A/N: So, I think I discovered a writer who is just as crazy as myself… I was reading a fanfiction the other night, and normally I don't like self-insertion fics. But I really enjoyed this one, so I commented something to that effect and I was almost shocked that I got a three paragraph response! That was totally something I would have done. I think I made a new friend… *grins* Oh and thanks for the reviews Saan! *huggles* Anywho, I woke up this afternoon (oh yes, I very much enjoy sleeping in on the weekends) and for some reason, I just want to write... that's good... for you all! Lol. Onwards then!
Oh yeah, and I'm reposting the last paragraph because I was so tired this morning when I posted it that I realized it wasn't what I wanted it to be.. So… yeah. I'll take it out of the previous chapter when I'm done writing… Maybe... If I don't get lazy. Oh, one a side note, Thanks Schierach! I do too, which is probably another reason I love your story! Lol. Oh... To all, I posted a terrible sketch of Ranisa on my Deviant Art... dracariumserous(dot)deviantart(dot)com/#/d2robc8
.
.
Once Again, Chapter Four, Among Friends
.
.
Vincent snapped from his thoughts, Chaos going silent. Red eyes stared at the wall as thought trying to see through them. He heard it again, a barely audible sound. The gunman rose from the chair in his room and was across the floor, pulling the door silently open in almost a blink. He moved gracefully down the hall, hearing that Cloud had not moved he entered Ranisa's room. The smell of fear was nearly overwhelming. He closed the door behind him and walked to her bedside. Red eyes looked at her as she trembled, shaking, having curled up on her side into a fetal position. She was covered in a fevered sweat and the sounds came from her mouth again, forming the breath of words.
"No more… Stop hurting me… Please leave me alone… Just stop…" A Nightmare… Vincent's gaze softened slightly as he knelt down, lifting his gloved right hand and gently touched her shoulder. His voice was soft and almost gentle. He understood what it was like to have nightmares...
"Ranisa... Wake up."
What happened next took even him by surprise. Her eyes snapped open and focused on his face. He barely had time to register that her eyes were a glowing electric blue instead of a warm gold. Chaos roared in his head for him to get back at the same time that Ranisa's lips drew back away from her teeth in a snarl. She erupted into motion, pushing against the bed and lunging for Vincent, knocking him backwards as he tried to stand. He caught her by the wrists as he landed on his back and looked up at her, red eyes wide. Her eye teeth had elongated and her pupils had narrowed into cat slits. Her sleeves had fallen back to her elbows, revealing that from her elbow to her fingers, her skin was covered in snow white scales that overlapped one another like a snake's skin. Dark blue claws adorned each finger where the nail should be. He was glad he had automatically grabbed her wrists, gauging that her hands had been going for something vital. The Chaos did something that shocked Vincent. Let me use your voice. 'What?' He cried out in his head. Just trust me you stupid human, let me use your voice! Growling to himself he allowed it. A rumble started in his chest and worked its way out his mouth in a snarling growl that set Ranisa back on her heals, her arms going limp in his grasp as she plopped down to sit on his stomach. She blinked at him, her bright blue eyes confused for a moment as they slowly bled golden. Then she blinked when Vincent spoke, his voice sounding like more than one, deeper and darker.
"Are you awake now?" She looked at him and realized that he was frowning slightly… Then her face began to burn slightly as she realized she was sitting atop the man, her wrists held lightly in his hands. Oh by gods what had she done? She yelped and tried to crawl backwards. The grip on her wrists tightened a fraction before he let go and she scrambled off of him just as the bedroom door flew open. She yelped at this and scooted back into the side of the bed, stopping when she bumped into it. Ranisa dropped her head into her hands as Cloud crossed his arms and raised one eyebrow at Vincent. The blonde fighter chuckled softly and shook his head, his blonde spikes defying gravity and bouncing from the movement. Ranisa's voice squeaked from between her hands.
"Vincent I'm so sorry…" Vincent had pushed himself up off the ground and stepped over to her, offering out a hand to help her up as he responded. "Don't be." His voice was back to normal, Chaos processing some thought silently to himself… Golden eyes peeked up and she blinked. She had tackled him and god only knows and he was offering to help her up? Meekly she took his hand and he pulled her up before looking at her hands. They were back to normal but now he could see the scars lacing across them. She tugged her hand from his grip and pulled the cuffs of the shirt down over her fingers. Cloud saw this and frowned. He knew what to say suddenly, and he knew that was a combination of memories of Zack and his own experience. He dropped his arms and started tugging his gloves off as he walked over to Ranisa. Steely blue eyes locked with hers as he raised his now bare hands and he stopped. She looked started and then realized he was showing her his hands. Blinking she looked. For a moment she only saw smooth pale skin, but her eyes focused and she could see the faint scars lacing his hands. Unless someone's eyes were enhanced they wouldn't have seen them. She looked up uncomprehending. He nearly sighed.
"You're in the company of two men who experienced the pain caused by being an experiment." His voice was devoid of emotion and cold. He turned and walked from the room. Startled and blinking owlishly, she snapped her confused gaze to Vincent. Red eyes were staring at her intently and he nodded.
"You were having a nightmare Ranisa, I knew waking you up posed slightly dangerous." He turned and looked away from her before continuing. "It's nearly dawn, if you can sleep, you should… If not, we'll be in the living room." Then he left, his red cloak sweeping out the door behind him. Ranisa was left standing by the bed, bewildered as her mind raced.
The nightmare had stirred something… Memories… With shaking hands, she reached out to grab her gloves and stopped. Cloud was right… He hadn't said it but she didn't need to be ashamed of the scars in this house… Dropping her hands to her sides, she took a deep breath and headed for the living room.
.
.
XxXxX
.
.
Cloud was putting his gloves back on as Vincent glided past him and into the kitchen. The soft clanking he heard, he knew was Vincent making tea. Cloud hated thinking about the things Hojo had done to him, to Zack, to Vincent. Cloud had found some of the reports and videos of the experiments done to them… He banished the thoughts and stood, staring out the window at the snow covered ground. The sun was rising, the horizon painted in warm hues. It had been almost two years since he last felt Zack or Aerith. It had been after the fall of Kadaj and his brothers, after the Geostigma was gone… He had been sitting in the church, staring at the small lake when he'd felt her hand brush his cheek, and Zack's rough knuckles on his head. Heya Spike… Cloud… He heard their voices as though they were standing next to him, but he couldn't see them, not like he had before. You did well. We're both glad you don't blame yourself anymore... It was never your fault. Aerith had sounded so happy… And it was true; they had finally made him realize it wasn't his fault. They had chosen to do what they did. He was still sad, he still missed them… But he accepted it. Shaking the memory from his thoughts he heard Ranisa walk slowly into the room. She had her head down, her eyes on the carpet and her mind was a whirl as she tried to piece together the memories the nightmare had uncovered. Finally looking up when she felt eyes on her, she saw Cloud watching her and Vincent stood in the doorway with a porcelain mug clutched in his gloved hand. She realized from the scent that it was tea. She frowned slightly and then spoke.
"Could I use the shower?" Her head was beginning to itch from the dried blood and she could smell herself by this point and that meant so could both of them. Vincent nodded and walked passed her, turning right down the hall and pushed the bathroom door open. She followed and walked passed him.
"Towels are there." He said, pointing to the door behind the open door of the room as he pulled the door shut and left her alone. Sighing, she tugged the closet door open and nearly laughed… She wondered who bought the towels considering they were big fluffy black and red towels. She grabbed at a black one and shut the door. She stared at the bathroom door for a moment before deciding that she didn't need to lock it. The other two would not enter unless she fell and then it would be good to leave it unlocked. Shaking her head she hung the black towel over the shower curtain rod and closed the curtain. Pulling it aside for a moment she leaned in and fiddled with the knobs until a hot spray was achieved. Then she began to strip… Pausing once her shirt was off, she realized she had no idea how to get the bandage off. Frowning she tugged the shirt back over her head and stalked out of the bathroom.
"Vincent…" She growled. Red eyes blinked up at her in confusion. She tugged the bottom hem of her shirt up and pointed at the bandages. Her cheeks were tinged red in embarrassment. Cloud chuckled from the couch and she whipped her head around to glare silently at him.
"Vincent, use your claws and cut it off." Cloud commented before he found something else to look at out the window. Vincent nearly balked... He could hurt her that way. He was shocked that Cloud would suggest it but the suddenly expectant look on Ranisa's face made him frown. Rising to his feet out of the chair he had been comfortably sitting in, he stepped towards her. She bunched the material of her shirt up to the top of the bandage and waited.
"Turn around so I don't irritate the wound…" His voice was soft and devoid of emotion… Ranisa had the feeling he was embarrassed. She complied and he slid the edge of one gauntleted finger under the top and tugged downward. The sharp golden claw slid effortlessly through the material. Ranisa's muscled tensed and she nearly squealed in protest of the cold metal. However, she remained silent until Vincent pulled his hand away and the bandage stuck to her skin. She dropped the shirt and turned halfway with a small smile.
"Thank you!" With that, she walked back to the bathroom and the door shut behind her. Once she was in the bathroom, Vincent turned slowly and leveled what Yuffie had dubbed the death glare at Cloud. The blonde smirked slightly and shrugged. With a sigh, Vincent sat back down… sometimes he was glad the Blonde was getting over the overwhelming depression, other times when the blonde's almost mischievous nature showed, he wasn't so sure.
.
.
Ranisa could only stare at herself, her hand gripping the edge of the bathroom counter to the point she thought it might break. Her clothes lay piled on the floor and her eyes were a bright, churning gold. So many scars… So much Pain… were her pained thoughts. She was well muscled and sure; she was probably nicely shaped... But there were small, almost surgical scars all over her torso and they were pearly white. The wound that had been on her stomach had healed overnight, leaving smooth, slightly red skin. If her body could heal that, how had all of these scars come to be? Memories were flooding her mind… They had scarred because the wounds had been held open. She looked at her arms and knew that she was different... A monster; that damned Dr. Rydell had turned her into a monster. Snarling softly, she let go of the counter and stalked to the shower. She needed to get this dried blood out of her hair.
You are not a monster my dear…
Ranisa froze, her hands tangled in her hair and covered in shampoo suds, golden eyes wide. "What?" she spoke so softly, not even the men out in the living room would hear it over the spray of water.
I said you are not a Monster, Ranisa. "Who are you...? Where...-" Since you're not hearing my voice out loud, obviously I'm speaking in your head dear girl. Ranisa's eyes widened before her vision went dark.
Blinking, Ranisa stood inside a cavern of the likes she had never seen. Turning in place she looked around and nearly jumped out of her skin when that voice sounded again.
"It's about time you came to see me, My Child..." The voice was female, the same voice that had whispered in her mind moments before. It was deep and melodic, yet holding an undertone of a growl and it was coming from a darkened tunnel to her right. But she could not walk closer; she could not force her body to move.
"I wished to speak to you and here you are, but you're not ready to be here yet… It can't be helped. Darling, trust the two you're with. The dark one could be dangerous, but I think you'll be safe. They are powerful people as well as kind of heart. I will do my best to unlock your memories, if I can…" Before Ranisa could ask who this person speaking to her was and what she meant, she noticed the cavern was growing dark and she could hear water running… Blinking her eyes she found herself leaning against the tile wall of the shower.
She rinsed the shampoo from her hair and finished cleaning herself before shutting the water off and sitting down in the tub. What in all of Gaia was that all about? She wasn't scared, the woman's voice was too familiar and Ranisa felt warm and safe near that voice, but she had no idea who it was or what.
Rising to her feet, Ranisa dried herself off, rubbing the towel against her head vigorously to get the water from her hair. Shaking her head, her hair fell into place though it stuck together from being wet. She didn't see a hairbrush in sight and with a resigned sigh, tugged her clothes back on. She was grateful for the soft sleepwear, as her own clothes were bloody and smelled as though she had been wearing them for weeks. As she hung her towel, she caught scent of something strange. It was gone almost before she had registered even smelling it. Having no idea what it was or where it came from she shook her head and exited the bathroom, flicking the light off as she went.
.
.
XxXxX
.
.
When Ranisa had returned to the bathroom and shortly after Vincent's glare of death, Cloud, having just finished putting his boots back on, rose to his feet and stretched. Looking to Vincent as he grabbed First Tsurugi and slung the weapon to its harness on his back.
"I have some errands to run; do I need to come back here for Friday?" Vincent looked up at him and shook his head. Cloud nodded once and turned and left. The roar of Fenrir echoed in the forest until the blonde was long gone. With a soft sigh, Vincent leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. Chaos had been quiet for too long now. I can't figure it out… The changes are clearly from the experimentation, you and I are proof of that. What I don't know, is what resides within her. Speak of the devil. 'What do you mean?'
White snake scales, Cat like claws, Cat like eyes, fangs… She responded tome telling her to back off as thought she understood on an animal level. 'I see… I don't know either.' Clearly. Vincent frowned, annoyed. Though there really wasn't anything one could do unless she fully transformed. He shook his head, had he not just the day before thought how boring it was getting? He had to jinx himself… Red eyes refocused and looked up as Ranisa exited the bathroom, her hair almost indigo from the water. Her golden eyes swept the room and landed on him.
"Where did Cloud go?" Vincent responded with a shrug. He supposed that he would have to bring her with him when he had to meet Reno and Cloud at 7th Heaven. He assumed the Turks would gather everyone… Call it a hunch. Ranisa moved to sit on the couch, drawing her knees up to her chest. Silence fell for a moment before she spoke, her eyes focused on the table.
"I … Remember some things. The doctor who … Made me what I am. His name was or... Is... Rydell. He spoke often of how well the … experiments were going. Of how he knew I'd become so much more than…" She paused and her eyebrows scrunched, her mouth turning into a frown. "More than 'that Hojo's failed chaos." She shook her head, not seeing the sudden look of anger that crossed Vincent's face. "Something about being better than S and G or whatever. I'm not certain what all that means." She fell silent, not wanting to see what Vincent's reactions were... His voice startled her, soft and laced with fury.
"Do you hear voices." Her head jerked up and she stared at him, golden eyes wide. His head was tilted down, his long black hair covering his face from her view. She took a moment to compose herself so her voice would be strong when she answered him.
"…Yes."
.
.
There… Finally… Dear god this is a long chapter... I've been sitting at my computer almost all day… hehehe. I took a break to look stuff up on the web and to take pictures to upload to diviantart… but I only loaded like two or three pics.. I hate doing them one by one.. so that'll be slow going.. Whew, over 3000 words.. *cackles* Oh I'm gonna go pass out now, Bai! *falls out of chair.*