Title: Love you, Brother!

Chapter one: The Long Trip

Warning: nothing serious for now, maybe later :D…..and spoilers, great deal spoilers, don't read if you haven't seen the movie.

Pairing: Cloud x Kadaj, hints of Sephiroth x Cloud just now. Remember only hints, won't be developed more than that, I like Sephy, I really do, but for me he's being reserved for other character beside Cloud (he-he, have someone in mind?)

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children and Final Fantasy VII are owned by Square Enix, not me….

Hours later they sat together in a train moving to Nibelheim. Cloud didn't know why he decided to go to that town; many bad memories had happened there, some he wanted so much to forget. But he didn't have other possible choices, did he? Going back to Midgar was obviously impossible. Wu Tai or Rocket Town might become a good town to settle down in for a while but he didn't want to run into Yuffie or Cid by accident. He would have to offer many explanations, being asked questions by a worried Tifa or an annoying Barret and he wasn't ready for that. No, he corrected, they weren't ready for that.

He sighed. Tifa would be worried sick right now. They could search all over the city looking for him, or his corpse. They might think he didn't survive the battle. He had done this once, when he lost his mind and went into hiding in Mideel, and he didn't want to do this once again. If only he had other choice… His cell phone, the one he recently bought since the old one had gone missing, maybe it had dropped somewhere in the middle of the fights, was a bump against his back pocket. He switched it off when he got onto the train, relieved that no one had remembered to call him before.

He was running again, he knew that. Tifa would surely scold him for this, if she ever forgave him for making her worried. But he wasn't alone this time; he had someone who needed him more than her, more than all of his friends. He couldn't abandon him; he was his responsibility for now on.

He felt a surge of warmness fill his heart every time he glanced down to the slumbering boy. In his whole life Cloud never had any siblings, being the only child he was. He remembered when he was small he used to look down from his window, staring with envy at groups of children who were playing with their brothers or sisters who were oblivious to their surroundings, trapped in their own happiness. Cloud wanted to become apart of them, running, laughing, holding hands with each other. Sometimes he'd imagined himself in his room with an older brother or sister of his dreams, playing tag or singing together like those children outside. He was happy, but it hadn't lasted long, cause every time he'd looked around he'd find himself sitting on a cold floor inside a big house where no one was around. Alone.

But then he'd met Tifa, Barret, and little Marlene and suddenly he wasn't alone anymore. He knew they loved him, just like he loved them. Only no matter how close their bond was, Cloud still wasn't able to shake off the empty part of his heart which he had carried since childhood, a part which longed for someone to fully understand him. Someone who was capable of sharing his burden, because he hated to admit it but he wasn't human just like Tifa or Barret were.

Only Kadaj was different, he shared the same fate as him. Cloud smiled. That was it, maybe finally after all those years he would finally be able to fill the aching loneliness inside of his heart. Unconsciously he lifted his gloved fingers up and gently caressed the silver strands which seemed so soft to touch. He tucked the long bangs at one delicate ear shell, only to have it fall stubbornly again back to their usual place, covering half of the youth's face. Kadaj looked so innocent when he was sleeping with no twisted lines that used to mar his face. It was hard to believe that this was the same person who was capable of destroying Planet with both of his hands, who could easily bring destruction to human beings. Sephiroth…well, Sephiroth always had threatening aura around him wherever he was around, but Kadaj looked relatively harmless at the first sight with his slight built and pretty face. Yes, he's pretty, a word that Cloud had thought before only suitable for describing a woman. It looked like Kadaj was the only exception.

He heard a low sigh and long lashes fluttered opened to show pair of glowing emerald orbs beneath, looked slightly dazed for a moment. They scanned the almost empty compartment they were seated in before they stopped at Cloud's blue ones. Kadaj smiled, the first expression Cloud had ever seen on his face besides the cold arrogant smirks or manic laughter. Cloud thought that he liked it and could very much get use to it.

The boy settled back at his previous position, curled up beside Cloud's larger frame.

"Nii-san, I had a dream… This time she wasn't in it. She was before… Every time I closed my eyes she was always there, like she waited behind my eyelids. Now that she is gone, does that mean I could actually be free?"

Cloud continued stroking the soft silky hair beneath his fingers. "Yes, Kadaj, you're free now, just like me…"

He could feel the boy stiffened against his shoulder." Nii-san…why don't you hate me?"

There was a deafening silence before Cloud shrugged. "Well, why should I?"

" I tried to kill you before, more than once. I possessed those kids, summoned Bahamut to destroy Midgar, and other awful things, that's more than enough reasons to hate someone I think."

"I know how it feels to be controlled, Kadaj," Cloud said gently." Trust me, it wasn't a pleasant feeling. Constantly having voices in your head, forcing you to do things you don't want to. I almost went crazy because of that. Stop saying it like it's all your fault… Well others might say it is but not me. I know you didn't have any other choice, just like Sephiroth…"

"There was a part of me who's not me," Kadaj whispered hesitantly," The part which always longed for mother, for guidance. Having no anchor in your life is threatening so at first I welcomed it happily, only sometimes when it began to lust for destruction and I couldn't hold down the desire it slowly drove me mad…" The boy paused as he doubted whether he should continue or not. When he did, his voice was small and scared." May, may I make you her replacement? I think I need an anchor for a while… That's it if you don't mind," He added quickly.

"I don't," Cloud assured him," A free person doesn't need an anchor, Kadaj, but until you get a hang on that I'll be whatever you want me to be."

"Thank you…" The teen sounded genuinely grateful. "Um… may I ask you another question?"

"Sure, go ahead."

That pair of emerald eyes looked straight at him, an unreadable emotion playing in their depth. "Nii-san…you love Sephiroth, don't you?"

Cloud chocked, frozen in the spot he was in. His heart almost jumped out from his ribcage. Never in his life had he imagined that those words would roll out so innocently from the boy who sat rigid beside him, clearly waiting for an answer. He felt his head reeling. Did he? Did he love Sephiroth?

Cloud stared down at the floor; that question had been flashing through his mind hundreds of times before. Each time he had shaken it off before he could dwell on it further. He was afraid because he knew the answer would hurt him, adding yet another scar to his already burdened heart. But he was now being asked directly, the question being shoved right in front of his face, there was no way he could dodge it again. He took a deep breath, and just as he had been afraid of, a pang of pain pierced through his heart when he said it.

"Yes."

"I knew it," Kadaj never wavered his gaze, like he could see deep down of Cloud through his eyes. "Every time me or Yazoo mentioned or hinted about him you had a longing expression painted so clearly on your face. When he possessed my body I didn't see hate in you, instead you looked genuinely sad because you knew you had to kill him again."

"I don't know if I'm that easy to read," Cloud laughed nervously.

Kadaj smiled." And the reason why you saved me was because I reminded you of him."

"No!" Cloud half yelled." I saved you because it was the right thing to do, Kadaj, you deserve a second chance. I don't want to kill anymore, not if I can avoid it. This has nothing to do with him."

Kadaj shook his head; soft silver tresses fell to cover his eyes. "No. Nii-san, don't lie to me, you know that I'm right."

Cloud opened his mouth, gaped for a while, trying to object; only no voice came out. Nothing should be denied. He took a defeated sigh. "Well…maybe part of it yes, you remind me of him…but I really wanted to save you because I care about you. Kadaj, whatever happens you're still my sibling, brother, wasn't plenty of times you called me that?"

"Yeah…"The boy snuggled close; a comforted sigh escaped his lips." But I want you to know that you can pretend that I'm him, I don't mind, at least I can do that for you."

"No, Kadaj," Cloud firmly replied," You're you, you're not him, you both are two different people."

Kadaj didn't answer. His thin fingers reached out to hold onto Cloud's, the pale skin contrasted so briefly against the dark material of Cloud's gloved palm. He threaded their fingers together, looked down at their joined hands wistfully. "You're not going to abandon me right? You're the only one I have left."

"I won't." Cloud gave his hand a gentle squeeze. "I'll be beside you every single day until you grow bored of me."

"Then I'm not going to be afraid of anything," Kadaj smiled," Because when you're with me everything will be okay."

Cloud was a little bit surprised by the amount of trust the boy harbored towards him. Hours ago they still pursued each other's throats like pair of mad dogs; how fast had the hatred had gone now that Kadaj willing to depend his life on him?

But it might be how he was made to be. Kadaj had been taught to always look up, strived for one single purpose in his life that also made him strong, Jenova. Now that she was gone Kadaj had to turn to the closest resemblance of her to guard his confused mind for losing the sole purpose of his life, and it turned out to be Cloud.

"Just sleep," Cloud said gently." I'll wake you when we arrive later."

"Okay," Kadaj replied with a huge yawn. He closed his eyes like an obedient little child, which in some ways he was. He fell back to sleep almost immediately, a comforting weight against Cloud's shoulder. Wave of protectiveness washed over Cloud and he suddenly wanted nothing more than to protect this boy so danger couldn't reach him. There might be rough road ahead of them but he wouldn't be afraid, because once again, he wasn't alone this time.

TBC

Note: I'm a lazy person, very LAZY person, so please, please send me feedbacks, or I would lose all of the urges to write again (my muses never live long sigh). Your reviews will encourage me and nothing work better than that.

ReaPerSouL : hehe, thanks, senangnya ada orang Indo yang juga suka ama Cloud x Kadaj, there's never much CXK fics in this fandom so I thought I had to make one. Tell me as soon as you get your fic being written, I'll am going to love reading it :D