Hey I know I said the end of November but my uncle died and I was in personal distress about my life and where it was going. It dug up a lot ugly thoughts for me and I haven't been able to write freely. Sorry about the delay. This is probably the last chapter on the ship and I took the ship's interior from Dirge of Cerberus.

Disclaimer: I don't own square enix or any of the characters in their movies or games.

Kadaj's thoughts

/flashbacks from now on/

Chapter Four: Release on Probation

Kadaj slept without any dreams that night. No visits from dream people or people he didn't know. He slept until the morning in the darkness that he was so use to. Before, he would only have dreams when Jenova had task for him to do. Kadaj slept in that blissful state of nothingness until he was roused by a piercing noise outside his cell.

Immediately, he was in high alert, keen senses wary for anything. His eyes scanned everywhere. His head rose out of the crook of his arm to allow him better hearing. Kadaj uncurled from out of his blanket when he heard the clicks of shoes hitting the hard metallic floor. He stretched his lanky arms and legs along the mattress; his muscles screamed as they slapped and expanded from his all-night fetal position. He loved how it felt to have his body scream from pain; strengthen its muscles, gain endurance, and the numbness and sensitivity that came from it afterwards.

Kadaj let his muscle relaxed as he exhaled a breath he hadn't known he was holding. The clicking shoes came to a stop in front of his cell wall. He looked over expecting one of the officers to have his breakfast but he say no food only what looked chained handcuffs. Kadaj's eyes narrowed slightly with contempt at the sight of them, but he really didn't let on much else.

The men jumped when the silver-haired teen jumped of his mattress and was in their faces in less than two steps. Kadaj smiled at their reaction and even let a chuckle slip out just for the fun if it. One of them jumped back at him with a glare, "Hey you better act right or…" the man stopped as Kadaj looked into his eyes with a steely glare that made the soldier's leer seem like a passing glance. The man stood like a statue, waiting for the attack or strike of a predator. The other man came to free him from the menacing leer.

"Prisoner 13457, Kadaj, we have been asked to help transport you to the upper deck, if you abide by our rules. Do you understand what is being instructed of you?" This officer was more composed and under control than his partner. He was blond man that wore more patches and metals than his partner. Kadaj knew that this blond was the real one in charge, just ordering around his subordinate. Kadaj looked at him for a moment, suspicious of the motives. He really detested being stood over, even when it was Loz over his shoulder.

"Why I am being moved? Is there to be an execution or am I being let go? Because I have nowhere to go if they need more time to decide. Nothing, but time to waste." Kadaj voiced heavy with sarcasm. The blond man tilted his head to the side, eyes looking at the ceiling obviously thinking of how to answer the question.

The blond cleared his throat and said, "That's what you'll and all of us are going to find out, along with the rest of the ship." The man smoothed down his breast pocket. A knowing gesture Kadaj recognized. The guard knew what was going to happen to him, but was withholding information. He didn't resist the urge to glare at the man. He stepped back from the cell and stood with his hands outstretched inviting them into the pair of slender limbs.

"Lieutenant Barton, should I open the cell door?" the young man said, looking hesitant to even inch near the Kadaj's cell. Lieutenant Barton nodded his head toward the door in response. The dark haired young man moved in front of the cell and put in the code to open the door.

Kadaj watched as he pushed in the code carefully in case he needed it later, 'Never know when things come handy.' He was careful to keep his arms out and perfectly still as he stood. The teenage clone knew that he was also being watched by the other guard. The cell door opened with a clink and the man walked with his hand on his belt. Kadaj eyes only wavered for a moment to his hand before returning back to his face.

Kadaj watched carefully, knowing he was being watched just as attentively. His mako-green eyes never left the person in his cell, but he could feel Lieutenant Barton's presences and eyes. Kadaj wasn't stupid in the head like everyone thought. He looked at the man inside the cell intensively as the he reached into his belt and pulled out the steel handcuffs. Hold each cuff in his hands the brown haired man stood in front of Kadaj.

"Sergeant Giovanni, make sure to put cuffs on his ankles and get those handcuffs on tightly. We don't want one the prisoner to escape on our watch. There is no need to be afraid now. I know prisoner 13457 is curious about his sudden invitation topside. Let's get him out of the cell and up to the deck as soon as possible. Understand, Sergeant?"

Giovanni nodded and began to place the heavy steel handcuffs on his wrist. Kadaj's eyes narrowed as he watched the restraints were placed on his slender wrist. "He's right. I have nowhere to run to even if I did want to escape. Everything is gone along with my family." It was true, so true. He watched as the sergeant went down on one knee in order to put on the ankle restraints.

Giovanni tensed in front of Kadaj. He knew that he was practically defenseless if teen wanted to attack him. Kadaj sighed loudly, flipping hair out of his face, which was a bit hard with heavy weights on each wrist. As Giovanni began to attach the restraints on the teen's ankle Kadaj thought back to what he had said. It was the truth he had nowhere to go in this cell or the world on the outside. He was old hatred in humanly form after all. Kadaj started to drift into a depressing spiral when he was slapped back to reality as soon as the handcuffs were turned on.

This had to be a modified version. The already heavy shackles tightened on Kadaj's wrists and ankles making it impossible to slip out. "This is annoying. It's not like I going to kill you? Or am I?" Kadaj said with mischievous glint in his eyes. Giovanni had backed away while Kadaj daydreamed and now was staring the teen like he had grown another head.

"I'm joking, really. I'm cognizant of the situation. I won't hurt anyone in the crew, I swear on my heart." Kadaj stretched his arms in front of him to be lead away, like an obedient captive.

Lieutenant Barton joined the younger men in the cell and addressed them, "Let's get there shall we? Never know what's going to happen until it does." Barton pulled a thick leashed and attached it in between the handcuffs. Giving the leash a slight tug, Barton made sure everything was accounted for before lead Kadaj out of the cell.

Kadaj walked stiffly as he was lead down the hall like a dog in his opinion. Sergeant Giovanni stood behind him, maybe two paces at glance. Kadaj kept his head tilted to the ground watching the feet in front of him marched. When the lieutenant reached the end of the hall he hands opened the door slowly, peeking out and gradually let the people behind him see out in front of him. Barton pulled Kadaj's leash somewhat harshly along as he entered into the hall. Kadaj put up no resistance and walked smoothly despite he shackles and condition.

No one was on the hall as they walked, so Kadaj steadily strode down the hall looking at the blank walls of the walkway. He really wasn't paying much mind to the man behind because, well, there was no point. Giovanni wasn't going to shoot him or hit him upside the head for any reason so why would he pay attention to a tag-along. The group had walked to a door and as soon as it opened the people stopped talking and looked at them; more so Kadaj.

'Don't they have things to do? I wish these people would stop gawking at me.' Kadaj looked at them, each one of them, looking them in the eye. Most turned their head away from the piercing mako eyes. Kadaj turned to face all of them looked at through all the crew mates and WRO soldiers, then he did something that surprised everyone in the room.

He bowed. His hair fell forward into his face as he bent at the waist.

There were some gasps and raised eyebrows but a tense air ensnared all onlookers. Kadaj stood erect again and faced Lieutenant Barton who was looking lopsided-look on his face. Kadaj yanked his hands over his head almost pulling the leash out of Barton's hand, but the man slapped back to his professional state of mind.

"Alright, then let's go, kid. We need to get on the deck pronto. Everyone let us though and get back to work…" The man glared at them all, "Now people!" He shouted.

The groups dispersed in a rush going back to the tedious things they nay have been doing. Kadaj was lead again down the hall and they went up to the deck. The door opened on to the deck illuminated with bright sunlight as they flew though the sky, spearing the clouds. Kadaj saw all the clouds as the airship flew against the blue sky. It seemed to him the sky was much too blue than before. It seemed that nothing would be the same anymore.

He stopped cloud-watching and saw the entire Cloud team, or brother's friends he liked to call them, standing and sitting in a circle. Kadaj walked towards them slowly and heard his own heavy footsteps. Everyone looked at him with a frown except for Yuffie, who looked put out in his opinion. That didn't matter though, so he just stared out in front of him. No one spoke as they sat in semicircle facing Kadaj.

The woman named Tifa cleared her throat loudly. Kadaj glanced at her as she stood up. In one swift motion she was in front of him.

"Do you know why you are here, Kadaj? Why you are in front of us, not rotting in a cell God knows where?" Tifa asked as she placed on hand on her hip.

"No. I was left on the dark about what this meeting is about. I am sure that you will tell me, Ms. uh… Tifa, was it?" Kadaj said to her in a civilized tone that was hardly audible. Tifa was taken back by his sudden politeness but she only raised an eyebrow in response.

"That's right and we have decided, after much thought, to have a trail to determine what to do with you. Can you please step into the center of the circle?" Tifa held her hand out to him, beckoning Kadaj forward.

Kadaj walked into the center of the judges. All eyes were on him, but his brother's. He didn't expect them to look at him with a glee though he wished that he would look at him at least.

'I will be better, I promise brother. I will make you proud of me and see I, too, can be good and amiable.' Kadaj stood in there his head held high, only without boastful confidence. His heavy handcuffs made his shoulders slump and they had began to ache. It didn't matter that now, he had to remain strong.

"We, this assembly, have had time to think about what will be the best way to deal with you, to be blunt. I really didn't get to interaction with you, personal. I had more time getting to know the tall one. So I don't know much other than what I know about you and the two taller remnants in Edge. I … I mean we …have decided to hear what you have to say to all of your crimes. Reeves, could you please list the criminal record and damage report." Tifa's voice was formal and professional.

Tifa took her sit as Reeves stood and read a long list of damages to the cities, infrastructures, landscapes and of course all the people that were critical hurt or killed. Kadaj squirmed at all the people he had unintentionally hurt and all the things that had been destroyed. He tried to feel bad about it but he just could not feel apologetic toward the people. It was not that he was indifferent to their loss, but he could really feel that loss because he had never really had a home or someplace of importance. It made Kadaj feel as if he had been missing something really important, but buildings were just structures, right? So why did it means some much to people?

The remnant understood the loss of family, though it was a new feeling. 'I guess it would be normal to miss them now. It can't be now.'

"Do you accept responsibility for all this destruction, Kadaj?" Reeves inquired after reading off the long list. All eyes looked at him as he came back from his daydreaming.

Kadaj's piercing blue-green eyes stared at Reeves while he answered, "I don't know. I never had to worry about the feelings of others except for my brethren. I assume that you want me to take blame, so I shall." Kadaj's face went blank.

"That is," Yuffie said, "not enough, man. You have to feel responsible for it. Try feeling what the people experienced," Yuffie tried to make emphasis about the great important of people lives.

Kadaj lowered his head and murmured, "I know. I try to do what mother says."

"Your mother! Are you still connected to Jenova, Kadaj? Can you still feel a pull to her now? Tell us because we need to know, remnant?" Tifa exclaimed loudly after hearing the quiet statement. She stood up in arms and all looked in shock at Kadaj. They had assumed that the boy had been disconnected from the alien torso.

"No, I am talking about my new mother, Aerith. You know her brother … er Cloud," the silver haired one looked at Cloud as processes the information. "She came to me days ago in a dream. A woman dressed in pink called Aerith told me that she would help me, now and told me about you Cloud."

The young blond looked at the prisoner in shock. He couldn't understand how the teen had met a woman that had been dead for years. Cloud looked into Kadaj's eyes searching for the slightest sign of falsehood. When he found none, he relaxed but a nervous energy hovered in his chest about the situation.

"He's telling the truth, Tifa. He has seen Aerith, but I don't know how," Cloud concluded to the lead investigator.

"This may change a few things now. If this is true, then there must be a good reason why Aerith would reveal herself to you," Tifa pondered out loud, " Please take him out to the hall while we discuss this new … development. Don't go too far, though."

The guards came forward and walked Kadaj out of the door nearest the cockpit. Kadaj saw Barton from before waiting outside of the door.

"Are they done already so soon? What is the verdict?" the lieutenant asked the two men that now accompanied Kadaj.

"No. They are taking a break and deciding what should be done with him now that the hero team has more information, Lieutenant." The guard on the left side addressed his superior as he held onto the detainee.

"Well, I guess you must be something else to change their minds now. Am I right, bright eyes?" Barton smiled as he jested with Kadaj, who smiled in return. The smile was more of a smirk, but it was better than the creepy smile from when he was under Sephiroth's influence.

The two guard men wore helmets, concealing their face from Kadaj. He stood up straight and waited for his judges to finish deciding his sentence. After waiting for ten minutes, Kadaj began to feel the weight chains again. Shifting on his feet, his impatience grew along with his mind's wanderings.

'What is taking so long? What do they have to decide? If they are going to kill me, why is there delay?' Kadaj debated with himself. As he searched for answers something dawned on him, 'I don't want to die. I want to live, but they are going to kill me or incarcerate me and I wouldn't call that living.'

His pondering was interrupted with the doors behind him slid open. "We are ready now. Bring him," Cid stood in the doorway. His gruff face had an ambiguous expression, between disappointment and a warm smile. It did little to comfort the teen now.

They walked though the door and everyone was standing up. Kadaj then stood where he did before in front of Tifa.

"We have decided to give you a second chance because you had been brain washed by the evils of Shinra. You will be relocated to Edge where you did the most damage. There you will be living under our surveillance. With many of us already living there it will be easy to keep track of you."

Kadaj was shocked. They weren't going to execute him or imprison him?

"It would seem that all of damage you have done has dawned on you so, you will among those who you hurt and you will live like any other human there until you harm someone or a danger to others. We will not hesitate to eliminate the problem, understand?

His mouth hung open, slightly but Kadaj couldn't get it to come together. He was speechless. 'They are letting me go?'

"I do, but I don't understand why. You would rather I live among you even though I have done so many thing that hurt you and others? That doesn't seem wise at all," Kadaj pondered out loud. He was so honestly confused about his 'sentence.' In hindsight, he regretted talking bad about the punishment, which could be turned into something more painful.

"Would you prefer we have shot or eat by wild dogs? No? Then stop complaining!" Yuffie huffed as she plopped down in front of Barret. Kadaj could tell she did not like him being let off the hook either. Looking around there were not many happy faces but there weren't any anger one either. Cloud looked toward him and shrugged his shoulders.

Kadaj bowed his head, "I will do as you ask. It's much better than I expected… thank you." Kadaj's head was in fog as he was sent to his cell again. All these things were happening so fast. How he come from a traveling mercenary to a prisoner being released on probation. What was mother going to say now?


I know that its been a ling time but I ran out of inspiration and the people in my life don't know about this secret vice of writing. I will not promise anything because I don't even now how tomorrow will go. Please review and be patient but if that not your forte, that's cool too.

BTW: MERRY CHRISTMAS!! ALL