SCREW THE SPOILERS! I ACTUALLY WANT TO POST SOMETHING!!!
WARNING! RATED PG-13 FOR LANGUAGE!!
. . .I own nothing except the Generals you do not recognize, Astasia, and Dellusion. Dennis is also mine, for he is the made up older brother of Reno. If that wasn't a big enough hint. . .Kiani is owned by my sister, Izzy. ^.^ Enjoy!
Summary: She set the older woman on the ground. [Bitch. Now that you're my friend, there's no way you're gonna die now. . .]
Happy 16th birthday, Izzy! Hope it's a good one, imoutochan!
~Ikuni Hattori, 09/05/08
Important notes to remember:
Kiani and Astasia's ages are WAY different. As in, Kiani's close to 20 years old. Astasia's closer to 40.
Astasia was never taken from her mom by Shinra and thus raised by her mom and Jyscal and didn't go to Midgar when she was young (thus, no bracelets to suppress her power and no abnormal power to begin with)
Anja was grabbed by their mom, so Kiani never went to work for Shinra
Hojo's nicer! And acts like a father figure to Sephiroth, who grew up with Lucrecia
Yazoo and Loz were never born
There isn't one General in Shinra, there are ten and each head their own unit. Each unit comprises of roughly 20-60 members (the better units have less men.)
Companies go as follows (companies-General)
01 - Sephiroth
02 - Dellusion
03 - Markus
04 - Astasia
05 - Cecil
06 - Celia
07 - Kole
08 - Cinn
09 - Emelie
10 - Crail
Astasia groaned in annoyance. "What do you want now, Red?" she asked the Turks member in front of her. Just as she was about to escape to her office, lock the door, and revel in the fact that no one dares to disturb her-thus being able to finally get some peace to sleep-he shows up.
"Why, Astasia, is that anyway to treat an old friend?" he teased her as he laughed at her presumed scowl.
"That's not how I treat old friends. I have no old friends and I prefer to keep it that way, thank you very much," she replied.
"You're wel-" he started to sarcastically say but was cut off. The black haired woman in front of him wasn't finished yet.
"You, on the other hand, aren't a very old friend of mine. In fact, you're an old friend of my brother's whose wife is your partner," she said cheekily. The redhead in front of her sighed.
"You're absolutely right, of course, but his wasn't exactly what I stopped over here for." At Astasia's raised eyebrow-which he always seems to interpret at the right times-, the redheaded Turk continued. "President Shinra requested your presence in his office. It seems as if he's gathering all of his Generals for an emergency meeting and that usually means you have another mission, I suppose," he laughed.
"Dennis," Astasia growled as a warning.
"Yes?" he responded lightly. He kept smiling as Astasia gave him a glare. Not that he could see it, anyway. He turned to leave, with Astasia behind him snarling obscenities under her breath at a rapid pace. He then suddenly remembered something and he came to a stop. Astasia rammed into him the next second and Dennis turned and grabbed her arm to stop her from falling. He then smiled politely at her while the woman straightened herself out. She muttered out a thanks as he removed his hand from her arm. "Oh, and one more thing," he stated, enjoying the annoyed vibes that Astasia was giving out. She looked at him with irritation in her eyes. "Companies 1 and 5 have come back. Their Generals will also be attending the meeting," Dennis stated. Astasia's whole body tensed up as her eyes widened. Dennis smiled. "Have a nice day!" he cheered and he then went to the elevator.
"Crap!" the black haired woman screamed and she ran for the stairwell. There was a good chance that the two general whose companies just got back were waiting for her in one of the elevators. She didn't want to check.
Astasia ended up running up the stairs two at a time until she got to the top floor. She paused for a few minutes to catch her breath and she then walked into the President's office to find that seven out of ten Generals were already there. They were all waiting for her and two others. The black eyed woman hurried over to her brother, who was leaning up against a wall. She tried to hide herself between him and the potted plant that was next to him. Dellusion merely chuckled.
"So, where are your two dogs now?" the red and orange streaked black haired male asked his younger, fidgety sister.
"I think waiting for me in the elevators," she mumbled out, trying not to let the other people in the room hear. Two men then walked into the President's office, one with long, silver, waist length hair and green catlike eyes, the other with white, spiky hair ('which resembled a chocobo's ass no matter what angle you look at it,' Astasia mused) and dark purple eyes. When Astasia saw them both, she whimpered and tried to become one with the shadows. It didn't work, however, as Sephiroth noticed her immediately and started toward her and her brother with long strides. Cecil, not wanting to be bested by Company 1's General, quickly followed him. The President cleared his throat, gaining everyone's attention.
"Have a seat," the portly blonde stated to all of his commanding officers. Astasia quickly whipped out from her spot by the wall and sat in her designated spot between her brother, Dellusion, and her best friend, Celia. The rectangular table and assigned seats guaranteed that her 'dogs' wouldn't be able to hound her (no pun intended) until after the meeting was finished. The President sat down at the end of the table. In order, from left to right, was President Shinra with Sephiroth on his right, then Markus, Cecil, Kole, and Emelie. Right across from the President was the empty Vice President's chair. On the right of the VP's chair was Crail, then Cinn, Celia, Astasia, and then Dellusion, on the President's left.
As the Generals all sat down, most kept talking. Sephiroth and Cecil were both trying to touch Astasia with their legs which ended up making the said blackette draw her knees up to her chin, wrapping her arms around them so she could simultaneously rest her chin on her knees and avoid the two men at the same time. The President cleared his throat once more and everyone stopped talking. Everyone's attention was now on the blonde.
"Astasia, sit up straight," he reprimanded. Astasia's legs shot down to the floor quickly enough to make her feet snap loudly as they collided with the marble while at the same time her back straightened. President Shinra then decided to continue. "There have been reports of an outbreak of disappearances all around the Planet. Some of the places included Mideel, Kalm, and even the newly conquered nation of Wutai has reported mass disappearances in their area as well. The disappearances include people, animals, and material possessions which include numerous Materia and weapons. A chocobo was also stolen a month ago from the Ranch just across form the swamp. Now, there are numerous witnesses who say they have seen a group of three people in each of the areas. A woman with long black hair, a child with the same colored hair as the woman, and a man with shoulder length platinum blonde hair." Several pairs of eyes flickered to Sephiroth before turning back to the President. Sephiroth was unaffected. "Your group objective is to find those three," the President continued, "and kill them."
Orange eyes lazily drifted open as the sunlight streamed in through the window of the room she and her lover were staying in. The woman stretched languidly like a cat and sat up in bed. The sheet fell away, revealing her naked form. Taking no heed of her state of dress, she tried to get up out of the bed when the arm around her waist tightened and pulled her back down to the bed. The woman giggled as her lover and the father of her child pulled her under him so she couldn't get away. He was mostly still asleep and laid on her, snuggling his face by her neck. She started to giggle more when his breath tickled her neck. The silver haired man on top of her then started to slowly blow on her neck. Her eyes scrunched up while she tried not to laugh but failed spectacularly. The woman started to laugh uncontrollably as the man above her raised himself onto his knees and started to tickle her belly and sides. The sheet fell from him, revealing his own unclothed state. The woman kept laughing until she snorted. The blackette stopped with a mortified look on her face, a vivid blush creeping onto her face as the man paused in his assault. He smiled at her and then leaned forward until his mouth was right by her ear.
"No need to blush. I find it cute," the man whispered into her ear and as he pulled back, he saw his lover flush several shades darker. He laughed and then kissed the tip of her nose. Getting off of her, the man then proceeded to dress. The woman got up as well and slowly picked up her clothes. When each of them found a piece of the other's clothing, they'd throw it over their shoulder at the other person, who would then catch it. Once both were fully dressed, the woman grabbed her brush from her pack and started to do her hair. As she tried to leave the room, the man grabbed her around her waist and placed a chaste kiss on her lips before disappearing into the hallway. The woman followed him out the door only to call out to him.
"Kadaj?" she asked. He paused on the stairwell and looked at his lover. "Are we leaving the Shinra Mansion soon?" He nodded once.
"After you wake Lydia up, I'll have everything ready to go. I want to leave soon. I wish to reach Cosmo Canyon by nightfall," he replied. The woman nodded and then turned to go wake their daughter up. "Kiani." The woman paused when her name was said and she looked back at Kadaj. "Remember, if anything happens to me-."
"Don't," Kiani warned, cutting him off. She approached Kadaj slowly and when she reached him, she wrapped her arms around him. He returned the embrace with one arm. "You won't die. You won't be separated from us. I won't let that happen," she stubbornly stated to her lover. She felt Kadaj nod his head and she pulled back. He placed a small kiss on her lips before speaking again.
"Go wake Lydia up. I'll get our stuff ready." Kiani nodded and then reluctantly pulled away. She turned and went down the hallway to the room where her daughter was sleeping. She knocked once and then entered the room. Kadaj gazed after her and didn't start down the stairs until after he heard his daughter squeal with joy as she launched herself at her mother.
"Mommy!" the little girl with black hair exclaimed as she tackle the woman that had entered her room. She grabbed a hold of her mother's knees and refused to let go. Kiani smiled.
"Good morning, Lydia," the older woman greeted her four year old daughter. "Well, since you're already up, let's do your hair, alright?" Lydia quickly nodded her head and detached herself from Kiani. She then went to sit on her bed, where Kiani joined her. The mother then started to brush her daughter's hair and put it in two side pigtails that sat high on her head.
When Kadaj found them later, he walked in to find Kiani snapping a motorcycle helmet onto Lydia's head. She looked up to find her silver haired lover leaning against the door. "We're ready," she told him. He nodded his head.
"I'm ready, too," he replied. Lydia bounced off of the bed and shot out of the room, her arms out as if she was an airplane. Kiani happily watched as her daughter disappeared into the dark hallway. Kadaj approached her and she leaned into him when he was close enough.
"We should get going," Kiani stated after a moment. Kadaj nodded and the two left the room to follow their daughter outside.
Mounting their bikes, Kadaj sped out of Nibelheim with Kiani close behind him. Lydia was seated in front of her mother and was gripping the handlebars.
Estimated time of arrival: -08:42:49
I sighed blissfully, thankful that the two "bloodhounds" that were always following me were stationed somewhere else. The only downside to this mission was that the "bloodhounds" were stationed at the towns on either side of me. Dell was stationed at Nibelheim, Celia was at Rocket Town (she gets to see her step-brother, lucky for her), Cecil was at Costa De Sol (is that a good or bad thing? Humid, sweaty weather and sun with Sephiroth between us versus a beach and girls in bikinis. Hopefully, he gets laid, so he gets off my back!). Sephiroth is stationed in the Gold Saucer area (I don't know who to feel sorry for more: Seph for being by Gold Saucer or the little kids that have to get past him). Crail was stuck at Midgar (he stays there as a punishment. I'd think being within 100 miles of that place is punishment enough), Markus was at the Chocobo Ranch (in which us three females protested loudly on why he got the Ranch and we didn't). Kole was put near Icicle Inn (he was being a snob about getting stuck in Gongaga so he was moved to a different continent) and Emelie was placed near Wutai. Cinn got Junon while I was placed at Cosmo Canyon, which is fine by me. I've spent many summers here with my brother and our foster parents. The natives know me and I know the terrain pretty well, which kinda makes this area perfect for me.
And now, I wait. We radio it in if we find them and our objective is met. Personally, I hope those three find me first. Not because of the promotion or the publicity but because they have a child with them. And I have a feeling that the two adults are the parents.
I know that Shinra is the one responsible for me and Dell being in foster care when we were growing up. I won't do that to the child, and I won't end their life. I refuse to.
. . .
Right now I really want to nap. But of course, I can't. I have to be the good little Shinra Stooge and keep watch.
Estimated time of arrival: -06:04:03
Kadaj signaled for us to rest three hours after we left Nibelheim. All three of us used the time wisely. Both Lydia and I had to pee almost half an hour after we left. We were stopped by a stream that led to the ocean. I could smell the salt. We had our lunch which was nothing more than a flask of water each and a handful of dried meat. It was a popular item in Junon. I think Kadaj called it jerky.
After lunch and another bathroom break, we refilled our water flasks and then got back on our bikes. This time Lydia sat with her father.
We made good time. Our second and last break was several hours after the first one and by then we were nearly to our destination. This time the break lasted for no more than ten minutes and included on e bathroom break. We then set off again with Lydia in front of me once more. We'd soon reach Cosmo Canyon and would be able to stop for the night. I hope we get there soon. I really haven't felt good since this morning. All I want is a really nice bath and a bed. A very comfy bed.
Estimated time of arrival: -01:53:09
Dusk fell on the first day and I had killed over 367 monsters that had stumbled across me and thought I looked good enough to eat. Not that I was counting, or anything. And because I had such a good day at work, me being the perfect little Shinra Stooge, I retired into the mountain villages of Cosmo Canyon. I decided to take advantage of one of the lovely hot springs in the area. Many of them were occupied already, most of them filled with lecherous old men and male adonises who think they're god's gift to women. Since I prefer not to get groped or harassed while I bathe, I went to one of my old hot springs that I made unnoticeable. Granted, it takes close to 20 minutes to clean the place up, but light a few candles, clear the shrubbery away and remove two rocks to get the water flowing and within five minutes there's a hot spring! It gets to be pretty damn, well, pretty.
After fixing it up, I wasted no time at all in jumping in. Laying against one of the rocks, I sighed as the heat seeped into my tired body. Sinking into the water with my hair piled atop my head until the water was up to my nose, I breathed out, blowing bubbles in the water. I then leaned back and closed my eyes in bliss.
Estimated time of arrival: -00:02:43
We finally reached out destination several, several hours after we had set out. I have never been to Cosmo Canyon before in my entire life. The cliffs towering above us were so magnificent that I wildly looked around as I followed Kadaj up to the village. We parked out bikes off to the side and as Lydia and I gaped at the massiveness, Kadaj properly made the bikes 'disappear.' When he came back, we headed for the nearby inn. Once inside, I looked around the lobby as I absentmindedly fixed Lydia 's pigtails. Kadaj procured us a room and after we put our things away and grabbed out towels ( Lydia changed into her swimsuit), he took us to the hot springs . Seeing the type of people that inhabited the baths (i.e.: perverts and lechers) he quickly steered us to the more private baths. Some of them were decrepit and rundown, the candles near them burnt into unusable stubs. A faint light could be seen ahead and Kadaj pushed both me and our daughter forward.
"Play nice," he commented lightly. I snorted. As if I couldn't play nice. . . He then gave me a peck on the lips and disappeared into the night. I merely sighed and then grabbed Lydia 's hand. We walked toward the light with our towels draped over our arms.
When we got close enough, I could see that the bath was one of the old and decrepit baths made anew. Fresh candles were scattered around on the rocks and even the rocks looked newly scrubbed. To one side, there was even a pile of leaves, moss, and fallen tree branches. After we got closer, I saw that there was only one inhabitant in the bath and it wasn't a lecherous old man. Thank god.
The woman in front of me was very well formed. I could see that much because she was standing up and the water barely brushed the top of her butt. Her back was to me, so I couldn't see much. What I could see was a long curtain of black hair cascading down her back, even longer than my own. Whatever strands that ended up in the water flowed out around her. On her lower back, there was a black and blue rose tattoo. There were also many scars dotting her back and arms.
The woman, at the moment, was running water over her front, gently, as if she was hurt. I cleared my throat to announce our presence and the woman looked over her shoulder to look at me and my daughter. Her onyx eyes seemed to lighten up for a second and they then were dead again, as a small smile adorned her face.
"You two are welcome to join me," she told us. The woman turned around to show us a nasty burn on most of her chest and stomach. She moved backwards in the water until her back hit the stone, giving us room to enter. She grabbed a hair clip and put her voluminous hair up as I stripped down and placed my clothes near where I put my towel. Lydia put her towel down as well and then took a running start. She made a huge splash as she entered the water and the woman laughed at her antics. I entered the water as well and moved toward the woman. Extending my hand to her, I introduced myself.
Estimated time of arrival: -00:00:00
"My name is Kiani Tokisha," the mother stated to the other woman as she held out her hand. Onyx eyes locked with orange ones as the other woman reached out and shook hands.
"I'm Astasia Nojima," she replied. Lydia then popped up out of the water in between the two women.
"I'm Lydia !" she exclaimed happily, making Astasia laugh.
"You are so precious," Astasia stated to the child as Kiani warily eyed the other blackette, her mother bear instincts acting up. A little something was niggling at the back of her mind at the mention of Astasia's name. She was sure she had heard that name somewhere before. "How old are you, Lydia ?" Astasia asked.
"Four!" the little girl exclaimed as she held up four fingers. Astasia smiled.
"That's awesome! I have both a niece and nephew who're turning five next month," the black eyed woman stated. Lydia 's eyes grew wide.
"Really?! My birthday is next month too!" she exclaimed. She then ran off to another part of the spring to examine how the water circulated. Kiani moved next to the woman and leaned against the rock so she could keep a better eye on her daughter. Astasia smiled softly.
"I've always wanted to be a mother," she stated softly as she watched Lydia play. Kiani looked at the woman next to her. Her eyes traveled down to Astasia's stomach to find that there was a scar there that was just like her own.
"You had a cesarean section. . ." Kiani trailed off, unsure on how to progress the conversation. Thankfully, she had given Astasia a good enough cue to know what she wanted to ask.
"I would have been a mother. I was three months pregnant when my doctor told me that the baby had died inside my womb and they had to do a c-section to get it out. It would have been a boy. My doctor had taken the child away before I could do much else." She paused for a moment in her explanation to gather herself and she then continued. "He would have been 25 this year." Kiani looked sharply at the woman next to her. Astasia herself looked 25! "He probably would have grown up to be just like his father. Probably would have taken up the position of a Lieutenant General under his father's company just so he'd be next in line to get the title." Astasia looked to the side and said no more. With her hair pinned up, Kiani could see the other tattoo that Astasia had displayed across the back of her neck. *488b7r.* The mother gasped as she remembered where she had heard the name Astasia before.
"You're General Astasia of Unit 4 from Shinra, aren't you?" Kiani accused as she moved through the water to reach Lydia . "I bet you have us surrounded right now, don't you?" she cried out. Astasia shook her head.
"When I'm relaxing, like right now, I'm just Astasia. No titles, no surnames, no company backing," she told the upset female. "When I'm relaxing, I normally tell the company to go suck it because I need to wind down from being their dog all day. Plus, the last time a Soldier tried to spy on me in the bath not only got the living daylights punched out of him but three other Generals also hounded him. The results weren't pretty. And don't worry. Besides me, the closest Shinra employee that I know of is in Nibelheim. You are perfectly safe. At least from me," she concluded.
"How do you know?" Kiani snapped back. "For all I know, once we get out, you'll kill us!" Astasia's eyes hardened before she quickly looked away.
"If you two are part of the trio that we have to kill, with any other General you'd be dead already," she stated softly. "You're lucky you ran into me first."
"Why?" Kiani asked. Astasia looked at the orange eyed woman.
"Because I never kill children and I never make them into what my brother and I were when we were young. Orphans," Astasia explained. She submerged herself so the water was up to her nose and she closed her eyes. Kiani's eyes softened and she moved toward the older woman. She placed a hand on her shoulder and the submerged woman flinched.
"Alright," Kiani stated softly. "I believe you." Astasia nodded. Then, turning the conversation on a lighter note, Kiani engaged the Shinra General in a discussion about everything and nothing. "So, what do you like better on a guy: long hair and a crappy personality or short hair and a crappy personality?"
"Is there a choice where he actually has a personality?" Astasia asked.
"There are guys like that?" Kiani asked. Both erupted in a fit of giggles.
The two women ended up spending a couple of hours in the hot springs, just talking about random things. After the first half hour, Astasia advised that Lydia get out of the water for a while. All the heat wouldn't be good for her. To ensure that Lydia wouldn't go too far, Astasia had gotten out as well and lit more candles, outlining the area in which Lydia could play. Lydia, already tired from the day, soon curled up next to the hot spring on one of the flatter rocks and went to sleep.
After a particularly funny bout of imitations of several personnel from Shinra, Astasia peered wistfully at the little girl sleeping on the rock. Kiani looked at her fellow blackette and then directed her gaze to where Astasia was looking. Her facial features softened as she spotted her daughter.
"You are so lucky," Astasia stated to her new friend. When Kiani looked at her, the onyx-eyed woman chose to elaborate. "You have a beautiful daughter, with whom I assume you had with your husband," Astasia confided. Kiani protested.
"He's not my husband," she grumbled sourly. "I bet if he ever proposes, I'll end up giving him a couple more kids before we actually tie the knot." Astasia chuckled, getting a confused look from Kiani.
"At least you have someone who will be by your side forever. Marriage, itself," Astasia explained, "is merely a way for the man in the relationship make sure that when they have a fight with their 'possessions,'" she bit bitterly, "she doesn't leave him forever to be with another guy. Marriage makes her have to wait for divorce approval, and by then she would have calmed down."
"You mentioned you had a child before. Had you also been married, once?" Kiani asked her. Astasia smiled ruefully.
"I was. However, when the divorce papers came, I was still mad at him," she revealed. Kiani nodded.
"If you don't mind me asking, what was your argument about?" At the older woman's sigh she immediately put her hands up in defense. "You don't have to tell me, if you want," Kiani interjected quickly. Astasia shook her head.
"No, if I state it now, it won't awkwardly hang between us. We were arguing about our child." Kiani's eyes widened. "He had accused me of not wanting his child. He thought that I had killed the child myself. I screamed back at him that I probably wanted the child more than he did. He had shot back, implying that I had been just like every other female on the Planet. That I had just wanted to bear his child. I screamed back at him that I had married him for him, and ever since I was little, even before I had even known he had existed, I knew I wanted children when I grew up. He then proceeded to use that argument as an excuse to dig at old wounds.
"'So, if Cecil had gotten to you before I had, you would have ended up carrying his child?' he had yelled. I was sure, by then, almost everyone in the building could hear us. I had tried to explain to him quietly and calmly that yes, I probably would have carried his rival's child instead of his. 'Slut,' he had then yelled at me. 'I'm only a means to get you a child, aren't I?' he had asked. I tried to deny it, but he was buried too deep in his rage to listen to my words. And he then did something that ensured we were over." AStasia paused in her explanation to collect her thoughts. Kiani looked at Astasia expectantly, to hear what happened next. Both were unaware of the pair of eyes that was watching them and Lydia. Unaware that the person watching them was also severely engrossed in Astasia's story. The said coal eyed General took another breath and continued. "He hit me." Kiani's expression quickly turned to shock and alarm. "My husband had slapped me across the face. And it didn't stop there. I assume, that with the first hit, he had felt powerful and exhilarated. As I turned my face bat to him with a fearful gaze, he continued to thrash out at me. He beat me until I could barely more and then-keep in mind we had a whole floor to ourselves in Shinra tower at that time. He had beaten me to the ground, and when I couldn't move, he tied me up to the closest thing he could find. I think it was the coffee table, or something. Some of those parts are so fuzzy that I can't really remember some of them. And then. . .aw, hell, I'm putting off what I'm trying to say." Astasia closed her eyes as she pulled herself out of the water to rest on the rocks with her legs still dangling in the water. She then sighed as she laid down so she was facing the starry sky. She continued her story in a small voice, one quiet enough to make both Kiani and the unknown listener draw closer to the onyx eyed woman to hear what she said next. "He beat me until I couldn't move," she said in a monotone, her voice detached as if she was a robot reciting facts. "He tied me up, and he raped me." She fell silent, not expecting Kiani to comment. She then concluded her tale. "He raped me several times. When morning came around, I found myself waking up in his arms in a hospital bed. He asked me, 'who did this?' He kept asking, 'who hurt you?' I kept silent, not wanting to tell him. He chose to play the ignorant card. I chose to play the silent one. I didn't want him to get mad at me again. When I healed enough to leave the hospital, I ended up staying with my brother and his girlfriend until my divorce was final. I left them when I was completely healed, or at least as completely as I thought I could. Twenty five years later, he's still trying to court me again. There's a good reason as to why he and his rival are called my 'dogs.' If I am within a hundred feet of either of them, they'll end up sniffing me out and keep following me like bloodhounds until I slip away from them. I really wish they'd stop. They've been doing this for about twenty five years and it's more than destroyed my nerves." The candles around the hot spring then decided to sputter out, one by one. The moon was full and rising high in the sky. Astasia sat up and then stood up.
"I'm getting tired, so I'm getting out," Astasia then stated to Kiani as if she hadn't just relayed one of her 'nightmares' to her new friend. "I suggest you do the same. The candles are quickly going out." Kiani nodded and she got out. Both women dried off with their towels and then wrapped themselves in them. Once her towel was secure, Kiani grabbed Lydia and held the young girl as Astasia made her rounds around the rocks, blowing out the candles. Once finished, the two women then walked to the Inn where they then went their separate ways. The unknown person's green, cat-like eyes shone in the darkness, illuminated by the moon, as he watched the two women walk out fo the hot spring grounds. He followed them back to the Inn, and, when the two blackettes separated, he chose to continue to follow one of them. Hours later, he stood on her balcony as he watched her sleep, the moon shining off his silver hair.
'She always did like to sleep in her normal clothes, with weapons at hand, like me,' he mused as he watched her. He watched her toss restlessly in her bed, tears starting to stream down her face as her body curled up on itself. His eyes narrowed as he continued to watch her. Now he just had more questions he wanted answered, and only the woman in the bed, his lover, could answer them. In the blink of an eye, he was gone from the balcony, disappearing into the night.
The next morning, Kiani and Astasia woke up roughly about the same time. The only difference, however, between them was that Kiani woke up next to Kadaj with Lydia between them and feeling very happy as she gazed down at her family while Astasia bolted up and out of bed and had plastered herself against the wall, fear rolling off of her in thick waves as she tried to dispel the nightmare that was still running though her mind. She was alone, and when she calmed down enough to move again, all she did was sink to her knees and silently let her tears roll down her face. Astasia then suddenly felt unnaturally heavy and as a shadow covered the window, Astasia fell forward in a dead faint, the sound of glass shattering barely registering in her mind. At the same time, Kiani suddenly gagged. Wide eyed, she quickly untangled herself from her daughter and lover, she literally jumped over Kadaj and thankfully made it to the bathroom just in time to empty her stomach's contents into the toilet. After a few seconds, her stomach lurched again and she was soon dry heaving once her stomach had emptied. Kadaj woke up with a start and frantically looked over his shoulder to find Kiani coughing over the toilet. He immediately left the bed and went to her, holding her hair back so it wouldn't get in the way.
After a few minutes of just dry heaving, Kiani's stomach finally calmed down enough for her to take a few breaths. Kadaj drew her up from the toilet and flushed it. He then led her to the sink where she washed her mouth and brushed her teeth. Several minutes later, the two then reemerged from the bathroom to find Lydia just waking up. The little girl was sitting up in bed and sleepily rubbing her eyes.
"Mommy? Is something wrong?" she asked as she yawned widely. Kiani shook her head.
"Mommy's fine. There's nothing to worry about." This time, Lydia shook her head.
"That lady we met yesterday's in trouble," the little girl commented. Kiani froze as she looked at her daughter.
"I'm sure that lady is fine. What makes you think she's in trouble?" Kadaj asked as he steered Kiani toward the bed.
"I saw it in my dreams. The lady collapsed and then the glass broke and the monster eated her! And then it ran off!" Lydia explained. Kiani snapped out of her daze.
"Hunny, I'm sure Astasia is fine," Kiani consoled. Kadaj stiffened and looked at his partner.
"Astasia?" he questioned. "As in General Astasia from Shinra's 4th Company?" he asked. Kiani nodded. Before he could say anymore, the sound of breaking glass pierced the air. Bits and pieces of glass fell onto their balcony from above. Lydia frantically tugged on Kiani's shirt.
"Mommy! She's going to get hurt!" Lydia exclaimed. Kiani automatically donned her clothing and then hurried to the balcony. She looked up to see another hail of glass coming down on her. Kadaj pulled her back into the room seconds before the glass hit.
"There's a monster clinging to a window up there!" Kiani exclaimed with dread. A thud was heard from upstairs and Kiani rad out the door to their room. Kadaj quickly got dressed in his normal clothes. He and Lydia then saw a dark shape jump from a window a few floors above their own. It started to jump toward Gold Saucer and it's sand prison. It had a black haired woman in its grasp. Kadaj heard a motorcycle start up and he knew Kiani was going to go after the woman. He rushed Lydia down the stairs and out of the Inn. He then uncovered his own bike, grabbed Lydia, and hauled her up in front of him. He took off after his lover.
When he caught up to her, she had shot the monster down with one of her .9mm guns. It was now cowering over the woman it had taken, as if protecting her. The monster was an ugly looking beast. It looked similar to Kadaj's Hellhounds, only bigger and with more parts. Four arms, two legs, and three tails (one head!) Its ribs were sticking out of its chest and made a sort of cage that doubled as a protective resting place for the woman. Kiani was firing bullet after bullet into the creature's head, but it was doing nothing. Kadaj ran over to the mother of his child (while said child stayed by the bikes) and he pulled out his own weapon, a twin bladed katana. The woman being cradled by the creature was starting to stir.
After Kiani emptied another clip into the creature and it having no effect, Astasia opened her eyes and pushed herself off of the ground. She stood up as best as she could and took only a few seconds to assess the situation. She noticed that Kiani was putting a new clip on her gun.
"Kiani! Stop!" she called out to the other blackette. Kiani paused as she raised her gun and made eye contact with Astasia. "Hell Dogs aren't affected by bullets!" she cried out. "You have to use close combat physical attacks like swords and daggers!" Kiani looked at Kadaj and he nodded. Without words, Kiani threw her guns over her shoulder and grabbed the sword that was at her hip. The two lovers launched themselves at the Hell Dog at the same time that Astasia took out her whip and opened up the creature from the inside. Kiani and Kadaj jumped over the falling Astasia in a synchronized movement and cut the Hell Dog down. Its carcass fell heavily onto the ground, making a small crater as it did so. Kiani and Kadaj landed, and Kiani tried to make her way over to her new friend. Kadaj held her back.
"Kadaj, wha. . .?" she started to ask, but he pushed her off into the direction of the bikes with his gaze intent upon the Shinra General. She was wearing, not the Shinra issued uniform, but her own civilian clothes, which comprised of two tanktops (one black, one white), a black dog color, and a pair of black leather pants. Her leather boots were also black and had numerous buckles trailing down the side of it. Over all of it, she wore a dark hide cloak that fluttered to her ankles.
Before Kiani could start protesting, Kadaj summoned up one of his Hell Hounds. He ordered it to attack Astasia.
Astasia readied her whip and when it came close enough to her, she flicked her wrist and wrapped her whip around its neck and sent it flying back to its master's feet.
"Kadaj! What are you doing?!" Kiani screamed at him.
"I am getting rid of an enemy," he stated coldly to her. He ordered his Hell Hound to prepare an energy attack. Astasia growled slightly as her eyes narrowed. Her whole body tensed, her whole attention set on her savior turned assailant. However, in her peripheral vision, a small dark shape ran towards her. Her head turned and she saw Lydia nearing her and the monster. When she was fifteen feet away from the bike, her parents' shouts falling on deaf ears, the monster unleashed its attack. Lydia was directly in its path. Without thinking, Astasia threw her arm out to the side and then disappeared, reappearing behind Lydia half a second later, her coat off and already wrapping it around the child. A sword suddenly appeared out of nowhere, pinning the creature's head to the ground. A second later, the attack hit Astasia, who had her arms around Lydia, making sure the dragonhide coat did not fall off.
When the smoke cleared, Astasia's arms fell from Lydia, the coat falling half a second later, revealing a scared but unharmed Lydia. Astasia fell to her knees, her back arching in pain. The two tanktops that shew as wearing had no backs anymore. She told Lydia to go to her parents in a calm voice, no pain seeping through to cause alarm. Lydia did as she was told. She had heard her mother gasp and saw tears well up in her eyes. She didn't know why until her mother's arms were around her and twirling her around. She saw the damage done when she had run out and Astasia had chosen to save her. As Lydia peered over her mother's shoulder, she could see the white bones of Astasia's spine showing through the giant hole that was now in her back. The skin around the hole was red and bubbling unpleasantly. Lydia saw her father running towards the downed woman. She started to cry out, to stop him from touching her, but Kiani hushed her daughter. She watched as Astasia let her upper body bow forward as the collar around her neck glowed green. Kadaj paused when he was no more than a foot away from her, hesitating. The family all watched as the hole started to close over until it was a severely bleeding flesh wound. Astasia winced and then fell forward all the way, her hands holding her upper body off of the ground. With her left hand holding her body up, her right went toward her pocket and pulled out a radio transmitter. Kadaj stiffened and reached down to grab it from her when she flung it out in front of her and threw a hastily made fireball at it. The fireball decimated the tiny piece of technology. With her task done, she let her arm crumple beneath her, sending her completely to the ground.
Kadaj leaned down on one knee and lifted Astasia's upper body off of the ground as Kiani hurried over to them with Lydia in tow.
"Now, Shinra will think that the blast killed us all. You three just have to lay low for a while and you'll stay off Shinra's radar," Astasia explained. Kiani snatched Astasia from her lover's lap, disregarding her grunt of protest, and cradled her in her own, ignoring the fact that Astasia was starting to bleed on her. "Go," Astasia weakly said. "You have to hurry, because as soon as my transmitter was destroyed, the Shinra headquarters would have informed the other Generals, and the ones closest would be sent here to locate my body. Go!" she urged. Kiani started to cry and she held the protesting woman closer. Astasia took a breath to use her last dissuasion tactic. "Dellusion Nojima, Celia Calium, Cecil Errant, and Sephiroth will all be coming here. Cecil and Sephiroth. . .well, actually all four of them will be out for blood, so you must go now, before they get here. Go. . .you must. . .go. . ." she trailed off as her onyx eyes drifted shut as she fell unconscious from blood loss. Kiani set the older woman on the ground.
"Bitch. Now that you're my friend, there's no way you're gonna die now," she mumbled more to herself than anyone else. "Kadaj?" she asked sweetly as she lifted her head to stare in his direction. Kiani merely had to look mournfully in her lover's direction for him to agree to her silent plea. He didn't think he'd be able to take it if she had gotten their daughter to do a puppy pout with her. The silver haired man sighed and then gathered Astasia up in his arms. The two walked to their bikes, Kadaj holding Astasia and Kiani carrying Lydia. They started their bikes and then shot out of the area, intent on their new destination. Mideel.
Sephiroth rushed to the beeping radio that he and all of the other Generals had gotten. He had been busy trying to figure out what had happened to his HellDog and why it wasn't back with Astasia yet. He growled at the thought of his creature's impudence as he clicked the receiving button the radio. He talked to it.
"Sephiroth here," he growled in annoyance.
"Finally!" came the voice of a disgruntled Dellusion from the other side. "I've been trying to reach you for five minutes already!" he informed the platinum blonde.
"What do you want, Nojima?" Sephiroth asked harshly, his mind already thinking of what might have happened.
"It's my sister," Dellusion stated. Sephiroth's thought process ground to a halt as his blood ran cold. "her transmitter was destroyed between Coral and Cosmo Canyon, and her vital signs were failing before we lost all contact. I'm already here at Cosmo Canyon and several locals say they saw her being chased by the three we are looking for. Knowing her, she probably befriended them and they betrayed her when they found out who she really was," Dellusion continued. "We need you to start heading over here, hopefully you can find them before they get too far. Oh, and Sephiroth?" The said General was already halfway out the door, radio in hand. "When you find them, leave at least one of them alive. I need my fair share of destruction too, you know." Sephiroth chuckled before replying as he stalked out of the house he was in and made his way to the motorcycle that was conveniently left there for him.
"Then you better hope you find them first, because when I'm done, there won't be anything left." Sephiroth then ended the conversation by drowning out whatever Dellusion was going to say by revving up the engine of the motorcycle. He blasted out of Corel.
The next time Astasia was conscious was a few nights later. She awoke to find the sky full of stars. A few feet away, a fire blazed brightly. For a moment, Astasia was led to believe she was waking up near Cosmo Canyon after falling asleep and everything that had happened was all a dream. The onyx-eyed woman was content to think that until she tried to sit up and found that she couldn't without her back exploding in agony. As she tried to grip through the pain just to sit up, a set of hands pushed her back to the ground. Opening her eyes she didn't realized ad closed, she saw Kiani hovering above her, trying to hold her down. Astasia forced her body to relax under the smaller woman and Kiani got up off of the older woman. The orange eyed female then placed a wet towel on Astasia's forehead, to try to cool her down. Astasia relished the feeling of the damp cloth as she tried to organize her thoughts. The most important question kept running through her head and wouldn't rest until she asked it.
"What happened after I passed out?" she asked. Kiani sighed as she sat on her butt, relieved to now be able to sit instead of crouching or kneeling all the time. She then looked over to Kadaj and Lydia. Finding them asleep (as they should be), Kiani answered her friend's question.
"We decided to take you with us. We ran into no one on the way through Gongaga and we stole a 'misplaced' helicopter. Right now, we're in the forest by the Temple of the Ancients. By tomorrow afternoon, we should be able to reach Mideel," the blackette stated. She changed the towel on Astasia's forehead.
"Why are we going to Mideel?" Astasia then asked. She suddenly violently coughed, making her body jacknife into an upright position. That, however, made the wound on her back open up and start to bleed. Kiani sighed as she reached into the pack at her side and pulled out another roll of bandages. She then positioned herself behind Astasia and waited patiently for her coughing to subside. When it did, the mother helped the General sit up straight. Kiani pulled another pack closer and told Astasia to eat something. As the onyx-eyed woman reached for the bag, Kiani started to cut the old bandages off of Astasia with a knife. She left the parts stuck to the wound there, not wanting to tear open any scabs that may have formed. She then proceeded to wrap the new bandages around Astasia's torso. It was then that the General realized that she was topless. Not that she cared that much. It wasn't as if Sephiroth and/or Cecil were in the immediate area.
After Kiani had secured the bandages, Astasia caught a movement out of the corner of her eye and quickly turned around, pushing Kiani to the ground, her body on top of the mother's. a split second later, a blade whizzed through the air right where Kiani's head would have been and imbedded itself in the ground. Kiani let out a yelp when she was pushed over, waking Kadaj and Lydia up. Astasia looked at the sword carefully as she crawled over to it. She grabbed its handle and jerked it from the ground. She knew she had seen it somewhere before. A figure then emerged from the shadows to step into the firelight. Astasia gasped, her eyes widening impeccably in fear as she gazed at the man whose sword she was holding and who would have been the father of her child if she had ever come to full term. His hair reflected the firelight, just as Kadaj's was doing at that moment.
"Sephiroth," Astasia breathed his name, fear etching into her voice. She dropped the Masamune to the ground and slowly started creeping toward Kiani. The General of the 1st company noticed, however.
"Astasia," he stated in his low timbre. "Explain," he commanded. Astasia froze as she glared the at the 1st Company's General.
"No," she replied stubbornly. His eyes flashed dangerously and he took a step forward.
"Then I will take this situation at face value. They have committed crimes that are worthy of death and I shall be their executioner," he stated and he rushed toward Kiani, his fist pulled back for a punch. Astasia flickered and she then reappeared in front of her friend, her arms crossed to block the punch.
"No!" she demanded as she lowered her arms.
"Why are you defending them?" he asked as he withdrew his punch, stopping mere inches from her. His breath mingled with hers as he lightly traced one gloved hand across her jaw.
"It's none of your business," she growled back at him. Sephiroth frowned, and then before she could blink, he punched her in the solar plexus, knocking the wind out of her. She collapsed onto his fist and he then noticed that the bandages on her back were soaked with blood. He growled and he none-too-gently let Astasia plop to the ground. Kiani then found her guts.
"Don't you dare touch her!" she screamed at him. Kadaj swiftly went to her side as Lydia tried to blend into the shadows as best she could. "You don't have the right to touch her!" she spat. "Especially after what you did to her!" Sephiroth looked confused.
"I never did anything to her," he told the petite blackette. His eyes narrowed when he looked at the man at Kiani's side. He thought he had told Hojo no more clones!
"Bullshit!" Kiani screeched. "Are you still wondering who put Astasia in the hospital 25 years ago?! And why she became skittish of you when she got out?! That's because it was you!" she screamed. "You were the one who beat and raped Astasia! You were the one who wrecked your marriage, not her!" Sephiroth cut her off.
"You're just a pathetic liar who just wants to prolong her suffering, isn't that right?" he sneered at her. "Enough lies. Now for action!" Sephiroth tried to punch Kiani as he did to Astasia but as Kadaj moved forward to try to protect his lover, Astasia magically appeared between her friend and her ex-husband. She took the punch meant for Kiani and was sent to her knees. Sephiroth kneeled with her and then embraced her, as a somewhat apology for hitting her twice. "Why did you take the punch?" he asked the woman in his arms. Astasia coughed a few times and then responded.
"I don't want them to go through the same thing we did," she replied as she sagged in his grip.
"What. . .do you mean, Astasia?" Kiani asked hesitantly as she slowly approached the duo with Kadaj grabbing her arm before she could get too close.
"Congratulations, you two," Astasia stated. She coughed a few times before she could continue. Once her coughing subsided once more, she spoke again. "Lydia's going to be a big sister." Kiani's eyes widened and she was suddenly swept off her feet by Kadaj who then proceeded to twirl her around and kiss her, while at the same time getting her farther from Sephiroth.
Before anything else could be said, the noise of a helicopter disrupted the semi-quiet. Once the dust settled, Professor Hojo and Dellusion, who was escorting him, emerged from the sky machine.
"Professor, what are you doing here?" Kadaj asked with familiarity as he paused in his rejoicing. He set Kiani down on her feet and she looked between her lover and the scientist that had appeared out of nowhere.
"I am here to merely assess the situation," he stated as he made his way over to where Sephiroth and Astasia were. He grabbed ahold of the pendent on the collar she wore and played with a few of the wires. Once finished, he pressed a reset button that automatically covered her whole body in a green glow. The wound on Astasia's back gradually stopped bleeding as the collar used a combination of Cure3 and Regan on her. After a few seconds, the blood flow stopped altogether and Astasia was able to stand up on her own without any help. Professor Hojo then motioned Kadaj over to them, who dragged along Kiani. He also beckoned Lydia to join them, who soon did. Hojo then smiled slightly at Astasia, who had stopped glowing green by then.
"Astasia, this will come as a great shock to you," he started, "but your child was still alive after he was taken from the womb. He ended up coming to term in my lab and became a healthy young boy." He couldn't say anymore to her. She had fallen forward in a dead faint, with Sephiroth barely able to catch her.
The next time Astasia awoke, it was daytime. This time, when she sat up, her back didn't ache at all. She vaguely remembered what had happened last night.
Kadaj looked up from where he was cleaning his sowrd to where she was and his face lit up.
"Mother! You're awake!" he exclaimed. Lydia then called out to her.
"Yay! Grandma's awake!" she screamed into the air from where she was helping her mother cook lunch. Kiani merely looked up with an amused expression on her face. Astasia looked at them blankly.
Clearly she was dreaming. Even Professor Hojo and her brother weren't here!
Although her head did hurt a bit so it couldn't be a dream. . .a hallucination! She was hallucinating that Kadaj had just called her his mother. . .it must be from lack of sleep.
Smiling contently to herself as she had picked the most logical excuse, Astasia laid back down to find Sephiroth hovering over her.
Her head was in his lap. . .she wasn't hallucinating! She changed her mind, once more, as Sephiroth spoke.
"I know this will never repair the damage I made, but I'm sorry. I'm sorry for hurting you all those years ago," he told her quietly as he started threading his gloveless fingers through her hair. "I'm sorry for accusing you of those awful things, and I am hoping tha tyou will give me one more chance," Sephiroth concluded. Absentmindedly, Astasia nodded, still trying to fully comprehend all that's happened in the past 24 hours.
The next thing she knew, Sephiroth's lips were on her own. She jumped, startled with the contact, and she then jerked herself from his lap. She somehow slammed her head against the ground as she tried to get away. The silver haired General quickly caught her as she was lost in the darkness once more.
The next thing she knew, Astasia woke up in a place she was, sadly enough, well acquainted with. The hospital. Sephiroth was sitting on a chair next to her bed, sleeping with his head and arms resting on her bed. When she shifted slightly, Sephiroth awoke with a jerk. His gaze softened as he looked at her. He smiled slightly at her, which she returned just as enthusiastically. A knock at the door snapped the both of them out of their thoughts. Dellusion entered her room and stood next to Sephiroth.
"Can I speak to my younger sister alone for a few minutes?" her asked the General. Sephiroth nodded and got up. He gently placed a kiss on Astasia's lips and then turned to leave. Dellusion sat down in Sephiroth's chair and waited for the platinum blonde to leave the room. When the door clicked shut, Dell then launched into an explanation in bullet points on what had happened. "To begin with, yes, you're a mother, which makes me an uncle; Yes, Lydia is excited for being related to you; Sephiroth wants to desperately get back together with you again and your friend Kiani won't stop asking every five minutes if you're okay or not. That's about all the obvious question. . .anything I miss?" Astasia nodded her head.
"Do you think he's trustworthy?" she asked.
"Kadaj, definitely, because he's got some of you in him. Sephiroth, well. . .Sephiroth really seems to be torn up about what he did so long ago. He seems genuine in his apology." Dellusion then smiled. "You were right, Kiani got it checked out and she is indeed pregnant," he stated, still smiling. "Your second grandchild," he teased. Astasia laughed.
~9 months later~
Everyone was crowding around her hospital bed as Kiani held the newest addition to their family. "Her name is Sayamei," Kiani stated to her mother-in-law after the blackette has asked to hold her.
"Well, little Mei," Astasia cooed to the tiny child in her arms as she held the newborn baby girl, "it seems as if you're going to have someone your own age to play with, real soon. Another aunt or uncle," Astasia stated. People crowding around the bed stared at Astasia as she handed the tiny dark haired child back to her mother. Sephiroth wrapped his arms around his wife's waist and pulled her back into him so he could lay his chin on her shoulder.
"Mom! Dad!" Kadaj exclaimed, scandalized. Lydia laughed, looking at the sitation more innocently than her father.
"Yay! Someone else to play with!" the five year old rejoiced. Astasia smiled happily as she looked at her family.
She couldn't have wished it any other way.
Important notes to remember:
Kadaj and Kiani got married. Mei's dad is Kadaj, not Reno this time.
Sephiroth and Astasia got remarried and Astasia is pregnant with Riku.
Kiani and Kadaj stole weapons and Materia. A monster that was following them took the people and animals. It was caught while Kadaj and Kiani were locked up (undergoing trial) and so they were proven innocent. They just had to give the Materia and weapons back.
Sephiroth was the pair of eyes watching them at the hot springs.
Yes, Sephiroth was the one who tried to kidnap Astasia.
No, I do not know why he wanted to kidnap her.
And yes, Cecil got laid and is now chasing after her instead of Astasia. Celia now has to run for her sanity.
Anything else you guys are confused about or have questions about, just either leave it in a review (flames will be donated to Dellusion to help fuel his Hell's Pit) or send me a PM. ^.^ Night!