Summary: Grief becomes self-loathing. Self-loathing becomes hate. Hate becomes madness... It's a race against time as Zack and Co. work to find Akalara before it's too late, and an ex-girlfriend has her revenge. Set in MysticSpiritus' AU. Formerly known as "Meet the Parents."

Disclaimer: Akalara, Yvette, Dagger, Zack's parents' names, and the baby are the only things I own. Got it?

Queen's Quornor: Twenty-one years old now, and I still have yet to drink. Sad, ain't it? Heh, you know you're in college when your birthday presents consist of cash and booze. Anyway, enough about me. This chapter was so long in coming because I couldn't figure out how I wanted to word it. I scrapped at least three drafts before settling on this one.

Scream

Yvette settled back on her haunches, observing her handiwork with a pleased smile. Her victim bore little resemblence to the beautiful, exotic female Dagger had carried in; her pale skin was covered with slashes and cuts, crisscrossing her front and sides. In some places, the flesh was missing entirely, leftovers from where Yvette had utilized a filleting knife. Her skin was slick with blood, swirled across her body where long fingers had drawn pictures in the crimson spillage. The only area untouched by the knives and blood was her abdomen, the small bulge that held her burden.

"What a lovely mess I've made of you," the blond murmured. "Skin torn away, flesh marred by open wounds, fingers broken, needles beneath the nails..." She gently stroked the green-haired woman's cheek, the caress of a lover. The helpless female made a pathetic sound and weakly turned her head away from the mocking gesture. "He is going to scream when he sees you, Miss Forrest. If not for the hair and eyes, he wouldn't ever recognize you."

Yvette traced circles around the tear-filled cranberry eyes with one long finger. "It's a shame I cannot remove these. But I want you to see how much he pities you, Miss Forrest. I want you to see the revulsion, the torment in his face whenever he looks at you. If he truly loves you, he'll remain with you. But he will never forget the way you used to look, or what he did to me."

Her victim's chest heaved at that, and one tear rolled from the corner of her right eye to disappear into the blood-encrusted hairline.

"Well, I think I have done as much damage as I possibly can to you, Miss Forrest. I think it's time I entertained a new playmate, don't you?"

The cranberry eyes widened and desperate whimpers, indecipherable pleas, tore out of her throat.

Yvette smiled down at her and reached for her tools. The wordless begging increased in volume as she removed kitchen utensils and common hardware from the bag, and then disentegrated into muffled sobs as she ran her hand across the small mound of her stomach.

"What shall I do first?" Yvette mused. "I don't want to kill it just yet..."

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As soon as he touched down, Zack tore off the parachute and took a look around. "Reno said the chip was thataway, right?" he demanded, gesturing off to the west.

"That's correct." Vergil dug into his pocket and pulled out a purple star with a tormented, ugly face in the center as the SOLDIER hurried over to him. He sighed as the star melted into his skin, feeling his inner devil rejoice at the small addition to its decreased power. While Zack had played paratrooper, Vergil had simply transformed into his demonic form and flown to the forest below. "Come on. Lady Rihanna and Kuja's visions trouble me."

"You and me both," Zack mumbled, fitting a piece of materia into his armlet. "Haste."

Vergil shivered as magic washed over him. "What did you do to us?"

"Just come on!" The SOLDIER took off, almost immediately disappearing into the foilage. Vergil blinked, then ran after him, realizing what the spell had done. They were now moving at twice their regular speed, something he could normally only do in devil form.

But will it be fast enough? he worried.

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Yvette paused in her task as her phone went off. "One moment, Miss Forrest. I'll be right back," she informed her victim, laying the drill down on the bed beside her hip and crossing the room to her purse. The cell phone was dug out and placed to her ear in short order. "Hello?"

"Yvette, we have a problem. Zack and some other guy are on their way here, moving fast."

She scowled at the fireplace. "How far away are they, Dagger?"

"Ten minutes, I think. But at this speed, they could be here in five."

"Fine... I'll finish up with our guest here. You get back to Gongaga."

"Are you sure you'll be..."

"I'll be fine, Dagger!" she shouted. "I can take care of myself!"

There was a sigh on the other end of the line, and then "I'll see you back in town, Yvette."

The blond hung up the phone and put it away, then turned her leaf-green eyes back to the bloodied woman stretched out on the bed. "Well, Miss Forrest. It seems that you are in luck. Your baby won't have to suffer." She crossed the room quickly and picked up a steak knife, relishing the way her victim's eyes bulged at the sight of the serrated blade.

Just as her arm went back, the green-haired woman let out an ear-splitting shriek, audible despite the gag in her mouth.