Chapter 9: Eavesdropping

Deliria's POV

The place is familiar with the pungent odor of rotting flesh. Where the heck am I? One second, I'm standing in a plain of nothingness, and the next, I'm in a rotting field. Shafts of light begin filtering their way through the black cavern-like space above me. I begin to see, and a choked sob escapes my throat at all the burnt bodies. Not just burned, but rotting and charred and exposed pounds of crimson flesh. All eyes are wide open, each one as horrified as the previous. I visibly flinch once I hear snarling.

I have to run. Instinct screams at me to do these things. Something or someone was here and my company was unwanted so I run. Colors begin blurring before my eyes. I look down at my tired, blistered bare feet. Sharp angled stones cut the skin at my feet. I ached, I burned, but I didn't stop. The snarling is louder than ever now, feeling like that creature is breathing down my neck. It's then I realize I'm not even moving. I'm dead for sure, and I struggle to run even more.

"You can't run forever," a raspy voice whispered.

Even with my back turned, I can easily tell I don't want this... thing close to me. Foul rotting breath like it was feasting on corpses long before the ones that littered the barren plain I'm trying to escape from.

"Face it... You were born this way, and you cannot escape me. Your parents abandoned you because you're a part of me, my child," the voice rasped some more, and I struggle to ignore and get away as far as I can.

I gasp in shock and pain, and realize a claw has buried itself on my exposed shoulder. I realize the blood streaking down from a cut marred into my cheekbone. My shirt is in tatters, and I'm too woozy to even realize the immense damage.

"Let go of me! Who the hell are you?! You don't know me, or my parents." I scream in outrage despite the parched feeling of dehydration on my raw throat.

"You are mistaken, my darling. You are mine."

I freeze and stop struggling. The voice was a mere gentle whisper, and it was cold and feminine; icy and aloof, but demanded so much attention. And if I paid any attention earlier, I can easily see that I'm no longer in the barren plane with a beast—no claws, no dead bodies, no foul death-reeked breath, nothing—but glowing trees surround me, and water soaks through my tattered clothing, chilling me to the bone. The Forgotten City. How? Why? I gasp upon seeing the black water hugging me to my waist confusing me even more.

"You are mine, my child. Know this," the icy voice whispered dryly.

"Wait! Who are you?!"

I bolt upright. Somehow, I know it had been a dream, but it feels so real. I shake my head, clearing my thoughts. It's dark out, but I can tell it's dawn. The last thing I remember is being too creeped out by Kadaj's words, that I immediately excused myself so I could go to bed. Despite all this, Kadaj still keeps me in his room because I'm his captive, and from the looks of it, he's not here either, and the door's unlocked. And Kadaj's sword is missing. Could it be?

It seems absurd to think that he left with his brothers in a late night agenda—it's really not surprising, but it's a huge possibility. This is my chance to escape, and I won't let this fear get the best of me. I've learned enough for two weeks—that Kadaj is after Jenova to bring Sephiroth back, and destroy the planet. It's all making sense now, and I have to tell Cloud and the others—they'd know what to do, and then I can resume my private investigation.

Soundlessly, I tiptoe towards the door. I know it's ridiculous. No one's home, so why bother being quiet? I'll give you an answer. I'm just so used to either one of them catching me in an oddity that I don't want any of those moments to happen again. Considering Kadaj's ability to shift into mist, and empty air, I'm not taking any chances. I'm getting sick of them sneaking up on me all the time—especially Yazoo, since he thinks it's a pretty good joke.

I open the door and it creaked quietly because of the rusted hinges. I've barely made it to the outside hall where dim lights were available, but voices were floating in my direction, and they sound like arguing. I edged to listen, and I instantly recognize the brothers' voices—one in particular.

"A couple of bullets, a sachet of white illegal stuff, pieces of forfeited documents and authority papers, a pocket notebook, a blood tattered shirt, and some Gil from the cash register," Loz stated. "I don't know how these things relate to Mother, Kadaj." Loz scratched his chin, looking confused, and lost.

"Yeah. I don't get it. There wasn't anything useful in there, maybe except the cash..."

"And this rubbery thing of some sort," Loz holds up a contraceptive that nearly blows my cover because I begin giggling uncontrollably. Who knew Loz could be so innocent?

I laugh even more upon seeing the mortified reaction from Kadaj. His serpentine eyes widened, and Yazoo purses his lips. The youngest grabbed the thing from Loz and throws it across the room where it lands on the dining table, hanging from the edge like a limp, withered vegetable. Gaia, Sephiroth's remnants can be hilarious sometimes.

Loz looks like he's about to cry.

"Why'd you do that? I liked that thing!" He cries out like an innocent child.

"Forget about it, and let's go back to the subject at hand!" Kadaj snaps mercilessly at Loz whose eyes are beginning to tear up. Yazoo isn't hiding his amusement now. He smirks gratifyingly at his siblings' squabbling.

"It was so stretchy!" Loz protested.

"Get over it, and shut the hell up!" Kadaj yelled. "That drug den was one of Shin-Ra's 'pets'. They'd have to have information in there," Kadaj sighed in frustration.

A frown crosses Yazoo's delicate features. "Maybe they were proving to be of no use. You know Shin-Ra. Once you're pointless, and you're service is done, you're disposed of," Yazoo shrugs, and I can't say I don't agree with him because I do. My fellow Agents probably suffered that fate. I'm just lucky I'm not experiencing it yet. The thought makes me guilty.

"Then maybe Shin-Ra got what they wanted from them after all," Kadaj mused silently, but enough that his voice could still be heard from my perch.

"Maybe Shin-Ra had them massacred, and they're sending a clean-up team to get the whole place cleared from the city's existence. Every piece of evidence wiped out," Loz spoke for the first time since Kadaj scolded him off because of the 'stretchy thingy' he so wanted as a toy.

"You got there before they did, right?" Kadaj asks, and the two brothers nod once. "All of it?"

"Some of it, actually," Yazoo interjects. "It would've taken us hours to clear out the area thoroughly. We just took what seemed to be important."

"Yeah. You took the one's that are pretty much useless!" Kadaj growls at the both of them, sending involuntary shivers of fright down my spine. "I can't believe your incompetence! What would Mother think?"

"Maybe you should've gone with us all along," Loz whimpered.

"Are you questioning my leadership Loz?" Kadaj snarled at his older brother.

For some reason, I have the urge to slap Kadaj to a billion phases. Who does he think he is? Demanding things from his brothers like that. If he's that competitive, well, maybe he should get the job done all by himself. I scoff from my hidden position.

"No," Loz squeaked and gulped.

Kadaj's face relaxes a little. "Good." And then comes the worst part. He hurls Loz to a far corner of the room where the sounds of a human body being slammed against concrete echoes through the whole house, making my ears ring in alarm. Uh-oh... Kadaj stalks toward him and grabs the front of his leather suit. "You'd better not, or Mother might just get tired of you and dispose you for good. She won't hesitate to ask me for that favor."

The threat leaves me dumbstruck. Did Kadaj just threaten his own brother? If he did that to me, it was quite acceptable, but to his own family member. That's just dishonorable. Too much of Kadaj's pride had already mangled with the nerves in his head, I suppose.

Yazoo stands a good ways away, but the pity in his eyes is obvious. Even I can see it from this metric distance. Something tells me he objects this side of Kadaj, but what could he do? Kadaj is their leader, and he always has the final decision. Nothing can be said or done once his judgment is passed. All this I have learned for two weeks of being with them. I sigh softly, finding myself pitying Loz as well.

Kadaj mumbles something inaudible. I can see his lips moving, after Loz stares back at him with a pained expression.

"Y-Yes..."

At that exact statement, Kadaj releases him, and the eldest of the three brothers land agilely on his feet once more after Kadaj had suspended him on air against the concrete wall. I watch as the youngest stepped back over to Yazoo with a grim look. He silently picks up the pocket notebook and begins rifling through the pages.

"This is HOPELESS!" I jump at the sound of his cry, and catch him just in time to see that he had dumped the 'worthless' thing on the cement floor. He must have cursed under his breath, and then his expression changed. He bends down and picked up something, and I'm confused as to the notion to why a psychotic grin suddenly comes to his lips.

"This isn't too bad after all..."

vVvVv

Normal POV

After Ria's dormant eavesdropping on the Remnants' conversation, she crept back to Kadaj's bed and lay down. She tried to sleep once more, but thoughts of her recent nightmare, and Kadaj's rough, brutal attitude left her wide awake. If she really was planning an escape, the real question was when and how. She couldn't easily escape the Remnants without a fight or being killed. They weren't abductors who kidnapped for ransom, and were dumb enough that captives escaped them easily; these men—though young—were far more dangerous than any high profile criminal or wanted terrorist she could think of. In fact, she even considered that these types of criminals were willing to make a boy like Kadaj their leader just to commit a perfect crime.

She tossed and turned and kicked the covers off. She had left the door unlocked and the way it was before she attempted to sneak out, and all but stiffened in alarm when she heard the doorknob click, and an eerie silence followed. It lasted for exactly three minutes and twenty seconds before she was itching with curiosity. She turned and gasped in alarm when a gloved hand placed flat on the mattress was what greeted her.

She let her gaze travel towards his ethereal pale white skin that was quite visible despite the darkness the room was cast in, and then up to his cyan serpentine eyes that glowed in the dark.

"For some reason, I knew you were awake..." he droned as he shifted his weight, and faced her in his current sitting position.

She felt helpless lying there, so Ria sat up and tried to meet the glowing blue-green orbs, but ended up lost in the depths of them.

"W-What do you mean?" she stammered, and Kadaj smirked.

"Drop it, Agent. I know you heard and saw everything."

"What are you talking about?" Ria gasped, and Kadaj snorted.

"I heard your heartbeat, and so did my brothers." Kadaj traced his finger across the sheets, as Ria followed his hands with her knees silently drawn up to her chest.

Ria sighed. "I didn't hear everything—maybe saw—but not hear. I didn't know what you were so happy about when something caught your eye at the last minute."

Kadaj chuckled wickedly. "And you're still wondering why I didn't voice it out loud?" Kadaj raised an eyebrow despite the darkness.

She couldn't see him, but he could see her. And the looks of surprise on her face made him want to drop his aloof demeanor, and start rolling on the floor in hysterics. She looked like a pink fish.

"My presence was known, so you kept it to yourselves," Ria figured automatically.

Kadaj rolled his eyes. "Well, duh?"

All at once, Ria burst out in uncontrollable laughter. Kadaj—the Remnant leader—just said 'Well duh?'. It was some word she never thought she'd hear him use. She often disregarded it as something banned from his vocabulary, seeing as it was common in the female language.

"What's so funny?"

"'Well duh?'" she said in a horrible imitation of his voice. Ria shook her head. "That just sounds so... different. Coming from you." She managed.

Kadaj watched as she clutched her stomach and doubled over on the bed. She sat as still as a statue as he watched her giggle. He cocked his head like a curious puppy, and watched her for a while. For that one moment, she appeared so free—carefree, in fact—which was in direct contrast to her current situation as his captive. He flushed when he realized he'd been staring at her, and her laughter had long since dissolved into stifled hiccups with light tittering.

"What's wrong with saying 'duh'?" the Remnant inquired nonchalantly.

"It's just a part of the female language, that's all..." Ria shrugged, righting herself in the process, and ending up feeling Kadaj's breath on her face.

"What are you, sexist?" Kadaj smirked upon catching her surprised reaction to his sudden closeness. He was having so much fun now.

"N-No."

"Good to hear... Agent," he finished the last part with a catch, and sneakily leaned in to nuzzle her nose with his...