A/N: I'm sorry about the wait. I meant to put this chapter up a long time ago, like within the first 4 days, but then Chemistry-related stress and some unexpected events came up and well…you know the deal. It won't take two weeks for the next chapter, don't worry. Just as a warning, this chapter contains a large amount of alcoholic references and I'm sorry if anyone's offended. No one does anything…like…rated R, their just drunk. Well, anyway, enjoy!

Disclaimer: All Final Fantasy-related things are owned by Square-Enix. Original stuff is owned by me.

If Lester or Hyde heard any of Tori's protests at being dragged around by the arm like a big rag doll, either they were too drunk to take any notice, or they didn't have enough brains to realize what she meant. They had already taken her about halfway around the city and still they hadn't arrived at the two Turk's "favorite night stop". The cloudy sky had now darkened to the point where the stars were no longer visible. Tori wondered exactly how late it was.

During the first hour of their escapade, Tori had tried to pull away and convince the men to let her go, but this only served to get on Lester's nerves and he finally told her to shut up. Hyde glared at Lester and said, "What did I ah'say before about bein' rude, ya moron!"

Lester only shrugged his shoulders dismissively, "She's just gonna slow us down. You know they don't let children in the bar."

Hyde suddenly stopped dead in his tracks, almost causing Tori to run into him. He wobbled for a second, rubbing his chin with one of his hands. He looked down at Tori and she could see that he was having a difficult time trying to get his eyes to focus.

"Hm...I didn't look at it that way."

"Good, let's get back to our shifts then," Lester said.

"Does this mean I can go," Tori asked with a hopeful tint in her voice.

Lester and Hyde exchanged amused glances and Tori's heart sunk. What more did they want with her?

"Well, as much as we'd love to, sweetheart," Hyde grinned wide enough to show his grimy teeth, "But I'm afraid you still owe us a date."

There were so many things about that comment that repulsed Tori that she almost slapped Hyde. She thought better of it though, as Lester said, angrily, "What are we gonna do with her then?"

"We'll just take'r on duty with us," Hyde said as if it solved everything. "We might as well have a little fun with her before we have to..."

At this, Hyde glanced sideways at Tori while Lester grunted disapprovingly.

Finally, he relented, "Fine, don't make much difference to me."

The men continued dragging Tori along and she felt a rising panic, "What do you mean? What are you going to do with me?"

"Now donchya worry 'bout a thing," Hyde said like he was talking to an eight-year-old. "You'll see what we mean later."

Lester gave her a conspiratorial grin, making Tori gulp. Suddenly her yellow belt in karate didn't seem as powerful as before.

Kert gaped across the counter at the young man as he completely downed another ale. He was already on his fourth sitting and still didn't show any signs that he was intoxicated at all. Kert had never expected a person with so much class to have such durability. Heck, he didn't expect a person with such class to be here, period.

The man was wearing a dark brown trench coat with silver fastenings on all the pockets and a black turtle neck that peeked out over the rim of the trench coat. He had black leather gloves and a black ribbon that was tied around his long hair in the back. There was a small portion of pale hair that hung down just between his eyes. One of his hands clutched the tankard that he was drinking while the other hand was wrapped around the silver headpiece of a cane. It was obvious he was a foreigner. Kert had never seen anyone in Midgar dress that way.

The young man set the tankard back down on the counter and slid a ten gil piece across the counter.

"You sure you want another one," Kert asked, not believing that this newcomer wasn't the least bit fazed by all of that alcohol.

The youth nodded and paused before saying, "Won't you have one yourself? I'm starting to feel guilty that I'm drinking all of this in front of you when you're not."

Kert nodded in agreement as he filled two more tankards from a keg built into the bar wall. "Yeah, I think I will. The regulars aren't going to believe this though."

"Believe what," Came the reply from behind the counter.

"The fact that there's someone who can drink four of our trademark ales and not be passed out dead as a bear rug," Kert said exasperatedly, "I don't know how I'm gonna tell them that someone's beat their record."

The young man chuckled as he took the tankard offered to him, "Well, I've always had a gift when it comes to ale."

"This ain't no gift, son," Kert said, taking a large swig himself. "There's some stuff in this that would take a monster down if it was concentrated enough."

The young man raised an eyebrow at this, "And it hasn't been cancelled yet even though it's so dangerous?"

Kert snorted, "It wouldn't make much difference if the stuff wasn't sold or not. Some people would still find a way to either make it or buy. Just because that blasted rock smashed into the city doesn't mean it only took ruffians and left geniuses to run around. I suspect half the people out there right now have done something illegal and never got caught. Do you know what I hear in this bar? It's dang depressing what some of these low-lives talk about!"

He took another huge gulp of his drink and set the tankard heavily down on the counter. During Kert's outburst, the young man had covered his mouth with the hand that wasn't holding his cane as if in deep thought.

A brief silence ensued while both men slowly drained their tankards; the younger taking occasional sips while the older guzzling his down like a professional.

Finally, the youth said quietly, "That's a sad story indeed…but it reminds me…about Meteor…"

Kert raised a curious eyebrow at his drinking companion as the young man continued.

"I've been out of town the last few days, you see, and while I was gone, I was worried about my wife catching that disease, - Geostigma, isn't it? – without my knowing. I was relieved to find her well when I came back…but I've been wondering…how has the epidemic been growing lately?"

Kert went back over to the keg to refill his tankard while he said, "Well, it's only gotten worse, I'm afraid, especially with all the moving that's been going on-"

He suddenly froze, his tankard overflowing a little since he was still holding down the keg nozzle. He'd already said too much. This always happened. Even when he just drank one glass of that despicable poison, he would become an open book of information.

He stole a quick glance over at the younger man, who was watching him closely. Although he definitely had a more sophisticated air about him than some of Kert's regular customers, he had a glint in his eyes that said that his appearance didn't even show a portion of his whole story. One thing was for sure, Kert had to watch his mouth around this one.

About fifteen minutes of tramping around the streets of the city had passed before the wave of panic that Tori had felt before died down. The Turks weren't very much fun to be around, seeing as they rarely spoke to her, preferring to exchange comments between each other in low voices that would usually result in drunken laughter or one of the two men winking at her unsettlingly. At first, this made Tori nervous, but after a while it just got downright annoying.

"How much farther are we going," She finally asked. She was tired. She was a bit hungry. Her feet were killing her, and she had no idea where the Jerks had taken her. The buildings around this area looked horrible. Some of the plots were entirely empty; something that reminded Tori of what her parent's home had looked like after Meteor. The thought sent unwelcome shivers down her spine. She didn't want to show any sign of weakness in front of these men.

Lester scowled and waved his hand in dismissal, "Just a little bit more of a walk. It won't kill ya."

"But we'll git run through if we're not back there in half an hour," Hyde said, looking down at his watch.

"You hear that? It'd be in your best interest to hurry up," Lester told Tori fiercely.

That was the last straw.

"Or what," Tori yelled, digging her heels into the ground and pulling back against Hyde's strength. "I want to know where we're going now! Why do you need me to come with you? My family is probably worried sick and I assure you, they'll try everything they can to find me! It doesn't matter if you're bloody Turks or not!"

At least, Tori hoped that Jiro, Emiko, and Miya would try anything to find her. They may think that it was too much work after a while. At any other time, these thoughts would seem absurd, but as Tori was feeling now, she was beginning to feel her confidence fade.

Lester clapped a harsh hand over Tori's mouth, grabbing her arm and yanking her close to his face.

"Don't say that name so loudly around here. These buildin's look abandoned, but I swear they've got eyes and ears. Now shut up or you'll regret opening yer trap at all," The Turk said through gritted teeth.

Her fury rising, Tori shoved him back with all her strength, not caring that it would probably make Lester more dangerous. She stood as straight as she could and said slowly, her words seething with defiance, "Make…Me."

Well, she did wind up regretting her words to some extent, because it wasn't even five seconds afterward when she found herself being yanked off the ground and thrown over Lester's shoulder like an old sack of potatoes. Her struggles immediately doubled and she kicked and punched at any part of him she could reach. Unfortunately, whatever she did didn't faze Lester at all, and he kept walking along the dark street, one arm securely wrapped around Tori's waist.

After a few minutes, Tori finally started calming down, and with a final elbow to Lester's head, eliciting a satisfying grunt and a curse, before falling silent.

Hyde, who had been watching the pitiful spectacle from a safe distance, noticed the change in Tori's attitude and said, "See? That's better. Now if I tell you where we're going, will you stay this way?"

Tori nodded dully and Hyde grinned.

"Well then, you see that big building up there," Hyde said, pointing up to a crumbling skyscraper that Tori recognized as the old Shin-Ra headquarters and donning the voice that sounded like he was talking to an eight-year-old. "That's where we're headin' for our job tonight, and believe me, girl, you'll love what you see."

How anyone could stand that vile substance going down their throats was a mystery to Yazoo, but for the sake of his master's plan, he tolerated it. He was just grateful that his master had made his body resistant to such things. He had no doubt he would be able to keep drinking and never get…oh, what was it the humans called it…drunk?

This man, on the other hand, was a sponge when it came to the drink. In fifteen minutes, Yazoo had managed to convince him to down the second ale, a third, and a shot of whiskey to wash it all down. Quite frankly, he was surprised the bartender was still alive. At least Yazoo was capable of neutralizing the ale in his system.

So far, what conversation they managed to have had covered everything from their families, to chocobos, to materia. By now the bartender was so intoxicated he could hardly keep from giggling insanely every few seconds, an act which would have anyone running to Icicle Village a long time in seconds. Yazoo was nearly no exception.

"Well, I'll tell ya," The older man said, leaning his arm on the counter for support, "You'd best be careful when you get out o' here. There ah've been some shady folk around lately."

Yazoo looked up at the bartender, "Oh, really?" Perhaps this would be a good lead.

The interest in his voice went unnoticed as the bartender continued, "Yeah, you shoulda seen the two guys that were in here earlier. I swear to the planet they were Turks."

"I thought the Turks dissipated after Shin-Ra headquarters was destroyed," Yazoo said with a raised eyebrow.

The bartender laughed, "That's always what they want you to think, isn't it? That they're all gone. No. Trust me, those Shin-Ra freaks are like voodoo. No matter what you try, they'll never die out. They've 'specially been cowdin' around here. Probably 'cause this place has got a street that heads straight to those Shin-Ra ruins."

"Why would they want to go back? I would think they would be happier now," Yazoo said.

The bartender smirked, "I know, that's what I thought too, but I'll tell yeh something."

He leaned forward slightly, acting as if the next thing he said would be vital to the planet.

"A while ago, one o' those devils was sitting right where you are now, and he told me that someone's been hiring them to 'safeguard' a few things in that building."

"And no one's tried to investigate?"

The older man snorted, "What did I say 'bout the scum around here? They look high and mighty but they haven't got the guts to do anything but sit and cram drinks down their gullet."

Yazoo grimaced. This was getting unbearable. He pushed stood up out of the bar stool, "I think I've had enough now. Good day to you."

As he turned to leave, the bartender kept talking as if he had heard Yazoo say something completely different.

"Yeah, and then when a Turk-punk gets in here and starts blabbing about the experiments, the drunks think he's talking about the turkey at Thanksgiving."

Yazoo stopped and gave the bartender a sharp look. "What?"

The bartender gave another obnoxious giggle and dropped his voice low, "I meant the experiments they have locked up in the headquarter ruins. I learned from one of them Turks that came in here a while back that some of the experiments that were moved out of the city before Meteor had been moved back in."

That's what Master had told Yazoo and his brother's, that the experiment that was essential to their plan had been moved out of the city. That the experiments had been moved back in, however, was new. That meant that there may have been a chance that the one he and his brothers needed was close.

Yazoo couldn't turn away from this. Something at the back of his mind was making him desperate to hear more. And it wasn't just because this knowledge was helpful to their plan, either.

Striding quickly back to the counter, Yazoo placed his hands on its surface and said, "Did you hear what kind of experiments they are?"

The bartender placed a hand on his chin for a moment, "Well now, I can't say I quite remember."

He lowered his brown eyes to meet Yazoo's own turquoise ones and a said with another smirk, "Besides, even if I did remember, what makes you think I'd tell you. Those Turks'd probably find out and be all over this place like flies on a carcass."

Yazoo put a hand inside his trench coat and gripped the handle of his Velvet Nightmare gunblade. He was tempted to kill this man now, an act that Loz would have done without hesitation. Yazoo couldn't understand why he was thinking this way when just a moment ago he had been in his normal "cool and collected" state. He forced himself to calm down. It would be dangerous to pursue the subject any further anyway. Even if the man was drunk, there was a chance that, when he became sober again, he would have remembered Yazoo's face and that he had wanted to know so much about the experiments. Yazoo and his brother didn't need more trouble with the humans to worry about.

He straightened up and turned back towards the door.

"Point taken. I'm sorry if I've kept your bar open too late."

The bartender smiled and shook his head, "Don't worry 'bout it. We close late anyway. Come back again anytime you want."

"Good day," Yazoo said, not turning around as he left.

The good thing about drunks was that they didn't really detect anything that happened around them too well. The man hadn't even noticed Yazoo put the drop of potion in his ale that would make him forget every word of conversation they had that night. But still, that potion didn't completely well every time, so it was a good thing that Yazoo hadn't told him everything.

As soon as he closed the bar door, he considered going back to the abandoned hotel to tell what he had heard to Kadaj. His leader should know…but still…

Yazoo…

He looked up at the ruins of Shin-Ra headquarters. The distance really wasn't that far.

My son…

Hm…it seemed like he should recognize that voice. He'd heard it before, while he was in the cell in the laboratory. It had uttered quiet assurances and spoke of revenge and exaltation; the same promises that his master had told the brothers, but in a different voice.

Come to me…Don't worry…I'll be there…

Yazoo's mind was made up. Kadaj could wait.

Starting off down the street, his eyes never left the ruins of the large skyscraper in the middle of the city. He didn't pay any mind to the curious looks he received from the night-owls who sat on their balconies, watching him go by, thinking that he remarkably resembled someone who they once feared.

All he could think of was getting to the place that he was now sure held the being, Jenova.

His mother.

A/N: Okay, Yazoo's appearance in this chapter is kind of based on the appearance of a character in a movie. Now, because this can be a very broad category, I will tell you that it is a character in a Harry Potter Movie, the 2nd one to be exact. Who do you lot think it is? (The reward? The knowledge that you really know your Harry Potter movies. )