It was easier, finally.

Kadaj had found something in returning to his home—he had found the strength to keep going, even if it meant he would be alone. Vincent was proof that even the most aloof creatures still managed to be with others, so Kadaj would never truly be alone. Love wasn't for everyone, it would seem, and life could be lived without someone to hold…It was just lonelier, that was all.

His near death at the hands of the Master had changed them both. Kadaj had made his decision to keep Vincent safe with no regrets, and Vincent had none about implanting that mysterious materia into Kadaj's body. Vincent had, if anything, proven that he hadn't just been teasing Kadaj with the title, 'son.' It was obvious that Vincent felt some kind of attachment with him, however he may try to hide it. Even if that attachment was only through blood.

They'd left the stone fortress after Kadaj raided it, taking new leather gear and boots from the extensive stockpiles as well as leather armor for his shoulders. He didn't replace the souba's sheath—Cloud had ordered the one he had, had gotten it just for Kadaj and the boy didn't have the heart to replace it.

Vincent spent that time searching for anything referring to Genesis or Sephiroth, brooding in the Master's library. They didn't need to fear anything but haunts and roving monsters. Kadaj's wave of willpower had demolished every Cenobite that had been in the stone fortress. Such indiscriminate power in his hands would have given Cloud a case of the screaming horrors, but Vincent merely shrugged off Kadaj's worries about handling it, saying that any son of his would have no trouble making the right decisions. His faith did more for the boy than he could ever, ever know…It allowed him to have faith in himself.

They traveled the rough, little-seen areas of the world, fighting monsters, keeping to the shadows. In all of that time, Kadaj thought of everything he'd left behind that he'd loved—not just Cloud, though that was the bigger part of him. He missed the way Yazoo's face softened when he smiled, his jade eyes sweeping closed and his pink mouth curving. He missed his brother's laughter, so rare before and now so joyous, brought out by his carefree lover. He missed Reno, manwhore hussy that he was, but he'd been kind when Kadaj most needed it, and he held no grudges. He missed Loz, the big lughead, and felt bad thinking that his older brother might be miserable not knowing what had happened. Poor Loz always tended to get left in the dark.

But mostly, mostly, he missed Cloud.

He thought of Cloud's last words to him, so cold and cruel, the set of his face something more mask-like than anything. He thought of when he'd first returned from the Lifestream and how Cloud's eyes had been the first thing he'd seen. How Cloud had removed his glove and held out his hand so that Kadaj's first touch in this world would be his bare skin. Whatever had happened, whatever emotional rollercoaster confusion had prompted Kadaj to escape, he knew that if Cloud hadn't pushed him away, he would've gone home at Reno's insistence. The change between the Cloud who'd tried to keep him from leaving and the Cloud who'd harshly told him not to return was too much for Kadaj to process even now, and it only left him more confused.

"So," Vincent said, making Kadaj look idly at him. He was a striking figure in the moonlight, perched lazily on a rock with his metallic accents flashing and his swirling cloak dancing slowly around him with all of the fondness of a lover. "Will you tell me?"

Kadaj kicked his feet on the pier next to the boulder Vincent was sitting on. He looked back at the midnight ocean and leaned back on his braced hands, tipping his head back as the warm ocean breeze teased his hair.

"What do you want to know?" he asked, his voice low. He could feel Vincent now, the stronger his blood got. There were other changes, too, but he wasn't sure he should mention them. Whatever it had been that Vincent had plunged gently into his body had taken up residence with ease and had melded seamlessly into Kadaj's life. He could feel it like a dim, second heartbeat inside him, pulsing power slumbering but present.

Vincent gazed down at him, crimson eyes taking in the details of his slender form. Kadaj was stretched out on the pier, his long legs kicking in the empty air above the softly rustling ocean, his arms braced behind him and a soft smile on his smooth face. His hair was longer, almost to his shoulders now, giving him even more the appearance of a young female.

"At least you're never boring," Vincent said, deciding against the direct approach.

Kadaj laughed.

"How long has it been, Vincent?" he asked, letting his eyes flutter open. They glowed now, exposed to mako as he'd been—even very little of the stagnant stuff had a potent and powerful effect, though it would probably wear off. Vincent hoped.

"I don't know," he answered honestly. "Does it matter?"

"I wonder if he misses me," the boy murmured, lifting his head back up to stare out across the ocean. "It's beautiful here…I wish Cloud could see…"

"He was in Wutai once," was all Vincent said.

Kadaj smiled a little and cocked his head, sighing, "I remember…Death didn't take Sephiroth's memories from me…"

There was a long silence before Vincent asked again, "Will you tell me? Do you trust me yet?"

"Is it safe?"

Vincent shrugged, his own crimson eyes turning up to the full moon.

"Is it ever safe to feel?"

Kadaj laughed at this, sitting up straight and pulling his legs up to rest his chin on his knees. His leather outfit suited him, revealing the curves and dips of his lithe young body, protecting him from the rough terrain they often traversed.

"I left because he told me that he didn't want to see me or speak to me again," Kadaj told him, amazed to find that the pain had died down to a dull throb. It didn't immediately inspire tears anymore, but it still hurt.

Vincent was silent for a long time, and when he answered Kadaj could only stare at him in puzzlement. In his soft, velvety voice he purred, "And you believed him?"