"Mother...."

"Mother!!!"

The scream tore through the black night, echoing through the silence and carried away by the wind. The dream was vivid, too real, in fact, and too close for comfort. With a gasp, the man tore off his leather gloves and discarded them, staring intently at his hands. His blue eyes were wide with shock, and in a moment they seemed to flash, the pupils becoming slit like a snake's before returning to normal. Closing his eyes, he balled his fists and buried his head in them.

It was infuriating. The anger, the frustration, it welled up inside, causing pain and agony whenever he looked at his own body. He would never be his own person, yet he undoubtedly was himself. The reincarnation of a failed experiment, an experiment that was feared, more than himself.

Kadaj would never be alone, no matter how far he ran and what he did. He was not feared like Sephiroth, despite being one and the same. It was just a matter of time. Soon they would come to fear him, too, and not the being he was supposed to be.

He looked around him, a grin making its way onto his face. From behind him, two others walked out of the shadows. As they made their way into the moonlight, Kadaj got to his feet. "Brothers," he said, his voice laced with sarcasm and insanity, "Let us teach this world how to fear us! We will find Mother, and restore her!"

Loz and Yazoo looked at Kadaj and then at each other. Loz smirked and lifted his arm, slapping his weapon one good time. Yazoo bowed his head, his long hair hiding the excitement on his face. Once more silence had returned to the forest, and the three brothers walked together, making their way out.

The sound of a motorcycle trying to keep quiet usually has the exact opposite effect, especially when that motorcycle is coming through a quiet part of town in the middle of the night. Most people who were good citizens would be asleep at this hour; children had been put to bed hours ago, with the peaceful citizen parents following soon after.

Then again, Vincent was not most people. Vincent was "shady people" even though he did save the town numerous times, and the townspeople tolerated him, even greeted him genially.. when they saw him. Therefore, the only one to notice the quiet revving of the motorcycle coming through town was exactly who was not normal people. Since normal people were sound asleep, and since Vincent hardly ever slept, Vincent was, logically, the one person who noticed his old friend's arrival, which is how both he and Cloud preferred it.

Without once blinking at the interruption, or even caring why Cloud had suddenly appeared, Vincent closed his book and stood up, going to the window just in time to see Cloud park the bike and walk up to the door. In a swirl of mist, Vincent went downstairs and opened the door before Cloud even had the chance to knock.

"Eh?" was the noise that a surprised Cloud made as the door suddenly opened. "V-Vincent.. Did I wake you?"

In response, Vincent merely stepped aside, walking away from the door. Knowing that was about all the invitation he would ever come close to getting from Vincent, Cloud entered the house and shut the door behind him. Without skipping a beat, he cut to the chase.

"Kadaj and his gang are on the move again, it seems," Cloud said to Vincent's back.

Vincent paused and turned his head to the side, nodding. "So I've heard. They haven't passed through here."

"From what I can tell it's only a matter of time. The stories that follow them are too close to be tossed out as rumors. Tifa's getting worried."

"What do you plan to do?"

For a moment, there was silence. "Finish what I started, and do what should have been done years ago. But I need your help."

"You must be the one to defeat Kadaj. He will destroy village after village searching for you until you come out to stop him. As much as I would like to redeem my own honor, I cannot take your place."

"I'm not asking you to take my place, I'm just..." Cloud sighed and looked away. Unlike his friend, Cloud took pity on Kadaj and the rest. He could not explain it, but it was complicated. Vincent had the ability to face the facts and do what needed to be done, but Cloud lacked the resolve. He understood that. Vincent looked at him and turned around, closing the distance between them.

"Cloud, you must make up your mind. Kadaj will not suffer anyone else fight him but you. Remember," he said, "you will always have your friends to support you. But you must be the one to face him. It's always had to be you."

"Heh... what a bunch of weaklings.. they were not blessed by mother's gift!" A maniacal laugh resounded in the inferno that was once a town. The screams of townspeople could be heard from every corner, running, trying to escape the flames. Around him, Yazoo and Loz took their own motorcycles for a joyride, running down children and adults alike.

"Whatever it takes to bring Brother to me," he said in answer to the cries and pleas from the townspeople around him, asking him why he was doing this. Kadaj smiled at the carnage.

AN: A GiftFic I wrote for a friend of mine, who introduced me to the wonderful world of Advent Children! Not sure if this is a one-shot or not; it doesn't really conclude but I don't really have a plan for it either. I enjoyed writing it; so perhaps when boredom strikes or I get a FF muse, I shall write more. Until then, enjoy this strange and not quite concluding one-shot!