Final Fantasy and its characters are owned by Square Inc., and I do not claim them as my own. However, this story, and all original characters do belong to me.

I was getting used to being bound to the wall� mentally, not physically; that was certain. My body was growing weak as time passed, and Sephiroth gave me little to eat and drink. Nearly every day, too, he would attempt to get answers from me, but never to any avail. It would end in violence every time�blood, punches, and the like. I began to feel so desperate that I wanted to die. If it would release me from the torture that was slowly driving me mad, I decided it wouldn't be such a bad thing. But my keeper would never stand for it. If my wounds were ever serious, he would force Potions down my throat. I began to think it was a never-ending cycle. This went on for nearly two long, twisted weeks.

I suppose Sephiroth thought he finally had me. One day, he strolled into the room, hands in his pockets and a smug look on his face. "You� I know about you." I stared at him with weak eyes and a blank expression and watched him laugh darkly as he walked towards me. "Hojo's vengeful puppet. I should have guessed� how amusing."

"You... knew then?"

"No," he snapped. "It came to me last night while I was in the library. Of course� what a stupid trick. Only Hojo would do it." He carefully took my chin in his hand. I tried to turn my head away, but he held it firmly so that I could not. "So I'm afraid I'll have to kill you if you don't tell me what you want. You are expendable. You're just a toy. And you can easily be broken." The twisted smile he showed frightened me. I believed him now� He probably would kill me, no doubt. He knew from where I had come.

"I... I am here to kill you." My answer amused him, as I knew it would. My expression grew angry and my eyes burned into his.

"Oh, what a pitiful, sorry soul you are�" No sooner had he finished his words than he had leaned in, and much to my surprise, kissed me. My eyes widened with shock, and I knew that I couldn't do anything about it. He lingered there for a little while, his lips roughly massaging mine, but I refrained from responding in any sort of positive way. I merely bided there in my surprise.

When he was finished, he took his hand from my chin and smacked me hard and fast across the face. The impact knocked my head to the side. My cheek stung now.

"You fool. You hid it from me. You'll be punished�" Narrowing his eyes, I watched him back away before leaving.

Punished? Weren't things brutal enough already? I could only imagine what could possibly happen next�