~Fang's POV~

My head throbs when I wake up, my limbs sore and my mouth dry. I can hardly move my arms, cold metal digging into my wrists. It smells like feet in here, and it's really dark. I can here a shuffle and clench my jaw. Where the heck am I? Of course I remember Raines' second betrayal, Hojo shooting me... Speak of the devil, my abdomen hurts really badly where he shot me. I hope he had the courtesy to at least clean them, but now that I think about it, I don't want his grimy fingers on me. I'm starting to wish I wasn't just wearing a 'scarf'.

"Oh good, you're finally awake," I hear someone sneer. "I was beginning to think I'd killed you. Not that I couldn't revive you, of course."

"I'm probably better of dead," I mutter.

"Now now, let's not become another Valentine, hm? Shall we get down to business?"

"I'm not becoming Ragnarock," I scowl defiantly.

"I knew you wouldn't come forth without resistance," he smirks. "So I arranged a little... Party."

"Ain't that fun," I retort sarcastically. "I didn't get an invitation."

"You didn't need one. You are, after all, the guest of honor. But enough stalling. I know that the Fal'cei methods of torture were quite... Effective last time." I nearly cringe at the memories of what I call extreme shock therapy. But I shove the memories down and refuse to let it all get to me this time. I will not give in a fourth time. Makes me sound so weak... "Do we have to try that again, Fang? Or will you be a willing specimen?"

"I'm frikin human," I snarl. "Not a specimen."

"Ah, but in the laboratory, things change." I narrow my eyes on him and keep my mouth shut.

"I take that as a no," he cackles. "Good. It gives me a chance to test the resistances and weaknesses of those from another planet."

Through the shackles, small, zapping jolts twitch down my arms as he pushes a button on his cluttered desk. Two tall test tubes in the corner, shattered, reflect my face, my resistance to his attempts to hurt me. They look like they were made more for people than chemicals. Smirking and muttering notes under his breath, Hojo turns the voltage up. I clench my jaw in an attempt to keep my face straight but the pain... Once more, he turns it up, disappointed in no reaction. This time my face twists in pain and I have to strain to keep from laughing.

"Only one more, Fang. This is more of the testing phase just for my records. Hopefully you don't end up turning before then."

So that's it? Endure this or become Ragnarock? True to his word, the voltage goes up one more level. More like ten... A scream of pain escapes as I struggle against the electricity flooding through me. Hojo's eyes widen in excitement as he grabs a clipboard and scribbles down notes with a pen.

"Marvelous strength! This is going to be the next breakthrough! I could certainly enhance you as much as Valentine, triple the normal human's strength and such!"

"Stop it..." I wheeze in the only Oerba yun Fang knows how to beg. He cackles before shutting the power off. My body sags, all strength used up when I tried to resist the currents.

"I wonder how long you would last under extreme damage," he thinks aloud to himself.

"I'm not... An animal you can just... Test on," I spit, still catching my breath.

"Oh but you are," he smirks. "Ragnarock... Just an animal."

"Anyone can become Ragnarock," I glare him.

"Ah, but only you have successfully." I refrain from telling him that was with Vanille's help. I'm sure he's found a way to figure it out anyway. Then he pulls a long, thin vial from his pocket, full of clouded yellow liquid.

"Do you know what this is?"

"Your pee," I snap at him.

"If only," his yellowed smirk shows again. "No, it is acid taken from the talons of Chaos himself. Sound familiar?"

The screams and deep snarls from the torture room are still fresh on my memory. Wonder how potent that stuff is. Practically reading my mind, Hojo motions to a stack of paper that must be a least a foot tall.

"One drop," he says, the tiniest drop of the acid falling past the lip of the tube onto the papers. A thin stream of invisible smoke curls into the air as the acid immediately burns through the stack, reaching the bottom in roughly fifteen seconds. Ow. "Will do the most extensive damage."

"What're you doing with that," I say almost nervously as he slowly walks toward me.

"Ragnarock or Chaos' acid?"

"Neither," I snarl, kicking him 'downstairs' and knocking the tube from his hand. The liquid spills onto the stone floor, burning through it like it's the paper. Hojo glares at me viciously and grabs the empty looking tube, grabbing my arm quickly and flipping it upside down over my skin. Nothing.

I smirk at him proudly, not noticing the microscopic drop of yellow sliding down the glass until it's too late, my eyes widening as the worst pain I've ever felt spreads from my lower arm up. It rushes through my whole body, spreading a fire to my heart that makes me want to just claw my chest off. But the acid is excruciatingly slowly eating through the flesh of my arm, random gasps of me trying to hold back any sign of weakness as I throw my head back with a twisted face. Then I think the actually does reach my heart because I can't take it anymore. A single involuntary tear slips down the side of my face. Hojo chuckles darkly.

"Yes," he hisses. "Let's blend the two!"

No no no... I shouldn't be surviving this... What did he do to me..? The shock comes back to stop my thoughts. It takes nearly five long seconds for it to hit the highest setting. The two blended... I can't think. I think I'm screaming. My throat hurts, but that's like comparing the common cold to cancer. I think I can hear someone yell my name... Vincent? No, Vincent never yells. Did someone did just curse? Say hurry? Even with my eyes shut, I can feel the world fading, my head growing light. I'm going to die. I didn't even know I spoke until the power shuts off and I say it again.

"I'll do it." The sight of my arm nearly makes me vomit, so I won't give the details... Hojo looks well over pleased. "Just please... Stop the acid..."

"Hee hee!" He squeals in maniacal glee. "I can't! But the transfomation should help that."

The shackles hanging me in the wall open and I fall in a heap to the floor. If my arm wasn't being eaten away, I would've stood and attacked him. If my mind wasn't so fuzzy I would be resisting the pull of Ragnarock. If I had been paying attention, I would've noticed Vincent standing dumbstruck in the doorway with Cloud and Reno behind him, watching in horror as I turn into the horribly ugly beast I never wanted back. My conscious seems to be slipping, no control over what's happening. Hojo can't seem to stop insanely giggling in the corner of the lab.

"You're too late, Valentine," he announces cheerfully. "I've done it! And with the help of your beastly and powerful acid too! It was just the right trick!" Vincent's face pales even more than usual, frozen in a half step, clawed arm slightly extended. I'm sorry Vampy...

"No!" Cloud yells, shoving the caped man out of the way and holding out his giant sword. "There's always a way to reverse what you do! Me and Vincent are the proof!"

"I didn't do this," he sneers. "I just broke her. She did this on her own. Tell me, did you ever force Vincent to transform back into his human mask?" Vincent looks down at the floor, hand hesitantly laying on his gun.

Ragnarock blocks out my control as she lunges for Cloud, angrily flinging him into the hard wall and slamming his head into the stones. He tries blinking away the spots in his vision, but Ragnarock, grabs his shoulders and smacks his skull back again, knocking him out and probably giving him a bad concussion. She whirls around to see Reno strongly swinging at its tail. Her claw strikes across his face, knocking him over and digging three very deep cuts across the left side of his face that drip dark blood down his cheek. She then clubs him with it's heavy tail and knocks him flat to the ground.

"Vince! Do something!" The Turk yells at my dumbstruck companion. He jumps to his feet and holds his EMR up to block the swing of one of the many claws on Ragnarock's head. Incomplete without Vanille, she isn't as strong as it was before, but strong enough to kill everyone here. Vincent included. Reno struggles against Ragnarock's strength until his grip slips and she wraps a hand around his throat, slamming him into the floor and then the wall.

"Ow..." He mutters, passing out. Ragnarock then turns to Hojo, much to my subconscious relief. But a large rock bounces off his forehead, making the giggling scientist fall backward stiffly. I normally would've laughed at the way his stiff legs flew into the air and fell back down, just like a cartoon, but Ragnarock has now targeted Vince.

He rolls under a two armed swing, and another ground breaking (literally) blow. But he runs out of luck after the beast roars in frustration and wraps two hands around his slim throat and rams him back to the stupid wall she likes to use as a weapon. His hands automatically reach up and cling to the arms straggling him, his gauntlet causing deep, bleeding cuts on its wrists as he struggles. I'm mentally begging Ragnarock to let him go, but nothing happens except the fact that it squeezes harder. Vincent's face and lips are turning blue at an arming rate. Please.

"Fang..." He wheezes, fighting then urge to close his eyes. Cmon, try harder Vince! I can't too much from... Wherever the heck I am! Then his eyes seem to disappear, rolling back into his head as he gives in to the strangling. No!

Ragnarock, satisfied, drops him and roars again in victory. Vince? A black mist blocks him from view until I see in horror that Chaos, that dreaded demon, is flying in front of me, knocking us back in a shriek of rage. Ragnarock manages to push past his shoving and swings her broad tail at him. The two beasts battle like there is no tomorrow, both of their hosts trying so hard to gain control. Or maybe Vincent doesn't know what's happening and I'm the only one struggling to take the wheel, so to speak. Chaos draws Cerberus, Vincent's three barreled gun and fires at Ragnarock, the bullets causing her to rush toward him in anger. Chaos only smirks as if that's what he was expecting. He holds up his poisoned talons mockingly, but she doesn't stop. Ragnarock! Raggy! Rag! Nothing. What did I expect?

I didn't think I would be able to feel the pain that Ragnarock did, considering it didn't feel the bullets that were fired, but I was dead wrong. Chaos's claws skewer through us as Rag (I'll just call her that) charges. She gives a weak shriek of pain and makes a loud almost screaming noise when the acid burns into her. Me? I don't even try to hold back. I'm screaming like Vanille would if she saw a roach. Hey, you can't blame me if you've never had this stuff eating your flesh away while you're completely awake and aware. I can feel Rag fading away, my own ruined body flopped to the floor. Chaos also disappears, relaxed by Vincent, who immediately crouches by my side.

"Hey Vince," I give him a pained smile. Is it bad that I'm numb? That I can't feel the pain anymore? Shoot...

"Fang, you're..."

"I'm fine," I lie. His crimson eyes flicker down to the large wound on my stomach before he looks like he might be sick. "That bad huh? Don't worry, I'm too stubborn to die. I hope."

"Don't" he says firmly. "You will not die."

"Ain't that what I just said? No, lyin to myself's no good... It's kinda obvious that people don't survive that." I attempt to point where I feel the pain.

"Chaos did this?" He whispers to himself, ignoring me. "No... I did it..."

"Hey, you didn't do anything," I say sharply. Why am I so light headed?

"But I..."

"Now if you'll excuse me, I think it might be time for me to take a nap."

"No, don't do that," he shakes his head quickly, sliding his hands under my arms to lift a small portion of me onto his lap.

"Geeze Vinnie. Never heard you use contractions before."

"Reeve should be on his way," Vincent says quietly.

"Is Hojo dead?" I look up at him. He gives a small nod.

"He should be. I threw that rock a little hard."

"Always the over achiever," I blink to keep my eyes open. I need to stay awake if I'm going to survive. Forget staying alive... I'm gonna die anyway. "Vincent?"

"Yes?" He looks deep into my eyes, as if he's staring into my soul. Creepy.

"Tell Vanille that I never hated her chocobo plushies."

"Fang..."

"Shut up, I'm trying to have a dramatic death here!" I say as loudly as I can, which is barely over normal talking. "Anyway, I also need you to tell Lightning to forget her dang walls and just marry Cloud already. Make me lots of nephews and nieces while she's at it."

"... I'll try?" He blinks at my half sarcastic sentences.

"Oh yeah..." I yawn. My last moments and I'm here yawning. Gosh Fang, what's wrong with you? "You should know that you're my favorite vampire ever." I can hear the chopper's propellers, but I think we both know it's too late. I can feel the aching sting of the acid again, and it's right beside my heart.

"You are not going to die," he says firmly. "Now stop acting like it." His strict tone normally would've startled me. Now? It's okay, he's afraid. We all get afraid. But it's not like I'll ever leave him. I could be one of those ghost girlfriends that stalk their living boyfriends... I've watched too much TV. It's all fading.

"See ya later... Vince..."

"Fang?" I give him a soft smile and let my eyes shut. Was that a tear on his face? "Fang!" Goodnight.

TOO