Chapter 20

Shinra

Kadaj smiled to himself as he slowly woke up. He was unsure if anyone else was awake, but he was almost positive he was the only one. Sachiko, now lying by his side, hadn't moved for hours. He gently clutched her hand in his as he opened his eyes halfway. She was awake and looking towards him.

"Hey," he whispered. He pulled her hand to him and kissed it. Sachiko smiled softly.

"I've been lying here for a long while waiting for you to awaken."

"Come here," Kadaj muttered, closing his eyes. Sachiko slid closer to his bare chest and kissed his shoulder while he embraced her.

"Kadaj?"

"Yeah?" he whispered, adding a kiss to her forehead.

"I'm terribly sorry," she said quietly. Kadaj smiled and held her tighter.

"No. Last night was great."

"That it was, but it's not that," she replied. "Kadaj…"

She never finished the sentence. As Kadaj gently began kissing her neck, they both turned their heads up at the sound of a rifle's safety being cut off. Nearly two-dozen more clicks followed. Kadaj opened his eyes to see a gun barrel looking him in the face. He wrapped his arms around Sachiko.

"Who are you?" he snapped.

"Long time no see, cousin," Alim called. He walked through the guards that had surrounded the lovers. Kadaj held her closer.

"I won't let them take you back," he told her, one hand reaching for his sword. He only found air.

"What a beautiful blade this is," Alim smiled as he unsheathed it. "Almost as beautiful as Masamune."

"What the fuck do you want?" Kadaj growled. He continued to hold Sachiko, afraid to let her go.

"We want our experiment back," Alim replied coolly.

"Where's my sister? Where are the ex-Turks?" Kadaj demanded.

"They're safe in a truck, waiting for you. Young Kali put up quite a fight. Almost had to shoot her to get her to comply," Alim said. Kadaj glared at him. "But all I had to do was threaten to let Cid die and kill that little Tonberry. She came quietly enough after that."

"What did you do with Cid?" Kadaj yelled suddenly. "He had a heart attack last night, his heart can't take this!"

"He's on his way to our headquarters. Doctor Skylar will fix him up in a short time. Now," he said, his expression turning serious. He pointed the sword at Sachiko. "Give us The Hitomi."

"No," he said sternly. To his surprise, Sachiko pushed away from him.

"Why should I go?" she whispered.

"If you don't, I'll kill you all now instead of later. I might even let them live if you come with us, Sachiko," he coaxed. She looked up at Kadaj apologetically and nodded.

"I'll go," she whispered. Kadaj grabbed her arm as she began to stand.

"Sachiko, no," he pleaded.

"Kadaj, he'll kill all of you if I don't," she muttered, a few tears sliding down her face. "At least if I go, you might live a short time longer than if I don't."

"That's a good little girl," Alim said as he watched her nude body straighten.

"Where are my clothes?" she inquired. Alim reached down and picked up her dress, sash, and stockings for her. Kadaj gazed as she covered her body. Sachiko put on her boots and turned back to him. She knelt next to Kadaj as she grasped her staff.

"I'm sorry my love," she whispered.

"You do what you must, love," he muttered back. She brushed his bangs out of his face and kissed him softly. They kissed for only a moment when Alim pulled her away. When she was a few feet from Kadaj, the scientist backhanded her and Sachiko fell to the ground in an unconscious heap.

"Sachiko! You son of a bitch!" Kadaj yelled. He was leaping out of the sleeping bag, his nudity forgotten, and attempting to reach his lover as a guard carried her away. Two other guards came up behind Kadaj and grabbed his arms as his hands came within inches of Alim's throat. No matter how much he struggled, Kadaj was stuck. "Let me go, you fucking bastards!"

"You seem to be the fucking bastard here," Alim smiled. He looked Kadaj up and down. "You're nothing like Sephiroth. He was far stronger than you seem to be."

"Tell your goons to let me go and you'll see how strong I am," Kadaj hissed. Alim looked to the ground. A moment later, he slammed his fist into Kadaj's stomach. The wind knocked out of his lungs, Kadaj moaned and the guards let him fall to his knees.

"Your father could have withstood that. Wonderful strength you have, Kadaj," Alim growled sarcastically. He knelt in front of him and grabbed Kadaj's chin roughly. Kadaj gave a slight moan of pain as Alim looked him in the eyes. "You will make a wonderful specimen. Perhaps if you and Sachiko behave as you're told, I will let you two have sex again. Then perhaps she will produce a child with the strength of both her mother and Sephiroth. That was the fault of Hojo. He tried to mate her mother with the creature Red XIII to produce a child that would live for years. He should have been trying to get your father to impregnate her so that she would have a strong child."

"Father would never have slept with her mother," Kadaj replied. The two of them stood and stared at each other.

"The convoy is ready to leave," a guard called.

"Send The Hitomi ahead. We'll be along momentarily."

"Yes sir!"

"You may have lost your virginity while I have not, but you will never be the man I am," Alim said quietly. He turned, picked up Kadaj's pants, and threw them at him. "Put them on. I don't think your sister is ready to see such a degrading sight."

Five minutes later, Kadaj was being led to a large truck. The guards tossed him in the back where he found Reno, Rude, Yuffie, and Kali. His sister was in tears as she tried to pet Pradipa through the bars of a small cage. As the truck began moving, Kadaj gently wrapped his arms around her and whispered to her that they would find a way out, that they would somehow escape the clutches of Valda Shinra.

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Cid moaned as he slowly opened his eyes. He closed them again when he saw how bright the room was. He tried to raise his hand to his face, but only yelled when he felt something pull in his arm. He finally opened his eyes and saw an IV inserted into his right forearm. When he pulled the other, a cart rattled. The machine perched on top emitted a couple of loud beeps before going back to the quieter ones. Cid furrowed his brow. He couldn't remember coming here. All he remembered was a pain in his chest and falling, his friends running to help. He thought that he had felt someone pour a liquid down his throat, but couldn't be sure. He looked up as a voice spoke to him.

"Confused?" the woman asked. Cid stared at her. "You almost didn't make it through that heart attack."

"Who are you? Where am I?"

"My name is Doctor Skylar. You are in the hospital wing of the Hitomi headquarters," she explained. Cid started to panic.

"The Hitomi? Where are the others?" he snapped.

"Calm down or you'll have another heart attack. You know, you really should watch what you drink and smoke," she said as she recorded the machine's readings.

"You didn't answer my question."

"Your friends are elsewhere in the building and The Hitomi is over there," she said simply. Cid looked over and saw Sachiko lying in a bed across the room. His gaze slowly turned to the foot of the bed and he fell silent as two guards came and carried the woman away.

"Why keep me alive? You want us dead, don't you?"

"Yes. But not before we have a chance to test all of you," she smiled slyly. "Speaking of which…"

Skylar walked away. When she came back, she held a syringe containing green liquid. Behind her were several more syringes on a tray. Cid's eyes widen as he realized what it was. She called in some guards as Cid began to fight. When she stuck the needle into his neck, his scream could be heard throughout nearly the entire building.

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"Let us go! Ouch!" Yuffie cried as the guards shoved her into a cell. As they left, she gazed at her friends. The guards had put all of them in different blocks. The cell directly across from her was empty, but to the left of that cell was Reno. Rude was next to her. Across from him, Kadaj sat next to the wall while Kali was next to his. Yuffie came to the wall separating her and Rude. "Rude?" she called softly. She listened as his footsteps came to the wall.

"Yeah?"

"Why do you think they left that cell free?"

"Maybe for Cid when he gets better. Or maybe they have another prisoner they're torturing right now."

"When I was hunting yesterday," she began quietly, "did Reno say anything?"

"About what?"

"The other night. You know, when we got pissed off at each other," she said. Rude was silent for a moment.

"No, he didn't."

"Thanks anyway," she said softly. She leaned against the wall and sat. On the other side, she listened to Rude do the same. "Do you think we'll get out?"

"The truth?"

"Yes."

"I don't know. I remember how hard it was for prisoners to escape almost twenty years ago. If Valda is like Rufus and the other presidents and has a decent guard, I doubt we'll get free."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," she muttered. Rude laughed quietly.

"You said the truth."

"I was hoping you wouldn't listen," she chuckled back. "How's Kali? I can't see her very well from here."

"She's crying. Kadaj is talking to her, but I don't think it's helping much."

"I hope a miracle happens. For her sake."

"For all of our sakes," Rude added solemnly. The entire cellblock fell silent except for Kali's low sobs.

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"What do you want us to do with this little monster?" a guard asked, holding up the caged Tonberry. Alim stared at it.

"Just put it on the table. Perhaps he'll make a good specimen. We can see what Tonberries do when they have no weapons," he said as he turned. He listened as the cage was placed on the table. Skylar walked in as the guards left.

"Cid has been injected. You were right. The Mako in him had almost worn off," she smiled. Alim nodded.

"Good. What of the Hitomi?"

"I ran all of the tests you asked," she assured him.

"Do you remember to run the-"

"Yes, Alim, how many times must you tell me to run it?" she moaned.

"We must be sure. We have no idea what may happen when we go to the temple and city. I wouldn't want any experiments injured."

"Understandable," Skylar agreed. She turned to the Tonberry. "What's this?"

"A pet of the girl's and a new test subject for us," Alim explained. He opened the cage and reached in for Pradipa. When his hand reached the back, he screamed and pulled his hand out quickly. "That fucking monster bit me!"

"Alim, stand still," Skylar ordered. They watched as the creature walked out and dropped to the floor. He then did something no human had ever seen a Tonberry do. He got on all fours and ran into the hall.

"There is a young Tonberry on the loose! He has no knife! Repeat, he is unarmed! Capture him alive at all costs!" Alim yelled into a radio. A few minutes later, the captain of the guards came on.

"Doctor Alim!"

"What? Do you have him yet?"

"The guards are afraid to go near him!"

"Why? He has no knife!" Alim snapped. The guard hesitated.

"But sir… they're running from him."

"Why?" he yelled again.

"He was in the break room and… he… stole a shotgun resting against the wall…"

Looking back on the event, Skylar could have sworn that the entire building shook when Alim slammed his forehead against the wall.

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"Let us out!" Kali yelled as two guards in suits and a blonde woman came in.

"No," Valda smiled. "You have been very troublesome, little girl."

"Bao?" Rude said as he caught sight of the male guard. Bao looked around and glared at him.

"Bao? What is it?" Valda asked. The guard shook his head and turned away. Rude stared as they continued talking. "You are the one that slept with The Hitomi, right?"

"What does it matter to you?" Kadaj growled. Valda stared at him.

"The son of Sephiroth and the daughter of Aeris? What an unusual pair," she smiled. Yuffie stood quickly.

"Aeris' daughter?" she yelled through the bars. "She was too young to have a kid Sachiko's age! Sephiroth killed her before she had one!"

"But like my parents, she and the father of her child had sex before they were adults. I stand corrected. My father was an adult, but my mother was not. Either way, she is the daughter of Aeris and a Turk."

"Which one?" Kali asked, her gaze going from Rude down the hall to Reno.

"Neither of these," Valda said with a wave of her hand. "Your father ended this one's life shortly before the life of Aeris was put to an untimely end."

"Tseng," Rude muttered sadly. Valda turned and smiled.

"Who else? They knew each other from childhood and knew each other better than anyone else knew them. When the Turks and my family first began searching for her about three or four years before the Meteor Crisis, Tseng decided to help her escape one time. He stayed with her one night. That single evening was enough."

"Just shut up!" Kadaj snapped. They all turned to him. "I don't want to listen to more. Just tell us what you want and leave us!"

"You and your sister will become test subjects. The rest of you will be killed, one by one, slowly and painfully. Now I will leave you," she said, the smile fading as she turned towards the door. Bao and Zan followed her out of the room.

"I'm sorry everyone," Kali whispered when they were gone. She sank to her knees and stared around the block. "This is all my fault. I should have let Nanashi out. She could have gotten rid of those guards."

"Who's Nanashi?" Yuffie asked. Kali shook her head.

"Never mind. What does it matter now? We're already doomed," Kali laid her head in her hands and wept. She looked up to hear a squeaky voice talking to her.

"Awi! Awi!" the voice called. Kali opened her eyes to see Pradipa squeezing through the bars. He had a shotgun in one paw. "Awi!" he cried.

"Pradipa, my baby," Kali smiled. She held him up, her hands under his arms. "You know my name, or at least the vowels. But you could have brought a loaded gun," she added as she checked the bullets. It was as empty as her soul felt. In despair, Kali closed her eyes, leaned against the wall, and cried heavily. She held Pradipa close to her chest and sobbed.

"Kali," Kadaj whispered. He reached his hand through the bars and tried to reach her cell. She, too, reached out a hand and held it tightly. Kali stopped crying as she listened to Kadaj start to sing quietly.

Lay down

Your sweet and weary head.

Night is falling.

You have come to journey's end.

Sleep now,

Dream of the ones who came before.

They are calling

From across the distant shore.

The others listened silently as he continued the song, the words reverberating in their chests. Kadaj raised his hand and tried his best to stroke her face.

Why do you weep?

What are these tears upon your face?

Soon you will see

All of your fears will pass away.

Safe in my arms,

You're only sleeping.

Kali slowly stopped crying as he sang their father's lullaby.

What can you see

On the horizon?

Why do the white gulls call?

Across the sea

A pale moon rises.

The ships have come to carry you home.

Pradipa nudged Kali's face gently with his nose. Kali smiled as he licked the tears from her chin.

And all will turn

To silver glass.

A light on the water

All souls pass.

Pradipa slowly got up and walked from cell to cell, nudging the prisoner's hands and rubbing their faces lovingly.

Hope fades

Into the world of night,

Through shadows falling

Out of memory and time.

Don't say 'We have come now to the end.'

White shores are calling.

You and I will meet again.

Pradipa squeaked outside Reno's cell, but he remained curled up on his cot, tears sliding down his face as he listened.

And you'll be here in my arms,

Just sleeping.

The small Tonberry made his way back to Kadaj and, resisting the urge to bite him, nudged his hand comfortingly.

What can you see

On the horizon?

Why do the white gulls call?

Across the sea

A pale moon rises.

The ships have come to carry you home.

And all will turn

To silver glass.

A light on the water

Grey ships pass

Into the west.

"I'll keep you safe, Kali," Kadaj whispered when the song was finished. Tears were dripping down his cheeks. "I swear on both father's and Vincent's graves."

"Kadaj, that song was beautiful. I love you," she whispered as she hugged Pradipa again.

"You should hear father sing it. His voice was beautiful," he said as he started crying. They all cried silently as they waited for something to help or hurt them. Rude was the only one to remain calm, but even so, his thoughts turned to Bao.

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"Mom," Valda whispered. She took the ill woman's hand and stared at her face.

"Hello, my daughter," Scarlet whispered back. She moaned quietly as she struggled for breath.

"How do you feel?"

"You know very well how I feel. After all, what's a mother for?"

"Why did you do it? I didn't need to live," Valda insisted. Scarlet took her child's hand in both of hers.

"Yes you did. You are the only Shinra left on the Planet. Besides, a mother is supposed to heal her children. That includes transfusing my healthy blood into the body of my deathly ill offspring and taking that illness-causing blood upon myself."

"It's not fair," Valda shook her head as tears formed. "The illness would not have killed me so slowly. At least if I had kept it, I would have died quickly and painlessly. Your death has been so drawn out."

"But a slow death allows you more time with your loved ones," Scarlet reminded her.

"All I can think of is how slowly father died. Sephiroth left him in the street to pass on. I'm glad Reno and Rude found him so we could say good-bye, but I wish they had left him to perish. They only prolonged his suffering."

"While we're on the topic, have you captured them?"

"This morning, yes."

"Good. But try not to go too terribly hard on Reno and Rude. They did everything they were told while your father lived, after all."

"Yes mother," Valda nodded. Scarlet closed her eyes and her breathing became shallower. Valda listened as the heart monitor beeped slower every few seconds. "You're going to die soon."

"I know. Valda, I love you. Don't think that you're losing me. Try to think of it as our family coming together again. Rufus is with his parents, and I'm about to be with him. When your time comes, you will join us," Scarlet whispered. Valda closed her eyes as her mother's chest stopped moving and the monitor emitted one last, long beep.

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Kali was curled up on her cot in the corner, Pradipa fast asleep in her arms, when two guards walked into her cell. She turned quickly at the touch of a hand on her shoulder. Pradipa woke up slowly and crawled under the bed. The guard looked down at her angrily.

"You're first," he said forcefully. Before she could object, Kali found herself being dragged out of her cage. Kadaj gripped the bars tightly as he watched his sister disappear.

"Please, take me first! Don't hurt her, I beg you!" he cried. The guards ignored him. As the entrance to the dungeons closed, Kadaj slammed his fists against the wall dividing him from Kali's before he sat down on his own bed ferociously and wept hopelessly. Two cells down, Reno was listening and having a one-sided conversation with himself.

"Don't know why he's so upset. We're all dead anyway," he muttered to himself. As he spoke, he could almost picture a ghost of him sitting across the cell.

'What? How can you say that? Are you giving up already?' the 'ghost' Reno muttered. Reno shook his head.

"It's hopeless. They have rifles, machine guns, and Gatling guns. Even if Kali used Masamune, we wouldn't stand a chance."

'You're always so fucking negative! What about Rufus? Did you ever give up on him?' his ghost image demanded. Reno thought for a moment.

"Yes. Once," he muttered under his breath.

'Oh, right. All because you loved Elena. Come now, Reno. The way she treated you after Tseng died? Was she really worth even attempting to save?' the ghost inquired.

"Of course she was. The only woman I've ever met that came close to her is Yuffie. She hates me now," he added.

'But Elena treated you like shit when Tseng was killed. Was she really worth the life of your boss?'

"It was my own fault she acted that way. I pushed her too much too soon. I was angry about Tseng, too, but I still pushed her to fuck around with me. I didn't even think how she might have taken his death."

'But you still lost her in the end. Was it really worth losing both of them?'

"Stop thinking about it," he muttered bitterly.

'Come now. You didn't really think Kadaj would just let her go if you told him where Rufus was, did you?' the figment pushed. Reno sat back for a moment and thought.

"Kadaj?" he muttered. His figment shook his head.

'You mean you forgot? He was the one to torture you three.'

"Just go away."

'You know how to erase the pain. When Kali comes back, tell the guards you'll go and let them…' the spirit trailed off before Reno shook his head clear. He nodded slowly and regrettably.

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"So you're Sephiroth's daughter? There are no records of your birth," Alim said. Kali was strapped to a table in the lab. Her coat was flung over a chair. Her eyes stared at the ceiling.

"I wasn't born here. I'm from another world. So was my mother. Daddy came back fifteen years ago and fled to my planet. You can ask Yuffie. Her clone went with Cloud to chase him down."

"I know of their trip," he said slowly. "Cloud came to us to warn us of Sephiroth's return and what they were doing. They agreed to help us rebuild Shinra as long as we helped them get rid of all memory of the Jenova Project and didn't try to use Mako again. He found a way to enforce it, as well," he added. His back was turned to her the entire time. When Alim turned around, he held a syringe filled with a green liquid. Behind it, there was a large jar filled with the substance. Kali stared at it curiously.

"What's that?" she asked. Alim smiled.

"It's called Mako. It's the lifeblood of the Planet. Its use stopped with the destruction of the Midgar Reactors, but Uncle Hojo had a few thousand extra jars tucked away."

"What are you going to do with it?" she said shakily as he came towards her with one of the needles. She trembled as he grabbed her wrist and found a vein. He smiled at her as he laid the tip against her skin.

"Exactly what was done to every Shinra worker, whether SOLDIER, Turk, or experiment, almost twenty years ago and long before that. Try not to scream too loud," Alim ordered. Kali screeched as the green liquid began flowing among her blood cells.

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An hour later, Kadaj was running to the bars of the prison as a guard brought Kali in. Alim followed close behind. They were about to guide her into her cell when Kadaj grabbed his cousin's sleeve.

"Please, don't put her alone anymore. Let her stay here with me. She'll die if she doesn't. Please," Kadaj begged. Alim looked at him silently before nodding slowly.

"Put her with Kadaj," he ordered. They threw Kali in and she fell into Kadaj's arms.

"Kali?" he whispered as the door closed. Alim watched as her eyes opened slightly and Kadaj froze as he saw the glow in her eyes. "You put Mako in her. You son of a bitch! You could have killed her!"

"The worst she will be is slightly ill. She will not have the violent reactions you did. Now, who shall I test next? Or rather, whose life shall come to an end today?" he wondered aloud. He stared at Yuffie and Rude before Reno called attention to himself.

"I'll go."

"Reno," Yuffie whispered. He said it again. The guards came and led him out. As they walked past Yuffie's cell, she grabbed his arm and stared at him pleadingly. He stared at her with a steely gaze.

"Let go, Yuffie."

"No, Reno. Please, no," she pleaded. Reno continued to stare at her.

"We all die eventually. Why not sooner than later?" he whispered. He pulled her hand off and walked away. He glanced at Rude and nodded.

"Goodbye Reno. We had some good times," Rude muttered.

"We won't be apart for long," Reno shook his head. He said nothing to Kadaj and Kali. The guards and Alim took Reno to the labs. Kadaj only laid with his sister on the cot and held her. He and Yuffie cried somewhat loudly while Rude struggled not to and Kali rested, oblivious to what had just happened.

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NM: I hope you're all happy that Sachiko is away from Kadaj now. But oddly enough, I, too, was feeling a little jealous… Oh, and the song that Kadaj sings is called 'Into the West' from the third Lord of the Rings Movie (Return of the King). I just thought it fit the situation. Reviews:

Sayahiei: She'll definitely be back. I just don't know how soon.

Mediciner: Sorry I made you puke. I promise: one last scene to that extent, and it's going to come fairly soon. After that, only a few smooches. I promise! If I go farther, may I be smitten by Meteor! Uh oh… Sephiroth's getting a crazy look on his face… GAH! Oh, have you looked at Kadaj? So hot!

Kizna1200: Ha! I didn't kill him off! Ha! Okay, I'm good. But he has been re-injected with Mako, so I guess that's bad enough. Glad you aren't going to kill me. I'm surprised you didn't when Vinny and Yuffie messed around in Nibelheim WAAAAAY back at the beginning.

NM: Oh, and if anybody is confused about the part where Reno talks to himself, He's talking to a figment, kinda like how Cloud talked to figments of himself in the game. If that makes sense.

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