Synthia barely made it into the bathroom, locking the door just as there was pounding on the other side. Her mind whirled as she scanned the bathroom and was relieved to see a window. With great agility, she squeezed through and jumped to the ground. Just when she thought she was going to get away she ran into the man. His clawed hand reached out and gripped her arm so quickly it didn't seem human. She cried out in surprise as he jerked her towards him.

" Who are you?" the man demanded, " What are you following me?" His eyes glowed with anger as he seemed to stare straight into her soul. " You…"

" Vincent!" A blonde spikey-haired man ran up and separated the gleaming claw from her arm. Pushing her behind him, the man tried to reason with Vincent. " She's just a little girl, Vincent!"

" Don't you see the resemblance Cloud!" asked Vincent calmly, his voice tight with anger. Synthia, who was trying to edge away to escape, froze as Cloud focused on her. Her eyes widened when she saw his eyes. Even though they were blue, the glowed just as her green eyes did. He smiled at her and she tensed up.

" I'm not going to hurt you…Synthia…wasn't it?" he held out his hand but she turn and ran, straight into the large black man that accompanied them.

" Whoa! Cloud! What did you do to scare her so?" he demanded as he laid a hand gently on her shoulder. " Don't worry, I won't hurt you." For some odd reason, Synthia believed him and allowed him to perch her on his large shoulder. Cloud spoke up.

" It wasn't me that scared her so…Vincent here went all interrogator on her. She must be scared senseless."

She dared to peek at Vincent who was staring at her, his face stoic but she could sense the anger…and was it fear?…that he felt towards her.

" Give her to me Barrett." Synthia nearly had a heart attack at what Vincent demanded. His eyes gleamed a bloody red brown and he held out his claw. She wanted to cast a spell, but she knew that if she did, Vincent would most likely kill her. Barrett set her down but kept a hand on her shoulder.

" If you hurt her Vincent…friend or not, I will not condone anyone harming children."

Against her will, Synthia was pushed forward until the clawed hand once again held possession on her arm.

The chocobo farmer came out and demanded to know what was going on. Vincent, without hesitation, explained that she was his sister who had run off.

" Is this true?" Synthia looked down as the chocobo farmer glared at her. "Now young lady, it isn't wise to run away from home. Your family must have been so worried." Synthia squeezed her eyes shut and willed herself not to cry. The chocobo farmer gave her a sympathetic look and invited everyone in for a meal. The grip on her arm never loosened and she felt like she would not live to see tomorrow.
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Cloud was worried about the girl. Not that he thought she would do anything to them, but because Vincent wouldn't let her leave his side. She seemed to withdraw into herself and barely ate any of the food given to her.

" Vincent, I'd like to talk to you outside." Cloud said. Vincent glanced at the girl who cringed, then followed Cloud to the chocobo pen.

" I do not believe that it is a good idea to leave her alone," Vincent said, " she has the ability to be extremely dangerous. You saw what she did to those men, and she didn't even bat an eye."

Cloud shook his head, " They were a threat. Although the way she destroyed them was extremely unsettling. We take her with us. I'm sure she won't attempt anything, she's so terrified of you that she won't even eat with you around."

" That's nonsense," Vincent retorted, " she's just as good a manipulator as her father."

" It can be just a coincidence that she looks like that," Cloud offered, but knew deep inside, that they had found what they were looking for.

Vincent crossed his arms and started to go back inside, " We still need to go to Junon, there's someone that I need to see."

When Cloud re-entered, he was happy to see that Synthia had eaten her food while they were outside. She was gathering up the dishes and was followed by Vincent when she went into the kitchen.
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Vincent watched the girl wash dishes. She was extremely tense and he noticed she was leaning forward almost on her toes. For someone who could destroy a group of bandits she was extremely flighty. He suddenly felt guilty for acting as he did but he was still suspicious, so he decided to ask her a couple questions.

" Do you by any chance know who your mother…or father was?"

Synthia jumped at the sound of his voice. Slowly, she turned to face him and fixed her glowing green eyes on him. Minutes passed by as she simply stared at him, almost as if she was trying to figure him out. Her eyes quickly glanced to his claw and she rubbed her arm where he had held on to her.

" My mom," she replied softly, " died a few months ago, screaming out a name that I couldn't make out because I woke up in the middle of it…the only thing she said about my father was that he was a brave man…and that I look like him." Synthia paused and thought for a moment. " I keep getting these images, of a tall man in black. He always has his back towards me though…It's-"

Cloud entered the kitchen then, " Hey Vincent, it's getting late and if we want to get to Junon we have to start early tomorrow. Besides, kids need sleep or else they get cranky, right Synthia?"

Vincent watched as Synthia closed up again and nodded slightly, finishing up the last few dishes and following Cloud out of the kitchen. Sighing, Vincent went over to the sink and was startled to see that there was hardly any water inside it. He could have sworn she had filled the sink when she began. This wasn't good and he was starting to hope that his suspicions of the girl were wrong.