~Fang's POV~

"What happened in here?!" Frill exclaims, looking at the wall. "Who the heck..?"

"No idea," I shrug, crossing my legs across Vincent's lap. He sighs and gives me a weary look. "But did you get my ice cream?"

"Seven tubs," the old woman nods. "Ayana, be a dear and put the groceries away, will you?"

"Yes Gramma!"

"Here," Fang tosses me a tub and a spoon. "Fatso."

"I ain't fat," I stick my tongue out at her. "Just miserable. Want some Vince?"

"No thanks."

"Why not?" I shove a spoonful in my mouth. He furrows his eyebrows and shakes his head. "What's your favorite flavor then?"

"He's Vincent, he doesn't eat ice cream," Alec scoffs.

"Vanilla," Vince shrugs. I chuckle and poke his cheek with the tip of my sandal. He grimaces and pushes my foot away.

"You all are strange," Frill shakes her head. "And one of you needs to go scrub that gunk off the wall." Wonder if it was Sonyeh... Pulling a prank maybe? But she wouldn't..

"I will," Alec sighs. "I'm the only one not drooling over an ex."

"Hey," I snap at him. "Don't make me kill you."

"You're too bored to," he smirks, grabbing a rag. Then he frowns at the wall."But seriously. You're okay with someone threatening your life?"

"It was probably a joke," Frill shakes her head. "Just wash it off, Alec."

"Alright," he answers hesitantly, giving me a worried look before scrubbing away.

"I'm really bored," I mutter. Vincent hums in reply, watching the blood disappear.

"I've got to go get Ayana's meds," Frill smacks her forehead. "Dinner's done. Fang, yours is the plate on the far left. Vincent, and sure she eats for me, will you?"

"Yay, more rice for me to throw," I scoff. Vincent waits until Frill leaves to get the two plates, lost in thought.

"I don't trust her," he finally says.

"Why? Frill's so sweet," I frown. Alex listens while washing. I know he's never felt at ease around the poor woman, but what harm could she do? She's only ever taken care of me.

"She hardly reacted to Lokir's death." Ow... That one still hurts. "She wasn't all that worried when you were sick, she doesn't care about the threat, and now she's giving you a specific plate with orders for you to eat it all."

"Vincent, you're ridiculous," I roll my eyes. "That's normal for her."

"Not really," Alec furrows his eyebrows. "But she does have a point, Vin. You can't just accuse people of attempting murder when the only evidence you have is force feeding."

"We'll have to see," Vincent mutters handing me a plate.

"But that's not my special one," I pout.

"I'm aware."

"You suck," I grumble. "If that was supposed to kill me, you'd be dead."

"Oh well," he shrugs. "I don't have much to live for anyway."

"You have plenty, now shut up and eat."

We all dig in, starving even though Vince never eats and I just shoveled down a whole tub of ice cream. Alec, always being the picky one, only eats half of his before forcing it on me. Jerk. I'm gonna be so fat. Then how am I going to be appealing to Vinnie? Where the heck did that come from? No I deer.

"So... Anyone up for blood scrubbing?" Alec holds up his rag.

"I'm good."

"You volunteered."

"Whatever," he groans.

"You're almost done anyway," I point out. Suddenly Vincent's sprinting out of the house. I sigh and shake my head at Alec before following at a slower pace. Dude, I can hear your puking from here! Chillax! That's gross.

"You alright Vinnie?" I bump the door open with my knee. He doesn't have time to respond before he retches again. Ew. That goes on for another ten minutes or so before his body gives up and he sighs, leaving back against the tub. "How're you feeling?"

"Like crap." I laugh.

"Never thought I'd hear those words come.out of your mouth."

"It's true." Laughing again, I pull him to his feet and flush that yummy looking Potty of Puke before dragging him back upstairs.

"Dude, you look really pale, even for you. Feeling alright?" Alec comments once we get back up. Vincent shakes his head and heavily takes my place on the couch.

"Alec, I just want you to know that the world is ending. Vince said crap."

"I'm terrified."

"I have a frikin headache, shut the heck up," Vincent mumbles past barely moving lips with his eyes shut.

"That's it, we're all going to explode!" I exclaim, throwing my arms around Alec. "Save me, hot stuff!"

"Excuse me?"

"We're all gonna die!"

"Shut up, Miss Drama, only Vince will if you're serious about the whole poison situation."

"Don't say that!" I punch his shoulder hard before sitting beside the couch. "You're just sick, right Vince?"

"I can't catch any normal diseases due to Chaos," he grumbles.

"Hmm," I hum, honestly not believing their crazy theory about Frill. She's one thousand and eighty five years old. That's like dead times eleven for most people. Who would even bother if they were that old?

"I'm bored... Two truths one lie?" Alec offers, sitting across from me and playing with my sandal.

"Why not?" I shrug.

"Okay, um... I used to have four dogs all at the same time named Terror, I had a secret girlfriend while I was dating some chick named Tasha in highschool, and my arm has been broken six times."

"The dog one?" I guess.

"No! I'm not a cheater, you meanie!" He pouts, looking like a six foot tall toddler as he does so.

"Fine. Uh... Geeze, let's go crazy, I'm really bored. Hmm... I hate ninjas, I want to live to be at least ten thousand, or I think red eyes are cool."

"Red eyes?"

"What?! Do I look like I want to be old!?"

"... Sorry?"

"Besides, Vincent has the coolest eyes ever, right kid?" Vince cracks one eye open to glare at me before closing it again. Poor dude. Bet he caught whatever I had. "Would you prefer I said you have a nice butt?" He rolls over so that his back is to me and shudders. "Well I don't want to see it," I tease. Alec laughs and stands.

"I gotta go find Sonyeh. See you guys."

"I'm not a guy."

"I know that all too well," he grins, earning him a foot to the butt. "Ow! Vince, your girlfriend won't stop hurting me!"

"I ain't his girlfriend," I scoff. "Don't make me stab you."

"Sorry, sorry! I'm going!"

"Good."

Vincent huffs and roll back onto his back.

"I hate this."

"Don't eat my foot next time then," I shrug. He scowls at me.

"And have you deal with this?"

"Why not?" His flat expression makes me laugh and shake my head.

"Sorry. You're just so weird. And Alec forgot his crutches, the idiot. He's probably too stubborn to come back for them." I grab the things and run outside to see Alec limping down the stairs. "Hey moron! Try using these!"

He looks up and rolls his eyes at me, accepting the crutches reluctantly before heading down.

"Thanks."

"So where's Sonyeh?" I cock my head to the side.

"Somewhere," he shrugs. "I'll find her, you just worry about Vamps."

"Hey, that's my name for him," I scowl. He shrugs with a smirk before heading off. I scoff and sit down on the steps. I might as well let Vincent sleep. Alec's gone nearly forty minutes before I see he and Sonyeh heading toward us. Alec opens his mouth to say something when we hear a deep voiced scream.

"Vincent!" I yell, hurrying up the stairs with my friends right behind me. Vincent reaches for his gun when he sees me, panting heavily. "Vince, what are you doing?!" I shout, stomping closer to twist the weapon away. He pulls it out if my grasp before looking at me with hazy eyes.

"Move Lucrecia."

"I'm not...! Hey!" He pushes me back to into the couch.

"Um... What is he doing?" Alec gives me a worried look.

"I don't know," I shake my head. Vincent aims his gun at him, eyes narrowed dangerously.

"It's over Hojo."

"I'm not Hojo!" Alec yells with a look of pure disbelief. Actually, his face says something more like "Are you freaking crazy?! Who the heck is that!?".

"Vince!" I say louder, trying to snap him out of it. It doesn't work. He fires the weapon, Sonyeh pushing she and Alec to the floor just in time. "Vincent Valentine!" When his face turns quickly to looks at me, I slap him straight across the face. "What is wrong with you?!" Vincent blinks, the haziness now gone as he looks from his gun to me to Alec, who's helping Sonyeh up. The weapon clatters to the floor as he drops into some sort of squat with his hands pressing into his head tightly.

"Get out!" He yells.

"Wait, us or are you.." I trail off. His head jerks up and I can see the familiar gold that replaces his red, the sharp teeth of Chaos already poking past his lips. My eyes widen and I hurry over to my friends, shoving them out. "Go go GO! Close the door!"

"Wha.." Alec starts but I shove him again.

"Go!" He listens and grabs Sonyeh's wrist, pulling her away in a run. I'm positive Chaos could break down that door, and I'm not letting him get to my people. Just as I pull my lance out, the door flings open and the demon side of Vincent comes out. Literally. And if he hasn't fed in awhile... I might as well be done for.

Yellow eyes instantly find me, dark lips twisting into a cruel sneer. In his hand is Vincent's Cerberus, his favorite three barreled gun. I narrow my eyes on him and roll out of the way of a claw swipe. Then I parry his blow with my weapon and stab at him with it. I can hear the people of Oerba gasping ans running for their homes, but as long as Chaos is distracted, I'm fine. Two more bats at me with his golden, sharp gauntletiss before one gets me right across the face, three long, bleeding cuts slit across my right cheek. I ignore the pain and keep going. At least he only got me with the gauntlet and not those acid covered claws. That hurts.

Somehow we end up fighting just outside the outskirts of town, the tall grass around us slowing me down as I struggle avoid more clawing.

"I'm starving, mortal," he snarls.

"Quit calling me that!" I grit, hitting him hard on the head with the side of my pole. "I live forever, you idiot!"

"Yet not quite as long as me," he chuckles darkly before moving so fast I can hardly stop him. His clawed hand wraps tightly around my neck and lifts me into the air. "Would you like a taste of the hosts pain, caused by you?"

"I wasn't thinking straight," I force passed my squished esophagus.

"Neither am I," he sneers before crushing me with a force that should make me snap. I wrestle helplessly with the hand that chokes me.

"How about this?" He swings a balled up claw into my stomach and drops me. "And another perhaps?" A pointy shoe slams into where the fist was. "You were right, mortal. These are excellent for kicking." I let out a shaky breath to another another quickly, hating myself for just laying there, curled up around my abdomen. How do we still love each other after all the pain we cause?

"Snap out of it, Vince," I force out.

"The host was been poisoned," Chaos narrows his eyes in me. His voice sounds like a demonic whisper penetrating my soul. "One of your own has betrayed you. If you do not save him in time, we will be glad to haunt you instead. They are after you both." I shudder and turn away from the dark energy that swarms around him. Is he preparing an attack? I roll to my feet and grab my lance in the process, my head still very faint from the lack of oxygen seconds ago. There sits (more crouches), Vincent, breathing heavily and watching the ground. Suddenly he tenses and looks up, eyes locking with mine as I catch my breath. I don't even know he's moved until two arms slide around me, holding me tight with his face buried in my neck.

"I'm sorry." I force my tired eyes open and hesitantly hug him back loosely. "I'm so sorry. I don't know what happened."

"Chill, Vinnie," I laugh softly, reaching up one hand to ruffle his dark hair from where his head is, still beside mine. "I'm fine."

"Your face," he pulls away just enough to look at the cuts on my cheek.

"It's fine. Besides, shouldn't you be sick?"

"Chaos cured me," he mumbles, staring into my eyes as if he could see my soul. "And nearly killed you in the process."

"I told you that I'm fine, Vincent. Relax."

"I can't. This is exactly why I left in the first place," he looks away. I sigh and lift his face up by his chin, starting to say something, but I'm cut off by a kiss. His hands move to cup my face, and he pulls away after a few moments with a deep sigh. "We should get back and take care of your injuries."

I nod and take his hand to make sure he doesn't randomly decide to leave out of fear like he did last time. Alec hurries over to us when we head over.

"What happened to you!?"

"It doesn't matter," I shake my head. Alec eyes Vincent nervously before leading the way up to the apartment, Sonyeh in tow. Frill's already there, a terrified look on her face.

"Fang! What on earth was that thing?"

"Nothing," I shrug. "Hey Vincent, that cure materia working?" He nods and hurries to get it while I grab Frill's only black washcloth to my cheek.

"There was no acid was there?" Vincent asks me quietly after he kneels in front of where I sit at the kitchen table. I shake my head and he nods, using the green orb to heal the slices on my face. Three very light scars remain when he's finished. Then his eyes flicker down to my neck and he glances down at his hand before looking up. Hesitantly, he puts his hand around where Chaos's was, jerking back when it's a perfect fit.

"Vincent..."

"Sorry," he mumbles, curing the dark bruises there too. Then he stands, putting the materia away and giving me an apologetic look before leaving the building. I stand to follow, everything inside screaming for me not to let him go. Not again.

"Let him be, Fang," Alec stops me. "The poor guy needs to think about stuff, it's written all over his face."

"Fine," I finally reply. "I'm going out in an hour." He nods and turns back to Sonyeh. Frill frowns and holds out a hand for my cloth. After she tosses it in the sink, she sits across from me and takes both of my hands into hers, looking me in the eye.

"Fang... Was that thing by chance... Was it Vincent?" I swallow hard and look down at the light wood of the table before nodding.

"There's four of them," I answer quietly. She nods.

"I could always sense something dark around him."

"Some scientist did that to him to save his life. Sometimes I wonder if he was better off dead than living forever with four voices talking all at once in his head. People think he's crazy for talking to himself all the time... It's just not fair. He didn't deserve any of this. He's not strong enough to carry it all on his own."

"Fang," Frill smiles comfortingly. "I think that's one of the most mature things you've ever said. And honestly, I do believe you're right. That's why he needs you."

"But.."

"Don't deny it dear, you love him. At this rate, by the time you let him know, he'll have given up on you and left."

"An hour," I mutter. She nods and heads over to her little plastic timer.

"I'll set it for fifty minutes."

Those fifty minutes are filled with the torture of thoughts that he could be long gone by the time my time is up. When it rings, I'm already out the door and ignoring the knowing smile of Frill and the strange look of Alec. I hurry through the streets, but I never once seen ebony hair, long leather clothed legs, or a swirling red cape. Was I too late? A last idea hits me as I rush off to the small beach, which is honestly just a seven foot long stretch of sand in front of the ocean that stretches maybe a mile along the town. And there he is. My mess up, lonely, depressed prince charming. Don't that sound lovely?

"I was beginning to think you'd run off already," I say, standing behind him with my arms crossed. He barely even twitches, probably knowing I would show up sooner or later. That, or maybe I'd actually let him go.

"I was beginning to wonder if you'd ever arrive," he mutters back. I sigh and sit down beside him, hugging my knees to my chest.

"You don't have to be so afraid you know."

"I'm a monster," he finally says. "Why do you come after me everytime I wish to leave?"

"I can't let you," I admit. "I can't lose you again because Gran Pulse is a huge place and if you disappear, you could be gone forever." He hums in response and resolves to watching the waves a few minutes before speaking again.

"It's nice to know you care enough about that then."

"I don't care," I shake my head. "At least, I don't want to. But I guess love just does that to you." His eyes flicker to me out of their corners, but I'm staring out at the crystal blue waters and the beautiful sunset that shimmers over it. It's like Cinderella. You have to admit you love them before the sun goes down or else the world loses it's warmth, it's sympathy, and they might as well be gone forever.

"Why won't you let me leave?" He sighs.

"I don't stop you," I shake my head. "You choose to stay, don't you?"

"It's... Complicated." I lean back into the sandstone wall and cross my arms.

"Shoot."

"I do want to leave," he starts slowly, as if explaining it me, himself, and his demons all at once. He's got quite the audience. "But I can't. I can't leave you here again because least time it was torture. I couldn't sleep in my coffin. I merely laid there and thought about you. I tried many times to leave every night I've been here, but I cannot seem to forget the hope that perhaps... Perhaps your love is still alive, if not a small spark that simply needs feeding."