Brightness and Darkness
Chapter Nine: Settling the Score

Pairings: Sora/Kairi, Riku/OC, Cloud/Aerith, Leon/Yuffie, and maybe Riku/Sora.

Author's Note: I'm not sure whether or not I should continue. There weren't as many reviews for the last chapter and that makes me feel bad. ;;…but that's okay. I'll write it anyway. I promised to have the fic finished by the end of the month, so that is what I'll do. As Silver-hair Angel told me, "You all had better review, or I will personally deliver bombs equipped with a picture of Kairi in a bunny suit at your doorsteps!"

-

"Geez, what is his problem?" Yuffie burst out, breaking the complete silence Cloud initiated after his explosive exit.

"Kaze," Kairi huffed, "I love you, but GET OFF!"

Kaze, now realizing that Kairi was a few seconds away from suffocating, hopped off of her. Kaze's legs wobbled dangerously, so she steadied herself by grasping Kairi's arm.

Aerith was silent for a long time, something unusual out of her in these types of situations to those that were close to the girl. Whether she was still brooding over her and Cloud's nasty fit was not known until she finally spoke her mind.

"Sephiroth was not here just to start a blood bath. He had a purpose."

"Yeah," muttered Kaze, "To rip my head off."

Kaze had trouble standing properly until Aerith finally ordered her to sit while she healed her legs. "Better?" she asked. Kaze meekly nodded.

"You okay Kairi?" Yuffie asked. 

"Yeah, you nearly gave us a scare, and Yuffie a concussion," Leon replied.

Kairi vaguely nodded. She was chewing on her lip nervously, a sign that something was troubling her. Kaze eyed her before finally demanding of her what was wrong.

Without any pretense, Kairi shot out, "Where are Sora and Riku?"

Another annoyingly unnerving silence overcame them. Yuffie scratched the floor with her foot. Leon crossed his arms over his chest and diverted his eyes to the floor. Aerith twiddled her fingers nervously. Kaze had an unreadable expression on her face, but Kairi could fathom that no one wanted to ask her long awaited question.

"I SAID, WHERE ARE SORA AND RIKU!" she screeched through the room, making everyone slightly jump. "I know you know!" she cried, tears spilling from her eyes. "I hate it when people have to keep up this secretive bullshit! Someone had better tell me now, god dammit, NOW!"

There was still nothing but silence. Kairi looked from Leon, Yuffie, and Aerith to Kaze, who was staring back at her. Kairi pursed her lips together and pointed at Kaze, "If you know something, you better tell me. I want to know where Riku and Sora are right fucking now!"

Kaze looked dead into Kairi's eyes and shook her head before turning on her heel and walking towards the door. Kairi was fuming.

"Kaze, if you don't tell me right now, I swear--"

An unidentifiable voice interrupted, "Princess Kairi, you shouldn't pester a person who could easily cause your destruction. I shall tell you what you want to know."

Kaze took this opportunity to slip out of the room while the guest made his appearance. The white headed girl sighed on the other side of the door and closed her eyes, searching for someone in particular. Kaze needed to set some things straight with her brother once and for all.

-

Ansem's words started a chain reaction of silent shocked gestures. Laiktu's mouth dropped dramatically. Kioko put a hand to her mouth and looked back and forth from Riku to Laiktu. Sora narrowed his eyes, being too cynical to believe in a person like Ansem. But as he looked to the shocked boy to an equally shocked Riku, he was forced to accept the truth--Riku WAS Laiktu's father.

"Nothing like a family reunion to bring practically strangers closer," Ansem drawled all too enjoying mentally torturing his prisoners. "Isn't that right, Sora?"

Sora snapped his head back to glare at Ansem. "What are you going on about now, you bastard?"

Ansem rolled his eyes. "You didn't notice? I expected this out of Riku, but you, Sora? I'm in shock."

"Mother fucker, if you don't start singing like a canary what the hell is going on, I swear, your body parts will be littered on the floor," Riku spat.

"Control your anger," Ansem said levelly. "I wouldn't want to hurt you in front of your own child."

Riku roared, and tried against his bondage to charge for Ansem. He was thwarted when one of Ansem's minions waved a taser in his face. Eyeing it apprehensively, he forcibly settled down, throwing Ansem a withering look.

Ansem beamed in that cruel smile of his.

"Do you mean to tell me," Laiktu said, snapping back to his fiery self, "that this mother fucker right here--"

"Hey, I prefer to be called by my name, Riku," Riku said loudly, cutting off Laiktu.

"--IS MY FATHER?" Laiktu rushed out, ignoring Riku's outburst. Kioko gasped as though this was new to her.

Ansem nodded and leered at him. "You couldn't tell, Laiktu? I swear, stupidity must run in the family."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Sora yelled as Riku made a move towards Ansem, "You said this boy--"

"LAIKTU, GOD DAMMIT, YOU SPIKY HAIRED PORCUPINE!" Laiktu bit out.

"LAIKTU," Sora said bluntly, "was your grandchild?"

"That is correct," Ansem said smugly.

Sora looked nonplussed. This surely couldn't have been right. If Laiktu was his grandson, and Riku is his father, she couldn't be…

"Then…his mother is…"

-

All eyes in the room looked up to see his majesty, King Mickey, standing in the doorway to the medical room. In his left hand, shimmering brilliantly was the Kingdom Keyblade. His lips were curved into a small smile, but all could see the fatigue on the king's face.

"Sorry I burst in like that. I really should've given you guys some sort of notice."

Kairi stared at the mouse for a moment before returning to her previous task: interrogating.

"You said you know where Riku and Sora are?" The mouse nodded and Kairi smiled somewhat happily. "Where are they? Can I see them? Are they okay?"

Mickey laughed and raised his hand, "Slow down, Princess. There's only so much I can answer for ya. Now, where to begin…"

"Start with the truth!" Kairi screeched.  The mouse king nodded, and drew himself up regally.  In a somber, serious tone, he complied with Kairi's request.

"Well, let me start from the beginning…"

-

"Where could he be," Kaze muttered, sighing in exasperation. As much as she wanted to settle their grudges they harbored for each other for quite some time, she was a very impatient person and with every second of scouring the halls, her ingenuity to approach Cloud and smooth things over was dwindling.

Finally giving in, Kaze slumped down against the door to the Grand Hall, the area in which her and Cloud first encountered since their teenage years.

She closed her eyes, attempting to clear her clouded mind. There was no sign of her children yet, she damn near surrendered her body over to the forces of darkness and at the hands of her psycho father, and almost put her life, and Kairi's on the line. And to cap it off, Kairi's curiosity of Riku and Sora's whereabouts was wearing on her nerves, even more so now that they were at Hallow Bastion.

She rubbed her temples in aggravation.

"Shit," she cursed, her mind being overwhelmed with the events sparked today.

"For a woman, you sure have quite a mouth on you," a voice said directly in front of her. She raised her head to see Cloud, cloaked in his usual cape, staring steely at her. Something inside her wanted to jump up and embrace him, but her senses and better judgment prevented such a thing.

She stared back at him, almost defiantly. He scoffed after a while, and proceeded to the Grand Hall, avoiding her eyes.

"Cloud, wait," Kaze finally said, sighing.

"What?" he asked icily, not bothering to look at her. She flinched at the coldness in his voice, but kept up the hardly begun conversation.

"I know you're mad at me."

"This is new to you?"

"You know what I'm talking about!" Kaze snapped.

"No I don't, Kaze," he said placidly. He refused to look at her.

"The hell you don't! It's the same thing you were mad at me for when our mother died!" His hand that was clutching the door handle gripped it tightly.

"Don't you fucking drag up old bones," he hissed. "Don't fucking start it."

"Why, Cloud?" she began in a harsh voice. "Why do you blame me?"

He closed his eyes and breathed deeply through his nose.

"Is it because I look like him?" Kaze continued. "Because I have the same traits he does?"

"NOT NOW," Cloud hissed, feigning somewhat forced coolness.

"Yes, NOW!" Kaze trilled, leaping up and stabbing her finger in his face. "Right fucking now!"

"Kaze," Cloud began in an edgy voice, "Leave whatever's in the past in the past. Drop it now."

"I refuse to, god dammit, until you tell me why do you blame me!"

"God dammit Kaze, don't make me hurt you," Cloud said, laughing bitterly.

"FUCK, CLOUD, TALK TO ME! INSTEAD OF TREATING ME LIKE A FUCKING MUTT, TREAT ME LIKE A HUMAN BEING!" Kaze yelled desperately. Cloud's chest was heaving up and down.

"I AM YOUR SISTER! " Kaze said indignantly."I DO THINK THAT WE BOTH HAD THE SAME MOTHER UNLESS SOMEONE HAD A ONE NIGHT STAND WHEN THEY WERE FUCKING STONED AND LIED TO US!"

Cloud had past the breaking point.

"YOU KNOW WHY I BLAME YOU?" Cloud growled, turning to face her and backing her up against the wall. Kaze glowered at him, but did not do anything to further fuel his anger.

His eyes were cold, unyielding. They glared at her with a fury, as she had never seen before. He moved his face close so that his nose was merely inches from her own.

"I BLAME YOU BECAUSE YOU DID NOTHING! YOU FUCKING STOOD THERE, LETTING IT HAPPEN! YOU KNOW SHE WAS THE FUCKING WEAK ONE, AND YET YOU LET THAT BASTARD KILL HER, YOU LET HIM KILL MY MOTHER!" He rose his hand as if to slap Kaze, but in his sudden rage, and overwhelmed with frustration he grasped his hair instead and yanked on it roughly.

"GOD!" He croaked. "It's a fucking wonder I haven't hurt you, Kaze!"

Feeling a moment of numbness, Kaze blankly stared at the ground. She knew that he still blamed her for the tragic death of their mother, but she didn't know how powerfully he felt about it; Cloud always was the indifferent type. He never let anything shake him.

"She was my mother too," Kaze whispered.

"OH YEAH, AND YOU SURELY ACTED LIKE HER FUCKING DAUGHTER BY STANDING THERE AND WATCHING HER DIE!"

"You weren't there," Kaze said acidly. "You didn't see what I saw!"

"THE DEAD BODY LYING AND FUCKING BLEEDING ON THE FLOOR WAS ALL I NEEDED TO SEE, KAZE!" Cloud bellowed. "DID I NEED A FULL FUCKING COMENTARY?"

Kaze's eyes became misty. Cloud shook his head in conformation. He didn't need further proof; it was all made up in his mind. "God you can be such a stupid bitch."

Kaze was now pissed at Cloud lashing his anger unnecessarily at her. He had a reason to be mad, but to call Kaze an insensitive bitch had gone a bit too far.

"I don't like being called a bitch, mother fucker, so I suggest you watch your tone," she bit out.

"What, am I supposed to call you sister dearest, or to basically grovel at your fucking feet and say thank you for sending our fucking mother to her death?!"

"No, what you need to do is take a fucking chill pill!" Kaze said heatedly, fed up with Cloud's vehemence. "We both need to rationally talk about this!"

"Why?" Cloud said, thrusting his arms out. "What the hell is so important to talk about it now?"

"Because if you want to lose the rest of your family, you'll at least shut the fuck up to hear what they have to say before they go to hell!" Cloud threw her a venomous look before finally lapsing into silence.

Kaze took a deep breath before re-attempting to talk to her estranged brother.

"I can't say it's not my fault, Cloud, you damn well know that!" He snorted in agreement. "I still blame myself for it…but you don't hate me because mother died, do you? You hate me because I'm just like him!"

"You are," Cloud said simply.

"FUCK, I'M NOT LIKE HIM AT ALL! HE'S AN OBSESSIVE, DARKNESS LOVING PSYCHO! I NEVER WANTED TO END UP LIKE HIM, AND I'LL BE DAMNED IF THAT HAPPENS ANYTIME SOON!"

Cloud swiped at his face, evidence that tears were pouring at his face. Kaze was on the verge of getting teary-eyed at the memory of her mother.

Her mother was basically responsible for Kaze being able to tolerate life. Her mother loved her dearly and in turn, Kaze shed unconditional love for her and it was the same with her father before he turned. Her father, however, was the complete opposite of the nurturing type. It seemed from Kaze and Cloud's birth, Kaze's father, who had took Cloud under his wing, was completely horrible to them all, especially their mother.

Kaze had repeatedly pleaded with her to leave their father. But only she harbored love for him despite Cloud and Kaze's resentment towards him. Instead of heeding her children's words, their mother tried to plead with their father, trying her best to abstain him from the darkness.

And then…a nightmare became a reality. Walking into their kitchen and seeing their mother's stabbed body lying in a pool of her own blood wasn't exactly a good welcome home. Cloud, in a rage, tore the house up and down in search for Kaze's father, but he seemed to have disappeared. All Kaze could do was collapse onto the floor, sobbing at her mother's feet.

In the end, love was what killed her mother.

Kaze bawled her hands into fists. "I loved her… and he took her away from me!" She sunk to her knees, her tears gushing out. Cloud, allowing his anger to ebb away in spite of himself, kneeled to her side and tried to embrace her. "NO! GET THE FUCK OFF ME!" She spat, trying to wipe her tears away. "That's why our mother is dead! She had a fucking heart!"

"Is that how you want your son to be?" Cloud asked softly. "Just like you, heartless?"

She looked up at him through her tears. "Well…"

"No, you don't," Cloud said firmly. "We had one in the family, Kaze, we don't need anyone to pick up in his footsteps."

He stood up. "Stop acting like nothing in the world is worth living for. That's also what mother taught us."

He returned to his spot at the door when Kaze's voice croaked, "Where does that leave us?"

He turned around. "Kaze, you'll always be my sister. I've just been… too blind to see it. Maybe you aren't like him after all. Maybe… you can change. But you have to believe in yourself. Allow yourself to care. Allow yourself… to love."

"I can't…"

"Then you're better off with our mother."

Without another word, he stalked off into the Grand Hall.

¤-¤

Author's Note: THE TRUTH IS REVEALED! Well…sort of. If any of you guys are confused by this, review and let me know! I'll put an in-depth look at it in another chapter. Cloud and Kaze went at it, huh? Hehe. That's just the beginning!

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Reviewer's Corner:

BulmaMonster: Cliffhangers are my strong point aside from lemon's and angst. Glad you like the story! Keep reviewing and I'll keep writing!

Sorafan: Laiktu and Kioko are a lot like their father's, but have some qualities of their mother's as well. I updated!

VixettaremIx: I don't know if I got all of your review. It ended right here: "Although you did". is confused But that's okay. Yeah, the last chapter really didn't have a theme. It was just…there. But, now you know about Kaze's mother, somewhat. Glad you liked Kioko's dumb moments! She's so special.

Linear: hugs I thought you were missing or something! You didn't review for a while and I thought I was gonna cry. ;;. Yeah, I know how finals are. I hope you get your internet fixed and you liked this new chapter!

Anime-Master7: I'm glad you liked the story! It's really fun to write! I hope you like this chapter!

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Next Chapter: Kairi finally finds out what happened to Sora and Riku while Kaze and Cloud are still arguing about their past…somewhat. Meanwhile, Sephiroth returns to Ansem and tells him of the fight with Kaze while Sora, Riku, Laiktu, and Kioko get pissed.

Winter Peacecraft-Yuy