Chapter 23
Anger Management
"Hmm…" Kadaj moaned. He quickly sat up and opened his eyes. Kali was gone. "Kali?" he yelled. No answer.
He slowly slid out of bed and got dressed. With his hand comfortingly on his blade, he opened the door. Down the hall, he could see Kali running around a corner. Behind her was Devin.
"Shit," he muttered. Kadaj ran down the corridor and reached the door as Devin was closing it. Just before they disappeared, Devin grinned and Kadaj could see his sister kneeling on the floor and crying. As she looked at him, he saw that she was bleeding from the chest. The weapon was still in Devin's hands and dripping with blood.
"Too late," he whispered to Kadaj. They were gone.
"KALI!" Kadaj screamed. He pounded on the door, but nobody opened it. By the time he began to break the lock off, Kali had begun screaming in pain.
Kadaj panicked and worked faster. After a moment, he, too, screamed, for the blade slipped and removed two of his fingers. He gritted his teeth against the pain, but as the door finally opened, he knew it was too late. Kali had stopped screaming. When Kadaj threw open the portal, Devin was nowhere to be found. He only saw Kali's still body lying across the room.
"Kadaj," she gasped weakly as he knelt by her.
"Don't try to talk," he insisted. He held his sister close and cried silently. She struggled to lay a hand on his face.
"Kadaj, stop crying," she muttered. She winced as the pain of her injuries swept over her again. "Go kill Devin and his master. For me," she added. Kadaj trembled as her mouth fell silent and chest failed to rise again.
"Kali, I'm so sorry," he whispered. He stood and stared at her bloody body. A voice at the door made him turn.
"Kadaj! What the hell just happened?" Cid yelled. He and Rude were standing in the doorway.
"Kali's dead," he said quietly. He tried to say why, but he only froze.
Behind his two friends was a woman in white clothes. She smiled and nodded. Kadaj tried to tell them to run, but the only sound that escaped his mouth was a sharp breath. He stared at Cid and Rude for a moment before swallowing weakly and glancing down.
"Kadaj!" Rude yelled. They started to run across the room to him, but they were too late. Kadaj flinched as the bloody inch of metal that was sticking out of his stomach was pulled out through his back. He dropped to his knees and, as his vision darkened, watched the white woman stick her sword through Rude and her dirk through Cid's heart. They dropped dead almost immediately while Devin walked around from behind him, a dagger covered in blood.
Kadaj struggled to stay alive and watched as Sachiko was brought in by two vampires. She struggled against them, but her strength was no match for that of these bloodsuckers. Kadaj swallowed again and gently held Kali's hand. Sachiko knelt at the woman's feet and trembled. She begged that she not die, but it was no use. Kadaj screamed with all the energy he had left as he watched Devin stick one dagger through Sachiko's back and the other through what he knew was her heart. Kadaj shook angrily and felt what little strength he had ebb away as the woman knelt and pulled off the two marbles from Sachiko's staff. As Kadaj died and began to awake, he suddenly realized what they were.
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Kadaj opened his eyes and let the tears drip down his face. When they ran out, he turned to find Kali still sleeping next to him, Pradipa curled up against the backs of her knees. With a sigh of relief, he stood and washed his tear-stained face. After writing a note for Kali should she wake up and making sure the door was locked tightly, he shut the door and began walking up to the deck. Halfway there, he realized that he was stuck out here for the rest of the night, for he had no key to get back into the room. He sighed, furious with himself, before walking out and breathing in the night sea air. To his surprise, somebody else was already out there.
"Worried about Reno?" he called. Rude laughed quietly as Kadaj leaned against the railing with him.
"What gave it away?"
"We're all worried. I'm surprised Kali's actually sleeping through the night," he shrugged. Kadaj glanced down at the scar around Rude's exposed wrist and winced slightly. Rude noticed and stuck his hand in his pocket.
"I haven't forgotten," he whispered. Kadaj looked up at the sky and closed his eyes.
"Neither have I. I don't want your forgiveness," he replied.
"I wasn't going to," Rude muttered. Kadaj glanced at him. "To be honest, your sister was the only thing stopping me from kicking your ass when we met again back in Midgar."
"She's pretty much the only thing keeping me from doing a lot of things lately," Kadaj agreed as his eyes turned to the moon. "She's a good kid. Sometimes I wonder if we're truly related so closely."
"I don't find it hard to believe," Rude said after a moment of silence. Kadaj snapped his head towards him.
"What makes you say that?" he inquired. Rude shrugged.
"I don't really know. Just a feeling," he said quietly. "I guess…"
"What? We're on the same side now. You can tell me anything," Kadaj pressured.
"I remember how you looked at us seventeen years ago. Your eyes searched ours for hints of lying or anger or whatever you needed to know. Sephiroth did the same thing back when he was a General. When Vincent brought Kali to our house in Wutai, she did the same thing. I told them to get out and Reno and I would forget they were ever there. That's the first time I really looked into her eyes and they sort of…" Rude hesitated a moment to find the right word. "Her eyes sort of paralyzed me, I couldn't look away. It was like she was looking for something from me. She did the same to Reno."
"I know what you mean."
"Your dad did that to you?" Rude smirked.
"No," he whispered. Kadaj looked back at him. "Kali has. Father never looked at me the way Kali does."
"Really?" Rude furrowed his brow. "Why do you think it is?"
"I think it's because…" Kadaj sighed and fell silent.
"What?" Rude asked, giving him a sideways look. Kadaj shook his head.
"Never mind. It will wait. But Rude?"
"Yeah?"
"If Kali and I ever run off without a word, don't come after us."
"What do you mean?"
"I hope you never have to find out," he said finally. Rude nodded and turned to go back to bed.
"You going back to bed?" he called over his shoulder. Kadaj shook his head.
"I locked myself out on accident. It's going to be dawn in just a few hours. I can wait. I'm not even all that tired," he replied. As Rude started to walk through the door, Kadaj yelled back. "And Rude?"
"What?" he called. Kadaj glanced at his eyes, hidden behind sunglasses as always.
"Thank you."
"For what?"
"Everything you've done since Vincent brought her here," he said quietly. Rude smiled faintly before walking back up to Kadaj.
"Actually…" he began, the smile fading.
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Kali sat up straight, thus waking up Pradipa. The young Tonberry squeaked angrily and nipped her hand with his little teeth.
"You woke me up!" he growled. Kali picked him up and held him close as tears streamed down her face.
"I'm sorry, my baby. I just had an awful dream."
"What?" Pradipa asked.
"Devin killed me. A woman in white came and killed Rude and Cid. Then Devin killed Kadaj and Sachiko. After that, I had a dream that I stabbed Devin with my sword and he was dying in my arms."
"I don't like him!" Pradipa replied. Kali held him in front of her.
"Pradipa, don't talk like that. It's not good to say things like that."
"He has a bad smell. I don't want you hurt," he muttered. "You saved my life. I want to save yours."
"No, little one. I don't need my life saved. Where's Kadaj?" she said suddenly. Pradipa wiggled out of her grasp and curled back up.
"I don't know and I don't care," he muttered. He was asleep a moment later.
"Some help you are," Kali rolled her eyes. She got up and saw the note saying that Kadaj was up on the deck. She gently laid a blanket over Pradipa and walked out slowly. She left the door unlocked so she could get back in. She was about to walk out when she heard Rude and Kadaj talking.
"Thank you," she heard Kadaj say.
"For what?" Rude replied. She could tell he was close to the door.
"Everything you've done since Vincent brought her here."
"Actually…" Rude began. Kali listened as his footsteps moved towards Kadaj. The smile that had grown on her face was fading slowly.
"What?" Kadaj asked.
"This sounds horrible, but sometimes I wish she had never come here."
"What do you mean?" Kadaj gasped. Kali stiffened and listened intently.
"I'm glad she's here, I mean, she did help get Reno and I out of Wutai. We haven't been off the island since Cloud and Tifa got married. On the other hand, if we hadn't left, I never would have gotten stabbed in the back when we were going to Midgar. Reno wouldn't have gotten poisoned, Vincent would still be alive, Cloud would still be alive-"
"Well, I don't care about him," Kadaj reminded Rude.
"It doesn't matter. If she hadn't come, I never would have seen Bao again. I wouldn't have to hurt or kill him. I wouldn't be looking for Tifa to kill her," he added sadly. "I like her, but lately I've been wishing we'd never met."
"You know, come to think of it, most of the bad stuff that's been happening to all of us has started after she came," Kadaj agreed quietly. Kali trembled violently. As quietly as she could, she opened the door and began skirting the wall to go to the other side of the ship. It wasn't quiet enough.
"But on the other hand- who's there?" Kadaj called as the door snapped shut. Kali stood there and stared at them.
"It's just me," she said, trying to keep her voice steady. Rude noticed immediately and walked up to her.
"Kali, I'm sorry," he said quickly. He tried to hug her, but she tore away.
"If you were really sorry you wouldn't have said it in the first place," she muttered angrily. She turned and walked across the deck furiously. Rude watched her until she disappeared around the corner.
"I fucked up big time, didn't I?" he muttered as he joined Kadaj again.
"I wish she had listened to what I was about to say. What you said is true, but on the other hand, she has a role to play. She needs to be here. Everything happens for a reason. And you know, there are two things that happened that are good."
"What?"
"Firstly, all of us have begun understanding father and each other. We've become closer. I'm sure that now, you don't really want to kick my ass as badly as you did seventeen years ago or even just a few weeks ago, right?"
"True. What else has happened?"
"I met Sachiko," Kadaj smiled. He closed his eyes as he turned his face to the moon.
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Devin stretched out on his bed, waiting for a sign. He finally sighed and fell asleep. After a few moments of dreaming about Kali, his eyes snapped open as somebody shook him.
"Who the hell is it and what the fuck do you want?" he moaned before opening his eyes. He leapt up when he saw who it was.
"Watch your language around the likes of me, mortal," the woman growled. Devin bent on one knee and muttered his apologies. "You are forgiven this once. Why have you not killed the girl?"
"Pardon, miss, but Kadaj will not let me anywhere near her without him around."
"Why don't you kill him first? Then perhaps there will be less trouble with your duty," she suggested bitterly. Devin glanced at the floor.
"Ma'am… I'm beginning to have second thoughts."
This comment was a mistake on his part. The woman's red-violet eyes flared for a moment before she picked the man up by the neck and slammed him against the wall. He grabbed her wrist, but it was no use. She had a tight hold and her nails had grown longer. They dug into his skin while he turned blue.
"I will not fail in my attempt to purify the Planet. Do not get in my way. You will do as you are told or I will kill you again," she growled. Devin tried to speak, but he lacked too much oxygen and was too frightened. She finally let go and he dropped to the floor, gasping for breath.
"Yes, master," he panted when he regained air in his lungs.
"Good. Now, when are you going to do what you have been ordered?" she hissed. She knelt before him and held his face in her hand. He flinched, but slowly answered.
"I need some time to get to her. We're going to the Gold Saucer. I'll do it then. Make it look like an accident."
"Good boy. You know what to do now," she smiled. He grimaced as she kissed him on the lips.
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Cid sat quietly in his room, dozing lightly as he rubbed his chest. The after effects of the heart attack still hurt slightly, but not like it did when the event occurred. He sighed and began falling asleep. He jumped at a yell a few doors down. His heart sank; it was the voice of a woman, and the tone was one he hadn't heard in years. After deciding it couldn't have been Kali, Cid wrapped back up in his blanket and tried to sleep. About half an hour later, he was bounding out of bed and sprinting towards the dock as he heard a loud splash and screams outside the ship.
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"I don't believe it," Kali muttered. She gazed out over the waves halfway across the deck from Rude and Kadaj. She let the tears fall freely down her face. She rubbed her arms and shivered, for she was still in her skimpy pajamas. "None of them want me here. It's not like I have much choice. But…" she trailed off and looked to the sky. "If I hadn't begged to come with Vincent, I wouldn't be here. It's all my fault," she muttered, looking to the waves. She dropped to her knees and buried her face in her hands while she sobbed. "It's all my fault… it's all my fault…"
She finally came to a decision. Without knowing why, Kali slowly stood and leaned as far as she could over the railing. The waves were oddly fierce. Her entire body trembling, she climbed over the railing and wrapped her elbows around it to keep herself from falling off the edge. Her heels were barely touching the edge of the deck. She stared at the waves, trying to mentally talk herself out of doing what she wanted to. As she watched the waves, she heard a woman's faint yell. Even two floors above them, she somehow knew it was coming from Devin's room. Sure enough, she watched as a woman in white somehow phased through his window a few minutes later. The woman clung to the edge of the ship like a spider, glanced up, and met Kali's eyes. They stared for a moment before the white woman smiled.
"Nanashi…" she whispered. Kali felt Nanashi rise to the surface of her mind.
"…eniruZ" Nanashi hissed before Kali could stop her. Suddenly, the woman sprouted four wings from her back, two leathery brown and two feathery white, and flew up at her. Kali struggled to push Nanashi down, but to no avail. The woman hovered in front of them. Kali's body trembled, but Nanashi refused to let her drop.
"How pleasant to see you again, Nanashi. Tell me, how does it feel feeding off of another, living as a parasite of the mind?" she said slyly. Nanashi stared at her with steely eyes. "Have you forgotten how to speak?"
"?er omec nosit ahW .ero febse mityn amu oyde tae fedev ahI" she replied. The woman flew back a few inches.
"Do you honestly believe that to be true? My defeats were always in vain, for the world was destroyed with me anyway. Besides, you were not the one to defeat me these past eons. The girl whose body you have taken has always been the one. Do you think you can beat me through her?"
".seY"
"Ha," the woman scoffed. "You sound so very sure."
"?net togro fu oyev ahrO .ef iln iec nou oydet aef edI"
"Yes, I remember. But you know neither of us is to be so easily killed now. Each rebirth only makes me stronger, until finally I become invincible and immortality is mine again. You know that."
".er omy natoN"
The woman flew back several more feet before flipping backwards and dropping into the water. She was gone.
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Kali found herself in a dark room with only what appeared to be a large television screen. She watched the exchange of words between Nanashi and the woman. She couldn't see many features, as the ship was dark, but she could tell that despite her wearing white, she was evil. As she disappeared, a voice echoed through the room.
".ilaK ol leH"
"Nanashi!" Kali called. She felt the head of her physical self nod.
".lu osruo yedi snisi oh wIsit itah twon k'tsu meh stub ,edi sas sensu oics nocru oyg nih supro fez igol opaI .seY"
"Nanashi, who is she? Is she fucking Devin?" Kali cried. Nanashi sighed.
"…ot sehsi wohw na moweh tsiehS"
"Wishes to what?" Kali cried.
".pih seh tot nok cab g'nili areh trev oogy leta idem mitsu muo ytub ,kca b'dni m'ru oyuo yevi gottu oba maI .ret alni alpxel liwI"
Kali blinked as she regained control of her body. Suddenly becoming frightened, she scrambled to get back over the edge and place her feet on the deck. She was sitting on the railing when two people came up. Rude and Kadaj were walking up behind her. Below, she listened to a bubbling noise. She glanced at the waves as her two friends told her to come down. She gasped as the water boiled right where she would have fallen. They covered their ears as a harsh voice rang through the air.
"If he will not kill you, I shall do it myself!"
"AH!" Kali screamed shrilly.
Suddenly, as soon as the voice stopped speaking, the white woman flew up from the water. Buckets poured off of her as she came up in front of Kali and grabbed her by the throat. She spun in the air and held Kali high over the water. The woman smiled at the girl as she squeezed her neck as hard as she could. Rude pulled out a gun and, after taking careful aim, pulled the trigger. Unfortunately, the woman knew this was coming and swung Kali in the bullet's path. Kali screamed as the bullet hit her lower back and the grip on her throat loosened. Rude yelled for her as he and Kadaj dashed towards the edge of the ship. She managed to grab the railing and hang over the edge.
"Help!" she cried, feeling her own blood drip slowly down her back, hips, and legs, finally dripping off her toes to turn the sea red. Kadaj stretched out on the deck and grabbed for her, but he never made contact. As his fingers came within an inch of hers, the woman skimmed the water and flew straight at Kali. Taken by surprise, Kali screamed again and lost her grip, thus falling into the ocean. Kadaj watched the woman fly off into the night.
"Kadaj, go tell the captain there's been an accident! Tell them Kali fell overboard and we need to get her out!" Rude yelled. Before Kadaj could argue, Rude threw his shirt and glasses to the side and jumped over the railing after the girl. Kadaj went running for the rescue squad as Cid and Devin ran up to see what had happened. They stared over the edge as Rude managed to pull Kali's head over the water and swim next to the ship. She was unconscious.
"She's not breathing! Hurry up!" Rude called when he saw them standing there. Devin was visibly shaking while Cid turned away to look for Kadaj and the rescuers. Rude held Kali close as he struggled to keep their heads above water. He finally managed to hold her in front of him, her limp arms around his shoulders and her peaceful head resting against his chest. Rude started shaking as her chest failed to move against his stomach. "Kali, please, stay with me. Come on, stay here. I'm not letting you go. I'm so sorry for what I said before. We love you, Kali. Follow my voice out of whatever darkness has you. Please, listen to my voice. Follow it out of the eternal night."
With difficulty, Rude attempted to give her CPR as a rope was thrown down to them and rescue workers urged him to pull himself up.
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".ilaK ,pue kaW"
"No. I don't want to. This is what I intended. Please, let me die."
"?rebme mer ,odot boj aev ahu oY ?tah tya su oyn acwoH"
"They don't want me there. I might as well be dead. Father lied to me. I am all alone now that Vincent is gone."
".ilaK ,oN"
"Yes. Not even Vincent wanted me around. He never wanted me to come with him in the first place."
".ei dI ,ei du oyfI"
"You're sure?"
".seY"
"But Rude… How can I face him again without anger and hatred?"
"…net siL"
"Kali, please, stay with me."
"Rude?"
"Come on, stay here."
".deir ro wyrev sieH .seY"
"I'm not letting you go."
"What? He's serious? After what he said?"
"I'm so sorry for what I said before. We love you, Kali."
".ilaK uo yev asot g'niyr tsi eH"
"How do I get out of this otne tsiL"
"Speak to me, my friend…"
"Follow my voice out of whatever darkness has you. Please, listen to my voice. Follow it out of the eternal night…"
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"Rude, let them get to Kali!" Kadaj yelled. The medics were struggling to get to her, but Rude only pushed them back. He would push on her chest, press his mouth to hers, put air back in her lungs, check her heartbeat, and then push the doctors back before repeating the process.
"No! It's my fault she went over! I'm the one who shot her! I'm going to save her!" he snapped back. He went back to his work. Kadaj finally nodded and watched nervously. The medics waited patiently.
"Rude, just let them take her to the hospital," Devin finally said. "It's the only way."
"No, it can't be the only way," Rude only shook his head. He took a deep breath and forced the air into her mouth. He quickly pulled his head away and jumped back as they watched Kali's chest and stomach heave. She coughed up water for a few moments before looking up weakly at Rude.
"Thank you my friend," she muttered. Rude smiled at her as she blacked out again.
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"Kali, are you okay?" Devin whispered two evenings later. Kali looked up at him and smiled.
"Yes, I'm fine. What's happened? I remember waking up as Rude gave me CPR, but what after that?"
"Not much. The ship is going to arrive in Costa del Sol in the morning. The doctors said you'll be able to go then. Your back is just fine."
"Devin," Kali muttered. She held his hand and closed her eyes. "I love you."
"I love you too," he replied. He sat next to her and wrapped an arm around her. He kissed her knuckles and smiled as she giggled. "What's so funny?"
"Your moustache tickles," she muttered. "How's Rude?"
"He's hardly left the room. He left to go get something to eat, but he'll be back shortly."
"I feel horrible about what I did now," she said quietly. She closed her eyes gently and was asleep before Rude came back. As he entered, a plate of food in one hand and Pradipa sitting on his shoulder, Devin stood and wrapped the sheet around her shoulders. He pecked her on the cheek before walking out.
"How is she?" Rude asked as they passed each other.
"She woke up. Kali just needs sleep now. Good night, Rude," he said softly. When Devin was gone, Rude sat in the chair next to Kali's bed as Pradipa leapt off his shoulder and curled up next to her chest.
"She'll be okay, right? We're never going to lose Kali, are we?" Pradipa muttered as he accepted a piece of fruit from Rude. The man glanced at Kali's face and Pradipa could see a faint smile.
"No, Pradipa. We're not going to lose her. Ever."
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NM: As usual lately, not much to say. Except: did anyone catch anything… unusual let's say about the conversation between the White Woman and Devin? Take a close look… Anyway, reviews:
Sayahiei: At least it's not Street Sweeper Sephy… ((shudders while rotflao)) Surprisingly, she didn't kill me. Then again, she's not up to this point yet… Did you catch the plot twist? Have a good time on vacation!
Ryu the Youkai: ((huge grin)) Always glad to meet another Cloud hater! And yes, Cloud is dead, he will never come back! ((does Numa Numa Dance))
Mediciner: Is this enough action for you? Be patient; just one more man-plus-woman-plus-bed scene, and it'll probably be the next one or two. After that, no more. Wait… I lied. Two more scenes. BUT they're going to be one chapter right after the other, and one's not going to turn out like you expect… And I hope you enjoy the poem. I've decided to try and put one up anytime I don't have an update for this ficsome week, which might be fairly often over the next few months since almost everything I've planned has happened and I have little idea of how to get from point A to point B on the rest.
Review!
NINJA MAGE
