Onee-chan: Well, I was hoping for more reviews before I posted.. but I don't want to put it off and forget to post again.. -sigh-... anyway.. I expect lots of 'ur so evil' remarks at the end of this one. heh. enjoy!

Chapter Eight

The leader of Mako leaned back in his chair. He had everyone convinced that idiot was still in charge. But he was the real leader. He handled the army and the people. He controlled the weapons and.. Speaking of weapons.

Kadaj had been acting strangely lately. He was their most valuable weapon in the coming battle. If he got damaged or.. Somehow remembered everything, he'd turned his back on them and everything would fail. Kadaj was important... as a tool.

"Sephiroth!" A voice called. Said man looked out the corner of his eye and saw someone running up towards him.

"What?" he asked, turning to look completely at the man.

"It's Kadaj, sir. He's left the base. Rode away on his motorcycle... I think he's racing someone.." Sephiroth dashed to the window and looked out. Kadaj and this other person were riding faster than lighting down the road but he could still keep up.

"Strife." he muttered.

"Sir?"

"Leave.." Sephiroth replied, bored. The man bowed and hurried away. "Strife.. You always insist on ruining my plans."

Sephiroth sighed. Racing. Cloud was obviously trying to revive the old Kadaj. Sephiroth scoffed. It wasn't possible. Kadaj was his now. But..

"If there's a possibility that seeing Cloud is the reason Kadaj is acting up.. I'll just have to rectify the situation.." Sephiroth pushed his bangs out of his face and walked briskly toward the door. He needed something.. Something deadly..

– –

Kadaj blinked his eyes open. Something was ringing. It was morning and he didn't feel like getting up but it seemed he wouldn't have to as something moved beside him. Some warmth moved away from him and he shuddered slightly. The ringing stopped and a familiar voice spoke.

"Ya?.." Cloud answered groggily. Cloud dropped the phone in shock when an angry, yelling voice answered him. "God.." he muttered, picking the phone up and holding it at arms length until Tifa stopped yelling.

"I'm fine, Tifa... No. Nothing bad happened... I'll be there.. Don't wait for me.." more yelling.

"Look, Tifa. If the battle starts without me, it's not like I'll betray you all and skip the fight." Cloud muttered, still tired. Exasperated yelling. "...good night.." Cloud hung up and looked over his shoulder at Kadaj. He hoped that hadn't woken him up. He would've let the phone get it but the ringing was getting louder and Kadaj was still asleep.

They were sleeping beside each other in a cave that had been formed by the wear of years in it's desolate location. They'd found it when it had begun to rain again. Cloud just kept watching Kadaj as the teen spoke about life and everything. Whenever Cloud decided to speak, Kadaj was silent. He could imagine Cloud's voice purring and it was so strong and wonderful. Kadaj wished he could give off that feeling to someone. To seem strong and fearless. To be brave.

Kadaj seemed surprised when Cloud brought up the brainwashing. How did he know about that? Cloud had hugged him close and apologized. He seemed convinced that it was all his fault.

'It's okay Cloud.. The only time I really regretted it was when I saw you and I tried to kill you.'

'Ya right. You probably thought that was fun..' Cloud had scoffed. Kadaj had laughed a bit before nodding and then apologizing in return.

They had fallen asleep beside one another in the cave and Cloud smiled at Kadaj's resting form. He was so...

Cloud brushed hair away from Kadaj's face and Kadaj shuddered. Cloud's mouth opened slightly, enough to let a long breath out he hadn't known he was holding. Cloud lay down and wrapped his arms around Kadaj. Convinced that Kadaj was asleep, he sighed.

'I love you..' Kadaj opened his eyes. Had he really just heard that? He moved to look back at the blonde but it seemed Cloud had fallen asleep with his face in Kadaj's hair. When he moved, Cloud's nose twitched slightly and he almost sneezed. Kadaj smiled.

"Me too." he whispered into Cloud's ear. He snuggled up to him and smiled.

– –

Tifa groaned. What was up with Cloud?

"Get over it, yo?"

Tifa turned an angry stare at Reno. Said red head flinched slightly.

"Get over it?" she asked.

"Look, man.. woman.. Strife isn't one to be kept on a leash. Let him go.." Reno waved his hand and began to walk to the door. "Besides. He doesn't like you that way anyway."

WHAM! Reno fell into the hallway when he was hit with the phone, hard, against his head. Rude caught him, wondering what had happened. He looked into the room and gasped, threw Reno over his shoulder and ran away. Tifa did not look happy.

"Just go gather soldiers!" Tifa yelled.

– – –

Cloud awoke later on. He opened his eyes and noticed something was missing.

"Kadaj?" Cloud sat up quickly. Kadaj wasn't around. Where did he go? "Kadaj?" Cloud hurried out of the cave to see if his bike was still there.

Once outside he noticed Kadaj's bike still sitting by his own. So where was..

"Ah. Good morning, sleepy head." Kadaj's voice drifted down from above the cave. Cloud looked up and spotted Kadaj. He sat atop the cave with food.

"What are you doing up there?" Cloud asked.

"Catch." Kadaj skillfully tossed some of his food to Cloud. "I was on look out. Someone probably noticed me leave the base yesterday." Kadaj looked back toward the old highway, so far away.

"You're acting calm.." Cloud noted.

"Ya, well..." Kadaj shrugged with a grin. "Some things got cleared up this morning and.. Ya know.." he waved off the ideas and smiled down at Cloud. He was higher than Cloud, which made him feel important.

"Well, whatever." Cloud replied. He ate what he was given, having not eaten yesterday, and walked to Fenrir. He pulled something from one of it's cargo spaces and Kadaj tried to see what he was holding by craning his already high neck.

"What's that?" he asked.

"Catch." Cloud threw up something small and shiny. "That's incase you forget again."

Kadaj stared at it. It was a silver circle locket. Inside was a picture of Cloud. He was just standing there. He was smiling, but the person he was smiling because of was somehow cut from the picture.

"What is it?" Kadaj asked. Cloud shrugged.

"A locket I stole from Tifa." He turned back to his bike and pulled out his own locket. For the first time, he placed it around his neck and it hung down slightly into his shirt.

"Why is mine silver and shiny.. And yours is an old hunk of junk?" Kadaj asked, his voice suspecting.

"Tifa cleans hers daily, keeps it inside in a special jewelry box, and wants it to last forever.. I kept mine in Fenrir while I rode through deserts and towns." Cloud explained.

"Hm." Kadaj shrugged. "You should just buy another one." he jumped down to where Cloud was and opened Cloud's locket, which he was still wearing.

Still holding Cloud's locket, which Cloud seemed worried would break, he opened his own.

"So.. I have you.. And you have me.." he concluded.

"It's better than forgetting each other."

"It'd be better if it was both of us." Kadaj huffed and walked into the cave.

Behind a rock, he grabbed his sword and walked back to his bike. He slid the necklace's chain over his head and stood by his bike.

"I better be getting back." Kadaj pointed out. They stood looking at one another for a little while before they nodded and got on their respective bikes.

As Cloud aimed for home, Kadaj called back to him.

"Don't worry! I wont forget you this time!" and he was gone. Cloud frowned. He had hopped that he and Kadaj wouldn't have to part again.

It seemed, as he headed home, that every time Kadaj left him.. wasn't with him.. Something bad happened. His entire life before meeting Cloud had sounded so depressing.. And then he moved away and forgot everything.. And he was being used again.

'Kadaj.. Just come back..' he prayed, unlike himself, and hoped to god that Kadaj would be okay. 'Even if I have to get hurt.. Just come back..'

Cloud rounded cliff's corner and he could see Midgar up ahead. He stopped his bike and dialed a number. He left a message on the voice mail of the phone he called.

So close to home.. He knew what Tifa would do when he came back. She'd yell at him and ask what had happened. He wouldn't tell her. There was no reason to. Why did she need to know that he found Kadaj again? Kadaj ..

Kadaj made him feel special, proud, and strong. Made him feel like the world wasn't completely against him. He didn't think that Kadaj knew he had such an effect on him.

He started his engine again and began to move when a sword dropped from the sky in the way of his bike.

"Eh?" Cloud stopped his bike and looked up. A man floated there, his long silver hair blowing in the wind.

"Good day, Strife." he greeted.

"Sephiroth?" Cloud growled. Sephiroth.. The man that had made Kadaj's life hell. He was cruel to his sons and had even brainwashed one just so they'd forget Cloud. He wanted a war. A complete war where thousands lost their lives and he came out the victor.

"You've become a problem.." Sephiroth spoke. "Kadaj can't go back to what he was before, Strife. He will not be on your side."

Cloud narrowed his eyes.

"I can not give you what you wish for. He belongs to me now.. But I will give you a sweet... soldier's death." Sephiroth dove. Cloud grabbed his sword and jumped from his bike. Sephiroth's sword collided with the bike and it was ripped in two and flung away.

Cloud's eyes widened. Fenrir! His.. His father's bike was destroyed!

"What's wrong, Cloud?" Sephiroth asked, walking from the smoke.

Cloud charged. "You always..!" he growled. Sephiroth blocked his attack easily.

"Hm." Sephiroth smiled.

"You always hurt what's precious to me!" Cloud forced out, pushing Sephiroth back until the parry broke.

"Really now?" Sephiroth gave a taunting smirk.

"You destroyed my father's bike!" Cloud charged and Sephiroth blocked and jumped up and over Cloud. Cloud stumbled slightly but spun around and slashed at the silver haired man.

"You hurt Kadaj for your own sadistic ideals!" Cloud followed Sephiroth as the man jumped into the sky. He saw Sephiroth dive but then he vanished. "What?"

"Your forgetting one thing.." Cloud gasped as the sword was stabbed through his stomach.

Sephiroth stood behind him. While Cloud watched his blood drip down the sword, Sephiroth pulled out two daggers from his boots and stabbed one in each of Cloud's shoulders.

"..I killed your parents too." Sephiroth revealed. He pulled his long sword out and flicked the blood off his sword as Cloud fell to the ground. "And now.. I've killed you."

Sephiroth sheathed his sword and took off from the ground, leaving Cloud, bleeding and alone, in the middle of nowhere.. A good 100 or so miles from Midgar.