Chapter 13

Forming Plans

"Kadaj?" Yuffie whispered as she knelt. He continued to sleep, his position much like Vincent's the night before he died, except his legs were crossed instead of straight out. She felt her heart begin to ache at the memory, but she couldn't help smiling at the sight of Kali stretched out next to him, her head resting in his lap. "Come on, I want to talk to you."

"Hmm…" he moaned when she shook him gently. Otherwise, he still refused to stir. Yuffie finally reached into his coat and tickled his side. After snorting awake and jumping three feet in the air, he yawned loudly and glared at her.

"You awake?" she smiled.

"I am now. What do you want?" he snapped quietly so as not to wake his sister.

"I just wanted to talk to you. The last time we saw each other, we weren't exactly on speaking terms."

"You tried to kill me," he said quietly. Yuffie sighed.

"You know why we did that. Kadaj, do you still want to try to bring your father back?"

"I guess a little. Why?"

"Well, as long as you don't try to do it, we won't hurt you this time."

"What of them?" he asked, nodding in the direction of the others. Cid, Reno and Rude were stretched out asleep around the fire. "I can trust you, as you are speaking for yourself, but what of them? How do I know they will not harm me?"

"I can't promise you that they'll leave you alone. But," Yuffie looked into his eyes, suppressing a shudder at the odd familiarity of them, "I believe they'll be kind to you. We all like Kali, and I can tell that she already likes you."

"I suppose you're correct," Kadaj smiled as he glanced at his silent sister.

"Kadaj, as long as she lives, no harm will come to you from us. We don't want to hurt her, and I know your death would do only more pain to her already broken heart."

"You never used to talk like that. I suppose becoming a vampire makes one a bit more philosophical."

"You know?" she said in surprise and shame.

"Kali told me everything. Your red eyes helped, as well. Now, what did you wish to speak with me about?"

"I've been thinking about what happened up on the hill earlier this evening," she said solemnly.

"Oh. Yuffie, I'm sorry I broke down like that. I just can't stand the thought of losing two men who were like fathers to me."

"I understand. There's no need to apologize. I was thinking more of what you said to Vincent about never repaying him. Do you know what the last thing he said to me was?"

"I love you?" Kadaj guessed. To his surprise, Yuffie shook her head. "No?"

"No," she whispered, taking his hand. "He talked to me about you."

"Me?" Kadaj repeated in disbelief. She nodded.

"I went with him to the bottom of the hill. Before he went up, he kissed me and held me for a long time. He did tell me how much he loved me, but then he talked to me about you. He said that you might feel that you needed to repay him for fixing you up. Vincent wants you to know that he did it out of what little kindness he had in his heart at the time. He never wanted anything back. He told me to tell you that if you really want to repay him, there's only one thing you can do."

"What's that?" Kadaj asked, a slight choking sensation forming in his throat. Yuffie smiled softly and brushed Kali's hair behind her ear.

"Take care of her," Yuffie whispered. The young man lowered his eyes and held his sister tighter.

"What's wrong with me?" he muttered. "Since last night, I've been feeling things that I never have before. When I think of what she's been able to get through or look at Kali, I swell with pride. I ache when I look or even think of her injured foot or any future misfortune that could possibly befall her. I don't want to let her go. I just want to hold her for the rest of my years. I feel that I must protect her, no matter what."

"You're her big brother. Older brothers are supposed to look after their baby siblings. It's a natural instinct."

"Perhaps you are right. Yuffie, if you don't mind, I really should get some sleep. Good night," he said finally.

"Good night," she whispered. Yuffie stood and returned to Reno's side.

Kadaj sighed and looked around at their camp. They had stopped by the edge of the city, a forest nearby and his back presently resting against the destroyed side of a building. He turned and stared into his sister's face. He smiled and squeezed her shoulder before closing his eyes. They opened again a few minutes later at a rustling sound nearby. He looked over and saw a cloaked figure standing in the woods. Kadaj began to stand up, pausing to crack his aching back, but the figure left before he could go further. When he saw no sign of the man again, he sat back, wrapped his arm tighter around the girl, and gripped his sword with so much strength his knuckles were snow white in his gloves. Kadaj tried to go back to sleep, but he was too nervous, for he knew that the figure was Kali's stalker. After a few minutes, he decided to stay awake and keep watch. A few long hours later, he was dozing while the rest of the group was rising. He jumped awake when Kali nudged him.

"Good morning. Did you sleep well?" she asked. He stared at her with dark, sleepy eyes. "I guess not."

"Yuffie woke me up and we talked a lit-" he paused and yawned long and loudly, "-tle and I couldn't get back to sleep until now."

"Go to sleep, then. I don't think we'll be going anywhere until my foot feels better. I'll tell them to let you snooze," she promised. Kali stood shakily and hopped over to the remains of the fire and told her friends that Kadaj was still tired. His gaze followed her until she sat. He then allowed his body to fall sideways. He was out before he even hit the ground.

"Where do we go from here?" Cid asked a little while later. They had fallen silent after eating their breakfast by the ashes of the fire, and he was determined to break it.

"Find Marlene and Tifa," Kali said solemnly. Rude looked to the ground and sighed. "What's wrong?"

"Oh, come on, Rude," Reno groaned. "Don't tell me you still like Tifa."

"Why not? You still like Yuffie," Rude pointed out. Reno took Yuffie's hand.

"We have a chance. When we met Tifa, we were enemies with her. Working together against him," he jerked a thumb towards the sleeping lump behind them, "she was already Cloud's. Hell, they got married several years ago. You have to face it. Tifa killed Vincent. We're against her again," he pointed out. Rude seemed to ignore him. "You said yourself when we met Kali that even though the Turks are gone, we owe it to them to protect our own. Vincent was our own. We owe it to him to snuff out his killer."

"Shut up," Rude muttered. Reno stared at him in disbelief.

"Rude, look-"

"Reno, chill," Kali snapped suddenly. They all stared at her in surprise. "Look, we're in this together. We all loved Vincent in our own rights. Reno has a point, we need to avenge him. I know you all hate my father, but I need to seek his vengeance, as well. I know you all tried to kill him long before my birth, but you all have taken care of me since my arrival and feel the same hate towards what is left of AVALANCHE right now. I'm going to find Tifa and Marlene, and I'm going to kill both of them," she said in a commanding voice. Her eyes lowered slightly as her voice softened. "But I can't do it alone. Please, help me. I know Kadaj will, but if Tifa was able to kill Vincent and Cloud could kill my father, there's no telling how far our enemies will go to destroy Kadaj and myself. Rude, if you want out, I understand. If anyone else wants out, leave now. If you go this minute, I promise I will not kill you, even if you turn to Tifa and tell her all of our secrets. Later, if you decide to leave, I'm sorry. Should you actually try and escape our team," she said slowly, glancing at each face before her and taking a breath, "may your soul rest for eternity in the Lifestream. This is your last chance to get out of this. Any takers?"

"I'm in," Yuffie said immediately. "I love Vincent and miss him terribly. I can't let his murderer continue to walk the Planet."

"I'm with you," Cid agreed. "Vincent was my best friend, after all."

"I'm in, too," Reno said. He took Yuffie's hand again. "I looked up to Vincent and I'm not letting you go through this alone. You mean too much to me."

"Rude?" Kali whispered, all eyes turning towards him. Rude thought for a few moments. He finally looked up at her and nodded slowly.

"I'll stay."

"You're sure?"

"You're the only friends I have. I don't want to sacrifice that," he muttered with a shrug. Kali smiled and wrapped her arms around him.

"Thank you, Rude," she said quietly. She turned and hugged everyone else in turn. "Thank you all."

"Kali, we love you. We would stay with you no matter what," Rude said quietly.

"You know, I'm glad you're here. Rude's never been this talkative," Reno smiled. "It makes life a bit more interesting."

"Reno?"

"Yeah?"

"Shut the hell up," Rude said. His friends began laughing. They stopped when Kadaj walked over to them.

"Feel better?" Kali asked as he sat next to her. He nodded and picked at the leftover breakfast.

"What's the plan?" he asked quietly to break the uneasy silence that always seemed to form around him.

"We go after Tifa and Marlene," Cid explained.

"Good. I can deal with that," Kadaj nodded and ate slowly. "But not until your foot is well."

"Kadaj-" Kali began. He shook his head.

"No. I'm your older brother. You have to listen to me. I know what is best for your health. We're waiting until you can at least walk without hopping or trembling or falling over. That's final."

"Oh, come on, Kadaj," Kali whined.

"Don't argue with me young lady, or I'll beat your ass."

"That's a nice way to talk to a kid half your age," Cid griped. "Especially when she's your sister."

"Oh, you should talk. Some of the things that have come out of your mouth when I was her age," Yuffie retaliated as Kadaj whispered in Kali's ear.

"Is this group always this fun in the morning?"

"Shut the fuck up, Yuffie. Leave him alone," Reno demanded, his arm wrapping around her waist.

"Bite me!"

"Vincent already beat me to it, thanks," Reno added with a laugh.

"All of you shut your damn mouths," Rude snapped.

"Come on, you can cuss worse than that," Cid taunted.

"There are two women here, if anyone has taken a minute to notice," he reminded them. Reno looked down his shirt.

"I sure as hell ain't one of them," he said. Rude was about to say something when laughter distracted him. They turned to stare at Kadaj, his head bowed, who was laughing so hard he was in tears.

"You okay?" Kali asked in a worried tone. She laid a hand on his arm. Kadaj shook his head and looked up to the sky.

"You're all so fucking stupid," he managed to say through his laughs. Kali smiled at him and began to giggle as well. Rude followed her lead. Within ten seconds, they were all laughing until tears streamed nonstop down their faces. They never saw the six flashes of light in the woods. They never heard the click of a recorder as the two spies ran off.

NINJAMAGEGAMAJNIN

"President," came a voice from the door.

"Yes?"

"Pardon the interruption, but they have returned with some news," said the bald man in the deep violet suit. The woman standing by the plate glass window that overlooked the ruins of Midgar nodded without looking at him.

"Let them in."

"Madam President," said the woman who entered. She wore a dark green suit and bowed as she came forth. A man in another green suit with a small package followed. The blonde in the white trench coat before them turned and smiled.

"Rise," she ordered. The two of them did so. "What news do you bring?"

"President, we have confirmed our suspicions. Kadaj, son of Sephiroth, has indeed been living in exile for quite some time."

"You know this already," the woman reminded her. She sat in a chair behind a large desk while a man and a woman in brown suits flanked her.

"But we have been unable to follow him thus far," spoke up the man. He held up the package. "We were able to find him in the ruins of Midgar with five other people. In this envelope, we have a tape-recording of their conversation and pictures to prove our story. We found them only this morning," he explained.

The woman nodded to the man on her right and he took the package. He inspected and, deciding it was safe, opened it, a tape and smaller envelope spilling onto the table. The woman nodded to the guard to her left and she fetched a tape player from the table on the other side of the room. The spies began to play the tape. It began from breakfast and ran until the group laughed. When the tape stopped, the president lowered her eyes.

"So Vincent Valentine is dead. I thought he was immortal. At least, my parents always told me that."

"He was. Someone found a way to kill him," explained a woman in violet. She had just walked in. "It is a pity. I'm sure he would have made a good addition to our group."

"Of course he would have. He was the best gunman the Turks had ever seen. Then again, I doubt he would have agreed to help. As for the pictures," she began, tearing the envelope open. She studied them for nearly ten minutes before speaking. "These are Reno and Rude. They worked for my father and grandfather."

"Yes. Those are them," agreed the spies as their boss laid the pictures aside. The woman pulled two more photographs from the group.

"This is Yuffie," she said, pointing out the woman, "and this is Cid," she added, pointing to the man. "They and Cloud opposed my father when I was a small child."

"During the Meteor crisis," the female in violet added.

"What of the silver-haired ones?" asked the man that gave the photographs to her.

"I know that this is Kadaj," she said slowly as she laid his photograph aside. "I can never forget his face. But I don't know who she is," she added, staring at the smiling, silver-haired girl.

"I recall that Kadaj referred to himself as her older brother," the woman in green said slowly. "Did Seph-" she stopped at an angry glare from the woman behind the desk. "Did he have another child?"

"I did not think he did," said her boss. Her brow furrowed as she took a closer look. "Perhaps it was a secret child."

"Kadaj was to be secret as well, but everyone knows him," pointed out the man in violet.

"Then perhaps when he went mad, he raped a woman. I don't care!" she snapped, standing and slamming her fist on the desk. Her employees flinched at this loss of temper that seemed to be common in her family. "They are his flesh and blood! We cannot have his direct relations running around loose on the Planet! It is because of him that my father and grandfather are dead!" She sighed to calm her temper and sat again, her hand rubbing the bridge of her nose and her eyes shut. "Issue an order to the Phonet squad. I want all six of them," she pointed at the pictures, "alive. They are to use any means necessary to acquire them, so long as they are breathing until I have a few moments to speak with them."

"As you wish," bowed the violet man. He left to give the order.

"You are dismissed," the woman added to the spies. They bowed and followed the previous man. "Bring me a doctor, and be sure he has aspirin."

"Immediately," nodded the remaining woman. As she left, two more people in violet suits came in.

"Good day, president," bowed the man. The woman with him bowed silently.

"Please, sit. I am about to confer with the doctor," she said, signaling to the chairs in front of her.

"To what do I owe this summons?" asked a voice from the door a few moments later. A man with shoulder-length black hair that had silver tips and barely noticeable highlights, a grey lab coat, and glasses that covered his green eyes bowed and approached her. "I see your head is aching you again. Here is your medicine."

"Thank you," she sighed as she leaned her head back. He pulled a syringe from his pocket and injected the white liquid into her neck. She lifted her head. "That is indeed a wonderful cure. I feel no pain at all now."

"A shame Uncle Hojo was unable to finish it himself. Is that all, mistress?"

"Doctor, how is The Hitomi? Any new developments?"

"Alas, no," he shook his head. "She still refuses to tell what the Planet says. We have tried everything, but she insists that she hears nothing."

"Is it possible she truly does not hear anything?"

"It is possible," he nodded, "but-"

"Is it her disability, do you suppose? Or do you think perhaps her father's genes overpowered those of the Cetra? Her mother was only half Cetra to begin with, anyway."

"No," he shook his head. "She is as capable as her mother was, we're sure. There are two things we could try that I have only begun to consider, though."

"What?"

"It is on record that her mother showed the strongest contact by the Temple of the Ancients. It is our belief that The Hitomi will feel the energy there, as well. There is the possibility that, as it is her father's death place, she will at least speak to his life energy. If that is unsuccessful, we think that perhaps a visit to her mother's resting place may help, or at least, somewhere around the Northern Crater and the City of the Ancients. Do we have your permission?" he inquired.

"How long will it take to get to the sites?"

"One week for the Temple Ruins, at least a week and a half to go to the City and two to reach the Crater from here," explained the violet woman. The blonde nodded and tossed her hair back from her shoulder, the ponytail swinging to the side.

"How long will you stay?"

"Perhaps five days each."

"You will be gone for almost two months if you go to both sites. Our ball is in one week. You will take her afterwards. Until then, continue your current tests and observations."

"Of course," he bowed.

"And doctor? I want you to try giving her a mild dose of Mako."

"President!" he exclaimed. "Mako has not been in use since my cousin died! You know that!"

"I know. I am sure your uncle had some stored away. After all, the Mako was injected into your cousin and other members of SOLDIER to give them part of their strength, was it not?"

"You are correct madam, as always," he said quietly. "I shall return to my work with your permission."

"One last thing," she called, her expression softening. "How is my mother?"

"Still very ill. I do not know how much longer she has."

"Thank you. I shall go to visit her in a little while. Now you may go. Relay the information to your partner."

"Of course," he nodded. He was gone the next moment.

"The rest of you are dismissed. Continue your preparations for the banquet."

"Yes, President Shinra."

NINJAMAGEGAMAJNIN

"Hey, Kali," Kadaj smiled. He had unwound her bandage and was gently moving her foot. "I don't think it was as bad as we thought. It's almost healed. Another two or three days, and you'll be good as new."

"Thanks, bro," she grinned. He wrapped her foot in a new bandage before helping her up and taking her to the others.

They sat by their friends on a small hill of rubble. They all watched as the sun set slowly. The afternoon had proven uneventful and boring, and so they knew that the night must be, as well. The group took the time to reflect on those who had died.

"You know what?" Kadaj whispered. Everyone looked at him. "I know how horrible it sounds, but I wish I could have been there when Cloud died," he said quietly, his hand rubbing the scar on his cheek. "I would give anything to go back and see the look on his face when it happened."

"Kadaj, don't say that," Kali whispered. He sighed silently and held her.

"I'm sorry," he muttered.

They sat for a long time in silence again. The sun was halfway behind the horizon when Yuffie began to mutter something under her breath.

"When the cold of winter comes, starless night will cover day. In the veil-" she cut herself off when she realized that she was singing aloud. She turned red when she noticed them staring at her.

"What's that?" Reno asked. Yuffie turned away.

"Nothing."

"Now you have to tell us," Cid demanded. Yuffie stared at the sinking sun.

"It's a song that Vincent used to sing. If I was angry, upset, or he had to leave and we couldn't see each other for a while, he would sing it. Sometimes I even caught him singing it for no reason."

"How does it go?" Kali asked.

"I really don't have the voice. Vincent's was much better," she sighed.

"He's not here," Rude whispered.

"It's not very long, but here," Yuffie took a breath and closed her eyes. The song was a little like this:

When the cold of winter comes,

Starless night will cover day.

In the veiling of the sun,

We will walk in bitter rain.

But in dreams

I can hear your name,

And in dreams

We will meet again.

When the seas and mountains fall

And we come to end of days,

In the dark I hear a call

Calling me there.

I will go there

And back again.

Yuffie opened her eyes and looked to the others as she finished. The sun was almost gone, now, and her friends looked close to tears.

"Teach me the words," Kali whispered. "It's really pretty."

"We'll have lots of time. I will," she agreed. Yuffie stood and began walking back to their camp. "I think I'll turn in early. Good night."

"Night," Reno called after her. He turned to the others and when she was out of earshot said, "I'm kind of glad old Vince is gone. He was making her too depressed."

"Hold your tongue!" Rude snapped, the others staring at him, appalled. "He was brave. You say you love her. If you love her, you'll stand with her even if it's against what you stand for and your feelings."

"It's not as easy as you think."

"How about we all turn in early?" Kali suggested quietly. She didn't want to watch a feud at the moment, especially one that could divide the team. Kadaj helped her down and walked to the camp slowly. "You know what?" she said to him as they settled in.

"What?"

"That song is familiar. I think Vincent might have sung it to me before I went to the orphanage."

"How old were you when you went?"

"Maybe…" she thought for a moment, "six months, perhaps a bit older."

"I didn't think someone could remember that far back," Kadaj whispered. He held her close as they sat. "Come to think of it, I remember a little from when I was that age."

"You do?"

"Not much. Kali? Thanks."

"For what?"

"Coming here. It feels really good to have someone to love again. I haven't felt so strongly about anyone since dad died."

"You're welcome," Kali smiled. She closed her eyes and rested her head against his shoulder. "Goodnight, Kadaj."

"Sleep tight, little sis."

NINJAMAGEGAMAJNINNINJAMAGEGAMAJNININJAMAGEGAMAJNININJAMAGEGAMAJNI

NM: Wow, lots of info in here. Any guesses as to whose kid the President is (I made it really easy)? How about the parents of 'The Hitomi'? Okay, the song that Yuffie sings is not one I made. For those of you who don't know, it's called 'In Dreams' and it's from The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. For anyone who hasn't seen the movies, you MUST see them. They're really good (I cried at the end of 3!). So, yeah. The song isn't really as short as in here, but there's an instrumental part, and it's kinda hard to put that into story form. Reviews:

Sayahiei: Actually, the woman at my mom's office had her exams cancelled due to snow when she was a freshman. They had like, a week off and since they had no time to reschedule, they were cancelled. No such luck this year, though… Oh, if you want my AIM, it's on my bio page. I also have MSN, but I tend to use that for email instead of instant message. And I'm not on AIM that often, but you can catch me sometimes. The best bet is to add me to your buddies and IM me right when I get on, otherwise if nobody's on, I'm doing hw, orI don't feel like talking to people who are on, I sign right out.

Mediciner: Nanashi is actually a Japanese name that means 'without name,' and it can be used for men and women alike, so figuring out what gender it's used for won't help. But remember when it said that Kali had seen the 'true form?' If you can figure out the form, you figure out Nanashi! As for KHFD, I have major writer's block right now. I have about 2, maybe 2.5 pages written. I think I might update eventually and then put the fic on temporary hiatus until my mind gets moving again. I don't know yet.

Merielle: … got some violent tendencies, I see…

Review!!!

NINJA MAGE