Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, items, places, etc. mentioned below

"…I liked you better silent…"

"That can be arranged."

…..

After a daunting journey filled with silence and lamenting, Vincent and Cloud reached Junon.

Finally, Junon was right in front of them, and they could not wait a second longer to escape each other. Between the walking and the ship voyage, one problem developed one after another, adding to the annoyed feeling shared by the two. If it wasn't Vincent's gun polishing obsession, it was Cloud's motion sickness. Nothing had seemed to go right since they had left Nibelheim. So when they glimpsed the city, they could not be blamed for wanting to get alone time. Granted, they had discussed the plan for the rendezvous. Well, sort of. Cloud sprinted into Junon, shouting out behind him that he would meet Vincent at the entry gate when nightfall came, and Vincent just gave a slight nod. But, all the same, a rendezvous plan.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Cloud

Freedom never felt so good. Left to his own devices, Cloud chose to spend some time touring the grounds and looking for some training space. He wasn't too keen on spending more alone time with the reclusive man, but Vincent was his teacher and he was more than excited to start training. Who knows maybe one day he would come to find the man's silent personality a blessing? …Or, maybe not.

Anyway, Cloud ventured down the streets at a comfortable pace, allowing his eyes and his mind to wonder. Soon they fell on a teen who looked a couple years older, around eighteen or so. The male had striking red hair and odd red markings on his cheeks. However, the strangest part of the teen was his outfit. Who wore a suit, even a disheveled one, with goggles?

The stranger drew more of Cloud's attention as he pulled out a cigarette and lit it while slightly shifting his eyes to meet Cloud's gaze. As what felt to be an eternity passed, a slow smirk formed around the cigarette and the stranger started to shift as though to move. That's when the sunlight caught on the stranger's wrist which appeared to possess a nightstick. No matter how Cloud looked at it, it appeared that the teen moving swiftly toward meant danger. So with years of built up instinct, Cloud flurried into action and ran through the streets, hoping to lose the stranger to the crowds and street turns. After a good thirty minute dash, Cloud bent down grasping his knees while panting. With the quick breather taken, Cloud's head jerked from side to side checking for the intimidating teen. Not spotting the boy, Cloud sighed.

What had the boy wanted? He knew he shouldn't have felt so scared, but he hadn't had any training and he truly doubted that any of his self-taught moves would save him had the stranger become hostile, especially with that rod he had attached to his wrist. Slightly disappointed in himself, Cloud began to take in his surroundings. Uh oh, one thing was for sure: Cloud was lost. And, lost in a very bad neighborhood by the looks of the rundown and boarded-up buildings. Taking some unsure steps backwards Cloud ran into something.

Not willing to turn around to face what would certainly be a menacing presence, Cloud chose to try rushing forward. Too bad that in the time it took for Cloud to make that decision, he found himself surrounded by a crowd of people who looked to be the residents of this slum.

"Whatcha runnin' away from pretty boy?"

"…"

"Surely, it can't be little old us can it?

"…"

A pair of grimy hands came to rest on his shoulders, and Cloud began to struggle out of the hold.

"Come on now, don't be like that. We just want to have a bit of fun. Right, boys?"

A chorus of yeahs followed the brute's question.

Slowly, Cloud felt his mind shift as adrenaline and instinct overtook him.

In the blink of an eye, blood drenched Cloud's clothes and he was alone, his only companion being that of silence and corpses. Blood from the residents dripped from Cloud's hands and mouth. While sensing no more danger, Cloud licked around his mouth, savoring his assaulters' life essence. It wasn't enough; it should have been, but it wasn't. Crouching down, Cloud lost track of his surroundings as became consumed by the need to get as much blood as he could from the corpses surrounding him. Suddenly, just as Cloud was about to bite into the body of a dead man, Cloud's body was thrown to the side. Knocked into a brick wall, Cloud's vision blurred, allowing him to catch only the color red on his assailant before passing out.

)()()()()()()()()()()()()(

Vincent

After separating from the brat, Vincent decided to be responsible and check into a room. Not feeling up for chit-chat or procrastinating, Vincent chose the hotel closest to the entry gate. The hotel was by no means a five, four, or even three star hotel, but it would get the job done and give Vincent time to think. Slowly approaching the front desk, Vincent said his piece which resulted in a room key and number. Leaving behind the petrified desk attendant, Vincent climbed the staircase to the second level before depositing the travel equipment onto one of the room's beds.

Too tired of babysitting, Vincent took the opportunity to open a window and sit back on the other bed and think. How would he train Cloud? The boy would need instructions on dealing with his primal instinct, espionage, emotion control, and various other areas. After all, if the boy truly wanted to infiltrate Shinra successfully, he would need all of the tricks Vincent had.

Thoughts began to consume his mind, when the breeze took on an undertone scent of blood. Vincent's eyes widened slightly as one thought pushed out all the rest….Cloud! Dashing out the window and allowing his cape to become wings for his ascent, Vincent took to the sky in hopes of finding the boy before it was too late. After all, the boy ran off before he could tell him that Shinra had a base in Junon.

Well I hope you enjoy this update! My goal is to upload every week, so I am pleased to have gotten this done. Please review about anything you liked, disliked, found interesting, etc. Thank you to everyone who has left comments! They have truly made me work harder in writing this fic.

P.S. I attempted suspense for the first time so it would be great if you could tell me if it was a success!

Thank you for the support; talk to you next week. Bye!