A/N: Well, this is not exactly as on-time as I had hoped, but I think you will all enjoy it! Thanks so much to everyone who has enthusiastically read and reviewed thus far. There is much more to come!
Chapter 4
'Uneasy' would have been the understatement of the century when it came to the ride in Tifa's truck. It didn't help that Cloud wasn't particularly good at driving stick shifts. Give him a motorcycle, and he could practically fly, but ask him to change gears smoothly, and suddenly he was an awkward cadet again. It took most of his will to keep from blushing like he had when he was in his classes, trying in vain to drive a jeep while his instructor sighed and shook his head in the passengers seat.
If anything, the remnants were worse than the instructors had been. They clung to the inside of the truck as though afraid Cloud's driving would toss them out. Though they didn't complain out loud, there were huffs of annoyance and frustration with every jerky gear change, and sometimes what sounded like gasps of fear when he took a turn. Cloud clenched his jaw as another shallow gasp—low enough that he suspected it was Loz—was followed by clambering for handholds behind him.
He'd been hesitant to let the remnants sit behind him at all. It was only out of necessity that he allowed it. His sword was sitting in the passenger's seat. Just in case. He still wasn't entirely certain whether or not he wanted to use it on them. It certainly did have its merits as an idea. Especially the longer their theatrics went on behind him.
At least they didn't smell anymore. Though the method they had used to convey their displeasure at their state had been less than welcome. He shook his head at the very thought. What was he going to do with them. How could he possibly stick to the rule both his mother and Tifa had always sworn by—that one should never punish by inflicting harm. He understood why, and he was all in favor of never hurting Marlene or Denzel... But surely this was different. The memory of the exchange that led to a brisk shower for the remnants rose unbidden, making him tighten his hands on the wheel.
"You don't seriously expect me to travel like this, do you?" Yazoo asked in dry disbelief, gesturing to himself.
"You're healed enough," Cloud muttered.
"I don't care about being healed or not," Yazoo huffed with a leisurely roll of his eyes. "I'm absolutely filthy. I can't believe you just let all this blood dry on me. And worse, in my hair. Some savior you are."
Cloud narrowed his eyes. He'd caught the looks of amusement on the faces of Yazoo's brothers. They were playing with him, and he knew it. The only one of them not betraying amusement was the outwardly disinterested Yazoo, who was still gazing at Cloud through lidded eyes, awaiting his response.
"Fine," Cloud huffed finally. "I'd hate to have to smell you all the way to Rocket Town."
Yazoo's smile was slow and coy. He extended his slender arms to Cloud, as though waiting for a hug. Cloud took a step back, watching the young man warily.
"What," he finally snapped down at the remnant, when he failed to explain himself within the next few moments.
"Aren't you going to carry me this time?" Yazoo asked, tilting his head slowly.
"Just get in the fucking shower," Cloud snapped, whirling and slamming the door behind himself.
Kadaj's bright, mad laughter followed him down the hallway.
"Would you watch the damn road?" Kadaj hissed from behind him, clinging to the side of the car as the memory drew Cloud's focus away from where he was going for a moment.
Cloud corrected his direction, glancing back at Kadaj in annoyance. Truth be told, he should have been paying attention. But that didn't mean he wanted to hear lip from the remnant. When he looked forward to see brake-lights ahead of him from the only other car on the road, he gave a heavy sigh and stepped on the clutch, shifting down to go the slower speed of the heavily-laden farmer's truck.
The truck he was driving jolted and lurched as he switched over to the gas from the clutch. Hisses of protest came from behind him, along with a soft gasp from Loz, who seemed to be having a more difficult time hanging on to things with his fingers still in splints.
"Do you have to keep doing that?" Kadaj snapped finally.
"I thought you said you never complained," Cloud muttered, glancing into the rear view mirror he'd adjusted to keep an eye on the remnants. All three of them looked strangely uneasy.
"It wasn't a complaint. It was a question." The remnant muttered grumpily.
Cloud shifted the car into the next gear up as the farmer finally turned off the main road. He winced as the truck lurched particularly fiercely. In the mirror, he caught sight of Loz pressing a hand to his mouth and clenching his eyes closed. He glanced to Yazoo, who was stiff and still, his lips held in a perfectly straight, thin line, and his eyes fixed on the floor. Kadaj was clinging to the back of the front seat with a death grip. He looked slightly green.
"Don't tell me you three get motion sickness," Cloud sighed, returning his gaze to the road.
There was silence from behind him, and the blonde sighed. He glanced back just long enough to see three pairs of eyes fixed almost suspiciously on him. He was certain he was mistaken in thinking that the look on Kadaj's face was one of fear.
"Alright," Cloud sighed. "Just watch where we're going. It helps. I'll try to steady out the shifting."
"You know," Yazoo drawled, "I can drive a manual."
"I know," Cloud replied, meeting the remnant's eyes in the mirror. "You kidnapped a bunch of kids in one."
"None of them got motion sick, though," the young man replied, tilting his head to send his hair over to one side, seeming undisturbed, despite the slightly dizzy look in his eyes, and the way he still held his mouth a little too tense.
"Just shut up and handle it," Cloud snapped, turning his gaze forward. "It's only another hour till we get there."
Loz made a muffled sound of concern and despair. Cloud ignored it with a roll of his eyes, sighing. But the next time he shifted down, he took a moment to slide into gears, coaxing the unfamiliar vehicle into a less jolting re-start. There was, at least, a little less scrambling and obvious discomfort from behind him.
"See?" Aerith whispered in his ear. "Motion sick. Just like real people!"
"Not while I'm driving, Aerith," he muttered, hoping he was managing to say it to her in his head without saying it aloud. He glanced in the rear view mirror, but the brothers didn't appear to have reacted to his muttered complaint.
They drove in relative silence. Cloud sorely missed the roaring sound of Fenrir's engine. The sounds Tifa's truck made were far from comforting. And the only other thing to listen to was the breathing of the three monsters behind him. He himself was not immune to motion sickness, though he was immeasurably better than he'd been as a cadet. Just knowing that he was in the car with three people who were also feeling sick made his stomach rebel a little. He was glad that he was driving. It made it easier to cope with.
When he finally pulled up outside Cid's relatively remote hangar and the small house he'd built nearby, he had to restrain a sigh of relief. The moment the truck stopped, Kadaj was out of it like a shot. He stopped only a little ways away, stretching luxuriously, trying to pretend that he hadn't been more than eager to escape the car.
"What is this place?" Loz asked, stepping out of the truck as well, followed by Yazoo, both of them practically sedate in comparison to their slightly wild-eyed brother.
"Rocket Town, like I said," Cloud answered, rolling his shoulders and pulling First Tsurugi free from the passenger's seat, sliding it into the complex harness he wore on his back. "Cid's hangar to be precise."
"That crazy blonde guy?" Kadaj asked with a scoff. "He's nuts. He went for my Bahamut with nothing but a spear."
"I'd be careful of him brother," Yazoo purred, tilting his head to send his hair swaying to one side. "You have bad luck with blondes."
"Shut up, Yazoo," Kadaj hissed, whirling on him with fury in his eyes.
Yazoo just turned his gaze away as though Kadaj had lost his interest. Cloud, on the other hand, had fixated on the suddenly aggressive boy. His hand wasn't quite on Tsurugi yet, but he was ready to pull it out if needed.
"Kadaj," he said darkly, leaving his unspoken warning to hang in the air.
The remnant tossed his hair, turning his back on the three other people around him.
"Well," purred a dark, low voice. "I see the rumors are true, then."
Cloud looked towards the voice, a smile already on his face, not bothering to be too surprised. Red cape flickering around him, Vincent was approaching slowly, the soft clink of his metal boots on the ground as unmistakable as the smoldering red eyes with which he regarded Cloud.
"Vincent!" Cloud said in pleased surprise, striding forward to clasp hands with the man.
"It's been too long," Vincent said in his low, powerful voice, gripping him back just as firmly.
"You actually sound like you mean that," Cloud teased fondly, releasing Vincent's hand to take a step back.
Vincent's eyes narrowed just a little in a way that implied he might just be hiding a smile behind his cowl. Cloud heard the three remnant shifting behind him, and glanced back to look his three new charges over.
The boys were obviously uneasy. All eyes were on Vincent, and the looks they were giving him were not their usual aggressive glares. If anything, they looked almost scared.
"So they really are back," Vincent commented mildly. "It's one thing to hear it from Tifa, and another to see it in person."
Only the softest low rumble of aggression colored his voice, but it was enough to make all three of the remnants shift closer to one another. Cloud watched them reach for the weapons they weren't carrying, and almost laughed at their discomfort. It was through sheer force of will that he restrained himself. It wouldn't make living with them any easier to laugh at their displeasure.
"You probably should have left them with the Turks," Vincent commented.
"You know why I couldn't," Cloud said softly.
"Torture is not always as unwarranted as yours was," Vincent said, his bright red eyes returning to fix upon Cloud once more. "If they did not want pain, they should not have captured Elena and Tseng."
"We—" Kadaj started, defensive and on edge.
"Kadaj," Cloud said firmly, cutting him off. "Wait."
He turned back to Vincent, catching the flicker of amusement in his eye. A quiet suspicion rose in Cloud that the ex-Turk was riling the remnants up intentionally. He wasn't sure whether that should worry him or not.
"Are you going to help them against us, Vincent?" He asked at last, meeting the demon-bearer's eyes without fear.
"You know my allegiance lies with you," the ex-Turk replied calmly. "If this is the direction you have chosen, then I am with you."
"It is," Cloud asserted firmly. "So long as they follow my rules."
"Then I will assist you however I can. I am certain Cid will agree. He is fixing up the house you requested, or he would have insisted upon greeting you himself."
"Thanks," Cloud murmured, though a faint hint of confusion colored his voice. He was almost certain he'd heard a note of familiar affection in Vincent's voice when he mentioned the pilot. From anyone else it would have been normal. From Vincent, it was almost surreal.
"Good. You have my number." Vincent was saying with a slow nod. "If you need me again."
Cloud shifted at the reminder. He wasn't proud that Vincent had been compelled to save him from the wrath of the remnants before. And he wasn't entirely pleased at the reminder, especially not in front of the boys. He was quite bewildered by the lack of snickering from behind himself.
Vincent was, apparently, done with the discussion. Never one for farewells, he simply turned away, walking back towards Cid's house, taking an easy leap up to the roof of the house and crouching there slowly, like a protective gargoyle. Cloud watched him with bewilderment. He doubted he would ever understand the enigmatic gunman, but he tried not to let it bother him too much. If Vincent said he was on their side, then he was.
"He's not human," Yazoo commented mildly.
"Neither are you," Cloud replied briskly, turning to them. "Kadaj, let me see your tracker."
"What?" Kadaj hissed, his eyes flicking off of Vincent to glare at him. "Forget it! The last time you messed with it, you nearly killed me. Again."
Yazoo's eyes narrowed dangerously at his brother's words, and Cloud clenched his jaw, shooting the slender remnant a warning look.
"I want to make sure the light is off before we go any further. I don't mind the turks knowing we came this far. Vincent will cover our tracks from here."
Kadaj gave a low growl under his breath, and shook off the touch Loz extended towards him. The biggest remnant gave a little whimper, drawing his splinted fingers back to his chest as though he'd been bitten. Abruptly, Kadaj turned his back on Cloud and shifted his hair out of the way. The spike of metal was still right where it had been—unchanged and unshifted. The skin around it was red and blistered, the burns from electricity branching in their ugly lightning-shaped wounds.
The light on the end of the spike was out. Cloud narrowed his eyes, focusing. Through the wind, and the distant bird calls, he could hear with startling accuracy, if he cared to try. He could hear Kadaj's heart beating. It was a slightly frantic pace, fueled by nervous energy. He had no doubt that the unease was due to being forced into turning his back on Cloud. He couldn't hear any hint of an electric buzz from the tracking device the turks had implanted him with.
"Alright," Cloud stated after a moment. "Let's get moving then."
"We're just leaving the car here?" Loz asked quietly, almost as though he were uneasy speaking the question aloud.
"Cid will get it back to Tifa," Cloud replied with a wave of his hand. "You three and I are walking to the house from here."
"You mean to the prison," Yazoo drawled. "It may look like a house, but that is merely a sugar-coating."
Cloud didn't bother responding. He just started walking, listening to the remnants following with heavy, displeased steps. His mind was whirring, and he couldn't shake the slightly sick feeling Yazoo's words brought him. It was a prison. He knew that. What he hated wasn't putting the remnants in a prison. It was that he had to stay there too that made his gut churn. He was the sole guard of three of the most dangerous creatures the planet had ever seen. And he was doing it because he had chosen to.
'Because it was the right thing to do,' he reminded himself firmly. 'And I'm not going to let myself forget that. Or forget that this is the choice I made. There's no backing down now.'
It was almost relieving, walking the long mile to the small farm-house Cid was letting him use. He didn't like being as close to the remnants as he still was, but it was infinitely better than the stress and uncertainty of the closed-quarters in the car. Out here, he could rest assured that he'd be able to kill all three of them without any collateral damage if he needed to. That was part of why he'd asked Cid to use the building, as drafty and old as it was.
He heard someone stumble behind him, and turned back to see Loz catch Kadaj quickly in his still-painful hands. The kid was sweating and shaking a little. Still weak, Cloud thought to himself, shaking his head a little. His mako had been suppressed before he'd really had a chance to heal. He had forgotten while they were in the car. The little remnant was so damn infuriating, it was easy to overlook how hurt he was. Cloud quietly wondered if that was an intentional thing, or just the boy's nature.
"Do we need to slow down?" Cloud asked, his voice sounding slightly disinterested. It was better than sounding slightly pleased, which was how the words had almost come out. It was quietly satisfying to see the remnant off his game.
"I'm fine," Kadaj hissed with a snarl, shoving Loz off of him with a harsh movement.
Cloud shrugged and turned away, continuing to lead the way to the house. It was strange, he thought. Yesterday, the little remnant had all but flung himself into his larger brother's arms. But the healthier they both became, the less friendly they seemed to be. And then there was Yazoo, who hadn't even moved when his brother stumbled. And yet Kadaj had seemed terrified at his brother's still form—had even appeared close to tears when he first saw what Reno had done to him. Surely they were closer than they appeared.
Cloud paused as the farm-house came into view. It was a small building—not as compact as the living quarters of Seventh Heaven, but small none the less. The paint on the front of the house was chipping, and one of the shutters on the front windows had fallen off. There was a rather pathetic attempt at a garden set up outside, wilted and over-run. With the weather growing cold, Cloud very much doubted that any of the intended plants would make it through to the next spring.
"Spikey!" Cid yelled, jogging up the hill with a hardy wave. "'Bout time you got here! What'd you do, catch yerself a chocobo to ride on?"
"Cid," Cloud muttered, shifting a little and glancing away.
Though he and Cid were undoubtedly friends, Cloud did not much care for the lackadaisical attitude the pilot often took. Obviously the man was currently of the opinion that the tree silver-haired monsters behind Cloud were not a threat. Cloud did appreciate, however, that in addition to wearing his tool belt, Cid was carrying his spear over one shoulder.
"Well hello ta you too," Cid griped, stopping in front of Cloud and shifting easily. An unlit cigarette was dangling out of the corner of his mouth, as though he were just saving it for later, and had decided that he might as well hold onto it in his lips instead of putting it away.
"Is the house ready?" Cloud sighed. He wasn't in the mood for Cid's idea of formalities. If the word 'tea' was brought up, he might just start screaming.
"Jest about," Cid replied with a shrug. "If yer stayin' for long, we'll have to shore her up before winter. Didja run into Vince on the way? He was pretty interested in seein' our new neighbors."
The grin he gave the remnants was less than friendly. Cloud could hear Loz shifting behind him, and was reasonably certain that the soft rumbling sound that suddenly filtered into the air was Kadaj growling.
"It'll do fine," Cloud said with a warning note in his voice. "I'd like to get settled. I'll call you when we can talk more."
"Sure, sure," Cid replied easily, wiping a smear of what appeared to be oil off his cheek and rubbing it off on his pants. "I can tell when I ain't wanted. You go get settled in with our new resident psychos."
"We're not-"
"Kadaj," Cloud warned, more sharply than he had when the boy stepped in talking to Vincent.
He was reasonably certain that the look that crossed the remnant's face was a pout. He wasn't certain exactly how he felt about a remnant of Sephiroth pouting. He found it very difficult to process. He turned away instead of acknowledging the expression.
"I'll see you soon, Cid," he said to his pilot and friend.
"You just give me a holler if they give you any trouble," Cid offered with a firm nod. "Vince an I'll back you up no matter what."
"Thanks," Cloud muttered, walking towards the house. "But I think I can handle it."
Cid had obviously been busy cleaning the inside of the house. It was far from perfect, but there were no cobwebs, and there was a faint smell of lemon-scented cleaner in the air. Cloud instantly started getting a headache from the artificial scent, but he was still glad that Cid had chosen something with a smell other than 'sterile.' He didn't do well in sterile environments.
"Ugh," Yazoo muttered in distaste.
Cloud glanced back at him, finding the remnant eyeing the rather old wallpaper with open distaste. He was picking lightly at the scab on his cheek even as he studied it. Cloud averted his gaze again quickly. He was relatively certain he heard a soft chuckle from the remnant in response to his unease.
"It's kinda," Loz hesitated mid-sentence, considering his next words carefully. "Weird."
"Best you could come up with, brother?" Kadaj jibed, his eyes narrowed almost cruelly.
"Enough," Cloud said briskly. "You three are staying here, so you might as well get used to it."
He turned and took the stairs, expecting to be followed. He was rewarded with three sets of feet following him, and a few muttered complaints from Loz. He stopped outside the first bedroom, swinging the door open. He shook his head a little as he looked inside. Cid was always prepared.
Three of the rather simple, small beds that he used in all his airships for his crew were shoved inside the room haphazardly. It wasn't luxury, but Cloud didn't want to give the remnants a perfect place. So long as they had the necessities, that was all they needed as far as he was concerned.
"This will be your room," He proclaimed, stepping back. "So long as you don't hurt anyone, I don't care what you do in there."
"Really," purred Yazoo. "I should warn you that I'm a screamer, and I don't like the taste of pillows."
Cloud felt his already somewhat stomach twist at the implications.
"What?" Kadaj asked in bewilderment, turning his eyes to his slender brother.
"Nothing, brother," Yazoo replied with extreme boredom, his eyes steady on Cloud's.
To Cloud's further annoyance, the remnant did not so much as balk in the face of their keeper's obvious displeasure. He was still picking at the scab on his face, peeling off little pieces of it one at a time.
"I'd advise against playing with me," Cloud said lowly. "Unless you want to be in a very different and much less agreeable situation for the remainder of your stay. Go to the bathroom to get the rest of that scab off."
"I don't know where it is," Yazoo said with mock innocence, blinking his cat-like eyes at Cloud. His irises were glowing softly with a dangerous mako light.
"Second door," Cloud pointed sharply. "And if I hear one more sarcastic or double-edged word out of you tonight, you three will be staying in my room instead of getting what little privacy you have."
"I'd go to the bathroom," Loz advised, watching Cloud uneasily.
Yazoo's eyes narrowed, but he obeyed. Belatedly, Cloud realized he would have to think up some punishments for disobedience short of handing the remnants back to the Turks. He wouldn't hesitate to pass them off if he had to, but he had to figure out where to draw the line.
Kadaj slipped past him into the room. He glanced around and sighed at the looks of the walls.
"I don't think it's too bad," Loz murmured after a moment.
"Stop trying to suck up, Loz," Kadaj snapped. "He doesn't like you any more than he likes the rest of us. You did beat up his girlfriend, remember?"
"Yeah, well, I thought..." Loz muttered, hanging his head a little.
"Just move the beds against the wall," Kadaj ordered. "You're much better at doing things than thinking."
Cloud sighed softly as the big remnant sniffled and went to obey. He was about to comment when he found himself pinned by Kadaj's inhuman eyes. He restrained from scolding him for his treatment of his brother to wait for the next comment. He quietly hoped it was something that would allow him to lose it with the remnant. He was already very close.
"Am I allowed to have a drink?" Kadaj said shortly.
"Kitchen's downstairs," Cloud said blandly, stepping out of the way. "And I'll hear you if you try to leave."
"Getting a glass of water is not my idea of a well conceived escape attempt," Kadaj sneered, rolling his eyes. "Loz, you and Yazoo get the room in order."
"Okay," Loz said softly, watching his brother leave.
Cloud glanced at the big remnant with his splinted fingers, and was surprised to find the big remnant almost instantly fixing him with a warning glare. He seemed benign in comparison to the quicksilver tempers and cool control his brothers displayed, but the warning in those eyes as they watched Cloud told a different story. He was dangerous.
"That son of a bitch," Yazoo hissed, slamming the bathroom door behind himself.
Cloud whirled with his sword out in an instant. Yazoo just blinked at him, a bored, disdainful look on his face.
"Put that thing away," Yazoo snapped. "For once I'm not annoyed at you."
Cloud lowered his sword slowly. He had no doubt what the remnant was angry about. The skin on his cheek that had previously been the remainder of a scab was a thick band of pink scar tissue. It would not be as small and unnoticeable a scar as Cloud had assumed at first.
"Like what you see?" Yazoo muttered dangerously as he walked past Cloud, sliding in to the room with Loz and sitting on one of the beds, looking almost morose.
"It'll heal prettier, Yaz," Loz said softly in an attempt at being soothing.
"It will scar," Yazoo snapped. "And I'll have to think of that damn redhead every time I try to look in the mirror."
"Kadaj wants us to set the room up," Loz muttered after a moment, sounding almost guilty.
"Fine then," Yazoo replied coldly, rising and turning to face the room. "We might as well."
Cloud turned away. Even in rage the remnant's face was blank, and his eyes were nearly empty. There was just a hint of that dangerous mako flare. He walked downstairs swiftly, trying to ignore the conversation behind him.
He stepped into the kitchen area to find the counter that divided the kitchen from the living room populated by a single remnant, sitting with a glass of water. Kadaj's shoulders were hunched wearily. Cloud walked in slowly, taking care not to hide his footsteps.
"Regretting asking me to get you out yet?" Cloud asked the brooding remnant as he approached.
"You know I'm not," Kadaj said, his hand tightening reflexively on the glass of water he held.
"I don't know anything about you," Cloud scoffed, shaking his head.
"We're not so different," Kadaj replied bluntly and petulantly.
A loud scraping from upstairs made Cloud wince. He quietly hoped Cid wasn't too attached to unblemished hardwood floors.
"Not there, idiot," he distantly heard Yazoo complain.
"But you just told me to put it here," Loz whined in return.
"They're doing it on purpose," Kadaj muttered, staring into the water in his glass.
"Doing what on purpose?" Cloud said, trying to ignore the distant sounds of bickering and crying.
"Annoying you," Kadaj replied, idly dipping one of his fingers into the water. He seemed disappointed when the liquid remained stubbornly clear instead of swirling black, but took a drink anyway. "I have enough control over them that they won't out right misbehave, but they'll be trying to make your life hell."
"Like you haven't been," Cloud said darkly. "Even when you were trying to get me to save you, it started with you picking at old wounds."
"What, Buster Sword?" Kadaj asked with a scoff. "I'm not the one who decided to represent Zack with the stupid thing. Its symbolism is all in your head." The remnant smirked slowly. "A lot of things are."
"Are you honestly trying to piss me off more?" Cloud asked darkly, crossing his arms and widening his stance just a little.
He let his mako flare with his annoyance. It was gratifying to see the remnant of Sephiroth give a little jolt of surprise at the sight.
"No," Kadaj replied succinctly, frowning as he looked back into his water.
Cloud settled slowly, letting his annoyance pass—or trying to at least. The kid took another slow drink of water, letting it sit in his mouth for a while before swallowing, as though he were savoring it. Something about the motion made Cloud's skin crawl a little.
"Did you bring that burn stuff with you?" The remnant asked dully, not bothering to lift his head.
"I did," Cloud replied with disinterest. "Do you need it?"
"No," the remnant snapped, as though Cloud's question was a personal affront. "I'm fine without it, but Irene left instructions, and they said that I have to put it on at night. It's not like I'm-"
"Just stop," Cloud ordered, lifting his hand to stall the remnant. "I don't need an essay. Do you want me to bring you the burn ointment, yes or no."
There was a long pause. Kadaj stared down at the counter intently, with a fierce glare. Upstairs, furniture scraped again, and Cloud heard something shatter. A loud and obviously disingenuous voice called 'oops' down the stairs.
Cloud closed his eyes and silently asked for patience.
"Aw, they're just puppies, Cloud," Zack's voice cooed as though he thought the destructive monsters were cute.
'No,' Cloud replied silently. 'They're really not.'
"If it will make you stop communing with the dead, I will take that burn ointment stuff," Kadaj snapped, breaking Cloud out of his thoughts.
"Watch your tone," Cloud warned while inwardly he shuddered. How did the hell did the remnant know he'd been talking to someone in the lifestream?
He got the burn ointment despite his sour mood and displeasure. He set it down on the counter with a slightly too-loud thump and walked into the kitchen. He almost got himself a glass of water, but changed his mind. He didn't want to be any more like the remnant than he had to be at any given moment. He pulled out a beer that Cid appeared to have left for him instead. The alcohol wouldn't so much as touch him through his enhancements. And it was perfectly packaged to ensure that no remnants would be able to poke it and turn it black.
When he glanced back, his annoyance and anger faded. Kadaj's fingers were shaking as he slid the gooey healing salve over the electric burns on his wrists. The wounds were less stark now than they had been, but the branching lightning designs were still red and swollen. When Kadaj turned his head slightly to spread the stuff under his shirt, Cloud caught a glimpse of the blisters on his neck. He sighed at the sight.
"Get one of your brothers to look after your neck," he muttered into his beer.
"Forget it," Kadaj scoffed, not lifting his eyes from tending to the burns winding around his arms. "I'd rather not have my little trigger back there nudged whether you think it's out of battery or not."
"You're going to scar worse if you don't," Cloud warned. "Might even affect your mobility."
Kadaj's jaw clenched, and he tilted his head away sharply, hiding behind a fall of perfectly straight hair.
"Doesn't matter," He muttered. "My brothers won't do it if they think I might get hurt."
"Then I will," Cloud replied flatly, setting down the beer.
"Yeah, it turned out great for me letting you mess with my neck yesterday," Kadaj snarled, glaring at Cloud.
Cloud hardly noticed the expression. He was helplessly interested in how the remnant's eyes looked without their natural mako glow. They were still inhuman, obviously—still wrong—but somehow softer. Without the harsh light in them, he looked less like Sephiroth. They were such a bright green—as uncanny in their natural color as they were with the mako glow. It was worlds away from the nearly silver green that had been shining in Sephiroth's eyes the last times Cloud saw him.
"It's your choice," Cloud said after a moment, realizing he'd hesitated too long while distracted. "Me or Yazoo and Loz. You're not leaving them untreated."
Kadaj scowled, glancing upstairs. Cloud doubted he could hear the murmured conversation taking place between the brothers above them. Even with his enhanced hearing he'd only barely picked out enough to realize that they were trying to decide whether or not they should follow Kadaj's order to wait for him, or come down and make sure he was okay.
Nearly a minute after Cloud's proclamation, Kadaj made his decision. He silently scooted the tin of salve towards Cloud and reached behind his head, lifting his silver hair out of the way for him.
"Better make it quick," Kadaj muttered. "Don't want to be touching a remnant for too long, do you."
"No," Cloud answered blankly as he moved behind the boy. "I don't."
He started applying the burn ointment without ceremony. He didn't allow his fingers to twitch when he touched blisters, like he would have liked to. He fought to keep his eyes on his task rather than staring at the silver hair held out of his way by shaking fingers. Or worse, at the piece of metal protruding unnaturally from Kadaj's flesh.
He hesitated as a shorter strand of hair fell frm between Kadaj's fingers and brushed over the back of his hand. Cloud's mind reacted badly to the silver glint, inserting longer hair under those hands and a broader frame under his touch. His free hand clenched into a fist as he shook away the mental image of Sephiroth. Being so close to Kadaj might have been similar to a bad dream, but it was no nightmare. Once the illusion of Sephiroth faded and he had himself under control again, Cloud asked what had been truly worrying him, fighting to keep his voice even as he spoke.
"Do I have to worry about you turning into Sephiroth?"
"Not unless you have some of Mother's cells in your pocket," Kadaj muttered, stiff and tense under Cloud's fingers. "Or in one of those vials Irene gave you."
"I'm not joking," Cloud warned, though he kept his touch gentle. Kadaj's fingers were twitching in anxiety with every light brush of Cloud's fingers. It was almost as pathetic as watching him jolt and shiver as Tseng tapped the button lightly during his torture.
"Me neither," Kadaj muttered. "Hojo would inject me with it when he needed a second—What's wrong with you?"
"Don't say that name," Cloud hissed, backing away from the remnant.
He'd removed his touch the moment the words entered the air. Kadaj turned to look at him with a raised eyebrow. The remnant rolled his shoulders and started rubbing the one he'd dislocated lightly and distractedly. He looked for all the world like he was mildly bewildered by Cloud's reaction—as though he hadn't just invoked the name of the man who had torn Cloud's life apart.
"You mean Hojo," the kid asked, tilting his head.
Cloud had his sword drawn the moment the name left Kadaj's mouth. The tip of his blade was just barely touching the remnant's throat. Cloud was breathing hard, fighting to keep his mind clear enough to not murder the remnant on instinct alone.
Kadaj was holding extremely still. He stared down at the sword that could easily kill him with just a small flick of movement. Cloud could see the pulse in the remnant's neck speeding up. He probably would have heard it thundering if not for the roaring in his ears.
"I'm sorry," Kadaj whispered, not taking his eyes off the blade. "Don't kill me."
"Mention him again," Cloud whispered, "and you will wish Tseng was here."
He pulled First Tsurugi away from the pale throat, leaving a slim trail of blood from the little cut he'd made when he first touched his sword to skin. Kadaj slid slowly off the bar stool, almost falling once he was on his feet. He was still weak. Pathetic, Cloud thought darkly.
Kadaj backed away from Cloud, his eyes fixed on him. It was obvious he was expecting to be attacked again. Cloud turned his back o him in a silent dismissal. A moment later, he heard Kadaj break and run, thundering upstairs. His footsteps were quick and unstable. He tuned out the sound of his brothers' reactions, turning to brace himself against the counter.
Behind his eyelids, all he could see were round glasses and thin, smiling lips. He'd killed the doctor, he reminded himself silently. They'd killed him together. Only...
"Do nightmares ever die?" he muttered to himself, hanging his head silently.
There was no reply. He wondered, quietly, if the lack of response was because Zack and Aerith didn't know the answer, or if they were too disappointed in him for threatening the boy to speak. He closed his eyes tightly, and breathed in slowly. He was just waiting to hear the sound of the remnants attacking him—of anyone attacking him. He would have welcomed the fight. Fighting cleared his head. It drove memories back where they belonged—into the past.
No one approached him. From overhead he could hear a thin soft sound. It was very similar to the way Denzel cried when he woke from his nightmares—A sort of crying that was half from fear, and half from fear of being heard. Cloud blocked the sound out. If it was the remnants, it was them playing him. And Cloud Strife was many things, but he was not a fool or a pushover. Tomorrow, he promised himself, would be the day to make rules, and find a way to enforce them.
Inside, he highly doubted that this would work. It might take a few days—maybe even a few weeks—but this would fall apart. It wasn't as though he had a plan. He just knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that he had to give them a chance. Even if that chance made him miserable, and put him in danger.
He would never be able to live with himself if he just let them rot without at least trying. And if it didn't work after that... Well, he couldn't say he'd be heartbroken. Quietly and guiltily, he looked forward to them failing so he could get back to the life he loved.