Nightmare Born

by HojoAndKadaj

Kadaj is born. He is a mere child, unaware of being a remnant, who accidentally finds Hojo's current hiding place. Out of circumstances they spend the night together, and plan to go look for Jenova's remains. Will they find Kadaj's Mother?

1. Chapter 1

About this story:

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This is a role play, written by two players. Role plays differ from fanfiction, and instead of editing this into a fanfiction form, we let it stay in the original role play form - where you can actually see which parts were written by each player.
The art was done by Hojo.

Warnings: Be careful not to misinterpret. We assure you that this story isn't about romance, nor does it include pedophilia or any kind of other harm done to a child. Kadaj's feelings for the adult are about attachment, with a little 'fanboying'. Whereas Hojo's feelings (if there are any) for Kadaj are solely natural caring because Sephiroth is Hojo's son, and Kadaj is Sephiroth's remnant.

Time: Pre Advent Children.

Plot summary: Kadaj is born. He is a mere child, unaware of being a remnant, who accidentally finds Hojo's current hiding place. Out of circumstances they spend the night together, and plan to go look for Jenova's remains. Will they find Kadaj's Mother?

Background for our rp: We figured it would be nice to let them meet in this time when Kadaj is only a child so we could let them get to know each other – which serves our other rps after this one. The way Kadaj is played, he is someone who can be reborn from the negative Lifestream at any time; this time we wanted him to exist without Loz or Yazoo.

Should you wish to read the rest of the chapters and be notified when we publish something, remember to click 'follow story' or/and 'follow author' on the bottom of the page. Thanks.

Chapter One - The Meeting

As ever in Icicle, it was snowing. Whenever it wasn't snowing, even if the skies were sunny and clear, snow was never far off. Professor Hojo ignored the latest white flakes that drifted lazily down past the window of the abandoned laboratory of his former mentor. How funny that he should find himself in that place after so many years. The last time he had darkened its door, a man named Gast had been shot dead.
The elder scientist rifled through notes and bits of ephemera that had not moved since that day, searching for something – anything – that could help him achieve his end. He had been able to make his way to the remote continent by virtue of the fact that he was presumed dead. After the chaotic events at Shinra following the Meteor Crisis, the professor was not surprised that none had tried to seek him. That was for the best, he felt, as he had some very important work to do. If he was found, he would be stopped and that would not do. The nature of the work that he longed to complete was much the same as before he'd been defeated and left for dead by that band of do-gooders: Restore Sephiroth.

However, while the nature of the work remained much the same, the methodology was very much more complex. It was no longer a simple matter of merely firing an enormous Mako cannon into the heart of the Northern Crater. No. The only method that might possibly work now was to recreate Reunion. For that, he needed the cells of Jenova. He was unsure if any yet remained, save for those he had injected into himself in the hopes that he might learn something. He'd certainly learned a few things… but they would not help. He needed to create clones.

Angrily tossing a useless notebook to one side, he cursed Gast for ever discovering that wretched creature… while also thanking him for being so very useful to him. Without that discovery, he would not have been able to create his greatest work. All the same, it was aggravating that what he sought was probably buried deep in a cold, dark crater. How in Ifrit's flaming talons was he meant to get a hold of what he sought?

OoOoOo

Somewhere deep in the Northern Crater there was a tiny pond of black water. It looked just like any other puddle, but it was where the negative Lifestream had come alive. The depths of water that didn't bring humans alive; didn't bring the planet any good, and instead worked as a cradle for something silvery, something tiny and pale, something people would refer to as Silver Nightmare in the future. As the shattered daylight tried to reach the dark waters past the snow flakes and past the walls of rock, a silvery head broke through the surface, a pair of cat-like eyes revealing their mako-turquoise insanity. Just a boy, he marched out of the water, revealing his pale skin for the freezing air before the black mist which had lingered on the surface, wrapped around him and seeped into his skin, forming oil-like leather to cover him from shoulders to toes, becoming boots around his feet. With wide and curious eyes the boy stepped onto the icy shore, looking around, trying to see the sun while the snowflakes melted against his forehead and cheeks. Spontaneously he opened his mouth and caught a flake on his tongue. It was cold and he hummed then took a deep breath, realizing something was hanging on his lower back. Turning his head as much as he could, he tried to see what it was, but he wasn't an owl and thus failed. Eventually, he brought his left hand to grasp the said object and an excited laugh bubbled from his lips as he realised it was a weapon. A double-bladed Katana. It too had formed against his back; it was like magic, he thought.

Kadaj knew his own name, knew he was alive, but… this was very different from what it had been like when he had been alive before. His recollections were shattered, his memories were so vague he could have dreamed a past life, but he felt certain he had existed before. Shaking the wet, silvery strands of hair, he tried to push all his thoughts away. It would be tiresome to think on a moment like this. He was alive and right now he would need a warmer place before he'd freeze. He wasn't very sensitive to cold air and the leather seemed to dry fast, but he was shivering and started marching, feeling no fear. There was a tunnel on one of the walls of the crater and boldly he marched through it, his eyes narrowing when it was suddenly bright after the darkness. It seemed he was on a glacier. The child had absolutely no idea where he was, but that didn't bother him much because his vision was excellent and in the distance he could see smoke. Smoke meant a house and a house meant warmth, so off he went, ignoring the annoying snowflakes that kept clinging to his silvery front hair. He marched through the whiteness, the coldness, and gritted his teeth when there was a soft pile of snow that made his boot get stuck for a moment. Unfortunately, by the time he got his boot free, the smoke had vanished and he could only hope it had indeed been a house and not just a hallucination. Still, with determination, he kept marching.

He was so light that the ice and snow easily held his weight and he had no trouble walking. The silver boy in black leather only stopped when he was at the first house he could find. There had to be someone inside because one of the windows had mist and mist meant there was warmth inside the house. Otherwise, everything was quiet, so quiet it was almost difficult to believe anyone would be here despite there were more houses a little further away. With force he knocked on the door. It was really cold now and his hair had turned into icicles. He would kick and bang the door until someone opened it, or else… he would take the whole door down and enter the house by force.

Frustrated, Hojo was on the verge of giving up for another evening. A pile of notebooks, charts, disks and other items had been tossed to one side while more lay in drawers that had been hastily pulled out and let fall to the floor. The place was certainly not getting any neater the more the professor rummaged around, seeking an answer. Something that meant he would not have to begin a dangerous trek north to look for something that might not even be there.

A rather loud knock on the door froze him in his tracks and he turned to look very slowly round, as though the mere act of turning his head would betray his presence to whoever it was outside. Could it be Turks come to find him? He sincerely hoped not. While his actions at the controls of the Mako cannon could be called 'suspicious', he had hoped that it would not be noted in the wake of the explosion that had destroyed the top floor of Shinra Tower… and presumably killed Rufus along with it. Either way, he wasn't going back. Not until he had finished what he'd come to do.

Resisting the urge to call out, "Who's there?" Hojo glanced to the windows to see if anyone was peering in at him. If they were, he would only see shadows as the windows were, rather thankfully, misted up with condensation. He smirked bitterly to himself as he remembered the day he'd killed Gast in that very room. Wouldn't that be hilarious to be discovered in much the same manner...? He kept his eyes on the door, muttering under his breath, "Go away. There's nobody here."

Kadaj was extremely impatient, his moods of a child, and veiled with such determination it was more the type of a spoiled only child. When his banging gave the result of a silent voice telling him to go, his eyes narrowed with frustration. His hearing was excellent, better than an ordinary human's. Surely there was someone inside if that someone told him there was nobody there. Glancing around to see if there were better options, his childish determination seemed to only strengthen when the voice didn't urge him to enter. Giving the door a kick, he closed his eyes and imagined what it might look on the inside. It was most likely warm and nice, a fireplace and something warm to drink. As he opened his eyes and was about to knock, he noticed to his horror that his arms had turned into black mist. Hastily looking at his feet, he realised he had become a cloud of mist. How it was possible he could still look at himself while he was in this state was a mystery, but he had no time to start considering because his current condition gave him the perfect way to get inside the house.

And so the black mist dived through the keyhole, some of the mist slithering past the doorframes. The room wasn't nearly as cozy as he had imagined, but now that he was on the inside, his body soon became visible again, naked skin of a boy before the mist formed a skin-like leather shelter. "But it's really cold outside…" he told the stranger man and simply looked at him, pleased by having been so magical he had managed to come inside despite he'd been told not to. "You lied…" he informed the man and stepped closer, tilting the silvery head which covered nearly half of his face, "… You're here." Not even one single cell in his body was scared of the stranger. After all he had a pretty sword resting against his lower back and, despite he was a lot shorter and so small compared to the adult figure, he felt as if they had met, as if there was something familiar in the eyes which were staring at him. It was funny though, because he was sure he'd remember if he had ever seen a funny-looking man like that.

In the somewhat sullen silence that followed the knock, Hojo stood very still, his eyes never leaving the door. Just as he thought that the stranger outside had given up, there was a loud impact against the door that made him jump. The person outside must have kicked it. He braced himself for the sound of another impact… expecting the door to be kicked in… but nothing happened. Maybe the person had given up and that kick had simply been them venting their frustrations at going unanswered..? Yes, that sounded very plausible. Very childish too. He felt immensely relieved. It must have been one of the local children come to chance their arm. All the same…

He was just in the act of leaning forward, the intention being to step towards the door to listen for the sound of retreating footsteps crunching away in the snow… but he never took the first step. With his eyes still firmly locked upon the door, the elder scientist saw everything and was alarmed. Black smoke… black mist... Thinking it some form of poison or something equally as sinister, he stepped back and watched as the eerie substance poured through the keyhole and pooled upon the floor, rising and forming into the shape of... a boy.

The boy spoke in the tones of a petulant child and, as he stepped closer, Hojo stepped back. Well back. He'd seen something that he couldn't explain and as such it was frightening. A boy in strange clothes had materialised out of nowhere. The words the boy spoke to him were just as unnerving. He had a firearm in one of the drawers... if he could only get to it... "Stay back."

The very young remnant halted in mid-step, obeying the old male simply because he could tell the human body was as tense as a bow string, tense in fear, and it confused Kadaj. Wasn't he small and harmless? How could someone be intimidated by him? Not that he didn't enjoy the feeling of power it gave him. His lips pursed slightly as he pondered on what to say, then he spread his gloved palms to show they were empty, no firearms or knives hidden inside his tiny fists. Reluctant to shift his eyes from the stranger, he suddenly asked, "Don't you have a fireplace here? I'm cold." The place was messy; there were papers and files here and there, as if something had been searched in a hurry.

In his opinion there was nothing strange about demanding something from a stranger. He was shivering and wanted a seat by a fireplace, preferably this instant, and something to eat too, the silver boy was hungry. "I want a fireplace." Standing still, he crossed his arms over his chest, shoulders tense as he was trying to stay warm, almost hugging himself. The man had funny glasses, and the white jacket brought another question on the curious remnant tongue, "Are you a doctor?"

Hardly blinking, the older man watched as the child spread its arms with the hands open to indicate that he meant no harm… All very well and good but people didn't just form from black mist everyday now, did they? The question about the fireplace jolted him from his thoughts about putting a bullet between this... creature's eyes. The way it came out just sounded so odd when compared to the situation. Oddly ordinary. Then it came out as a demand. Only not a threatening one. All this child had to do was stamp his foot and the picture of a spoiled brat would be complete. How perverse.

Frowning, Hojo nodded slowly and answered uncertainly, "Uh… Yes... I didn't light it..." He hadn't lit it because he hadn't wanted to be found. Only, that hardly mattered now and it was actually quite chilly. Finding he was relaxing somewhat, likely due to confusion at being confronted with a brat instead of a Turk, Hojo looked about for something to light the fire with. He was reluctant to burn the papers, regardless of how useless they were to him - that was against his nature. He looked back at the other question. Even though he had never met this person before, he was reluctant to give him whole answers. "Not exactly."

"You look like a doctor…" Despite his curiosity wasn't satisfied so easily, the little silver nightmare was suddenly smiling a bit now that he saw the human body relax somewhat. On his lips, it looked somewhat mischievous. Wasting no time at all, he marched over to a table and grabbed some of the papers then walked over the abandoned fireplace and stuffed the papers in, so fast in his movements the man wouldn't have been able to stop him. Straightening his back, he turned to the adult with questioning eyes, "But… how can we light it?" He would recognise a lighter or matches if he saw them, but he couldn't see any, so he returned to the table and started opening the drawers, determinedly seeking for matches. "I'm hungry," he whined while emptying a drawer on the floor, pens and papers covering the cold wooden floor. When no matches were found, he stopped and again looked at the stranger, simply staring with a naïve, childish wonder, expecting the man to do something to make him feel less hungry and less cold. His hair was melting even though it wasn't very warm in the house, drops of water kept drip-dropping down his shoulders and onto the floor.

Rolling his eyes at the boy's response, Hojo was quite prepared to start lecturing about how there were many different factions of people who wore white coats. He really had no patience with children. They always said the first thing that popped into their heads without taking the time to actually process what it was they were about to say. However, before he'd so much as opened his mouth to do so, the little creature was mobile and grabbing fistfuls of papers… papers he hadn't had time to look at yet… and putting them into the fireplace! Naturally, being a man of knowledge, Hojo was rather outraged at such sacrilege. "Hey! You can't burn those!" As he bent to pull the papers out, the scamp was already up and away, whining about being hungry. Making a mess.

If he wasn't still nervous of that strange ability of his, Hojo might have given the boy a smack on the side of the head and told him to get lost. As it was, he could only glower from where he was knelt, busy pulling papers back out and smoothing them out from where the boy's nasty little paws had crumpled them up. Ugh... The professor supposed that he would have to feed this brat to get it to shut up for a few minutes. As he looked at the boy though, he was aware of something. He was fairly certain that he had never seen such a child before… but he seemed very familiar. Brushing the thought aside for the moment, glaring at the droplets of water that dotted the floor, Hojo straightened himself up and forced himself not to raise his voice. "If you're hungry, I will get you something. Just stop what you're doing for a moment." He hadn't a lot of food – Just enough really to keep himself going as he worked late at night... but he had to do something to placate this brat.

The remnant was thinking very little, except that he wanted food and a lit fireplace. And a blanket, a pillow and something hot to drink, maybe a nap and a fairytale. His mood was dropping quickly and he felt strangely itchy, somehow very uncomfortable despite the leather had dried up already, almost as if his very blood had been tingling and not in a pleasant way. Restless, agitated, a tiny frown appeared on his pale forehead even when he heard a promise of food. Having absolutely no idea why he felt so anxious, he gritted his teeth slightly, shifting weight from one foot to another.

What a terrible brat indeed, Kadaj watched the man smooth the papers he'd stuffed in the fireplace and could tell from the tone that he had done something bad. Was he sorry? Not one bit. It annoyed him that the man took the papers back – by this rate the fireplace would never be lit and he might freeze to death. Crouching to grab some papers from the floor, he walked right over to the Doctor-looking man, and began stuffing the papers in the fireplace with the same type of determination that someone might use to summon a supernova, declaring, "It's cold here! Where are the matches?!" With his moods, the tiny remnant was a ticking time bomb and he was on the verge of grabbing the pretty twin blade and turning the furniture into firewood.

Quite shocked at this display of insubordination, the older man's hands itched to grab the little monster and give him a sound thrashing. Strange capabilities or no, Hojo was fast running out of what little patience he had. He snapped as he folded the papers he'd managed to rescue and put them into the pocket of his coat, bending once more to collect what the boy was putting in and rescue them too. "I'll get the matches in a moment!" The matches were in a cupboard nearby… but he certainly wasn't going to tell this little demon that.

Patience spent at last, he took a firm grip of the boy's arm in order to stop him from putting any more of the papers in the fireplace - his need to preserve knowledge taking precedence over everything else. He'd quite failed to notice the sword that hung from the boy's back. Since the boy was small, he did not suspect it to be anything so threatening and had been, in any event, much more preoccupied with the fact that the boy had formed out of black mist.

The little silver demon wasn't expecting the human to grab him and for a moment he got caught staring at the human face, eyes widening until the strangest feeling coursed through him; familiarity, as if they had met. Pulling his arm free with force, he growled, "No!" He wasn't aware of the change in his eyes as the colour suddenly turned into bright mako-turquoise, the feeling of familiarity so strong he couldn't ignore it. There was no sudden memory flashback, only the feeling that they had met and it confused him, bringing his emotions into a blur. With one swift move he reached for the Souba and pulled it out, pointing the edges of the twin blade at the human, "You know who I am! Don't you?"

Despite he couldn't actually remember ever meeting this man, they had to share some sort of history. Kadaj was angry and confused, not able to put the pieces together. Quickly, the anger dissolved like black mist and he relaxed, letting the blades droop towards the floor like tired flowers, "Do you know who I am?" He hadn't seen any sign of recognition when he had entered the house. Placing the Souba back in its sheath he took a small step backwards, if only to prevent the human grabbing him again. Maybe he was insane. He felt very strange and the feeling only seemed to get stronger the longer he spent time in this human's presence. He didn't like to be touched by a stranger; that much he did know. If he had known himself even a bit better, he would have known he was a remnant of Sephiroth and would have understood that it wasn't Kadaj who had met this man. Instead, he only felt the vague memory of the SOLDIER no1.
Soon as the anger vanished, he started feeling slightly embarrassed for his strong reaction and looked at his toes. He was bold by nature and wouldn't easily feel regret for anything he did. But still he was so very young and so very lost, guided by those strange emotions that kept crawling underneath his skin. "I'm cold," He muttered.

With strength and speed that should not be possible for a mere child, Hojo felt the boy's arm rip free from his grasp and fairly flinched as he found himself staring down the length of a very sharp-looking weapon. Multiple questions formed in his head. Questions as to who this boy was, why he carried a sword and who had trained him... but something else came forward and drowned the others out. As the boy insisted that the professor knew who he was, as those eyes changed, a flicker of recognition passed through his mind. Strong recognition. He said nothing; too shocked to speak for fear his throat might get cut.

Almost as soon as it had happened, however, the blades of the sword – the Souba – were drawn back and sheathed again as the boy's anger died down and the small form of the child stood back. Still very tense, Hojo kept his eyes trained on the boy. He was quite a pitiful little creature the way he stood there, saying that he was cold. Pitiful but incredibly volatile, as it turned out. As he stared, the professor was following the threads of recognition to find where they led. The eyes had surprised him the most and were triggering other thoughts. As he stared fixedly at the boy who stood once more looking miserable and cold, he found other details leaping out at him.

The ice in the boy's hair had melted leaving it wet and glistening... but a colour that he had not expected to see again. It was silver. In his considerable lifetime, Hojo had only known of one person to possess such a colour of hair. That anger... The way it had flared... As the threads he followed converged and led towards a conclusion, there was a stabbing sensation in his body like dozens of pins were either driving themselves in or trying to drive themselves out. At the same time, the colours in the room began to change. Outlines blurring and sharpening as shadows darkened and highlights brightened. Then it stopped. Just as suddenly as it began, it stopped and he was left breathless. In one hand, papers that had been so recently rescued and smoothed out were crumpled tightly into a ball.

The curious, cat-like eyes returned to the stranger when no reply came but what Kadaj saw was unexpected. There was an expression on the man's face, or not quite an expression, more like another spirit had entered the room, like there had been a ghost present. And as if the said ghost had stepped in between them, Kadaj could see the colour in the man's eyes become brighter, going from the dark into what he would call 'morning meadow green'. The said eyes were staring towards Kadaj but it seemed as if they were looking at someone else – a ghost. The moment was sudden and very short, only lasting for seconds, before the ghost vanished and the man's eyes took their usual colour. The remnant had very sharp senses and noticed everything; the way the human body was tense, clearly having been holding his breath, and knuckles gone white around the papers he'd been holding. So the man did recognise him now. They had met, they weren't complete strangers.

The curiosity alone was enough to leave Kadaj's eyes bright and his childish mind felt no fear. It didn't cross his mind the man might not be an ordinary human and, even if it had, Kadaj wasn't afraid of unnatural things. Sensing no threat whatsoever, his boiling curiosity made him step closer, eyes narrowing gently as he approached the mystery. Whatever the human had been feeling just now had been near fear and, despite Kadaj's brain was undeveloped (and would forever stay less developed than an average human's), he was not stupid. It was very easy to tilt his head innocently, steps slow like he was approaching a scared animal, his tone gentle, "My name is Kadaj… And we've met before…" Halting only when he was close enough to touch, he stared up at the human face, straight into the dark pits of the brown eyes, "…haven't we?"

Blinking away the aftermath of what had happened, finding that everything had returned to normal, Hojo needed a moment to gather his wits and found that the child was approaching him. He wasn't certain that it really was a child anymore and was incredibly on-edge as the boy, Kadaj, came slowly forwards. A part of the elder scientist's mind scoffed in contempt at the idea that he could be approached in such a manner. Like some cornered beast that might lash out at the slightest provocation. However, it was an apt comparison. The expression on Kadaj's face was unnerving. The eyes were alight with curiosity. One would nearly think that there was no harm in him at all and they would be foolish for even considering it.

Hojo had just about gotten his breath back when Kadaj stood before him, gazing upwards like an innocent little urchin. Hojo frowned at the question. It was true that the boy reminded him very, very strongly of someone he'd known all too well.. but the name was unfamiliar. He searched his memory and found nothing. "I don't know. I'd definitely remember a name like that.. Kadaj.." He was being trivial, still trying to process what he'd felt before. Just as he'd made the connection to Sephiroth, his body had been wracked with pain. Surely it wasn't possible? The resemblance was there, though. Chancing it, he spoke uncertainly. If he didn't introduce himself, he might find his head struck from his shoulders, regardless of how harmless the child appeared at that moment. "My name is Professor Hojo. It's.. nice to meet you."

Kadaj's lips pursed slightly as he stared up at the human; then echoed experimentally, "Professor?" He had absolutely no idea what the difference between a doctor and a professor was, "What does a Professor do?" His lips formed a small 'o' of utter wonder and his gaze slipped down to the human hand clutching some papers. Reaching out to pull them from the human hand, he tried to read what was written on them but, despite he could understand the letters; he had no idea what the words meant and offered the papers back before once again staring at this strange human. He wasn't quite sure if Professor Hojo was telling the truth when he claimed it was nice to meet Kadaj.

While the silver nightmare was staring into the deep brown eyes, his mind was twirling the idea of the brown morphing into green again. What had caused it? Had Kadaj somehow made it happen? Was Kadaj that magical that he could change someone's eye colour? Most likely not, so he ended up asking, "Can Professors make magic tricks?" The little remnant loved magic, it was so exciting. Anything unusual was interesting to him. Ordinary things were dull and boring, and he hated boring things. Needless to say, this energetic little remnant got very easily bored.

He was so pleased to have gained some knowledge; that they hadn't met before, and that he was with a magical Professor, he wanted the Professor to like him. Instantly doing what he thought would seem adorable to anyone, he tilted his silvery head cutely and batted his eyelashes, purring, "Will you light the fireplace now, Professor?" The human had stolen his attention in a way that rendered him empty from all other feelings.

His brow furrowed in thought and renewed suspicion of this strange child, Hojo considered the question and wondered if this Kadaj was genuinely seeking an answer or just trying to make him drop his guard. The look on the boy's face seemed genuine enough. As a small, gloved hand tugged at the papers still tightly clutched in his own, Hojo loosened his grip and watched as Kadaj tried and apparently failed to make sense of them. He answered as best he could; having to amend his answer as he recalled this creature's childish nature. "A professor professes. It means to teach.. but we do other things."

When the papers were offered back, Hojo took them and wasn't pleased to find that the green eyes were staring up at him. Something else that he didn't like about children was the fact that they had a weird tendency to stare at people like they'd somehow figure it out if they stared long enough. The professor's usual tactic was to stare back and glower, snap at the person and ask if they needed assistance, only he was nervous of antagonising the child and having those blades turned on him again. As such, he looked away to the sides when he found that he couldn't maintain eye contact for very long.

He was somewhat taken aback by the next question as it sounded so utterly random. He hadn't a clue what Kadaj meant by magic and less of an idea why the boy was asking him about it. As such, he pulled a face that reflected just how ridiculous that question sounded to him. Before he'd thought of a suitable answer to that utterly childish question, the boy was asking him in a rather disarming fashion if he would light the fire. Kadaj spoke in the sweet tones of a child who wanted something, but that volatile anger only made him sound dangerous. All the same, there was definitely some genuine naivety there.

The elder scientist looked to the papers in his hand before putting them in his pocket with the rest. He spoke as one who was too weary to argue anymore – too confused by it all to think of anything else to do. "I'm not sure what you mean by 'magic tricks' but I'll light a fire, since you're so adamant about it." Keeping his gaze on the child from the corners of his eyes, Hojo went to the corner to find an easily-missed box meant for firewood. It was still half-full and the wood would catch quickly. He picked up an armful and transferred it to the fireplace, setting about building it into a pile that would catch easily if lit from within.

The tiny silver head could tell the adult felt uncomfortable at his staring and, despite he felt like staring, he tried to instead concentrate on looking at the tie and the white jacket, even the bulge on the pocket where the papers had been stuffed. Idly he wondered if all teachers wore white coats like that.

The curious emerald eyes followed the Professor as he went to get some wood. Noticing a moment where he could shine, he trailed the Professor to the box and grabbed a huge pile of logs to show off how strong and useful he was. He could barely see from behind the enormous pile as he followed Hojo over to the fireplace, then dropped the pile on the floor so the wood would be close-by when needed. Flashing a little smile, he looked up at the human, ever so pleased the fire was now catching the wood, creating an instant aura of warmth, the heat seeping into the black leather and making the remnant feel relaxed and satisfied at having his wish made true.

His question about magic tricks had been pretty much avoided but he insisted, wearing a bright, eager expression, "I can do magic… I can turn into mist." It was true he could turn into mist but he had only done it once; and even then by accident, so he wasn't absolutely certain he could do it again. The need to impress was bigger than that though, so he added, "Want to see?"
Without waiting for an answer, the boy turned and marched over to a couch, pushed it all the way over to the fireplace before hesitantly grabbing a human hand and tugging at it as he climbed on the couch, nearly pulling the adult on the couch too. Filled with little questions, he couldn't hold his tongue and asked, "What else do professors do except... teach?" The warmth of the fire was so pleasant, his eyes went nearly shut and, had he been a kitten, he would have purred loudly, "Will you teach me something?" He only wanted to learn something so he could impress the adult.

If he'd been better disposed toward children, Hojo might have laughed at the sight of a tiny boy carrying a pile of wood that was almost as tall as the boy himself. As it happened, he wasn't and so merely raised an eyebrow before returning to his task. The fire lit quickly, the dry wood feeding the eager flames and the Professor turned towards Kadaj as if to announce it, only the boy spoke first.

The older man's expression was caught somewhere between bemusement and what appeared to be mild irritation as Kadaj spoke. The child was plainly very pepped up and keen. Hojo wondered if that was all a result of the fire being lit. Strange child. The mention of the boy turning to mist again piqued his interest somewhat, though he was reluctant to call it 'magic'. "I wouldn't mind seeing it again, if you would be so kind." He spoke quietly enough in subdued tones when compared to the bright and chirpy tones of Kadaj. Such was his way when confronted with what he would deem to be an overbearing personality.

Needless to say, his voice was more-or-less drowned out by the sound of the couch as it made its swift, scraping progress along the floor. The boy was deceptively strong as well as agile. That was underlined when Kadaj fairly pulled him forwards to sit down. Hojo predicted that he would soon be bombarded with yet more questions and was correct. He had many of his own but, judging from the way Kadaj had looked over the pages before, the Professor severely doubted that the boy would be able to give him any of the answers he sought.

Hojo took a deep breath and tried to settle his nerves so that he would not sound too disgruntled. On the bright side, being disgruntled was distracting him from being afraid of this little creature. He again took in the sight of the green eyes, silver hair, dark leathers and Souba. Then he answered at last, trying to patiently dumb it down for the benefit of a child. Being in possession of a considerable ego, he was also very, very mildly flattered at being asked. "They learn a great many things and gather as much information as they can about whatever it is interests them. The idea is to pass it on for those who will come after. My field is science, therefore I am a scientist. Do you know what science is?"

Ever so pleased to have been asked to show how talented he was, the remnant smiled and encouraged, "Watch…" As if the human might miss it if all eyes weren't on him. Closing his eyes the boy concentrated on thinking he was just mist and nothing else, but when he opened the cat-like eyes to see the results, there was mist alright but only the leather had turned to mist and with a mortified expression he stared down at his naked body. Closing his eyes and growling as he concentrated again, thinking he wanted to be somewhere else, somewhere else completely, and how he moved around, he cracked one eye open to see if it worked and indeed his arms had turned into mist. The moment was brief because as soon as his concentration quivered, his body took its usual form. It required a lot of energy from such a tiny remnant, and he felt tired and hungry, but was far too pleased to get distracted.

Grinning and beaming with joy, he asked, "Did you see it?! I was mist!" Releasing a small insane laugh which soon died, he took the human hand he'd been tugging earlier, and held it with his tiny paws, turning it around to study it. It was a huge hand compared to his own. Huge and wrinkled. Losing his interest on the hand, he remained holding it while taking a better seat, nearly blocking the fire warmth from the human as he sat his back turned towards the flames so he could only observe the man, bent knees resting against the human side, and curious jade eyes travelling from the funny glasses to the dark hair. It was long enough that he wanted to grab the strands and tug it, feel if it was soft or coarse, but he refrained in the fear of angering the amazing Professor.

Shaking his silvery head slightly at the question, he asked, "Is science where you study stars and the universe?" Pursing his lips slightly and tilting his head, he added, "So… you're not a doctor at all? You just study something and then… teach it?"

The peculiar child entreated him to watch and that was exactly what Hojo intended to do. He didn't want to miss a moment and narrowed his eyes in anticipation. A few seconds later, his eyes widened as the mist rose from the boy like smoke from a fire that has been doused with water. However, he could still see the boy's silvery head of hair – and everything else – ergo he wasn't fully diffused. After that brief moment of embarrassment, Hojo saw and heard how Kadaj tried harder to succeed. As the boy uttered a little growl and his body began to diffuse into black mist, Hojo watched with utter fascination. He had to blink several times as his eyes began to itch very subtly the longer he watched.

The tiny creature was ecstatic for having succeeded. His laugh was almost explosive in the way it started and ended abruptly. In spite of himself, Hojo began to find this odd boy vaguely amusing. "Yes, I saw. That's quite extraordinary." While he didn't exactly appreciate how he had his hand examined or found himself stared at, he found it vaguely amusing to think that this Kadaj could be so easily entertained. Honestly, one would nearly think the tiny thing had never seen an adult before the way he carried on. That couldn't be so though.. could it?

As he puzzled this latest train of thought, Hojo grew much more aware of the itch in his eyes. It hadn't gone away and was making his vision cloud up. Maybe he was tired. As the small person seated right up next to him pontificated, the Professor sighed and took his glasses off so that he might rub the itch from his eyes and take a second to form his answer. "Science has many different branches of study. What you just described is one of them. It's called 'astronomy'. And, on the contrary, I actually know a great deal about medical science. I just don't practice as a doctor."

He really wasn't going about it the right way – far more used to dealing with colleagues. He looked round at Kadaj as he polished his glasses on his sleeve, still trying to remain patient. The boy appeared very slightly blurry but not so much that Hojo couldn't see the eager little spark of curiosity that danced in the widened, green eyes. "What I do is gather as much knowledge as I can and try to see if I can learn anything new based on what I already know. If I learn something new, I write it down and then the person who comes after me can either try to disprove it or follow on from what I've done. That's what I meant by 'teaching'. Hmm... I don't suppose that you've ever heard of SOLDIER, have you?" Considering how young Kadaj looked, Hojo doubted it. But the resemblance to Sephiroth made him wonder.

Even if Kadaj had seen humans or adults and had been around them, there was no way of telling. He couldn't remember a single thing from before the time he stepped out from that black pond. Of course he had to have lived before – how else could he know so much, know words and their meaning? Still in his childish way, the Professor was now the first person he had met after being born and Kadaj still hadn't figured out the goal for his life. He didn't have any plans, he didn't think about tomorrow and all this time he was living in this moment, the Professor giving him plenty of excitement and things to concentrate on.

With a tiny smile, the remnant was observing each move the man made when the glasses were taken away from that adult nose. Perhaps he was imagining it but the brown eyes seemed greener now. Nodding in understanding he imagined he understood everything, in his mind's eye seeing the Professor read books and make notes. 'Science' was a rather difficult word to comprehend, but an excited smile soon twisted his lips, "Yes, I know what a soldier is!"

Jumping up from the couch, he declared, "Look, I'm a soldier!" With one smooth move, his left hand had pulled out the dangerous double-bladed Katana – the remnant of the once great Masamune – and, placing one foot in front of the other, he tensed his body, holding the pose of a knight who was about to kick someone's ass. As if he was waiting for an invisible enemy to make the first move, he stood perfectly still for a few seconds before jumping, doing a small back flip in the air, landing on both feet like a flexible cat and twirling, the twin blades cutting the air while the flames reflected golden shadows from them. When he came to a sudden, perfect stop, the blades halting on the invisible enemy's neck, he stated, "Soldiers are fighters. I'm a soldier."

Despite he again only wanted to impress, he did feel a tiny tug of the realization that he was very good at this, he was born to hold the sword. Slowly turning until the blades were directed at the Professor, he smirked and asked, "Am I not amazing?" To prove how skilled he was, he brought the blades so very close to the human neck. He could almost feel the heartbeats travelling along the metal and up his arm. The cat-like eyes were glued on the human ones but soon shifted over to the pale neck. The Adam's apple was teasing him – he didn't understand what it was and wanted to touch it. So, extending the blades just a tiny bit, he brought the metal in contact with the fragile skin. At the first gentle touch, the skin broke instantly and a tiny bead of blood emerged, causing the remnant to hastily place the Souba back in its sheath.

Climbing to the couch to study the tiny wound, as a reflex he brought his face closer and suddenly licked the blood off. Lick, lick. Like a kitten lapping tongue on cream. As he pulled away to study the results, something miraculous happened. Something which he might not ever witness again, not on the same type of context at least; the wound healed on its own.
The emerald eyes were wide as he looked up at the Professor's face, gasping, "I healed it."

Yes, he had healed it, but he would never heal someone else's wound again – unless it was geostigma. The remnant could not heal a person but his DNA allowed him to heal whenever he got a smaller wound. Remnants were nearly immortal, even at death they didn't bleed, simply went to rest in the dark Lifestream until they would wake up again and return. The fact that this tiny wound had sealed itself must have been the effect of Kadaj's DNA reacting to the Jenova's cells which the Professor had once injected himself with.

From the moment Kadaj declared that he knew what 'a soldier' was as opposed to what 'SOLDIER' was, Hojo knew that there was little point in asking any more. However, he did yearn to ask if Kadaj had ever in his presumably short life heard of Sephiroth. He didn't get the chance as the small boy demonstrated almost frightening prowess with the twin-blade he carried. 'Born with a sword in his hand,' so the saying went. The Professor didn't know just how right he was when those words crossed his mind. Sephiroth had been a natural too after his early training. The similarities just kept on coming.

The elder was very impressed but it turned swiftly to alarm when the shining blades were leveled at him. Though he leaned back, the points of the sword just followed as the tiny creature in black gazed up at him. The metal of the Souba seemed to be singing from when Kadaj had made it dance through the air. It was as if it cut the very draught of warmth from the fireplace that permeated the room. Hojo had to seriously resist the urge to swallow or do anything that might mean he would get cut. So sharp was the sword that Hojo didn't feel it pierce his skin.

What alerted him was the way the boy sheathed his sword, a look of vague puzzlement or concern on his face. Hojo couldn't see it as clearly as he hadn't yet placed his glasses back. He winced as Kadaj leaned in and he felt a small, wet tongue against his throat along with a small sting. He had been cut after all. "Ugh!" He glared at Kadaj for being so intrusive and might have struck him but for the fact the boy would probably kill him on reflex or just for fun. Clearly Kadaj was quite unhinged. Nonetheless, he ran his fingers over the supposed wound site, seeking blood but finding only some saliva. He put his glasses back on despite that annoying itch in his eyes, which had only gotten worse after being licked, and looked at the boy proper. "Why did you do that? You could have taken my head off!" The Professor really didn't want to die at the hands of this boy.

Still not psychologically developed enough to feel any kind of compassion or empathy (and this specific area in his personality might not ever develop), the tiny silver boy only got worried when his new friend's tone changed. It was obvious he'd done something wrong and his expression fell, pale lips taking a small pout as he dropped his gaze down to his lap. All he really wanted; was to receive attention, to feel accepted by this stranger who had in short moments become important to him. The urge to cry was overwhelming, the tone and words of the Professor still stinging somewhere deep down. With a quivering lower lip, he collapsed against the Professor's chest, sliding the slender arms around the waist to get close and pressing his cheek against the human chest. Blinking to get rid of the tears which now started rolling down his cheeks, he listened to the heartbeats. His fingertips were digging to the man's back in the fear of being pushed away.

Quietly, he whimpered, "I wouldn't have cut your head off." He didn't have a proper reply to why exactly he had done what he did. The boy was insane, someone else's insanity coursing in his veins and, combined with how child-like he was, there was always the possibility of unexpected, irrational things happening. It would be just pure luck if he didn't cause a huge mess unintentionally. So afraid of saying the wrong thing and not pleasing the adult, he remained quiet and sobbed. He could have apologised, but it wasn't something he would often do, and saying that right now didn't even cross his mind. Feeling broken and incomplete, he was afraid of weeping, thinking it might annoy the male further, but he couldn't control the tears that kept pouring down and soaked the Professor's shirt.

The last thing, the very last thing that Professor Hojo expected was to see the expression that formed on Kadaj's face. The mischievous smile dropping and tears welling up in the corners of the wide, green eyes. As soon as the boy began to look down, Hojo nearly felt like cursing. Oh no. The brat was going to start crying. Though this was good news in a way, since it meant the Souba wasn't coming out again, it wasn't great either. Hardly the greatest father, the Professor would rather leave the room than be faced with a weeping child. Kadaj made his mind up for him by latching on and starting to sob.

At first, Hojo did nothing. Merely sat and stared at the top of the silvery head that pressed against him. He felt the boy's tears upon his skin and the tiny fingers dug into his back as the little thing cried into him. The Professor mentally announced that he was getting too old to be dealing with this nonsense, disregarding the fact that he'd never had to deal with it in the first place. The point was that he had a strange boy clinging to him and he wouldn't stop crying unless something was done. Hojo reviewed his movements up until that point. Having witnessed a child form from mist, had a sword turned on him twice, been cut once by the aforementioned sword, licked, pawed at and bombarded with questions, he decided that he had reacted reasonably. Still, it wouldn't stop Kadaj from crying, would it?

Slowly, hesitantly, he lifted one of his hands and brought it round to gently pat the top of the tiny boy's silver head. He supposed he had spoken rather sharply.. Under the circumstances, he reckoned it was fair enough for the boy to cry. If anything, it meant he still hadn't lost his touch. "There, there.. I'm uh, sure you didn't mean it."

As soon as the human hand landed on the silver silk strands, the little remnant calmed down, both by the gesture and by the gentle heartbeats that were caressing his eardrum like a lullaby. Sniffing once more he took a deep breath, and relaxed his hold on the man, now embracing him gently instead of clinging in emergency. Strangely he wanted to stay right there, it was warm and comfortable, and he almost wanted to fall asleep.
Slowly tilting his head in an attempt to see the adult's face, he muttered, "Could you make me something to eat?" The boy was starving, but instead of throwing around his usual commands, he did his best to be likable and easy, trying not to give another reason for the man to get heated or snappy.

Knowing he'd have to let go to allow the human to get up, he silently released his hold and pulled away a little to observe the Professor's expression. There seemed to be a strange green colour still mixed in the brown eyes, but Kadaj could have been imagining it, so subtle it was, as if the jade colour was lurking and looming, waiting for a chance to take over. Hoping to encourage the man to make him something to eat, he took his black boots off and got up, walking slowly towards to the corner where he imagined was a place to cook. There was more than one door in the room, and he couldn't imagine what was behind them. Hmm – maybe a bathroom, or a bedroom, or a proper kitchen. Halting and turning, he stood and waited for the man, calmly watching him through the silver curtain of front hair.

The first thing that Hojo noted was the softness of the tiny boy's hair. This was something he'd never once done before for a child. In a sense, he wondered if this was what Sephiroth's hair had felt like and nearly wished he'd found out when he'd had the chance. As the child relaxed, he tried to push such sentimental thoughts from his mind. There was no point in dwelling on things that he couldn't change. The green eyes regarded him again as the request for food came once more. The professor nodded and spoke bluntly, his mood restored somewhat, "Alright."

The professor watched the child as it released him, looked at him quizzically for a brief moment and then pottered off a distance towards the far end of the room. Plainly, Kadaj wanted him to follow. Checking that the fire would keep for a time, Hojo rose with a slight sigh and walked towards a door that led to the kitchen. Since Gast had stolen a specimen and tried raising a family with her, the kitchen was rather homelier that the main room that doubled as a lab-space. The larder, however, was stocked with what could be described as 'canned rations'. Icicle being no stranger to mountaineers and the Professor having little patience for cooking, these canned goods were ideal.

They were labeled clearly for convenience. Trying to judge just how hungry the little creature that no doubt lurked at his heels was, Hojo selected something that looked like it might be more filling than the usual soup. It was some form of stew with red meat. It would do. He pulled the ring from the can and sniffed at it before showing it to the child. He could heat it up once it was approved. "Do you think you'd eat this?"

The remnant followed the Professor with soft, bare-foot steps, curiously observing each move the man made, pleased to see that there were so many cans of food. He was looking around curiously and wondering what other places the house had. Despite Kadaj did have preferences, he would eat sour and sweet things, lime fruit or lemon, and whip cream, if he could choose. Still, any food was more than welcomed right now. Nodding as soon as the smell travelled into his sensitive little nose, he only took a brief look when the can was showed to him, "Yes, please." Kadaj lacked natural politeness but he was still doing his best to be likable and formed a happy smile on his face, gazing up at the man who was going to rescue him from starving.

Now that he was going to get something to eat, he lost his interest for a moment and went to play scientist, soft footsteps leading over to a table which had papers, books and files on it. Humming as he pretended to be a scientist at work, he started opening the books and files, even taking a pencil so he could make notes. The books were just plain pages of boring text so he moved onto the files, and took his gloves off too because he didn't think scientists wore gloves. The first file was boring, mostly pages of text and pictures of plants and their anatomy, so he opened another one. It was more interesting because it had pictures of a man. In most of the pictures the man looked dead, sleeping on a table with bonds around his feet and arms. And in some he had a golden claw instead of a regular hand, feet golden as well. Raising the picture to show it to the Professor, the boy declared, "Look… that man has golden shoes. Pretty…" Giving one final look to the pictures, he placed the file back on the table and made a few notes on an empty paper, writing down the important stuff like 'Golden shoes' and 'Metallic fingers'.

Losing his interest after making the important notes, he opened another file and it had pictures of another man. Pursing his lips slightly, he looked at the pictures carefully. This man didn't have golden shoes but he had very pretty, long silver hair and, in the pictures where his eyes were open, their colour was very pleasant to Kadaj. All in all the man was very pretty and handsome in Kadaj's opinion. And very tall too. Idly he wondered if he'd look like that when he'd grow up because, just like Kadaj, the man was holding a sword in his left hand in one of the pictures. They also shared the same hair colour. One curious fingertip caressed the nose in the picture, a sharp nose, then the same fingertip rose to stroke Kadaj's funny nub of nose, not sharp nose. Even though they had the same hair colour, Kadaj didn't think they'd ever look identical because their noses were different shapes. Giving a small smile to the man in the picture, he started reading what was said in the file. He became confused quickly because he was reading about Project S and the word SOLDIER was mentioned on one of the pages, which took him back to the question the Professor had asked him before. He had never heard of SOLDIER, but his curiosity piqued and he started reading even though he couldn't understand much.

Hojo noticed at once that the boy had used the word 'please'. It was a far cry from when Kadaj had burst in and begun making demands like he owned the place. Not a bad improvement. The Professor refrained from acknowledging it save for a slight nod, though the child's smile almost made him smile too. Such a simple little creature beneath it all. Give a child food and warmth and it seemed perfectly content. Turning to dig out a small camping stove, since the power to the stove had dissipated long since for whatever reason, Hojo busied himself about getting the small meal heated up.

He effectively ignored Kadaj and got lost in his own thoughts. His eyes were still annoying him and he decided that it must have had something to do with that attack, episode, whatever – as soon as he'd made the connection that Kadaj resembled Sephiroth. He pondered at the possibilities. The likenesses between them were far too present to simply cast off as coincidence. But he didn't know where the child had come from. Come to think of it, he knew very little at all about him, aside from his name. He wondered at who had given the boy such a name.

Interrupted by the precocious voice behind him, he frowned at the mention of 'golden shoes'. His notes and journals – he'd left them on a table. Sure enough, Kadaj was holding up a photograph of another subject of his. Oh, yes. Vincent Valentine. "They certainly were an improvement." A sneer crept onto his face at the memory of shooting that man and augmenting him. Though, he couldn't take all the credit there. She had nearly put the icing on by attempting to save the wretched fool's life. The bastard got what he deserved for getting too close and trying to interfere. Waiting for the stew in the can to start bubbling, Hojo remembered how Valentine had been laid to rest in the depths of Shinra Manor. How a second monstrosity had been left to guard him from anyone who so desired to waken him. It had been fun to set that up just for the heck of it. An elaborate prank crossed with boredom and a desire to set things in motion.

In all honesty, though he'd never thought to see the former Turk again, he'd been glad. Just so he could taunt him about being a monster. He'd been glad right up until the point that those bullets had pierced him while he was in that other form. Were it not for the fact that he'd needed to restore Sephiroth, his son, Hojo might not have cared if he died. Unfortunately, he had underestimated that party of saints and was still paying the consequences. The only reason he'd bothered to share that little nugget of information about his family ties was that he was sure he would defeat them easily. Oh well. Chances were they had already been told, unless Valentine had been too busy brooding.

Lost in such thoughts, he didn't notice that Kadaj had gone quiet. If he had, he would have been suspicious. Instead, he stared into the can atop the stove, not quite seeing it until he could smell it. Then he came back and stuck a fork into it to stir. It seemed about ready.

The little remnant started humming again, still studying Sephiroth's features and comparing them with his own, eventually tip-toeing over to a mirror on a wall. Posing like a mannequin, he turned around and peeked over his shoulder to see if he looked like Sephiroth from behind, then twirled like a ballerina until coming to a halt, trying to see if his movements had anything similar to how Sephiroth held himself in some of the pictures. After all, there had been loads of pictures, ordinary ones and ones where he'd been in a laboratory of some sort. Kadaj couldn't see any resemblance to the tall silver-haired man and thus leaned really close to his own reflection, so close he could have kissed his reflection.

His eyes were light green, a pretty colour – the same colour he'd seen on one picture of Sephiroth. The green eyes were wide as he told his reflection, "When you grow up, Kadaj… you're going to be just like Sephiroth." His reflection looked pleased and smiled a little, so Kadaj touched the surface of the mirror, trying to touch the twin's hair, sliding fingertips down the smooth surface and asked, sounding amused when the reflection smiled, "Yes, you are, you'll become big and strong… Would you like that?" His own reflection nodded enthusiastically. Soon he got bored when the reflection twin didn't speak, so he abandoned it and instead headed where the Professor was cooking.

Standing next to the adult, and looking between the funny stove and the man, he asked, "Can I meet Sephiroth? Is he a SOLDIER?" The name Sephiroth tasted so familiar on his tongue, it could have been his own name, but he was certain he had never met the tall man. He would remember, so handsome the god of silver was. Even thinking about meeting Sephiroth caused a tiny heat in his blood. He assumed it was probably because Sephiroth was so tall and handsome. Just as badly as he wanted to eat, he now wanted to meet Sephiroth, so excited about the idea that most likely he would faint or hyperventilate if they ever met. If only Sephiroth was his brother. Whimpering slightly he clutched at the hem of the Professor's jacket and, looking up at the man, told, "I really have to meet him…"

The first mention of Sephiroth from the small child that had suddenly appeared by his side caused Hojo's arm to jolt and nearly knock the can clear of the stove only that he kept it pinned there in time. Despite the fact that he knew the child was nearby, he was still startled by the sudden sound of a voice right next to him where it had been behind him only minutes ago. He looked down and again noticed the child's bare feet. No wonder he'd moved so silently. "You'll get cold again if you move about with bare feet, you know.." He transferred his attention to the stove long enough to turn it off and then looked back over his shoulder at his notes. The little thing must have read his notes about Project S, then. He idly wondered how much that Kadaj had understood.

A little tug on his clothing brought his gaze back to a rather plaintive-looking Kadaj. He was rather pleased to find that the boy was enthusiastic about meeting Sephiroth. A small swell of pride ran through him as he thought on it. A shame the situation was more complicated. He fetched a bowl down from a cupboard and tipped the contents of the can into it – it would save the small thing burning its fingers, since he didn't seem patient enough to allow the can to cool down. "Come along, Kadaj. I'll tell you of Sephiroth as you eat." He took the bowl in hand, the fork too, and made his way back to the fire. Then he sat down and offered the bowl to the no-doubt ravenous little being. He wouldn't begin until the bowl had been taken and the first few mouthfuls consumed.

Where to start? Not exactly the greatest story-teller, much more accustomed to lying and making reports than speaking plainly, Hojo wondered where to begin. Since it was a child he addressed, he supposed he ought to colour it up a bit. Oddly, he relished the idea at being able to tell a story to someone who was eager to listen. He watched the boy and judged what to say – what to leave out and what to emphasize. "Long ago, this planet was kept by beings who called themselves the Cetra. They are mostly called 'Ancients' by everyone else. They had a belief that all life on the planet was like a river and that the flow of energy was constantly in motion. Life feeding death, death feeding life.. all that nonsense. All very deep and meaningful. Anyway.. about two thousand years ago, something happened and the Cetra began to die out."

At the mention of his feet, Kadaj glanced down at his bare feet, then raised his chin with the defiance of a child who was determined it was nicer without boots. Eagerly following the man like a silver shadow, the boy climbed on the couch and offered his feet towards the fire to get warmer again, hungry hands grabbing the bowl and eyes narrowing with affection because he was very pleased. Excited even to hear about Sephiroth and getting food, there was fire and good company. He couldn't have been happier. Had he been a kitten, his ears would've perked, so enthusiastic he was and the spoon barely touched the food, with such haste he was spooning it into his mouth – not even stopping to munch before swallowing.

The Professor could have just as well said 'I'll tell you after you've eaten', because the bowl was empty in no time and, not wanting for the Professor to pause with the story, the remnant held the bowl in his lap for a while before carefully placing it on the floor, just far enough from his feet so he wouldn't accidentally step on it later. Now that his feet were warm, he pulled them up and turned towards the Professor, sitting on a lotus position. He was just small enough to be able to do that. Staring at the storyteller with intense eyes, he had to bite his lip not to ask questions.

Imagining the Cetras looked like fairies, swimming in their rivers of life and death, silver light and darkness, the boy couldn't hold his tongue and, as soon as the was a pause enough for him to intervene with his silver tongue, he asked, "What happened? Did someone kill them?" His eyes were bright with enthusiasm, the idea of the Cetras dying didn't really bother him, he was more curious about who killed them and how and why. And how did any of this have something do with Sephiroth? Had Sephiroth once been a fairy too? A SOLDIER fairy? He might have seen the word Cetra in a file on the table but couldn't be sure.

Interrupted, Hojo's train of thought derailed for a moment as Kadaj stared up at him with eyes that were bright as two stars. He could tell that the boy was itching to ask questions and that it was likely he'd be interrupted again. He glanced at the empty bowl and vaguely wondered if he ought to offer the child more or finish the story first. In the seconds that he pondered these matters, Kadaj kept staring, waiting for him to continue.

His greatest concern was how much truth he ought to tell. With Sephiroth, he had been very dismissive. With Kadaj? The boy was not Sephiroth.. but they had a connection. What exactly that connection was had yet to be discovered but he would find out. Deciding to work with what he knew Sephiroth must have discovered before going insane, and nothing else, he tried to frame it in a way that Kadaj would both understand and find entertaining to placate him.

"Yes. There was a being that fell from the skies and landed where the Northern Crater is now situated. I'm not sure if you've seen it yet but it's quite vast. The being's name was 'Jenova'." He had to stop again as it felt like a presence other than Kadaj had turned its gaze upon him. Like a shadow had fallen over him from above and whatever cast that shadow was listening closely. Hojo was far from superstitious but he had never told the truth about Sephiroth's birth to anyone save those who had defeated him. Did Sephiroth know before he met his end? Did they tell him? In spite of the fire, he felt a chill and he had to rub at his eyes again. They really were bothering him.

He kept talking as he did so, choosing to ignore it and tell as much as he could before he had to doctor the details in earnest. "There was a conflict of interest between the Cetra and Jenova. We're not sure what happened exactly but what we do know was that the humans that existed at the time hid themselves away in fear. The Cetra were nearly all killed and Jenova disappeared... until she was found again by another scientist."

He puzzled over what to say next, still struggling to decide if he should mention certain people or not. Changing tack, he turned to Kadaj and looked at him with a slight smile for once. "Do you want me to describe her to you?"

Even if Kadaj could have eaten a whole bucket of the tasty canned food, he was too interested in the story to ask for more. That wouldn't stop him from whining later again. Carefully, the remnant studied the human face as he told the story, the child's mind filling with pictures. His eyes widened slightly at the mentioning of a cave, but it would have been too big of a coincidence if he was born from the same cave, so he didn't seriously think it might be the case. Still, the cave of the story looked in his mind exactly like the one from which he had arrived that day.

The silvery head tilted slightly. 'Jenova' was a pretty name. The observant eyes saw the human neck, cheeks and wrists fill with goose bumps, and the tiniest amount of tension was visible in the jaw line, the shape of shoulders. A small frown appeared on Kadaj's pale forehead, and he listened very carefully, almost expecting to hear an invisible guest breathe. What did the Professor see or hear? Kadaj couldn't hear anything and, feeling slightly paranoid, he turned his head just enough to look around the room from the corner of his eye, but he didn't see anything. The fire in the fireplace was crackling happily and the flames would most likely flicker if someone had opened a door or a window somewhere. These kinds of things Kadaj did know, his whole reason of living was built on self-preservation, even though his own personality was in stark contrast with it. Someone else inside his body had great plans and the poor remnant was still completely unaware that his body worked like a seashell for a pearl.

Kadaj's paranoia vanished suddenly when the human man gave a small smile. Watching the smile and returning it, his attention went solely on the man and he wouldn't have noticed even if a whole army of fairies had burst in, "Yes, tell me what she looked like… Was she pretty?"

The innocent question from Kadaj provoked a slightly better grin from the elder. He'd certainly thought that Jenova was pretty. Pretty extraordinary just from a scientific perspective as well as rather easy on the eye. "I still remember the first time I saw her. Her body was found frozen in the North Crater and taken back to one of our laboratories for study. Though she didn't move, she was definitely alive. Just.. dormant after such a long time, I suppose. We kept her safe in a special container while we tried to figure her out. Anyway, I digress..."

He wanted to describe her in full but thought that Kadaj might lose his recent meal if he went as far as mentioning that the creature's organs were located outside the body. Besides, if he was ever going to locate her, it might be better to paint her in a better light in case Kadaj offered to help him. He had a feeling that the boy would. He was getting a definite vibe off the child. All the same, he skirted the exposed organs for the time being. "She had long silver hair, rather like yours, that fell past her waist and it rose behind her head when she was immersed in the tank. She had slender arms and legs and would have been a rather tall lady if she'd been standing rather than floating."

Getting lost in the aesthetics, the Professor spoke as though he was still in awe of her. It had been such a discovery, after all, and Jenova had fascinated him from the word go. "She had a certain kind of cold beauty about her. Maybe because she was found in the ice. Her skin was a peculiar grey-blue but it didn't make her look unsightly, you see. It just lent itself to the fact that she was from another world. She was young-looking, very striking. Her eyes were a glowing pink and were always open. They seemed to look right into you as though she knew you were there.. but they never moved."

He looked at Kadaj and leaned in a little closer as though sharing a secret. Technically, he was. "When we placed her in the tank, some of her hair fell over her face and covered one of her eyes. It made her look mysterious, like she was hiding or even shy. But one of her eyes was always watching." He pointed to the eye that corresponded with Jenova's exposed one – his left eye. He had often wondered what that eye had seen in the creature's long existence.

In the remnant imagination, there was a pretty woman found from the same cave from where he'd been born and the woman had been brought into this very house. He could see how Hojo's eyes became softer, as if he had been fond of the alien woman. Kadaj's stomach couldn't easily be turned upside-down and he wouldn't have thought it disgusting even if he had heard all the strange details. In his mind, a woman with pretty blue skin and long silver silk hair watched with red eyes, seeing everything but deciding it was smarter to not speak because she was more intelligent than humans. On her planet, everyone was as pretty and smart as her. Hearing about the tank didn't cause any stir in the remnant because Kadaj liked water in all its forms and he could easily imagine the blue lady floating inside a tank.

But was she happy to float there and observe the humans that were so stupid in her eyes? Maybe she had tried to speak but no-one had understood her language. Kadaj didn't mind the human proximity but his expression had become serious as he stared at the Professor, now demanding to know, "You didn't hear her voice?" Blinking two times, he added, "What happened to her after she was placed in the tank? Did she like the tank?" He had never heard of a prettier woman, the alien was now the prettiest lady he could imagine. All blue with silver hair as long as a dress to shield her from the humans' curious eyes. And her red eyes always seeing and understanding, but never blinking.

Hojo was taken aback by the sudden change in expression and tone from the child. Kadaj was deadly serious all of a sudden and the questions were hard to answer. "I.. no.. I don't know – She never said anything.." He looked away, nervous now of what to say next. He'd been about to explain in layman's terms about Projects G and S. Mainly S. Those green eyes were still upon him – nearly boring into him, he felt. If he didn't answer he just knew he would be pressed for information.

"Truth be told, we thought we could learn something about her by using some of her cells. We wanted to revive the Cetra race and.. well, it didn't really work." He wanted to get to the point without compromising himself in the process. But Kadaj had seen his notes on Project S. Seen Sephiroth in them. Hojo breathed a deep sigh, staring into the flames ahead of him. Concentrating on how they flickered and danced. "What happened was that Jenova's cells were meant to be used to create a new strain of Cetra, except that we learned later she wasn't a Cetra at all. As I said, it didn't work but we did end up with something truly great indeed. We ended up with a child that had silver hair exactly like his mother's. Silver hair and green eyes. His name was Sephiroth. He was the strongest fighter alive. The company I worked for were fighting a war with Wutai. Sephiroth was sent out and became a hero.. Later, I was put in charge of another project called SOLDIER. Young cadets were injected with Jenova's cells and given Mako to make them stronger. They were very strong... but nowhere near as strong as Sephiroth.."

That presence that hovered felt very, very close. Like it was leaning in closer the more the scientist spoke of his son. Avoiding the whole truth, spinning half-truths in its stead. He still kept his eyes on the flames, avoiding Kadaj's gaze. He didn't know why, but he was made uneasy by the fact that the child had appended emotions to a dormant specimen in a tank. True, Jenova was beautiful and fascinating.. but she was there to be used and she was so useful.

The poor alien lady had probably just wanted to come see what their planet looked like, Kadaj imagined. She must have flown through the cosmos, wings attached to her back because on her planet everyone moved by flying and perhaps they communicated by exchanging thoughts instead of talking, if she had never spoken to the Professor. But the… Kadaj didn't know word for it, the oxygen layer around the planet had burned her wings and so she had fallen into that cave. Wounded and wingless, she must have felt cold and lonely, resting there when all the water and ice froze over her body and kept her as a prisoner until the scientists had found her.

A tiny frown of worry was painted on the remnant's forehead, as he was convinced she hadn't been happy. He wanted her to be happy, he wanted to save her and protect her. And so the unexplainable longing was ignited inside the remnant chest. Barely listening to what was said about Sephiroth, he demanded to know, "When you found her, she was alive… and wounded. Couldn't you heal her?"

The presence the Professor felt could have been Sephiroth's will, rising and infuriated by the fact that Jenova was nowhere in sight. Kadaj's teeth began to grit as his chest ached, an uncomfortable itch spreading underneath his skin. "You put her in a tank, and took her cells without asking her permission.." He accused quietly. It was all becoming clear to him now. This was not a fairy tale with a happy ending.

The only bit that caused him to get confused was the mention of this woman having a son. First there was a pang of jealousy at Sephiroth for having this amazing woman as his mother. Then he recognised the longing as wanting to have her as a mother as well. The emerald eyes were turning bright water turquoise as Kadaj directed his gaze to the flames. Why couldn't he be that woman's son as well? He wanted her, all to himself. He wanted to touch her blue skin and give her everything she wanted, anything to make her happy and be with her forever.

Rubbing his fingertips as the restless feeling kept growing, he turned to look at the adult and demanded, "Where is she now? I want to see her."

Again, he was being asked questions that he could not answer satisfactorily. The Professor pictured the creature known as Jenova as she floated in the tank that encased her, staring endlessly out at the world from beneath a curtain of silver hair. In all honesty, she seemed happy enough in there else she could have made some move to escape. Although, the creature's main drive was self-preservation so it might have been too wary to move for fear of being discovered. Unaware that there was only one Cetra left to oppose it in place of many. Hojo reckoned that if Jenova had moved, all life on the Planet would have ended so very quickly. Humans were stupid beings ruled by fear. She would have conquered them all in a few short months.

However, he could say none of this to Kadaj. The very mention of Jenova being afraid would be sure to set the tiny but nonetheless dangerous child off. That Souba would make very short work of anyone who was unlucky enough to try blocking its swing with their bodies. He could only shrug and shake his head. "We knew nothing about her and she remained dormant, so the most we could do was to keep her safe and monitored in case she showed signs of life. We kept her a secret from everyone, including Sephiroth in case something happened. He only knew her name."

Finding himself accused, the elder's eyes turned to regard the child while the rest of him remained still. Even if Jenova had been awake, in all likelihood, her status as a supposed Cetra would have rendered her body forfeit. They were just lucky to be serving her purpose in a very roundabout way. Again though, he could say nothing to that effect. The child's impatience would have him jump to the wrong conclusion. "Yes. If we'd known to ask, we would have begged her to let us take just a few samples. Such is the way when one is burdened with an overabundance of curiosity. That is the very essence of science – the desire, no, the need to know."

Kadaj turned his head away and Hojo kept watching him, puzzling just how much he would love to know of Kadaj's makeup but for the fact it would be idiotic of him to ask. In any case, he had a much more pressing matter at hand – one that was underlined in triplicate when the boy's head turned back and the eyes blazed that colour from before. The demand caused the scientist's eyebrow to twitch almost imperceptibly. Aside from the cells that were housed within himself, he could only guess as to Jenova's whereabouts. "I have a theory that she may be somewhere in the North Crater.. When Sephiroth learned of her true nature, he wanted to continue her work."

He looked hard at the small boy and figured that he might be able to diffuse the situation somewhat if he changed tack again. Kadaj was clearly taken with the alien and that was all to the good. The looming presence hovered close, like it listened intently. "I'm not really the best story-teller, I fear. Would you like me to tell you a nicer one? About Jenova's mission here?"

The little remnant had been almost ready to jump up and go look for the lovely alien woman. So restless, he nearly squirmed. He wanted to have her so badly he was very close to stomping and declaring that he needed to find her right now. Finally calmed down by the knowledge that she had seemed like she didn't object being in the tank, and that the Professor would have asked her permission, had it been possible, Kadaj managed to suppress the sudden anger he'd felt. He would find her – there was no doubt about it in his mind. After all, Kadaj could somehow understand that science was something important for the adult and he could understand curiosity. Also, he could only believe what he was told, not knowing any better himself. Holding the childish naivety, he would easily believe anything he was told without questioning it.

When the Professor mentioned the Crater, it was just as good as promising to a child that he would get a lollipop. Blinking twice and pointing his left index finger to the direction of where he imagined he had come from, he asked, "Is the Crater... that way?" If it was the same Crater where he'd been in, he would go back there very soon. Maybe that very night. Now that he was starting to relax, firmly believing he would be able to locate the wonderful alien woman, he was starting to feel tired, sleepy after having such an exciting day, so he suddenly keeled over, placing his head on the Professor's lap to use it as a pillow. Looking at the flames reaching towards the ceiling in their endless hopes of freedom, he asked, "Do you want to go look for her with me?"

Nodding slightly in response to the final question, he would be pleased to listen anything related to the pretty alien, "Yes, tell me…" Closing his eyes to enjoy the warmth of the fire, not being hungry anymore, the remnant was very happy to listen any stories he was being told. He could easily listen to them the whole night.

Hojo's answer as to the crater's location was simple, "It's North" but he allowed himself to nod as Kadaj pointed in not quite the right direction but close enough. The boy truly was a strange little creature. So restless and excitable.. though the Professor had to cross his conclusions out as the tiny creature flopped its silver head onto his lap. He flinched and kept his hands clear, unsure where to place them as he found his lap now occupied. Though, he was cheered by the fact that the boy was happy to go to search for Jenova. Did he even have to ask? "I'd like that, Kadaj."

He frowned a little as he puzzled that he couldn't get up without disturbing the boy. Pinned beneath him as one would be pinned under a cat. Not wishing to wake it but liking the option of being able to get up and move. All the same, he was pleased that Kadaj wanted to hear of the creature from the skies. "Well, let me see now. As you know, Jenova fell to ground over two thousand years ago. How exactly she got here is a mystery and why she came, no-one knows, but once she arrived she had important work to do. She could take the form of anyone but we knew her as a pretty woman with silver hair, red eyes and blue skin. I quite forgot to mention this, but we think that she must have had wings because her child also had a wing on one side and it was black."

He figured it was best to stick with the favourite child – Sephiroth – rather than go into the complicated details of Project G. "Anyway, when she came here, she started putting her cells in others so that they might become a part of herself and travel the cosmos with her to visit new worlds. A gift, some would say. Certain people didn't like that idea. They fought her and she disappeared until she was found again frozen in the ice. Sephiroth, her son, thought that her work sounded good. He was angry that she had been mistreated by the Cetra and by the humans who did nothing to help. When he was strong enough, he called Jenova to him and together they tried to finish her work. He called a Meteor to wound the planet enough so that he and his mother could absorb the Lifestream and turn into something far greater. They nearly succeeded too but were stopped. Since then, neither one has been seen again."

Hojo looked seriously down at the small child and ran a finger through the silken, silver strands. "That happened in the North Crater only a short while ago. I am here to find out what happened to Jenova and to see if I can bring Sephiroth back. I am here because I think he was right and I want to help him."

Pleased by the knowledge that he didn't have to go look for her all alone, a tiny smile visited the pale lips. It had never crossed his mind that he might not recognise the alien. He would know when he saw her, no question about it. And he would love her and keep her safe forever. No matter what she looked like, if she was like a chameleon, Kadaj would like her real appearance the best. Idly he wondered if her skin was cold, cool to the touch and very soft, like silk.

The cat-like eyes opened briefly at the mention of wings. It was amazing how well his imagination had worked, it could have been a coincidence… or not.
As the story went further, the details started blurring in the tiny remnant mind – he was so sleepy, too much new information to process. It would be nice to go on a journey with the alien woman, through the cosmos, and maybe Sephiroth could come too, he would like that. And the Professor could come too. But only after they had killed those who had mistreated the alien and caused her to vanish. Despite Kadaj had never killed anyone, the idea of wringing someone's neck didn't feel any stranger than the idea of making tea.

Yawning and stretching briefly, he was more than happy to receive caressing on his hair, so sleepy that the dreams were already clouding his mind. Pleased by the story and what the Professor was telling him, he muttered, "Me too…" Too sleepy to elaborate, he let the dream world suck him in.