Chapter 5: Six Degrees Of Separation

SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION

IV

"Er, so lemmi get this straight. Ya' got some clowns chasing after ya' because Jeneeva-"

"Jenova." Kantana corrects.

"Ya'... Whatever. I thought we did away with the last of that thing when the snow white brothers had Seiphireth come back, summoned, transformed into or whatever the hell it was they did." Everyone gives up on correcting the pilots accuracy of past events and punctuation.

Cid sits on a cushioned chair with this legs spread in an undignified manner in the center the ships bridge. This air ship is the mechanics ongoing project. The Sierra 1.8/2. the /2 part segment of the name came into affect when the ship was caught fire due to Cid leaving one of his cigars on the engine deck which rolled into an exposed fuel line he was performing maintenance on. Needless to say he had to completely revamp the ship after the fire was put out.

"Yes. They kill anyone with Jenova cells inside their body. They have been hunting down all the surviving members of Shinra's Soldier unit that were injected for years now. Though they them selves were Shinra Soldier special forces. I don't understand it all myself really. Their called the Executioners"

"Well hell. Knowing the things Cloud gets into this goes way deeper than some dumb damn hippies tryin' to rid the world of their own kind. I mean every damn time spike head calls it's because some dead guy we killed years ago has risen from the dead, some emotional screw ball decides to go on rampage, dragons fallin' from the sky... Vincent even got me in on his damn mess..." Cid starts to ramble a mixture of curses and past exploits he never fully grasped the plots of. The pilot begins rambling inwardly and turns to the ships controls grudgingly.

Yuffie forces a smile. She's wrapped in towel but drenched in rain water and covered in dirt. She ruffles the hair of Kantana's dark haired daughter that she has been speaking to in Wutai the pass ten minutes to try and stop her crying. The boy Ryu sits in the corner by himself in complete silence.

"I hope Cloud's okay... He's been gone a long time. If he got hurt because of me- I don't know what I would do. Oh, and that other guy too... Hope he doesn't get hurt." Yuffie lowers her eyes to the floor with a sullen frown, "Hey. You said earlier they were after your kids miss Uesigi. How-?"

"Their father." Kantana interrupts, "He was a Soldier." She answers dryly.

"Was it that guy that that died tonight? Sergei?"

"Yuffie!" Tifa snaps and smiles at Kantana as if apologizing in Yuffie's stead.

"It's fine. I don't mind. I owe it to all of you to tell you what I know. Sergei was a kind man. One of my best friends for a long time. He was never Soldier though and not their father."

"Did something happen to him? Their dad I mean."

"Yes. Something did happen to him." The answer does not satisfy Yuffie's curiosity and usually she would press for answers. With the burden of Cloud's life on her shoulders the girl remains silent instead.

"Jenova cells... These men. They kill anyone with Jenova cells but why? I don't understand why they would want to do that." Tifa inquires while watching the rain pour down from the front of the deck. The woman in actuality watches intently for any signs of Cloud on the road that stretches from the massive metropolis known as "Edge".

"Because look what they've done to us. Jenova cells; cloning, mutating, what they did to the planet. And because Jenova cells are inherited by the children... Those with Jenova cells will only increase if left unchecked."

Tifa turns to Kantana with a curious look, "You sound like you agree with them Kantana."

"Of course not. Especially since I have Ryu and Kimberly. They had no choice in what they are. But I fear how many will agree with their logic Tifa. How many could they rally. It would give people something to blame now that Shinra is long gone."

A small spell of silence takes over the deck. Everyone drifts into their own sullen thoughts with only the paddling of rain on the metallic ceiling above to offer them any comfort their worried minds while they worry about the days events and the two brothers.

An hour and a half after settling in on the ship a pair of metallic foot step echo through the dome like control room. The silence is shattered and those that occupy the ship raise their eyes anxiously in wait. The warrior suited in a exoskeleton like armor is the first to enter followed by a water drenched Cloud in a all black adventuring attire that has become his trade mark.

"Lookie what we got here – Cloud, is that mans eyes glowin' orange yellow and black?" Cid stares at Baldur discriminatingly, believing his eyes may be playing tricks on him by some chance.

"Yes."

"Gettin' to old for this shit... I need another smoke." Cid withdraws a cigarette from his shirts pocket and lights it as he starts for the helm on the bridge.

Yuffie discards her wet towel to charge Cloud with a embrace. She smiles and lets out a heavy sigh of bottled up stress. Cloud winces at her squeeze as a sharp pain pricks around his ribs.

Yuffie notices, "Cloud you're hurt?"

"Nothing serious."

"But-"

"Not now Yuffie."

Yuffie releases Cloud and takes a step back, "I'm sorry Cloud. Sorry for messing things up back there... I could of gotten you killed. I guess I need some more practice huh?"

"Forget about it." Cloud dismisses Yuffie's apology in a way in which it is impossible to tell if he accepts her apology or is annoyed by her. She suspects something else is causing him to be this way though.

"Is this everyone?" Cloud inquires.

"Yeah. Lucky for us Cid was nearby when I called. He picked us up outside of Edge. Tifa called the rest but they are to far away to get here. We get to pick them up though!" Yuffie chirps now that her optimism is beginning to return.

"Oh, yes. Lucky. And I wouldn't call it close exactly either. I was nearly forty winks from anything real. Do you know how dangerous to fly in this kind of weather? Very, encase you didn't know."

Kantana purposefully looks in the opposite direction of Baldur. A drama Cloud has no intention of interfering with.

"This is Baldur. And you should know, he's my brother."

"Whoaaa, no way huh? Cloud you got a brother!" Yuffie has all but shaken her self guilt and is now comparing him and Baldur both in a round about inspection. "Let me guess. Big brother huh?" She snickers as she made an obvious blow towards the significant size differences between the two men.

Baldur stands a full head taller than Cloud, is much broader in the shoulders and fuller in frame.

Baldur removes his monstrous helm in which Yuffie also has a comment for. She always has a comment in everything it seems. "I'm not seeing a strong resemblance here. I guess you're faces look kinda' the same but I mean... Blond spikes, and short n' brown. Nice and smooth... Then... Grrr... Scarey N' gruffy. Blue glowing eyes, then weird black pits of fiery eye balls of death!"

"Seems as if the child is fine Cloud. You should take better care girl."

"I'm not a child!" She retorts. Baldur walks pass Yuffie who currently gives him the evil eye to address the rest in the room.

"Kantana... Ryu, Kimberly. Sergei was a good man. He died to protect all of you and he cared allot for all of you. Remember him for that... And - I am glad to see his sacrafice was not in vain. You three look unhurt. It has been awhile since we last spoke."

"It has been a very long while." Kantana emphasizes. Her voice and expression carry a pain she refuses to acknowledge, "You should of stayed away. We were happy how things were. Sergei didn't deserve what happened to him tonight either."

Tifa whispers something to Denzel before the boy begins leading the other two children out off the bridge.

"And I suppose I deserved for what Sergei did to ruin the life I had Kantana when I-WAS-HAPPY!" Baldur begins to raise his voice in anger which causes him and Kantana to share a moment of tension. Though Baldur takes the initiative to shift his eyes to the ground and humble himself, "I am terribly sorry Kantana. His death will be an addition to my conscious always. I should died in his stead I know. I can only try and do better for future incidents. Forgive my outburst I was wrong to say such things."

The tension between Balduer and Kantana spreads throughout the group. Everyone feels the obscure awkwardness lingering in every breath, every stare, but no one dares to intervene.

"Cid, Yuffie, Tifa. I'm sorry for getting you involved. Tell the others not to come. This has nothing to do with them." Cloud breaks the silence after what seemed to him to be an appropriate amount of time to pass before changing the flow of conversation.

Cid removes his cigar from mouth before speaking. "C'mon spikey. Y'all already called me outta' bed this time of night, fired up the engine. Y'all lucky I was around old Midgar already. Sides', I think I speak for us all when I say we got your back here."

"Before you get into debate," Baldur starts, "I think Cloud's wounds should be taken care of and everyone settled in if this is where we will be staying for the night. If the captain of this ship does not mind everyone staying here for the night that is." Baldur directs his last statement towards the unshaven, gruff looking middle aged blond man in the corner.

"Make your selves at home. Y'know it's kind of ironic. Barret got this idea one night, sayin' we should start a air cruise... And well we started converted some of the dead space into rooms since I kinda' had to remodel after it all caught on fire. So we got plenty of space now."

"Captain. Do you mind if I take a look around your ship? I never seen a machine like this one up close."

"Well, you the first of these knuckle heads to address me as captain. So why not. Go look all ya' want. Just don't touch."

"Aye, aye." Baldur says with a grin and a mock salute.

As everyone begins to collect them selves to settle in for the night Tifa meekly approaches her child hood friend, "Cloud, let me see your shoulder." Tifa starts to go and inspect Clouds wounds until she is waved off by a gesture refusing her help.

"No," Is his only response to her offer. "Baldur. I need to talk to you later."

"Hey, how did you guys escape anyways! I thought you were dead meat for sure!"

Baldur merely nods as a response before breaking away from the group without answering Yuffie's question, wandering off into the corridors of the ship.

Cloud glances at Yuffie, but does not answer either.

"Guys! Really! How did you escape? I want to know!"

The unhealthy sound of bone smashing into bone echos from a barely lit room of a small bar and business known as strife delivery service. In this room four men lounge around watching as one interrogates an unfortunate who happened to arrive twenty minutes too late at this location.

"You Turks. I have always had such a strong hate for you're kind. You're part of the reason this world is as it is now. Give me a reason I shouldn't... Dig an eye from it's socket." A ominous figure threatens as he takes heavy steps towards the tuxedo clad red head.

The Turk stumbles to pick himself up from the floor after being hit. "God that hurt," The Turk rubs his jaw on his way up to full height, "Looks like ol' dad was right. The ugly ones always go for the face first."

"You don't seem worried that I'm about to kill you."

"Pfsh... Come on, please. If I had a hundred gil for every time I been in a situation like this I'd... Well I'd have seven hundred gil I guess."

The Turk winces in pain as his hair is yanked back by his brutal interrogator, "Reno is it? One last time. Who cares so much to warn Cloud we where coming for him to send you? And how did they know we were en-route?"

"Well does it matter? Looks like someone already beat me to the punch? Shouldn't you be goin' after him or somthin' instead of beating me?"

"So be it. Reaper be creative about it. If you kill him during the process I won't really care. Contact me if you get him to talk. You two, with me. We need to find that Cloud and his damn brother."

Reaper pushes himself from the wall, sighs heavily and grabs the first thing he comes across which is a pair of hand sized gardening clippers. He inspects the tool he will be using to work then raises it for Reno to see.

"I hate beating around the bush. I prefer to start where a man hurts the most. Get it over with quickly instead of dragging it out with long prolonged screams."

Reno's eyes grow wide once he understands Reapers attempt at a not to humerus pun. The red headed Turk attempts to resist being pinned and tied down but is struck down again by the man left as Reapers 'assistant'.

"WAIT! Wait! Red N' scarey. I'mma' sing like a bird. Just don't let them do the snip, snip yo?"

"Baldur." Cloud walks briskly into a small room that his brother was given for the night. He walks in on Baldur clenching his teeth as he peels a piece of the crimson armor from a wound at his side.

"Close the door... I do not care for anyone to see me as I might cry like a little girl in a moment." Baldur says with a humorous undertone. Cloud can not help but smile at the comment before shutting the door as requested, "So you can still laugh? I was afraid you might of lost all your sense of humor after all that has happened to you."

Cloud forces his smile to fade, "I never liked to smile."

"Nor do I. Or Dad for that matter. But if not for your self you smile for others. Any ways, I know about some of your exploits. How you stopped that thing from laying waste to the world as well as some fragments Septhiroth too. The stories I have heard make no sense to me and I am certain ninety percent are rumors so you will have to tell me the story sometime Cloud."

"Where were you when all of that happened? I could of used your help."

"Well little brother.. At that time there were other wars going on. What you were doing was very important. No one ever foresaw any it coming. Most where chasing dead end leads. You were the only one on the right path. That is something to be proud of. It was a confusing time and I had known then you were even alive let alone saving the planet -." Baldur pulls the skin tight black shirt from his flesh. The material pulls at his wounds due to sweat and blood tugging in resistance. His torso reveals a series of black and blue blots on his otherwise tan flesh. "But, I was caught up in the many battles that I ignorantly thought were important like everyone else at the time. I had no idea that the crazy fool who assaulted Shinra head quarters was you and your squad. If I had known Cloud I would of joined you."

Cloud hums, "Hm" before leaning against the tacky blue wall paper that decorates the room. "Baldur. Tell me in detail what's going on."

Baldur slumps over on the bed. He rubs the four O' clock shadow that has grown on his face as he begins to answer the question, "Right. Well the group after us is a squad of ex soldiers who found out some of the deeper, darker secrets of Shinra after the Wutai war... They realized what Jenova was and what it had done in the past. Including how it can control others who have Jenova cells in the body. So they killed their officers, hi-jacked some equipment then went A-wol. They believe the world will only be truly saved from Jenova if all traces of it is destroyed. Including the people who carry the Jenova cells which are mainly Shinra Soldier special forces."

"All of them carry Jenova cells don't they? The... Executioners you said they were."

"They do. Their reasoning for killing off those who carry Jenova cells is that if you have children your offspring inherit the cells. They have vowed not to reproduce in dedication to their cause. So that is why they do what they do to justify their own Jenova cells. They want it so when they die, the last of Jenova dies with them. Dormant or not, they believe any trace of that thing will possibly doom this planet. Unfortunately they may be right. I disagree with their methods however."

Cloud falls silent. He turns his brothers words over and over within his mind attempting to connect the dots for himself before continuing the conversation further.

"What about the children. Kantana's children. They have Jenova cells too?"

"Yes." Baldur stands at the side of his bed now. The man now begins to undo the plates from around his thighs but pauses as he prepares himself for a second round of pain, "They will not kill the children however. They will try to teach them that their cause is right. Train them for combat so they will carry it out their mission when of age. They always attempt to recruit those with Jenova cells first before killing them."

Cloud leans against the door with his arms folded, "And if what their doing the right thing? What if they are right about Jenova cells being a risk to everyone on the planet."

Baldur does not respond.. He goes about inspecting his wounds and attempts to discover a method to gently remove the armor that has sunk into his wounded flesh.

"You should not lean on things so much Cloud. It would be good practice to stand on your own every now and then." Baldur says almost callously.

Cloud knows he is just attempting to change the topic but it works, "And I don't remember you being so squeamish" Cloud also takes a turn to change topics.

"I have had this armor on four days. I do not doubt that I look horrible."

"Why?"

"I was trying to find you Cloud. Before the executioners did. They had men perusing me as well so I slept with one eye open if at all."

Cloud pushes himself up from the wall and watches his brother remove the last piece of armor from his body, "It shows. I'll leave you to rest now. We'll talk more in the morning." Cloud turns to the door.

"Cloud. We are going to have to get some of you're wounds as well. They show."

Cloud glances at Baldur from over his shoulder knowing full well what he speaks of. Without comment he shuts the door behind himself.

The sounds of the ship are eerily repetitive and still. Nothing but the low hums of the engine, the turning of gears, the ship at constant work. Tifa had hoped the morning would lighten the mood for everyone but It still rains outside and the atmosphere of the ship is even more depressing than last night.

She wanders the ship in circles with her mind plagued with worry, doubt and fear. The soft clank of her foot steps echo but it does not seem to alarm Kantana when she mistakenly stumbles onto the woman who app rears to be in a trace of her own kind.

Kantana lashes at the air around her in quick calculative steady cuts. After each consecutive set of swings Kantana withdraws into a alternate stance followed by a different set of cuts. Though due to her extraordinary amount of grace she implements in this exercise of her's it would appear as if Kantana's practice's a single long fluid motion of chained cuts.

Kantana curses in Wutaineese under heavy, deep breaths as if she has made a mistake. Tifa thought she was flawless in form however, "You're very good." Tifa chimes from the archway of the ship's hanger.

Kantana jerks her body around to face Tifa when she is spoken to, "You're up early. And you look troubled. What's on you're mind" She sheaths the Katana into it's sheath blindly without effort. "Is it about Cloud?"

Tifa rolls her eyes. She had not known she wore her problems so clearly for others to see, "Aren't I always? He went away this last time and I was just so angry with him... I'd rather not talk about it really." With a break in conversation Tifa uses the pause try and lighten the mood with a lighter topic, "Where did you learn to use that sword so well Kantana?"

"Many, many years ago." Kantana rigidly responds "When things started to get desperate in the Wutai war Godo, the general at the time had the women warriors go out into the battlefields. There were no young men left in any of the villages except for the wounded so using the women warriors was the only other option left besides surrender. Maybe they should have surrendered..." Kantana stares at the Katana in her hands, lost in deep thought. Tifa inches into the room not daring to make a single sound as if she was approaching a timid animal who would be scared off at the slightest of noise. "I was in training to be one of the retainers for the emperor at that time. Retainers had to be proficient in combat in case the emperor needed to be defended so I was sent to fight."

"I had no idea you were in the Wutai war Kantana."

"Because I don't tell people about it." She meets Tifa's eyes with a harsh look. As if realizing there was no need for treating Tifa in such a way Kantana breaks eye contact and explains further as a way of apologizing, "My sister died right next to me while defending a bridge. She was older than me and had already spent a year as one of the emperor's retainers. She had a fiance too who was fighting in the war also... He died too. A week later I found out when I was searching for him to tell him she died." Kantana's eyes start to water and the woman bites her lip. She turns away from Tifa, ashamed of her own tears.

"I'm sorry." Tifa says due to feeling guilty for inadvertently bringing up a topic as this on a day like this one.

"No. Don't be. Sergei was my friend Tifa. We've known each other since before the Wutai war... And Shinra, those damn Mako Soldiers... Took everything away, always taking since I was young. But I swear... They won't get Ryu and Kim. Their not taking them away from me." Bitterly she squeezes the Katana's hilt, hate in her eyes, vengeance on her mind.

The day passes slowly for everyone as they are forced to wait the storm out before they can depart. Cid, Cloud and Balduer talked for a length of the day about recent events, keeping them selves busy with preparations, planning. Cid despite his complaining agreed to get involved. She herself spends most of the day trying to preoccupy the children at Kantana's request. The kids are distraught by the sight of Sergei's death. At some point they took a peek and witnessed Sergei's death from what Denzel explained to her which had a profound impact on each of them. Nothing she does seems to cheer them up. They sit around most of the day in their own separate corners lost in their own idle worlds. The transition of morning to night is a excruciatingly slow one for her.

Tifa makes a round through the air ship now that the hour has become late at long last to track down the children and put them down for bed. A giggle catches her attention which she follows to the ships spacious hangar. She spies around the corner to find what they could be humored by.

Baldur lip synchs a song from the radio which the children find absolutely hilarious as it's a woman singing on the radio. Between Baldur's feminine imitation dancing and the fact he knows the song well enough to lip sing it she can't help but to crack a smile herself. It's a refreshing change of pace at any rate.

By the end of the song, and Baldur has officially ruined the grim profile Tifa had marked him with she ends her spying and watches him interact with the children in plain sight. As the next song begins to play Baldur pauses, he smiles, being reminded of old pleasant memories.

"I haven't heard this song in a long time... You know, for a short time I was a musician."

"Nuh-uh." Denzel teases.

"Oh yes. Infact this song," Baldur turns up the volume, "Is one I wrote. This is me."

"I don't believe you." Ryu, the cynical little thing adds.

"Oh?" Baldur starts by bobbing his head back and forth, then snapping his fingers to the beat, "I take my chance tonight. Give me one more shot oh no-no-no-" He continues to move in rhythm to the song and sing along. He does sound very much like the singer on the radio.

Tifa watches the kids from a distance with a smile. They are memorized and Baldur manages to encourage them to start their own version of awkward dancing. But this is not good enough for him, "I'll take you by the hand. I wanna' be with you fo-ever-" Baldur sings with a hand outstretched towards Tifa.

Denzel wastes no time to grab Tifa by the arm and drag her forward "C'mon Tifa!" She laughs awkwardly and has her hand taken without permission by Baldur once she is in reach. He starts swaying her arm as a attempt to get her to tempt her to dance.

"We could travel around the world tonight, I could catch a star, we can cop it, ride it, there's no need to know a destination-" He turns her, pulls her in, pushes her out and sings to them in such a humorous way she becomes relaxed enough to start dancing with Baldur and the children around them. Baldur takes her by both hands now and sways along with her as his eyes watch the kids dance on their own. He spins her around again playfully so her back is to him, his arms around her and keeping true to the song he continues the song while singing over her shoulder, "wishing I could get my nose close to your's and whisper little secrets I never told no girl before-"

Baldur spins her out a distance from himself only so he could close the distance in rhythm as he looks her in the eyes, "And when I look into those angel eyes my body crystallizes, that symbolizes,"He stops, points and looks to Kim who bounces beside him, pony tail flopping up and down, "That symbolizes my heart for you, and what you do-" He takes the child by the hand, twirls her this way and that, scoops her up and dances with her as her feet dangle in the air, "Because I love you babe, yeah I love you babe!-"

This continues for the next few minutes and once the song ends Baldur helps put the children down to bed with a smile, a laugh, with hope. Once done settling each of them down for the night Tifa closes the door to the kid's temporary room gently behind herself. Baldur waits for her before walking along side her.

"That was nice what you did for them. Thank you." She smiles at him, he smiles back.

"I get caught up in what I do so much I forget why it must be done. It was beneficial to me as much as it was to them."

"For me too." They continue to walk without her knowing the destination or if there was a destination even. They keep to themselves till entering the bridge where they both stop at the helm to watch the moon now that the rain has stopped at long last.

"I have been meaning to apologies to you Tifa. I did not mean you any harm when we first met. I felt it was best I waited for Cloud. I thought if I explained things to you it would of caused more trouble. If I left there was a chance the Executioners would arrive and they would have used you to get to Cloud."

"I guess you were in a bad spot... I forgive you. If you can forgive me for hitting you in the face."

Baldur extends his hand to her with a smile, "You have you're self a deal."

Tifa accepts his hand shake and can't help but to smile again, "You're an unusual man Baldur. They way you talk is so..."

"Strange I know. I have been told."

"I was going to say proper. Strange in a good way I think. Don't take this the wrong way but you're eyes..."

"Don't be." Baldur seems comfortable enough to answer her question, "I don't know is my answer. They changed when I went into the life stream. I was told it may be Mako poisoning that caused a reaction to my high count of Jenova cells. I was also told I may be dying because of it. But this is a story for another day."

"I'm sorr-"

"Don't. It is nothing to be sorry for. I should have died that day but I am here. It is something to be thankful for."

Tifa smiles again. Memories of her and Cloud as children start to play back. They shared moments like this and Cloud would say things with such optimism for the future. He made her feel so safe when with him back then. Without knowing why she feels the same way now.

"Baldur. What's going to happen now?"

"Well... You will have to stay with us for until we can find a temporary place for you to stay where the executioners can not find you. And Cloud will have to come with me. Until the Executioners are dealt with they will chase him. They never quit pursuing you." Baldur crosses his arms and takes in a deep breath.

"I hate to sound this way. But maybe it will do Cloud some good. You seem like you might be able to anchor him."

"I am sure he has had many terrible things happen to him. I do want to help him. But you can not change anyone."

"He acts like no one else has it worse than him. He can't let go. I don't know you very well but I see what I see in Cloud's eyes, the pain. But look you... What you did with those children tonight, you at least have priorities above you're self. You seem like you try."

" Tifa... There is a theory called the six degrees of separation. It is a theory that everyone on the planet is connected to one another by one out of every six people. The Executioners used this as an example at how fast Jenova cells could spread through reproduction and blood. Unfortunately it made sense even to me. They will not stop until every last one of us with Jenova cells is either dead or agrees their cause. They have an army, Shinra has started a new corporation under a new name and they have an army, even I have a small army at my disposal... This is going to get far worse, far bloodier before it gets any better Tifa. I think you and Cloud will need each others support. Just be patient for a little longer"

"Cloud was never there for us. And his brother that I know for barley a day steps in and does more to be there for me than he has in a year. No, I've accepted that he can't let go of the past. It's funny though... You remind me of the Cloud I always dreamt he could of been."

During their conversation another over hears it. Cloud stands behind the wall to the Bridge listening to every word.

Chapter 4: Six Degrees Of Separation Part Two

"Coming soon"