Chapter 14

Captivated

"This is amazing," Kadaj shook his head two highly uneventful days later. "Your foot is completely healed."

"I think I had some help," Kali confessed as she pulled her boot on for the first time in nearly a week. "I think daddy or Vincent might have done something from the Lifestream."

"I guess we'll never really know," he smiled. "Since you're feeling better, you want me to teach you to fight?"

"Definitely."

"Hey, Yuffie, we're going to go train for a little while!" he called to her.

"We'll head out if you get back before sundown! Otherwise we'll spend one more night out here!" she yelled back. Yuffie was across the field with the other men, discussing their course of action. Kadaj and Kali had agreed that it would be best to let those who knew Tifa and Marlene very well to decide what they should do.

"But we need a guinea pig to help her aim!"

"I'll go," Rude offered quietly. He stood and approached them.

"Okay," Kadaj began when Rude was with them and they had gone a safe distance away. "First, you need to hold your sword properly."

"Right," Kali nodded. Kadaj drew his sword and held it with the sharp edge of the blade turned outwards and the dull edge running along his arm.

"This is how I tend to hold mine. Yours is a bit big for that," he added as he handed his weapon to Rude. "Can you wield it like a regular sword?"

"Of course," Rude assured him, throwing his jacket aside. Kadaj stood behind Kali and told her to draw Masamune. When she did, he held her hands and held the sword in front of her.

"Most people, including myself, hold their swords out like this when they attack first," he explained. "Which hand is dominant?"

"I'm ambidextrous," Kali told him. Kadaj smiled and laughed quietly.

"You're just like father. For the sake of argument, let's use your right hand. Just remember that you can use your left the same way, but go the opposite directions as your right," he whispered. He moved her hands to the side so the sword would have been sheathed again if it had one. "Now, if you're waiting for your opponent to make the first move, hold it like this."

"Got it. What do I do to attack first or when he finally comes for me?"

"Bring the sword out like this," he explained. He made her pull the sword out and swing it across her front with one hand, the other following to block any counterattacks and seeming to push the sword over. It rested by her other side, hand turned so the blade pointed out and she held it much like Kadaj held his. Her other hand gripped it loosely. "Then, turn it like this as fast as you can," he continued, turning her hands. Her weapon swung back across, both hands tightly on it now. "Last, go back towards your right, but this time, aim higher."

"Huh? What's all this doing?" she asked as she took off her coat and laid it next to Rude's.

"The first cut blocks the opposing sword. The second either blocks a counterattack or cuts the torso, depending on whether their sword is blocking and if you're fast enough to get there before it does. The last one is supposed to finish by cutting off or at least maiming the head," Rude answered. Kadaj nodded while Kali gulped and rubbed her neck.

"Right. Now, Kali, Rude's going to come at you. Do exactly like I told you, but control your attack. We don't want him killed now. Rude, stay back a bit. Kali, I'll tell you when to hit him. You'll have to do it sooner than you would in battle. In battle, wait until you're just out of their sword's reach."

Kali took a breath and held the sword by her side. Rude took a few steps back before coming at her. Kali almost didn't hear Kadaj telling her to hit for the blood pounding in her ears and her nervousness of being too late. At the last moment, she swung the sword and knocked Rude's out of her way. She quickly brought the sword back across in such a way that he would have been cut had she not been controlling it, and swung for the head. Rude ducked with just enough time to avoid having his skull shattered.

"Very good," Kadaj nodded. He whispered something in Rude's ear, to which Rude nodded as Kadaj turned to Kali. "Again. This time, I'm not telling you when to swing."

Kali and Rude took their positions again. When Rude was at the same place, Kali swung to block his sword. She was successful again. When she came back across, he brought the sword up, only to be knocked away once more. Kali was growing confident as she aimed for the head, but Rude reached up and blocked her. The swords slid across each other until the hilts were touching, forming an 'X.' Kali began to grow afraid as she looked into Rude's eyes through the glasses. After a moment of struggling, Rude finally pushed her down and bent over her, the sword against her throat.

"That, Kali, is something that can happen if you're fighting a well-trained swordsman," Kadaj told her as Rude helped her up. "No swordsman fights the same exact way. Each has his own style. If you're not ready to combat anything thrown at you, expected or not, you will surely be killed. I had Rude do that to teach you this: expect the unexpected. Until you fight the same person many, many times, you will be unable to predict their movements. It took me many confrontations with him before I learned to read Cloud."

"How do I block something like that?" Kali asked. Kadaj stood behind her again.

"Rude, a little help?"

"Of course," Rude agreed. He slid his glasses off and put them in his jacket, resulting in a stare from Kadaj.

"What the…? I've never seen you without those things."

"Exactly why I'm not wearing them. They're my only pair and I don't want them broken."

"Whatever," Kadaj shook his head as he recovered from the surprise. He positioned the swords so that they were clashing again. "There are several options you have. You can do what you did before, just push at each other until one weakens and falls over, but I doubt you'll win that way until you've strengthened these things you call arms," he teased as he poked her thin appendages.

"What else?" she asked, ignoring the tease.

"This is the oldest trick in the book, so you'll have to be quick if you're to use it before your enemy. Push against each other as hard as you can," he ordered. Kali and Rude pushed. Kadaj whispered to Kali, "Now, the best thing to do is while you're pushing, begin to lean back like you're about to fall, that way he's caught off guard. Right," he confirmed as she began to fall. "Kali, I want you to step away and take your sword out when I say go. Go!"

Kali sidestepped the double-blade and brought her sword to her side. Rude fell face-first into the ground.

"You could have warned me," he snapped as Kali began laughing.

"I needed her to see the effect. I also need her to learn not to giggle," he said to her seriously. She smiled.

"Sorry."

"That's a good way to get yourself killed if he gets up again, which, if you fight properly, shouldn't happen. Rude, lie back down," he ordered, pushing the standing man back down. A groan escaped from Rude as Kadaj continued. "Now, when or even as he falls, finish him. You can behead him, stab his heart, go for his stomach, you can cut off his balls for all I care, just don't let him get up, especially if you laugh at him. Now, there will be times he'll block you, but that's another one of the things you only prepare for with experience as there are many ways of blocking, and for me to teach you all of them would take the rest of my years on this Planet."

"Can I get up now?" Rude asked.

"No!" said the siblings at the same time. They smiled at each other while Rude groaned again.

"Come on," Kali said gently and helped him up. "Kadaj, why is your sword a double-blade? I've never seen one like that."

"I'll show you. Rude, my sword," he requested with a sly grin. Rude handed it to him and stood back. "Swing at me."

"Right," Kali nodded.

She swung. Kadaj swung, too, but instead of connecting, his sword caught hers between his blades. He turned his hands so the sword spun quickly five times, and Masamune was torn from her grasp. It landed a few feet away as Kadaj stopped his blade by Kali's throat.

"My advice to you is this," he said as he lowered the blade and handed it to Rude. "If you ever fight someone with this kind of weapon, run. Don't try to fight, because if he's faster then you, you're dead as soon as Masamune is caught in his."

"No problem there," she assured him as she picked up her weapon. "Anything else?"

"I'm thinking," Kadaj muttered. "The only thing I can think of is how to block different swings. Rude, I'll- Wait!" he slapped his forehead. "I forgot what else you need to know. If you miss the head or he blocks and you're knocked away, I want you to recover like this," he explained as he took his sword back and hit an invisible enemy. He narrated the position as he did it himself. Kali tried to follow.

"Jump back a few feet when you realize you've missed. Bring the sword so that the hilt is next to the left side of your head like this. The place on the hilt side of the disc where it and the blade join should rest on the joint between your thumb and index finger on your right hand. About one-quarter of the way down, you hold the hilt in the same joint on your other hand. Keep the bladed side up and the entire sword in front of and just above your forehead. No, Kali, that's wrong," he said, shaking his head and lowering his blade. She was grasping the sword so tightly, her knuckles were white.

"What?"

"Keep your other six fingers off of the blade. Make sure they're extended slightly. This helps in case you need to pivot the blade in your hands. When you swing again, then you close you fingers around it and attack. The hilt should rest lightly in your hands, not heavily," he explained as he took his position again.

"Okay," Kali nodded. "It hurts my hand, though."

"You'll get used to it. I hardly feel it at all anymore."

"What about blocking other swings?"

Kadaj, Kali, and Rude worked for nearly two more hours. She learned to block attacks from above, the side, behind, and diagonal. Dusk began to fall as Kali started slowing up. She and Rude tackled her first lesson one last time before Kadaj made her stop. Rude gave Kadaj his sword back, picked up his coat, put his glasses on, and returned to the camp while the siblings spoke.

"You're really good with a sword. With a little more practice, you'll be as good as dad was."

"Kadaj," she whispered, "what was he like, our father? I never knew him. Mother said that he died before she even knew I was coming."

"I'm terribly sorry you never knew him. Whatever you've heard about him being a madman or a psycho is wrong. Damn it, it's all so wrong," Kadaj shook his head. He sat down and held Kali. He closed his eyes and spoke to her quietly. "They never knew him.

"I lived with him since the day I was born. He and I lived in an apartment over the lab grandfather worked in. He had one right next to us. It was next to the SOLDIER headquarters, so dad could work, and there was a park that I used to play in a lot. Father took me to watch him train sometimes. When he did, I used to think that he was ashamed of me. He never told anyone that I was his true son. He always told people that I was an orphan he found on the streets or that my mother was in labor when he found her and she died just after I was born. I know now that he kept me secret because I was illegitimate. He knew that if anyone else knew that he had a child outside of wedlock, he would be ineligible for the title of General, if not kicked out of SOLDIER completely. Otherwise… my god, he was the kindest man I've ever known.

"Every night when he got home from training, he would come up to my room and we'd goof off for hours. Some nights we watched movies, others we would read, sometimes we just sat and 'played pretend.' He gave me few toys. I mostly got toy swords, books, things like that. I think he wanted me to follow him and go into SOLDIER or even the Turks. But out of everything, I think I liked it most when I was a small child and had nightmares, or even before that, when I just wouldn't go to sleep. There were some nights I would pretend to have had a nightmare or not sleep just to hear him."

"What do you mean?" Kali asked. Kadaj looked up at the setting sun, eyes half-open, and began to look as if he would cry, despite the smile on his face.

"When I had nightmares, he was the first one to come into my room. My grandfather came in as father took me back to his room. He'd lay down with me in his bed. I would curl up under the blankets and he would sit against the pillows. Father put his arm around me and a few times, we would sit and talk until he insisted I go back to sleep or I did so on my own. He never took me back to my room. I know, for every morning, I would wake up exactly as I had been the night before, except most times he would be up and showering, or dressing. Sometimes I awoke at such a late hour, he was already at training. But most nights, he would hold me close and sing to me."

"I never pictured father as a singer. I mean, after everything Vincent told me about his life from the Nibelheim mission to his revival fifteen years ago, I thought he was too cold, despite my love for him. Do you remember the song?"

"Of course I do. It was the last thing we said to each other before he…" Kadaj swallowed, "went mad and when I was fifteen."

"Hmm?" Kali furrowed her brow.

"I was ten. The day he left for Nibelheim, I was trying to tell him to stay, that he should at least take me with him. I knew then how proud of me he was. In front of all of the troops that were accompanying him, he picked me up, held me close, and began singing to me just loud enough for his troops to hear. He had never done that before. He always sang to me when we were alone. I think he was embarrassed, because when he put me down and turned to follow them, he turned red at their stares. When he didn't come back, my grandfather began injecting me with Mako and Jenova cells. I had severe reactions to them, I was sick nearly every other week, but he kept doing it as soon as I was well again. My father had always prevented him from doing that, but he wasn't there to protect me.

"I finally ran away about a year later. I eventually found my way to Nibelheim and found it being rebuilt. I snuck in and went to the mansion. I lived there until I was fifteen. A few days after my birthday, I was sleeping when I heard someone come into my room. I stayed still and watched as a man with silver hair and a black coat open a hidden door in the corner. He went down into the basement and waited in the library. I followed him, and began to wonder about the books. I had read them, but I thought it was coincidence about my father. I was too young to understand them, as well. When father saw me, he tried to kill me. I begged him to spare me and insisted that I was his son. He denied it, convinced that I was a clone. He saw my necklace and tried to take it," he said quietly, grasping the pendant, "but I refused. When he had me on the ground and was about to stick Masamune through my chest, I started to cry. I began to sing our song quietly. Father put the sword away and finished the song, for I was in too many tears. He hugged me one last time and told me to leave. He said that if AVALANCHE or Shinra saw me, I was good as dead. I hid in the hall and watched him flee as Cloud and the others came for him. I followed AVALANCHE until they found father about two months later. I watched Cloud murder him," he said, a sob rising in his throat.

"Kadaj," Kali whispered soothingly. "If it's not too painful, how did it go?"

"It's a little like the one Yuffie was singing, but far longer. It went, 'Lay do-" he began, but Kali stood and silenced him.

"Do you hear a truck?"

"Yeah," he whispered after listening for a moment. They heard Yuffie scream.

"Let's go," Kali snapped. They ran to the campground to find a terrible sight.

Yuffie was being carried, unconscious, to a pickup truck across the site. The man in the dark red suit tossed her in roughly, resulting in an angry yell from Reno. He flew at the man, only to be thrown aside. Cid stabbed at a woman who was fighting with what looked like a large nightstick. She somersaulted under the lance and stabbed him with the stick. It zapped him with electricity, resulting in Cid's collapse to the ground. Kali looked over to see Rude stretched out on his stomach behind a piece of debris, his pistol positioned on top of it and searching for a place to hit. Kali flinched as Reno was knocked to the ground and thrown next to Yuffie in the truck. Kali ran down as the woman dragged Cid into the truck and the man snuck over to Rude.

"Kali, come back!" Kadaj hissed. She ran down to Rude as he tried to maneuver out of the man's sight. As he did, the woman snuck up behind him and stuck her weapon in his back, right where the daggers had stabbed him. His body convulsed as he screamed and fell silent.

"Rude, no!" Kali yelled as she dragged out her sword. Kadaj was coming after her, his own sword coming forth.

The woman looked up and glared, her blue eyes glowing with fire. She sidestepped Kali, but underestimated the length of the sword. Kali sliced open her stomach, blood dripping to the ground. Her partner leapt over Rude's limp form and knelt by her as Kali and Kadaj readied themselves by standing over Rude.

"Chase, get out of here. Take those we have to the President," the woman shuddered. "Forget me."

"No way, Nova," he insisted. "You're coming with me. We'll get Doctors Alim and Skylar to fix you up."

"Alim?" Kadaj gasped. He lowered his sword slightly as the blonde Chase picked up the brunette Nova. They were at the truck before he recovered.

"Kadaj, don't let them leave!" Kali yelled as she ran towards the truck. Chase laid Nova gently next to the captives in the back, closed the door, and leapt into the cab. He was off as Kali reached the back. She watched helplessly as it disappeared. Kadaj was looking at the ground when Kali joined his side. She slapped him in the arm.

"What was that for?" he snapped.

"They got away. They have Reno, Cid, and Yuffie. Why didn't you stop him?" Kali asked, trying hard to keep her voice steady.

"They said Doctor Alim…" he shook his head. "I thought he was dead."

"Who?"

"Doctor Alim. His parents were my-" he stopped and corrected himself, "-our grandfather's sister and brother-in-law. Alim is our cousin. He wanted to be a scientist like his uncle, but I thought he lived in Midgar when Meteor hit."

"Our cousin? I thought we had no other family."

"They kept distant from granddad. They resented his working for Shinra."

"We need to go after them. Who's the president they mentioned?"

"I really don't know," Kadaj shook his head. He glanced at Rude. "We can't do anything until he wakes up."

"I don't believe this. Vincent trusted us. We were supposed to stick with Yuffie and the others. What now?" Kali moaned. She knelt next to Rude and felt his neck for a pulse. It was normal, but Kali noticed a dark spot forming on his back. She lifted his jacket and saw that one of his wounds had reopened. "He's bleeding again. Got any bandages?"

Kadaj nodded and began to wrap a new piece of cloth around Rude's stomach. He then wrapped their friend in a blanket and waited patiently for him to wake. It took Kadaj ten minutes to realize that Kali was staring at him.

"What?" he asked.

"Your scar," she whispered. He rubbed the crossed scar on his cheek. "I guess Cloud gave it to you, huh?"

"No," he whispered. "At least, not all of it. He made the cut that caused the vertical cut. I made father make the other."

"You what?" she gasped. He lowered his eyes.

"I'll explain another time. It's too painful to think of right now."

"Kadaj, please. I want to know," she said gently. She rubbed his back slowly.

"You know of my attempt to revive him seventeen years ago, right?" he asked, eyes closed. When Kali answered, he continued. "We were successful, but only for a few days. He came with Loz, Yazoo, and myself to the Northern Crater and the City of the Ancients. Cloud tracked us down. Yazoo held him off for a few minutes, but was killed. Loz did the same. Cloud caught up to father and I on the edge of the Sleeping Forest. I tried to give him a chance to make it to the crater and summon Meteor again, but Cloud was too determined. We only fought for a moment before dad tried to save me. I was on the ground when I watched Cloud stick his sword into dad again. It went through his stomach. I was so angry, I tackled Cloud. He was hurt, but he managed to go off into the woods. He told me that if I didn't come after him to finish it, then he would track me down and kill me painfully and slowly instead of giving me the chance at something quick and painless. I knelt by father as he bled to death. I tried giving him what remained of my potions, but not even my Phoenix Downs could save him. Just before he took what for the time was his last breath, I took his hand that held Masamune. I ran the blade across the one Cloud had just given me. He asked me why I mutilated myself. I told him that I had failed to save one that I loved. I've studied the ways of the warriors of the Planet's past. It's a tradition among them. He asked me to leave him and not to return for the body. I did as I was told. I fought Cloud again and he nearly killed me. Then Vincent came at the last moment and saved my life."

"Vincent was a great guy," Kali whispered. "I'm sorry you weren't with him or dad when they actually died."

"Me, too. Not once, in all of his deaths, was I able to actually be with him to say goodbye."

"I think Rude's waking up," Kali whispered. Indeed, Rude's eyes fluttered open as she spoke.

NINJAMAGEGAMAJNININJAMAGEGAMAJNININJAMAGEGAMAJNININJAMAGEGAMAJNIN

NM: Okay, nothing much to say. Except I know her foot healed super quickly. Otherwise, I've nothing else to say. Except replies:

Panny Savage: What FF7 fan girl hasn't fallen in love with Kadaj? You don't even have to review (but it's nice to hear what readers have to say!).

Sayahiei: And what interesting conversations we've had! And like I said, the song is from Lord of the Rings.

Mediciner: I find the names on behindthename dot com. Just type in what word you want a name for, then refine whether you want male, female, or either, and it'll give them to you. But be warned that not all words or names are in there.

Merielle: Hehehehe… you're smart (you're the only one to guess) and I give away too many hints. You find out who/what the Hitomi is next chapter. You don't find out her parents for sure until later. You find out the president's parents next chapter, too.

NM: Oh, and I lied last chapter. The lyrics with little musicare called 'In Dreams,' but the song with the full music included is 'Aniron' by Enya (dunno why they're different, but they are). Sorry! But there's gonna be another longer one a couple of times. It's really sad, which ya'll will understand later. Here's a hint: It's the one Kadaj starts to sing. Oh, and everyone has to go to the official AC site (there's a link to it from advent children dot net, or the site is in my profile) and watch the trailer with Cloud's face on it. PLEASE watch it if you haven't already! It. Kicks. Ass. Hehehehehe… You'll see…

Review!

Ninja Mage