Brightness and Darkness
Chapter 10: Reconciliation's of the Past

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

Author's Note: AH! I'm so sorry! I haven't updated in forever! Forgive me my loyal fans! I'm trying to work on this fic as much as I can, but school is being a bitch and a half! I've got so much work to do! Not to mention family problems. I promise I'll have Chapter 11 up in less than a week! I love you guys, now, read on!

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"Then the mother must be…" It began to dawn on Sora, but before his suspicions could be confirmed, a loud snap, and a livid looking Sephiroth interrupted the flow of revelations.

"Forgive me master," Sephiroth said with a hasty bow, "but your daughter is more psychotic than you!"

Ansem raised his eyebrows in interest. The rest of the room was silent, having nothing to preoccupy their time but to watch the pair of them chat.

"She tried to kill me! And what's worse, Strife came in and saved the day! He is pathetically heroic. I mean, Kaze was within my reach when--"

Sephiroth was so caught up in his ranting, that he wasn't aware of saying Kaze's name. The rest of the occupants, however, heard it loud and clear.

"KAZE?!" Riku shouted, desperately struggling against his bondage.

"Kaze?" Sora muttered, nodding his hand in conformity.

"Mom?" Laiktu gasped.

"Wait, is he talking about the Kaze that's your mother and my aunt? Is that the Kaze that's threatens my mother every day? Or is that a Kaze who is this crazy man's daughter, cause then that means that you both aren't related, because Kaze is your mom and she is his daughter and he said that you are…his…grandson," Kioko said slowly, it striking her. "AUNT KAZE?"

"Aunt?" Riku cried, wave after wave of shocking news hitting him.

"Uh-huh, that's his mommy," Kioko said pointing at Laiktu

"Riku, how many people did you bang?" Sora said, his hand reeling.

"I BANGED? FOR ALL I KNOW, THESE KIDS CAN BE SANTA'S FUCKING HELPERS!"

"His aunt is Kairi," Kioko continued, shaking her head and beaming.

"KAZE AND KAIRI ARE RELATED?" Riku bellowed.

"They are?" Kioko said panicky. "But then that means that my mommy is really your sister and that we really are cousins and that means that your daddy is my half daddy and my daddy is your half daddy and that means this scary guy is my half half half half grandfather…and…I DON'T GET IT!" Kioko wailed and began to cry.

"I hate to intrude on this lovely moment, but WILL YOU ALL MIND SHUTTING UP!?" Sephiroth roared.

Laiktu stiffened, "You're the asshole that came in here screaming about my mom. She probably kicked your sorry, dragon winged ass!"

"Boy," Sephiroth said through gritted teeth, "If you don't shut up, I'll feed you to the Heartless for dinner."

Riku growled, "HEY! That is no way to talk to my--"

"Oh, that's a nice threat. I've heard better from my mom threatening Aunt Kairi everyday. Please, come up with something a little more…original," Laiktu said, ignoring Riku's defensive outburst.

Sephiroth reached for his no datchi, but Ansem grabbed his wrist, preventing him from unsheathing his weapon. He looked at his master with confusion.

"Master?"

Ansem smirked, "He's not suppose to die…yet. His time will come as will the rest of the gang."

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!" Laiktu and Riku bellowed at the same time.

Kioko looked between Riku and Laiktu and smiled at the thought. Oh yeah, they're related. I always though Laiktu got his attitude from Aunt Kaze, but it kinda looks like he gets it from his daddy too. She turned her attention from the two platinum hair males to the one standing beside Riku. I can't put my finger on it, but I feel like I should know him. He looks so…familiar. Although she did not voice her opinion, it was obvious she was thinking about something.

Sora, ignoring the gaping stares from the little girl, glared at Ansem, "Why don't you tell us what's going on, Ansem ole buddy, or do I have to beat it out of you?"

-

Kaze blinked and watched Cloud walk into the Grand Hall, red cape swishing behind him. Her older brother's words echoed in her mind over and over.

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

Fists clinched at her side and tears brimming in her ice blue orbs, she shot up, as fast as lighting, to catch up with Cloud. She saw him fiddling with the controls of the Dark Depths. Not bothering with the steps, Kaze leaned back and jumped into the air, landing in front of the Dark Depths.

"Cloud!"

The blonde man turned around only to feel Kaze grab his collar roughly. She lifted him off the ground. He started deep into her eyes, "What the hell are you doing, Kaze? If you don't put me down, I swear to all that's holy, I'll--"

"You won't do shit," Kaze said coldly. "I could kill you with a flick of my wrist, you know that to be true."

Cloud sneered, "Then why don't you?"

Kaze smiled in a somewhat twisted way, "I don't kill my family."

With that, she turned around threw him into the Dark Depths, jumping in after she knew he was on the other side safely. She stood on the oddly, sickly colorful ground as she watched Cloud struggling to get up. Smirking sadistically, she turned around and raised her arms high in the air.

"What," Cloud spat and stood up, "are you doing?"

Kaze turned around, eyes black as coal, arms still rose in the air, "Making sure no one disturbs use, Cloud. We have a score to settle."

"You've lost your fucking marbles, Kaze," The blonde shouted. He made a move for his buster sword, but, for some odd and unknown reason, he couldn't move. He caught a glimpse of Kaze chanting before the portal back to Hollow Bastion closed. He had forgotten one simple detail: She was the daughter of darkness and he was in her terrain now.

-

"Honestly, Sora, this is not the place to be hosting ignoramuses."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sora threw out strongly, still avoiding Kioko's gawking eyes.

Ansem gave a tired sigh. "It means that Riku is Laiktu's father!" He gave a sneering look to Kioko. "And that can only mean…"

"What?" Laiktu, Riku, and Kioko said simultaneously.

"SIR," Sephiroth said in a cutting voice. "Do we really have time for these shenanigans?"

Ansem looked over the sulking bunch, considering whether or not to tease them further. With a slight shrug and a simpering smile, he addressed Sephiroth.

"You're right, Sephiroth. It's on to business from now on. I'll let them figure it out on their on."

"Figure what out?" Sora said as Ansem snapped his fingers. The guards securing them dragged them backwards followed by two more guards who grabbed the kids. They struggled but to little prevail.

"BASTARD!" Laiktu bit out, kicking and flailing his arms. "FUCKNG BASTARD!"

"Good riddance," Sephiroth said with a heavy scowl. Ansem sighed and paced around Sephiroth.

"Well?" he said.

"Well what, sir?" Sephiroth asked uncertainly.

"Why have you failed me?" he asked, tsking.

"B-But, sir, what do you mean?" Sephiroth stuttered. "You said I wasn't supposed to kill her!"

"Nor were you supposed to chase her off.  Not only has her recent laxity of her powers barred her from wanting to use them again, but also now she has no trail to follow from your sloppy tracks since you left in cowardice. And without her using her powers, we can't find her."

Ansem dangerously paced around Sephiroth, making him even more nervous for what awaited him next.

"S-So that means," Sephiroth said softly.

Ansem stopped pacing and grabbed his jacket collar. He lifted Sephiroth up effortlessly two feet in the air and held him there, glaring into his frightened face.

"You blew it, Sephiroth!" he roared, his fury showing a completely different side of Ansem. "And I cannot have failures working alongside me!"

"Sir please," Sephiroth said, whimpering. "Spare me mercy! Please!"

"I am not a man of mercy," Ansem said harshly. "I am a mercenary! And you are meaningless!"

Ansem's eyes morphed freakily into black as he steadily rose Sephiroth higher and higher. He soon stopped abruptly, however, when he felt a certain someone's KI raise dangerously high.

"Fool," he said softly as he dropped Sephiroth onto the ground carelessly. "She knows that even in the Dark Depths I can sense her."

Sephiroth sobbed pathetically onto the floor, curled up into a little ball.

Ansem's eyes returned to normal and he smoothed his hair back. As if nothing happened, he lifted Sephiroth to his feet.  Sephiroth flinched, expecting Ansem to hurt him.

"Relax, Sephiroth," he said in a calm voice. "It seems you have not failed me after all. Do you feel that?"

Sephiroth paused for a minute before he felt the rush of power hit him strongly.

"Her KI…it's shooting through the roof!"

"Exactly," Ansem breathed.

"But, what could be happening to make her KI go up like that again?" Sephiroth asked. Ansem himself said that she wouldn't dare let her powers get too out of control, yet it had barely been an hour ago and her KI was raising sharply.

"The reason, it does not matter," Ansem said smoothly. "What matters is that you will live to see another day. Let's take care of business."

-

Cloud stared down at Kaze, "What the fuck is this all about?"

Kaze laughed morbidly and lowered her KI a little to keep her cool, "I want to make some things clear, Cloud. You don't fully understand my past."

The blonde huffed and crossed his arms, "Go ahead and spill it. I don't have all day."

"Patience is a virtue, dear brother," Kaze whispered harshly. She inhaled slowly and sat down on the floor, crossing her legs and exhaling softly, trying to keep her emotions in check. She stoically stared into her half sibling's eyes, only for him to return it with a scowl.

"All of this hate between us, Cloud, will end now."

He snorted in disbelief, but did not express his cynicism. Kaze took a deep breath before beginning her story.

"Once upon a time Ansem use to be a nice person, which is hard to believe considering what he's done. I was his little girl, Cloud," Kaze said wistfully, her eyes glazing over. She laughed a little, trying to hold back her tears. "He did everything for me. If he was working on something important and I came to him and asked him to play a game with me, he'd gladly stop to spend time with his little girl. I was his princess. He would tell me that everyday. I loved him. He was my knight in shining armor, always there to save me from the bad dreams or other children. Always…

"The night of my tenth birthday, when he came to tuck me in after mother left, he told me that he always wanted to protect me. He went on rambling about how he started to pursue knowledge about the darkness in everyone's hearts. I told him I didn't understand, but he kept saying that I would one day. 'As the leader of this world, I must find the answers.'"

Cloud made no move. His face was stone cold as he listened to his half-sister's words. He felt no compassion towards Kaze. He wanted to know how quickly he could escape from the darkness-ridden place.

Kaze continued on.

"The following day, he started some weird experiments. He left early in the morning and came home in the late hours of the night, which didn't give me any time to spend with him. I missed him so very much during those days. Finally, I got up the courage to go and see him at work."

She uttered what sounded like a croak before continuing.

"Cloud, it was awful. He had the people of this world strapped down on chairs and he was extracting the darkness out of their hearts. It was horrid. I didn't know what to do. I was petrified. When I went to turn around, I tripped over a wire. That was the first time in my entire life that my papa yelled at me."

The blonde rolled his glowing blue eyes. Kaze's tedious tale only wore on his patience and nerves. What is the meaning of this bullshit?

Kaze's eyes shot up to meet Cloud's. Apparently from his heavy scowl and avoidance of Kaze's eyes, he was not moved by her sob story. "The moral of the story, O stupid one, is that my father isn't as bad as he may seem!"

Cloud's facial expression changed from one of glowering, to one of disbelief. He rolled his eyes and scoffed. "Oh…give me a break, Kaze. He's as loony as a fucking nutcase!"

"SHUT UP!" Kaze screamed, trying to keep her temper in check and making sure to stay sitting down on the floor. "You don't know my father! YOU DON'T FUCKING KNOW HIM! He was a kind and gentle person! He always wanted to spend time with me and mother before you moved your ass in!"

"So you're blaming Ansem's craziness on me?" Cloud said, affronted. He didn't buy one bit of Kaze's story about her so-called precious father. "Take your bullshit somewhere else, Kaze."

"I'm not blaming it on you, Cloud!" Kaze's voice echoed through the Dark Depthsas she levitated a few inches off of the ground. "I'M BLAMING IT ON ME!"

Cloud stood there silently, watching his sister's now tear stained face.

"Father talked about how he always wanted to protect my mother and me. He told me that reason he gave himself to the darkness was so he could always protect me and keep me safe! Dammit Cloud, I blame myself. His love for mother and me was what caused him to stray from the light. The reason he is dead to me is because he had a heart! The same exact fucking reason our mother is DEAD!"

As much as he angered himself for pitying Kaze, he couldn't help but loosen up at her heartfelt words.

"Kaze…"

"Don't 'Kaze' me, Cloud Strife! You hate me because I'm like him, but I hate myself more for still loving him! He's my god damn father. I love him, but I hate him at the same time. Ever fiber of his fucking being…I want to rip him apart slowly, but…I couldn't do it. Because…I still have a heart. I'm his daughter. His princess…the Princess of Darkness."

Cloud threw his arms in the air dramatically, "You are not the 'Princess of Darkness', Kaze!"

The young woman rolled her ice blue eyes, "Oh, then what should I call myself? Santa's fucking helper? I sure as hell ain't innocent and pure!"

"If you don't stop with this depression shit I'm going to give you a god damn reason to be fucking depressed!"

Kaze narrowed her eyes and stood up quickly, "I'm not being depressed, Cloud! It's the truth! THINK ABOUT IT FOR A FUCKING MINUTE!"

"What's there to think about? Sure, you're the daughter of Ansem, the craziest man in the world, the leader of the dark army, and not to mention a dead man. Big fucking deal! But…I still don't understand how you attained your dark powers. He wasn't evil when he and our mother…" Cloud shuddered involuntarily, "you know. Did that."

"The vertical limbo?"

"…Nice way of putting it, Kaze."

"But to answer your question," Kaze clinched her eyes together tightly, but the tears fell anyway. "It's true he wasn't evil when he and mother made love, so, in turn, I didn't receive his dark powers. But in order to pass his powers onto me, he had to perform a certain…task in order for it to happen."

Cloud stepped back, eyes wide and full of surprise, "You don't mean he--?"

Kaze raised her hand, stopping him before he could say it, "Yes. He wanted to make sure the darkness ran in the family, so he made sure I was his heir. And now…he has Laiktu. Who knows what he could be doing to him."

"Laiktu," Cloud pondered the name for a moment, "Your son?"

"Yes," Kaze smiled a little and crossed her arms over her chest. "He's part of the reason why I stay in the light."

"Who or what is the other part?" Cloud asked.

Before Kaze could utter the man's name, a sudden feeling of dread washed over her body. She took a step back, her ice blue eyes widened in horror. A KI she hadn't felt in years shot through her body like liquid fire. She shook her head violently.

"No…it can't be…"

Cloud watched Kaze's frantic face and raised an eyebrow at his sibling's sudden turn of nature before he too felt the power. He turned around and gasped. A portal formed before the two and out stepped the man in question, and beside him was Sephiroth.

"Well, well, well," The man chuckled cruelly, his amber orange eyes staring somewhat loving at the woman in front of him, "Hello, my darling princess."

And all Kaze could do was stare.

-

Laiktu landed on the ground roughly. He turned around ready to give whoever threw him a lashing when Kioko landed on him, her full weight crashing down on his small body. Riku and Sora stepped in shortly after, not being treated as roughly as the two children were. Their chains had been kindly taken off and were free to move their arms and legs.

The soldiers sneered and slammed the cell door harshly. Laiktu pushed Kioko off and ran towards the door, grabbing the bars.

"Hey you! Yeah, I'm talking to you! Let me the fuck outta here right this GOD DAMN MINUTE!" Laiktu's screamed filled the dungeon as the retreating soldiers waved by to the child.

Kioko huffed, "It's no use, Laiktu."

The platinum haired boy turned around and stared at his childhood friend, "We can't give up, Kioko."

"We'll die here," Kioko whispered shyly. Tears spilled down her cheeks as her anger and sorrow over took her body. "I don't want to die here! I want to go back home with mom and Aunt Kaze! I want to go and play with Kaori and Haru again! I don't WANNA DIE HERE!"

Sora and Riku stared at the little girl's confession. The truth had been revealed. She was Kairi's daughter. Her shining blue eyes, her facial structure, it was the same as Kairi's. Sora raised a hand to say something, but Laiktu stopped him.

"I know it's hard to believe, Kioko, but we're not going to die here," Laiktu grabbed Kioko's shoulders and shook her roughly, looking her in the eye. "Mom and Aunt Kairi won't let us die here. They'll come to rescue us, I promise. Don't give up hope."

Kioko sniffed, "And if they don't?"

Laiktu bit his bottom lip and looked around the room until his eyes rested on Sora and Riku, the man that was suppose to be his father. His aquamarine eyes narrowed harshly before he spoke to Kioko.

"I guess we'll have no choice but to rely on those two."

Sora smiled and knelt down beside the two children, "Your name's Kioko, right?"

The little girl nodded and sniffed again, wiping her tears away with the sleeve of her shirt.

"I'm Sora," The brunette stuck out his hand, offering it to Kioko.

Kioko reluctantly took his hand, giving it a small squeeze. She smiled up at him as her eyes shined full of light, "Nice to meet you."

"Since that's settled," Riku pushed off the wall he was leaning on and stared down at his three 'cell mates', "We need to find a way out of here."

Sora sighed, "Not this again."

Laiktu looked up at the older man. True, the resemblance between the two was uncanny. Not to mention the quick temper the man had, but Laiktu absolutely didn't believe that Riku was his father. Of course, his mother was always fighting with Kairi about two men: Riku and Sora. Laiktu calmly looked between Kioko and Sora and realization finally dawned on him. If Riku was his "father", then Sora must have been…

"Wh-what's that?!" Kioko's panicky voice sounded throughout the cell. She rose a shaky hand and pointed to the center of the room.

There, forming slowly was an inky black ball, taking on the form of an orb. Laiktu and Sora stood up quickly, watching with interest. Kioko clutched onto Laiktu's midsection and felt somewhat relieved when he scooted her body closer to him. Riku raised one of his platinum eyebrows as the black orb took shape and blinked once before an image popped up.

Riku's eyes widened in horror and shock when he saw the one person he had given his heart to.

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Author's Note: Oh God, you guys. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to take this long to update! gets down on knees Don't hurt me. But I made it up to you with a nice, long chapter. I know I said at the beginning I would have chapter 11 up in a week, but don't count on that. I don't know when the next time is that I'll be able to sit down and write. sigh My life sucks. And as for this chapter, it sucked too. Since I didn't have Silver with me, there's probably some misspelled words and bad sentences and stuff. Sorry for the lack of "Kairi attention" in this chapter. I had planned on giving her a place, but I couldn't find a way or the time. Next chapter though, I promise.

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Reviewer's Corner

Anime-Master 7: Angsty? How is it angsty? You haven't seen angsty yet. Thanks for the review!

lighthope: And now there's an even deeper look into the two siblings. Hehe. Yeah, Riku finds out, but Laiktu isn't too happy with the news, as you can see. And you're right, bonding won't happen until later. Way later.

VixettaremIx: Laiktu had a few choice words for Riku, but it gets a lot more…tense when Laiktu finds Riku left Kaze. He ain't too happy with that. Sora and Kioko's reaction may not be as bad, but no cursing one another, I'll tell ya that. Yeah, Kaze's little revelation in the last chapter and in this one. Hope you like it. Kaze's more complex than everyone thinks. She has an inferiority complex, and it should be obvious. Yeah, Ansem explains his story later, but Kaze just told the outline. It's sad.

BulmaMonster: Glad you liked the last chappie. This story isn't that great, but it's getting there. And so far, I like your alternate ending! It's great and you keep writing too!

fyreblazen: Well, that's nice. "Right…" to you too. I hope you liked the fic. Not the best, but it's getting there.

Linear: I love writing the scenes with Laiktu, Sora, Riku, Kioko, and Ansem. It's interesting. Makes me smile and stuff. Glad you like the last chapter and I hope you like this one better. Your words are nice. I'll be waiting for you reviews.

Sorafan/dark monkey: Kioko didn't find out, but Laiktu figured it out like that. snaps finger Your change of name is…interesting. I like using curse words. It's nice. I update, and I hope you like this chapter.

Kintora: Yeah, it took me a while to update, but I did! Sorry. I hope no one forgets about this little…piece…of…shit… anyhow, Sora's face, as Kioko's, will be priceless when they finally learn the truth. Oh, and I appreciate the email you sent it. It got me off my butt and back writing again. Everyone take her lead and when I haven't updated in a while, harass me with an email.

Harry2: You're right. Kaze isn't in good control of her powers, but she seems to have a handle on them. What do you think?

Inuyashalvr9/Sora'aAma9: I'm glad you're so excited about the fic. And your new penname is nice. I like it. Sorry it took me so long to update, and you over exaggerate on this story being the best you've ever read. At least I think you are. .

Harry2: They'll eventually work it out. Trust me. Laiktu will finally realize his father isn't as bad as he may seem.

Junebuggy7: I'm writing as fast as my fingers can type. lol.

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Next Chapter: Kairi finds out from his royal majesty what actually happened to Riku and Sora (I promise this time). Meanwhile, Ansem and Sephiroth provoke the already grief stricken Kaze and Cloud while, unbeknownst to them, Riku, Sora, Laiktu, and Kioko are watching and listening in secretly.

Winter Peacecraft-Yuy