Chapter 2: I'd Rather Feel Pain Than Nothing At All

Kadaj woke up feeling warm and safe, in a bed of some kind, curled into a tight ball. He kept his eyes shut, savoring the feeling of security, for Strife was probably calling his friends now, so they could torture him to death.

He froze when he heard a door creak, pretending to be asleep. Heavy footsteps came close. Kadaj's eyes flew open as he felt a light touch on his neck and he scrambled away until his back bumped the headboard. Curiously, the world remained black.

Cloud stepped back surprised when the silver-haired boy reacted so violently to his touch. He had only been checking for a pulse, the same as he had for the last six days. He watched the jade eyes flick every which way confusedly. (Can't he see me?)

Kadaj froze again when he felt hands on his shoulders. He squeaked with fear, his own hands flying up to touch the smooth skin of this new adversary's face. One hand traveled down a sharp jawline, skimmed against a thin neck and came to rest on a supple upper-arm. The other's palm remained on the soft cheek, the long fingers brushed against an earing, making it jingle, and then slid in among short spiky locks of hair.

"Kadaj?" Cloud's voice came, nervous and questioning. "Is there something wrong?"

"Brother! M-my eyes..I...I...c-can't see...I'm blind!" The teen shut the offending green orbs tight, tugging at Cloud's shirt frantically.

Cloud reached out to touch the trembling eyelids, then drew Kadaj close to his chest when he flinched away, unseeing eyes opening wide and frightened.

(Steel...) Kadaj thought, breathing in Cloud's scent hysterically when his face was pushed into the crook of the blonde's shoulder and neck. (Steel, and...and vanilla. Steel and vanilla. Odd...)

"Please don't be afraid of me, Kadaj." Cloud whispered gently, feeling the teen shiver and hiccup at his shoulder. "I'm not going to hurt you anymore. You're safe, all right?"

He took Kadaj's choked half-sob as answer enough and held the silver-haired waif until his ragged breathing quieted. The boy drew back, and stared up at the place he knew where Cloud's face was, and asked, "Why?"

The blonde answered exactly the way he had explained it to himself before. "Too many have already died because of Sephiroth. Even you deserve a second chance."

"..." Kadaj bit his lip, not knowing anything to say to that.

"You probably can't see because the Lifestream reacted funny with the mako in your eyes. Here, I have some medicine, but it'll sting..."

(I thought you said you weren't going to hurt me anymore.) Kadaj bit back the reply with difficulty, but he figured if Cloud was going to be kind to him, he could at least spare the blonde his usual sarcasm.

Two point seven seconds later he was clutching his eyes and screaming, tears of pain coursing down his cheeks. "What the hell did you put in my eyes!?"

"Calm down!" Cloud yelled, trying to grab Kadaj and stop him from hurting himself.

"HOW THE FUCK CAN I CALM DOWN!?"

Splash

"Um...like that...?" Cloud had grabbed the glass of water on the bedside table and thrown it in Kadaj's face. Stupid really, but it got the job done.

"I'll kill you, I swear. Oh gods, my eyes. Oooww..." He snarled weakly, all thoughts of being civil thrown out the window.

"Like I said, calm down and let the medicine do it's work." Cloud reached down to touch the pale cheek reassuringly. Kadaj twitched, then snapped at the hand, teeth clipping on empty air when the man jumped back. "Don't touch me!"

"Have it your way." The blonde grinned at the younger man's childish actions and began to back out of the room.

"Smirk at me again and I'll kill you."

Cloud left him alone to brood in silence.

- - - - -

Notes: Heh, Kadaj's hair is gonna be frizzy in the morning. XD

-Dove