Chapter 4

Lair of the Heroes

"Kali? I'm sorry," Vincent whispered. Kali only leaned on the railing of the ship as they traveled to Nibelheim and gazed at the water below. She made no reply. "I know it's not what you wanted to hear. I mean, your mother made him out to be a really good guy, but…"

"Just… leave me be for a little bit, okay?" Kali muttered bitterly. He left. They had been at sea for only two days, but Vincent had already explained her father's past encounters with Cloud, beginning with his reading the books in Nibelheim and ending with his appearance fifteen years ago. Kali wasn't taking it too well. In the past forty-eight hours, Kali had learned about Sephiroth, his clones, Cloud, the Ancients, Meteor, Jenova, and her half-brother, Kadaj. A thought had begun to tug at the back of her mind. It wasn't until Vincent left her to her thoughts that it struck her: she wanted Devin. Tears formed in her closed eyes as she imagined him wrapping his strong arms around her. "I miss you, Devin," she whispered, grasping her arms for his invisible ones. "God, I miss you so much."

Kali stood on the bow of the ship for nearly an hour before Vincent tried to speak with her again. He walked quietly towards her, rubbed his sleepy eyes, and only stood next to her. They stared at the cloudy sky for a few moments before either spoke.

"I see that the dust of Meteor still has not settled," Vincent whispered. Kali stared at him. "When Meteor hit the planet, the sky was filled with dust. Even two years after, there was still little sunshine, if any. Night was the only time we had natural light. For reasons unknown to us humans, the clouds dispersed only then. That is when the monsters came out most often."

"How can the clouds be dispersed forever?" Kali asked quietly. Vincent looked down at the water and sighed.

"You know what? Of everything I've learned about this planet, that is one of the few things I don't know," he admitted quietly. "If I did, I would have tried to do it long ago."

"Maybe we can find a way together," Kali suggested happily as she laid a hand on his arm. Vincent squeezed it and smiled at her sadly.

"I would like that. I hope I live long enough to see it," he whispered, letting her go. He gazed out over the waves and was silent.

"Vincent?" Kali whispered, concern plain in her voice.

"You should go get some sleep. I've kept you awake long enough. When you awaken, we should be near the mainland."

"Vincent…" she muttered soothingly before trying unsuccessfully to stifle a yawn.

"Go on ahead," he repeated. "I'll be in to sleep in a few minutes."

"Oh, alright," Kali sighed, giving him a small hug. She returned to their room while Vincent stared at the crescent moon up above and allowed a few tears to stain his face.

"Please, let Sephiroth be wrong. If she is alive, I don't want to leave her again. Either way, I want to be here for Kali. Please, let Sephiroth lie to me about what will happen when we go to Midgar," he said quietly. His thoughts then turned to the dream he'd had before coming to join Kali on the ship's railing five minutes ago.

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Sephiroth had pulled Vincent into the Lifestream to speak again. Vincent listened silently before pulling a notepad and pencil from his pocket and scribbling a note upon it.

I don't want to die, he wrote. Sephiroth moaned when he read the paper.

"Vincent, I'm so sorry. I wish it wasn't going to happen, but it will. I cannot change the future. I can only explain it to those who must know."

What will happen to your daughter?

"I want you to tell her to find my grave when she gets to Midgar and hide when she comes to kill you. Make sure she knows not to attempt to avenge you. Kali will feel sleepy after your death. When she awakes, my sword will be hers. Afterwards, I want her to look for my son and form an allegiance with him. What happens next will be the choice of my children."

Sephiroth, is there any way to stop my death?

"I told you, there isn't. Michiko couldn't stop the birth of Kali, I couldn't change the fact that Kali received no birthday wishes last year, and my heart aches with the knowledge that I could not stop Michiko's illness or death. Why the sudden urge to live? I would think that death would be a release for you."

That it would be, but I have a promise to fulfill to you and Michiko. I swore I would take care of Kali. I do not want to die before she can care for herself here.

"Vincent…" Sephiroth whispered. "When your death comes, Kali will hold power stronger than even my own. Not even Cloud will be able to touch her. Not that he will be in any condition to when the time comes, but that's not the point. You know of the spell that was put on me as an infant, yes?"

Yes.

"It was not put upon me by accident, nor was it the fault of Hojo, as we once thought. I want you to tell her of that, as well. There are strong forces at work on this Planet. I fear for my daughter and even my son, but I also feel that, even if they are the only ones, they will make it through this. Vincent, look after her as long as you can. I'll try to get Kadaj to do the same, but it has proven difficult for me to pull him here as he sleeps too lightly. Vincent, please?"

Of course I'll look after her.

"And Vincent? Give her this. Tell her to put it in the statue when she arrives. There will be a space for it on Meteor. When she has my sword in hand, she is to remove it and take it with her when she meets Kadaj. Trust me, she will need it to convince him of who she is. Give it to her before you meet Cloud," Sephiroth whispered. He laid a golden necklace in Vincent's hands. The pendant was a single wing, outlined in gold to match the chain and mother-of-pearl filling in the middle. It was a large adornment, reaching from one side of Vincent's palm to the other. He looked up at his friend and nodded. He scribbled one more note on the pad.

We aren't going to see each other again, are we?

"No," Sephiroth shook his head. "I don't think we will. At least, not until you are dead. Goodbye Vincent," Sephiroth said sadly. He wrapped his arms around his only living friend.

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Vincent shook the memory from his mind and pulled out the necklace from his pocket. He picked a piece of lint off of it and admired the craftsmanship. He remembered that Kadaj had worn it as a child. When they tried to resurrect Sephiroth seventeen years ago, the son had returned the necklace to his father. If this doesn't convince him that Kali is his sister, nothing will. Sephiroth held this necklace since that day. Nobody could have found it, he thought.

He gazed back out at the ocean, glancing at the necklace from time to time as the moon shone off the pearl. Vincent grinned to himself as he remembered who made it. He had forgotten how well Sephiroth could work with metal and jewels, the fact that he only made three pieces in his lifetime helping Vincent's forgetfulness. He put his heart and soul into this necklace, a gift from father to newborn son. His smile faded. He curled his gauntleted hand into a fist, encasing the jewelry. He looked down at the ring on his hand. It was similar to the necklace, gold with pearl in the middle, except his ring was a mere band wrapped around his thumb with a demon's wing stretching towards his nail, the tip just touching his knuckle. Sephiroth made it for him just before his death fifteen years ago. This was the first time he looked at it in quite some time. He found it among his belongings just before they left and slipped it on without much thought. Now, though…

He sighed and closed his eyes, the cool sea breeze playing across his face. He prayed that Cloud hadn't opened his room again. Upon Sephiroth's death after Vincent was woken up, a necklace was all that remained. Cloud was ready to melt it down, but Vincent refused to allow it. When Cloud wasn't looking, Vincent stole the necklace and hid it in his room in Nibelheim. He hadn't seen it since. Hell, I don't even remember what it looks like, his brain reminded him. He tried to think, but he was unable to jog his memory. With another sigh, Vincent pocketed the necklace that he was to give to Kali, began to walk towards their room, and pulled the necklace back out. He nodded to himself, making a decision.

"Kali, are you awake?" he whispered upon entering. The only reply was the light snoring coming from the only bed in the room as she slept on. He smiled, closed and locked the door, and sat next to her, struck by Kali's unexpected beauty as she dozed.

The blankets were tangled around one foot, revealing that she had on a pair of tight shorts made of grey satin that reached halfway down her thighs. She also wore a short-sleeved top made of what appeared to be the same fabric. Her right leg was pulled up so that her foot laid against her other knee. She lay on her stomach, her head facing the porthole to her right and her hands stuffed under the pillow, making the acute angles formed by her elbows frame her head. Her mouth was curled into a smile while the moonlight made her hair and tattoos shine.

As he brushed his hand over her painted wings, she moaned in her sleep and rolled over onto her back. Vincent turned red when he saw how skimpy her pajamas truly were; her breasts were nearly falling out of her top, and it only covered halfway down her stomach. It was not of satin, as he thought (a trick of the light, it seemed), but what looked like a black bra with a thin, grey-colored mesh fabric forming a t-shirt that was attached to the undergarment.

He looked away for a moment and turned back, unclipping the hook of the necklace. He fed the chain between her neck and the pillow ever so carefully to avoid waking her. Vincent clipped the necklace on the other side of her neck and watched for a few minutes as the pendent rose and fell on her chest with each breath she took. He pulled the sheet and blanket up gently and wrapped them around her goosebump-covered body. With a glance at the clock, he gave a yawn so loud, he slapped a hand over his mouth out of fear that he would wake his young charge. It was no wonder; the clock read three a.m. He gave her shoulder a small squeeze before he kicked off his boots. Vincent approached the sink, washed, and began to remove the headband, but stopped at the last moment.

"If she wakes up," he whispered to his short-haired reflection in the mirror, brushing his fingers over the bandana at the same time, "she'll freak out when she sees this."

He heard a sigh behind him and turned quickly, but it was only Kali, expressing her contentment with her unknown dreams. She was on her side now, facing away from him. Vincent grinned and changed into a pair of shorts and a muscle shirt. He stared at his scrawny, underfed-appearing reflection. He rubbed his ribs that were slightly visible through the shirt, shook his head and walked over to her. He stretched out next to Kali and pulled the comforter that lie at the foot of the bed around him. Just as he was beginning to doze, he jumped, just as people always do when they are on the border of sleep and wake. As he fell back, he felt something next to him move, and heard a small voice.

"Good night, Vincent," Kali muttered after rolling over on her right side to face him. Her eyes opened for a split second before they closed again. She curled up tightly against Vincent's side and had soon gone back to sleep. He gazed at her softly and suddenly remembered when he met her. With disbelief, he reminisced.

He had come back to Jahan the day before Kali came, and arrived at the hospital not two minutes after Michiko gave birth. Kali had been given life two months too early. Although that was not a problem here on his world (the technology in his world was enough to pull even the most premature baby through), it was not a good sign on Jahan. The doctors offered little hope, and Vincent could see why. Kali weighed no more than perhaps three or four pounds, and was only about a foot in size. She had been quite small, even for most babies born that early. He remembered gazing at her for the first time; despite her sickly appearance, she was quite a beautiful infant. He also remembered Michiko bursting into tears when she looked into her dying daughter's face.

Kali fell ill not long after her birth, too. Vincent ached to wake her and tell her the secret of her infancy, but he dared not, for she was already living enough of a nightmare. In truth, during her illness, Kali had died. Not even the doctors understood how, but she came back on her own a few minutes later, after the doctors failed to do so. They were about to receive the mother's signature on the death certificate when they heard her crying over Michiko's. The next day, Kali was perfectly healthy and slowly becoming the weight and size she should have been. Only a few days later, Vincent took Kali and Michiko home. Now, fifteen years later, he held the sleeping teenager against his side.

"Good night, Kali, my little miracle," he whispered, tears of happiness forming in his closed eyes. He wrapped his gauntlet arm around her shoulder, laid his hand gently on her face, and rested his head on hers before drifting off to sleep.

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"Kali? Kali, get up," Vincent pressured. Kali moaned and opened her eyes. Vincent was sitting next to her.

"What's up?"

"We've arrived in Nibelheim. You have ten minutes before they do a sweep of the ship. Go get dressed."

"Damn," she muttered. "What about a shower?"

"Just wash your face and brush your hair. That'll be good enough for now. Hurry up," he said. He walked out and shut the door. Kali dressed quickly, grabbed her bag and sword, and followed Vincent to the deck.

"Where's the city?" she asked. There was a dock and a few buildings, but not what she had in mind for a town.

"Over there. We have to walk a little way," Vincent pointed. A few miles away, she could just make out the shapes of houses in a group by the mountain. The two of them walked off the ship. "We might as well start now."

They began the walk to the city. For about five minutes, they walked in silence. Then Kali remembered what she wanted to ask him.

"Hey, where did this come from?" Kali asked. She held up the pendant around her neck.

"Your father gave that to me last night. He told me to give it to you."

"Oh," she muttered, glancing down at the ground. "Why has he not tried to contact me?"

"I really don't know. I guess he hasn't felt the need to. Perhaps you sleep too lightly. That's his problem with your brother. Or maybe he has to have met the person before his death in order to visit. I guess we'll never really know."

"I'd really like to talk to him," she sighed. The next moment, she was yelling. "What the hell is that?"

Standing in front of them were three small wolves, each about the size of Kali. Their fur was brown and they growled angrily.

"Nibel wolves," Vincent explained calmly. "Stand back."

Kali leapt behind him as he pulled out his pistol expertly. Without bothering to take the time to properly aim, he shot the gun three times, adjusting the position slightly. With each shot, a wolf fell. Kali watched them fade away in awe as Vincent blew the smoke from the gun, spun it, and holstered it. He stood and watched the area where they disappeared. When he was sure they wouldn't come back and no more would arrive, he picked up the gold pieces from the ground.

"Here, you could use it," he said, holding the coins out to Kali. She took and inspected them. They were quite plain, except they had numbers engraved in them. Five of them had '10,' two had '5,' and one had '50.'

"What are they?"

"This is gil. It's our currency. You receive it by completing odd jobs, killing monsters, or even just looking for it on the ground. Use it to buy weapons, food, hotel rooms, and items. Here, keep it in this," he added, handing a large pouch to her. Kali tied the bag onto her belt and dropped the gold into it. They continued slowly and with little worry. A few more wolves popped up, so Vincent took the opportunity to teach his charge how to fight. She got quite beat up.

"Drink this," he insisted after her fifth fight. He pushed a small vial of blue liquid into her hand. Kali took a sip. "It will heal your wounds."

"Ptoo!" she spit it right back out. "Gross!"

"Drink it or else you could die," Vincent demanded. Kali could see the nervousness and fear in his eyes, so she gulped it down with difficulty. "Thanks."

"I don't ever want to taste that again," she moaned with a shiver of disgust. "But I do feel better. My cuts are gone now."

"I told you so. Drink one of those any time you get severely injured. Otherwise, you'll have to eat this," Vincent said. He held up a small feathery item. "It's called a Phoenix Down. When you're unconscious and on the edge of death, your friends should make you eat one of these. Believe me, they'll heal you enough to wake up and drink a potion, but they taste far worse."

"Thanks for the warning."

"Let's keep moving. I think you've had enough training for today. Besides, it's getting to be dusk."

"Already?" Kali gasped. Indeed, the light was beginning to dim.

"We were asleep until nearly noon and we've been fighting since around one. It's…" he paused to check his watch, "five-thirty now."

"Wow, time sure flies around here."

"That it does. Now, let's head to the city before we have to spend the night out here."

They hurried towards the warm glow of the houses. They made it by six-thirty. When they arrived, several cars were parked outside, along with one large motorcycle. Kali paused at the entrance to the town.

"Is something wrong?" Vincent asked. She looked down at the ground and back at him.

"Once I come into this place," she whispered, "I won't be able to go back, will I? I'll never be able to go back to the way I was, believing both parents to be normal people and dead," she laughed weakly. "I keep thinking that I'm going to wake up in my bed at the orphanage on my fourteenth birthday and everything that's happened since then will be a dream. But at the same time, I want to know my history. I'm afraid, Vincent. I've never been so scared in my life."

"It's natural. Come on, Kali. I'm here with you. Everything will be fine. Please, come with me to see my friends," he begged. He extended a hand towards her. "We'll go together, okay?"

"Okay," Kali smiled, taking his hand.

Vincent guided her through the busy street. She felt just as nervous as she did in Wutai. People whispered just as the ninjas and thieves did. She gulped nervously and kept close to Vincent. Halfway across the town, Vincent suddenly pinned her against a building's wall. His hands guided hers to random places on his back. He laid his gauntlet hand behind her head and pushed her face against his neck and his against hers. He held her head there.

"Vincent! What the hell are you doing?" she yelled into his ear as he did this, the sound muffled by his cape.

"Keep your head down and your eyes closed. Act like we're making out. I'll tell you when to move," he muttered, struggling to resist the urge to bite her neck. As they went through their 'make out session,' Vincent chanced a glance over his shoulder. When the person he had seen was past them, he let Kali go. They stared after the cloaked figure.

"Who was that?" Kali asked. "I saw him walking towards us. What's the matter?"

"That man would have killed me had he seen who I was, and most likely you. You're not ready to meet him, nor is he to meet you."

"But who was that?"

"That was Kadaj," Vincent muttered. He looked at her. "Your half-brother."

"My…" she trailed off and began to follow him. Vincent turned and grabbed her arm. "Let me go!" she yelled, drawing the attention of several passersby. Kadaj, only a few feet away, stopped a moment, shook his head, and continued walking.

"Kali, listen to me. If you try to talk to him, he'll probably kill you. He thinks he's the only child Sephiroth ever had. If you suddenly pop up out of nowhere and say that you're his sister, Kadaj will become frightened. I've faced him before. Trust me, when Kadaj gets scared, he'll do anything to protect himself."

"Hey, Vincent?" she said quietly. "While we were in Wutai, I heard people talking about how much I look like my father, and that's when they spoke of Kadaj. One of them wanted to know why Cloud let him live."

"I suppose you deserve to know the answer to that," Vincent said.

"So will you tell me?"

"No, I'm sorry. I think you should ask your brother when you meet him. You might appreciate it more coming from him. It will also give you an opportunity to tell him about who has cared for you the past few days."

"When will I get to meet him?" Kali moaned, watching her brother's back disappear into the darkness outside the city. In the silence between her question and the answer, they heard the roar of the motorcycle as it sprang to life. They listened as it faded.

"I'm really not sure. At least a week or two. Kali, I'm only going to tell this to you once. I should wait, since that's what your father wants, but I don't know if I'll have time. If anything happens that we need to separate or leave in a hurry, I want you to go to the ruined city of Midgar. On a hill outside the city is a large tombstone with Meteor on top. When you get there, put your necklace into the figure. There will be a spot for it. Wait awhile and you'll be given your father's sword. When you have the sword in hand, take the necklace and go into the ruins. Look all over for Kadaj. If he's not there, head for the forests and fields around it. Be careful, especially at night. Like I said, your blood is sweet with virginity. Keep as much of your body covered as possible."

"Okay."

"Shall we go?"

"Yeah, but I have one question. Where's Midgar?" Kali inquired. Vincent laughed.

"Of course. Come into this shop and I'll buy you a map."

Vincent and Kali entered the store. It looked very different from the one in Wutai, much cleaner and with more items. Vincent approached the desk while Kali waited by the entrance. She prayed that he would pay this time, which he did. He handed her a sphere that was about the size of an orange.

"What the hell is this?" she asked. Vincent depressed a button on the bottom and the sphere lit up. Dots glittered on it for a few moments before words popped up.

"Be careful. It's made of glass and small pieces. Let's go," he said as he walked out. She looked up at him as she turned it off, put it in her bag, and ran after him.

"Why do I feel like I'll break this thing?"

Vincent didn't answer. He only led her to the other end of the town. He stopped this time instead of her. Towering in front of them was a large mansion. Parked outside were two pickup trucks and several large motorcycles.

"This is it," Vincent whispered. He looked at the girl. "This is where your father's journey began. This is where I was laid to rest and awoken. Let's get going."

"Vincent, are you sure?" Kali asked. He only nodded and walked towards the large house.

They knocked on the door, but received no answer. Vincent pushed open the door slowly to the sound of many voices. He took a breath and led Kali into the somewhat dusty home. The people in the entrance hall turned at the sound of the door being flung open and stared at the intruders. A muscular man with short, blonde hair with spots of grey, pilot's goggles on his head, a blue t-shirt, and a cigarette between his teeth spoke first. Kali winced at the volume and intensity of his voice.

"Holy shit, it can't be. Is that you, Vincent?"

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NM: UPDATES! UPDATES! 3 Cheers for updates! Ok, last PG-13 chapter. From chapter 5 on, it will be R rated. Umm… what else… Nibel Wolves are copyrights of Square-Enix. As are Nibelheim and Wutai. And Vincent. And Kadaj. And… How bout I just answer your questions, k?

Merielle: Aw, thanks! Everyone's been making me feel so good lately. Anyway, I'm glad to hear that you like Sephiroth so much (Sephy Fangirls Unite!). You'll really like this, I think, since I'm including his daughter (probably one of the few OC's in here) and I don't know about anyone else, but I think Kadaj is Sephy's son, so he will be in here. Think about it: the youngest 'clone' being the leader of them in AC… Oh, yeah… hehe… I was replying, right. Again, thanks loads for the review! (You'll also like the next couple of KH chapters. If you haven't figured it out yet, you will soon!)

NM: … Wow, that was so hard to reply to. I mean, bogged down by all those reviews… I was being sarcastic, readers-who-dislike-reviewing. Or just didn't read the last chapter ((cough)) Soul Vagabond ((cough)). Just kidding. I myself prefer reading from the shadows most of the time, so don't feel bad.

REVIEW! (especially you, SV! XD)

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