Third chappie and it's a long one too. Aww more sweet reviews for this cute fic. I thank you all. :) The more Kadaj gets to know Laleyena… the more the plot thickens and pretty soon her innocent demeanor won't seem so innocent anymore. You'll just have to wait and see.

Disclaimer: Hm… Déjà vu

Past Diamonds

When Kadaj awoke again, it was dark. A candle sitting on the table was the only light in the room. Also on the table was a bowl of soup. He sat up, and picked the bowl up, taking a spoonful. It was sweet yet spicy.

He finished the soup, savoring every last drop. He put the now empty bowl back on the table and grabbed a crutch lying against the table next to the bed. He hoisted himself up and went over to the door. He side glanced his brothers before leaving the room and found himself in a hallway of some sort.

Across from were he and his brothers were staying was a door and down the hall to his right was another door. To his left was the stairs. With little difficulty, he made it down the stairs to a larger room. A fire was burning in the stone fire place to his far right casting an orange glow over the walls and floor.

"You shouldn't be up."

Sitting in a couch in front of the fire place was Laleyena; she had an unfinished quilt in her hand. She turned around and motioned for him to sit on the couch. He complied but still wondered how she knew that he was even there without looking back.

"So, how are you feeling?"

"A little bit better. Thank you for the soup."

Laleyena smiled.

"I thought you would like it, my big sisters taught me how to make it before… they died."

That last bit was said with a hint of sadness and she continued to work, the only noise was the crackling of the fire. They sat in comfortable silence for a while.

"Where did you learn to treat injuries?"

"My other big sister taught me."

Her smile faltered slightly but she gained it back quickly and continued working.

"How many sisters do you have?"

"…I had three. I was the youngest. We grew up without a father or mother so we relied heavily on each other. Those were… peaceful times but it wasn't, because of the war and all."

Kadaj saw that she was knitting very slowly, probably thinking about her sisters. He felt a little bad about bringing up a conversation that seemed to hurt Laleyena every time she mentioned her sisters. He tried to comfort her a bit.

"You must have really loved your sisters that much."

"Very."

"Sorry to bring this up but, how did they die?"

She stopped knitting and rested the quilt and needles on her lap. She stared at the silver objects on her lap as though it were the most evil looking things in the world, and then threw the items off of her onto the floor. He watched Laleyena quietly as she clenched her fists in her lap and bit her bottom lip, her shoulders were tense and shaking lightly and her eyes were focused on the floor.

Kadaj was unsure if he should speak to her now, she looked about to smash anything in her way and he defiantly didn't want to end up bed bound again.

Even if he does know how to fight unarmed, he wouldn't hurt someone who saved him from the verge of death. And she didn't look like the type to hurt anything or anyone. She was too innocent.

Laleyena looked at him and sighed, her shoulders slumped, and then she moved to pick up the needles and quilt off the floor. She deposited the items in a basket on the floor, next to the couch and she smiled at him as she stood and stretched a bit.

"You should go back to bed; the couch isn't the best place to sleep when you're still recovering."

He sort of blinked for a moment. One minute, she was ready to attack, the next, she's calm. He shook it off and nodded as she helped him up the stairs and opened the door for him. Once her hand was on the knob, she could have sworn she heard the sound of footsteps in the room.

"Is something wrong?" Kadaj asked, noticing her hesitation.

She shook her head and opened the door. She looked around to see no one, other than Kadaj's brothers who were still out of it, in the room. She gently led him to the bed, laid him down and pulled the covers over his bandaged body.

"Good night."

She picked up the empty bowl, blew out the candle and left before he could say anything. So he sighed and stared at the dark ceiling. Soon, a mockery of a smile appears on his face.

"…I know you two are awake."

Indeed, the two eldest brothers were smirking in the dark.

"Where are we?" Yazoo asked, turning his head to his left to look at the dark silhouette of his younger brother.

"And who was that girl?" Loz asked cheekily, turning his head to his right.

"…I'll explain in the morning. Right now, just get some rest."

The two seemed reluctant and wanted to ask more about their current situation but shrugged and went to sleep.


Laleyena entered her room across from the brothers and closed the door. She slid down to the floor with her back against the door and hugged her knees to her chest. Tears threatened to flow but she bit her bottom lip to hold them back. She gasped sharply, the copper taste of her own blood dancing on her tongue as it seeped in her mouth from her lip. She had forgotten that she bit it previously.

"Damn…"

She passed her left sleeve over her mouth, staining the white fabric with the scarlet substance and she stared at it for a long while. Memories of her sisters flashed in her mind.

A gloved finger with a diamond claw pointed to a small town in the distance.

Lele, that's our next target. Just do what you have been doing and everything will be fine.

Diamond bullets loaded into a diamond gun scythe.

Did you gain the towns trust, Yena? Tonight we strike so it's important that the townsfolk don't suspect you of anything.

Gloved hands clenching the iron bar of a diamond scythe.

You dare defy your older sister?

Diamond scythe raised in the air.

Laleyena! Heed the words of your flesh and blood!

A 7ft sword.

I want you to tell me why I should spare you.

A diamond sword falls out of her hands.

I… I don't want to be denied… the right to exist.

7 ft sword being sheathed.

We all do.

Chains.

If you truly value their lives… then you have no choice.

Laleyena passed her right sleeve over her eyes and got up from the floor.

"Never again…" she whispered.


The next day Kadaj awoke as the sunlight began to fill the room. His hand felt better but his chest still hurt. He leaned against the crutch and hobbled over to the door. He took one last look at his brothers. They were still asleep. He didn't want to wake them, they needed their rest. He made his way downstairs and found Laleyena in the kitchen and another girl sitting at the table.

She looked to be in her teens, like him. She had long blonde hair done in a braid that formed a loop kind of style and blue eyes. She was wearing a black tube top, a white see-through top, black vest, blue denim cut-off shorts, a chain belt with an Ace belt buckle, white socks and black boots. She also has black holsters strapped around her thighs with what looks to be smaller versions of gun blades in them.

"And then I asked him 'Why are you so odd?' I mean, come on. The guy uses a guitar for a wea—"

The girl stopped her conversation and eyed Kadaj from the corner of her eye. Something about that look made him feel slightly uncomfortable.

'Why is she staring at me like that?' he thought.

Laleyena turned around from the stove and smiled at him. This made him feel better again.

"Good morning. Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah," he replied, glancing at the girl then back to Laleyena.

"Oh right. December, this is the guy I was talking about earlier."

Kadaj raised an eyebrow, 'December?'

He made his way to the two girls, while briefly wondering why this girl was named after a month, and sat down across from her. She looked at him for quite a while then smiled and held out her hand.

"Ace December Serenade is the name, but just call me December. You must be Kadaj. Nice to meet you Daj'."

He slowly shook her hand and remained quiet, until the rest of her words registered in his brain.

"My name isn't Daj'… Ace." He smirked at saying her first name.

December glared at him.

"My name isn't Ace. It's December!"

"Settle down you two," Laleyena set two plates down on the table with scrambled eggs on them. "Oh December, you have such great timing. I was going to go down by the river and I was wondering if you could watch out for Kadaj and his brothers while I'm gone."

"Sure." She glanced at Kadaj again with that unnerving stare.

'Stop staring.'

He thought as he finished with his eggs as quickly as possible. He then looked at Laleyena but felt December's stare burn a hole in the back of his head. This didn't go unnoticed and Laleyena smiled.

"Unless you want to come with me Kadaj and December can look after your brothers."

"That works." He quickly said.

Though he did feel a little guilty leaving his brothers in the watchful eye of this December girl with a staring problem.

"Sweet, it's a plan then. I just need to talk to Lele for a moment."

"All right," Laleyena looked confused as she led December towards the front door and stood at the bottom of the stairs so that they could talk in private, "What is it?"

"You said you found him and his brothers a few days ago and they can't remember where they came from or who beat them up, Right?"

"That's right but… that's not all. Why were you staring at him like he's a monster or something?"

December sighed and put a hand on her shoulder. At the top of the stairs, two heads peeked around the corner and listened intently on their conversation.

"Somehow… the girl with the weird hairdo looks familiar." Yazoo whispered.

"You know… you're right, but I can't remember where though." Loz whispered back.

"Lele… I'm not sure if you'll believe me or not but… that guy that's sitting in the kitchen now… he's the one who summoned up that thing in Midgar two weeks ago."

Loz and Yazoo disappeared around the corner when Laleyena looked up at the stairs then looked back at December.

"…I'm not following."

"How can I put this? …Kadaj is… wait a minute… oh that's right, Nocturne told me you wouldn't remember."

"Remember what?"

"Nothing too important. You should get going before it snows."

Laleyena nodded and went back to the kitchen.

"Well, let's go."

She and Kadaj left through the back door towards the stable but not after Laleyena side-glanced December, to this, she gulped and slapped herself mentally.

"Nocturne is soooo gonna kill me."

(---------------------)

The plot thickens and I have introduced a new character of mine. What will happen next time as December is home alone with Yazoo and Loz? Nothing pleasant, that's for sure. I'll update when I can as humanly possible. Emphasis on humanly.