Chapter 9 – Battle on Sacred Ground

The next morning Kadaj bounced down the stairs before either of his brothers and began cooking his famous omelettes with the leftover eggs, humming cheerfully to himself. The sun was shining vibrantly outside, summer's saccharine air trickling through the window and teasing the youth's senses into wakefulness. By the time Loz wafted into the room on the smell of food, Kadaj had three places set and was ladling fruit juice from the mixing bowl into cups.

'Morning Loz!' Kadaj greeted the youngest as he fell into his chair.

'Morning… kami, that smells good, bro…'

Kadaj grinned. 'Good, that means I didn't mess it up. Is niisan alive yet?'

As if on cue, Yazoo walked in already fully dressed. 'Goodness, someone's been busy,' he teased, seeing the table set as though for a full meal. Dinner was usually eaten on the run or in front of the TV, so this was a rare occurrence in their household.

'So, is there a special occasion?' Yazoo joked, inwardly pleased at Kadaj's exuberance.

'Not really,' his younger brother said in a slightly secretive tone. 'I just feel like something important is going to happen today.'

As soon as the words left his lips, the doorbell rang. 'Who on earth…?' Yazoo wondered, rising to answer it. 'I'll come too,' Loz affirmed, a cautious glance passing between them. Kadaj knowingly hung back in the doorway, nervous but prepared to defend his brothers if the caller was of undesirable intentions.

Their fears were unfounded. As soon as Yazoo opened the door Kurry grinned. 'Thought I was a kidnapper, did you?'

Yazoo chuckled, relieved. 'Um, well… now that you mention it…'

Kurry winked and sauntered inside. 'I don't blame you. I've been known to be evil on occasion. Kitty's coming; she's just bringing your present.'

A moment later Kitty came in with a four-cup holder with three coffee cups in it. 'Present for you! Happy good morning!' she sang out, passing cups around. The brothers laughed.

'How much coffee did you drink earlier?' Loz teased. He was getting caught up in the spirit of things and clinked his coffee cup with Kadaj's in a sort of toast. 'Happy good morning! I'll have to remember that one…'

Kurry's aura was radiant in the golden light streaming through the windows. 'I don't mean to be pesky, but what are you guys doing today, do you know?'

'I'm not sure,' Loz answered truthfully, taking another sip and glancing at his oldest brother for suggestions.

'We should go downtown and put more resumes out…' Yazoo mused.

Kadaj glanced up sharply from where he was making more omelettes for their guests. 'What? 'Zoo, you don't have to now, we're okay…'

Yazoo silenced him with a fond smile and a wave of his hand. ''Daj, I can't tell you how utterly thrilled I am that your song has been accepted, but I've got to get a job. I'll go crazy with boredom if I don't. I promise I will not take on anything too stressful, okay?' Kadaj nodded acquiescingly, reassured.

'Good. Then would you guys mind if we tag along?' Kurry asked. 'Vince gave us the day off, so we're free and have got nothing to do.'

'Sure,' Yazoo replied with a smile. 'I don't see a problem with that.'

Kitty leaned over Kadaj's shoulder. 'Oooh, omelette.'

'There's a lot for everybody. Help yourselves.'

The slightly crowded kitchen was quiet for a few minutes as they all enjoyed Kadaj's excellent breakfast.

'You girls chose a good day to drop by,' Yazoo commented when he had finished. ''Daj doesn't usually cook like this.'

'I have to be in the right mood,' Kadaj explained, stacking plates. ''Zoo is the awesome cook in the family.'

'Mmm, I like the sound of that,' Kurry quipped, making the aforementioned cook turn scarlet. Loz snorted into his coffee; it was extremely rare for the normally stoic Yazoo to blush.

They all insisted Kadaj sit and eat his own breakfast while they cleaned up, which he did wholeheartedly. Afterward they had to wait for Loz to get dressed and spike his hair again. Kitty ruffled it as soon as he came down and then bolted, prompting him to chase her good-naturedly all the way out to the car while both laughed like mad.

The trip downtown was uneventful. Once they had arrived and found parking, it was decided by mutual vote that the group would walk to the East Market and poke around the shops there. Accordingly they all set off, chatting gaily.

The East Marketplace was one of the first sections of town to be rebuilt after the war and construction crews had exceeded all expectations. The massive cobblestone square was framed on three sides by quaint storefronts selling everything from clothing to music to antique furniture. Street vendors set up keep under the huge stone monument that had been erected in honour of the war relief effort. The fourth side of the square sloped a little toward a residential area, leaving a large grassy knoll on which the neighbourhood children frolicked on pleasant days. Today was just such a day, and the five friends could hear the children's laughter echoing across the plaza.

The market was not exceptionally busy today. The boys fondly acceded to the girls' wishes to look at nearly everything and allowed themselves to be directed wherever the ladies wished since it was their day off. Finding interest in a few of the stores, Loz put out his resume which he had brought, along with Yazoo's, in his satchel. Yazoo, on the other hand, opted to wait until he had seen more of what the downtown area had to offer.

It was nearing lunchtime when they emerged from the music store, having just spent an hour and a half browsing the selection of titles. Kadaj was walking backwards again, listening as they tried to choose where to go for lunch, when he nearly ploughed into Marlene coming out of the drugstore.

'Oof… ack, sorry Marlene, I didn't see you there.' The youth grinned sheepishly. 'Serves me right for walking backwards… anyway, how are you?'

'We're excellent,' Marlene answered cheerfully as Vincent came out behind her. 'Just picking up a few necessities. We're about to go for lunch,' she added. 'Care to join us?'

Vincent smiled and slipped an arm around her waist. 'Now love, I'm sure these people must be getting sick of me. I gave them the day off for a reason, you know.'

'Actually, we were just discussing where to go for food and we still don't have a clue, so any suggestions would be appreciated,' Yazoo admitted.

'See Vince? Come on guys,' Marlene said. 'I know this great little place called Huttinger's. Best pizzas ever, trust me.'

The others found this agreeable and followed.

Huttinger's turned out to be a lovely little pizzeria styled after traditional Midgar fashion. Everyone felt very much at home right away. They were given a large corner booth near the window and menus; each perused theirs carefully before Loz pointed out that they could get two large pizzas for a decent price with drinks included. The decision made, talk turned to random things until their food came. As they ate, Loz noticed Kadaj getting his curiosity expression and said, 'What's up, bro?'

'I was just wondering if I could ask a question, Vincent-sama, since we're outside of work,' Kadaj said thoughtfully.

'Sure. Ask away, though I can't promise I'll answer. And cut out the honorific, seriously. Just Vincent is fine.'

Kadaj coughed, a little embarrassed, but he leaned forward and rested his chin in his palms. 'Okay then… how did you and Cloud end up being friends? And don't spare too many details; I'm very curious by nature.'

Vincent exhaled slowly and chuckled. 'Gee, that's… a bit of a loaded question…' He leaned back and took a sip of his soda before answering.

'Cloud and I were introduced to each other by our sensei in martial arts class when we were both seventeen. We ended up being sparring partners for the duration of our training and eventually we became what some would call friends, but I prefer 'a little more than acquaintances'. Soon after we finished our training the war broke out in Rocket Town. I wasn't too enthusiastic; I figured Midgar wouldn't have to be involved. But I knew Cloud was keeping track of events quite closely.'

'When Midgar received the call for aid, Cloud came to see me and said that he was going to sign up. I tried to discourage him, but he had already made up his mind. I'd never seen his eyes look that resolute before.'

'I did a lot of thinking that night and finally came to the conclusion that I couldn't let Cloud go off and get himself killed alone. So the next morning I packed up Cerberus and a few simple belongings and headed down to the recruitment centre.'

'That very day, Cloud and I were chosen as members of a group of elite soldiers led by someone from Rocket Town itself. His name was Zack and let me tell you, there hasn't been a warrior like him before or since. He saw a lot of potential in Cloud and they soon became best friends. The whole group was really tight-knit and we had a lot of fun training together. We did that for a month before we left for Rocket Town in May; less than a year later we were back.'

'Then you must know what happened,' Loz interjected.

Vincent's eyes clouded immediately at his words. 'Yes,' he said quietly. 'I know what happened. And it will be a cold day in hell before I ever repeat it. Cloud and I grew closer after we returned home; we were the only two from Midgar, and we could stay in touch better than with the rest of the group.'

He stopped talking then, the silence becoming slightly strained. Sensing it was safer to change the subject, Kadaj said, 'You mentioned something called Cerberus. What is that?'

An oddly satisfied smile crossed Vincent's face, pride now reflecting in his eyes. 'When our training had been completed, our sensei informed us we were expected to choose our weapons carefully and respect them forever. I took those words to heart, and when I found my fated weapon, it became clear why he said what he said.'

'And that was?' Loz asked, as intrigued as his brother.

'He said, 'The weapon that becomes your partner, accompanies you everywhere and never abandons you, will be the weapon that chooses you.' I never understood what that meant until I found Cerberus, but as soon as I touched her, I knew she had chosen me.' He narrowed his eyes thoughtfully at Kadaj, Loz and Yazoo. Gesturing at Yazoo, he added 'You may already have something like this, you may not. But you two,' and here he meant Kadaj and Loz, 'someday you two will find out what I'm talking about.'

He sent a wary glance around the restaurant to make sure no-one was watching, then inched closer to Kadaj.

'Meet Cerberus,' he murmured proudly, pulling the right flap of his suit jacket away from his body.

Kadaj's eyes widened. 'Wow…'

Yazoo glanced over in interest, Loz leaning over him to see. 'Damn… that's a gorgeous sidearm…'

'Triple-barrel, fifteen rounds total. I had her customized to my grip when I got her.' He let his jacket fall to conceal the gleaming black sidearm again. 'She's my pride and joy.'

Marlene laughed wryly. 'I'm sharing my man,' she joked. 'Cerberus never leaves his side.'

Vincent rested a contrite arm about Marlene's shoulders, grinning. 'My apologies… Cerberus is my second pride and joy. This lovely lady right here is my first.' Marlene blushed and the others grinned at the tenderness in his tone.

Their meal finished, they split the tab evenly and returned to the street. 'We've got to get back to work,' Marlene told them. 'Thanks for coming; that was fun. Enjoy the rest of your afternoon, okay?' Bidding farewells, she and Vincent ambled off arm in arm.

Yazoo tapped Kadaj on the shoulder. 'We're going to take off too, okay bro? I want to look around downtown for prospects.'

'Awww… okay. See you later.'

'Eyes open, ne?' Yazoo ruffled Kadaj's hair affectionately and strode off with Loz in tow.

'I will!' Kadaj called, then turned back to the girls. 'Shall we stroll, ladies?'

They meandered across the plaza and entered the knoll, conversing casually about random things. The grassy hillock ended in a parking lot for a large cathedral and it was toward this that they walked, intending to visit the public gardens on the other side.

The three had just come abreast of the cathedral when their ears caught the strains of music issuing from the church.

'Someone's playing the organ,' Kadaj commented.

'I love organ music,' Kurry replied somewhat dreamily.

'It's a very sophisticated instrument. I can play it a little because I can play the piano, but what I'd really like to do is practise organ exclusively until I get be-…'

Kadaj trailed off abruptly.

'Pardon?' Kitty asked, pausing as well when Kadaj stopped short. 'What's wrong, 'Daj?'

'…that's Midnight Sorrow.'

Kurry gaped. 'That's not possible!'

'You think I don't know my own music? Come on!' He sprinted off toward the church. The girls followed at a dead run.

The organ died away as Kadaj burst through the double doors. Glancing around wildly, he noted two particular things. The first was that there was an indoor garden surrounding the pulpit, something that he knew had some significance but couldn't recall at the moment. The second thing was that the church was deserted.

He jumped a mile when someone spoke at his elbow. 'This is a memorial sanctuary,' Kitty whispered. 'The flowers were planted to remember the fallen in the war.'

'Where's the organ player?' Kurry asked. 'We would have seen them leave, wouldn't we?'

'Correct. I haven't left.'

The oak doors slammed heavily behind them. All three whirled.

'…oh shit… not you…' Kadaj gasped weakly.

Sephiroth stood between them and the exit, his stance menacingly confidant. 'Hello dove.'

Kadaj was so shocked he couldn't speak for a moment or two; his body had gone entirely rigid and his mind seemed to freeze. Kitty and Kurry moved closer on either side, but he hardly noticed. Sephiroth appeared unperturbed by their reactions.

'Look. You didn't get to see too well in the dark last time, did you dove?' He held up the long silver blade, almost as though he expected Kadaj to come forward and inspect it. 'This is Masamune, the implement of your destruction. Beautiful, isn't she?'

'We've seen nicer,' Kitty retorted sharply.

'I'll pretend you didn't say that, wench,' Sephiroth replied icily.

Kitty's words had the effect of snapping Kadaj back to his senses. He had to get them out of here or they all risked being killed. 'Um…' he said abruptly, clearing his throat. 'Please state your purpose or let us leave. We've got to be moving along.'

Sephiroth chuckled unpleasantly and spread his arms wide. 'I'm here to kill you, of course. Did I not choose the perfect place for your death? These girls may even plant a flower for you over there once you're gone.' His eyes narrowed and something dangerous and utterly terrifying flickered in their depths. 'I must say, I did quite enjoy your little symphony last night. You didn't honestly think you had escaped me, did you?'

The words struck terror into Kadaj's heart. He was that close to the house!? Almost frantically, his eyes darted left and right, searching for a means of escape. They passed over a display case housing an ancient weapon of some sort, but the blade would be too old and fragile to defend them with. Sephiroth watched him with a bemused smirk on his face, clearly enjoying himself. 'Do not even attempt it, dove. There is no way out. You managed to prolong your inevitable death for a couple of days, but you were foolish to think you would avoid it entirely.'

Something in Kadaj ignited at this dismissive statement. There is a latent urge in all human beings that lies dormant until called upon in extreme circumstances. It is the desire to survive, the driving force that floods the body and mind with adrenaline and the will to live, and it was this force that Kadaj now summoned to his aid. Reflexively shifting to a fighting stance, he stepped in front the girls and fixed Sephiroth with a lethal gaze, much like he had done against Naraku on the previous day.

'What makes you think you'll be able to kill me?'

An expression of mild surprised raised Sephiroth's eyebrows. '…you didn't seriously just ask that question, did you?'

Kadaj shrugged. 'I just think that I deserve to know why I'm supposedly going to die.'

Sephiroth sighed almost uninterestedly. 'I told you, dove, I have a job to complete, that's all.'

'…so you are an assassin.'

'Precisely. Well done, dove, you figured it out all on your own.' And the assassin applauded mockingly.

The girls had been silently watching this exchange with rapidly increasing incredulity. Unable to refrain from speaking any longer, Kurry burst out, 'So, you think that just because you walk around carrying that sword it gives you the right to take away another's life?!'

'Hush, 'Ry, you'll only antagonise him,' Kadaj murmured too late.

Sephiroth seemed to see the girls with new eyes. 'So, these are the famous executives of ShinRa,' he scoffed, looking them up and down as though they were scum. 'You have powerful friends, dove.'

'What do you want with me?' Kadaj hissed, no longer afraid but angry.

'Do you think they can protect you? Or that you can protect them?' Sephiroth asked ominously.

'Hey! Whatever your beef is, it's with me, not with them!'

'Don't flatter yourself, you're just bait,' the assassin answered. 'I have bigger plans to take care of and sadly, you are needed in order to catch my true prey. If you insist on dragging these two females into it, that is entirely up to you… but make no mistake, it will not be good for them if you do.' And with that he took three running steps forward and launched himself at Kadaj.

Kurry let out a shriek and threw herself on Kadaj and Kitty, knocking them to the floor. Not expecting the move, Sephiroth went tumbling over the pile of people but he was back on his feet in a flash. 'Stop resisting and it will all be over soon,' he insisted in a horrible crooning tone. 'I'll even let you girls shut your eyes when I take his life.'

'This is holy ground!' Kurry shouted, struggling to stand. 'How can you even think to kill someone in here?'

Sephiroth made a soft noise of defiance. 'I am not afraid of the gods, woman. They have no power here, and neither do you.'

Pushing himself to his feet, Kadaj backed away a few steps, keeping himself between the girls and Sephiroth. His feline eyes narrowed at the assassin, who simply smirked, the long silver blade slung casually over his shoulder.

'Kiisama,' Kadaj spat, glaring daggers at their opponent. 'Leave them out of it.' Sephiroth didn't bat an eye; he merely shrugged. 'It's you I want. If they get in the way, they will be removed.'

Kitty gripped Kadaj's shirt sleeve, attempting to get in front of him and being restrained at the same time. 'Oh no you don't! You can't have him! What has he ever done to you, you jackass?!' Sephiroth's expression turned ugly as the insult left Kitty's lips. 'You'll regret that, wench,' he hissed, lowering his blade back to a fighting stance and ignoring her question completely.

'Oh shit…'

While grappling with Kitty to keep her behind him, Kadaj caught sight of the display case out of the corner of his eye. A light clicked on in his mind and he hissed, 'Girls! Give me your purses! Now!'

Not even hesitating, Kitty and Kurry pressed them into his hands. 'Gomen ne,' he muttered, feeling a little bad that they were going to be destroyed. But it was better to sacrifice their cell phones than their lives.

In that instant, Sephiroth attacked.

Bending his knees, Kadaj hurled both purses with all his strength. Kurry's flew into Sephiroth's face and was promptly sliced in half. But that one second was all Kadaj needed. The glass shattered as Kitty's purse hit it and Kadaj flung himself at the display case. Behind him, Kurry shrieked again as Sephiroth came onward, his blade swinging in a wide arc towards their heads.

CLANG!!

The sound of metal clashing on metal reverberated throughout the monastery. A look of surprise crossed Sephiroth's face, as Kadaj threw him back with astonishing strength. The assassin stumbled a little and caught the ancient double-edged blade with his own as Kadaj now took the offensive. Both silver-haired males renewed their efforts and the sanctuary rang with the sound.

'Do you think you can beat me, little one?' Sephiroth intoned suddenly, blocking Kadaj's awkward thrust. The boy was nowhere near as skilled as he in sword mastery, though his spunk was to be admired. 'I've been killing for several years; I have no qualms about death.' He forced Kadaj back over the steps leading up to the pulpit and swung so hard that he sent Kadaj to his knees. Bending over him, Sephiroth lowered his tone and smirked again. 'Unfortunately, you are not that lucky. If you come quietly, I may be lenient. Challenge me again and I cannot guarantee the safety of your little girlfriends.'

Snarling, Kadaj threw himself to his feet and swung the sword downward with all his might. He heard Sephiroth hiss again and was surprised to see a piece of his shoulder covering on the ground. He barely managed to parry as Sephiroth attacked vigorously and pinned their blades together.

'Impudent bastard. You'll be dead before you can even think of trying to save them. Too bad for you this blade is old and easily broken.' As if to prove his point, the metal of Kadaj's weapon creaked in the hilt.

A trickle of sweat ran down Kadaj's brow and he appeared to be straining to remain upright. Sephiroth, sensing victory, pressed harder on the blade, hoping to shatter it right in Kadaj's face.

And then Kadaj grinned.

'Now, see, I KNEW you weren't that smart.'

'…what?' Sephiroth growled, suddenly finding it difficult to push against Kadaj.

'Too bad for you this blade is a holy relic.'

'I told you, I'm not afraid of the gods.'

'No, but that silent alarm has been going for about ten minutes now. Any second and this place will be swarming with cops.'

Jade eyes widened and Sephiroth snarled in the realisation that he had been outwitted. Flinging both arms out, he caught Kadaj by surprise and threw him to the ground. The holy blade skittered away across the floor. Kadaj suddenly found the tip of the silver sword at his throat.

'Say goodbye, fool.'

'NO!'

BLAM!

Sephiroth winced as the bullet cut through his shoulder. Two more blasts and he was ducking and backing away from Kadaj. The girls hit the deck as further rounds ricocheted off the walls and buried themselves in the wood. Sephiroth glanced around wildly, before fixing Kadaj with a look fit to kill. Kadaj glared back, a silent challenge passing between them. Another hail of bullets caused Kadaj to duck and when the noise had died away and he again raised his head, Sephiroth was gone.

Kadaj immediately remembered the girls and hauled himself up from the floor. Kitty and Kurry were crouched behind one of the pews, both trembling violently, but unharmed. Kadaj sighed in relief, before remembering to glance around for the source of the bullets. He was incredibly shocked when Vincent stepped out from behind the grand statue, tucking Cerberus back into his belt. Marlene was huddled behind him, looking shaken. 'Are you alright?' she called. Kadaj nodded just as the sirens sounded in the distance.

'How… weren't you going back to work?' Kadaj asked as they came down the pulpit steps.

'We decided to take the scenic route,' Vincent replied. 'It was pure chance that Marlene caught a glimpse of you through that window there, but she got a bad feeling about it and insisted we follow. We didn't hear much.' He looked incredibly troubled about something, but he shook it off and said, 'We should get out of here before the cops come.'

Kadaj ran to replace the ancient sword in the broken case. Thank you, he thought, looking fondly upon the blade. By the time the police arrived, the towering cathedral was empty.


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