R&R!
DISCLAIMER: go back to ch 1
"Yes, thank you Rikku."
Cloud nodded and shifted in the chair he sat in, glancing at Kadaj now and then.
The boy was still on the ground, kneeling against the bedside. He bit his nail, his red bitten lip pouting. His pale shoulder was revealed despite the shirt fitting around his waist.
"No problem. Just don't make out in my tent next time, okay?"
She grumbled and fixed the vibrant cloths on the table Kadaj spilled over.
"Y-Yes, we'll avoid that next time."
He glanced at Kadaj and his heart jolted when he didn't react to 'next time'.
The boy just covered his red bitten lip and kept on staring at Cloud, his fist almost shaking.
"Gaia, I can't stand you two. I can smell the lust from over here."
The elder stood up and lifted up the beads, letting them cascade on the sand.
"Just fuck already, it'll make both our worlds better."
She grumbled out the tent and for a split second Cloud thought she was gonna come back in. When she didn't a long string of silence passed them both, neither one of them speaking first.
Kadaj just stared blankly at Cloud and the blonde stared back. He studied how no matter how hot the weather was, he didn't sweat. He didn't sweat at all.
Long silver bangs covered his eyes, hidden under an intense green gaze.
"You heard what she said. Come here…"
Kadaj slowly brought himself up on the clothed makeshift bed, spreading his slim legs. His hands went down his pants and he pulled them off, tilting his head back.
"Cloud…"
He moaned, the hand in his pants pumping something that peeked over the edge.
The blonde felt like he couldn't control himself at the sight and stood up, almost a bit too fast and ripped his hand out.
"Kadaj, we need to talk about this…"
He tried to reason with him, really, but it was hard with his own mind distracting him. Images of the clone arching underneath him and moaning Cloud's name loud enough for the whole camp to hear. Not to mention how tight he must be. Stretched deliciously around his-
"I don't care, just give it to me. Please…"
He begged, hot breath hitting Cloud's lips.
He couldn't do this. Kadaj just got out of the lifestream, he was his enemy and he was a guy.
The last part didn't really matter now that he thought about it, he had feelings for Zack in the past. With Sephiroth also at one point.
But still, there was so many things that could come out of this. Kadaj could just want his cock and after he got it he'll leave just like everyone else has.
Only he didn't want to find anyone else.
But before he could finally give in, high shrieks echoed throughout the camp.
What?
Cloud stood up immediately and grabbed his sword, Kadaj zipping up his pants and went rummaging through the tent to find a sword or something to attack with.
"What's happening, what-"
Kadaj mumbled confused, almost falling over on his knees when he couldn't find a weapon. When the ex-merc noticed his empty hands, he unsheathed a dagger from his belt and tossed it to him.
Just as the elder woman came to his mind, Rikku lifted up the beady covers. Her face was etched with something close to panic but suppressed it down.
"They're here! You two get out as soon as possible, I'll take care of it!"
She didn't leave the both of them time to object before she left, the beads crashing down on the sand.
Screams of little children and woman resounded throughout the camp, gunfire was rampant and exclamations of "they're here, they're here!" and children crying out for their mothers was all he could hear.
Kadaj gripped the handle tightly with his hand and looked up at Cloud, a twinge of fear in his green slanted eyes.
"S-So? Where's the next pitstop?"
The ex-merc didn't give him an answer. He lifted up the curtain and the first thing he saw was strangely tall men in heavily coated black suits, two long blue stripes dividing both their uniforms in half and wielding big guns which nearly deafened Cloud despite being a mile away. All of them had tough sturdy helmets on, gleaming under dim lights and strangely enough had an odd blue glowing dot in the center.
They seemed to gesture towards each civilian, sort of a hasty symbol and when they didn't they pointed their guns and fired.
Cloud wasn't having any of it and bent over Fenrir parked outside, wiping the blades clean from dust or anything accumulating the surface.
"Nii-san, let's get outta here!"
Kadaj nudged his shoulder and followed him through, almost getting lost in the mass of people. He pushed them around, not caring who it was.
"Brother, please!"
He yelled out and caught sight of Rikku holding off against a band of men with the same exact type of uniform but this time they had robes on. She hacked through them with two shuriken like claws. But no matter how agile and fast she was, too many of them piled up on her and pointed their guns. Kadaj forgot all about Cloud and ran ahead, almost tripping on the sand.
"Hey!"
He yelled and the men turned their heads. Rikku stabbed one of them in the back but he suddenly picked her up and threw her away, only focusing their attention on Kadaj.
"Is that Him? Is that really Him?"
One of the soldiers muffled under their helmets and after a short while, they pointed to Kadaj clearly.
"That's Him! Get him!"
"... Shit."
The remnant panted and sprinted, falling over once and just turned sometimes to swipe at one of them if they got too close.
"Nii-san!"
He cried out again, higher pitched than before. Cloud turned his head after getting rid of one of the grunts and widened his eyes when Kadaj was yanked back.
"Kadaj!"
Cloud ran to the clone as fast as he could. His eyes glued to the figure in front, black firm hands clenched the teenager's biceps and a single syringe flickering under the dim fire.
No.
Cloud didn't have enough time to talk or to run before the figure sunk the syringe in Kadaj's neck, the boy letting out an aching cry as the man filled up the hollow tube with thick scarlet blood. Cloud felt his heart halt but he just couldn't stop running.
"Fuckers! Get away from him!"
After what seemed like forever, the men practically threw him forward and the teen held himself up, coughing down on the sand. He was lucky he didn't get trampled by the people running around, especially in the loose sand.
"Kadaj, Kadaj are you okay? Hey, are you okay?"
Cloud bent over and hooked an arm under his waist and knees, hauling him up with no problem. Kadaj's eyes fluttered and his muscles weakened, almost like they injected him with something instead of extracting his blood.
"Hey, I'm not losing you too okay? Not you too…"
Cloud knew he should be out defending the camp against the men. He knew he should just lay Kadaj in one of the tents and leave but something inside forced him to stay there. It was almost like he just couldn't leave him, no matter what was happening around.
He lifted up the cloths to one the tents and laid him down on the bed. He tilted his head to the side where the soldier took his blood and noticed the spot spreading rapidly like an infection, like a very very bad rash.
"Hey, Kadaj? Can you hear me?"
Cloud whispered while searching for a first aid kit or something to clean the spot.
"N-N-Nii-san… What…?"
He mumbled, his voice weak and broken. "W-Where…"
"Don't worry about it."
Cloud popped open a box and wrapped a small ball, dipping it in sterilizer and pressed it against the spot. Kadaj winced in pain, his hand shot up to grab his wrist.
"W-what did that guy put in me?"
He questioned, his face contorted with pain as he pressed against the wound.
"He just took some blood, I don't think poisoned you."
I hope.
Kadaj clenched his fists and breathed out heavily while Cloud tended to the rapidly growing rash on his skin. Or if it even was a rash.
"I don't think it's that big, nii-san, I'm fine…"
"Don't care, rashes get infections, infection make you sick, get sick and you die."
He wrapped a long strand around his forearm, tying a knot to pressure a gash.
"I thought you wanted me dead…"
Kadaj looked up through bleary green eyes. It was obvious the more time he spent here away from the Lifestream he was weakening. Maybe it was a status effect thing.
"No, I don't. If it means anything, the last thing I want is you dead."
"Why? So Shinra can pay you more?"
He coughed, attempting to glare at him but failing. He just squinted his eyes.
"I told you I'm not handing you to Shinra."
Cloud grunted and tied the last of the bandages around his arm, sighing in relief. It occurred to him just then the screams and gunshots died down, leaving murmurs and crying in its wake. He lifted up a flap and peeked out, seeing people pitch their tents and pick up limp bodies in suits.
Just then Rikku rushed in the tent and glanced at Cloud, her gaze focusing only on Kadaj.
"You have some explaining to do."
The blonde crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes at the elderly woman.
"Get your feet off my damn couch! I just brushed it, yo."
Reno swatted away Yazoo's teasingly long legs, grumbling under his breath.
"The whole reason why this apartment's a dump is 'cause you don't wipe your feet when ya come in."
Yazoo didn't seem phased and continued changing the channel, munching on something Reno just threw in the cabinet. Smelled and tasted like chips.
The remnant brushed crumbs off his puffy blue robe - well it was mostly Reno's - and swiped some strands of silver hair that fell in front of his face. He wore nothing underneath the robe, didn't feel like it was worth it. If only Reno stopped yelling at him, he'd walk around the apartment completely naked.
One day.
The redhead just gave a poisonous glance, turning back to the tv.
"Are ya just gonna pick something to watch or just scrolling the channels for kicks? I'm bored, yo."
Reno noticed a stain on his perfectly whitened tank top, grimacing for a second and pulled up the blanket so he wouldn't notice it again.
Yazoo just laid his head in his hand pursing his lips as he just jumped from one channel to another.
"Psycho? Is that a good movie?"
He finally spoke, bringing up slim fingers so he brushed his soft pale lips.
"You mean the one with the MILF thing going on?"
Yazoo furrowed his brows his fragile face looking up, lips pursed.
"What's a MILF?"
The Turk darted his cerulean eyes to Yazoo's emerald ones before he burst out in laughter.
"You mean to tell me you out of all people don't know what MILF means?"
He covered his face and for the first time in forever laughed until his guts hurt and tears brimmed his eyes.
"MILF…"
He threw his head back and tried to regain his breath but fell back into laughter all over again.
All the while Yazoo was growing frustrated and stood up.
"I'll find it my own self then."
Reno calmed down from laughing and reached out a hand, grabbing his and smiled.
"It means… It means Mother I'd Like to Fuck."
At first Yazoo was confused why Reno was holding his hand but then he started gagging.
"Fucking Mother? Why would you fuck Mother?"
He covered his mouth and the thought anyone would want to take Mother to bed was nauseating. Why would anyone want to sleep with the very thing they came out of?
Reno just rolled his eyes and retracted his hand, still snickering.
"You know cause you made Jenova sound like a type of sex goddess or something. The way you said it made it seem like she'll be good in bed, yo."
Yazoo shook his head, despite how much his stomach was churning in disgust.
"That wasn't me."
He muttered and suddenly that statement alone hit him.
"So you mean to tell me that it's just your brother that had feelings for your mother?"
Yazoo's eyes widened.
That was Kadaj.
Even though the younger remnant was his brother and in the end they had a common goal, he didn't think the same way he had.
He didn't feel for Sephiroth like Kadaj did, he didn't feel for Mother like Kadaj did and the whispers the younger clone often rambled about, he couldn't feel the same.
He was just driven on faith alone Mother would come and 'fix' the world but deep inside, buried where he couldn't hear himself…
What was there to fix?
"You sure it wasn't you? Oh yeah, you totally didn't shoot me cause I referred Jenova as just a friggin' head, yo."
The Turk rolled his eyes and grabbed the remote, flipping to another channel.
Yazoo should've gotten mad at that, he should've growled and stomped off but he didn't.
He just sat back down and brushed it off.
In everything that happened before, was it just pointless? Was Kadaj the only one that cared about Mother?
Or did Mother only care about Kadaj?
After all if she really did care about him, why didn't she help Loz and him when they were kicked out?
They died, why weren't they allowed in heaven? If Mother was powerful enough to destroy the world, why didn't she bring them back up there?
Why did she just leave Kadaj?
Why did she pick Kadaj?
"Huh, that's a miracle."
Reno muttered and leaned back on the couch, the familiar high violin strings blaring from the speakers.
"So you say they're scientists who are trained as soldiers? A whole army of them?"
Cloud paced around the tent, making sure Kadaj was sleeping soundly and nothing could wake him up.
It's been hours since the attack, as soon as Rikku came inside the remnant just fell asleep. Which worried Cloud more since who knows what else he'll get weak by.
"Scary elite force, the lot of them. Been attacking us for months, since January. They keep searching for a 'piece', just a puzzle piece to something big. Thing is though I had no idea what they meant until now."
She glanced every now and then to Kadaj, the teen's pouty pink lips letting out soft breaths. His bandaged up arm was crossed over his chest, his silver hair covering his eyes.
"If they're mostly scientists, what do they want? What're they creating?"
He was just too anxious over this, the worst part of it was that it wasn't Shinra. At least it didn't look like Shinra. Usually it would've been easier if it was Shinra operating on him but it wasn't. Just a huge cult of them.
Which was worse.
"Nothing good. If they needed his blood for an experiment, who knows when they'll come back for more."
Kadaj stirred in his sleep, muttering something about stupid chocobos and feather soup.
"Do you know him?"
Cloud asked and finally took his seat in an empty chair near Kadaj's bed, tilting his head curiously to Rikku.
"No, I don't. All I know is he's just a kid that looks like a cat and likes to pick fights with everybody."
Cloud chuckled, twirling a silver strand in between his fingers.
"Don't forget psychotic."
"... Fuck both of you guys…"
Kadaj mumbled, stirring from under a deep sleep. He popped a green eye open and threw his arm over his face. He swatted Cloud's hand away and turned his back, throwing the rather colorful cloth over his body.
Rikku scoffed and stood up, lifting up the beaded opening.
"I'm gonna clean up around here, I can't leave my people to clean up for themselves. We have robots to help but still…"
"Do you need help, Rikku?"
Cloud stood up after she left, the beads falling and burying themselves in the white sand. He brushed blonde bangs out of his face and was about to leave but the elders voice stopped him.
"The only thing I need help with is keeping him under control! Make sure he doesn't leave, got it? I wanna know more about 'em."
The ex-merc heard him scowl.
"What am I, some fucking pet?"
Kadaj glanced at Cloud from under his arm and caught his smirk too late.
"Not that kind!"