Violet Shadows (FF7)

31) WRO

I wake up to a strange feeling around me, opening my eyes to see myself in some pale green/blue water. Water?! I freak out, eyes shooting open and brushing heavy. I'm breaking water?! What the heck?! I look up to see the figures of Shalua and Vincent, the woman just allowing Vincent out of his small tank. I shakily press my hand to the glass, praying for someone to let me out.

You're pathetic.

And where were you? Shinrabucks?

Vincent's ruby red irises find my panicked ones, deep voice pointing out my awareness. Shalua smiles and crosses her arms.

"Well, look who's awake." I glare at her, heart going insane as she drains the tank, setting me free. I scramble away like a cat escaping a bath and stick myself to Vincent's side, arms hugging my chest as I shiver. "Don't like getting wet, do you?" She teases. I just scowl and Vincent settles his hand on the small of my back, a casual way of telling me to 'play nice'.

"Where are we?" He asks, looking around slowly.

"Safe inside the WRO headquarters," she answers pushing her glasses up. "I carried you back here from Edge after you collapsed during your fight with Deepground. It seems like the beast inside you went a little wild back there." And I just got a cut. "This happen often?" None of your business.

"Went wild?" Vincent frowns. "Do you mean Chaos?"

"Chaos!?" She exclaims. Uh huh. "You're body harbor's the Chaos gene?!" Then she seems to get it. "Oh, so that seems to explain your relationship with Dr. Lucrecia Crescent." She looks at me. "How about you? Are you... Holding Chaos as well?"

"Nope," I shake my head.

"Anything at all? I can feel it, there has to be something.."

"Just Shadow," I shrug. "And she was created by Hojo." Her face falls and she frowns at her blue heels.

"You must know then... About Alicia and the devil?"

"The who and the what?"

"You don't... Nevermind," she shakes her head quickly. "Vincent, were you a product of her experiments?"

"Lucrecia's.... Experiments?"

"Yeah, she was a scientist, Vince," I cross my arms. "What else you she do?"

"I apologize," Shalua rushes. "That wasn't what I meant."

"Wait... Lucrecia was researching Chaos?" Shalua sighs.

"Don't tell me you didn't know. Violet, you're her sister right? Did you know?" Gremoire... I clamp down on my lip and nod.

"Yeah. She, uh, she told me when she was researching with..." My eyes flicker up to Vincent and then away when I notice him watching. "A... A friend." Shalua glances at Vincent too, not getting my message, and hurrying toward a computer, rapidly typing with her one real hand, the other metal appendage lying helplessly in her lap.

"Crescent. Shinra class A scientist specializing in biotechnology. In her research thesis, 'The Planet's Pulse', she refers to Chaos as one of the sentient xenoforms residing among us. However, the theories that she presented in her work were so abstract and complex..."

He looks hypmotized by her picture.

I look up and notice him staring at the photo of my sister with such pain and love that it burns my heart and I turn away. Why me? Even Shalua notices.