A/N Okay, this chapter is really Zel-centric...It really doesn't move the story along that much either, sorry! It takes place right after Fameos leaves and right before Tori's little line at the end of the last chapter.

Winterrosa, I took your word for it!

I hope you all enjoy!

How to Be Human

Lesson Fifteen: How to Appear Out of Thin Air

Turk's/Scientist's View: Vincent/Grimore

The two Valentines stood; staring at the empty space left behind by Fameos's dramatic exit.

"Fameos knows Wolf…" Grimore said. Yes, let's state the obvious!

"Wolf is Fameos's brother," Vincent replied. "I should have seen that coming, I really should have."

"How could you? Neither one of us have met Wolf…excuse me, Sakito."

"Yes we have, Dad…" Vincent muttered.

"That doesn't count as meeting, Vincent. That counts as…" Grimore started.

"What, Dad? What did that count as? Sighting? We talked to him, so we met him, alright!"

"It was over the phone, Vincent! How the hell were we supposed to know where all this would lead?"

"That's the thing…we weren't."

-11 (Almost 12) Years Ago-

"Phone, Vincent," Grimore called. An annoying ringing could be heard coming from the hallway.

"That it is," twelve year old Vincent replied, not looking up from his book.

"Vincent, get the phone!" Grimore called again.

"I can't, Dad. I'm really busy," Vincent replied, still not moving. The phone continued to ring.

"Vincent, I swear to Gaia…Hello?" Grimore picked up the phone, composing himself.

"Hello Valentine," the voice on the phone replied. The voice sounded oddly cheery. "This is Grimore Valentine, correct?"

"Yes," Grimore answered straightening up. Vincent came out into the hallway, still holding his book, and watched his father with mild entertainment.

"Who is it?" Vincent asked. To his surprised, his father mouthed "I don't know."

"Is that your son, Valentine?" Grimore said nothing to reply. "Tell him to leave."

"I don't have a son," he said. Vincent inclined his head to the side.

"Don't lie. He's standing right next to you." Grimore's eyes widened. "Please tell him to leave."

"Now why would I do that?" Grimore asked angrily

"It's in your best interest."

"Maybe I don't want him to leave."

"Suit yourself," the man on the phone said.

"Who are you?" Grimore barked.

"You're serious? I forgot to introduce myself, didn't I? Wow, I'm slipping. Forgive my lapse of memory. I'm Wolf Brandel, Grimore Valentine. It's a pleasure to speak to you."

"That can't be your real name."

"It's not, but I wouldn't answer by my real name anymore."

"Why?"

"Because I don't. You wouldn't understand, Grimore."

"Where are you calling me from?"

"What are we doing, playing twenty questions? I'm calling you from underground Midgar. Honestly, I'm surprised I can get a signal down here."

"Un-underground?! Are you in jail?!"

"A jail of sorts…more like a cage, actually."

"A cage?"

"Are you familiar with the Midgar Dog Fights, Grimore?" Grimore's eyes widened as his mouth turned to a scowl.

"Vincent leave," he ordered. The twelve year old did as ordered without a word. Grimore could only guess he was going to another end of the house to tap the phone line.

"Now that I have your attention, I need to ask you a favor," Wolf said. "But first, a question. How do you know about the Fights?"

"There are some sick people where I work, Brandel."

"Ah, yes. Shinra, correct? Interesting man, very interesting. Have you ever been to one?"

"Hell no! Fights like those are incredibly vile and inhuman and should never be allowed…" Grimore winced. Here he went again, lecturing. He should have been a teacher. "Excuse me…I tend to get emotional about these things."

"You are an interesting scientist, Grimore. But you've proven yourself, which is good. I was beginning to think I called the wrong house."

"What can I do for you, Wolf?" Grimore asked. He walked into the sitting room where Vincent had been reading, happy there were such things as cordless phones. He sat down, waiting for Brandel's reply.

"Have you ever thought about adoption, Mr. Valentine?" Wolf replied, sounding very official, almost like he was joking. But the tone in his voice was far from joking or sarcastic.

"What?"

"I'm sure Vincent gets lonely once and awhile, him being an only child and all. And you have to work really strange hours, sometimes resulting in your prolonged absence. And with Mrs. Valentine having met her untimely passing a few years ago, all of that will remain the same, correct?"

"How do you know so much about me?" Grimore hissed.

"Um, I'm a Dog? I like to sniff scents and love to dig up dirt and bones."

"You're an interesting character, Wolf."

"Thank you! You can't see me, but I'm bowing, Mr. Valentine. I do not get many compliments where I am. But I digress."

"What does this all have to do with adoption?" Grimore asked, to get the man back on track.

"I have a Pup for you, if you're interested. Or, if you know someone who is."

"A 'Pup,' Wolf?"

"Yes. He's a Pup because he's only…wait a second, how old is Vincent?"

"Twelve, almost thirteen," Grimore answered.

"Eleven. My Pup's eleven, almost twelve."

"THEY HAVE AN ELEVEN YEAR OLD DOG FIGHTER?!"

"He's a Pup…but he does fight Dogs. He's the youngest fighter we have here."

"How old, may I ask, are you, Wolf?" Grimore asked, feeling sick.

"Seventeen…er, wait…I think I'm eighteen…no, that's not right…honestly, I really don't know. I forget when my birthday is. Eighteen-ish?"

Grimore said nothing. Vincent had walked back into the room, holding another cordless phone. He was staring at his father with a look that said "if you say no to this, I'm never going to forgive you."

"Did I loose you?"

"What do you need me to do, Wolf?"

Wolf Brandel's (Sakito's) View

Wolf finished whispering his instructions to Mr. Valentine. They were pretty simple: wait for the signal, open the front door, pull the kid inside, and don't let him leave.

Hanging up the phone, he tossed it to one of the other Dogs, a girl by the name of Rosa, and watched as she quickly hid it in the metal ductwork over their cage.

The other nine Dogs that made up Wolf's "Pack" looked back at him. He smiled at them all, patting the head of the youngest Dog that ever lived. He was fast asleep, curled up against Wolf and clutching his shirt.

"He will be saved," he whispered. The ten other Dogs in the room could not hold back their excitement. They proceeded to howl loudly, waking up the many hundreds of other Dogs in the other cages. Shouts and curses came from the Keepers as they all proceeded to howl along with the Pack.

Wolf smiled. It paid to fight to the top. Now all the Dogs listened to him and his Pack. They were the top Dogs now, despite what the Keepers did to try and stop them.

"Wolf? Why are we howling? Did someone die?" a tired voice asked. Wolf smiled down at his blonde-haired friend, whom he often referred to as "Pup."

"No, we are howling for a good thing, Puppy Zel."

"Aw, Wolf, I'm not a Puppy!" Zel whined, smiling up at his idol. "I'm strong enough to be a Dog now!" He stood up and crossed his arms.

"Yes, you may be strong enough, but you're still too young, Pup," Wolf said, patting Zel's head like an older brother would. He hide his disgust when he saw the dried blood caked into his normally fair blonde hair.

"I'm almost twelve!"

"Twelve is still a Puppy."

"Fine," Zel sat back down again. He leaned his head against the wall and waited until the howling stopped. "You said it was a good thing."

"Yes, I did."

"Like, pancakes good or new fight good?"

"Pancakes good. Actually, better than pancakes good." Zel shot up and stared at Wolf.

"No way! How can anything be better than pancakes?!" Wolf smiled. He knew it. One day, Zel would die to pancakes, it was obvious.

"Tomorrow we're going to play a game, Pup."

"Really?! What kind of game?" Zel bounced up and down, the chain attached to his collar jingling as he did so. Another reminder to Wolf that he had to save Zel.

"Alpha Wolf."

"Yes!" Zel cheered, jumping up and howling loudly. Wolf winced. Out of every one of the Dogs, Zel was the one who sounded the most beastly when he howled.

"You and I are the Alpha Wolves tomorrow, too," Wolf said, trying to keep his tone light. Zel's eyes lit up.

"Really?!"

"Really. So you might want to get some more sleep before tomorrow. You have to run really fast, remember?"

"Right! We remember, right Drakra? No one will catch us!" Wolf winced again. Why did Zel have to refer to himself in the plural? Oh, right.

He wished Drakra would just disappear.

Zel sat down and snuggled against Wolf again, slowly falling asleep again. Wolf watched him sleep, laughing slightly when he saw Zel's left hand still twitching slightly.

Zel's twitch: To Zel, it was a failsafe, to tell him he was still alive.

To Wolf, it was a warning. Zel twitched.

Drakra didn't.

Wolf looked up and made eye contact with all of his Pack. Slowly, they drifted off to sleep as well. Tomorrow was going to be a long day.

-Tomorrow-

This was the best day of Wolf's life. And he was spending it waist deep in sewage and carrying a semi-conscious Zeliki Norumik Strife.

And running for his life. Let's not forget that.

The whole "Alpha Wolf" thing was a very blatant lie, but Wolf didn't care right now. Right now, he had to get to through the Wasteland and to the Teleport materia being stored for him at the Chocobo Ranch within the next twelve hours. The materia would get him close to the Valentine Manor, and he'd be hoofing it the rest of the way.

About three hours ago, Wolf had knocked Zel out and proceeded to carry him through the sewers toward the secret exit that led right into the Wastelands.

It paid to be the Alpha Wolf, the Top Dog, in the Fights at Midgar. Easiest way to gain connections.

Like to Genji the Mapmaker, who gave Wolf the directions he was following now, and left the Teleport materia for him.

There! Sunlight!

Wolf squinted into the harsh, unrestrained light shining from the sun onto the Wasteland. He smile.

Now the journey really began.

-Time Passed-

The whole journey took three days…three days too many, if Wolf was asked. But he wasn't. No one asked him any questions. He only got the looks, the stares, the accusations, but he kept trudging along.

Let them stare, let them accuse.

Let them see he didn't care.

Wolf knew they were quite the conspicuous pair. Both of them wore black collars with silver spikes on them and name tags. (Wolf's said Wolf Brandel and Zel's said Drakra.) Both of them were covered in scars and bruises and torn clothing. Both were strong but unbearably thin.

Let them see he didn't care.

Zel had woken up and without a word, fallen in step with Wolf. For awhile, he didn't say anything, and Wolf was sure he was still mad at him for lying.

"I forgive you…" Zel had said two days ago. "Drakra doesn't, but that's how he is…"

"Tell Drakra to shove it," Wolf had replied, smiling. Zel nodded, and that was the end of that.

So now they'd finally made it. After three days of running…Wolf smiled.

Zel was going to be free.

The town was in the mountains, far away from most civilization. (Perfect, Wolf thought.) Nasairie was its name, this mountain town. Though Wolf wanted to get to the Valentine's Manor as fast as possible, something in the town caught his eye first, and, despite his haste, he had to examine it.

Zel wanted to as well, for that mater.

"Look, Wolf! It's an angel!" he said, pointing at something. Wolf turned to look.

It was a statue, right in the middle of the town. Just like Zel said, it was a depiction of a beautiful angel. She was sitting down and smiling, her eyes were open and painted purple, something Wolf guessed was an important factor about her. Her hands were folded over a book that was sitting in her lap. Around the base of the statue there was writing, but before Wolf could get close enough to read it, someone started talking.

"I see you've noticed the statue. But, that's what we built it for," a woman said, walking up and smiling. Wolf noticed that Zel shied away and hid behind him.

"It's a wonderful statue. May I ask what it's for?" Wolf asked. He cursed himself mentally. He should be at the Manor right now, not asking stupid questions!

"It's a grave stone, actually, for Mrs. Sarah Valentine." Zel looked at the woman, his eyes widening. Wolf's eyes widened too, but for a different reason.

He knew Grimore's wife was dead, but he didn't know she was so famous.

"Why such a pretty thing for something so sad?" he whispered. The woman smiled at Zel sadly.

"Mrs. Valentine sacrificed her own life to save many lives."

"How?" Zel asked. Wolf really wanted to go. He looked over his shoulder. How far away were the Keepers?! "If you don't mind me asking…" he added timidly.

"Not at all," the woman said, nodding. "You see, about six years ago, a huge epidemic broke out. It was a new virus that no one had ever seen before, and it was horribly contagious. The biggest problem was that there was absolutely no cure for it. Scientists like the Valentines worked day and night to try and find a cure, but none could be found."

"What they do?" Zel interrupted, clutching Wolf's arm and starting at the woman with rapt attention.

"Well, Sarah did something no one expected. She purposely contracted the virus."

"Why?!" Zel interrupted again. "Wasn't she afraid to die?!"

The woman shook her head. "Obviously not. She used her own body as a testing ground for all the cures. Of course, her husband, Doctor Grimore Valentine, dropped everything he was previously doing and tried his best to find a cure. In fact, his son, six at the time, even tried to help."

"But…they didn't make it, did they?" Wolf asked, looking at the statue. He couldn't help it; he had to know the end of the story. The woman sighed.

"No, they weren't able to save her. But…the very day she died, Doctor Valentine's son, Vincent, came out to town. You see, this was very rare, because Vincent is a quiet boy and really hates attention."

"He came out to tell all of you she was dead, didn't he?" Zel whispered, sinking back. The woman smiled.

"No. He came holding the cure." Wolf and Zel looked at each other and then at the woman, who continued. "You see, Sarah Valentine, on her deathbed, had figured out the cure to this horrifying disease. In her dying breaths, she told her husband what to do, and he promptly made the cure. Vincent was the one who delivered it to us. It was a very bittersweet ending. But…because of Sarah's sacrifice, everyone with the epidemic was cured…" The woman pointed to the statue. "That was the least we could do for her…"

"So the Valentines can cure anything?" Zel asked, looking hopeful.

"Maybe…why do you ask?" the woman asked.

"Because I need to see the Doctor about my brother, Zel…" Wolf said, pointing to his friend. "He's really sick." Zel looked confused, but said nothing. "It's not contagious though."

The woman sighed sadly. "I'm sorry…" she said. "But Grimore lives up the path. It's about a ten minutes walk, and a straight shot if you stay on the path."

"Thank you ma'am!" Wolf said, dragging Zel up the path.

"You're welcome! And don't be afraid, Zel!" The woman called. Zel's eyes widened again as he let himself be dragged along by Wolf. He looked at the lady and made eye contact with her. He quickly turned to Wolf.

"Wolf! That lady had purple eyes!" Wolf didn't seem to hear him. Zel looked back behind him….

…But Sarah Valentine was gone.

"We're here, Zel!" Zel recovered from his shock to see that he and Wolf were standing on the driveway to a big house.

"Where are we, Wolf?" he asked.

"Your new home…"

"What?!" Zel swung around to face Wolf. "You're lying! What about you?!"

"You don't need me anymore, Zel." Wolf walked towards the front door, Zel following close behind.

"Yes I do! Don't leave me, Wolf!" Zel sobbed. He tried to latch onto his arm, but Wolf evaded him. His acute hearing had picked up the sound of the Keepers. They were in the town.

"Zel, you need to go on alone."

"NO!" Zel screamed. Wolf saw his eyes flicker green, then yellow, then blue. Wolf forced himself to turn away. He began pounding on the front door.

"HEY! OPEN UP!" he screamed into the door, trying to ignore the sobbing Zel behind him. "PLEASE! MR. VALENTINE!" He kept pounding until he heard footsteps running from inside the house. He began to back up.

"DON'T LEAVE ME!" Zel screamed, trying to follow.

"STAY DOG!" Zel stopped. Wolf felt horrible, but he knew this was what had to be done.

Zel had to live.

"Huh?"

"Stay here…" Wolf said again.

"You…you called me a Dog…" Zel whispered.

"Because…Because Dogs are brave, Zel. And…staying here means you're brave. You're… staying here, though you don't want to, because you're ready to face new challenges."

"I…."

"Right? Are you a Dog or a Pup, Zel?!" Wolf asked, holding back his own tears as he backed up further.

"I'm…I'm Zel," Zel replied.

"Good Dog," Wolf whispered, running for the town as the door opened behind Zel.

Grimore's/Vincent's Views:

Grimore Valentine looked down at the boy standing on his doorstep. Without thinking, he took his hand and drug the boy inside, closing the door quickly behind him.

Vincent looked at the blonde haired boy with sadness.

"Hello Reality…why are you so mean to us?" he whispered to no one.

That was the beginning.

-One Week Later-

Zel was sleeping, Vincent was reading, and Grimore was struggling to not burn the toast when the phone rang.

"Phone, Vincent!"

"Yes, Dad, it is ringing."

"Vincent!" Grimore muttered a few choice curses in Cetra before picking up the phone.

"Thank you!"

"Wolf?" Grimore asked.

"Thank you so much, Valentine!" Wolf sounded happy, but he also sounded pained.

"Are you alright, Wolf?"

"Don't let him get caught, Valentine. The price for running away is steep." Grimore looked into the room where Zel was curled up, asleep on the couch. "One more thing, Valentine. Something I should have told you first…"

"What is it, Wolf?"

"It's about Drakra."

"Who?"

"Zel's other half…his alter ego, if you will…Please don't hate him, Grimore! It's not his fault!"

"Who is Drakra, Wolf?" Grimore asked calmly.

"He's…he's the killer part of Zel, Grimore. That's who he is. Zel is the nice one, Drakra isn't."

Silence.

"Please give him a chance, Grimore! I can't turn to anyone else. Please don't put Zel on the streets!"

"I would never."

"Wha…"

"Just because he's different doesn't mean he gets kicked out. We'll learn to deal with this Drakra, Wolf."

"Green."

"What?" Grimore asked.

"Drakra's eyes are green. There's your warning. That's all I can tell you, I'm sorry."

"Good, we have a warning."

"Grimore?" Wolf asked.

"Yes?"

"Thank you so much…Y-you…you saved my Pup."

"No thanks is need, Wolf."

"But we all want to thank you…right guys?!" Suddenly, through the phone, Grimore heard howling. The sound brought tears to his eyes.

"You're welcome, Wolf…" he whispered. There was a click as the connection was severed, but Grimore stood staring at the phone for awhile after.

Yes, they'd learn to deal with Drakra.

-Present-

"Now that I think about it, do you think Wolf was using Zel as a replacement for Fameos? You know, another brother?" Vincent mused, heading for the door.

"I don't know, Vincent…where are you going?" Grimore asked.

"To see Zel…and apologize for shooting him," Vincent said. "He'll probably just laugh, but…Fameos, what are you doing back so soon?"

Grimore watched as Vincent backed up to let the other scientist into the room.

"You! Get…to…infirmary!" he panted to Vincent. "And Sakito wasn't replacing me with Zel…but you might need a replacement brother soon…"

"What?" Vincent asked.

"Tori is about to rip your brother limb from limb, so if you don't want to have to replace Zel, get to the infirmary!" Fameos clarified. Vincent said nothing but sprinted through the door. Later he'd meet up with Rito and Lilith, who had been looking for him. He made it to the infirmary just in time to hear

"You should have died, you fucking bastard!"

Back in the lab, Grimore stared at a breathless Fameos.

"River, you can come out now," Fameos shouted. Grimore looked confused, but then the Turk walked through the door, eyes tearstained and looking at Grimore with sad but determined eyes.

"I want to help," she whispered. "I want...I want to save him!" Grimore and Fameos looked at each other, surprised.

"You know…he almost raped you, River," Fameos stated. River shook her head.

"All the more reason."

A/N: Well? What do you think?

And does Wolf remind you of anyone from FFVII? Correct guesser gets a cookie! :-) And a cameo, later if you want it.

Does anyone know what a "Mary Sue" is? I kinda need to know...it's about one of my charries from another fict...help?

Questions? Comments? Ideas? Concerns? Reviews? Flames? Send them my way! Thanks for reading!