Chapter 10: The Mad Remnant

Then Cloud woke up and once again struggled with a headache. How could it be? He thought Kadaj and Sephiroth were really one and the same. If Sephiroth was already back, how could Kadaj and his brothers return? Well, there was only one way to find out–he had to see for himself.

--

Aerith had a different dream. She also saw Kadaj and his brother arise out of the Lifestream, but then she saw someone chasing them–in the air! It was someone flying so fast beside the motorcycles. All Aerith could really tell about him was that he had one white wing.

"Come to play?" Kadaj asked him. He took out his gun and fired at the specter, but the creature drew a massive sword and deflected the bullets. Then he struck at the leader, but Kadaj swerved out of the way.

"Nothing will keep us away!" Yazoo declared, but the specter struck at him too. He successfully knocked the young man off his bike. Then, he punctured Loz's tires, whose motorcycle toppled over in a blaze.

"No!" Genesis flew back and shot a fire spell. "I will not let you stop me!" The white-winged angel quickly retaliated, and they wrestled in the air.

Aerith couldn't clearly see what happened next. She heard bullet fire and scraping metal. Then, Kadaj was backing himself into a tombstone as a rain of white, gray, and black feathers gently descended on him. Yazoo and Loz crawled up to him, both looking very wounded. "Sorry . . . we . . . couldn't make it," Loz said weakly.

Yazzoo added, gasping for air, "Send . . . Auntie . . . our . . . lo–"

Both of them fell silent and still. A dark shadow fell on Kadaj, who was shakily pointing his gun upward. "Are you going to do the same to me?"

The specter didn't speak. It simply reached out its hand and touched Kadaj's forehead. Then, it leapt up and flew away. Kadaj stared up into the heavens and watched whatever it was disappear.

And then, a smile came to his lips. He gave a couple of gasping, silent laughs. Then, his laughter grew louder into a chuckle. "Heh heh heh heh heh." And then, it even grew louder. "Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Ha HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!"

--

Both Cloud and Aerith were troubled by their dreams, but they didn't speak much of it. Cloud was a little bit more vigilant, searching anywhere for traces of the treacherous brothers. Aerith was just wondering to herself where on the last journey did she see a graveyard.

The Lifestream was flowing south. Everybody just followed it with little incident, with the exception of a few monster battles. It crossed over a lake, and they just waded through the shallowest waters. They were about to go follow the Lifestream when it curved toward the east, when Aerith suddenly stood still.

"Gongaga!"

Everyone turned and looked at her. "What?" Tifa asked.

"That's where I saw a graveyard! That's where he'd be!" She started running in the opposite direction.

"Hey, you're goin' the wrong way!" Yuffie yelled at her.

Cloud ran up and joined her. "What's going on?"

"Did you dream last night?"

"Yeah."

"About Genesis and . . . ?"

"Sephiroth, and that witch, and . . . Genesis called out of the Lifestream–"

"I thought so. I have a hunch we'll be able to find them in Gongaga."

"Alright. We'll try it." He called to the rest of the group, "We're going to Gongaga, everybody!"

So, everybody followed, though no one was sure why. As they started down the paths on the fringe of the city, Yuffie started talking to pass the time. "So, where do you think the Lifestream is going, anyway?"

"It's goin' east, of course," Cid answered.

"Yeah, but what's east of here?"

"Well, a couple of islands, Mideel, Midgar–"

"How could it be going to Midgar? It started from Midgar, remem–?"

"Listen," Cloud interrupted, holding up his hand in a "stop" gesture. "It's not just me, is it? Do you hear that?"

Everybody was quiet. In the distance, they could hear laughter. It wasn't evil laughter, but the more they listened, the more intense it got.

"What's so funny?" Jessie mumbled.

"Man, wish I got the joke," Biggs mumbled.

"Shh!" Cloud hissed. He listened even closer. "I know that voice." He ran toward the sound, and everyone followed.

They walked down the path until they came to (oddly enough) the Gongaga graveyard. There they found a teenage boy with silver shoulder-length hair, wearing a black leather outfit. He was sitting in front of a tombstone, hugging his knees, and rocking with laughter. As Cloud came closer, he saw that the boy was not wearing shoes and his clothes looked torn and tattered. As he confronted the young man, Cloud drew Maranatha and pointed it straight at the teenager's face.

"Kadaj!"

The boy raised his head. His face looked a lot paler than usual. His eyes were bloodshot and had circles around them. There was drool all over his face and the front of his jacket. "Big Brother!" he said in a surprised voice. "Of course, you're going to see her too, aren't you? I knew you could count on you!" Then he sat up straight and started poking Cloud's leg with his finger while saying, "One, two, three . . ."

Cloud backed away. "What are you doing?"

"Counting on you! Get it? Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!"

"What's going on?"

"It's a Confusion spell, a really strong one. How long have you been like this?" Aerith asked gently.

Kadaj looked at her and replied, "Oh, it couldn't be longer than three minutes. Or is it three hours? Three days? Three weeks? Three months? Three years? Three decades? Ha ha ha ha ha! Three centuries! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! THREE MILLENNIA! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!"

"Will you cut that out?" Cloud demanded.

"I wish I could, ha ha ha ha ha! I ache all over, but I can't cry! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!"

"You're not missing anything," Vincent said morosely.

"Give him a break, man," Wedge mumbled to Cloud. "Looks like the kid blew a gasket or two."

Cloud nodded. He was probably right; the Confusion spell made the former remnant of Sephiroth crazy. Still, he might be useful for information. "Do you know what's going on with the Lifestream? Do you know what Sephiroth is doing?"

"Of course, Big Brother! I know it all! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Do you not know? Did she not tell you? Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!"

"Who? Tell me! Tell me everything!" Cloud ordered as he pushed his sword closer to Kadaj's face.

"We had it wrong all these years, Big Brother. We thought the power in the Reunion lies in the living, in Mother's mimetic legacy. That was our mistake! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! That's why the Reunion has always failed! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! But now, Auntie has shown us the truth, and we won't make the same mistake again. The power of the Reunion is not in the living." He suddenly snapped his head up, and his expression turned fierce. "THE POWER OF THE REUNION IS IN THE DEAD!"

Aerith gasped as Kadaj threw his head back and continued to laugh. "What does that even mean?"

"Think about it, Big Brother. The Lifestream is the planet's blood, its life, its soul. Without it, the planet will DIE! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Then, when the planet is dead, Sephiroth will use it to create a new calamity of the skies! That's not all, though. With the souls of the dead within him, he will be immortal! He will be a GOD! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Sephiroth will become one with the planet's soul, and he will finally be reunited with his mother FOREVER! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! So, you see how this is the perfect Reunion? I suppose in the end, we are the jokers. We just pulled a Shin-ra! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Get it? Pulled a Shinra?" He pointed to his leg and laughed again, "Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!"

"Is that what he's been laughing about?" Yuffie muttered. "That's a terrible joke."

Cloud reached down and grabbed Kadaj by the collar. He immediately wished he didn't because he forgot the clothes were all slimy with drool, and now it was all over Cloud's glove. "If you're so psyched about the Reunion, why did you escape from the Lifestream?" He smirked and said in a sarcastic tone, "Don't you want to help Sephiroth get stronger? Especially after he left you for dead?"

"He gave me a blessing when I died, a blessing you never knew, did you? Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Besides, he might be gracious to us. No one, not even the great Sephiroth, could ever hope to absorb the whole Lifestream. But he'll be generous. Auntie promised us that he would share some of his glory with us! Then we could go with him to see Mother! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Who knows, Big Brother? Maybe Auntie will let him share some with you, if you ask nicely! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!"

"I DON'T HAVE AN AUNT!"

"Of course you do, Big Brother! You just don't know it yet. But you'll meet Auntie Sanzamoura soon enough! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! We didn't know her either, but then she summoned Sephiroth and Uncle Genesis, and then last night Auntie took me and my brothers from the Lifestream so that we could share in the fun. We were never ones to miss a party, you know? Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!"

"So, where are your brothers?" Cloud asked in a low tone. Kadaj suddenly stopped laughing and looked at Cloud in fear. Cloud pulled him in closer. "You heard me. Where are Yazzoo and Loz?"

"The war in Heaven," Kadaj answered weakly.

Cloud dropped him. "What are you talking about?"

"I saw the heavens open, and the angels came out of the sky with blazing swords. They fought each other, and they sent my brothers back to the Lifestream. I saw it all. They spared me," he starting laughing again, but he looked like he was trying to repress it, "but they left upon me this curse! I'm telling the truth! HERE'S THE PROOF!" He held out a handful of feathers–gray, white, and black.

Suddenly it clicked. Cloud seized Kadaj again and held him high above his head. "You fool! Those weren't angels! One of them is the thief who stole my sword! Where did he go? Tell me!"

Kadaj continued laughing, even louder, but then he reached out and grabbed Cloud's shoulder. "Don't leave me, Big Brother! DON'T LEAVE ME! Let's go see her together!"

"WHERE DID HE GO, KADAJ?"

But Kadaj laughed harder. "I'M SCARED, BIG BROTHER! They'll come for me! THEY'LL COME FOR YOU! YOU'RE NEXT!!"

"Tell me where Sephiroth is!"

The laughter started turning to screams, almost. Kadaj started foaming, even bleeding at the mouth.

"Stop it! Stop it!" Cloud said through gritted teeth, but Kadaj wouldn't stop. Cloud grabbed Maranatha tightly in his other hand and raised it high. "I'LL GIVE YOU SOMETHING TO LAUGH ABOUT!"

Then, quite unexpectedly, the boy's laughter died down. Kadaj closed his eyes, and his head fell limp on his chest. Cloud dropped him again, and the young man collapsed on the ground into a fetal position.

"I cast Sleep on him," Aerith explained. "Perhaps now, he can rest, and he won't be as sore when he wakes up." It seemed unlikely, though. Kadaj was still shaking as though he was laughing in his sleep.

"What did you do that for?" Cloud asked, annoyed.

"It was obvious he wasn't going to tell us anything, and he really looked like he needed to sleep. I mean, he was just getting worse and worse."

"Well, wouldn't it have been better if we just sent him back to the Lifestream?"

"But if we did that, he would be adding strength to Sephiroth."

"It's still not good that he's out. He's just another one of our problems."

"Which is why this is probably the best thing we could do."

"Well, what should we do with him?"

"Uh, maybe we should take him with us, like he was asking," Jessie meekly suggested.

"NO WAY!" almost everybody else said in unison.

"This was the guy who brought Sephiroth back last time. I told you about him, remember?" Cloud explained.

"Oh, yeah," Jessie answered, embarrassed.

Cloud sighed. "I still don't know how this is possible. I thought he was Sephiroth, and Sephiroth was him."

"Not exactly," Aerith said. "I could feel Kadaj and his brothers in the Lifestream, too. You just said it. Sephiroth heartlessly left him to die." She looked at Kadaj sympathetically. "I know he might be frightening, but . . . he's just a kid. He wasn't the same in the Lifestream. He became different overtime."

"Looks like he's back to his old self now."

"Maybe Sephiroth is manipulating him, like he did you," Tifa suggested.

"I guess it could be." He didn't like that theory, though. If Sephiroth was manipulating Kadaj, it will only be a matter of time . . . in fact, that's probably the whole reason he's been having all these strange dreams and visions.

"Maybe we should just drop him off at the inn," Aerith suggested.

"Yeah." Cloud picked him up and carried him to the small building nearby. Unfortunately, the innkeeper just shook her head.

"Sorry, all our beds are full. If you wait an hour or two, I'm sure they'll start waking up."

"Uh, that's OK. Thank you," he answered. He went back out and put him on the ground where they found him. "I'm sure he'll be safe there." He paused. "'Auntie?' Did Jenova have a sister?"

"How can that be possible?" Aerith shrugged. "She wasn't even human, was she?"

"Lucretia did," Vincent said softly.

Cloud stared at Vincent. "Lucretia? Sephiroth's earthly mother? Was her name Sanza . . . ?"

Vincent shook his head. "I don't know. I never met her."

"Sanzamoura. There's something about that name," Aerith mumbled.

"Was she in the Lifestream?" Cloud asked.

"No, but . . . I just feel like . . . I should know something."

"Mother . . . aunt . . . brother . . . Sephiroth and his folks are all stuck on kinship, aren't they?" Cid thought out loud.

"Most dysfunctional family in history," Tifa muttered.

"You got that right," Cloud nodded. "I guess there's not much else to see here. Let's move on." But as soon as he got out of the city limits, he sighed again.

"What's the matter?" Tifa asked.

"My brain just feels so full. I've got so many questions."

"Grandpa always has answers when I have questions," Red XIII offered.

"Hmmm. You're right. Why don't we go see Bugenhagen? To Cosmo Canyon!" Everybody nodded and followed.

--

Reno turned over and groaned. He was in that state between sleep and awake. He had a beautiful, and yet somehow terrifying dream, that he was flying. He didn't want to open his eyes yet, just let it run through his head . . . for another five minutes. Let him lavish in the comfy, warm blankets and the snugly pillow.

Pillow?

He didn't remember a pillow. Not one this snugly, anyway.

And the blankets usually aren't this warm.

The bed is so soft! Not like the hard cot on the helicopter.

He blinked open one eye, just a tiny bit, just enough to get one ray of light in. The blinking, faint picture that he saw for a split second through his eyelashes didn't look familiar. So his eyes rebelled against his groggy body and opened up.

"Where am I?" he said sleepily. He sat up in his bed to see a small, quaint room. There was another bed, empty and made. A pole in the middle of the room led to downstairs. Reno yawned and stretched. He saw a sink and splashed some cold water on his face to make him wake up a little more. Then he looked at the mirror and started shaking his bed-head. "Huh?" As his fingers ran through his hair, he felt something move. He caught it in between his fingers and pulled it out–a white feather. "Where'd that come from? The pillow?" He didn't think pillows had feathers that big. Unless . . . maybe that dream was true. No wait, there was something else about feathers, something that happened yesterday. Oh, he couldn't remember.

He slid down the pole. Rude was already downstairs talking to someone on his cell phone. "30 gil? That's it?! You've got to be kidding! . . . Oh, 30,000. That's more like it. Alright, I'll keep you posted." He hung up. "Well, you're finally awake," he said turning to Reno.

"Rude, where are we?" Reno asked.

"Gongaga."

"Please Rude, now's not the time to insult my intelligence. Where are we?"

"Gongaga."

"Will you cut it out with the baby talk!"

"We are in Gongaga Village."

"Oh, yeah. How'd we get here?"

"I don't know, and I don't care."

"Did we fly?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Reno, we don't have the chopper!"

"Well, it's weird. I had this dream that I was flying, and I wasn't in the chopper. I felt like I was being carried . . . by an angel. And look what I found in my hair this morning." He showed him the feather.

"You got that caught in your hair yesterday when you were restraining Angeal, remember?"

"Oh, that's what it was! Memories from yesterday just feel kinda fuzzy to me. I don't know why."

"Well, I remember it all. It was a bust."

"What, you don't trust him?"

"No, I don't. I shoulda known. He's conspiring with Tseng, so of course he was going to portray Tseng in the most glowing light."

"Well, what do we do now?"

"Round up the usual suspects."

"And who are the usual suspects?"

"I don't know. It's an expression. We'll question anybody who looks suspicious."

"Well, first things first." Reno approached the desk. "Ma'am, I had a wonderful sleep last night. So, what do I owe you?"

"Oh, don't worry about it," the innkeeper said, shaking her head. "Someone already paid for both of you."

"You kidding? Who's that?"

"Didn't say. It looked like a couple of Shinra SOLDIERs. You were both out like a light when they brought you in. I wondered if they were going to stay too, but they said they had an extremely important assignment."

"What did they look like?" Rude asked.

"They looked very similar. I couldn't really tell any distinct features because it was almost midnight, and the lighting wasn't all that great."

"Can't I at least give you a tip?" Reno offered.

"No, they took care of everything. I'm just glad you had a satisfying sleep."

"Well, thanks." Rude and Reno walked out of the building.

"That was suspicious," Rude said darkly.

"Ohh, everything's suspicious to you! Rude, we got a free night's stay at a quality inn. Those things usually run 100 gil a bed! I'm not complaining! Why are you?"

"Tseng might have sent them. He could be trying to buy us off."

"Hey . . . wait, what's that?" Reno noticed a strange lump on top of a grave in the graveyard. He came closer and recognized the silver-haired, young warrior–Kadaj. "Well, lookie here." Reno prodded Kadaj with his shoe. The remnant just turned over. "Awwwwe, like a baby!" Reno said in exaggerated baby talk.

Kadaj laughed in his sleep again, and Reno could see the foam and blood around his lips.

"Make that a baby with rabies," Reno said in his normal tone. "Hey, he could be one of our 'usual suspects.'"

"Think there's stuff he can tell us?" Rude asked.

"That's not such a bad idea." Reno got out his stun gun and shocked Kadaj hard. The teenager opened his eyes with a shriek. Reno leaned down at him with a sneer across his face. "Wakie, wakie, eggs and bacie!"

Of course, the first thing Kadaj did was laugh. "Look at you, clown head!"

Reno dropped his smile. "Excuse me?"

"Big red wig, like a clown!"

"OK, kid, you're treading dangerous waters here. Rule #1–Never insult a Turk!"

"Turk? Like turkey! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!" He pointed up to Rude. "He even looks like a bald turkey!"

Reno started powering up his weapon. "I think I might enjoy this a little too much."

"Revenge is sweet," Rude added softly.

"Mmm-hmm, sweet as candy." But the next moment, Kadaj was on his feet, pointing his gun at Reno. "Hey, you're able to fight in this state?"

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!" Kadaj replied. "I'm not afraid of you! You're not angels!"

The Turks started circling the boy, like vultures in alternating directions. "You know what?" Reno replied. "That's true. And that's the very reason most SANE people are really afraid of us!"

"If you're not scared, you should be," Rude adding threateningly, putting his fists up.

"You silly turkeys!" Kadaj replied dangerously, despite his laughter, continuing his reference to ridiculous land birds and Thanksgiving entrees. "You forget who I am. I'll be more than happy to remind you!"

Even with that threat, it was obvious that Kadaj wasn't at his full strength. His biggest asset was that he was quick on his feet, easily evading both Rude and Reno's attacks. His gunfire stung, but his aim was too off to make critical hits. Reno figured it wasn't as bad because he was fighting by himself.

"So, what happened to your motorcycle?" Reno asked mockingly. "Better yet, where are your brothers?"

"Ask the worms. They know where Loz is," Kadaj answered as he shot back. "And if you talk to the maggots, they might tell you what happened to Yazoo." He parried again. "And the next time you pick up some materia, hold it up to the light and look real close, you just might see my motorcycle."

"Good grief, IS EVERYBODY TALKING IN RIDDLES, NOW?!"

"Reno!" Rude called, who was standing back in the bushes. Reno ran back to him. Rude pushed back the branches and revealed the remains of three burned bikes and two silver-haired corpses.

"Oh," Reno gasped.

At that second, Kadaj hit them hard causing them to fall on their backs. Reno's stun gun rolled out of his hands and tumbled downhill. "Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! That was stupid, turning your backs on an enemy! You turkeys should know better!" He pointed his gun straight at Reno's forehead.

Reno found himself shaking as he looked down the barrel of Kadaj's gun. He shut his eyes tight. Praying . . . praying . . . for what? He didn't really know. Or was he just waiting for the inevitable–

"Bang!"

Kadaj laughed again. So, instead of firing he pulled an old fake out.

"What kind of game are you playing?" Reno asked. "Just get it over with!"

"Oh, I'm not going to kill you. I'm sending you back with a message to your boss, the Music Man."

"Music Man?"

"Well, his name is Song, isn't it? Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!"

"TSENG!" Reno and Rude said together.

"Yeah, whatever. Tell him I said thanks. If it wasn't for him, none of this would be possible."

"None of what?" Rude demanded.

"The Lifestream's reversal. Sephioroth's return to glory. The Reunion! Song's responsible for it all!"

Reno couldn't believe his ears as Kadaj laughed long and hard. Rude slowly turned his head and said softly, "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Probably not, but I bet you're thinking . . . Tseng's accomplice? I never woulda guessed."

"Let's get him!"

"Uh, Rude, in case you haven't noticed, I'm unarmed and looking down the barrel of a loaded gun of a crazy man–"

Rude stood up and punched Kadaj in the face. Kadaj tried to retaliate, but Rude quickly knocked the gun out of his hand, then punched the boy until he was out cold. Quick and effective.

"Whoa. Why didn't you just do that when we first met him?"

"I had more motivation," Rude grunted.

They worked together to bind the boy hand and foot. "OK, we got him. Now, how are we gonna take him back to Tseng?"

"Good question," Rude answered. "We don't have the chopper, so . . ."

"We have to walk?" Reno whined, though hilariously fearful.

Rude stepped to the end of the path. "No," he answered. He turned sideways and started waving his arms. A pickup truck stopped right in front of him. The driver rolled down the window with an amused, questioning look. "Sir, we must commandeer your vehicle. Shinra business."

"Naw, you don't need to comm'ndeer nothin', Sonny. I's jes fixin' to offer y'all a ride," the trucker replied with a smile.

Rude gestured over to Reno, who picked up Kadaj and put him in the truck bed. Then the Turks got into the front seat. The trucker looked like a very friendly fellow with a warm smile. He wore a baseball cap, a flannel jacket, and jeans. "So, whar ya'll headed?"

Rude flipped open his phone, picked up Tseng's PHS signal, and deciphered the coordinates. "Looks like the Corel mountains."

"He's still up there?" Reno asked. "I thought they lef–"

"Shh!" Rude quickly hissed.

"Well, that ain't far," the trucker said. "We'll get you boys down thar by dinnertime."

"And where were you going?"

"Oh, I's jes' finishin' up my shift. I's headin' back up to the holler, help ole Bill warsh the chocobos. But this ain't no big thang. I reckon I'll get myself back there by sunset. 'Pends on which way the drop falls."

"What's this guy talkin' about?" Reno whispered to Rude. Rude shrugged.

The trucker looked over at them. "Y'all are dressed real nice."

"Thank you," Rude answered solemnly.

"Y'all goin' to a weddin' or a funeral?" He gave a big, throaty laugh.

Reno examined the trucker, especially at his bright eyes. "You look familiar. Have we met?"

"No sir, not to my recollection. 'Cept . . . weren't you boys over in Nibelheim a while bayck?"

Reno hesitated to answer, since that work was supposed to be top secret. "Uhhhhhhh . . ."

"Yeah, y'all were workin' in the caves in Mt. Nibel, weren't cha? Think I remember seein' ya. I was doin' an errand, makin' a delivery from the Chocobo Raynch. While I's in the neighborhood, I hayppened to mosey on bayck thar. Saw somethin' real funny."

"What's that?" Rude asked.

"Well, I saw this here fella with long, blayck hair hangin' dayown. He kinda looked like a girl, but he was dressed jes like y'all. I could see him walkin' through some of the tunnels ahead of me. Aynd I saw him pick somethin' up. Couldn't see what it was. All the sudden, there was this puff of white smoke, and this wild-haired woman was hoverin' above him. I knew it was a haint!"

"A haint?" Reno repeated.

"You know, like a ghost, or a witch. She's jes floatin' over him, laughin' all evil. Aynd I heard her say something. Couldn't quite hear what it was, but it sounded like an evil curse. Aynd he fell down aynd gave up the ghost, bless his heart."

Reno's jaw dropped. Was he just confessing that he saw Tseng's death? "Well, why didn't you do anything?"

"Warn't anything to be done, Sonny."

"You shoulda at least told us!" Rude scolded.

"Well, I was scared! I didn't want no haint come down aynd call a curse 'pon me! Sure 'nough, I rayn outta that cave fayster thayn a jayckraybbit. Never did somethin' thayt hairbrained again."

Reno couldn't believe it. After all this time, that's what happened. But what does that have to do with Sephiroth? The kid must be lying, right? Well, if he is, how could he be Tseng's accomplice? Rude was silent and just looked at the driver suspiciously.

--

There's something back there. I'm sure of it. All I have been told about this cave is that it's the former home of the last tribe of the wastrels. It hasn't been opened since the Gi war, which killed all of them except the young cub that the old man has adopted. But the readings can't lie. The spiritual energy is very strong. I'm sure that there was something else living there, perhaps thousands of years before the wastrels.

"Yes, but what?" Tseng said aloud. He had been reading from Noam's journal all afternoon, looking for some clue, while Elena was searching in the cave. She'd been calling him every five minutes.

--

"Well, I reckon this here's your stop!" the trucker said.

"Yeah, thanks for the lift!" Reno called back as he walked out. He went back to get Kadaj.

"Need some help?"

"No, we got it," Reno answered as he picked the boy up. Kadaj groaned. It looked like he was returning to consciousness.

"Awwwe, poor kid. Is he gonna be alright?"

"He'll be fine," Rude answered quietly.

"Well, ya'll take care of yourselves, ya hear?" The trucker tipped his hat, got in his truck, and drove off.

"Nice guy," Reno said. "It just still bugs me that he looks so familiar."

"He's not who he claimed he was. He can't be," Rude said, shaking his head.

--

I have found evidence of more than one Ancient civilization. There was the Cetra who were once scattered around the planet and later congregated at what they called the Knowlespole, which we refer to as the northern region. I have found much myths and evidence for their existence. But just today, I learned why they had to go to the Knowlespole. They were at war with another group of powerful people known as–

"The jig is up, man!" Reno accused.

Tseng looked up at them calmly. "Excuse me?"

"We found your accomplice," Rude said. "It's just as I suspected. He says you're guilty of everything, including Sephiroth's return."

"And we just met a witness that confirmed what he said . . . sorta," Reno added

"You got the wrong guy," Tseng replied casually.

"Likely story," Rude scoffed. "Bring him in, Reno."

Reno walked out, then dragged in Kadaj, still laughing hysterically. He looked up at Tseng. "Oh, so there you are, Music Man! Sing us a song, Song!" he said with laughter.

Tseng only took a few steps toward the boy and snapped his fingers in front of Kadaj's face. Kadaj suddenly stopped laughing and looked at him with surprise.

"Seriously, where did you learn to do that?" Reno asked.

"Do you really think I didn't pick up anything from the Lifestream?" Tseng replied. "Sorry boys, but you couldn't be more wrong."

"Of course, you're saying that, but what proof do you have?" Rude said. "What about his accusations? Are they true?"

Tseng looked down in remorse and then turned away. "There is . . . some truth to them."

--

The truck didn't go too far. In fact, as soon as the Turks were out of sight, it drove off the road and came to a stop. The truck driver quickly took off his hat and shook out his strawberry locks. He smiled at himself in the rearview mirror as he said, in a very un-Southern voice, "And now, our little play shall begin."

--

Rude took the moment to move Kadaj back to a holding cell, but Reno continued to stand there, just fuming. "Tseng, how could you? That boy nearly killed you! He nearly killed all of us!"

"I did not work with him. Still . . . I cannot deny what he said."

Reno clenched his fist so hard he was cutting off the circulation. The frustration was just building inside his heart, building in a magnificent crescendo. Finally, he released it all into one angry, grunting scream. He ran toward Tseng, grabbed his shoulder, and spun him around. "I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS! I can't take any more of all these secrets and riddles and games. What has gotten into you?! Tseng, you were a guy who always meant what he said and said what he meant. That's what I liked about you! I could always trust you! Now . . . you're not even the same person anymore!" He tried to hold himself back, but he even started to cry in pure frustration. "And I've tried to be good-natured about it, but I can't hide behind that mask anymore! All I wanna know is what happened! What happened to you? Why are you so different? And for goodness sake, if you're responsible for bringing back Sephiroth, JUST SAY SO! Just get it out in the open, just get it over with."

Tseng's expression never changed. He was unperturbed, hardly batting an eyelid as he calmly answered, "Reno, you are familiar with the legendary summon materia the Knights of the Round, are you? Have you ever heard the stories behind that summon, of the Holy Grail?"

"Ahh," Reno sighed impatiently, turning away. Here he just poured his heart out, and it was like Tseng didn't hear a word. This was really tiring him out.

"The legend goes that those knights searched around the world for a rare cup, something like a wine goblet. It was said that this cup had Holy magic that could heal any disease. Only one of those knights was able to find it, Sir Gallahad, and it was only because he had a pure heart and an innocent soul. But upon seeing the grail in all its splendor, Gallahad was so overcome by joy and elated by its glory that he gave up his life."

Reno shook his head. "Tseng, I'm not five years old anymore! I'm not interested in fairy tales and stories! Get to the stupid point!"

Tseng paused and stared down at his hands. Then he whispered, "I cannot claim to be Gallahad. My hands are stained with blood, and my heart is not pure. Yet . . . I found the Holy Grail, and it changed everything." He looked up at Reno. "That's what happened."

He didn't say anything about a "haint" or Sephiroth. What did it all mean? It was so stupid! Or was it that he just didn't get it? But of course he didn't get it, no one ever told him what to get! "So you're saying we lost you because of some . . . cup? In Nibelheim?!"

This time, Tseng shook his head and sighed in frustration. "Reno, you're too simpleminded. Unless you learn to mature a little, you'll never understand."

Reno was beside himself. No one's told him that before! And lived to tell about it at least, certainly none of the Turks.

"Let the boy go. He's suffered enough. His brothers are both dead."

"How did you know?"

"Because Angeal told me he killed them." Tseng turned back to his notes and didn't say another word.

Reno's heart suddenly jumped into his throat. Angeal was here? What else did he tell him?

--

When Rude pushed him into the cell, Kadaj fell on his side. The Music Man's strange Silence spell wore off in a few minutes, and then Kadaj began shaking with uncontrollable laughter once more. Will it ever stop? He never knew such pain! He just wanted to die, to be with his brothers again. There was no pain in the Lifestream, only peace. But if he was with them, he'll miss the Reunion! He'll miss his chance at glory!

He heard the clown say, "OK, kid let's–" And then he was quiet. Everything was quiet.

Kadaj pushed himself up. The turkeys were standing so still, but they looked like they were walking. That was funny! Kadaj laughed again, but then he saw something that made him stop laughing, an angel with a gray wing standing at his door. Kadaj backed into the wall with a frightened expression on his face.

"Fear not, son of Jenova," the angel said in a soothing, gentle voice. "It is for you I have come."

The angel waved his stick, and the cell door opened by itself. Kadaj slowly came closer to him. "You're–?"

"You didn't think I would forsake you, did you, Kadaj?"

"No," Kadaj answered in a trembling voice.

The gray-winged angel smiled and stretched forth his hand. "Come," he whispered.

Kadaj, frightened and confused, yet hopeful, reached out to him.

--

"–get you out of here," Reno called out.

"Get him out? We just put him in!" Rude yelled back.

"Well, why should we keep him? He's not as big a threat this time, and Tseng said they have nothing to do with each other. So . . ." Reno turned back to the cell to find it empty. "Where is he?"

The cell door was locked tight, but the remnant wasn't there. Suddenly, Reno saw a clue on the floor. He knelt down, reached through the bars, and pulled out a long, gray feather.