FINALLY! I finished writing this chapter! It took me forever. I just now finished this and didn't want to have to make you guys wait longer for it to be edited so I skipped the editing process. I apologize for any typos.


Chapter 9

(-Kayla-)

Nothing much happened after my explanation to the brothers. They asked me a few more questions and I confirmed that I really had been a subject from lab five that escaped. I skimmed over the basics of what went on in the labs. I didn't get into too much detail. Those emotional scars were still too raw. In turn, they told me about what they were doing there that night. It amazed me all over again that these two had turned my nightmare of a life around, albeit unintentionally. And now they promised to help me find Serah and keep us safe from the military, Scar, and everyone else. Simply amazing.

Sometime during our discussion I had fallen asleep. When I woke up later my emotions were mixed. I hadn't been aware that I had let my guard down enough to go to sleep in front of them. It wasn't like me. Then again, I had already reassured myself that Al and Ed could be trusted. A wary voice told me this wasn't the wisest decision but I couldn't help it. For the first time in my life I felt safe. Most people take their safety and cozy lives for granted. They'll never see the harsher parts of this world or understand that life isn't just rainbows and sunshine. I knew. Life was a tangled web made up of dark threads of pain, sorrow, fear, and loneliness. When you became trapped in it, there was no easy way to find the one thread of light that would lead you out. I hoped with all of my heart that the thread I followed now led to a lighter place and wasn't deceiving me.

I sat up on the bed where I had been sleeping. One of the guys must have placed me here. And I hadn't even woken up. I'm usually a light sleeper. I suppose I was more tired than I had thought. Ed slept on his bed nearby. Al must have gone off somewhere. Where did he go at this hour? Outside the window I could see that dawn approached. The sun would rise soon.

I climbed out of bed and stretched, much in the way a cat does when it wakes from a nap. My shoulder and side tugged a bit but I ignored it. They would heal quickly. Another upside of being a chimera.

I made sure that my hood covered my head and that my tail hid completely underneath my clothes. Then I exited the room and stepped into the hallway. There, I sniffed the air. My heightened sense of smell caught many scents. I picked out the one that had a metallic tang to it and followed my nose. The scent led me up the flights of stairs and onto the roof.

I opened the door cautiously and peaked out. Al stood next to the railing of the little roof area. From this view point, you could see much of Central. He looked deep in thought. Perhaps something troubled him.

I tried my best to walk quietly. I didn't want the sound of my steps to interrupt him. I must have been too quite though because I ended up scaring him.

"Ah! What are you doing here?" he asked with a gasp. He certainly hadn't expected anyone else to come up here.

I smiled, enjoying his reaction, "I could ask you the same thing."

He nodded, having been reassured that it was only me. He went back to gazing at the city. "I came to watch the sunrise. I like to do this a lot. Everything's so calm and peaceful at this time of the day."

I agreed. A tinge of orange had begun to color the sky. The wind had picked up in a soft breeze. Most people were in their beds lost in their dreams. Soon they would all wake up and start their days, but for now they rested and so did the rest of the world around them.

"It's nice out here." I stated, letting my hood fall back so that I could feel the wind run through my hair and ears. I didn't worry about anyone seeing me. We were high up and most people were asleep anyway.

"Kayla?" Al asked.

"Hm?" I hummed, my eyes closed as I hung my arms over the top of the railing.

"How did you end up in the fifth laboratory?"

I stiffened as memories flooded my mind. "Why do you ask?"

"It's just that, most of the people they used their experiments for were criminals on death row from the nearby prison. And you don't seem like one of them."

"It's true, most of them were prisoners but that's not where all of them came from. Like Serah and me for instance…" I trailed off, my thoughts turning to my friend.

"How did you get there?" he asked in a soft, encouraging voice.

I glanced at him. He watched me with those glowing orbs of his, making me nervous. I closed my eyes again to avoid his stare. "They kidnapped us. Serah was visiting Central and, while no one was looking, they grabbed her, overpowered her, and took her to the lab. I'm not sure why they went to the trouble of grabbing pedestrians off the streets. It's risky. But they must have had a reason. Like they wanted more variety or there weren't as many prisoners to choose from. As for me…"

"Go on." Al said patiently.

I sighed, "They did the same to me as they did to Serah. It was night and I was looking for a place to sleep and they snuck up on me. They knocked me out and when I came to…I was in that place."

"Oh…" Al said thoughtfully. After a few moments he asked, "Why were you looking for a place to sleep?"

I blushed a little in embarrassment, "I didn't have anywhere to stay so I was going to sleep outside somewhere. I could say that I just traveled a lot, and although that's true, it's not the whole truth. I used to be homeless. Still am actually."

"Where's your family?"

"I don't know. They could be dead for all I know. My parents abandoned me when I was just a baby."

"That's terrible!" Al said appalled.

I smiled ruefully, "That's life."

Al seemed like he wanted to say something important. Instead, he asked, "What happened after that?"

"I lived with a number of families. Whoever found me must have made sure that a family took me in. But the first family only kept me for a short while. After that, I was moved from family to family. None of them were…pleasant." I gritted my teeth as I said the word. More memories came back to me. I saw all the faces of the people who had 'taken care of me'. Most of them abused me, either verbally or physically. They would yell at me and tell me how worthless I was and that I should be grateful that they took trash like me in. They hurt me in many ways. I doubted I would ever be able to forget all the horrible things they had done to me.

"Anyways," I said, returning to the subject, "I ran away when I was around twelve. I've been living on my own ever since, traveling from place to place by myself."

To my surprised, Al said, "I'm sorry you had to go through that."

I blinked at him for a moment. Then my lips perked up, "It's okay. Things weren't so bad after I left. I met a lot of interesting people and saw many places. It wasn't such a bad life." In those couple of years I experienced happiness. Not all of my memories were bad ones. There were a few bright patches. Those were the ones I tried to keep close to me. "But it feels like such a long time ago."

"How long were you at the lab?"

"Four months, give or take." I shrugged.

"Four months?" he gasped.

"Yeah." I nodded. "But don't stress yourself out about it. I don't need your pity."

"That's not it!" he said, waving his hands. "I'm just surprised. You were there for that long, and obviously some pretty awful stuff happened to you, but you haven't given up. You're trying to move forward. Not many people could do that."

I stared up at him in wonder. I'm not sure why, but what he said made me happy. "Thank you, Al."

"Um, you're welcome." he chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

I went back to watching the sunrise. The sun had begun to ascend and it's light flowed over the rooftops of the buildings. It really was a beautiful sight.

"Oh!" I exclaimed as I remembered something. Turning back to him, I asked, "Al, what happened to you?"

"What do you mean?" he asked, a bit confused.

"How did you become a walking suit of armor? There's no body inside. How can that be?" I had been wondering this from the very beginning.

Al looked bewildered for a moment. Then he nodded his head in understanding, "That's right. You rode inside me as a cat." He hesitated, then continued, "It all began when our mom died…"

I listened to him as he told me his and his brother's story. I learned many things about them that morning. I may have even learned the answer as to why they were helping me. They had seen the harsher parts of this world, just like me. They had been through many tragic experiences. They knew what true pain and sadness felt like. They would do anything to keep the same things from happening to someone else. They would stand up for the ones tangled in dark threads, even when they were fighting they were still fighting against their own. Again, I thought, Simply amazing.


(-Serah-)

"This is weird." Serah mumbled to herself. She had woken up peacefully in the guest room of the Hughes' house. She had slept in a bed last night. An honest to God bed! It felt like a lifetime had passed since the last time she had experienced that small comfort. As she sat on the bed staring out the window, she replayed the bizarre events from the previous night.

Maes had made good on his word and taken Serah straight to his home where he lived with his wife and daughter. Serah could tell from the moment she saw the family together that they were a close bunch. They practically glowed with love and happiness. Serah envied them. She wished she could go home and be with her family like old times. Her parents were odd folks. Her mother wore the pants in the house and went about doing everything with zest. There was never a dull moment when she was around. Serah's father was a docile man. Maes reminded Serah of her father somewhat. Maes may have been more energetic, loud, and in your face but he had the same caring attitude that her own father always emitted. Whenever Serah got into fights and came home with bruises and cuts her mother would give her the scolding of a lifetime while her dad would help her bandage her wounds. Then about an hour later her mother would forget her anger completely and go back to her normal self. Serah had always thought her mother was bipolar. It used to annoy the hell out of her but it was things like that she missed the most.

But that's all in the past, Serah reminded herself sternly. I can't go back. Ever. Not like this. Not now that I'm a monster. They'd hate me…

Pushing thoughts of her own family aside, Serah put her full effort into socializing with Maes and his wife and kid. Gracia was a soft and motherly woman. The first thing she did when Maes explained to her about their impromptu guest was give her a seat at the table and a large plate of food. With a huge grin on her face, Serah dug in heartily. She hadn't ate a decent meal in days. Little Elysia had giggled at her, entertained by how fast Serah could make the food disappear. Serah had never really liked kids. They were cry babies, pointlessly loud, and usually evil. She swore up and down that she would never have a little demon of her own. Despite all of this, Elysia didn't grate her nerves. She could tolerate her.

"You're pretty." Elysia told Serah.

Serah stopped devouring her food long enough to stare at the girl. She swallowed deeply and asked, "Excuse me?"

Elysia smiled and pointed directly at her face, "You're pretty!"

Serah arched an eyebrow, "You think I'm pretty huh?" The girl nodded enthusiastically. Serah flashed a quick grin, "It's because I eat my vegetables. Lots and lots of vegetables."

Her eyes widened, "Really?"

The older girl nodded, "You bet." Staring at her adoring expression, Serah decided, Okay, maybe she is kinda cute.

The rest of that night went smoothly until Maes offered her a ride home. Gracia had gone upstairs to put Elysia to bed. Maes stood up and stretched, "Alright. Let's get you home kiddo."

Serah waved him away, "It's fine. I can walk. You've already been so nice to me."

"Nonsense! What kind of man would I be if I let a defenseless girl like yourself wander the streets at night?"

She gritted her teeth, "I'm not that defenseless."

He smiled good naturedly, "It still wouldn't set right with me if something happened to you."

"But you've got to so much trouble already." Serah protested. She had never been the sort to worry about this sort of thing. If circumstances were different she would have accepted a ride without any objections. It sure as hell beat walking and it eliminated the possibility of running into any idiots or weirdos. Unfortunately, she couldn't let Maes take her because there wasn't a place to actually go to.

"It's no trouble at all." the man assured her.

"But-"

"You're rather persistent, aren't you?" he cocked an eyebrow. "It's almost as if there's a reason you that you don't want me to drive you home." Then, invading her personal space, he leaned in close to her face and said in a serious low voice, "Or maybe you're hiding something."

Ah! Fuck a duck! He knows! Serah thought frantically. She had let her guard down and forgotten that Maes was a military officer, just like Roy. Did they plan this against her? Had this been what they wanted all along? Damn it! She should have been more careful! But… did he really know? Had he figured out that she was a chimera? Could he be suspicious about something else? If he did know Serah wouldn't hesitate to knock his lights out. But if it was something else she could maybe talk her way out of it. But which was it? She didn't want to assume that he knew too much and pointlessly attack him. What if he didn't know? What if he did? And all of this thinking was giving her a migraine. She had never been the kind of person to think things through. Winging it was more her style.

Serah held still as Maes spoke again, "Do you really have a home to go to?"

She blinked, taken aback, "What?"

"Do you have a home to go to? Or is there a reason you don't want someone else to know where you live. Or are you hoping to avoid going back there?"

That one question struck her to the core. Do you have a home to go to? It made a terrible longing weigh down on her chest, making it hard to breathe. The pressure hurt enough to make her cry. But Serah had too much pride for that. She would not cry, especially where someone else could see her. She forced herself to tough it out, averting her eyes and biting on the inside of her cheek.

Maes sighed and his voice became surprisingly gentle, "Serah, I'm not trying to cause you trouble. I only want to help you. But I can't do that unless I know what the problem is."

"I don't want any help." Serah muttered.

"Its hard to accept someone's help because you don't want to have to need it. You want to be able to solve everything on your own. But everyone needs a little help now and then and there's no shame in accepting it. True strength is being able to admit when you need something. You don't have to sit back and let me take care of everything but at least allow me to help you help yourself."

She crossed her arms and attempted to close herself off from him. It didn't work. A small annoying part of her mind kept telling her that what he said made sense. Her stubbornness refused to buy it. It told her to walk out right now and not to look back. She had listened to it for her entire life. And yet, she still stood there. Stubborn to her own stubbornness.

And then she did something that absolutely shocked her. Her mouth opened and words spilled out of her mouth, "I don't have a home… Not anymore."

"Do you have any family?"

"I have no one." she answered firmly. "Well, accept…"

"Yes?"

She squeezed her arm so hard that it would bruise. She didn't care. Serah needed something to hold onto. "There's this friend of mine. We got separated days ago. She's all I have left."

"And you're looking for her?"

"Yeah." she gave him a small nod. Then she squared her shoulders and took in a deep breath. "But I'll find her. I haven't searched everywhere. She may have even left the city. That's not going to stop me though. She's out there somewhere, alone, and I have to get to her. I'll find her…cause we're all we've got left."

A hand on her shoulder made her look up. Maes's green eyes were soft and caring, "She must be a remarkable person for her to be so important to you."

A small smile tugged at her lips, "She is. She's given me a purpose. I have to protect her. Without her everything would be pointless."

Gracia came down the stairs, partially surprised to see that her husband and Serah were still there. Maes wrapped an arm around her and announced, "Honey, meet our new houseguest."

Serah's jaw dropped, "House-what?"

That goofy grin Maes always wore shown brightly, "It could take you awhile to find your friend. In the meantime you can stay here. And this will give you more time to spend with my adorable daughter!"

"But-"

"We'd be more than happy to let you stay." Gracia nodded. She may not know entirely what was going on but she had a good soul and couldn't turn someone in need away.

"But I'm a stranger!" Serah latched onto the excuse. "For all you know I could be an escaped convict and the friend I'm looking for is really my partner in crime. I could be an ax murderer! Aren't you afraid that I might try to kill you in your sleep?"

"Nope!" Maes answered with a smile.

Serah face palmed, "Have you no sense of self-preservation?"

"Of course! Now Gracia, would you show our guest to the spare bedroom?"

"Sure." the woman replied happily, heading up the stairs.

Slumping forward, Serah groaned, "You people are crazy."

"Yep." Maes said. "And you're stuck with us crazy people."

"God help me." Serah muttered.

A knock at the bedroom door interrupted Serah's reverie of the night before. "Come in." she called warily.

Gracia stepped into the room holding a small bundle of material, "Good morning. Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah," Serah answered. She couldn't help but remember how when she had been stuck in the lab no one ever cared if you slept well. And if you were sleeping when they came for you they would kick you awake. And those actions were mild compared to the other horrific experiments they did there. Serah had acquired many scars from her stay there.

The Hughes' household differed greatly. Here there were only kind words and never violence. Such a stark contrast from the labs. It would take some time for Serah to get used to it. She had to remember that not everyone were like the scientists from the lab. Most people were actually human.

Gracia smiled warmly at her, "I brought you some old clothes of mine. I think they'll fit you."

Serah accepted the bundle of clothes and then let the older woman show her to the bathroom so that she could take a shower. No point in putting clean clothes on a dirty body. The clothes Serah had been wearing were from a random store she had stole them from. They let her blend in more than the rags she had been wearing from the lab. But now they were dirty from the days she had spent outside and on the run from raging red-eyed, scarred lunatics. So yes, a shower and clean clothes were desperately needed.

After taking the best shower she had ever had, Serah went downstairs. Everyone else sat in the kitchen eating breakfast. A plate sat at an empty chair, intended for her. Serah gazed at the plate full of biscuits, bacon, and eggs with a watering mouth. She dove for the food with gusto. Little Elysia giggled at her as Serah attempted to cram bacon into an already full mouth.

At least kids find me amusing, Serah though wryly. For the rest of the breakfast Serah tried various things to get the kid to laugh. Elysia smiled and giggled the entire time and even her parents got a few laughs out of it.

When all the food had been eaten Gracia went to wash the dishes while Maes stood up and said, "I need to be heading out." He kissed Gracia on the cheek and gave Elysia a big hug. Then he stopped by Serah and asked, "Can I talk to you outside for a minute before I go?"

Serah wondered what was up but consented. They stepped out the front door and into the morning sunshine.

"What is it?" Serah asked bluntly.

Maes's humor disappeared as his face became serious, "It's about your friend."

She crossed her arms, "What about her?"

"I was wondering about what happened to separate you two."

Serah bit her lip, pondering how to answer him. She decided that a lie would be the best way to go. Luckily, lying came naturally to her. "When we got to Central we got lost in the crowds of people. I couldn't find her after that."

"Could something have happened to her?"

She shrugged, "Possibly. But I have a feeling she's somewhere here in Central looking for me."

"Is she homeless like you?"

"Yeah."

"If you told me her name and gave me a description I could help you find her." he offered.

Maes was in the military, after all. He probably had numerous connections to work with. If Serah gave up the information then more than likely Maes would find Kayla. But she couldn't get the military involved. As soon as they found her they would know that she was a chimera. Then they would figure out that Serah was one as well and both of them would end up in cages once more. She couldn't let that happen.

With a steely expression Serah said, "I appreciate the offer but no thanks. This is something that I have to do alone."

From the tightness in his eyes, Serah knew that Maes suspected something. He just hadn't figured out what yet. For a goofy family man he sure did have a keen intellect. Serah would have admired him for it if it wasn't causing her so much trouble.

"Are you sure?" he asked her.

She gave a sharp nod.

He sighed reluctantly, running his hand through his hair, "I guess I can't make you tell me."

"That's what that asshole Roy did."

Maes barked a laugh, "A lot of people would agree with you there. But he's really not so bad once you get to know him."

"I highly doubt that." Serah muttered.

He just shook his head with a smile, "Anyway, you can stay here while you look for your friend. But remember that you can come to me if you need anything."

Serah's mind flashed to an image of her own father. Again, Maes's kindness had reminded her of him. It made her smile genuinely at him, "Thank you."

"No problem. See you later, kiddo." he waved at her and departed.

She watched him leave and then went inside. She told Gracia that she would be gone for a while and be back later. Then Serah set out to find Kayla.

Her plan was hardly a plan at all. She intended to walk the streets and hope that she would stumble upon Kayla. It was her only option at this point. Well, the only option that Serah could think of. If Kayla herself were here she'd probably come up with a few better ideas. She always was the better thinker of the two. But she wasn't here now. Hell, she may not even be in Central. Or she could be…

Serah stopped in front of the hospital she had been passing as her train of thought rushed into a terrible prospect. What if the military already had their hands on Kayla? With this much military in one city they very well could have gotten her. And if they did Serah would have to stop and think things through carefully. If they did have her Serah would most certainly go rescue her but first she would have to find out where they were holding her. How would she do that? She would have to snoop around somewhere where they keep records of that kind of thing. Somewhere like…the National Central Library. Serah had never been there but she knew that it would have confidential files and things that she could use to confirm whether or not they had captured Kayla. It was worth a try.

Serah had to ask around for directions but eventually she made it there. The library had a section out of use due to construction. It looked like a bomb or something had gone off on that part of the building. Construction workers were on the scene, rebuilding at a moderate rate. While that was being done a few people entered and exited the main section of the building. Apparently the library was still functioning. The only problem was that Serah didn't have access. Only library workers, State Alchemists and other military personnel were allowed inside. Serah was any of those. She'd have to improvise.

The chimera circled the building, seeking out entry points without being too conspicuous. She found a window towards the back that had been left open…On the third floor.

"Beggars can't be choosers." Serah said to herself. At least there weren't any people in the back of the place. It would be bad if anyone saw what she was about to do.

Serah took a few steps back and crouched down in a ready position. The muscles in her legs bunched up as she shot off like a bullet. She easily leapt onto a dumpster and didn't hesitate to keep going upward. She used her momentum to soar up the side of the building and reached the targeted window by jumping off the sides of the building. She latched onto the window sill and scurried inside without even breaking a sweat. It made her smile. Her enhanced abilities certainly made things more fun. But it was the only positive thing about being a chimera.

The room she had crawled into was an ordinary office. Luckily, no one occupied it. Beyond the dark office was the main part of the library where the many rows of bookshelves made aisles. The number of books amazed Serah. How could people like reading this much? She had never understood people who loved books. Serah herself had no love for them. They were only words on paper. Boring and pointless. And now, Serah would have to go through endless books and resources to find what she was looking for. Not fun.

She kept her eyes and ears out for any signs of people nearby. She could hear only a couple of people lingering around the giant room and they were probably too engrossed in some book they had their nose stuck in to notice her. Serah avoided them anyway. She chose the least populated aisles to go down, walking as if she belonged instead of creeping around like the trespasser she was. If someone were to see her they may overlook her if she didn't act suspiciously.

Serah made many turns and found herself in the back where the records room was located. The door, naturally, was locked. She rummaged around the area until she found a paperclip on a desk. She bent it and used it to shimmy the lock to open. As the door swung open, Serah whispered triumphantly, "I am good."

She skimmed through the many filing cabinets. Most of it was irrelevant and Serah was begging to get frustrated when she found a document about the fifth laboratory. She skimmed through it and the other files. The files listed the experiments and such carried out by the scientists at lab five. A list showed the scientists known to be involved, which ones were alchemists, who had been incarcerated, who was suspected to being involved, guards who worked there, and people from the military who had been a part of it. Another file told of the research materials that had been recovered from there, including animal, human, and chimera subjects.

"This is it!" Serah whispered excitedly. She skimmed through the paragraphs. There were no names listed by the chimeras. Only descriptions. None of them matched Kayla's.

"I guess that's good then." she muttered to herself. She read through more documents, uncovering all she could find. She didn't slack off and remained thorough in her research. She found other little tidbits of information. Although there had been sightings of chimeras around Central none had been captured. There was also reports from when the military infiltrated lab five. It said that Hughes lead a team to find a State Alchemist who had snuck in there without authorization along with his brother. They were Edward and Alphonse Elric. They had been the ones to uncover the corruption and wrongful experimentations and had rushed there despite being told to wait for further evidence. It made Serah laugh because that's exactly what she would have done. Moving past those she found more articles but the rest basically said the same things, just written by different people.

Serah sighed and closed the draw of the cabinet. She had done all she could here. There was no point in staying any longer. Exiting the room, she made sure to lock it back from the inside before closing the door. Then she made her way back down the aisles, scanning the vast collections of books. She rolled her eyes at some of the titles, laughed at a few, and snickered at others. But one book made her halt her steps. She grasped the book and read the title.

"Theory of Chimeras." she said breathlessly. She grasped the book and flipped through the pages. There was gobs of information about chimeras! Types of chimeras. The process of making a chimera. And loads more. There were other books as well cluttered on that shelf, all about chimeras.

Serah picked up another book, The Science of Making a Chimera. It described with more detail how a chimera was made. Alchemists used certain transmutation circles to yield the best results and it showed what species were more compatible with each other. It was both sickening and fascinating to Serah. She read on about how a perfect chimera had never been successfully made. She snorted at that. Serah was living proof that that was a lie.

In the book it talked about the transmutation needing more energy or something another. There were so many confusing words and Serah could barely follow along. She comprehended that the chimeras were failures because the transmutations had been too unstable. This made Serah think of when she had become a chimera. The alchemist that had created her shouldn't have blended her so well with a fox, according to this book anyway. But what he had done had been somewhat different. There was this red water substance he had used. Serah wondered if that had amplified it somehow. The book didn't mention it so she was left to speculate.

When she got to the page talking about reversing the process, she nearly flipped out. Eagerly, she read about how once alchemists created chimeras they transmuted the animals back. But Serah's heart sank when it said that all of those had been failures. Apparently, the animals were too infused with one another and once they became one they could never revert to their separate forms. Serah nearly stopped reading as she learned this, but curiosity led her to continue reading the section. It spoke of a theory that with enough of an amplifier boosting the transmutation the alchemist would gain enough stability in order to split the two beings.

"The Philosopher's Stone?" Serah read aloud.


This is going to lead to many interesting places. I'm thinking that the next chapter is really going to be stepped up a notch and I'll be posting it in a couple of weeks unless I get it done faster or later than that.

I'm trying to think of ways for Kayla's other personality to come out more. And I wonder what Al and Ed are going to think when they realize she has a split personality. Even I don't know because I haven't thought of it yet.