Chapter 12

Torturous Alliance

Kali slowly tried to open her eyes. Her lids were heavy, and so they only opened halfway. She stared up at the night sky through the trees. To her right, she could hear the sound of a crackling fire. She curled up tighter and felt something on her head slip. She reached up slowly and felt a cold, wet cloth against her forehead. There was another one behind her head, but this one, instead of being wet and cold, was warm and covered in dry blood. She twitched her foot and took a sharp breath. It hurt incredibly and she slowly tried to move it to the sides. She was unable, and as she looked down at it, she saw that there were two pieces of wood on either side of her ankle, both strapped to her foot with a thick bandage. Kali laid back with a light sigh and closed her eyes. A hand on her shoulder made her open them again.

"I see you're awake," said a voice. Kali rolled over, lost her balance, and nearly fell to the ground. Kadaj held the hammock steady while she turned to look at him. He was staring at her. "I wrapped up your foot," he said quietly as Kali looked her brother over.

Despite his being in his thirties, Kali noticed that his skin was rather smooth and youthful, his face hardly unlike that of a man in his twenties, perhaps even teens. He had a single scar across his left cheek that she suspected was a gift from Cloud. His silver hair reached down to his shoulders and his bangs swept across his face, partially hiding his right side and nose. He wore black leather pants and boots. His leather coat had a split in the back and reached down to his ankles, but it was unzipped in the front. Underneath, Kali saw a bandage wrapped around his bare torso. He noticed her watching and sighed before turning away.

"All thanks to you."

"Thank you," she whispered, "for saving my life earlier."

"If I had known then what I know now, I wouldn't have done it."

"Known what?"

"Look kid," he said. He turned to stare at her and Kali noticed that his eyes were hard and cold, the softness she had seen before completely gone. "I saved you because I was curious about who you are. I know now that you're a clone of my father. You can stay until your foot is better. Then you have to leave," he said finally. Kali helplessly watched him sit in front of the fire and dig around in his bag.

She stretched and gazed at the stars as Kadaj began heating his dinner. She sighed quietly and thought about the past few days. She met her mother hours before her death. Vincent was gone. Her brother had no idea who she was. Devin was here on the planet. Kali had died as a baby. She jumped when Kadaj came back.

"If you want to eat, tell me."

"Okay," she muttered. She thought a moment before getting up and following him. She tried to keep her balance to avoid further injury to her foot. "What makes you think I'm a clone?"

"You are very much like my father," he shrugged without facing her.

"So are you, but you're his kid," she retaliated as she swayed on the spot.

"My mother had the same features as him. She, too, had silver hair and green eyes."

"Kadaj, I-"

"How did you know my name?" he asked, turning suddenly.

"Kadaj, you have to listen to me. I know your name because…" she hesitated, "I'm… your sister," she finally said slowly. She knew then that she had begun too quickly. Kadaj stopped dead and glared at her before shaking his head.

"No way. You're a teenager. My father died twenty years ago. He couldn't have had another kid. My mother… I don't know if she's even alive or how long she's been dead if she isn't living."

"I know that you tried to bring dad back seventeen years ago. You almost died at the hands of Cloud, but Vincent saved your life."

"Anyone could have found that out."

"I exist because daddy came back fifteen years ago and left the Planet to flee from Cloud-"

"Quit calling him 'dad.'"

"-he came to a planet called Jahan-"

"Stop it."

"-he fucked around with my mom-"

"Oh, shut up!"

"-and I popped out of her seven months later."

"Now I know you're lying. Your mother would have been pregnant nine months, not seven."

"I was premature, Kadaj! It does happen occasionally, you know!"

"I don't need to listen to this. You seem to be capable of caring for yourself. Goodbye," he snapped as he began to walk briskly away.

"Kadaj, look at me," she commanded. Kali grabbed his wrist and made him look at her. They stared into each other's similar feline eyes. "Do you see lying in my eyes?"

"If we're brother and sister, then why have you been running from me?"

"Because I wasn't supposed to meet you until now."

"Ridiculous. What proof do you have of such a relationship?" he asked. Kali immediately reached around her neck, but the necklace was gone. Kadaj chuckled. "How can I believe you if you have no proof?"

"Wait," she said, reaching a hand into her pocket. She pulled out the necklace. "Recognize this?" she inquired, dangling the object in front of his face. Kadaj took it carefully in his hands and stared at it.

"My necklace…" he muttered. He turned it over and Kali thought she saw tears in his eyes. He shook his head. "My father was buried with this. Anyone could have found him and dug it up."

"Then step back," she ordered. Kadaj walked away as Kali pulled out Masamune. "There. Does that prove it?"

"Masamune," he whispered. Kadaj ran a hand along the blade and closed his eyes, speaking quietly as he walked the length and back. "I remember that as a child, father would let me watch him train with this. I wanted very badly to use it myself, but I never gained the strength. When we tried to bring him back, I attempted to lift it, but I could not," he opened his eyes as he stopped in front of Kali. "Such a beautiful and destructive weapon. May I try again to hold it?"

"Of course," she nodded. She handed him the blade. Kali struggled to suppress a laugh as the blade hit the ground with a dull thud and he struggled to pick it up. He stared at her when she lifted it with ease.

"You truly are his child, aren't you?" he said. Kali nodded.

"I hope that you will at least care for me a short time. It's what daddy wants."

"How do you know?"

"I've talked to him in my dreams. I got the necklace from Vincent after he was visited by daddy," she explained as she took the trinket and put it back around her neck. "Everything he ever told my mom and Vincent has come true, so I suspect that everything I know must as well."

"Vincent? What does he have to do with us?"

"Everything," she whispered. At the mention of Vincent, she knelt to the ground and began to cry.

"What's the matter?" he asked gently, kneeling and laying a hand upon her shoulder.

"Vincent and I came here about a week ago. We went to Nibelheim and met Cloud and his friends. Cloud was killed the first night we were there."

"He's dead?" Kadaj repeated in glad disbelief. Kali nodded and slowly recounted what she had been through so far.

"Yesterday, I was sitting by father's grave and I watched Tifa and Vincent fight. "She…" Kali bit her lower lip as she began to cry again. "She cut off his arm… and… shot him in the head. He's dead."

"What?" Kadaj gasped. He closed his eyes when Kali said it again. "Not Vincent. Not him. Damn it," he shook his head. "I liked him. He was a pretty good guy."

"He really was. Kadaj, we have to find Yuffie and the others."

"We will. When your ankle heals," he added. Kadaj gazed at her. "You never told me your name."

"Kali," she whispered. Kadaj smiled.

"A pleasure finally learning it."

"I'm tired," she muttered. Her stomach let out a loud growl.

"I guess you're hungry, too," he laughed. "Come here and I'll get you something. It's not the best, but it's food."

He helped her walk to the fire and sit. She nibbled a small loaf of bread while Kadaj stuffed his mouth with dried fruit from his rations. They were silent for a long time.

"Kadaj, do you have a mirror?"

"No, sorry. My looks are the least of my worries living out here."

"Damn. I need to figure something out. Do you at least have some paper and a pen or pencil?"

"Yeah, in my bag. Why?"

Kali didn't answer. She tossed the last bite of bread into her mouth, reached into the bag, and pulled out a sheet of paper and a pen. By the light of the fire, she forced herself to remember the words of the voice. Kadaj sat next to her and read over her shoulder. When she finished writing, Kadaj glared at her.

"What the hell does all of that mean?"

"I don't know. That's why I need a mirror. I've been hearing this voice for the past two days and it told me this morning that a mirror will translate it."

"We should work on this tomorrow. It's getting late," Kadaj yawned. Indeed, the moon was high in the sky. Kadaj stood and picked up his sword. Kali stared.

"Wait," she said. She stood shakily and reached towards his sword. "Is it polished?"

"Yes," he nodded slowly. He caught on.

"A mirror," they said together.

Kadaj threw the scabbard aside and handed it to her. She sat with the double blade and laid the paper over it, leaving just enough space to see the result. Kadaj wrote the translations on another sheet. When they were done recording, Kadaj guessed at the words, separating and connecting them accordingly. When they read it, the words looked something like this:

Lif-t/it… I/am nob-ody. I/am a/fri-end. Yo-u/ma-y/c-all me Nanashi. I/am not fu-ckin-g/wi-th/yo-ur mind. I/can-not/s-how myself. Yo-u/see I/am in/yo-ur mind. Now lift the/s-word. I/am nob-ody. I/am now-he-re… Yo-u/are/w-rong. Yo-u/stil-l/hav-e/muc-h/to/d-o/so/ver-y/muc-h/to/l-ear-n/an-d/achi-eve. Yo-u/are/n-ot/even clos-e/to/be-ing fin-ished. I/tol-d/you I/am in yo-ur mind. Yo-u/alon-e/ca-n/hear me. Nob-od-y/el-se/ca-n/hear my/vo-ice. Be/si-lent! The-y/are/n-ot/to/k-now/of me. Yo-u/alon-e/ca-n/hear me, do/yo-u/un-ders-tand? Silen-ce! Kali, shut/up! Yo-u/s-ee? This/is yo-ur/pun-ish-men-t/for/no-t/liste-ning to/me. Now be/si-lent. Do/not disobe-y/me. I/am a/fri-end, bu-t/I/can be/yo-ur/en-emy if/yo-u/d-o/not lis-ten. Kali, lis-ten/an-d/ob-ey. Ask/t-hem/to tran-slat-e/my/w-ords. Tha-t/is/al-l/yo-u/ma-y/do. Af-ter/t-hat/ke-ep me/to yo-urs-elf. Yo-u/w-il-l/se-e/my/t-ru-e/self some/d-ay. In/fac-t/yo-u/alre-ady/h-ave. Hel-lo, Kali. I/am Nanashi. I/h-ave/s-ome/t-hing-s/to/s-how you. I/tol-d/you. I/am a/fri-end. I/am Nanashi. Lat-er… Jus-t/look. The-re/a-re/so-me/t-hing-s/yo-u/ne-ed to see. Now yo-u/kno-w/ev-ery/t-hing tha-t/led to yo-ur/be-ing. Wha-t/wil-l/yo-u/d-o/abo-ut/it? Look to/t-he/mir-ror… Hel-lo, Kali.

"Is the voice male or female?" Kadaj asked when Kali read it aloud.

"I'm really not sure. It sounds feminine, but it's deep and echoes in my head. I don't know what it is."

"It said its name is Nanashi."

"Nanashi…" Kali said slowly. "I've heard that name before," she muttered. She snapped her fingers. "It means 'without name.' The woman who owned the orphanage I grew up at would call any nameless child that came to us 'Nanashi' until the parents showed up, the kid remembered it, or she came up with one."

"This is weird," Kadaj shook his head. He put his sword away and laid it in the hammock. "We should get some sleep. Hey," he turned to face her and smiled, "sis?"

"Huh?" she gasped. He was grinning.

"Come here and I'll help you get back up in here."

"You called me 'sis,'" she whispered. Kadaj sighed and helped her up into the hammock.

"You say that's what you are, right? Only a child with my father's strength can wield that sword. Besides, what choice do I have but to believe one who holds such a magnificent power?" he laughed. He picked her up and laid her in the net. Kali took the necklace from around her neck and handed it to him.

"You should have this back."

"No, you keep it."

"Kadaj, daddy made this for you, not me. I have his sword. You take the necklace."

"Thank you," he whispered. He carefully put it around his neck, tears filling his eyes as he remembered his father. Kadaj lie next to her and held her close, one hand clutching hers and the other holding his sword hilt in case of an attack.

"Kadaj?"

"Yeah?"

"How far are we from the tracks?" she asked quietly.

"Not too far. Why?"

"I want to see if my bags are still there. I was riding with Cid and we lost his bike on the tracks. There are some things I want out of there."

"We can go out there in the morning."

"Thank you, Kadaj."

"You know, I'm glad you're here. I've felt very alone since dad died," he said quietly.

"Good night," she whispered, not seeming to hear him.

"Good night, kid," he replied with a slight laugh.

She fell asleep quickly, but Kadaj lie there for an hour, staring from the sky to the fire to Kali's face. He couldn't tell why, but he somehow knew as soon as she told him that she was truly his sister. He finally closed his eyes and fell asleep, glad that his father had not left him all alone after all.

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"Come, child. Be not afraid, for you will soon be at peace."

"Devin," Kali panted, her footsteps hitting the ground heavily and rhythmically. "I have to find him."

"Come to fulfill your duty to the Planet."

"Devin," she called weakly, for she had been running barefoot for ages and her energy was beginning to fail her.

"He will not answer. You are far too late."

"I must save him…"

"He is already a dead man, even though he still walks the Planet."

"Devin! Where are you?" Kali gasped in fear. She looked around to find him standing on a cliff with a beautiful meadow below, his arms spread wide, his hands reaching towards the heavens, and his back to her.

"All of this," he whispered. "All of this to be had. Only one person stands in the way."

"What are you talking about? Devin, come away, please!" Kali pleaded.

"No," he said, his voice mixing with a woman's. "I think I will stay here."

Kali ran up to him, but stopped as he faced her. His eyes were burning with blue fire, and the collar around his neck was glowing silver. He was smiling menacingly, his head bowed slightly to make him look even more terrifying. Behind him, Kali watched as the land turned from a peaceful meadow to a flaming pit. She shook.

"Devin, what are you doing?"

"Freeing myself from your weak love," he whispered.

He closed his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. Kali grabbed for him as he allowed himself to fall backwards over the edge. At the last moment, he reached a hand out and a chain sprung from the ground. It wrapped itself around Kali's ankle and Devin's wrist, thus dragging her to the flame with him. A few hundred yards before they hit bottom, the collar around his neck blew up and everything else went black.

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Kali awoke with a start, and, feeling her forehead, found herself in a cold sweat. She closed her eyes and cried silently, making herself stay as still as possible to avoid waking her brother. Kali finally managed to fall back into an uneasy sleep, the dream returning a few minutes later to finish while Kadaj tried to wake her.

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Kali's eyes fluttered open slowly. She stood carefully to see Devin standing a few yards away. He held the remains of the collar in his hand and dropped it, the metal turning to dust and blowing away. He stared at her with his icy blue eyes. Kali wanted him to stop, to forget whatever madness had overtaken him, but she knew it was not to be. He raised a hand again and flicked his wrist. Chains shot out from the rock wall behind her and Kali was being pulled back against it. She struggled against her bonds, Devin only watching.

After a fast-forwarded half-an-hour went by, Kali stopped fighting. Her wrists and ankles were bloody beyond belief. Kali spit and saw blood present even in the liquid. She looked up as Devin walked towards her. He brushed his fingertips along her neck and showed them to her. They were covered in blood.

"She was correct," he whispered as he licked the blood from his fingers. "You may be the child of a demigod, but you are still only human."

"Devin, what are you doing? We're friends, remember? Remember the promise you made me? You're my guardian angel."

"Then why did you leave without a word?" he muttered. Devin turned and glared at her. "You spoke little of me to your new friends. Had you forgotten?"

"Devin…" Kali said as gently as she could. Her vision was beginning to blur. As she struggled to keep them open, she watched a white figure emerge from the smoke behind him. "Leave us be," Kali hissed, though she didn't know why.

"Do as you wish with her at first. You know what to do afterwards," she whispered to him, a hand on his shoulder. Devin nodded.

"Of course, mistress," he replied as he threw back his cloak. Across his chest was a leather strap that also wrapped around his waist. Hanging off of these straps were daggers. Dozens of daggers, one of which he reached for now. Kali began to tremble as her friend came at her.

"Kadaj, please, help, anyone," Kali muttered. Devin laughed.

"He will not come," he said. "Nobody will."

"What?"

"Observe," the woman in white said. She directed Kali's attention to the mist where a group of terrible creatures were standing. Kali made them out to be vampires and zombies. Each of them held in their arms the head of one of her friends. She screamed at the sight of her brother's bloody skull as one of the zombies held it up to make sure she saw. The creatures were sent away.

"Devin, please," she begged loudly as he came within a foot of her.

Kali shuddered as he tore her tank top open with the dagger. He tore at the clothes until she was completely nude. She closed her eyes as he began to take his own clothes off. She grimaced as he began to rape her, his lips kissing her roughly and painfully. She tried to scream, but her voice was rarely working. Every time she was able to scream, he would glue his lips to hers and keep them there until she was out of breath. She was amazed at how much it hurt to have him finally fucking her, although she knew that this wasn't making love, but some part of an especially painful torture. She sobbed heavily until Devin pulled away from her after what felt like hours. Kali opened her eyes and stared at him in disbelief.

"Devin, why?" she gasped. She swallowed and sobbed. "Why?"

He wasn't listening. Instead, he ran a hand over her bare stomach. He stopped just under her belly button and drew back the dagger he had held the entire time. He brought it forward again powerfully. Kali screamed in pain as it sank into her tender flesh. When he pulled it out, Kali could see her blood covering the weapon. He did this again to her elbows, underarms, wrists, ankles and knees, each blow bringing forth a more painful and siren-like wail. He finally stood back to see what damage he had caused. Kali struggled to keep her eyes open and not to die. She didn't know how much more of this crude torture she was to endure, but she prayed that it would soon end and she was determinedto live to see it.

Devin stared at her left breast for a moment before he laid two fingertips just above it. He ran his digits across her breast for a moment before finally finding her heartbeat. Kali swallowed nervously as he held her face in his free hand, the one holding the dagger marking the place on her breast. Devin kissed her roughly once more before taking a step back, the kiss nothing like he had given her that day on the tracks. He laid the tip of the dagger over her heart and took a breath. Kali trembled as she realized that this was not a breath of remorse or hesitation, but of preparation before delivering the blow. He drew the weapon back. With a powerful thrust, Kali screamed as it broke through her skin, her muscle, her chest plate, and let out one final, short yell as it pierced her heart and she woke up.

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"Kali?" Kadaj whispered. She was still fast asleep, despite the bright sunlight on her face. "Kali, get up."

"Let us be," she muttered after a few more minutes of him shaking her. Kadaj furrowed his brow at the use of 'us' and not 'me,' but soon dismissed it as a slip of her waking tongue. He became concerned at the amount of sweat on her head, but dismissed that as well, for the sun was warm, she lay by his side, and she wore her heavy coat.

"If we want to get your stuff, we need to go soon," he pushed her. Kali didn't reply, for she had already fallen back to deep sleep.

He sighed exasperatedly and got up. Kadaj reached into his bags and pulled out a long roll of bandage. He walked down to the nearby river and threw his coat to the side. Painfully, he unwrapped his soiled bandage and washed the wound. He shook his head as he stared at the dagger wound, still scabbing over. Kadaj looked up as he heard a yell from the camp. He waited a moment, and finally decided that his sister was awake and trying to get up, and she had forgotten about her broken ankle. He washed his face and replaced the bandage when Kali limped up behind him. He turned at the sound of her falling to the ground.

"You okay?" he asked as he helped her up. "I heard you yell up at the camp."

"I'll be fine. It was just a bad dream," she sighed shakily. "Are we going or what?"

"Yeah, let me pack up," he nodded. The two of them walked back to the campsite.

Kali sat on his bike while Kadaj put out the remaining embers of fire, put away the hammock, and secured his bag to the cycle. He sat behind her and revved it up. In about an hour, Kadaj and Kali were driving along the tracks, searching for the remains of Cid's motorcycle. When they finally found it, Kali was relieved to find her supplies miraculously intact. The vehicle fared much worse; pieces of metal were strewn across the tracks and field surrounding it. Kadaj loaded it with the rest of his things and began riding in the direction Kali's friends had gone. They rode in silence the entire time, both wondering how Yuffie and the others would react to seeing him again.

As dusk fell, Kadaj stopped and surveyed the destroyed area of Midgar, memories of his childhood home filling his head. He sighed and closed his eyes.

"All because of father," he whispered. He opened them and wrapped an arm gently around Kali. "We should make camp. It's not safe to wander the Planet at night, even for father if he was alive now."

"Where will we stop?" Kali asked. Kadaj only lowered his eyes as he began driving again. Kali's stomach flipped as she realized that he was going towards the hill where the two graves were.

The two of them got off the bike halfway up. Kadaj helped her walk to the top, hesitating as they heard voices. Kadaj grabbed his sword, but Kali laid a hand on his arm when she heard the voice.

"It's Yuffie," she said happily. They ran up the hill (Kali doing so with some difficulty and much support from Kadaj) and, sure enough, Yuffie was sitting by Vincent's grave, talking to him. The other men were sitting on the edge of the hill, gazing over the city and talking quietly. "Yuffie!"

"I really miss you Vi-" Yuffie stopped when she heard her name. She smiled and ran to Kali. "Thank god you're alright!"

"Of course I am," Kali said as Yuffie embraced her. Reno, Rude, and Cid stood and joined them. When they had all welcomed Kali back, they noticed the man standing nearby.

"Kadaj," Rude said finally. Kadaj nodded slowly and looked to him.

"I see you lived through your attack by that man with the daggers."

"How did you know him?" Rude asked in mild surprise. Kadaj smiled.

"I saw you lying on the ground and Kali was yelling for a doctor, so I gave the medics a call," he said calmly. Kali glanced at him before speaking herself.

"Kadaj saved me on the tracks. He picked me up when the train was about to hit me," Kali explained. Reno looked down at her foot, still wrapped up in a splint.

"Couldn't heal her foot, I see."

"I'm not a doctor, nor am I a practitioner of magic," Kadaj muttered. Kali sighed.

"My foot was broken when it caught on Cid's bike," she shrugged. "There's nothing to be done."

"At least you're still alive," Cid said.

Kadaj brushed passed them and knelt at the feet of the graves. Yuffie tensed when he laid a hand on the guns. He closed his eyes and sat very still. Everyone jumped when he finally spoke.

"So he really is gone," he whispered. He slowly opened his eyes and spoke to the grave quietly. "I'm sorry I never repaid you for seventeen years ago."

"Kadaj, you couldn't have done anything even if you had known," Yuffie said gently. He stood and walked over to her. After looking her in the eyes for a second, he smiled slightly.

"You loved him," he said knowingly. "I can see it in your eyes."

Yuffie was taken aback, but soon collected herself and nodded slowly. Kadaj's smile faded, and then he did the last thing any of them expected. He wrapped his arms around Yuffie tightly and struggled to control his trembling shoulders. Yuffie hugged him gently back after a moment of surprise.

"I'm sorry, Yuffie," he whispered. The other men were unable to see it from their viewpoint, but Kali could see clearly that Kadaj was in tears.

"Kadaj, it's okay. I'm sure he's happy," she whispered, but she began crying as well. Kali lowered her eyes.

"Of course he is," she said quietly. Kali didn't have the heart to tell Yuffie that he was now with Lucrecia. Kadaj finally pulled away and stared at his father's grave.

"At least," he began, his red-eyed gaze turning to Kali, "he didn't leave me alone."

"It's getting dark. We should get some sleep," Cid suggested. Everyone nodded in agreement and gathered their gear. When they were sitting on the bikes, Kadaj began to cry silently again.

"Goodbye, father and Vincent," he muttered. He held Kali and drove after the others.

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NM: The horror of the story begins to come out. Woot. Yeah, I've been kinda grumpy the last couple days what with midterms coming next week, so I'll just reply to ya'll, k?

Sayahiei: That's U.S. release date, anyway (I'm pretty sure). It'll probably come out sooner in Japan. Maybe we can sign a petition. Or we can tie up the head of production and throw him into a closet until they agree to release it early. And I must agree, midterms suck. Mine are next week, we're reviewing this week, and I'm praying for heavy snow so we'll have next week off.

Merielle: If you hadn't, there's a translation earlier in this chapter. Actually… urgh… I really don't want to give away anything about Devin. Just keep in mind that the whole 'Devin rapes Kali then kills her' thing is just a dream. For now… ((shifty eyes)) You'll find out how much, if any, comes true later.

Panny Savage: Well, you'll get Kadaj in every chapter from now on (I hope) and yes, it was Devin.

Mediciner: Namine, eh? Is she Riku's sister or his bitch? Kidding, kidding. At least about the second part. Sorry, that's all I can think of. That, or do they have a relationship like Sora and Kairi (her heart is in his)? Well, I guess I'll find out when I play. Don't tell me! Just say if I'm close… Take your time with LoKH.

Review!

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