Hojo smiled in satisfaction and wiped the blood from his arm. She had clawed at him after the last attack and caught his whipping arm. He stroked the slashed flesh as it gradually healed, Jenova cells getting to work deep inside him. He watched through the one way mirror as one of his many new assistants fitted the weighty metal shackles around the beast's paws, making them so heavy she could barely move. Another irritated her with the high pitched dog whistle while smacking her with an assortment of implements. A wooden board which left splinters, a metal cable which sliced into her skin worse than any whip, a bamboo cane, springy and stingy, and for some unknown reason a kitchen ladle. He shook his head, what were these people on? Who used a ladle for torture? He noticed the assistant pick up the ladle and set about hitting her on her head. A strange half doinking noise/half ringing noise ensued as the beast shivered and thrashed her head around. Pushing the button of the slender remote control in his pocket he watched the voltage rip through her body, flinging both her and the assistant to the floor. The electricity had travelled up the metal ladle and shocked the assistant at the same time.

"Served them right for using a ladle" he sneered and turned back to his lab notes. The past three days of torture had been successful, the beast was no longer as happy go lucky as she had been before. His lips wrinkled up into a snarl.

"Happy go lucky? Since when did I use the term happy go lucky?" he booted the television. "The reports are right, you do kill brain cells!" he paused. "Hojo… you're talking to an inanimate object" he sighed, "I need to get out more"

The cold air permeated the rips in her hide, chilling the wounds and making them throb painfully. She didn't understand why the creepy little man was so angry with her. Raising her sluggish body as best she could, she began to lick the dry blood from herself, gagging as the foul tasting menthol sizzled at her tongue. A low mournful groan escaped her lips and she shuffled awkwardly to the ratty pillow that was her bed. Spiders scuttled along the floor, crawling up her tail, their pointed little feet irritating her skin, making her itch. She closed her eyes and tried to block out the pain, her stomach rumbling as if it was trying to eat itself.

"Nyah"

He opened the door, making sure the CCTV camera was turned off, no more blinking red light. Hojo was safely in his rooms at the back of the lab, luxuriating in his comfortable bed while his assistants slept in slum housing.

"You poor animal" he stroked the undamaged flesh, wincing as his fingertips brushed the crusty dry blood ridge around a particularly deep wound. She merely watched him with deadened eyes.

"I'll help you Nyah" he stroked her as he readied the first aid kit, taking out sterilised wipes, healing potions and other paraphernalia.

"I'm afraid I cant heal you completely" He rubbed the velvety patch above her nose, "Hojo would feed me to the monsters downstairs, I cant be killed yet" he set about cleaning her up, removing the spiders and rubbing her silky ears to soothe her as he swabbed sensitive wounds, draining the pus away and digging out chunks of solid blood. It was disgusting work. Finally he massaged the healing potion into her flesh, watching in satisfaction as healing scabs covered the wounds, hopefully preventing anything getting in and infecting the poor animal. He had talked to her all the way through, soothing her with his warm hands and soft calming voice.

"An animal? Is that what I've become?" the tiny human voice echoed in her mind. It was soon drowned out as he pulled out a doggy bag filled with bits of meat, odd little chunks from meals. It wouldn't have mattered if they were off or rank, she wolfed them down anyway, each chunk slamming into the pit of her pained empty stomach until the bag was empty.

"I'm sorry I couldn't bring more" he sighed and packed up all his equipment. His job wasn't over, he had to go fiddle with the CCTV so Hojo didn't wonder where the missing forty five minutes had gone. The beast watched him leave her, licking the last traces of meaty goodness from her teeth. Her stomach rumbled slightly as she settled down to sleep, the wounds fizzing slightly from all the cleansing. No longer as pained she soon slept, dreaming of mundane things that made her shackled legs twitch.