VW - A Little Fall of Rain

There was blood everywhere. Splattering the ground as Cid prodded the sprawled bodies with the prongs of his trident, searching for a familiar face, it produced a coppery smell that assaulted and suffocated. During the fight, Vincent had nearly lost control of Chaos, and fled to calm him for fear of hurting Cid, who'd no idea where he'd gone, or if he ever planned on coming back, or if the SOLDIERs had found him, or if he'd found them.

Cid didn't know anything, because he was the only one left standing. He thought Barret might still be alive, or at least, he was five minutes ago. Call him heartless, but Cid had bigger fish to fry. He could live without Barret, but not without Vincent.
   
He heard him before he saw him, which sent a lurch of terror through his chest. Vincent seldom made a sound, even when he was in intense pain, but there was no mistaking the tone of the low groan that rose from the thin trees in front of Cid. He tore through them, bashing tall, thin branches aside until he saw the slumped form of red and black under a bed of wet leaves. Cid brushed them aside, revealing Vincent's pale face, ruined with blood and cuts and bruises from the battle.

He looked up at Cid as if he didn't really see him there, or perhaps he thought he was some sort of mirage. Either way, when Cid rid his torn cloak of the mud and leaves, Vincent reached for his hand, his gauntlet dented and dirty as the rest of him. Cid took it, slipping the gauntlet off to hold Vincent's hand properly, noting the blood that smeared onto his glove.
   
"Vince," he hissed. "C'mon, c'mon, let's get you to the ship--"
   
"No, Cid..."
   
"Goddammit! Just shut up and let me help!" Cid yelled, making Vincent cringe. Rain was falling through the trees above them, splattering against Vincent's face and hair and soaking him in seconds. Thunder growled and a flash of lightning lit up the deep scarlet of both the blood and Vincent's cape. For one of the only times in the years that Cid had known him, Vincent lightly smiled.
   
"It's... just rain, Cid." The pilot's eyes widened. "Rain can't hurt me." Cid took off his glove before touching Vincent's face. His voice was getting fainter and fainter as he spoke. "Just... stay here... I'm fine."
   
Cid shook his head. "No... you're not... c'mon, stay with me, Vince..."
   
"Let it be..." Vincent murmured.

"No!" Cid yelled again. "No, I'm gonna fix you, and you're gonna live a hundred years! I promise, dammit!" He pulled Vincent up as if to lift him, but the gunman cupped his face with a shaking hand, staring at him as if to memorize his face. But almost as soon as he had touched him, his hand fell slack onto Cid's lap, his features smoothing but his eyes remaining open and staring.

Cid hugged him to his chest, shaking with silent sobs as the rain drenched them both.