Uh, happy Mother's Day? Yeah. Don't ask.

Family togetherness

"Riku."

The silver haired teen looked up momentarily from his video game. Unfortunately, it was just long enough for Sora to start a seven hit combo and decimate his fighter. He turned back just in time to see YOU LOSE flash across the screen. "Damn it, Sephiroth. Why do you always make me die?"

The man raised an eye at the question. "I believe it is I who has the unfortunate habit of dying around here."

"You know what I mean." Riku rolled his eyes at his brother. Sora mumbled something among to lines of 'go, Cloud' under his breath which hopefully Seph didn't hear. "What do you want?"

"You know what today is, you should know what is required."

Sora frowned in thought, trying to remember what was special about today. "Uh, it's Sunday. You want him to start going to church or something?"

Sephiroth studied Sora, clearly debating whether it was worth the effort to fry him where he sat. It wasn't, at least not yet. He didn't even attempt a reply to the riddiculus question.

Riku was staring at Sephiroth in disbelief. "You aren't serious, are you?"

"Indeed I am."

"But, I thought you hated her now for manipulating you and all that." Riku protested. "I never heard her and I hate her. Why in the worlds should we-"

"She is Mother and therefore is to be respected." Sephiroth interrupted smoothly. There was a pause. "Even if she happens to be a manipulative, sadistic, meglomanic, angel-posing alien bitch."

Sora opened his mouth, likely to comment on the similarities of that sentence and what most thought of Sephiroth himself. Riku quickly covered his mouth and gave him a pointed look. Don't you dare.

Turning back to Sephiroth, Riku gave him a hard look. "Why should we respect her? She hasn't done anything for us. She's only made everyone miserable and drove you completely insane. Why the hell would I want to do anything for her on Mother's Day?"

Sephiroth was silent a moment. Now Riku could hear the quiet commotion in the next room. He tilted his head and slowly realized who was making the racket.

Seph's next words confirmed his suspicion. "Because it keeps those three from destroying the house."

Even Sora could now here the childish voice chanting, "We're going to find Mother. We're going to find Mother."

"Is Loz crying again?"

"Of course." Sephiroth sighed.

Riku stood and gave Sora a pleading look. "Please say you're coming with."

Sora really wanted to say hell no. He hated dealing with the triplets at least as much as the other two did. He wasn't even one of the brothers and he'd had to console Loz twice, help Yazoo fix his hair at least three times, and put up with Kadaj threatening to do horrible things to him in his sleep.

"Yeah, I'm coming." He turned off the game console and got to his feet. "But, what are we doing?"

Kadaj was still chanting in the background. Sephiroth was beginning to appear disgruntled. "I've obtained a ballistic mold of a woman's head. It's been painted blue and hidden. We'll let them go find it."

"Like an Easter egg hunt?" Sora scratched his head then shrugged. "If that's what it takes. Where'd you hid it?"

A malicious smiled crossed Sephiroth's face. There was only one thing that made Sephiroth that dementedly happy. Riku placed a hand to his forehead. "You didn't."

"But I thought you enjoyed visiting Cloud."

"He is going to kill you again for beinging Kadaj anywhere near him."

"He deserves it for disowning his family." Sephiroth turned toward the door. "Besides, you know how they love to play with their estranged brother."

Riku and Sora exchanged hesitant looks before following the elder man. This was going to be a long day.