A/N: Yeah, next chapter. Hope ya'll enjoy…

Cloud paced back and fourth, between the fireplace and where Yuffie, Tifa and Vincent were sitting. His arms were crossed, making himself look much like some sort of business man, which would have been quite amusing had it not been for the circumstances.

"Where is he?" Cloud questioned aloud.

Yuffie, who had taken to Tifa's motherly type personality, was leaning against her, watched Cloud with interest. "I don't know." She said.

"Are you alright?" Vincent asked. Cloud paused briefly to glance at Vincent, but after a moment continued to pace again.

"No." He said quickly.

The corner of Yuffie's mouth twitched in a small sympathetic smile, "You feel bad."

Cloud snorted, "I'll feel like a jack ass if that bastard dies."

"It wouldn't be your fault." She stated.

He paused again and sighed.

"I know," He said, his voice unusually quiet. There was an eerily calm silence that passed over them.

Cloud began pacing again and muttering to himself, the rest watched in sympathy.

"If it would make you feel better we could like, go look for him." Tifa suggested, but immediately regretted it.

"We could…" He muttered, but it sounded as if he were talking to himself. After a few minutes he stopped and faced them, "Alright." He said.

Yuffie stood and stretched, followed by Vincent and Tifa. They headed out the door, and down the hall. They were all huddled together, every little sound making them jump. Once they arrived at the hallway Tifa gasped, "Is…is that…blood?"

The door loomed up ahead of them. Still wet, blood was scrolled on the walls "Got the rat." Underneath, stained in places from the dripping blood, was a news article attached with an old nail.

Cloud cautiously reached forward and snatched it, bringing his arm back as if the door had bitten him. Slowly he looked down at the article and began to read, "From Slums to Doctorate: Dr. Reno Capellarossi." He took a deep breath and continued, ""It's perfectly normal for someone in the sectors to make it to the Junon Morgue. However, Dr Capellarossi did it by his own devices. The new Chief Medical Examiner of Junon is surprisingly humble about his achievements, making it through the prestigious medical courses and Junon State with a 4.0 average. "If you think this a rags to riches story, you haven't seen my loan statements." He jokes."

"Though not everyone is as optimistic as the young doctor. Many of his contemporaries worry that a past addiction and his youth could cause him to make mistakes. One of the loudest dissenters is the recently off the blacklist, Dr Peter Hojo. Though one may wonder if the previously ostracized doctor is simply jealous. It is common knowledge that Dr Hojo was looking into the position." He finished.

"Hojo killed him." Vincent muttered after a long stretch of time. The eerie silence fell upon them again. Cloud leaned against the wall and swore.

"Damn it."

They stood in silence for a few more minutes before Cloud straightened himself up and glared, "Alright lets go. We're going to find Hojo." He barked. They all stared wide-eyed at the door, then glanced back at Cloud and nodded slowly. Cloud began to walk back down the hall towards the steps again, Tifa, Vincent and Yuffie followed almost as if they were in a daze. Vincent cast one last frightened look over his shoulder, back at the door.

They hurriedly made their way down the steps, and like before, jumping at every little sound. Vincent's red eyes darted around the hallway and he even once grabbed onto Tifa's arm, she had let out a shriek and he had apologized.

And once again he was left to sigh in defeat as his silly fear of monsters and the dark won.

"We're here." Cloud said quietly. Yuffie tensed and leaned forward a bit. Cloud hesitantly opened the door, as if he were expecting Hojo to jump out at him.

"Is everything alright?" Vincent questioned nervously. His eyes darted around the hallway again, and he leaned against Tifa slightly. He wasn't sure whether it was safer out in the hallway or in Hojo's room.

"Yeah." Cloud said as he walked into the room. The three followed behind him. Cloud walked into the room he and Reno had found when first coming to find Hojo. All the monitors had been turned back on, but the strange puppet figures were gone.

"What are we here for?" Yuffie whispered as her eyes scanned the screens.

"Too find Hojo." He replied.

Vincent stared shifted uneasily from his position in the corner of the small room. What were they looking for exactly? Cloud had said Hojo, but he wasn't shown anywhere on the screens. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a figure on a screen. Her arms were tied behind her back and some sort of black figures were surrounding her.

"Hey…" He spoke softly and inquiringly, "Isn't that Lucrecia?"

Cloud's head snapped to look back at him, and Vincent pointed at the screen. His eyes seemed to narrow a friction and he took a step back. "We're going." He said, and spun around. The three others nodded, and they all hurried out of the room and started down the halls. Despite their growing fears the threw open doors and called for her. Yuffie opened the very last door in the hallway; hesitantly peering inside, her eyes darted back and fourth. Nothing but black was what she saw, she stuck her foot in and took a step, nearly falling in the process.

"Hey," She called, "I found the basement!"

There was a movement behind her and she saw a strand of long black hair. "How do you know that's the basement?" Vincent asked.

Yuffie glanced over her shoulder at him, "It's creepier than the others." She said. He raised an eyebrow but turned and mentioned for the others to come over.

Peering down into the basement, the four made their way down the steps as quickly and carefully as they could. When they reached the bottom, no one saw anything but black. But something light brushed against Yuffie's arm and she shrieked.

There was a muffled sound, followed by eerie, doll-like laughter. Whimpering, Yuffie stepped closer but found that Cloud had taken a step forward. She huddled with Tifa and Vincent.

A/N: Yes, I know. Short. And I ended it in a strange place. I suppose the updates will be shorter because of school. But if this story is still going at Thanksgiving maybe it'll be another larger chapter. Please review.

Mucho thankies to all my reviewers!