Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, but do own the plot.

A/N: Thank you everyone for the lovely reviews. I'm dedicating this one in particular to "Sydme" for the wonderful words she expressed regarding Ironic Circumstances. I hope you enjoy this chapter just as much everyone, several things are finally explained.

Ironic Circumstances

Chapter 21

When The Strong Cry

Baralai let out a sigh as a hand ran through his hair, his eyes cast against the wall opposite of him in the airport lobby. There were few others around him, mostly children with their parents as they too waited for the plane that would take them back to the rural islands. It had been some of the hardest days of his life, but Baralai was eager to return home and to the comfort of his own apartment. Needless to say, he hadn't accomplished much upon his arrival. He frowned; remembering the way the conversation with his son had gone from bad, to worse. Then again, what was he expecting?

"Was I seriously expecting Riku to be calm after what I had told him?"

He drew aimless circles on his jacket, watching how the fabric sunk with the weight of his fingers.

"I just wish I could take everything back…if it were possible, then I would."

Following the episode with Riku, Baralai threw himself into his work for Yu Yevon Inc. and tried his hardest to forget about the incident. His coworkers noticed that the silver haired man was far from okay, but they kept whatever burning question they had to themselves as they worked. Baralai spent the last few days this way, working until he could barely stay awake in order to forget about all the negative things filling his mind.

He brought out his cell phone and flipped it open, immediately noticing that his list of missed calls was non-existent. Baralai felt angry, knowing that Beatrix was residing in the city, yet she did nothing to try and contact him. He still had no idea regarding the accident Riku had mentioned involving her son Sora. Baralai let out another sigh.

"Just what else are you hiding from me Beatrix? You're no longer the person I had once met."

He felt an overwhelming sense of guilt, realizing that his love for the brown haired woman was slowly dying away. Baralai had put his family through so much. Hurt them in ways they could never forgive him for, but for what? He felt his fingers forming a fist. What had he sacrificed his family for?

"For a woman even I don't understand."

Baralai grit his teeth, remembering the fact that Beatrix was still carrying his child, an unborn life that would come into the world one day and have to deal with mistakes of his parents. He shook his head, no longer wanting to think about it. When he brought his eyes up again, he noticed one of the television screens flicker to an anchorwoman dressed in a turquoise colored suit. What followed would completely devastate his already crumbling world.

X

"Copy that, this is Balthier, we are entering the condominium. We were directed by the worker at the front desk."

"You may proceed. Please take caution, over."

The radio set at the officer's belt crackled and died as he and his fellow comrades opened the front door leading into Beatrix' condo. The officer held a hand close to his gun holster, taking the utmost of care as he stepped inside. One by one, the Holly City Officials entered, each one ready for any kind of sudden movement as they worked their way around the living room. Officer Balthier, dressed in a white and blue uniform, motioned for half the group to venture into the halls. Responding with a brief nod of the head, his comrades followed the instructions and disappeared into the dark halls. Balthier roamed the kitchen, a set of latex gloves covering his hands as he searched for any kind of clue.

"Ugh."

The counters were a mess, littered with trash and an assortment of half empty alcohol bottles. The smell was nauseating, yet Balthier didn't let the discomfort show on his face as he ventured. When he felt something hit against his foot, he quickly drew his gun and pointed it at the floor.

"It's nothing, just more empty bottles," he informed the rest of the group who were already hunched in a defensive position.

"Captain Balthier."

He whirled around, his eyes falling on the few he had asked to search through the halls. "Find anything?"

One of them shook his head, "Sorry, nothing. Everything's a mess though."

The light brown haired man didn't need to be told twice regarding the atrocious image the condo was in. Cursing inwardly, realizing that their culprits were nowhere in sight, Balthier motioned for everyone to exit. "Alright, there's nothing here. Let's regroup and head back to the station, be on your feet."

"Yes sir!"

They walked back out into the hallway, with Balthier trailing behind the group.

"Excuse me?"

He stopped mid-step and turned around, his eyes falling on a short blonde girl with an assortment of braids. Balthier smiled as he took a step in her direction. "Yes, what is it?"

The blonde girl dug the tip of her shoe against the carpeted floors, her gaze concentrating on the boring gray material. She look uneasy, her eyes shook slightly. "Officer…did you manage to catch them? I knew the woman that lived there, she hasn't been here to long."

Balthier furrowed his brow. "Is that so? Would it be to awkward of me to ask a few questions?"

She shook her head, brining her eyes back up to meet with his. "Not at all, if it will help you bring those two down, then I will be willing to do what I can."

The officer turned to the others and informed them to head back out and wait for him. Now alone, Balthier removed the gloves he was wearing and stuck them in one of his back pockets. "Alright, what's your name first of all, I promise to keep your identity anonymous."

She offered him a small smile. "Rikku officer, my name is Rikku."

"Alright Rikku, did this woman go by the name Beatrix?"

She nodded, "Yes, that's her name."

Balthier jotted the information down on a pad he fetched from his shirt pocket. "Did you know anything about her? Was there any suspicious activity going on that you noticed?"

Rikku sighed. "I know that she has a son, his name is Sora. I met him a while ago while working at our shop, Al Bhed."

The officer continued scribbling. "Do you know if her son was residing with her?"

The blonde fidgeted for a second. "I believe he was. But…he ran off with his boyfriend. I don't know the details very well officer, but Sora and his boyfriend were desperate to get away from her. I helped them out and managed to drive them away from here."

Balthier gave her a quizzical look. "They appeared desperate? Do you believe that Sora was suffering some kind of abuse?"

Rikku bit her lip. "I don't know sir, I'm just telling you what it is I saw."

"What about Sephiroth, have you seen him around these parts?"

"No sir," Rikku replied, "I know who he is, but I was surprised when I found out he was having a relationship with Beatrix."

"We all were," Balthier said, placing a hand on Rikku's shoulder for a brief moment. "And that's exactly why we're looking for them. Did you see them leave at any point?"

Rikku nodded, "They were gone before the announcement was made, I heard no activity from their condo for the past day, so I'm pretty sure they were gone."

Balthier placed a finger against his lips. "I see. Is there anything else that you think is important?"

Rikku remained silent for a while, contemplating whether or not there was something she could tell him that would help the search. "Well…I don't know if it would be useful, but Sora's father is Laguna Loire."

His eyes grew. "As in the multibillionaire? So, you are saying that Laguna Loire was married to Beatrix?"

She nodded, her green eyes settling on a random spot against the walls. "Yes officer."

Balthier grabbed a hold of his radio and let it crackle into life. "Fran, inform all available parties to head to all private airplane hangers immediately! I repeat, all available parties to every private airplane hanger!"

"Yes Officer Balthier, I will relate the message at once."

"Thank you very much Rikku, you just gave us a very important clue. The Holly City Police Department will make sure to recognize your service once we apprehend the individuals."

With that said, Balthier took off, his black boots heavily stomping against the carpet as he carried on. Rikku was left behind with a look of surprise on her face. But instead of letting out a relieved sigh, Rikku felt her hands begin to shake. She turned around and began walking towards her open condominium door. As soon as she entered the door slammed shut, with a tall, silver haired man staring at her with icy blue eyes. His lips curved into a malicious smile while a black gun remained in his hand, the object so threatening it made Rikku feel sick.

"Please, I did what you asked, just leave us alone," Rikku begged, her tiny frame disappearing under Sephiroth's intense stare.

He snarled at her. "Move, go into the living room."

Feeling a prick of panic rise through her, Rikku ventured into the living room where Brother lay with his back to one of the couches, his eyes relieved when he saw his little sister.

"Oui pycdynt!" he yelled, the venom laced in his words singeing the very air. "Get away from Rikku!"

The blonde girl rushed forward, her arms running around his neck as she pressed him close. "It's okay Brother, E's ugyo, don't worry, I'm fine."

"My, what a dirty mouth your darling brother has."

Rikku's eyes darted past Brother to see a brown haired woman sitting oh so comfortably against the counter of their bar. A drink was settled in her hand, the contents clearer than day. She glared at the woman, but dared not say anything to her. She watched as Beatrix took a sip of the alcohol and let out a sigh. "You foreigners definitely know good vodka."

Beatrix looked over at Sephiroth, knowing very well he was furious to see her drinking. Small scabs dabbed at her face, the remnants of an earlier breakdown where her nails dug themselves into her flesh. "Don't you dare start with your rants."

Sephiroth bit back his words. "Our priority is getting the fuck out of here Beatrix, don't make me angry."

The woman glared at him, the drink never leaving her hand. "Don't you think I know that Sephiroth? The entire city is after us if you haven't noticed yet."

Rikku and Brother watched from afar as they continued bickering with one another, giving her a bit of time to think.

"Brother," she whispered, "Brother."

He turned and moved closer, his forehead touching against hers. "Fryd ec ed?"

"Drao'na bmyhhehk uh ryjehk oui vmo dras uid uv dra ledo, dryd'c draen bmyh, oui ghuf dryd nekrd?"

("They're planning on having you fly them out of the city, that's their plan, you know that right?")

Brother nodded slowly, "Oac, dryd'c dra uhmo naycuh fro drao fuimt rumt ic rana."

("Yes, that's the only reason why they would hold us here.")

The blonde Al Bhed girl stole a glance in their direction, with Sephiroth currently yelling at Beatrix regarding the amount of alcohol she was consuming. She returned her attention to Brother.

"Fa ryja du tu yc drao cyo. Vun huf, fa'mm ku ymuhk, pid fa lyh'd mad dras kad yfyo fedr drec."

("We have to do as they say. For now, we'll go along, but we can't let them get away with this.")

Brother gave her a comforting squeeze. "Tuh'd funno Rikku, uhla fa'na eh dra yen E'mm syga cina du caht y tecdnacc lymm drao fuh'd hudela. Drao'mm lydlr ib du ic yht ynnacd dras. Fa zicd haat du cdyo lyms."

("Don't worry Rikku, once we're in the air I'll make sure to send a distress call they won't notice. They'll catch up to us and arrest them. We just need to stay calm.")

For once, Rikku could breathe easily, realizing how stupid these two people truly were. While they would be helping fugitives escape, it wouldn't be long before they would be caught. If anything, this would work out better than the officials could hope for. But, and this was what was making her feel nervous, was that they needed to survive long enough for the arrest. A crack startled them and both looked over to see Beatrix covering her cheek with a hand.

"I won't repeat myself Beatrix."

She glared at him. "To think that I was interested in you at one point, I don't know what the hell I was thinking."

Sephiroth grabbed her by the hand forced a kiss on her lips. She fought against it, but soon found herself melting into the act. When they broke apart Sephiroth made sure to keep his voice low.

"You're the one that seduced me."

He let go of her hand and refocused on the Al Bhed citizens sitting on the living room floor. With a quick wave of the gun in his hand, Sephiroth motioned for them to get up.

"Alright, you're going to be doing a little something for us. You have a ship, correct?"

Brother simply snarled.

"I'll take that as a yes. Okay, well, you are going to be taking us out of the city and to Esthar."

Beatrix got to her feet. "Esthar? Are you kidding me Sephiroth? That's at least a full day's flight!"

He turned to her and glared. "If you would quiet down with your hysterics I will explain. Esthar is a neutral nation. They do not associate themselves with very many countries. Those that run to Esthar are not followed by their problems, which is why many with negative backgrounds leave for Esthar, knowing that officials cannot reach them there."

Beatrix tossed her hair. "So you're telling me we're going to be living like criminals?"

Icy blue eyes met brown. "I don't see you coming up with any better ideas."

To this, Beatrix had nothing to say. "Let's just get out of here."

Sephiroth chuckled. "At last you say something that we both can agree on."

X

Sora felt a gasp escape him as the Highwind flew higher and higher into the clouds. Midgar was but a speck left on the green land surrounding its monstrous walls. He felt a hand curl into his and give it a comforting squeeze. Riku kissed Sora on the cheek as he studied his face.

"You okay?"

Sora couldn't explain the odd feeling he had just experience, but he knew for sure that it was something he didn't want to feel again. "It's…nothing, I just got this weird inkling."

Riku smiled at him. "I'm sure it's nothing, like you said. You're probably still suffering from the shock of what we learned today."

It was true what Riku was saying. It wasn't everyday that you learned that the woman you thought was your mother for the past 16 years was being accused of murder. Not only that, but to learn that she wasn't even related by blood. It was one of the hardest days Sora had ever gone through, but he knew that it had been for the best. Now, as he sat with Riku next to him, on their way back to Holly City, there was only one thought on his mind.

"She needs to pay for what's she's done."

Riku cocked his head at the statement. "You're not the only one that wants her to pay Sora. It was her that ruined my family. It's her fault that I had to hear my mom cry for nights on end through her bedroom door."

The silver haired teen let his hair droop over his shoulders as he bent forward slightly. "And to think that the man she always talked about was just as disgusting and twisted. It hurts me so much Sora, so incredibly much to know that she was being toyed with. It makes my blood boil."

Sora winced when the hand that was once squeezing it comfortingly, was now a vicious grip. Riku immediately apologized and softened his grip, kissing Sora's forehead as an extra apology. "I don't even want to think about how Vincent is feeling right now."

The brunet nodded softly, having heard all about Vincent Valentine during one of their nights of random conversations. "He was best friend's with this Aerith, wasn't he?"

Riku smiled weakly. "Yeah, that's what he told me."

"It's so sad," Sora chirped in, "the way they talked about her on t.v. made her sound like she was some kind of saint. I know for sure that Roxas' little brother and his friend liked going to visit her gardens. Last summer we both took them to the gardens at least once a week."

Silver hair fell over Riku's shoulder and onto Sora's. "It is sad…I feel really bad for Vincent. It probably doesn't help with the fact that he doesn't know where the hell I am."

Riku slapped a hand against his forehead. "What would mom think of him? She trusted him with me and I turn around and do this."

"Stop it Riku, you did nothing wrong. You went along with what you felt was right. If you hadn't…then I would still be holed up in that condo with Beatrix…"

It felt so odd to Sora to refer to his "mother" by her first name, but he no longer felt a need to refer to her by such an important title. He remembered the beautiful woman in the picture Cid had shown them, that delicate face belonging to Raine. "Don't worry Riku, we'll be back in Holly City and things will be okay. As long as you're with me, everything will be fine."

They brought their lips together, with Riku slipping his hand under the back of Sora's shirt. He felt a blush creep across his face, knowing that Cid was sitting in the pilot's quarters right in front of them.

"Don't mind me boys, I'm not watching."

They broke apart when the voice boomed through the air, causing each boy to blush furiously. With the Highwind flying high and their destination clear, Sora began drifting off to sleep, hoping to awaken to the beautiful city lights of Holly City. Riku was not far behind.

X

Yunalesca awoke to a quiet room, the shadows looming in every corner as a single lit lamp sat on a table several feet away from her. Her long silver hair fell over the sides of the leather couch she found herself resting on, the tips hitting the floor rather softly. A slight, dull pain condensed itself in between her eyes as she brought a finger to the spot. She let out a low groan as she attempted to sit up, only to feel lightheaded the minute she got up. Wanting the awful feeling to subside, Yunalesca brought herself back into the position she was previously in.

"Don't force yourself."

The voice boomed loudly through the large and shadowed room, like a whip being cracked against the sides of stubborn horses. Yunalesca didn't need to think twice about who the owner of the voice was, but she wasn't exactly happy with the person.

"What happened?"

A series of footsteps were her reply as she brought a hand to cup over her eyes. Through the cracks in her fingers she could see a longhaired man, his features hidden by the strands of onyx.

"How are you feeling? You've been asleep for a few hours now."

The silver haired woman noticed a glass of cold looking water in his hand and realized how thirsty she was. Using it as an excuse, Yunalesca once again brought herself into a sitting position, this time her eyes falling directly on Vincent. She felt a sliver of sadness at what she saw. Not knowing if it was the shadows playing with the light, Vincent's face seemed so pale and lifeless. She let out a slight cough and Vincent immediately looked up, his hand releasing the glass of water into Yunalesca's.

"Sorry, here you go."

Yunalesca drank until the glass lay empty and handed it back to the man standing in front of her. "Thank you."

Silence. Yunalesca never liked it. Back home she always had the television on or the radio playing some random station. Even Zanarkand's was never without some kind of soft or calming music in the background. Yunalesca felt that when there was some kind of noise it meant that she wasn't alone. But now, there was no comforting sounds filling the empty space, nothing at all.

"Are you hungry?"

She shook her head at the question.

"Do you need more water?"

Once again he was met with the same response.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"Vincent, please."

He quickly closed his mouth, the ends of his lips curling downwards into a frown. "I'm sorry."

"I don't understand Vincent. I don't understand how you could lie to me."

Vincent bit his bottom lip as he looked up, the hurt in Yunalesca's face an image he wished wasn't there. "I'm so sorry Yunalesca, please forgive me. In the little time that I have known you, I have learned that you are a very wonderful woman that doesn't deserve what has happened to her. And I'm to blame for making things worse."

She looked at her hands sitting in her lap, not sure of what to say next. There was so much going through her head. So had many questions, so many concerns, but most of all, a desire to know where her son was. "Vincent, I know you are a good man, but what you have done has caused me to lose trust in you. Please, you have to tell me everything that's been going on, don't hide things from me."

Letting out a sigh, Vincent walked towards the draped windows and pulled the curtains aside, immediately flushing the living room with the late afternoon sun. Diagonal patterns played across the space, each one advancing and scaring the shadows away. Yunalesca could now see everything clearly, see how truly devastated Vincent looked. With his gaze cast out the windows, watching the passing of birds, Vincent began an important explanation.

"It all started over a year ago. Sephiroth was celebrating the launch of a new label for one of his graduate students from a fashion academy. Every major celebrity in the country was there, including the president himself. I was busy with all the preparations. I made sure all the caterers were there, all the table arrangements were correct, had to help the crew set up the walkway for the models, absolutely everything. It was very exhausting, but I was happy. I was doing my work as Sephiroth's assistant."

Yunalesca shifted in her seat, her eyes cast against the floor.

"The fashion show was a huge success and Sephiroth was at the center of attention that night. Of course, Aerith was there, supporting her husband and smiling for all the photographers. She herself was an icon to the city, having worked with children of all backgrounds and never once making a single profit off of anything she did for the city. Everything she did was donated to make programs for the children, and to add gardens to major areas. If you remember correctly, I took you to her gardens in the north island."

The silver haired woman smiled at the memory.

"She was always somewhat weak, having a sickness since childhood that all the best doctors in the world couldn't find a cure for. I always worried that she would work herself to death, but she was stubborn and never took my advice. During that night, while Aerith was talking with some charity supporters, amongst the crowds, Sephiroth met a woman who had her eye on him the entire night."

He pressed a hand against the windows, watching how his reflection mimicked his actions.

"I didn't really pay it much attention, but I never liked the way she looked at him, how close she tried to get to Sephiroth. I never mentioned it to Aerith, thinking that it was simply a fan of his work. But…it took me a year to learn that she was far from a fan."

Vincent noticed a billboard flashing the Destiny Idol Ashe advertising her latest single.

"A few months after the fashion show Aerith began feeling more tired. I teased her a little, reminding her that it was her own fault that she was overworking herself to a point of exhaustion, but she didn't listen. A few more days passed and she began getting sick. I also started noticing that Sephiroth was staying out later, but I never questioned it. When Aerith fainted one day, I knew things were far from okay."

Yunalesca continued sitting there, making sure she wasn't interrupting anything Vincent was saying.

"I told Sephiroth about it and he was genuinely worried, so much so that he decided to hire a stay at home nurse for Aerith. He told me that with his workload and my own work to deal with, it was simply too difficult to watch Aerith 24 hours a day. It was true of course, what with me being the assistant to the most important designer in the world. So…I went along with it."

Vincent felt his words choke up in his throat.

"I remember the day I went down to pick her up, this pretty blonde nurse who wore a deep red lipstick. She looked so innocent, so horribly happy when I brought her home. I thought that with her there, Aerith would get better and be up and walking again without any problems. I put my faith in that nurse, I was sure she would make my best friend well again. St. Alexander's highly recommended her, so…I thought things would be well."

The raven-haired man created a fist against the glass, the heat of his skin immediately fogging up the mirror like surface.

"A couple more weeks went by, I also started spending less time away from the condo because my work was simply consuming all of my time. But I knew that Aerith was in good hands. Then…one night, after I finished my work for the day, I went ahead and paid a visit. Scarlet, she looked so concerned, so worried as she stood next to Aerith's bed. I walked in and noticed the deathly pale color on her face. I felt panic shoot through my entire body when I saw that her chest wasn't rising."

Yunalesca was startled when Vincent pounded a fist against the window, the material cracking with the force.

"I threw Scarlet aside and reached forward, taking Aerith in my arms." At this point, the usual confidence in Vincent's voice quivered. "She wasn't breathing and her skin was ice cold. I…I didn't know what to do except hold her in my arms, knowing that it was useless calling an ambulance. I…I knew that Aerith was already dead as I held her there, close to my own warm, beating chest."

Tears leaked from his crimson colored eyes, the salty droplets falling and staining the hardwood floor. "I looked over at Scarlet and started screaming at her, asking her what had gone wrong. She herself was crying, but her eyes were lying, I could tell something wasn't right about her. Not wanting to leave Aerith's side I dialed Sephiroth, then the paramedics. When they arrived…it only got worse. He…I had never seen him cry, never. The paramedics almost had to sedate him because he began breaking things around the house, and I would not budge from where I sat."

He was crying fully now, the image so incredibly foreign to Yunalesca.

"Everyone was devastated. The day of her funeral…hundreds of children came, each one bringing a flower from the hundreds of gardens she had cultivated throughout the city. I had never…never felt such an odd feeling of overwhelming sadness and happiness all at once. I…I remember Sephiroth on his knees, his hands refusing to leave the casket holding Aerith's body. It…it was the most devastating moment of my life when the funeral was over and everyone was gone. Because…at last it had set in, it truly set in. Aerith…she was gone."

Vincent slumped down to his knees as his scalding eyes blurred with tears. "For the next few months Sephiroth refused to go to work and went into a horrible depression. But, I tried my best to comfort him…to tell him that Aerith wouldn't want to see him like this. The next moment…he was gone, and I never heard from him again. That is…not until recently."

Tears threatened to fall from Yunalesca's own eyes.

"When you and I went to St. Alexander's when Riku called…when we ran into Beatrix…everything came back. All the pain, all the worry, all the thoughts that had been rotting in the back of my mind, they all came back. I knew, I knew something was wrong the moment I laid eyes on Beatrix."

A few tears cascaded down Yunalesca's cheek when she noticed Vincent turning to her, his eyes burning.

"It…it was because of her that Aerith died. It was her that seduced Sephiroth, it was her that gave him such a horrible idea…it was she that convinced Sephiroth to hire Scarlet. She…Scarlet was…she was poisoning Aerith the entire time!"

Yunalesca felt her eyes grow wide. "Vincent…"

"That was his twisted plan! He used Scarlet to kill her! Nobody would suspect Sephiroth, one of the world's most famous icons, of murder. It…it was all because of…"

"Beatrix," Yunalesca finished.

Everything went silent again, all except for Vincent's sobs. Yunalesca could only watch as the grown man bawled, the way he was kneeled with his arms clutching his stomach. Tears fell freely down her face, each one dampening the fabric of her skirt. She got up and closed the gap between them, immediately throwing her arms around the man and pulling him close. He didn't resist, instead he buried his face against her chest and cried. Fingers snaked through his black hair as she shushed him. She felt her maternal instincts kick in, despite the fact that Vincent was a full-grown man. A sweet humming permeated the air, each tune carrying softly and beautifully. It was a lullaby she used to sing to Riku every night as a baby, right before he would fall asleep. His crying would die down, his little eyes would close, and everything would fall into a gentle silence.

Silence. For once, Yunalesca didn't mind the silence.

tbc

A/N: So, hopefully you now are aware of how it is that Beatrix and Sephiroth came to meet. How it was that Aerith died, and how Scarlet was involved in the entire situation. I hope that Vincent wasn't completely out of character, but I do believe that no matter how strong someone is, it's possible for them to feel so strongly about something that they can't help but cry. I also apologize if the Al Bhed was confusing, but that is why I provided the translations. Thanks for reading and please review, you guys are the reason I write.

References:

Balthier- playable character from Final Fantasy XII (12)

Fran- playable character from Final Fantasy XII (12). She is also the only character in this fanfic that is not human. While I haven't described who she is, she is a species of creatures known as "Viera".

Ashe- a princess and playable character from Final Fantasy XII (12).

Esthar- an advanced technological city the party visits during the game of Final Fantasy VIII (8) It is also where Laguna resides as president in the game.

Till next time everyone!