(slinks from a corner)

Sorry for the update to take so long, my muses don't like me working on one thing for too long, and RL has been a real bitch lately, but I am writing when I can.

I wrote this chapter a while ago but just forgot to post it, I hope its alright for you all.

Thanks for your reviews and continuing support.

Vincent watched Sephiroth a moment and sighed taking his glove off; one of the only semi useful things Hojo had done to him was infuse his body with various materia, which could be channelled through his disfigured appendage; his arm glowed brightly momentarily as he helped the mako in Sephiroth's body to find and heal the worse injuries Zack had caused.

Sephiroth groaned as he opened his eyes; blinking as he caught a brief glimpse of Vincent's arm before it was covered again; he would have asked but the dull throbbing in the back of his head caught him off guard as Vincent helped him up.

"He will come around eventually." Vincent said softly, "He just needs time to sort things out in his mind."

Sephiroth looked at him a moment as they started walking inside, "I know Zack," his voice was soft, "he wouldn't have said those things if he didn't mean them."

"He is speaking out of worry and confusion, you are the closest person to him so he will take it out on you, but it is not your fault…"

"It was though…"

"The blame does not lay with you Sephiroth; it is a crime that was committed before you were born."

Sephiroth blinked as he noticed a slight slip in Vincent's demeanour, "What part did you play in it?" he asked with a hint of accusation in his voice.

Vincent lowered his eyes, the conversation suddenly taking a turn he didn't want, so he stayed silent and turned away. Sephiroth frowned as the man silently refused to answer and he grabbed Vincent's gloved arm to pull him back, but the glove ripped, showing black, heavily scarred skin beneath it, an extreme contrast to the man's extremely pale complexion. Sephiroth stared at it silently a moment as Vincent pulled his arm away, but Sephiroth caught it again and gently held it as he looked at it closer.

"What did he do?" Sephiroth asked softly, running his fingers over the long scars and holes in the appendage. He looked up and Vincent's eyes were partially closed and he was seemingly looking at something else, his lips moving very slightly, "Vincent?" he watched the man worried; he could pick out a little of what Vincent was mouthing to himself, 'no chaos, not yet'. "What is Chaos?" Sephiroth asked and Vincent's head snapped up, his eyes looked a lot brighter as they changed to a yellow colour, "Vincent?" he backed up a few paces, starting to worry. Yellow eyes faded back to crimson and Vincent looked at him silently for several moments, "Are you alright?" Sephiroth asked concerned.

"I am well," Vincent spoke softly, "Find yourself a room and have a look around, I shall come and find you later."

Sephiroth nodded and watched Vincent seemingly vanish down the corridor before heading off in another direction.

'You should tell him Host' Chaos spoke in Vincent's mind.

Vincent paused and sighed slipping into one of his private rooms and he looked in a mirror to see Chaos staring back at him, "I will tell him when the time is right," he replied.

'We both know that is a lie Vincent,' Chaos corrected him, 'You will not tell him anything if you can avoid it. The fewer that know of your failures the better, correct?'

"Enough Chaos," Vincent averted his eyes.

'Poor Vincent unable to face his own failures. What would Sephiroth think if he knew his father wasn't being honest with him?'

"I said enough," Vincent growled.

'Fine,' The Harbinger of Anarchy rolled his eyes, 'Have it your way,' Chaos reluctantly gave up, Vincent frowned at that as he turned from the mirror, Chaos had gone too quiet, he was definitely up to something. Sighing softly to himself, he left the room to check on Cloud and Zack.

As he entered the room, Zack looked up from beside Cloud, "Is Seph ok?" he asked softly.

"He is fine," Vincent assured as he moved beside them.

Zack looked down, "He hates me now right? I completely fucked up, I didn't mean to snap like that but he was just there, I shouldn't have taken it out on him but I wasn't thinking straight, Cloud's not well and I'm worried about him, but I've probably lost Seph now, I'm surprised he hasn't come to kill me for it yet…"

"Zack," Vincent cut off the rambling, just so Zack could catch his breath, "I have spoken with Sephiroth, he thinks that you are right, and it is his fault."

"Damn," Zack muttered under his breath, "He'll be hurting himself again next," he ignored Vincent's questioning glance, "Where is he?"

"I do not know, I left him wandering around to get his bearings."

"Look after Cloud," Zack said and bolted out of the door, yelling Sephiroth's name as loud as he could.

"Zack?" Sephiroth eventually replied stepping from a room and blinked as his arms were filled with Zack, "What is wrong? Cloud…"

"No change in him," Zack muttered, "I'm sorry Seph…I'm so sorry…I didn't mean any of what I said…"

Sephiroth sighed, Zack's mood had always changed like the weather, "I know Zack, but you were right to be angry at me…I caused all this…"

"No, that wasn't you Seph, it was whatever Hojo did…it's all his fault, he messed things up so badly and he's dead for it."

Sephiroth sighed as he held Zack, "No…I destroyed Nibelheim. I tried to kill you and Cloud, not him. I left you barely alive for him to find and experiment on. It was my fault and you are right to hate me."

Zack stared at him, "Seph…when I said I hated you I didn't mean it…it just came out, in anger…I'm sorry, I could never hate you, I love you too much. I always have," he spoke softly, "I don't know when it was…but I remember hearing you call my name…I had thought you dead…but I heard you. I hoped I wasn't hallucinating…but I never saw you…just your voice…I tried to hold on until they slipped up and I could get to you…but I never found you…every day since you went down into that basement, I haven't stopped dreaming about all of the things I could have done to save you from whatever madness took you. Every time I came round, for a few moments, when I wasn't quite conscious, I thought I would wake up in bed, with you still sleeping beside me, and all that was just a nightmare…" Sephiroth listened patiently as Zack continued to speak, just holding him close, "What if this is just a dream? What if we are all still in the basement and I wake up and you're not there again…that you are actually dead and Cloud…" his breath hitched slightly as he looked to Sephiroth for reassurance, his violet eyes were misty with tears.

"I am here Zack," he assured softly, "And I will not leave you, I can promise you that. Nothing could keep me away from you, or Cloud. He is going to wake up and he will get better, and the three of us will be alright." He had to fight to keep his voice level, Zack needed him now, he could fall to pieces on his own time.

"You really think so?"

No, Sephiroth thought, "Of course," he forced a wan smile, "it won't be an easy over night recovery, but we will be fine."

Zack nodded and fell silent for a few moments, thinking of something to say, he had been in pure silence for too long, "What do you make of Vincent?" he asked.

Sephiroth sat down with Zack, "I'm not sure," he admitted.

"Think he is genuine? Or is this some really elaborate hoax?"

Sephiroth shot him a look, "I am not even contemplating that it is an option," he said sternly, "As for Vincent…I think he is genuine; his story is very plausible at least. Everything does seem to have changed…but there is something about him."

Zack nodded in agreement, "Yeah, I sense that in him too," he sighed, "But he's all we got for now."

Vincent watched Cloud as he just lay on the bed, staring listlessly at the ceiling.

'Heal him yourself Host, take him to the pool,' Chaos broke his silence, 'You have done such before…'

Vincent sighed, "Why do you only interfere when it suits you?"

He felt Chaos shrug in his mind, 'Because it suits me,' he responded.

Vincent rolled his eyes and moved to the comatose boy; he carefully picked him up and carried him down to the small grotto that lay beneath the building.

Why do you disturb us? The voice spoke outraged, sounding like a legion yet one, neither female or male; the voices shrieked loudly and attacked him mentally, trying to tear his mind apart, yet Chaos held them back, We are to be left alone!

"I am here for your help." Vincent replied steadily.

Last time was the last time.

"You would let an already tortured child suffer further?" Vincent challenged, holding Cloud to him, "You know what he has been through, and yet in your hiding you have become cold, maybe you need to be exposed to the world again…"

You wouldn't dare! The voice of the lifestream hissed.

"Do you wish to test me?"

The room was filled with silence, as if it was contemplating what to do next; both Chaos and Vincent prepared themselves for an attack, when the air suddenly felt lighter, Very well, we will heal the boy, it spoke very reluctantly, Bring him in to us.

Vincent moved to the small pool and stepped in still holding Cloud tight in his arms, he didn't trust the lifestream to not carry Cloud away. As he entered the pool he could feel a resistance in the water, like it was becoming thick and purposely trying to stop Vincent who held Cloud in the water and closed his eyes. As he held the small blonde, he began to see the polluted mako and the long dead Jenova cells that held him in his comatose state. He could feel the lifestream lapping over his arms forcefully, trying to pull Cloud away, but his grip stayed firm and he concentrated, letting small strands of the lifestream into Cloud and guided the healing waters to break down and completely dissolve the polluted mako, taking it back out of his body. For an interminable amount of time, Vincent stood in the water holding Cloud, going through the painstakingly slow process of ridding his body of the poisoned mako and strengthening his body, after being fully supported by the machines for so long.

Slowly bringing himself out of the trance, he slowly waded out of the water, having to catch himself on the bank and lay Cloud down before collapsing beside him; when the spirits of the lifestream were in such a testy mood, they sapped him of nearly all of his energy and it could take a long time for him to recover; were it not for his inner demons' strength, healing the boy would have killed him. As his eyes started to close, he barely saw Cloud move.