Chapter 11

Fate Begins

"Hey, did anyone hear that?" Kali asked suddenly. Everyone looked up at her and stared nervously.

"Hear what?" Cid inquired. Kali began turning red at his reply.

"That voice. It was speaking another language, I think. You didn't hear it?"

"No. Kali, are you feeling okay?" Reno asked gently.

".eci ovym raehn aces ley do boN .em raehn ace nolau oY .d'nim ru oy ni maI uoyd lotI"

"There! You heard it, didn't you? Yuffie?" Kali begged as she stood. Her friends only stared.

"You've had a long, miserable day. You must be tired," Yuffie said gently. "Why don't you go to sleep now?"

"No! I'm not hearing things! Somebody's talking to me!"

"?d'nat sred nuu oyod ,em raehn ace nolau oY .em fowon kotto neray ehT !t'nel iseB"

"Please, tell me you heard that!"

"!ec neliS"

"Stop it, whoever you are! Shut up!" Kali yelled. She covered her ears with her hands and knelt to the ground. Her ears were beginning to burn.

"!putuhs ,ilaK"

"Kali, are you okay?" Yuffie asked worriedly. She ran over, pulled Kali's hands away, and screamed. "Reno! Rude! Cid! Get over here!"

"Oh, shit," Rude moaned when he saw Kali's ears. They were bleeding heavily.

"!t'nel iseb woN .emot g'nin etsilt onroft nem hsi nupru oy sisihT ?ee su oY"

"Kali! Kali! Snap out of it!" Cid yelled. Kali could hardly hear him for the blood in her ears. She felt as if she was under water. With a shiver and sharp intake of breath, Kali's eyes rolled back and she fainted and laid still, her breathing shallow and uneven. In her unconsciousness, she could hear the voice once more before falling under completely.

".eva hyda erlau oyt cafnI .ya demos flese ur tyme esl li wu oY .fle sru oy otem pe ektah tret fA .ody amu oyl lasit ahT .s'dro wyme tals nart otmeh t'k'sA .ye bod nanet sil ,ilaK .net sil tono du oyfi yme neru oyeb nacIt ub ,d'ne irfa maI .emy ebosid tonoD"

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"Kali? Can you hear me?" Cid whispered. Kali opened her eyes slowly and found him standing over her.

"What happened? I heard a voice and blacked out."

"Your ears were bleeding," he said. He smiled jokingly at her. "Have you been sticking things in them that you shouldn't have?"

"What's wrong with me?" she whispered as she sat up. "Everything was perfect until Vincent brought me here. Then I started hearing this voice and having these dreams."

"What dreams? Are they bad?"

"Yes and no. My father has been in most of them. In the last one I said goodbye to Vincent. The one I had last night, my father died and I turned into this… monster."

"The one that looked like the Safer Sephiroth, right?" Reno spoke up as he came over to them.

"You knew?" Cid asked as he looked up at him.

"Only that one. I never knew about the voice or the other dreams. You sure you're going to be okay?" he asked Kali as he knelt. She pushed his hand away as he brushed her face.

"My guardian died only a little while ago. I have no parents or official guardian. My best friend is on a planet who-knows-how-far-away. I'm beginning to go crazy," she moaned. She curled into a ball and buried her face in her arms.

"Kali, relax. Everyone feels that way at some point. You're just at the age where it effects you more," Cid said comfortingly. Kali stood angrily and walked into the church in silence.

"Yuffie, you're a woman. Go talk to her," Reno told her. Yuffie shook her head.

"She needs time," Yuffie whispered, beginning to walk off into the ruins, "just like I do."

"I feel bad for them," Rude muttered. "They really liked him."

"Sure did," Reno agreed. He sighed. "We all liked Vincent. He was a good soul."

"Let's just get some sleep," Cid suggested. The three of them pulled out their sleeping bags and laid close to the fire while Yuffie wandered the once bustling city and Kali cried silently in the church. She slowly fell asleep.

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".uoy woh sots g'nih temo seva hI .ihsanaN maI .ilaK ,ol leH"

"Who are you?" Kali whispered.

".ihsanaN maI .d'ne irfa maI .uoyd lotI"

"Please. I don't understand you. What does 'ihsanaN maI' mean?"

".ees ot de enu oys g'nih tem oser aer ehT .koolt suJ …re taL"

Kali looked around for the source of the noise, but found none. Instead, she found herself in a hotel room. She noticed two people in a bed across the room. With a sick feeling in her stomach, she walked up and recognized her parents, sleeping soundly. Her father had his arms around her mother tightly. She held his hands and both were smiling in their sleep. Kali laid a hand on her dad's shoulder, but it went through. She looked at her hands and realized that they were semi-transparent. As she lowered them, the scene changed.

She was now in a forest, five people in front of her. Vincent stood a short distance from a portal while Anima and Luben stood and watched as two other people kissed and embraced in the middle. Kali watched sadly as her father walked towards Vincent and they left. Her mother began sobbing uncontrollably when they were gone.

Without warning, Kali was standing in a coliseum. She heard a moan by her feet and looked down to see her father, bleeding badly and crying in pain. Vincent was running to him. Kali had to suppress a giggle; his legs were very long compared to the rest of his body, and thus he took incredibly long strides. He knelt by Sephiroth and began shaking as he surveyed the damage.

The next event Kali saw was when Vincent buried Sephiroth. Kadaj was sitting on the ground, tears pouring down his face. Kali wanted very badly to hold him and tell him that everything would be okay, but she knew he would not feel it. As he and Vincent prayed, Kali sat behind Kadaj and wrapped her arms around him anyway. She nearly fell over as he disappeared.

Kali now stood in a room that she didn't recognize. On the shelves were figures of people she had never seen. After a quick glance, she saw one of her father. She looked to the computers and knew where she was; this was Anima's home. Anima was standing against the wall and Luben sat in front of one computer. Kali's breath was caught in her chest for a moment when she saw her mother. Michiko's stomach was larger than it should have been. In an instant, Kali knew; she was the one causing the growth. Without warning, Michiko, who had been talking casually, grew wide-eyed and then closed them, screamed and fell over, her hand going to her stomach. Anima ran to her side while Luben called the doctor. Again, the scene changed.

Kali looked around to see her mother lying still in a bed, doctors surrounding her. Kali watched silently as one carried a tiny infant away. Kali followed as time seemed to fast-forward again. Kali had just entered the room where her infant self had gone when Vincent and Michiko came in. Kali closed her eyes as she listened to her mother crying over her tiny daughter.

Kali opened her eyes to see her mother sobbing even harder than she had been a moment ago. She trembled when she saw why; the infant was lying perfectly still in the incubator. No, not perfectly still; deathly still. Kali began walking backwards when she saw herself die. She covered her eyes and shook her head violently. She opened them to see her mother and Madam Sharmila discussing her and the letter. Kali sighed longingly as she watched the night her angel died and Devin found her. She wanted him badly at that moment.

"?titu obao du oyl liwt ahW .g'ni ebru oy ot delt aht g'nih tyre vew onku oy woN"

"What are you telling me? I don't know what you're saying."

"…ror rimeh tot kooL"

Kali, whose eyes had been lowered in shock and acceptance, saw a glint of light and looked up. There was a mirror that had mysteriously appeared. She walked up to it.

".ilaK ,ol leH" the voice said. Kali gasped as the words showed up in the air in front of her. She stared at the mirror and, as she began to wake, saw the mirror image:

"Hello, Kali."

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Kali opened her eyes and blinked sleepily. She remembered what the voice showed her about her life. She shivered and muttered to herself.

"Vincent, why didn't you tell me I died? What else have you kept from me?" she moaned. She began making designs in the dust that had gathered on a piece of wood. A shadowy figure was watching from the shadow as she drew. He began to walk up to her when another figure frightened him into hiding.

"Kali?" said a voice from the doorway. Rude walked up and sat next to her. "You okay?" he asked. She looked up and shook her head.

"I thought you'd be asleep."

"Couldn't. I'm too worried about you."

"Why?"

" Why not? You're a good kid."

"Thanks. But I'm not as good as you think," she muttered. Kali stared off into space. Rude glanced down at the wood.

"What's that?"

"Huh?" Kali glanced at him. She looked back at the wood and her eyes widened. The writing said:

'…tit fiL .ihsanaN em lla cy amu oY .d'ne irfa maI .ydo bon maI'

"I don't know," she whispered. A thought struck her. "Rude, do you have a mirror?"

"No. Yuffie might."

"I need to borrow one. I think I know how to tell what it says," she said as she stood. She walked out of the church. "Yuffie?" she called. Kali looked around, but she only saw Cid curled up by the fire.

"We'll ask in the morning," Rude yawned as he wrapped up in a blanket.

Kali sat next to him and closed her eyes. Rude stared into the fire and jumped at a movement next to him. Kali had fallen asleep and fell against him. He smiled and wrapped the blanket and an arm around her.

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Reno walked slowly through the destroyed buildings. He glanced around, but was unable to find Yuffie. He was about to give up and go back when he heard a sob a short distance away. He walked deeper into the wreckage and found Yuffie sobbing her heart out. She was sitting in the middle of what used to be the Seventh Heaven bar. Reno wrapped his arms around her slowly. Yuffie didn't acknowledge him. She cried hard and Reno noticed that the knuckles of her clasped hands were white. He sat next to her and took her hands. He gently opened them and found the cross. He sighed and looked into her face.

"Yuffie, let go," he whispered gently. She continued to cry. "Yuffie, you're breaking my heart crying like this. Please, let go. Vincent wouldn't want to see you like this, would he?"

"No," she whispered sadly. "He wouldn't. I just can't let him go. He was the first man I loved. You don't let go of the first person you care deeply for that easily, especially after you've…" she closed her eyes and bowed her head.

"I know you were sleeping with him," Reno said. Yuffie looked at him. "I don't care. I'm glad the two of you had the time before one of you died."

"Sure you're glad. You've wanted me a long time. I know it, so don't lie."

"You don't understand," Reno said quietly. He held her hand. "I love you, Yuffie. I understand that you loved Vincent before you did me. Yuffie, even if Vincent hadn't died, I'd want you to be happy. If you chose him over me, I would understand. Please, don't cry. It hurts me when you do. I hate seeing your beautiful face so sad."

"I can't help it."

"Yuffie," Reno muttered. He gently lifted her face and looked her in the eye. He kissed her softly. Yuffie began to return it, but laid a hand on his chest and gently pushed him away. He looked somewhat hurt.

"I'm sorry, Reno," she whispered. She looked it. "I need time to get over this."

"I know," he whispered. He hugged Yuffie and held her tight. "We all need a little time," he said soothingly. He began to kiss her neck comfortingly, but stopped when he felt two raised scars. He gently ran his fingers over them and muttered sadly, "He bit you."

"Yeah. Reno?" she said as he stood.

"That son of a bitch bit you. Why didn't you try and stop him?"

"Reno, I told him to. I thought that maybe if he had a reason to stay alive, he wouldn't go to Midgar. I was wrong. Reno, I'm the one that has to live with this. If you want to live forever with me, I'll bite you, too. Just say the word."

"I'm going to bed," he whispered.

"Reno, I admit that I need time before I make love with you," Yuffie muttered. She ran in front of him and kissed him. "But I love you, too."

They stood like that for about five minutes in the moonlight before they walked back to the campsite in silence. Neither of them realized until they saw the light of the fire that they had walked hand-in-hand the entire way. They smiled at each other and began to laugh when they saw what had happened in their absence. Kali was curled up tightly next to Rude. They were both fast asleep and smiling softly. Reno and Yuffie wrapped up in his sleeping bag and fell asleep quickly to the sound of Cid's snoring. Nobody saw the figure in the church, the blue eyes staring jealously at Rude and Kali.

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"Kali? Get up," Rude muttered. She moaned and opened her eyes.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing. My arm's asleep."

"Oh, sorry," she smiled apologetically. She stood up and stretched. Looking around, she saw the others beginning to stir.

"We're going to find a train in a little while. You might want to get packed," Yuffie called. She was already up and moving, the remains of the fire put out and her bags loaded onto a cycle. She was eating a light meal and offered some to their waking friends.

Kali sighed as she remembered the past day's events. She closed her eyes and breathed the morning air in deeply to calm her nerves. She furrowed her brow as she noticed a lightness on her chest and neck. Her hand went to her neck and she realized something; she had left the necklace on the hill.

"Everyone, we have to go back to the graves. I left my necklace."

"It's only jewelry," Reno said. He yawned loudly. "No big deal."

"We could all die if I don't show it to Kadaj when we meet," Kali said quietly. They all stared at each other before hurrying to finish packing. Kali glanced around the camp. She was startled to see a shadowy figure in the church. "Hello?"

"Who are you talking to?" Yuffie asked. Kali walked closer to the doorway.

"Hello?" she called again. The figure took a step into the shadows. "Come on out. I won't hurt you. Who are you?"

"Kal…" he said quietly, his voice cracking. She furrowed her brow at the sound of it. The stranger reached his hand towards her.

"How do you know my name?" she whispered, extending her own hand to take it.

"Kali?" Yuffie said worriedly as their fingertips touched, drowning out the man's answer. Kali turned to look at her.

"There's a man in here," she replied. Kali looked inside the church again, but it was empty. "Hey! Where are you?"

"Kali, let's just go get your necklace and find Kadaj. I don't feel right being here," Cid muttered.

Kali sighed heavily and turned to her friends. She sat with Cid and they began to ride back towards the hill. As they rode off, the man stood in the rafters and watched them through a hole in the wall. A woman in white materialized behind him.

"You see?" she whispered. She laid a hand on his shoulder and continued. "She doesn't know you, nor does she care. You have no reason to protect her. If you do, remember that until you redeem yourself for the ship and mansion…" she trailed off, a hand running over the metal collar on his neck. He nodded his understanding. "Good. Now, you know what to do."

"Yes, mistress," he muttered. She left as suddenly as she had come before he climbed down and began to walk calmly after the five people.

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"Got it," Kali called over the side of the hill. She hooked the necklace around her neck as she returned to her friends. Rude stared through a pair of binoculars, attempting to find a train. He froze.

"There," he pointed. Each of them took turns to see a train stopped in a station a good distance away. "I'd say we have about twenty minutes to get there before it leaves."

"Let's go then," Reno insisted.

They hurried onto the bikes and sped towards the train station. During the ride, they were delayed by several creatures that attacked them. By the time they reached the station half-an-hour later, the train was two miles away and going further every moment.

"What now?" Yuffie whined. They gazed up at the arrival and departure times.

"The next train doesn't come for three hours," Reno sighed. He leaned against the wall. "I guess we wait."

"No," Kali shook her head. She sat on the cycle again. "I want to find Kadaj. I must speak with him."

"Kali, we're tired," Rude moaned.

"Yeah, the past two days have been rough," Cid agreed. Kali revved up Reno's cycle.

"Then I'm going by myself."

"Kali, hold it!" Reno snapped. He stood in front of her and laid a hand on her shoulder. "We don't have tickets. We don't even know if we can catch up to the train that just left. There's nothing to do but wait."

"Why?" Rude whispered, an idea forming in his head. "We can sneak on. It'll be just like the old days."

"Hmm," Reno smiled. "Sneaking onto a train just like the Turks? Not bad, Rude. First good idea you've gotten in awhile."

"Hey!"

"Let's go before it gets farther ahead," Cid commanded. Yuffie stared at them.

"What about the bikes?"

"I have rope. We'll tie them to the train as we jump on and pull them up once we're on," Reno suggested. Everyone looked at each other. "Do you have any better suggestions?"

Nobody did, so they quickly leapt onto the cycles and rode after the train. They were going so fast, Kali was struggling to stay on the bike with Cid, even with his arm around her. They rode for about ten minutes before they caught up with the train. Rude and Yuffie were first to get on. He tied a rope with a loop to a post on the end car and motioned for Yuffie to jump. She leapt onto the train and began to fall, but Reno rode up and pushed her back. She grabbed the rope that held Rude's cycle as he turned it off and jumped. Together, they pulled the bike up before it fell to the ground. They did the same thing for Reno, but as Cid came up with Kali, he drove over the railing of the tracks, lost balance, and Kali began to slip.

"Cid!" she yelled. He didn't hear her over the roar of the train and bike. He struggled to regain control. When they began to tip over, he grabbed Kali and jumped. As he landed, Kali's foot caught on the bike handle. "My foot's stuck!" she cried in pain.

"Hold on!" they yelled, Rude grabbing her wrist. Cid reached down and managed to knock the bike away with his spear, leaving it to lie on the tracks, but there was a loud crack as Kali's ankle twisted. She screamed loudly.

"Ah! Help!" she called, tears of pain streaming down her face. Reno leaned over and looked towards the engine of the train.

"Um, guys? I think we have a problem. There's a curve up ahead."

"Get me up! I'm slipping!"

"Hold on," Rude groaned. The others reached for her, but they were too late. Without warning, they were beginning to go around the curve and Kali slipped from Rude's grasp.

Kali felt herself fall slowly at first, but as she lost contact with the train altogether, time fast-forwarded and she suddenly felt her broken ankle give out under her as she tried to land on her feet. Kali rolled a short distance and hit her head on the metal track. As she fell unconscious, she caught a glimpse of the men holding Yuffie back as she tried to jump and help Kali. Kali watched them disappear around the corner completely before her sight faded to pitch black.

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Kali slowly opened her eyes only three hours later to find a pair of boots in front of her. She slowly looked up as she rolled from her stomach to her side and began to cry when she saw who it was. His blue eyes were wet and tears were trickling down his face while his brown hair blew in the wind despite the ponytail. He swallowed, making the collar around his neck twitch slightly.

"Devin," she whispered. He smiled sadly at her and nodded. "How did you get here?"

"The same way you did," he said quietly. He knelt next to her and kissed her on the lips softly. She resisted laughing at the tickle of his moustache and began to wrap her arms around him. He pushed them off gently.

"Devin, you have to help me," she gasped. "My ankle's broken. I can't walk."

"I know," he said as he stood. He was trembling as the ground shook ever so slightly.

"There's a train coming. If you don't help me up, I'll be hit."

"I know," he said again, the tremors of both his body and the ground growing ever more violent.

"What are you doing?" she hissed, tears beginning to flow as he walked away.

"I'm sorry. Goodbye, Kali," he whispered. He walked off along the train tracks and stopped at the other side of the curve.

Kali knew what he was doing as soon as he sat down on them. He was letting her die, and he would join her moments later. Kali cried silently and closed her eyes, the blackness returning. She partially opened her eyes a minute later at the sound of an engine, but her vision was blurred with tears. She looked over to see the lamp of the train bearing down on her, only three hundred yards away now. She shakily took off the necklace and put it in her pocket.

Two hundred and fifty…

She looked over at Devin and saw a figure in white pulling him away.

Two hundred…

Kali closed her eyes as Devin fell to the ground, his hands struggling with the collar and screaming. His yelling stopped and he slowly followed the woman.

One fifty…

Kali noticed that her hands felt wet. She reached behind her head again and glanced at her fingertips. They were covered with her blood. She closed her eyes and tried not to be afraid.

One hundred…

Footsteps were running towards her.

Fifty…

Kali clenched her eyes shut as she felt herself trembling from both fear and the vibrations of the train. As the train came within twenty-five yards, she heard boots rushing across metal and wood. She felt strong arms wrap around her and, without stopping, lift her close to the owner's chest. Her rescuer flew across the other side of the track and they landed hard as the train hurried past. Kali opened her eyes slowly to catch a brief glimpse of him before she fell unconscious again. His hood fell back and she saw his full face for the first time. his eyes were closed as he held her tightly. His silver hair blocked part of his face from her view, but she was relieved to know what he looked like. As the train passed and she fell unconscious, he opened his bright green eyes and she gazed into them. From her viewpoint, his face was kind and gentle. He smiled softly. He didn't need her to say what she wanted to, for her eyes said it all as they closed.

"You're welcome, kid," he said quietly. He picked her up and began walking back to his motorcycle across the tracks.

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NM: Okay, now we all know who the shadowy figure is. Right?

All: Right!

NM: Okay, no disclaimers. Except I don't own the rights to anything in this story except Kali, Devin, and, until the movie comes out and we know how he really acts, Kadaj's attitude. Okay, maybe not his 'tude. Oh, and as for him leaving Kali to die, you'll understand as the story progresses if you don't get it already. Oh, and the 'collar of control' that he's wearing is in no way related to the prayer beads that Inuyasha wears. K? Anyway, here's what you want to know:

Panny Savage: She doesn't wear a bra? I didn't know that… ((shudder)) I think it's possible to move that way, but it must hurt a lot! XD Anyway, there might be a couple of flashbacks with Vinny and he might be back… ((shifty eyes)) You might understand later, if I put it in. And the caped guy is back now! Whoo-hoo! Course, he did just leave Kali to die, but that's beside the point!

Mediciner: No problem. Yeah, I suck at FPS too. Can't wait to fight Maleficent… ((rolls eyes))

Sayahiei: No problem about ranting. I do it all the time. You may have noticed that I tend to go off on tangents in my replies and author notes and… yeah. Sorry for killing him! But it does add emotional stuff to the fic. Oh, and KH2 comes out next September, so hold on!

Kizna1200: Okay, first of all, sorry for making you cry! On the other hand, I do feel good for writing something so emotional for once… But my guilt is dominating! I thought about Al Bhed at first, but I decided against it. Instead, I thought about Harry Potter and… yeah.

NM: Next chapter brings a proper bro/sis introduction and Kali finally translates the messages from the voice.

Review!

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