Chapter 8:

No

Kyksae knocked on his door, though she was scared of his reaction.

"Come in" Cloud's voice came through the door and she opened it. Cloud was sitting at his desk writing something, when he turned to look at whom it was; he froze. He didn't know what to say.

"Cloud... I'm sorry. I don't mean to... Please don't be angry with me." She dropped to her knees in front of him, hugging his legs tightly. The room was awkward; no noise came from the hallway since the door had been closed. Cloud was still frozen. After a moment, he pushed her away, and brushed through her hair. He kneed down in front of her.

"Kyksae, You don't need to be sorry for anything. You couldn't have known it was him. I'm the one who should be sorry. I shouldn't have acted that way... I admit it now... I was jealous... I thought that... He would take you away from me... But you're not mine. I know that now. If you like him, then I'm sorry for what I've done. I shouldn't have acted that way... I'm sorry." Cloud looked at her, sad, before dropping his head. He did feel sorry; he did not intend on letting her see him like that. "I'm really sorry." The girl watched his eyes. First the green, then the blue. She was afraid of him when he was angry. Kyksae looked at the floor.

"I... I don't like him. He's mean. You're not mean." She blushed a little, feeling hot beneath her cold wet skin. Cloud looked back at her and kissed her. He acted on impulse and he regretted it, then he pulled back.

"I'm sorry." Kyksae blinked, feeling the color rush to her face and the way her stomach fluttered. She fell forward into Cloud, and grasped him. The boy was stunned. It took Cloud a moment to realize that the girl had actually fainted, because of her loose grip. Cloud took the girl and carried her into her room. Placing her onto the bed, he took a chair and sat down. He laid his head on her bed and drifted off as well.

……………………………………………

Morning came and Mira's voice rang through the house,

"CLOUD! CLOUD!" The woman was seriously frustrated. Cloud had always been the first one awake and yet his younger twin siblings were sitting at the table before him. She burst open all of the doors, but her son was nowhere to be found. "Cloud!" She entered Kyksae's room, and found a white winged Cloud watching over Kyksae, the girl deep asleep, and the boy glowing faintly. The two lay there, both asleep until Cid and Kai jumped on them, striking them awake quickly. Mira stared at them. They had almost broke Cloud's wings; before he let them return back to his shoulder blades before Kyksae could see them.

"OH! Good morning guys!" Kyksae hadn't seen Cloud who was sitting near her; she was more distracted by the two almost sitting on her. Cloud's eyes were both still blue, but it changed back after a few minutes.

"Hello Kyksae! What have you and my brother been doing last night?" Cid's happy voice filled the whole room until a scream followed. Cloud stood with his fist in the air.

"We weren't doing anything! I brought her here! She past out."

"Yeah from what I wonder?" Kai said exactly what Cid would have said, if his head would not hurt as much as it did. Kyksae laughed. Strangely, she couldn't recall anything that happened last night. Mira stood in the doorway, watching the children.

All her life she had been beaten, never loved by anyone. Then she met Steve and it changed when she got pregnant with Cloud. She was scared that he would abandon her, leaving her with the child. It was more like an accident that he found out. He had found one of the slips her doctor gave her. He went nuts, saying, 'We need to move into a bigger place, we need to get a room for the baby, we need...' on and on. She was surprised indeed. When Cloud finally came, Steve was even happier to have a son. When she became pregnant with Cid and Kai... It was more of a disaster. She would finally get one to sleep and then the other would wake up. It was like having day and night as a son and daughter. Kyksae reminded Mira of the Egyptian in herself. Back then she had no self-confidence. She was weak and beaten, just like her. Mira herself had been in slavery in her homeland, only because she talked back to her stepfather. Now that Satomey, her stepbrother, was dead and her being older than her stepsister, Scarlet, she was heir to the throne. She never told Steve about it.... She wanted to stay away from there as long as she could. She knew her stepfather, Rikasu, was still alive. He will somehow find her whenever it is time. Hopefully not in her century.

Cloud got up happy, after the twins ran out of the place, leaving her room a complete mess. He reached over and kissed the girl on the cheek before heading out and seeing his mother in the doorway.

"That's a nice 'good morning'. Reminds me, I haven't gotten mine yet." She smiled and headed for the gym, knowing Steve would be there. Mira knew Steve trained the girl on her wish, but she was thinking he trained her to build her self-esteem. Kyksae wanted to fight her father. The woman knew it; she just had to get Steve to get her into the tournament. This subject would most likely be the first argument between the two, besides no family is perfect. All have their problems. She entered the gym and found just as she thought; Steve was beating on a big punching bag.

"Hi 'oney." She hugged Steve around the shoulders. Mira stepped in front of him and kissed his lips.

"I need to talk to you about something. It's about Kyksae."

"Eh?" Steve drew back and folded his arms. "What's up?"

"I want you to let Kyksae fight in the tournament." Mira looked straight into his eyes, she knew well to good his anger. She'd seen it before, when Alex tried to take her. Steve frowned deeply. Now that Kyksae had taken a place in his home, she was like another member of the family, and he wasn't too sure about letting her enter the Iron Fist Tournament with him. He turned,

"She isn't good enough yet." Mira knew how much of a white lie Steve's protective statement was, and like Steve, she frowned at that. Mira stayed in her spot. She wasn't going to give up just yet.

"If I would have had a chance to fight my cursed father, I would.... I was scared, but she has a chance, you trained them all well, Steve. She can make it. Please have faith in the girl." The woman stepped up behind her husband and placed a hand on his shoulder. "She is stronger then you think she is." Steve sighed.

"With her luck she'll end up fighting Jin or Ling in the first 'ounds... Or even worse: Marduk." The last name that slipped from his lips made him sigh heavily and want to fall backwards. Mira laughed,

"That big gorilla. He isn't even fast enough to tip her shoulder. Jin wouldn't hurt her that much, maybe try to knock her out with one hit. Ling.... She doesn't even know what she's doing out there. I still don't understand how you could have like her once." she smiled. 'He won't get out of this I'll make sure she gets in there.' her thoughts expressed her facial expression at the moment. "Steve you worry to much let her go please." She walked around until she hugged the punching bag, her head resting against it, and her finders playing with the material. "You've trained her so well.... She has a great chance."

Steve's frown didn't fade a bit. He still vividly remembered what Alex had done to the girl when he had brought her home that night. He took in a deep breath.

"No. I won't allow it." Mira turned to look at him. Cloud listened from behind the door, his eyes widened. Mira was going to end up putting Kyksae back into danger. The boy's emotions rose quickly as his head began to swim. Only one thought popped up in his mind, 'The tournament is in two weeks.'

"Steve please the girl has so much strength and speed she just doesn't show it in front of you...let her go. I BEG YOU." The way she fell on the floor had happened in the past. Back then Steve took Cloud up because he wanted his son beside him. Mira's father found out about it divorced her from a man she didn't even love, and put her into slavery. Steve bought her, his wife back then punished HER son if he talked back, had bad grades, and was in the way. One day he needed help, and Mira helped him, but Nicole found out, and Mira being her house maiden, got beaten with a chair, until Steve stopped her. He took Mira by her good arm, and led her out. Nicole still in rage, disappeared into a totally different room. 'Please let me go master, I can't take this anymore she is beating him for no reason, he will fail school because he's got no help. Please let me go. Let me be free again.' She was on her knees in front of him, her hair uncombed due to the beating, and bruises all over her. Steve stared at her like she was someone else for once. She lived with him as a friend and at some time that friendship developed into love again. The first time he split from her was when he found out that she was pregnant, and saw her demon form. Later he gave it up and didn't care anymore. He went back and loved her for who she was.

This moment was the same, except, her hair was neat and she had no signs of any beating. She was on her knees still mumbling. "She is strong you just don't know how much. Let her go, please…. Please let her go Steve." She ran her fists into the ground, if she had to she would go in the tournament herself and take Kyksae with her, she would. "She is important to me as well, but she wants to give back to her father what he did to her, please understand that." She didn't look up anymore; She had always done this when every other idea failed. She felt weak, and she knew that being in this form she was weaker then Steve. 'The strongest stands above you.' Her father and her brother told her, but her brother added to it: 'But never let them control you'. She let Steve control her, because he is not like the others; he was not the type to order anyone around. Her hair fell in her face, but she didn't bother. She wanted Kyksae to participate, and her hard head will not give up yet. Cloud was boiling; he couldn't believe his mother was going to do that to the poor girl. He would've stormed into the room, but his father's voice replied to his mother.

".... Mira. I can't let her into the tournament. I just can't. You know as well as I do, that Kyksae wouldn'' hurt a soul. Much less Alex. I know she might want him to feel the pain but she might not want to admit it so easily and dish it out at 'im." Steve turned, and sighed, "Mira, don't do that. Get up. You're not a dog." He smiled at her. "I'll think seriously 'ard on it."

" NO YOU'RE NOT THINKING! YOU'RE THINKING OF YOURSELF RIGHT NOW. Let the girl talk then." Mira got up and stepped up a little the anger was written in her face. "Let her talk, then let her decide!" She turned and left the room. Rushing past Cloud, whom she didn't see. Cloud, on the other hand, saw her tears.