Summary: To put it in a nutshell... Yazoo and Kadaj are searching the old lab complex in the ruined ShinRa building because Kadaj has been told by Mother that there is something of great use to them hidden therein when they come across a woman hibernating in a drug-induced sleep, genetically modified with Jenova cells by Hojo himself in a private experiment. They download all the information on her to their minicomputer, wake her up, and take both her and the file back to their hideout in the Forgotten City. There they discover some very interesting information concerning this woman, Zhaira, and a possible way to bring Cloud over to their side. Can Zhaira actually make Cloud betray his friends and the Planet with her Jenova-given abilities? And what is Kadaj's interest in her, an interest that goes beyond a working relationship?
Disclaimer: I don't own FFVII. All I have is a copy of Advent Children and Dirge of Cerberus (desperately searching Ebay to remedy that problem, but the prices for Buy-it-Now are OUTRAGEOUS).
Queen's Quornor: Ok, this fic is getting a plot change. In thinking things over I realized my original plot would never work. So I'm going to be trying something else. Zhaira can do something really big, can do something that can make things all the easier for the SHM as their Reunion approaches, but it isn't going to be a second Meteor. I'm thinking it will have something to do with a certain 'Big Brother' and the cells inside him... Oh, and please forgive me about the materia names.
Proper Attire
"There you are, my lovelies." Zhaira plucked a pair of swords off the ground, both gleaming silver despite the dust around them. She twirled them experimentally in her hands, put them through a brief, flashy manuever, and smiled in satisfaction. "Still as perfect as ever."
"Those look like powerful weapons," Yazoo murmured. "What are they called? More importantly, what can they do?"
"These blades are special." The woman found a belt in the cornor of the room and hung them in the loops before buckling the leather accessory around her hips. "Heirlooms of my mother's family that I took with me when Father gave me to ShinRa. They both have a materia permanently installed within the hilts, a Lightning and a Fire. This one," she pointed to the one on the right "is Lialadrian, the Blade of Scorching Flames. The other is Zapitan, the Mighty Shock. Each blade channels the power of the materia within when I will them to do so."
"That is indeed powerful." Kadaj looked around, feeling a need to get out of this hell-hole. "C'mon, let's get out of here. This place gives me the creeps."
They made their way out of the manor and back to their motorcycles. Zhaira hesitated, unsure of who to climb on with. Yazoo noticed her dilemma, and patted the back of his seat. "You can ride with me, until we reach town. Our brother should be waiting in Edge for us by now. We can get you some new clothes there."
"Thank you. The kindness is much appreciated." Zhaira slid on behind the slender male, linking her arms tightly around his waist so she would not fall off. Once she was settled, the keys were turned and the brothers were off, speeding across the landscape and away towards Edge. Kadaj, always a reckless driver, had even more near-crashes than usual this time.
He couldn't stop glancing over at Yazoo, or more specifically, Zhaira. She was leaning her head against his brother's back, eyes closed. It looked like she was asleep.
Kadaj thought back to the time he had spent with her in the manor's holding cell block. They were friends, just kids finding comfort in each other through a crack in the wall, whisperingb to each other in the dark of the night so neither would be scared, so they knew they were not alone.
He had never been more afraid than he had been after the SOLDIERs had dragged her away, leaving him shivering in the darkness with no one to talk to.
Zhaira had never really left his mind. Sometimes at night, when he was in pain from the day's experiments or shaking in terror of the nightmare that was his reality, he would imagine she was still on the other side of that crack and whisper to her, telling her what had been done to him, what had made him so afraid. He had often wondered where the SOLDIERs had taken her, what had been done to her that she was so afraid of.
Seeing her now, resting her head against his brother's back, he felt his possessive side spark up.
Mine.
He didn't know why Jenova could possibly be interested in her, but taht seemed to matter little next to his need to hold her close and never let her go again.
Sister?
No. She is not a Remnant.
Then what is she?
I don't know.
His chain of thought was abruptly broken when he swerved to avoid yet another head-on collision with a boulder.
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"I'll take her to the store. You find Loz." Kadaj grabbed Zhaira's arm and hauled her down the street, away from his brother and thier bikes. "We'll meet back here when our errands are completed."
"Do you need any gil, Kadaj?" Yazoo queried.
"I've got enough." The younger brother waved his free hand over his shoulder, assuring the older Remnant that he had everything under control. "Besides, Linjee will give me a discount. We are her favorite customers, after all."
Yazoo merely answered with one of his patented hmms and went in the opposite direction, going to see if Loz had arrived at the designated spot.
"Where are you taking me?" Zhaira hissed, yanking her arm out of Kadaj's grip.
"Linjee's shop. We can get you some appropriate clothing there." He put his hands on his hips and looked at her. "Or do you want to keep that little rag on?"
"Er... I think I'll take the shop," the woman replied, hearing someone from down the alley they passed whistle a cat-call at her. The white dress-thing didn't leave much to the imagination, that was for certain. Besides, she hated white. "Lead on."
Kadaj just grinned and took her a little further down the street, until they reached a shop called Leather Fetish. "My brothers and I got our outfits done here, along with some other articles of clothing for variety. Linjee, the owner, is basically our personal tailor. She does repairs for us free of charge because we present her a challenge whenever we come in wanting something."
"You get free repairs for that?"
"Linjee likes challenges. Most people prefer to just buy things off the racks; anyone who brings her a design and wants it custom-made earns brownie points with her." He pushed open the door and strolled inside, almost arrogantly. "Linjee! I've brought you a customer!"
"Kadaj? Is that you?" A woman popped up from behind the counter, and when Zhaira saw her she barely kept her jaw from hitting the floor. The woman was fairly beautiful, with long purple hair that covered one sapphire eye, leaving the other to gaze at them in amusement. Her ears had numerous piercings, and she noticed that the woman's lip and nose were pierced as well. She resembled exactly what Zhaira might have expected of the owner of a store with a name like 'Leather Fetish,' but for one small thing.
The woman was only a little over four feet tall.
"Yeah, it's me. Nice to see you again, Linjee. Have you gotten that tattoo you were talking about yet?" He didn't seem to mind that the store owner's head barely came up to his chest.
"Yes, I have." She turned her back to him, displaying a tattoo of a brilliantly-colored butterfly gracing one shoulderblade, perfectly visible above her shiney red leather corset. "Now, what can I do for you?"
"I'd like you to outfit a friend of mine with appropriate attire. You see, she was robbed on the streets while coming to visit my brothers and I, and the men who attacked her were cruel enough to steal even the clothes off her body. I feel some responsibility for this outrage, as she was on her way to our home, so I'm paying for her clothes." Zhaira fought not to look at him, to give away the lie. Where did he learn to tell a falsity like that so convincingly?
"Any idea who it was?" Linjee cracked her knuckles loudly. "I can track 'em down and get your stuff back for you, if you want, Ms...?"
Oh, she wanted her name. "Zhaira. My name is Zhaira. And no, I don't know who they were. It all happened so quickly..."
Linjee didn't seem to notice the woodeness of her voice. She merely nodded, and ducked down again, this time popping back up with measuring tape in hand. "Well then, Zhaira. Let's go to the back room and get your measurements, all right?"
While Linjee was busy with the woman, Kadaj wandered around the shop, examining the objects displayed on shelves and racks with minimal interest. His mind was occupied with what Mother could possibly have seen in Zhaira to call her to his attention. Yes, she had Mother's cells inside her, but so did Big Brother. What could Zhaira do that would be of use to them?
She was genetically altered to serve as a breeding partner for Sephiroth, he reminded himself. That was her main purpose. From the sound of it, her secondary purpose was something along the lines of SOLDIER, possibly First Class. But a lot of people were altered with mako for that. Not all of them made it, but there were still a lot of them. There's got to be something in those files, something really special. But what?
"OK, I think I have something that will work." Linjee bustled out of the fitting room with a clipboard in hand, furiously scribbling something down on the paper. "There's a piece I was working on that was not paid for, and the woman who ordered it never came to pick it up. I can have it custom-fitted in just a short-while. Do you want the cross-straps on her outfit as well?"
"Yeah." She's gotta look like she belongs.
"Very well. I'll have it out in just a few minutes." She disappeared into the back, adding something to the clipboard.
"Good." He turned his attention back to the stilletto-heeled boots lined up against the wall. A couple of them, he noted idly, had metal sheaths on the heels. Well, maybe he'd look into getting something like that if he ever outgrew his own boots.
He wandered around the shop for a while, examining the latest styles and accessories, until Linjee came back to the front of the store and entered the fitting room, holding something black in her arms. Curious, he wound his way around the racks until he was close enough to the room to hear the conversation going on within.
"Why are these bits cut out?"
"That is what the woman ordered. She had some tattoos on her sides she wanted to show off, and this outfit was meant to serve that purpose. I know they looks a little stupid, but this was the only thing I have that matches your measurements. If you have the gil, I could custom-make another suit for you..."
"No... This one is just fine. I wouldn't want to ask too much of Kadaj and his brothers."
There was a pause, followed by a zipping sound, and then Linjee spoke up. "You know, this piece looks really good on you. Almost as if it was made for you instead of that hussy." Kadaj heard some clipping sounds, like a pair of snaps being pressed together. "The cut-outs really emphasize your waist. I swear, the men are going to be following you around going 'damn, she's fine!' You'll need to beat them off with a stick when they catch sight of you."
The comment made Kadaj bristle. It was irrational to think so, but Zhaira was his. Nobody else was going to lay a finger on her without his say-so, not even his brothers. Not even Sephiroth, if he were still alive. Which he wasn't.
Zhaira laughed softly, a beautiful sound. "I won't need a stick. I have my babies here for that."
"Wow. Yeah, those'll get the job done. Yes, that outfit is very flattering on you, but it still needs a few things."
"Like what?"
"Some boots, a pair of gloves, and a belt or loop or something to hold those blades of yours. They really aren't that long, are they? Only about eighteen inches. Hmm... I think you can get away with modified thigh holsters; your legs are certainly long enough to carry them comfortably. Wait here for a second." The woman rushed out of the fitting room and over to the shelves. She grabbed a pair of gloves, high-heeled boots, and some long straps, all of black leather, and returned to her current victim. "Put these on, and let's see if we can't make something to hold your babies with these."
There was relative silence for a while, save for the noise of zippers and a knife slicing through leather. "There. Try putting them in these loops I've made."
"They're kinda high up the leg, aren't they? Can't they be shoved down a little?"
"No. Unless you want the blades to get tangled up in your ankles, that is."
"Fine. Hey, they fit perfectly! And it doesn't look that bad either!"
"No, it doesn't. In fact, I think those thigh-straps really make the outfit. Come on, let's show your friend and see if he approves." The curtain was shoved aside and Linjee stepped out, followed by Zhaira. "Well? What do you think?"
Kadaj found speaking a bit difficult. The leather garb suited the woman to a T, form-fitting to her curves with long sleeves and a high neckline. There were panels cut out on the sides so her ribs and the upper swell of her hips were naked, but the back and front retained the original connecting leather. The outfit was held closed by a zipper up the front, and there were leather cross-straps across her chest and upper back, just as with he and his brothers. Furthermore, the boots Linjee had chosen made her seem even taller, her legs all the longer. Her swords were held flush to her thighs by a pair of leather straps, and the tailor had been correct; the metal of the blades really did make Zhaira look all the more dangerous and appealing.
She was looking at him shyly, awaiting his approval. The silver-haired male managed to work up enough spit to moisten his mouth, and thus got his words out. "You look perfect, Zhaira. Like you belong with us."
"Thank you... Kadaj." Her voice was soft. Even with his acute sense of hearing, he had to strain to understand her.
"You're welcome."
"Well, I'm glad you like it. I know every man in Edge is going to be staring when she passes by, that's for certain." Linjee bustled up to the counter and began punching numbers into the register. The total price for Zhaira's new look was staggering, but Kadaj had enough gil to cover it. As they walked out of the store, Zhaira leaned in close to him.
"Where did you get that much gil?"
Kadaj smiled lazily, a predator's satisfaction. "Don't ask. You wouldn't like the answer."
He felt, more than saw, the woman's shudder and knew it was, despite all indicators to the contrary, not of revulsion.
It was excitement.
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Queen: Yeah, I'm still alive. Sorry if this chapter sucks. I have so many ideas for this story swirling around in my head, but they mostly concern later chapters. That's why it took me so long to put this chapter up; I'm having problems figuring out how to get the plot to go where I can use those ideas.
Kadaj: Which is why the plot is getting such a major revamp. She's finally gotten her paws on a copy of Final Fantasy VII, and figured out that it would be near-impossible for Zhaira to command another Meteor by herself, genetic alterations aside.
Yazoo: At least Loz and I show up in the next chapter. From the earlier bits of this chapter, I can easily see a love triangle coming into existence here.
Queen: That possibility is being taken into consideration. However, to see if it does come into being, you'll just have to read it for yourself. I can tell you, however, that sooner or later there will be some smut in here. I take full advantage of the M rating, no matter what fandom I'm currently writing in.
Kadaj: You mean I actually get laid for once? YES!!!
Yazoo: She might mean me, brother.
Queen (smiling evilly): We shall see, my friends. We shall see. Now to the readers still partaking of this nonsense, leave a review in the proper area, please! An author likes to know how her fic is doing in the eyes of the people, you know! Does this suck? Does this succeed? Tell me!
Yazoo: Or you'll be getting a bullet in an extremely sensative location.
Queen: Yazoo, please don't threaten the readers. We have laws against that, you know.
Kadaj: Out of curiosity, what can he do? I mean, you locked up his Velvet Nightmare!
Queen: True, but I also know that he can use other guns just as well as that one. Until next time...
Kadaj: Leave a review, and we'll see you around!
(transmission ended)