Author's Notes: SUPER short chapter here - like, not even two full pages. (By the way, I totally didn't notice we cleared 300 reviews. Or I did but never said anything. grr. Thank you for your support, AS ALWAYS! I am SOOO happy!)

Now...these last few hours of the day...don't be surprised if you see any updates that are, at minimum, minutes apart in length. This is my splurge day, so I'm trying to update as many chapters as possible now before we leave at four in the morning tomorrow. Right.

So, anyway, enjoy!

Chapter 32

"Message Received"

Kadaj flipped through his novel in a lazy chair, reading by the sunlight that played over his silvery hair. His brother Yazoo passed by him, and snatched up one of the chocolate treats Kadaj was just about to get.

"Hey," he growled, "Give that back, it was mine!"

Yazoo grinned mirthfully and slid out his tongue, placing the treat on it and curling it back into his mouth. "Come get it, then."

Kadaj grinned at his brother's playfulness and marked his place, putting the book down on his chair and standing up. Yazoo started to walk away, and Kadaj reeled him back, kissing him deeply and using every skill with his tongue that he knew to chase down the little Hershey's Kiss Yazoo had stolen from his snack bowl. That was when the sound of a door being unlocked and opened occurred, but the two didn't pay attention to it. Nor the blinking surprise of their eldest when he came in, wincing, and shielded his eyes.

"Ugh, you two, when are you going to move out of my house and do that in your own apartment? Better yet—why don't you stop doing that long enough to get jobs?"

Kadaj snatched the Kiss then and swallowed it in one gulp, looking over Yazoo's shoulder as he stroked his hair.

"Awww, don't be upset, Sephy. It's not like we can make babies or anything."

Sephiroth just kept his hand up by his face, hiding the fact that he was rolling his eyes, and sighed, waving at them dismissively. "Please, just don't do anything on my chair." He didn't like what his two younger brothers were doing with their lives, but he couldn't very well stop them. That was like trying to stop a tsunami with a willow stick.

"We already did," Yazoo purred, smirking. "While you were out yesterday..."

"Auugh!" groaned Sephiroth. "Jesus fucking Christ, are you insane? That thing cost me a Queen's ransom! You damn well better have cleaned up after yourselves!" He glared at them. "And don't let me ever catching you doing that on my chair, my bed, or my sofa—ever again!"

Kadaj and Yazoo both sneered at him. "Who says you ever caught us?" they chorused.

Which made Sephiroth pelt them with a bucket, sponge, soap and Swiffer from the closet. Yazoo fumbled with the bucket, which had the sponge and soap, while Kadaj rubbed his face, moaning when the Swiffer smacked him in the nose.

"Make yourselves useful. Kadaj, you swiffer the kitchen. Yazoo, go clean my car."

"Since when are we your slaves!" Kadaj snapped.

"Since you owe me hundreds of dollars in rent from centuries back. If you're not going to pay it off, you're going to work it off. Now hop to it."

"We're your brothers!" Yazoo whined.

"You're brothers who are jobless hobos in their mid-twenties. Now clean up what I told you to clean up. There's a list of other things you two slackers can do posted on the fridge."

Kadaj groaned. Yes, they'd both seen it, and they'd clearly thought wrong when they assumed their eldest was joking. The short-haired Penna brother blinked.

"Oh—right! You got a phone call the other day."

Sephiroth frowned. "Who from?"

"That Ansem guy you like so much." Kadaj shrugged and waved his hand. "Said something about a lawyer."

"Lawyer?" Sephiroth glanced at the phone.

"He called from the hospital." Yazoo reported. "I guess you can call him back there." He took the sponge out of the bucket, squeezed soap into it and ran hot water in the sink, filling it up and watching the suds get frothy and white. Kadaj just sighed and started swiffering the kitchen. Sephiroth watched them and crossed his arms.

"Well, at least you two are good for something." He walked out and retreated back into his room, picking up the phone beside his bed and dialing the local Alexandria hospital where he knew Ansem would be staying.

"Hello? This is the Blanca Crystal Hospital. How may I help you?"

"Yes, I'd like to page a call to the room of Ansem Atercor..."

"One moment, sir." The receptionist put Sephiroth on hold for a few moments, and he heard a flat tone, then someone picking up.

"What do you want?" growled a deep voice. Sephiroth smirked.

"It's been ages, Ansem."

"Ah! About damn time. Your smart-mouthed little brother hung up when I called."

"Don't mind Kadaj. He's a worthless little slacker." Sephiroth sat down on the edge of his bed. "So...my dear, old friend...what's this I hear about a lawyer?"

Author's Notes: Feel free to feel whatever you feel about Sephiroth now.