Chapter 7: You're too late
Authors note: Hey again guys. Not much up here so let's get going.
Reviews:
Kim: Yesh sorry for the sudden ending, I just wanted to leave you all hanging. I know I am so mean, I am sorry. And how mean of me to leave Kadaj in such a situation huh? xD You all loved it admit it you angst lovers. Heh heh.
TurtleFan: Yeah we had to have some angst. Lol, that's the best part. Okay not always but I wanted to keep you all on your toes during this chapter, glad to see I succeeded.
Friend of A: You will see what is going to happen with Marlene and Denzel. xD And don't worry he will be saved, what kind of story would this be if he died now? I just can't tell you what may or may not happen to him before he gets saved…. :Evil grin:
Gbheart: Yes poor clueless Cloud. And thanks for the pairing opinion. I might use that one, it sounds like a lot could come of it.
Windygalux: Seto X Yami seems to be popular. And yes fluff is good.
Adeline- I have quite a cute scene in mind for when Cloud saved the day. xD
Nekoninja123: It was not a bad review. Glad to hear you like the story. So are you starting to like the couple Ami? Lol. And maybe if you studied more you would remember our vocab words. Just joking, I need to study not you. Lol.
Shinigamii Goddess: Yeah I was hoping to keep him in character but still be slightly good. And yeah I mean come one those three have way better hair than I do, I am so jealous. Although for school color day next Friday I am dying my knee length hair silver to match our color. xD
Silence: I love your pen name. And don't worry they will get to know each other a lot better soon.
"Don't cry to me.
If you loved me,
You would be here with me.
You want me,
Come find me.
Make up your mind"
-Evanescence, Call me when you're sober
"Okay we know where he is so why are we waiting for?" Cloud questioned angrily as Tifa suddenly stopped halfway out the door.
"We can't go… at least not right now"
"Why? Who knows what is happening to him, Tifa? We have to help him!"
"I know that Cloud, really I do. But did you forget about Marlene and Denzel? We can't just leave them, to be honest I don't know how they slept through what just happened a moment ago with Kadaj. But I am thankful they did, they didn't need to see that anyway…"
"Barrett can watch them."
"But he is not here right now. He is running an errand out in Cosmo Canyon and you know that. And we can't take the kids with us, that would be putting them right in the path of danger." Tifa sighed and looked at him. She felt horrible inside for trying to talk him out of helping Kadaj, but she had to think of the kids as well…
"You're right." Cloud declared. "Someone needs to stay here until Barrett gets back. You. I will go alone."
"That is to dangerous Cloud you can't!"
"I have to. Tifa you don't understand, something has changed. I can't think of him now and not be worried sick. He needs someone to care about him Tifa." Cloud shook his head. He couldn't place why he was so strangely attached to this person who used to be the enemy.
"Go ahead Cloud. Do what you can, just stay safe. I want you both to come back alive" she said, knowing that his mind had been made up from the second Kadaj had been taken out the door. "Go on, show him there are still people he can trust" she added with a nod.
"Don't worry we will both return safely."
And with that he turned and walked out of the day. He had already grabbed his weapon as well as Kadaj's and with his PHS he could call Tifa every now and again to check the signal that was being transmitted by Kadaj's tracking device. He needed to find Kadaj and soon. He had no clue why he felt such a pull to the silver haired teen, but he did none the less. There was defiantly an emotion there, but he could not place which. At the moment he did not care. His restless and worried mind flashed him fragmented scenes involving him and Kadaj, memories of the past few days. They lead up to when Tifa and he had first found Kadaj laying face down in the snow. He just hoped the young one knew that he was not alone anymore. He wanted him to know that if he could trust no one else there was one person that he could trust….and that person was Cloud himself.
(AU: I will spare most of the bloody details for now but use your imaginations as to all that happened to poor Kadaj... ;; )
"Now
I will tell you what I've done for you
50 thousand tears I've
cried
Screaming Deceiving and Bleeding for you
And you still
won't hear me
Don't want your hand this time I'll save
myself
Maybe I'll wake up for once
Not tormented daily defeated
by you
Just when I thought I'd reached the bottom
I'm dying
again"
-Evanescence
Kadaj still kneeled in the middle of the darkened room. A grimace twisted upon his face, that was the only tangible sign of the pain he felt. His eerie eyes flickered up to rest once more upon the leather whip that was still held in KayLee's hand. It looked the same save for the tinted red liquid dripping off of it, blood… Kadaj's blood.
"Have you had enough yet? Escape attempts are not taken lightly Little One. You need to be taught that this is the only home that you will ever get. And as for family how could an experiment, something not even fully human have a family?" She laughed as she turned to walk out of the room.
"You are wrong! You'll see Nii-san will come. Cloud will come and when he does it will be you learning the twisted lessons and I'll try my hand at being a teacher." Kadaj snapped the pain and anger becoming too much for him to be able to bite his tongue anymore.
KayLee flicked the whip as she turned around. In almost an instant a deep red line of blood showed angrily upon Kadaj's cheek. "Don't ever use such words with me boy, you wont live to regret it next time" She spat. She stepped closer and traced the newest cut with the handle of the whip. It ran on a slant, covering the right side of his face it darted over his eye and ended at the tip of his chin.
Kadaj jerked at her touch and bit back a scream as the hated leather left yet another stinging cut upon his body. He lurched forward and tried to grab the whip as she traced it over his face. But almost as if she anticipated his move she drew back her other hand and then let it connect with the flesh of his other cheek. Kadaj's head spun from the back hand.
"Stupid creature" KayLee said, disgust thick in her voice. She took in his tattered clothes that were cut open from the strike of the whip. Cuts were evident all over his back, arms and now face. His hair was streaked through with blood. "Let your precious Cloud see you now, see what he has to say about you. No one would care for you."
"You are wrong! My Nii-San loves me, Cloud loves me!" He spat back and then paused. His mouth hung open slightly as he spoke the words that he hoped were true.
"Still hasn't moved?" Cloud spoke into the PHS. Hearing Tifa's reply at the other end he began to worry. Why had Kadaj not moved in the pass hour? Was he still alive? What could they be doing to him that would take that long? Cloud was glad he didn't know the answer to the last question. "Please be okay…" he whispered as he shut the phone. "I don't know what I would do if you weren't" he added.
Cloud hopped once more on Fenrir and urged it to lurch forward. His left hand idly drifted to the hilt of Kadaj's Souba. He frowned sadly as he looked down at the mentioned sword. "Don't worry my friend. I won't let your second chance be taken from you" and with that Cloud sped up his bike.
After traveling for the better part of an hour Cloud caught sight of a large building looming in the distance. According to Tifa Kadaj was in there. He shivered as he thought of the state in which he might find Kadaj. He longed to go in fighting, to return to these people all the pain that they had given to Kadaj. But that was not wise. He was outnumbered. He would try to sneak in first, if that did not work then he would be forced into plan B which was go in fighting and, if need be, go down fighting.
He slowed the bike down until it was at a stand still. He waited for a moment but the only noise that greeted his ears was the swaying of the trees that surrounded the place. He propped Fenrir against one of these trees and made sure it was hidden. Security was sure to be tight but Cloud knew a few tricks. Hopefully they would be enough to save both his and Kadaj's life.
He stalked up to a drainage pipe that had not been used in ages. However it still stood there and would be used today. It was to be used as both a way in and with luck a way out. Cloud lightly squeezed into the small pipe and smirked, this seemed to be going all too easy. After five minutes or so he came to a vent that hung over an empty room.
"I don't trust this at all" he muttered as he took the vent off and dropped silently down into the room. He walked down hall after hall and empty room after empty room. All the while he grew more uneasy…
Kadaj curled himself into a ball. It was cold in the, now thankfully empty room. He watched as some of his blood dripped onto the floor before he sat up. He clutched his knees close to him as he thought of all the times he had been in this room before now. It was dark and damp and cold. The ceiling seemed to go on forever as it faded away in the shadows.
"Maybe Nii-san really isn't coming…?" The teen asked himself in a slightly slurred voice. He was tired and weak but found that he could not sleep, not that he wanted to any way. He leaned his head forward and rested it against his arms, wincing slightly as the cut upon his cheek brushed against his hand.
A slight sigh passed his lips as he closed his eyes. He knew that he had to find a way out, his spirit would not let him survive here again. Not after he had sworn to himself that he would rather die than ever return here.
"So then what am I going to do?" he asked himself as he shook a strand of silver hair away from his face. "What can I do?"
Cloud opened yet another random door. This one opened into a large room in the shape of a circle. He walked out onto a little ledge and noticed that he was on the second floor of the room. Looking down his eyes caught on none other than Kadaj himself. All of his breath was jerked from his lungs at the sight of the teen.
"Kadaj?" He whispered. But that was enough, the faint question echoed around the room and the teen picked his head up.
"Cloud!" He called out as he looked around trying to spot his savior.
Cloud did not reply instead he walked to the edge of the ledge and knelt down. There was a long column reaching downwards. Without even thinking Cloud grabbed hold of it and slid down. Not waiting to hit ground he jumped off a few feet above the floor and ran to Kadaj.
"Cloud, you came…" the statement sounded more like a question.
"Wha-What did they do?" Cloud asked, mainly of himself.
"Punishment" Kadaj answered meekly.
Cloud's anger doubled ten fold. "They won't lay another hand on you ever again. I swear I won't let them" he vowed to Kadaj.
Kadaj could not clearly put together his thoughts properly, all his body wanted to do was sleep, it had loss to much blood to function right. "Doesn't matter… you came" he managed with a smile.
Cloud had to choke back a tear. He had never been one to cry, but something about this felt so right. He could not place it however the feeling only grew stronger as he raised his arms and embraced the teen. The warmth felt welcomed and Cloud tightened his arms slightly. "Yes, I came. It's alright now" he tried to comfort Kadaj.
Upon feeling Cloud pull him into a hug Kadaj smiled again. He raised his cut and bruised arms up and wrapped them around Cloud. What happened next was truly due to the lack of blood. Kadaj would never have done such a thing in normal circumstances… "I love you Cloud…" he muttered softly as he lifted his head and laid it upon a shocked Cloud's shoulder.
Cloud was spared the need to answer by a cold voice. "Aw. Isn't that cute?" KayLee stood at the doorway. "Come on Cloud. I had thought that you would have been smarter than that. Walking into a trap does not seem like your thing. Did you think that the security was lack because today was your lucky day or something? Sorry to disappoint you but the only reason you made it in here is because I wanted you in here. Now I have Kadaj and you. What a nice pair" and with that a group of soldiers walked in grinning and stood behind KayLee.
Authors note: Ah: Hides from the rotten fruit being thrown at her: I am so sorry for the cliffy at the end. But hey didn't you like the fluff? Heh. Sorry for any mistakes but I am so sick. I just hope I don't have to go to the hospital.
