much like a child. Sika was now a young woman, maybe a few years shy of his own age [remember, Cid was still quite young right now]. Long, pale, ghostly hair, graceful, beautiful. She turned, beckoning to Cid to follow her into the alley. Her bare feet pattered against the cold stones, but the crudeness of Traverse Town seemed unable to leave a mark on her elegant form. Cid gulped, uncharacteristically shocked. If he had been chewing on a cigarette, it would have long fallen to the ground. His expression was slightly comical, but there was no doubt what was running through his mind. This was traumatizing.

“What the fu…” he couldn’t quite bring himself to finish his sentence.

Still holding onto the egg, Cid suddenly felt foolish, embarrassed by his bizarre appearance. With a kid, it didn’t matter, and Cid could hardly give a shit about whether or not the rest of the miserly people of Traverse Town approved of him towing around two giant eggs and a little girl. However, with this young being there was just something about her that just made some things seem inexplicably foolhardy. Like his silly attempt at incubating the eggs with his own body heat. The stupidity of it is almost painful. Regardless, there was no way out now. He walked behind her, not even attempting his usual gait, which was impossible in the first place due to the two burdens the size of his noggin. All the while, he remised over his previous action with the kid...no, woman…not really…ethereal being? Cid still wasn’t sure just what the heck she was, but he couldn’t believe that he made her kiss her own boo-boo. Mentally groaning, the pilot tried to focus on the task at hand.

They were cornering the thief, who had futilely trapped herself in a closed off alley. Wrong decision. She hadn’t count on the two to enter, even less on the fact that the child she had snatched the staff from was now a woman with horns. It was enough to convince any normal rouge to just drop the piece of wood and run. But the young thief gripped tighter as she watched from the deepest corner of the alley, lodged behind a barrel. She was sure this was going to be her big break. This staff…there was something magical that came from it, something superior and powerful that if brought too close to her face, would make her sleepy and dizzy from the denseness of the aura. There was no way the thief was going to…what was that…?

A few feet away, Cid stopped stock still, the hair on the back of his neck prickling. At the same time, the temperature of the eggs seemed to drop—drastically. Alarmed, Cid jerked his attention to the eggs, shuddering as a chill started from his stomach, an alarming ice block he had lodged between his belt and skin. What had happened? They couldn’t be dead, not when he was trying so hard to keep their fire going. And still, he continued to feel dread, dread, dread. It was a familiar feeling.

“Heartless,” Cid muttered, the feeling of embarrassment and apprehension he had been experiencing when he had realized what Sika really was instantly replaced by the habitual anger. His body temperature rose as blood flushed to his head. Cid had found that though he could not bring himself to grieve, it seems all of his sorrow could be so damn easily converted to rage. Funnily enough, the eggs in his arms slowly began to climb up the thermometer. It was as if they were fueling him on. His stomach and arms burned, but it was not uncomfortable.

“Get back, Sika,” Cid growled, shoving himself in front of the young woman after handing her the egg he was currently holding onto, too preoccupied to remove the other egg. No doubt it was hard to appear serious when you look pregnant, but Cid wasn’t concerned about that at the moment. Heartless weren’t supposed to be in the First District. Or at least they were supposed to be a bit less common to run into.

The alleyway was long. Ominous and dark, filled with strange shadows casted by weak street lamps. Old crates and barrels scattered here and there, suggesting a worn and torn place down on its luck. In front of them, a voice shrieked as a figure stumbled out from behind a barrel, a long stick in her hand waving wildly to fend off the heartless that had tackled her.

Cursing, Cid clutched the egg at his stomach and dashed forward. The pilot had no weapon with him, having left his spear in progress at home. Not that the spear would have been a lot of use anyway. Nothing seemed to be able to send these things away permanently. You can whack and hack at them all you want, but they’ll keep coming back. The rogue continued screaming as she battled the heartless’ claw, which relentlessly attempted to stab at the her chest. That was, until a steel toed boot slammed hard into the Shadow’s round body, sending it flying. At the same time, Cid bent over sideways—quite awkwardly since he was trying his best to avoid crushing the egg lodged in his yellow belt—and grabbed the thief by the arm, his other hand still holding on to the egg. She continued to scream.

“SHUT…UP!” The pilot grunted as he slung her quite far away from the scene towards Sika. “An’ RUN!” All the while, the heartless behind him multiplied.

[/blockquote]

[LEO LION]

She could feel them too, the monsters from her home – so they were here too. Foul beasts that threatened to steal Herne’s Forest, to ruin and kill all the spirits and humans that existed there. Damned hellish creatures, there was no place in the world for such things as they. She took a step backwards as cid thrust an egg into her hand. Instinctively she took the warming egg and wrapped it in the long sleeve of her refurbished pink kimono. She tied the sleeve around her arm to create a sort of cradle, and held the egg to her torso protectively, even knowing that the shell was thick and hard – a fall wouldn’t crack.
Sika caught the thief by clutching her staff. Once she’d wrapped her slender fingers around it she glared at the petty woman on the other end and lowered her head so her antlers were poised at the woman’s forehead. “Release Herne, his power is not for you, you will die if you try to use it.” She yanked the wood away from her and she lost her balance, far too terrified to fight back and her face landed against Sika’s chest. It was then that Sika callously pushed the girl into the direction of the open District where light was abundant. “You heard him, run.” She said coolly, as the thief sputtered and fled, vanishing into a shop run by a couple of ducklings.

“Cid, get out of the way.” Sika ordered only once before bringing her staff to stand parallel with her body in front of her. “I call upon the fireflies, the servants of Herne, come to my aid.” Within moments a small hoard of fireflies had gathered around Sika, they seemed to be joyous to be near her and they reveled in her powers. She spoke gently to them, as if they would be her children. “Swarm my friends, we must defeat Herne’s enemy.”

Without a thought the insects banned together at the end of her staff, forming the end of a hammer. The insects were undulating, every moving, and it created an almost mesmerizing solid object (not unlike what you might find in a Disney or WB cartoon). “Let us take revenge!” She dashed forward with the grace and speed of a deer and swung the hammer violently to knock back four Heartless and turn them into harmless vapor. She struck again at one that was moving toward her from the left, tossing it into another. With the four Heartless gone, so two layers of fireflies vanished as well.

“Cid, it is imperative that we protect the eggs, for they are close to hatching. We must seek a place that these beings will not follow.” She was beside him now, pressing her shoulder lightly against his and with the motion attempting to make him back up and away. “Forget your rage toward these monsters, life is more important than their emptiness.”

count; 493
remarks; I’m not reaching my goals D: I wanted 500 words.

[High's .Valentine.]

Stumbling, the man scrambled to run towards the woman who was a child seconds earlier, kicking aside a heartless in the meanwhile. It was dangerous here, as they seemed to be attracted by something more delicious than normal hearts. Was it Sika? Are they going to target someone else now? Cid’s acquaintances seemed full of tragedy. Another wave of fire burned through the man, and the egg responded with soaring temperature. The pilot hissed, suddenly feeling the pain of intolerable heat upon his bare skin, most specifically, his stomach, making him stagger slightly. Immediately, the heat faded, and surprisingly, so did most of Cid’s anger. Nevertheless, it was still there, burning the pit of his stomach. He got near the girl, who had only been a few meters away from him, standing protectively before her before being shoved behind and ordered aside. “Hey—“ he uttered to refute her statement before shutting up. Something that was beyond him was about to happen.

A hoard of small insects, Cid later realized that they were fireflies, swarmed around Sika upon her powerful words. What followed after was almost as mind blowing as watching toddler Sika change into a young woman in her prime. Almost. He could do nothing but stare and hold onto the egg he had in his possession as he watched the young woman who had cried about a tiny cut assault the heartless with a weapon made out of insects. At the same time, Cid noticed that the fireflies seemed to be picked off slowly by each swing.

She pushed against his shoulder, gently nudging them towards the entrance of the alley. Cid stared at her, feeling shame when she told him to forget his rage. Immediately, the knot in his stomach loosened, giving over to an overwhelming humiliation over her words. It was something he had not felt in a long time though he wished he would not feel any of that guilt he had felt that night for a long time. But as always, the future is rather uncertain for the man and his companions. Who knew that one day, he would be back on his world, working to restore it only to be fighting to preserve it once again?

But it wasn’t until later when he had thought back on the night in reflection was he truly startled that sense of shame Sika had instilled on him with just a few words. Never had anyone managed to make Cid feel such regret. At least not anyone he had just met several minutes earlier. It was just something about the woman’s presence and words, stronger than her aura as a child, that seemed to have made Cid all woozy in the head.

“Yer comin’ too,” Cid grabbed Sika’s elbow, tentatively, gently, quite unlike his usual callous self. Partly, it was out of fear of hurting her and grabbing something foreign and unknown to him—not to mention powerful. But mostly, it was because Cid knew better than to just snatch her and run like a child. Even the thick headed Cid knew that one must be delicate with some things. There was just no explaining it. It was something that must simply be followed through.

He glanced at her face, trying to find confirmation. She wasn’t going to leave him now that she had her goddam stick back right? She wasn’t a child to begin with apparently, so there was no need to ‘take care’ of her as he had been instructed to do by Damien. The kids would never even have to bother getting along with her now. The woman was well into her late teens it seemed, and Leon and the crew were just in their early teens. At least Cid was spared of that road bump.

He knew though, that now was not the time for him to ponder over this. They had to leave. The woman was right. Did his stomach just rumbled?

“Come on,” Cid growled, tugging her along, suggesting that she should follow him. They needed to get to a street lamp, or someplace with light. It seemed the heartless tend to keep away from the lights as much as possible. The main reason why the First District of Traverse Town was flooded with as much street lamps as the town can afford. However, the same could not be said for the Second and Third district. At the same time, Cid was starting to fret for the kids. Hopefully, they would have decided that they had enough of Cid’s heartless antics for the day and camp out at Damien’s. The man was far more willing to deal with the kids than Cid himself would let on. There, in First District, the three would be safer than Cid’s rundown apartment, which was right next to the doors of the second district. Thankfully, he didn’t have to brave the Second district to reach his place. Either he or one of the kids would have been dead by now, picked off like a school of tuna.

“We’re almost there…” Cid muttered as he pushed opened the door to Sector Two. The trip had been quiet and fortunately, very uneventful. All of the questions swimming through Cid’s head would be saved for later when they’re safe and snug inside his apartment. Though out of the corner of his eyes, in the shadows, he could see yellow eyes flitting here and there, obviously watching them intently for any false move. Cid kept Sika close to him, and the two close to the lamp posts and their yellow orange lights. Soon the two were inside Cid’s house, having dashed across the few feet to reach his door before shoving themselves inside. Just as two heartless took the opportunity to jump at them.

“Whew…” the man leaned against the door, still comically pregnant looking, and relief on his grim face.

[/blockquote]

[LEO LION]

“I wasn’t planning on staying behind.” She asserted with a smile as he wrapped his hand around her thin arm – not quite thin enough for his whole hand to wrap around, but fairly close. She did have meat on her bones – so to speak. They fled from the alley, Sika gripping her staff so as to not lose it again. And as they moved she felt the comforts of light touch her skin. It was a truly wonderful feeling, like blessed relief, or perhaps reminiscent of the sun’s warmth – even at night.
Her soles smacked against the ground, and she felt a pain split through the balls of her feet. For now it was ignored, there would be time to check what happened later, though even as she run a small tail of red dots could be followed to her location.

The Shadows followed, oozing like black tar did across the ground. They slid smooth as snakes, shifting themselves, their yellow eyes gleaming and glowing as they pursued the two adults. They were hoping for the delectable power within them, those wonderful things called Hearts.

SLAM! KA-THUNK, THUD! Outside the door the Shadows that had jumped stumbled dazedly, their faces having promptly smashed into wood.

Sika had been half flung into the room, and she leaned heavily against her staff. Even such a short distance could be exhausting when you were fleeing for your life. She held the egg close to her, its heat was fluctuating – one second scalding hot as it hid in her sleeve, and the next a more comfortable temperature. “I think your eggs are going to be in this world soon. I hope you can handle them.” Sika murmured softly, standing up straight and heading to the fireplace. Her fireflies detached themselves from the end of Herne’s staff and swarmed around the large egg, she returned to Cid, limping slightly from the small cut on her foot – given to her by a lovely sharp rock. “You should put the other egg with that one; the Fireflies will keep them warm for now.”

“I am sorry, Cid.” She said after a while, she was sitting on the counter now, her feet dangling over the edge, staff propped up beside her. She was inspecting her foot and the damage that had been done. The cut was nary anything to worry about, save for the possible and unpleasant infection, but even then it wasn’t hardly anything to fret over.
Sika removed the handkerchief that cid had tied around her hand – it was now quite snug against her palm and perhaps cutting off circulation. There was a small spot of blood, but her hand was fine now, no more bleeding, and her foot however – well she figured a vein had been severed and needed time to heal. She gently dabbed at the wound with the kerchief. “For deceiving you I mean, though I did tell you I wasn’t as young as you thought. It is simply one of the forms that I can take.”

The woman sighed, her long hair falling into her face, her eyes were sad, though she was smiling. “I suppose that I should explain myself. You are too kind a heart for any lies.” She paused and looked up, sitting tall and poised. “I am a Forest Spirit. I follow the will of Herne, which is the forest that I once lived in and protected. But recently, those strange ants came into my world – the ones from outside. They have been eating away at Herne and I fear its destruction. I used that strange… black… to get here, though I’m not quite sure just how I managed to go anywhere, it had seemed quite solid.” She paused again, thinking of how to phrase her words. “I am still deceiving you with my appearance, this is not what I look like to my own world, but this is a form I take for humans. I fear to show my true form – for it is as powerful as a person’s name is, to know the true form of a spirit. We’ve only just met after all, and though I feel that I can trust you, it is not time to shock you with such a thing as that.” She smiled kindly.

“I would like to inquire as to where you got those eggs, then you may feel free to ask me as many questions as you would like – ask me anything, though know that I will not answer some questions.”

count; 734
remarks; Quality, not quantity… or maybe it’s both.

[High's .Valentine.]

He still had his back to the door, pushing against it even though there was no longer any opposition. And he would have remained against the door if not for the egg that was still propped against his stomach. Did it just moved…? Panicked, Cid clutched his stomach, as if suddenly overcame with a stomach ache [or lordy, the baby’s coming!], and dashed for the fireplace, where Sika had placed the other egg. Pulling its sibling out from under his shirt, the ex-pilot carefully placed the egg next to its kin, trying to be conscientious of the fireflies at the same time. He had seen what they were capable of doing.

Now that the immediate task had been done, Cid found himself with a lot of time to spare to muse over this evening’s events. He had ended up with an empty building in the middle of First District along with two eggs the size of his head. That, he had already thought over enough. A girl [or so he thought] had been placed under his care. He had promised to help the girl find her staff. They did find it, leading to another discovery.

Cid blanched.

He had told this woman sitting on his counter to kiss her own ‘boo-boo’. He had allowed her to ride on his broad, engineer shoulders, and then asked her if the view from above was better. Now, Cid was not a man who feels shame. He does whatever the hell his heart tells him to and there’s no otherwise or ‘but’. However, at the moment, the man was overwhelmed with a goddamn annoying sense of embarrassment. What was annoying about it was that he knew it was annoying and there was nothing he could do to shake it off. Not right now at least. It was as if multiple Yuffies had popped up, causing mayhem to shorten his holy patience [or lack thereof].

Now that Cid had more time to ponder over his horrifyingly unmanly experience, the man found himself just staring at the woman sitting on his counter. He didn’t notice that the kids didn’t happen to be in the room at the time. He didn’t realize that the eggs were once again trembling in their thick shells, stirring the fireflies. All he did was stared. Rudely, awkwardly, openly. Manners? Efforts were wasted on covering up things that Cid find rather useful out loud. Besides, he had the license to stare right now. Or so he told himself. This girl didn’t come up to his hip minutes before. And this wasn’t even her real form. There wasn’t enough curiosity in the ex-pilot at the moment to ask for the girl to reveal her true form. A man can only take so many attempts at shattering his reality before he completely cracks along with it.

Well, he certainly knew she wasn’t human to begin with. But a spirit? Sounded like something that came out of a child’s book. If this had been a few weeks before, Cid would have scoffed and laughed her off. He was a man of science. Spirits and the supernatural? They could all be explained by science. Even now, the blond was still slightly skeptical of the efficiency of magic. Even after having his world devoured by darkness that existed only in his nightmares, he was still a stubborn bastard. Nevertheless, here was one sitting right in front of him, commanding fireflies, shifting forms, and heck, as if that wasn’t enough, she had antlers. And they sure ain’t synthetic antlers.

He waited for her to finish, for once, quiet and lacking strong opinions that cut and destroy others. Cid finally stopped staring and glanced at the eggs behind. Sika said they would hatch soon. Something inside Cid stirred, stoked by excitement. Just what do these oblong eggs hold? Giant birds? The idea of wings…the thought of smiling crossed his mind, but he cleared it from his mind. The irony of trying to escape the power of flight, it made him giddy with bitter laughter.

Instead, Cid turned and headed towards the cabinet, in the corner, as if suddenly remembering something. Pulling out a roll of precious bandage he had salvaged from the first aid kit stashed in his gummi ship, and some of those nasty burning disinfectant medicine—acid in a bottle—Cid headed towards the woman who should not have been much of a stranger to him, what with the way she treated him. Yet he felt slightly disconnected. He sat himself down on a chair he had pulled up, placing the bandage and the bottle on the counter. It was then he remembered that the apartment was too quiet.

“Sit still,” Cid commanded in his ‘too impatient for you’ tone and reached for the woman’s foot, all the while glancing up to look for the kids that usually crowded in this room. Not that he would find them just by looking around. Cid hoped that they were over at Damien’s house, fed up with his lack of sympathy and injustice for the night. Better than roaming the streets as one of those black ants with the greedy yellow eyes.

“No cryin’ now.” That was silly and uncalled for. Cid didn’t care anymore. Rubbing the alcohol on the bandage, he dabbed the wound on her foot, wondering at the delicacy of that arched sole and soft pale skin. Feet made for soft grass. He would have to get her a spare pair of shoes.

Cid was slowly starting to get use to the idea that Sika was here to stay. Where else was she going to go? Judging from her story, the spirit had never once set foot out of her world [and she sure didn’t look like it either], and her home was just as obliterated as his. He was here to stay, and perhaps, so was she. Problem was, Damien had entrusted a child to him. What he got was a shape shifting spirit. Well, at least Cid didn’t have to corrupt one too many kids, thank Ansem for that.

“I got the eggs from a man,” the blond began as he worked on wrapping the bandage over her foot. One over the other…

”Gave him my gummi ship in exchange.” My only gummi ship. The one I had been working on with her. The one I promised her would take me into space. Too bad she didn’t get to see it though.

“I can ask ye anything, huh?” tying the final knot, Cid stood up and replaced the medical items. “Ye hungry?”

[/blockquote]