Good day, wonderful readers! I am now presenting you with chapter 14! Whew! The story is now the point where it is now going to start revealing secrets and what in the world is going on. Because of this, some focus is going to be shifted to Kadaj, making it pretty much balanced between Kadaj and Yazoo, and you will see why in this chapter. I am now finishing up writing chapter 16, and think that the story is probably going to be about 20 chapters long if I finish it, just so you know. I am losing motivation, as I only had 13 hits for chapter 12 and 38 for chapter 13. Also, feel free to donate ideas. If I use them, I will credit you!
I want to thank all of my readers and especially those who review, favorite, or wish they were able to do either! Thank you so much! You make the pain of typing this through hand problems worth it! I hope you enjoy this chapter and take time to review when you are finished, if you are able. I have been working very hard on trying to improve my writing skills and want to know what you guys think. Please be honest, but courteous!
Chapter 14: Found
Kadaj's crying has been reduced to a light sniffle as he walks past the bakery and into a gloomy street. As he walks on, he enters the slums and passes by some guys in their early twenties sitting on an old porch.
"Yo!" a brown haired guy calls. Kadaj ignores him and continues walking. "Hey, I'm talkin' to you, boy!" Kadaj turns toward him angrily as the brown haired guy and three other guys, all of which about Loz's height, get off the porch and approach him. "That's right! You listen when I talk to you!" the guy says with great hand expressions. "What're ya doin' on our street, boy?!"
Kadaj glares at the guys, and now turns away and continues walking.
"Hey!" the brown-haired guy yells. He grabs Kadaj by the right arm and slings him around. He looks into Kadaj's angry, swollen eyes and yells, "Answer my question, pretty boy!" while shoving him. Kadaj shoves him back and the other guys snicker. The brown haired guy smirks and holds his arms upturned to about should height momentarily. "Oh, so you think yer tough, huh? Well, we'll see about that! It looks like you've already cried once today, so let's make it twice!"
"Aw, c'mon, bro," a guy with purple hair says cooly from behind, standing with his hands in his pockets aloofly while having a toothpick sticking out of the corner of his mouth. "He can't hurt nobody. Let 'im go."
The brown haired guy grabs Kadaj by the shoulders of his shirt, bringing him closer to his face. "You gonna answer my question or not?"
Kadaj thrusts him off with his hands and exclaims, "Leave me alone!"
"Hmph! I will . . . once I beat you to a pulp!" he informs, cracking his knuckles. He throws a punch at Kadaj, but Kadaj dodges it and punches him in the stomach. While he is gasping, Kadaj takes off running, but a red haired guy grabs him by the back of his shirt, stopping him. The red head now grabs a hold of the top of Kadaj's underwear and pulls it as hard as he can upward, lifting Kadaj up off the ground.
"Ugh! Uh . . . ! Ahh!! Aoooooww!!" Kadaj cries as he pulls upward. After it is as far as the guy can pull it, he kicks him in the butt, knocking him forward on the ground. The four guys laugh while they catch up, and now Kadaj gets up slowly, in pain. He pulls at his atomic wedgie desperately, but is unsuccessful in getting a hold of it due to its depth, so the guys laugh hysterically at him again. Kadaj just stands there uncomfortably, looking at the guys, not sure what to do.
The brown haired guy comes up to Kadaj again and pushes him while laughing. He pushes him again and this time he falls on his butt on the concrete below and does not get up.
"What? You scared?" the guys taunts down at Kadaj. "Get up and fight me like a man!"
"I'm just trying to find someone," Kadaj says lowly, looking down at the ground.
"Oh, really?" he smiles. He grabs Kadaj by the neck of his T-shirt and pulls him to his feet. "You hear that, guys? He's just tryin' to find someone." The four guys encompass Kadaj, so he glances all around him angrily and nervously.
Yazoo runs through the streets, as fast as he can from the horrible mansion from which he has just been freed. As he runs, he is filled with humiliation as his thoughts race on what had just happened, distracting him from his task and causing him to clumsily slip and fall in his high-heeled sandals. He slowly raises up, not badly hurt, and continues running miserably.
Kadaj grunts as he hits the concrete on his back, knocking the breath out of him. His clothes are bloody and torn and his body weak and hurt. He looks up at the guys, unable to get up, with tears going down his face.
"Hmph! What a weakling!" the brown-haired guy laughs, looking down at him. He leans down, grabs Kadaj by the neck of his shirt, and lifts him up off the gorund. As he draws his left fist back to punch him, a brown-gloved fist hits the guy, knocking him down and causing Kadaj to land on his bottom. Kadaj falls backward in a lying position, unable to sit up, and looks up to see that the fist belongs to Xovenaj.
"N-n-Noooooo!!" Kadaj screeches, sheilding his face with his arms as if it will save him. "Leave me alooone!!"
The guys stand back, watching curiously as Xovenaj kicks Kadaj over onto his front side. He crouches down on Kadaj's right side while Kadaj wails.
"DON'T TOUCH MEEE!!" Kadaj sobs, unable to move from his injuries.
Xovenaj happily raises Kadaj's torn shirt, takes off his left glove, and before he touches the center of Kadaj's back, Kadaj screams, "HELP ME!! HE'S GONNA TOUCH MEEEE!!" . Instantly, a small spot of dark purple -- almost black -- appears. As he begins to slowly slide his hand downwards, Xovenaj is kicked several feet away.
Kadaj begins screaming at a glass-shattering volume and pitch while flailing his injured body as much as possible, in horrible mental agony and panic. "HE TOUCHED ME!! SOMEBODY HELP MEEEE!!" He puts his hands on the sides of his head and starts shaking it rapidly, freaking the guys out and making them back up even farther away. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!"
"Kadaj?" a voice asks softly and worriedly, gently taking Kadaj's shoulders in their grasp while they are crouched down. "Are you alright? Does it hurt?"
Kadaj continues to scream and cry as if he has been cut into pieces, but manages to lift his head enought to see who has come to rescue him. As his tears spill enough for him to see, he recognizes the person to be Sephiroth.
"Kadaj, it's okay. Calm down," Sephiroth says, gently turning Kadaj over and into a sitting position. He leans Kadaj's body into his shoulder and hugs him, causing Kadaj's screaming to lessen. "Let's get out of here, okay?"
"Hic . . . He touched meeeee!! Help meeeee!!" Kadaj pleads, reaching his arms back over his shoulders and getting a grip on Sephiroth's clothing.
Sephiroth lets go of Kadaj, and now lifts him in his arms. Sephiroth begins walking and takes him away from the scene.
"Nnnnnnnnng!!" Kadaj groans, still grieving. "Mnnnnnnn. . . .!"
"Does it hurt?" Sephiroth asks again. "I'm sorry I didn't come in time. I was busy tending to my father. Yazoo managed to escape from us and a bunch of chemicals fell on him."
"Uhk . . .! Ya . . . zoo . . . !" Kadaj hiccups.
"They fell on our father, not Yazoo," Sephiroth assures. "But don't worry. I'm not taking you to him. I hate Yazoo, that's all."
A couple of minutes later, Sephiroth and Kadaj arrive a an old building surrounded by similar ones and go inside. Sepiroth lays Kadaj on a futon in the entrance room, closes the door, and turns on the light.
"Kadaj, you still love Mother, don't you?" Sephiroth asks, standing next to where Kadaj is now lying. "You're going to help me restart Reunion, right?"
"Nnn . . . ," Kadaj moans, still crying lightly. "No. She doesn't love me."
"That's what Yazoo said, too," Sephiroth sighs.
"Where isYazoo?"
"I don't know. He escaped from the lab," Sephiroth answers, taking a seat in a black leather chair near by. "I hope he's dying of his rash."
"How . . . ?! How could you say something so crue--ow!!" Kadaj yells, sitting up angrily, but falling back down from pain.
"Because I hate him. He's disgusting, weak . . . !"
"But he's like a part of you."
There is a long pause while Kadaj stares up at the yellow ceiling and Sephiroth sits with his leg crossed over the other while his chin is in his palm ponderously.
"Sephiroth, waht is this rash?" Kadaj asks.
"Hmm?" Sephiroth asks, too busy thinking to have heard Kadaj's question.
"What is this rash Xovenaj gave me and Yazoo?"
Sephiroth gets up and walks over to Kadaj. "It's your will conflicting with his. You are still a Remnant. You are supposed to share his will of restarting Reunion and accept some of Mother's cells from him so that you can become whole and be able to seek her. Only this time, you won't become me," Sephiorth explains. "Since your will is against his, the cells are poisoning your body adn will until you die or are injected with something our father has. Or if you find Avonej."
"But Avonej won't help unless we give him some of Mother's cells. I don't have any," Kadaj responds.
"But I do," Sephiroth tells him, gently sweeping Kadaj's hair over to the side and out of his red eyes. Sephiroth walks away, so Kadaj slowly sits up in the futon. After hearing some things being moved for a few second, Sephiroth walks back over to Kadaj with something in his hands.
"Here," Sephiroth says, handing the object to Kadaj. Kadaj accepts it and sees that it is a box just like the one that contained Jenova's head, only smaller. Kadaj gasps and his fingers tingle as he looks down at it. He moves it slowly in his hands to examine it as tears form in his eyes. "It's not too late to change your mind, Kadaj." Sephiroth tells him.
"I-I can't! I can't!" Kadaj cries. "My brothers and I promised! And I love Big Brother too much!"
"Kadaj . . . they won't have to know," Sephiroth informs, putting an arm around Kadaj's shoulder. "It can be our little secret."
Kadaj lets tears fall down his cheeks as he stares down at the container holding pieces of his mother. "I can't help it. I can't help but love her!"
Sephiroth embraces Kadaj tightly as Kadaj cries lightly and embraces Jenova.
Yazoo is walking down a street, dust now near, when he begins hurting again, this time needing his medicine. He spots a fountain with a bench around it, so he decides to sit there to rest.
"Hey . . . ," a voice says from behind Yazoo, who is facing the fountain. He turns and sees that it is Tifa. "Yazoo! It is you!"
"Tifa!" Yazoo exclaims excitedly. He stands up and looks down a her with a bright smile. "I've been looking for you all day!"
"Um, why are you wearing that?" Tifa asks, pointing out his dress.
"Oh," Yazoo blushes, looking down at his clothes. "I was kidnapped by some man named Don Corneo and he made me wear this. I'd . . . rather not thing about it, though."
"Don . . . Corneo . . . ? But he . . . died," Tifa whispers in shock to herself. "Well, anyway, why did you come to find me?"
"Because everyone misses you! It's not the same without you. And Big Brother . . . ," Yazoo explains, " he was crying."
"He was . . . ? Oh," Tifa says sadly. "He cried?"
"I heard him. He really needs you."
Tifa stands there in thought while Yazoo's pain flares up badly. He sits back down on the bench, but it does not help.
"I . . . I'll bring you home, Yazoo," Tifa tells him seriously.
"But, what about you?" he questions.
"If he wants me back that badly, he'll beg. I can't come back unless he does or he won't change."
"Huh?" Yazoo asks. "But . . . I thought you left because of me."
"Yazoo . . . ," Tifa begins, and now takes a seat next o him. "I left because of Cloud. He never spends any time with me anymore. He spends all of his time with you all and . . . ," she says, lowering her head," I guess I was . . . a little jealous." She raises her head back up and says, "Well, anyway, let's go, Yazoo."
Fifteen minutes later, Tifa and Yazoo drive into the driveway of their home and park. They then get out and knock on the door. After seven seconds, Cloud opens the door and his face lights up with joy upon seeing Tifa.
"Tifa!" Cloud exclaims, unable to keep from smiling.
"I've brought Yazoo home," she says stoically, allowing Yazoo past her and into the house.
"Oh. Um," Cloud says sadly, glancing back and forth from her face to the floor. "I, um, I'm sorry, Tifa."
"Hmm?" Tifa humms, wanting him to continue.
"I'm sorry. I promise I'll spend more time with you. I-in fact, let's go on a little vacation or something soon."
"Oh?! Where to?!" Tifa cheers, not expecting this.
"I, uhm . . . wherever you want."
"So, are you asking me back?" Tifa asks.
"Of coarse!" Cloud answers. Tifa steps inside and up closer to Cloud. They wrap their arms around each other and kiss passionately.
Yazoo, wanting ot give them some time, hurries up the stairs. He decides to take his medicine, so he goes into the bathroom. He opens the medicine cabinet and skims across the various labeled containers, getting down his pills, cream, and powder. He slowly and miserably begins raising up his dress, dreading the medicine immensely.
When Yazoo is finished, he goes into his bedroom and sees that Loz is inside looking out the window. He turns from it upon hearing Yazoo enter and smiles hugely. "Yazoo!" As Yazoo smiles back, Loz runs up, hugs Yazoo, and lifts him off of his feet for a moment. "I missed you so much! Are you okay?!"
"I'm okay now, Loz," Yazoo smiles as Loz lets him go.
"Um," Loz laughs, examining Yazoo. "Since when did you decide to start wearing dresses?!"
Yazoo's face turns crimson and he outstretches his arms in a crossed position over his clothes. "This is . . . um . . . !"
"Yazoo?!" Cloud yells from behind. Yazoo cringes, dreading being scolded. He turns and Cloud's expression tenses. "You have some serious explaining to do!"
"I know . . . ," Yazoo moans.
"You ran away, scaring everyone to death in your condition, and come home looking like this!" Cloud yells, taking off his belt. Yazoo takes a step back and covers his bottom with his hands.
"Cloud! Please!" Tifa intervenes, stepping out from behind Cloud and Yazoo. "He's been through enough! Don't whip him!"
" . . . . Fine," Cloud gives in, starting to relax. "Now explain."
"I can get the medicine from our father," Sephiroth explains, driving down the road with Kadaj next to him. "Since your will conflicted with Xovenaj's when he touched you, you have the rash whether you want Mother or not. The medicine will make your body accept it and get rid of your rash."
"What about Avonej?" Kadaj asks, sitting in a booster seat next to Sephiroth.
"He'll heal you, but will completely free you from Mother. He's the anti-Jenova."
Kadaj turns from Sephiroth and looks out the window. "I don't know what to do," he says sadly, watching the reflection of the vehicle dance across the windows of the passing buildings. "I was wanting so much to start a different life, but now that I've seen Mother again . . . I feel guilty."
"It's your instincts. You were meant to want Reunion," Sephiroth explains. "Just . . . think about it. Come tell me your answer before next week. And come alone."
"Okay." Kadaj mumbles, looking down at his feet dangling above the floor.
Sephiroth stops at a red light, so he looks to Kadaj and sees his depressed expression. He puts his right hand on Kadaj's right cheek and turns his face so he can see it. He makes a sad face upon seeing Kadaj's bruised cheek before turning back to the road. "I'm sorry about your wounds," Sephiroth sighs. "I thought it'd be too suspicious if you came home wearing bandages . . . "
Just now, Kadaj's cell phone rings. He gets it out of his pocket and checks the called I.D. "It's Yazoo," Kadaj informs, and now anwers it. "Hello? . . . . Yeah . . . . . . . . . . . . . So, your'e at home? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I'm on my way. I went out to look for you."
"Hmph! You did all this for him? And he just went home and didn't care?" Sephiroth scoffs, eavesdropping.
"Hold on," Kadaj tells Yazoo, and covers the speaker part of the phone and looks over at Sephiroth. "He didn't know I went to look for him. He told me to come find him if he wasn't home by tomorrow."
"So you just went to look for him because you wanted to?" Sephiroth smarts-off.
"Of coarse! I love Yazoo!" Kadaj yells defensively.
"Really? I wouldn't if I were you. Look what you've been through because he ran away and you went to find him."
Kadaj falls silent, and now lifts the phone back up to the side of his head. "You still there? . . . . . . . No one. I'm by myself. . . . . . . . Well, I'm walking down the street! Of coarse you heard someone else talking! . . . . . . . . . . . . . Is he mad? . . . . . . . . . . . . Do you think he'll spank me again? . . . . . . . . "
"Again?" Sephiroth asks.
Kadaj rolls his eyes at Sephiroth and continues. "Well, I'll be home in a few minutes. Bye." Kadaj closes the phone and puts it away.
"Again?" Sephiroth repeats, smiling.
"Yeah," Kadaj grumbles, embarrassed. "He caught me twice trying to get my sword back this morning and spanked me both times."
Sephiroth laughs and Kadaj crosses his arms. "That's actually quite funny. Cloud rearing someone. And someone like you of all people."
"Go ahead! Laugh it up!" Kadaj smiles angrily.
A couple of minutes later, Sephiroth pulls into a parking lot and stops the car. "Kadaj, you should get out now. Your house isn't far from here. We can't let anybody know we've been together," Sephiroth informs seriously.
"Okay. I'll see you," Kadaj tells him, and now leaves the black car and heads down the sidewalk.
When Kadaj arrives at the house, he knocks on the door and waits nervously, afraid of getting spanked again. Tifa opens the door, relieving him a bit.
"You're back!" Kadaj smiles.
"Yeah. Yazoo convinced me to come home," she answers. She steps aside, allowing Kadaj entrance, so Kadaj hurries past her and up the stairs, wanting to avoid Cloud. When he enters his room, he sees Yazoo and Loz standing together while gazing out the window. He walks up to Yazoo, so Loz moves to the other side of the room to get out of their way. Kadaj now slaps Yazo across the face and glares at him. "How could you?! Don't ever run away like that ever again!" Kadaj's face softens and he hugs Yazoo tightly, surprising Yazoo, since he has not touched him since he had gotten his rash.
"I'm sorry, Kadaj," Yazoo apologizes. "I didn't mean to worry you. I just felt like I had to do it." As they release each other, Yazoo notices Kadaj's bruised cheek. "Oh, Kadaj! You're hurt!" he points out, placing his hand on the side of Kadaj's face. He gives Kadaj a sympathetic look, and now looks down to see that his clothes are torn and dirty. "What . . . happened to you?"
The door opens and Cloud enters the room with an angry expression on his face. Yazoo takes a step back and Kadaj turns around to see Cloud.
"Kadaj, come here," Cloud instructs sternly. Kadaj glances back at Yazoo, who gives him a look of sincerity, and now walks over to Cloud and swallows. "Do you remember this morning?"
"Y . . . yes," Kadaj choaks, looking at the floor rather than up at Cloud.
"Do you remember when I said for you all to never go out alone?"
"Yes," he repeats, tense with his eyes shut.
"Do you remember the rule that you can't go anywhere without permission?"
". . . . Yes."
"Then you know that you've broken the rules and are going to get a familiar punishment, right?"
"M . . .yes," Kadaj slurs, nervous and afraid.
"Loz, Yazoo, I suggest you leave the room for a minute," Cloud instructs, still eyeing the downcast youngest brother.
Yazoo just stands there, feeling guilty for Kadaj leaving and getting punished because of him. He feels Loz's hand touch his unaffected arm, so he turns his head quickly to see him.
"Come on, Yazoo," Loz says quietly. He lets go of Yazoo and they exit the room and shut the door behind them.
"Now, Kadaj, is there anything you'd like to say in defense?" Cloud asks fairly.
" . . . . . I . . . . I'm sorry, Big Brother," Kadaj pouts. "I just wanted Yazoo home."
"Turn around," Cloud orders.
Butterflies quickly form and stir within Kadaj's stomach and his spine tingles coldly upon hearing these dreaded words. He obeys, turning around so that his back-side is facing Cloud while he stares at the wall before him anxiously.
"Now bend over."
Kadaj swallows his pride and slowly bends his body to give Cloud a good shot at his rump, staring down at the greying-brown carpet afterwards. He hears Cloud's belt rattling, and before he knows it, WHACK!!
A few minutes later, Cloud leaves the room and goes down the stairs. He spots Yazoo sitting on the bottom step, so he stops curiously and asks, "Yazoo?"
"I . . . you should punish me, too, Big Brother," Yazoo tells him sadly, looking up at him. "He left because of me."
"I know, but Tifa doesn't want me to, so I won't."
"And she didwant you to punish Kadaj?"
"She didn't seem to care." Cloud steps down and forward on the carpet. "Dinner should be ready in a few minutes. You should go help Tifa, especially if you want to try to make things up to everyone."
Yazoo stands up and straightens his red shirt and black pants, and now walks into the kitchen.
"Oh, hey, Yazoo," Tifa greets, standing behind the bar.
"Tifa, why don't you just relax?" Yazoo suggests. "You just got back. I'll take care of dinner."
"What?" Tifa asks in surprise. "But, Yazoo--,"
"I can handle it," he smiles happily, going to the stove. "Please?"
"Well, o-kay," Tifa gives in. She heads toward the doorway and adds, "Don't get burned, okay?"
Five minutes later, Loz is watching the news while Denzel reads a magazine in the living room.
"Loz!" Marlene calls as she enters the room. "Where's Yazoo?"
"Uh, I don't know. Go asks Tifa," he tells her, leaning back against the back cushion of the couch lazily.
"Okay." She leaves the room and skips into the kitchen. "Tifa?"
"Tifa's not here," Yazoo replies, stirring the soup on the stove.
"Oh, Yazoo!" Marlene cheers, running up to him. "I'm so glad you're home!"
"Yeah. I missed you," Yazoo tells her while smiling gently.
"Um, can I help?"
"Sure. You can . . . um," he thinks aloud while looking away from the stove and instead glancing around the room. " . . . you can set the table."
"Okay!"
Upstairs, Kadaj is sniffing face-down in his bed for the third time that day. As he turns his face to the right, out of his pillow, to get a good breath, he begins to feel a sharp pain in his back. The pain dies, so he takes a deep breath and closes his eyes. The pain returns within seconds, only this time it is much worse. He grips his pillow tightly and grunts as the pain stings. He remembers that Xovenaj touched him, and realizes that the pain is from his rash. Afraid that telling someone about his rash will eventually lead into finding out about him and Sephiroth, Kadaj decides to keep quiet about it.
Well, I hope you enjoyed it! Please send a review if you can! All ideas and suggestions are welcome, even if they are suggesting lessening on something or something of the sort! I am having slight writer's block and some writer's laziness, so I need some inspiration!
Also, I'll explain later what happened with Yazoo and Corneo. I decided not to write it as it happened and it didn't really fit into this chapter. You are welcome to donate ideas, though, if you want. I will credit you if I use them!
Next chapter: My goodness, this thing is absolutely ginormous! Don't expect this one too soon! Anway: Who is that walking into Rufus' office? And why is Rufus crying about it? And what a mess! Loz and Yazoo get into a terrible fight with each other! Meanwhile, what is Kadaj up to now? He obviously has a plan, and is risking getting into trouble once again. What ever will Cloud do?!