Chapter 2: Something Less Than Human

Kadaj…

He could feel the wind shift through his hair, but he did not have the strength to life his head from the ground. Someone was calling him, but he did not recognize the voice. He did not open his eyes either, but rather allowed himself the moment to remember what had happened last time he had been conscious.

…I'm sorry…

He was confused. Who was talking? What were they talking about?

… but… you're just not ready yet.

It was raining. It was cold too. He could smell the damp cement after a long drought, and feel the cool wind chilling his body. A storm? Where was he?

"…Mother?" Kadaj mumbled, then realized he tasted the copper flavor of stall blood in his mouth.

Cloud.

Kadaj could have killed him if he had not have slipped in the end. Yet, even at the thought of Cloud and memories of his reunion graced his mind, the old hatred and mad excitement that had been there before were gone. He felt empty.

"…Ugh…" Kadaj knew he was laying on the cold cement on his stomach with his cheek pressed against the ground, but he could do nothing about it. Instead, he opened his eyes.

A flash of lightening coursed through the sky in front of him. He was lying on the top of the old building were he and Cloud had finished their battle. The rain pelted down upon him in icy sheets, chilling him to the bone. He blinked the water from his eyes once or twice before observing more of his surroundings.

Something seemed to be missing.

"Yazoo… Loz…" Kadaj coughed. His breathing was shallow, his wounds unhealed and sore. Yet, with the pain, he noticed something different, something new: was it sadness?

How was he supposed to know? He had never felt that before. And why was he feeling it now? He was not sure of the answer, but something in the back of his mind answered his own question.

"I thought…" Kadaj breathed, weakly, "we were going to go… together?"

There was another flash of light, and he narrowed his eyes in annoyance. The rain's pitter-patter was suddenly drowned out by a loud engine at the swish of spiraling chopper blades.

Kadaj could do nothing but lay there and hope the intruder would leave him to die. Yet, as he heard the deafening thud of the landing gear hit the ground and felt the tremble of the old building beneath him, his hope of being left alone vanished.

"…Oh, boy," Reno calmly dropped the chopper onto the rooftop of the building, as his eyes landed on the body of the silver-haired boy. He picked up the radio and called in, "Better let Rufus know this piece of work is still lying around."

"What are you talking about?" a voice replied through the speaker.

Reno frowned as he gazed out at the teen laying lifeless on the top of the building. He picked up the radio and replied, "That remnant. He's… still here."

"Copy. Are you in danger?"

"Pfft," Reno smirked, glancing back at the unarmed teen lying on the ground. "I'm going to go and check it out."

"Wait! It could be dangerous!"

The engine of the helicopter tuned down and the blades continued to spiral slowly, causing the rain to blow outwards. Reno ignored the voice on the radio and stepped out into the rain. Holding his hands above his head in attempt to shield his face from the water, Reno made his way over to the motionless body of the silver-haired boy.

He leaned over him curiously and came close enough to see his face. He scowled, remembering the time when he had been beaten to a pulp by the little brat only a few days ago. He felt somewhat satisfied to see him like this; vulnerable and harmless.

But still dangerous, a voice in the back of his mind warned.

"Hey…" Reno said, arrogantly, nudging Kadaj with his foot a bit, "Are you alive, you bastard?"

Kadaj opened his eyes slightly. Reno caught a glimpse of sharp green in the glare of the lighting flash and took a feeble step back. He took out his weapon and grasped it tightly.

Kadaj blinked the water out of his eyes again, but was too weak to move otherwise.

"…Mother…" he mumbled, out of breath.

"Not quite," Reno replied, raising an eyebrow and smirking with satisfaction, "Hmph, I guess you are alive. That's too bad."

"Reno!" the voice on the radio screamed.

"Alive…" Kadaj breathed, "…but I'm not."

Reno rolled his eyes, and turned to reply to the worried voice on the radio. He shook his head, and mumbled, "Whatever…" before speaking into the radio, "Hey, you guys better get down here… He's still alive."

"Still alive? But Cloud kicked his ass! Reno, bring him to Cloud… he'll finish him."

Reno glanced back at Kadaj, who was staring at him intensely through one narrowed eye, and shivered. "I'm not touching him!" He said, as though Kadaj was some form of insect.

"Just do it!"

With a heavy sigh, Reno threw down the radio and stalked back over to Kadaj. This time, he kneeled down beside him, and said, "Hmph… I can't believe I'm the one doing this!"

Reno grasped Kadaj's shoulder sternly, and turned him over on his back so that he could pick him up. He was surprised to find that Kadaj had let him do this, and the only reaction was a sharp in take of breath as pain shot through his body from his wounds. His Mako eyes were closed again to the rain, but a bitter expression was spreading across his face.

Reno knew that if Kadaj had the strength he would have thrown him off the building by now.

"… Hmph," Reno frowned as he lifted the teen over his shoulder and walked him over to the helicopter, "I guess you're an early Christmas present for the orphans… Cloud won't be happy, but it wasn't my idea. Better you than me."

Kadaj's shallow breathing was the only thing that replied to this statement, and Reno was glad for this. He sighed and sat him up in the co-pilot seat, strapping his arms in behind the seatbelt so that even if he did wake up, he would not be able to move.

"… Brother…" Kadaj mumbled, weakly.

Reno grinned, "Wrong again. If you were my brother… you'd be a lot tougher."

Reno closed the door on Kadaj and got in on his side, started the engine and lifted the helicopter off the top of the building. He watched Kadaj's battered and abandoned souba fade into the darkness as he turned and flew over the old part of Midgar toward Seventh Heaven.

It was midnight. The orphans were asleep and safe in their rooms. The only noise was the thunder and lighting outside, and the rain pounding against the window panes.

Cloud was awake. He could not sleep. Something in the back of his mind kept him awake, a feeling that something he should have done was left unfinished. He sat on the side of the bed, gazing blankly out the window, pondering on what this feeling could mean.

Suddenly, there was a knock at his door and Tifa stormed in with a look of horror on her face.

"Cloud, Reno's here!"

Cloud stood up and studied her expression, "What's wrong?"

"Come and see what the cat dragged in," Reno's voice suddenly said, as he appeared in the hallway behind Tifa.

"You left him there alone?" Tifa snapped, "What if he escapes?"

"He can't escape… I've got the child lock protection on," Reno shrugged.

Tifa scowled at him disapprovingly, but Cloud ignored her. "What you talking about? Who's 'he'?"

"Cloud, Reno found Kadaj… he's still alive," Tifa replied, with wide eyes.

"Kadaj?" Cloud repeated in surprise. As he said it, his heart dropped. He turned to where he had leaned his sword against the wall next to the window and pushed past Reno in the hallway. As he made his way down the stairs, he said, "Tifa, make sure the kids don't come out of their rooms until I say it's safe."

Tifa nodded and rounded on Reno, "Why did you bring him here? He's too dangerous! What if he hurts one of the kids?"

"Hey, lighten up! You saw the guy, he's half dead already," Reno said, defensively, "and I was only following orders. You know how tempting it was for me to just leave him there on the roof?"

Tifa frowned in response.

"Besides, where else could I bring him?" Reno sighed.

"… Cloud will deal with him," Tifa said, softly before turning and leaving Reno standing in the hallway.

It was a sad sight. Reno had left the door on Kadaj's side unlocked, and by the time Cloud had made his way down the stairs Kadaj had managed to get it open and toppled out head first onto the wet ground. He still had not regained the majority of his strength, but neither of them, including Kadaj, wanted him to be there.

Cloud stopped short a few feet to watch Kadaj attempt to lift his weakened body off the ground and out of a rather large puddle.

"…Child protection locks, huh?" Cloud said, waiting for Kadaj to notice him there.

The silver-haired teen's eyes snapped up at Cloud in surprise. A flash of hatred passed through the mako orbs, before he let out a defeated sigh and dropped back to the ground again. This time, Kadaj groaned and rolled over so that he could keep Cloud in sight.

"Brother…" Kadaj said, weakly. His voice was strained with pain and embarrassment, "I've… failed her."

"Sephiroth was using you… you're suppose to be dead," Cloud said, loudly, not bothering to help the struggling youth. "So, …" Cloud finally asked the question that had been ringing through his mind since Tifa had broken the news to him, "why aren't you?"

Kadaj dropped back to the ground again, this time he grunted and gritted his teeth as pain shot through his body. Then, he did something that Cloud had never seen Kadaj do. He let himself lay there, with his arms where they had fallen, and his gaze growing tired: he had given up.

"I… failed?" was all Kadaj managed to say. He brought his green gaze up to Cloud, but his eyes were no longer glazed with the same hatred. Cloud felt a pang of pity for the youth, for the expression which was spread across Kadaj's face was the same expression that Cloud had adorned long ago.

"No," Cloud replied. Perhaps it was the feeling that was haunting him which made him say it. He did not know exactly what he meant by it. All he knew was that it felt like the right thing to say. Kadaj had not failed – he was alive.

This answer seemed to sooth Kadaj. He let out a soft sigh and closed his eyes to the rain. He did not move for a time, and at first Cloud had thought that maybe he had – at last – died. Then, he winced in pain, and with his eyes still closed shut tightly, he said, holding back tears, "I don't… understand."

Cloud frowned. He stepped forward and picked Kadaj off the ground. He brought him inside and out of the rain.

"Neither do I," he mumbled.