"Se... Sephiroth?" Vincent struggled to speak, his lungs still healing after the puncture. Just the act of breathing was painful. But at least he could move and was in one piece... unlike Sephiroth.
For how long Sephiroth remained collapsed on the floor he had no idea, but it was of no real importance to him as in that moment time was relatively meaningless. Whether it were hours or days it all amounted to the same thing, especially when he was being consumed by the agony of the boiling mako that lingered long after the substance itself had drained away. It reminded him of the first time he'd ever felt that particular torment, but he was fortunate enough that the current of the Lifestream had made it so he didn't remain submerged within it for too long.
He could endure it just like he always did.
It was in that miserable state that he'd first heard the sound nearby and had turned his head slightly toward it. At first he had assumed it was that bastard Kilmister that had returned with his lackeys to drag him back for another new 'treatment' he'd devised, but when no immediate movement followed he found himself perplexed. It wouldn't have been logical for any scientist, lab assistant, or even a clueless guard to stumble upon him and not call for backup or make a scene, so whoever was there was deliberately remaining still – whether to avoid detection or not – and it made him wary of their presence.
Shifting his head again he felt the bite of the needles within the collar dig into his flesh, the potent drugs within it purposely slowing down his regenerative abilities. It was another brilliantly designed tool of torment that Hojo had created and that had remained behind in Shinra's care, although Sephiroth doubted that anyone else in the company knew the full details on how it functioned. Regardless, it's usage now proved to be more than a little bothersome with his recovery, but that was a secondary concern as he focused his full attention on the lingering presence he wasn't able to see just yet.
The sound of glass shattering near him immediately caught his attention and his slowly healing limbs tensed, the madman more than willing to fight despite his miserable circumstances. However, the blow he'd expected to fall never came, only the sound of scrabbling against the cold floor and what he thought was a struggle somewhere nearby. All of which culminated into the sudden and deafening sound of a gunshot, followed by the loud shriek of steel being pulled apart and the sudden sensation of the heavy collar being forced open and the needles embedded in his flesh wrenched from his neck.
Whatever had just happened was something beyond his capacity to know, but none of it mattered as with the collar being removed its neutralizing agents were also gone. His body reacted immediately to the disruption in the chemical being pumped into his veins, the Jenova cells within his body kicked into overdrive to repair the damage that he'd sustained.
Sephiroth concentrated the healing process first and foremost in the recovery of his eyes, which rapidly began to repair themselves until that eerie serpentine stare once more fell upon the dimly lit room. Yet, what stood out most prominently to the madman was that other presence that he'd sensed nearby was none other than Valentine, who looked like he'd been put through his own personal hell for his troubles. But why the ex-Turk was present and why he'd freed him were things that Sephiroth didn't know, although he assumed that it must be due to whatever agreement the gunman had struck with his dear mother.
Regardless of the reasoning, the madman remained focus on the task at hand of healing himself until he was able to speak once more in a gravelly, raspy voice. “I see that you have also received quite the warm welcome.”
