What if none of the remnants of Sephiroth died? They all live, all three of them. Kadaj, Yazoo, and Loz now live, weakened, hurt, and hated. So what do they do? Who will they end up trusting and who will be their enemy? That's basically what this whole story is about.
I had a story like this up earlier but I deleted it...I was gonna work on another chapter to that when I suddenly got a flash of so many potential ideas of how to make it better and awesomer but that involved restarting the whole story...XD...so that's what I'm doing now. I thoroughly hope that this will end up as a much better fanfic. XD
Warning: This fanfic will include lots of violence, blood, and such. I feel like I should probably rate it M for the amount of violence included later just to be safe…^^;...but for now its rated T.
Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII...not even one single bit...T^T...sadly...
Kadaj gasps, feeling the heavy presence of the defeated Sephiroth depart from his body and soul, leaving him like a broken puppet to collapse on the floor. His chest heaves shakily, struggling to draw breathes into the pitiful state his body was in. A strange feeling washes over him, one he never felt in his short existence but surely one he recognized even though it was foreign to him. Defeat. There was no mistake. He had been defeated by Cloud Strife, his so called 'nii-san'.
Even though it had been Sephiroth up there who had been slashed and destroyed, the same wounds were replicated on the poor remnant's own body. He glances down briefly at his torn leather clothing to reveal much blood dripping through the gaps and onto the stone beneath him. Kadaj knows, as he uselessly presses a hand against one wound, that he probably wouldn't be living much longer unless someone saves him.
He had failed his mother. Jenova's angry voice reverberates inside his skull, adding a dull pain in his head to the unbearable pain he already felt in the rest of his body and soul. Ever since he had absorbed the contents of the box, his mother's voice was constantly raging inside his head, ordering him to do whatever she wished him to do. Mother wasn't going to let him fail this easily without pain and a fight.
Kadaj scowls clenching his fists, fighting back tears of burning rage, disappointment, and hurt. A sudden drive of anger, pushes him to use some of his last bits of energy to look up at the man standing before him.
Blood covered the man, staining that yellow hair pink with blood. Cloud's physical beat up form made him seem exhausted and weak, but it was in those confident bright blue mako eyes that gave him that look of power and strength.
Kadaj closes his bright green eyes briefly, letting the rage spur on his next movements. With a gasp, he jerks his head up, anger flashing in his eyes. Mother wanted Cloud dead now. This man had destroyed everything. All their plans gone...destroyed because of him. He hated Cloud. Hated. Hated. Hated. Hated. Jenova's commanding voice orders him to stand up and slay the ex-soldier at this moment, regardless of the pain and diminishing energy left in him. Kadaj was never one to disobey his mother's orders.
Groaning slightly as he stands up on his shaky legs, Kadaj picks up his Souba, keeping his eyes locked onto Cloud. His vision darkens for a moment as he stands up, making him blink a bit to clear it away. He struggles to take a deep breath to calm his shaking body that could hardly support itself anymore, but it didn't seem to be doing any good. All he wanted to do now was to collapse on the ground and sleep for a decade. But no, he had to do what his mother wanted.
Digging his nails into the palm of his hand, Kadaj forces himself to stay standing and awake. With the last bits of his dwindling strength, he launches himself at Cloud with a scream of pure rage.
His Souba was in the air, glinting dangerously in the bit of light breaking through the clouds, ready to strike down his enemy, but his energy suddenly falters on him, leaving Kadaj to stumble while dropping his sword on the ground in the process with a loud clatter. The momentum from his attempted attack sends him stumbling forward. His hands stretch out in front of him as if to brace himself for the fall but he knew that his arms did not have any more strength left in them to do so. Kadaj squeezes his eyes shut, ready for the impact of his damaged body against the floor.
But it never came. Instead, he found himself lying there exhausted in Cloud's arms. Forcing shallow breaths into his shaking body, Kadaj gazes up at Cloud, knowing that he was at the mercy of him.
Suddenly, Kadaj screams writhing in pain in Cloud's arms as his mother's raging voice fills his head once more, berating him for his failure and uselessness. The loud thundering voice refuses to go away, even as he clutches his head, trying to make it stop. The voice drowned out his own screams which sounded distant and muffled. He wasn't going to fail. Cloud was going to die, no matter what the costs were.
"Nii-san…" Kadaj chokes out as he gazes into Cloud's confused eyes. He thought he saw worry and pity within them, but Kadaj dismisses it as his own desperate mind playing tricks on him. There was no way his enemy could have such feelings toward him.
Kadaj's hand reaches out shakily towards his sword on the ground even though he knew it was way beyond his reach. He would not disappoint his mother. He would kill Cloud. It was his mother's wish.
He suddenly stops, his hand ceasing in inching its way towards Souba as he felt something wet hit his face with a sharp stinging sensation. Confused, Kadaj averts his gaze to the sky where it had slowly begun to rain. As stinging water droplets trickles down his skin, he realizes that this was no normal rain. It was that water in the church which had stung him, forcing him to retreat. The water that healed Cloud's geostigma was also the water that had hurt him. Of course it was going to hurt him. Kadaj was the enemy, the darkness that was never going to mix with the light which the water held. Only the light will mix with the light. All the people and beings with light in their souls would be healed with the water, leaving only the few in the darkness to be repeled by such light.
A voice echoes from the sky, directed at Kadaj, a soothing voice compared to the raging voice in his head. Even though his mother was Jenova, this voice was one that made him feel calm, like the soothing voice of a mother comforting a child.
Kadaj struggles to hear what the voice was saying, but the loud commanding voice of Jenova causes him to hear only his mother's wrath and disgust in his failure. It drowned out the other voice, drowning out his own thoughts and reasoning in the process.
Cloud was gazing up at the sky, a content and relieved look on his face. The kids with the geostigma were going to be cured, much to Kadaj's dismay.
A sudden gunshot rings through the air startling both Cloud and Kadaj from their thoughts. Kadaj suddenly finds the supportive arms beneath him losing their grip, allowing him to complete his ungraceful fall to the ground. A sharp gasp escaped his throat as the feel of cold ground against his wounds sends a blinding flash of pain all around, causing his vision to go blackish red for a moment. Kadaj glaces up to see what had just occurred.
A familiar red splotch that he had seen many times before was slowly spreading across Cloud's abdomen, crimson blood dripping onto the already bloodstained ground. A glimmer of hope rushes through Kadaj. There was still a chance to please his demanding mother. Kadaj's eyes rest upon his brothers standing not far away, materia shining dangerously in their arms.
In Yazoo's hand, the gun which had been used for the final time clatters onto the ground, accompanied by the ragged breaths of the two brothers. Loz stands beside Yazoo, determination filling his eyes. The two of them had almost been killed by that reckless bomb left by the two Turks. But they had survived, survived to kill Cloud.
Both were ready to strike. However, Yazoo's eyes land on Kadaj who was struggling to pick himself off the floor. Yazoo and Loz both knew that what they were going to do next could cost them their own lives as well as Kadaj's. They hesitate, wondering if they were really willing to risk all that.
Kadaj knows that if he doesn't get away from this area, he will be caught in the death blast and possibly be killed. But all his energy had been sapped away leaving none left for this last bit. He digs his nails into the stone ground, hoping to drag himself away, but his arms just shake, unable to pull the rest of his body anywhere.
"Do it already!" Kadaj yells, overwhelmed by exhaustion and the voice of Mother telling him to tell the other two to do it, even if he ends up dying.
After all, they were all just puppets. Puppets to manipulate at the will of Jenova. Kadaj knew of this long ago, but upon the indifferent, angry, berating voice of his mother, he snaps. He just wanted to be loved by his mother, pleasing her by doing whatever she wanted. Deep within his mind, he knew that Mother would not care for them in the slightest way, but he had shoved that thought away, barricading that thought deep in his mind where the light will never shine there. However, it was only now that the thought finally broke free, flashing around in his mind, unable to be ignored. It was a fact that could not be denied. Jenova never cared for the remnants as long as they did what she wanted. As soon as she accomplishes her goals, she would throw them all away, discarded and forgotten. Her tone and words said it all.
"Kill him!" Kadaj shrieks, barely recognizing the voice as his own, having no control over his actions now. He wanted to shout to let him get away first but he found himself shouting the exact opposite. "It doesn't matter what happens to me!"
Kadaj's eyes widen in horror. Jenova wouldn't care if he died. He was of little matter to her.
"We will go together…" Yazoo manages to choke out, preparing himself for what is to come next.
Loz smiles sadly, gazing at Kadaj and Cloud. "Yeah...we'll play...together."
Kadaj could only watch from the ground as what happened next seemed to play in slow motion. With a determined look in his eyes, Cloud rushes towards Yazoo and Loz, even though the smarter idea seemed to be to run away instead. Yazoo and Loz smile sadly before they did it.
The world explodes in front of Kadaj's very own eyes. The fire and chaos reflects off his green eyes as fear and panic. This could not be the end of his existence. A scream reverberates in his ears but he wasn't sure whether it came from him or someone else over the roar of the explosion. Kadaj feels his limp body get flung away from the blast, a burning and sharp pain clouding his vision.
Then, the world turned black.
Kadaj cracks open his eyes, groaning faintly as the pain spikes with every small movement. He could hear his own breathing - faint, shallow, and ragged with each breath causing a sharp rattling sound in his throat. It probably was hurting to breath but it was difficult to tell with the rest of the pain drowning it out. His breath suddenly catches in his throat, sending him into a fit of coughs. Kadaj was sure he would end up coughing up all his internal organs if it didn't subside. Struggling to control the coughs, he glances around the room.
His vision was fuzzy with lights and darkness hovering in the corner of his gaze. Slowly, he blinks to clear that away, adjusting to the bright room from the sunlight streaming through a window. Kadaj realizes that he was in a bed in a room he didn't recognize.
Panic suddenly floods his mind. Where was he? How did he get here?
There were voices in the room which sounded faint and muffled to his drowsy mind. Struggling to focus, he finally manages to focus enough to unscramble the gibberish he heard at first.
"It looks like he's finally awake…" A female voice says, sounding a bit worried and relieved at the same time. "Do you think it was a smart idea to bring him here and let him recover...I mean...what he did…"
"Yeah…" a familiar male voice replies calmly. Kadaj recognizes that voice vividly, but he just couldn't place a face or a name to that voice for some strange reason. "I think I pity him. He deserves a second chance...that's what Aerith would have wanted...and Zack. Plus I doubt he can harm us in the state that he is in."
Kadaj struggles to remember the face of the man talking, but still is unable to. Letting out a small breath of annoyance, he attempts to twists his neck to look at the man. However, a crick in his neck and the pain that accompanied the small movement results in him whimpering instead. He felt weak beyond imagination. He hated that. He hated feeling weak and useless. He hated it all.
Kadaj tries again to turn his neck but instead, a soft gentle hand finds its place on his cheek, forcing him to cease his attempt.
A sudden torrent of rage seeps through his body. He wasn't weak. A simple hand wouldn't stop him from doing what he wanted to do, even though all he wanted to do was see who was speaking.
"Don't move unless you want to hurt yourself even more." The female voice whispers sternly into his ear, startling him for a brief moment. Kadaj freezes in his attempt to see who was speaking, relaxing his aching tense muscles.
The female leans over to look directly into Kadaj's eyes, studying him intently. Kadaj could now see the face of the woman but he couldn't figure out who it was yet. Her brown eyes seemed to be able to look deep into his soul and emotions, knowing his steaming rage that was ready to explode without any warning.
Another face fills his vision, this one resulting in a sudden snap of memory. The yellow hair that always seemed to resemble a chocobo with mako eyes watches him. Kadaj shakes violently, hoping that his memory was playing mind games with him, making him see things that shouldn't be there. This man should have been killed. Cloud should be dead. But here he was, no matter how many times the remnant willed for him to go away, alive without any sign of wounds and such from the battle and explosion.
The horrified look on Kadaj's face was enough to tell both of them what he was thinking.
"Yes I'm alive." Cloud says, answering that hanging question in Kadaj's mind. "And you should be glad you survived as well...barely survived."
The woman nods. "And don't you try anything stupid like trying to kill Cloud now. You know that your body is in no position to fight at this moment. Heck you can barely turn your neck, am I right?"
Hesitantly, Kadaj nods his head slightly, wincing at the bit of pain it caused.
Cloud sighs. "That's enough, Tifa. I'm pretty sure he knows himself that it would be a stupid idea to try to assassinate me."
Tifa...so that was her name. Kadaj felt hatred towards her, even though it was probably that woman who had taken care of him while he was unconscious, saving him from death. He hated her for having depended on her to live. He felt even more hate towards Cloud. Mother wanted him dead and Kadaj had almost succeeded. How the hell had he survived? Now mother was going to be disappointed in him and everyone knew he hated to disappoint his mother.
That's when he finally realizes that he had never heard his mother's voice ever since he had woken up. It was gone, seemingly to have been blown away by the wind, hopefully never to return. The screaming voice had hurt his head, making him want to smash his head into the wall in hopes of it going away. But among that relief, he felt a sharp pang of emptiness and sadness. Everything he had done, even his existence, was for Jenova. He had wanted to be cared for, and that voice was sort of like someone acknowledging that he was there for a reason. Now with his mother's voice gone, he felt even more alone than before. At least he had his brothers with him back then to cope with the loneliness.
Thinking about his brothers, Kadaj wonders where Yazoo and Loz were. Hopefully they were out there, safe and sound. But that notion seemed unlikely.
Glancing around the room, he opens his mouth to speak but the faint raspy sound that came out instead makes Kadaj wince.
"Don't speak." Tifa orders. "Just know that you are somewhere safe to recover. Realize that you're being given a second chance here. If you screw this up, we'll be forced to kill you."
Kadaj sighs softly, trying to relax again realizing that he was really tense with dread and anxiety. The sudden silence around the room gives him time to think about Jenova and whether she really loved him or not. Only the sound of water boiling in a teapot could be heard amongst his ragged breathing.
It was then that he suddenly realizes how Cloud was intently staring at his face. The look seemed pitiful and faintly horrified. Puzzled, Kadaj stares back at Cloud, wondering what was it exactly that he was staring out. That's when he notices his reflection in Cloud's eyes. It was brief but it was enough to send a jolt of fear and horror creeping up his spine. Kadaj's eyes widen as Cloud turns his head away in guilt, his mouth forming a small 'o' shape in realization.
Ignoring the sudden pain his unsteady movements causes, he props himself up on an elbow. Noticing what Kadaj was doing, Tifa rushes over to gently push Kadaj back down in bed. But it was too late. He had already seen his faint reflection in the window.
What he saw wasn't the pale smooth face he remembered himself having. Instead, what he saw were many cuts and scars, painting the right side of his face with the harsh strokes of a brush. Squeezing his eyes shut, Kadaj could still see his reflection clearly in the darkness. The right side of his face was mutilated, no longer unblemished from the many marks remaining as evidence of the explosion. A quick glance at the rest of his body told him the same thing. The right side of his body hurt more than the other side. The many cuts, scars, and bruises dancing up and down there told him exactly why.
Faced with the image of how he turned out to be, Kadaj promptly leans over the side of the bed and throws up all that remains in his stomach.
The long haired remnant wakes up, shaking his aching head as he tries to clear his foggy vision. He was sitting in the middle of nowhere, dirt and blood covering his entire body. His left arm aches, a bloody and terrible mess. Groaning softly, he tries to rub away the pain in his head only for him to feel something wet and sticky come off onto his hand. Pulling his hand in front of his eyes, he studies the crimson blood dripping through his fingers as he finally notices his pink stained hair from the blood.
A more masculine remnant sits up besides him, looking around weakly with a damaged right arm. He whimpers quietly in pain, letting tears cloud his vision for a short while. After a while, he notices his brother watching him carefully, a strange puzzled look on his face.
"Y...Yazoo…" Loz manages to stammer out, wiping his eyes to prevent the tears from falling, something that Yazoo had always scolded him for doing. Crying was a sign of weakness was what he always told Loz.
An even more confused look crosses Yazoo's face. "...Who?" he asks hesitantly, struggling to remember.
Loz freezes. This couldn't be happening. "Yazoo...that's your name...d...don't you remember…"
Yazoo stares at his hand while his head continues to throb with continuous pain. "No...I don't remember…"
"Do you remember anything? Who you are? What you did?" Loz chokes out, hoping that Yazoo was maybe playing a joke on him. But Loz knew that Yazoo was never one to joke around. "A...and...who I am?"
Hesitantly, Yazoo shakes his head, none of those words fishing out memories from his mind. "How did I get here? Why is there so much blood?...who are you?"
That was all he could take. Loz burst into a stream of tears, sniffling as he struggles to control those emotions. His brother didn't remember anything, nothing at all. It was heartbreaking. He had looked up to Yazoo many times, marveling his abilities and smartness compared to his own clumsiness and stupidity. The only thing he had that Yazoo didn't was his physical strength.
"Y...Yazoo…" Loz starts saying shakily. He takes a deep breath, struggling to cease his crying, and starts all over again. "Yazoo...that's your name. I'm your brother...Loz. Do you remember that?"
Yazoo shakes his head, trying to open the doors in his mind that lead to such memories.
"A..and we had another brother named Kadaj. We're trying to find mother...Jenova. Kadaj lead us through it all."
Yazoo sighs, finding none of what Loz was telling him understandable nor familiar. All he remembers is all the things that had happened to him since he woke up. Before then, it was just an empty void in his memories. He stands up, gazing around the empty land.
"Do you know where we are?" Yazoo asks hesitantly, looking down at Loz hopefully.
Loz shakes his head. "No." He tries to stand up after Yazoo but finds that his legs were not responding to the command from his brain. He tries again but only ends up flopping on his side, sending a jolt of pain up his right arm. "Umm...Yazoo...I don't think I can stand."
Yazoo frowns at his brother, getting down on one knee to place a hand on his leg. "Can you feel my touch?"
Shaking in fear, Loz shakes his head slowly. "I...I can't feel anything in my legs."
Licking his dry lips, Yazoo removes his shaky hands from Loz's legs. All around them was dirt and rocks, with nothing that seemed familiar in any way.
"What do we do now…?" Loz mumbles, quivering in fear in anticipation of Yazoo's reply.
"I...I don't know…" Yazoo responds, giving the answer that Loz wishes wasn't true.
"You always knew what to do." Loz whimpers helplessly.
Yazoo looks down at his hands again, willing for his past memories to resurface. "Well...now...I don't…"
The two of them sit there, looking around at the large expanse of nothingness, feeling hopeless and lost beyond imagination.
A/N: This is the longest chapter I have ever written….\( A )/...but I feel happy for accomplishing this...XD...so yeah...basically they survive. Kadaj wakes up with the right side of his body messed up and full of scars and cuts and completely mutilated. Yazoo wakes up with no memory of his short life. Loz can't walk. All three are hurting and lost both physically and mentally. So what will they do?XP Find out next chapter whenever it comes out which may be a long time...XD
Please review and tell me what you think of this so far! XD
