~Tifa's POV~

An uneasy feeling settles in my stomach as Snow stares at his Cocoon necklace. Lightning told me that Hope found another one with Serah's name engraved on the back. What if she gives it to him? Would that kiss not matter anymore? Did it matter in the first place?

"Hey Teef, let's go get something to eat. I'm hungry again," Yuffie speaks up. "Plus Fang will be hanging all over Vanille, so I can't hang out with her."

"I'm sure she's probably hanging all over Vincent, actually," I smile at her. She huffs and crosses her arms.

"Yeah. I'm gonna have to get her for that. Now let's go!"

"See you later?" I ask Snow. He seems to snap out of a trance.

"Huh?"

"See y... Forget it," I roll my eyes, tired of having to repeat myself to him. Yuffie gives me a confused look as I push past her and stomp out of the room.

"Tifa!" She whines, chasing after me. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," I say stiffly.

"He's crying you know," she hisses once she catches up with me. I freeze and furrow my eyebrows at her. "When you said that, he started, I mean."

"I'm a terrible person, yeah. I know," I look back at the now closed door of my room.

"What's going on between you two, seriously?" She rolls her eyes and kicks at the wall, walking ahead.

"No idea," I shake my head. "I thought maybe... But now I don't know. Maybe he just did it because I asked him to."

"Love's too confusing for me," Yuffie scoffs, skipping in circles until I catch up.

"Maybe that's because you like Reno, Cloud, and Vincent?" I raise an eyebrow with a smirk.

"Oh please. I've already given up hope for Avalanche guys. I thought maybe I had a chance with Vince when I convinced him to let me move in when my dad kicked me out again, but he made it pretty obvious he wasn't interested. Plus he's so mopey."

"He's not mopey, he's just... Sad, that's all."

"Same difference, Teef," she rolls her eyes. "Besides, it annoys the death out of me when Cloud says 'Let's mosey'. Ugh. I hate it. Maybe I should just give up and start annoying Reno."

"Well considering the other two are pretty much taken..." I trail off.

"Oh Reno!" She yells, stomping away. I laugh to myself and shake my head. Teenagers.

~Vinnie Boy's POV~

"Reeve," I answer my PHS flatly, my face still warm from the strange way Fang told me that Reeve was contacting me.

"Hello Vincent. We have, er, a slight... Problem that I was hoping you could fix."

"Go on."

"Cloud and Lightning caught a clone in Kalm and brought it back here yesterday. It's the first one to actually speak, and it gave them tiny bits of info, but I've tried everything civil and can't get anything out of him. We know he knows something because the refuses to speak. Cloud mentioned there was something in your previous... Training that might help." Turk training?

Chaos hisses in my mind.

I ignore the demon's voice and think a moment before responding.

"What did you need me to do?"

~|~|~|~|~

Reeve gives me a grateful look as I enter the room, silent and observing as always. Yuffie stands in the back talking to Reno.

Silence, demon. I am trying to think.

I don't answer, only mentally curse Lucrecia for putting this demon in my head.

"Thank you for coming on such short notice," Reeve gives me a smile.

"We are in the same building," I point out blandly with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, of course," he nods. "Elena, could you take him to the clone?" The clone. The way they word that bothers me, even though Hojo really doesn't deserve to have the honor of even a name.

"Yes sir," the blonde Turk says, think I'm sure dislikes being bossed around by a man other than Tseng or Rufus. "Let's go, Vincent." She leads me to an elevators where she presses a single glowing button and we descend.

"How can you be sure it is a clone?" I speak up after a moment of thick silence.

"Hojo used mako to clone everything, and Cloud was infused with it for SOLDIER. The chemicals cause a reaction when near each other that make Cloud's eyes glow brighter. At least, that's what Reeve told us."

"So Cloud is now a tool?" I frown.

"Not really. If you put it like that, you make us sound terrible."

"..."

When the elevator stops, she leads the way through a narrow white hall with short ceilings that make me feel taller than I already am. We pass several doors until we come to the last with two guards stand of outside the metal door.

"Miss. Elena. Mr. Valentine," one guard nods while the other unlocks the door and allows us into the cell. Across from us, on the stone wall, is a man all too familiar shackled to the wall. Despite knowing he is a fake, hate tears through my soul and Chaos growls.

We shall see, Chaos. Silence yourself for the moment.

I said silence, unless you do not want any chance of freedom at all.

The demons grumbles ring through the back of my mind, but eventually fade as Elena begins talking.

"So Hojo," she crosses her arms. "Do you remember Vincent?" The clone cackles, a laugh exactly like his creator's that makes every hair on my body stand on end.

"How could I not? My most successful experiment and the demon man of Nibelheim." He cackles again. "I have already seen the failure as well, Turk."

He must mean Cloud. Frowning, Elena looks at me.

"He's all yours, Vincent. Want me to leave the lights on?"

"Yes."

She nods and leaves the room, the cell door locking behind her. Chaos stirs impatiently in my mind, waiting for freedom that I rarely allow. Dark, beady eyes glare at me through thick glasses while I observe the clone, thinking back to my days of training under Veld. Sometimes all they need is a push, he used to say while he taught me of their torture methods. But they did not have a demon possessed power back then, and I do now. Perhaps it is time for Hojo, even if not the true man, to feel the slow power of his creation. It is a piece of my past I do not wish to revisit, but it must be done, seeing as the Turks are on a job today and Reeve needs answers as soon as possible.

"So Valentine," Hojo finally sneers. "Here to squeeze more information out just as the others have tried? Forget it. I won't breathe a word to filth like you."

... Very well.

Ever since I have discovered the demons that reside inside me, I have been weary of transforming in front of people. Narrowing my eyes at him, I reach behind me a flick the lights off, plunging the room into darkness. My apologies to those interested in the camera room.

"Hmph. Think you're so intimidating. You don't scare me, Valentine."

"You should," Chaos hisses, replacing me. Hojo blinks for a moment before smirking.

"Here to prove how much of a monster you are, eh?"

"You will give us the information we need," Chaos says slowly. "Or you will experience pain you never thought possible."

"Yeah right," he scoffs. Smirking, Chaos walks forward slowly, arms crossed as he inches forward.

"Fine. Feel my wrath then. You deserve it."

Chaos stretches one clawed hand forward and uses one talon to inflict the tiniest incision on Hojo's cheek. After moments off nothing, the scientist bursts into insane laughter.

"Is that all? My, Lucrecia was smart, but..." Suddenly, the cut splits, stretching slowly on its own. Acid from Chaos's claws burns through Hojo's face, making the man scream. I rest where Chaos's mind once resided, disgusted but unable to look away. I can clearly see into Hojo's mouth through the bloody injury, making me feel sick. Chaos just relishes in his pain, reaching out once more. Hojo cringes and tries to cower away, but the shackles prevent him from doing so. But instead of more damage, the palm of his taloned hand fills with warmth and the wooden slowly closes. Hojo looks relieved, only a light pink scar where the the first incision wad made.

"You have tasted my power, Hojo," Chaos snarls. "What do you think would happen if I were to make a slice across your whole face? Up the side of your whole body, hm? You would turn inside out, my friend." He chuckles darkly at Hojo's horrified look. "Now, are you ready to speak?"

~Back to Teef~

"Whoa, I think he just turned the lights off," a the security man says as he blinks at the screen in front of him. Fang smirks ans shakes her head.

"Just like him to be doing things all secretly."

"Dang it, I wanted to see if it would work!" Cloud pouts.

"There's always sound," the cameraman mutters, pressing a couple buttons and turning a dial.

"You will give us the information we need, or you will experience pain you never thought possible."

"Vincent?" I frown. It's just the four of us in the tiny camera room. The guard, Fang, me, and Cloud. Who knows where everyone else is, thank Shiva they're not in here. It's cramped enough with just us.

"Nah. Must be his doohickey," Fang shakes her head.

"Chaos," Cloud corrects quietly.

"How do you know about that?" I frown at her.

"Shh," the guard hushes us. We must've missed something, because Chaos is speaking again.

"Fine. Feel my wrath then. You deserve it."

In the very dim light, I see two large with us and can barely make out the shape of a head, what looks like an arm stretching toward Hojo. A moment of silence.

"Is that all? My, Lucrecia was smart, but.." He trails off with a strangled cry that turns unto a blood curdling scream. Fang's eyes widen and Cloud cringes. I just blink at the screen.

"What in the name of Bahamut..." Fang murmurs.

"What is he doing in there?" Cloud wonders aloud. "I never knew Vincent was so... Uh, what's the word?"

"Heartless," I whisper. Fang turns her head and glares at me, opening her mouth. "I meant Chaos was," I say quickly. She huffs and looks back at the black screen, the horrific pained screams gone.

"You have tasted my power, Hojo? What do you think would happen if I were to slice across you whole face? Up the side of your whole body, hm? You would turn inside out, my friend." I shudder and Fang pales. is what Cloud tried to warn you about. "Now, are you ready to speak?"

"Y-yes."

"Good. What did you have to do with Serah Farron's accident?" How does Chaos know who that is?

"I found a way to connect to that cursed planet," Hojo snarls bitterly. He evidently does not want to be telling Vince any of this. "I had to drive them over the edge far enough that they would be willing to be my test subjects."

"Testing for what," Chaos stops him. I can now see his golden eyes glowing through the darkness.

"Experiments of course," Hojo scoffs. "Anything really. Might even create another Sephiroth, one that even the failure couldn't destroy."

"Continue."

"Sending them to this planet would open that door," he says simply. "And to do that, I had to destroy theirs."

"And?"

"I've already said too much," Hojo spits spitefully.

"Let us try out that inside out theory then," Chaos taunts.

"I honestly pity that man at the moment," Cloud shakes his head as Hojo screams again. "Doesn't Chaos usually run out of time eventually?"

"Yeah," I nod, looking at Fang. Her arms are crossed tightly over her chest, eyes glued to the screen as she strains to hear every detail.

"How much more blood do you want spilt, Hojo?" Chaos sneers. "How many more times must I burn through your skin and watch acid tear you apart?"

"Ew," I crinkle my nose. The guard looks absolutely horrified.

"P-please. I'll tell you... M-more."

"Please do."

"Won't you h-heal me first?!"

"I'm sorry? Did you ask for more?"

"No! No... When I heard of the power of Ragnarock.... The beast that Oerba woman became three times... I knew I needed that power. So now they're here, Valentine. What are you going to do about it? Eventually, I will get my hands on one of the two from Oerba, and I will create a being to destroy you like no other."

"Is that all you know?" Chaos narrows his eyes, the only part of him we can see anymore.

"Y-yes."

The sound of shifting and a small grunt float to our ears until the lights turn on and I gasp in horror. Hojo is covered in scars, no doubt sloppily healed by Chaos, and blood lies in slick puddles on the floor, splattered on the wall like paint. Vincent scowls, no doubt scolding his demon, and leaves with one quick flap.of his scarlet cape. Looking around me, Cloud sighs and Fang looks like she's going to be sick. The guard looks like he's going to be even sicker.

"Ragnarock," she whispers shakily. "But I can't... Unless... But..." She blinks, spinning on her heel and hurrying from the room. Cloud raises an eyebrow at me.

"So she can transform into something too?"

"I don't think so," I frown. "I'll ask her about it later. Right now I just want to sleep. Nothing eventful has happened at all, really, and that's the only thing for me to do when I'm bored," I ramble. Cloud nods and leaves as well. I follow seconds later, leaving the guard to continue blinking at the gory scene.