3. Hard to say goodbye
It was like an invisible hand reached into his chest and grasped a hold of his soul. Pain shot through him and numbed his limbs. It was hard to breathe. Yet, Sephiroth found the whispering in his head even more horrible than the physical pain. Flashes of his past kept appearing in front of his eyes, and he was struggling to focus on the young man in front of him. The one who was watching him with a slight smile. Clenching his teeth hard, Sephiroth tried to straighten and staggered slightly with one hand firmly to his chest and the other raised his beloved sword.
"Brothers fight sometimes," Kadaj teased with a smirk, spinning his sword. "But Mother wants us to work together this time. Can't you feel it, big brother?"
Another jolt of pain. Sephiroth staggered again, fighting to breathe. "I'm... going to kill you..."
Kadaj clicked his tongue and stuck his chin out. "Seems like I have to beat some sense into you. You'll thank me later, big brother!"
Once again it was instinct that made Sephiroth raise the Masamune was block the attack, but this time it was Kadaj driving him backwards. He couldn't attack, barely defend himself. Swords collided several times, each impact forcing him further and further back. He barely felt the pain as he was sent crashing through the door of the house and rolled across the floor. The Masamune slid across the ground as it came loose from Sephiroth's grip, and he exhaled sharply when a chair was shattered before he abruptly was halted by the wall.
Footsteps. Kadaj was daintily entering the house as well. His boots sounded impossibly loud against the floor.
Sephiroth groaned softly, trying to force the sounds inside his head quiet and will himself up on his feet again. But the pain wouldn't stop. Like jolts of electricity running through him. Flashes of images that he couldn't entirely understand what was. And that voice...
Kadaj halted in front of the once so mighty general, squirming in agony on the floor and surrounded by debris. "We need you, big brother. We need all our brothers. The Reunion wont be complete without everyone there, you know." Lifestream coloured eyes narrowed slightly in contempt. "How can you turn your back on Mother?"
Quite easily, Sephiroth thought snarkily and managed to glare up at the other man. Like this, he would get himself killed and Aeris wouldn't just have lost her daughter. Dying was not an option. Neither was joining this copycat trio! However much his brain refused, his body was still trembling under Jenova's attack. And he'd lost his weapon. "She's... using you. She uses... everyone."
Frowning, Kadaj slowly placed his boot on Sephiroth's wrist and pressed down on it. "Don't talk about Mother that way."
Sephiroth slowly opened his hand, not breaking eye contact for one second. "Whatever she is promising you... Jenova is lying." He saw the other man flinch and anger flaring up in his eyes. "That voice? It isn't real. She's using you!" At that moment, when Kadaj frowned in fury and uncertainty, his defence dropped enough for Sephiroth to make his move. The tiniest movement and an unspoken request, and the Masamune came flying towards him.
Kadaj spun around in a blur, using his own sword to block and send the Masamune careening away, but was unable to prevent Sephiroth from leaping up on his feet again. Anger raged through him, and he lashed out at his older brother with every intention of killing him despite what Mother said.
A quick dodge allowed Sephiroth to avoid the first attack, but another spasm nearly sent him to his feet again, and he was forced to grab a hold of the first thing he could to block the second attack.
Sparks flew as metal collided with metal.
Trying to catch his breath, Sephiroth glared into Kadaj's eyes as the two stood facing each other and swords locked together. It took a second for him to notice the red bandana tied around the hilt of the huge sword he was holding. It took about another half second for Sephiroth to notice the sword. The Ultima Sword. He blinked with surprise and that was all Kadaj needed.
A sidestep, and Kadaj lashed out while aiming for Sephiroth's side. He was surprised to see his big brother maneuvering the massive sword that easily to block the attack and felt the tremors running up his arms from the impact. This sword was almost as powerful as the Masamune! The younger man sneered angrily, knowing that fate had once again worked against him and given his opponent another chance at a fair fight. Kadaj hated fair fights!
Sephiroth adjusted his grip ever so slightly, the heavy weight horribly unfamiliar when compared to the slender Masamune. Still, it felt good. The spirit of the sword seemed intent on co-operating and determined to defeat it's opponent. It felt, for a eerie moment, that the shadow of Strife himself was beside him.
There was a sickening sound as Loz lifted one hand against the palm of the other and cracked his knuckles. "I wanna play..."
Tifa bit her lower lip, gazing from the silver haired man to Cid still leaning heavily on the Venus Gospel while trying to gather himself. "Cid...?"
"I'm..." Cid gritted his teeth to prevent a pained sound from escaping, but had to wait a heartbeat before he could continue. "I'm ok... Gonna kick his ass... any minute now..." Was this what a heart attack felt like? A heart attack with film flashes from a life you never lived, and a voice in your head telling you it's alright? Hardly!
Clutching the child close and placing a hand protectively on his head, Tifa slowly side-stepped Loz while never taking her eyes of him. "Cid... What's wrong? What is happening?"
Cid fought to breathe, shaking his head. "N-Nothing, Tifa... I can handle it..."
Liar.
Tifa actually heard the leather creak as Loz drew a deep breath to sigh, his jacket struggling to stay snug over his muscles. "Cid, I need you to hold the boy, ok?" She swallowed down her own nervous feeling.
"What?" Cid trembled as it felt like his chest was imploding. "No, Tifa, you just stand back, and I'll..."
"You'll what?" Tifa interrupted sharply. "Wheeze on him? I'm going to hand the boy over to you, Cid, and then I'll play with our new friend here." She carefully glanced over at Loz, who merely shrugged. He obviously didn't care who he played with, as long as he got to snap some spines.
Cid objected weakly as Tifa pried the little boy loose from herself and handed him over to the reluctant pilot. "Protect him with your life, Cid. You got that?"
"Yeah, yeah," Cid grumbled weakly, trying to hold himself standing instead of sinking to the ground with the newly added weight to his already trembling frame.
Tifa stroke a light hand over the child's blonde hair. "You owe his father that much, Highwind." With that, she turned and walked back to face Loz. She even pretended not to hear Cid's baffled curse as he recognized the little boy's blue eyes.
Loz leaned back slightly and measured her suspiciously. "You got kids?"
Flinching, Tifa forced herself to remain calm. "Yes." She slowly raised her fists. "And I'll kill you before I'll let you near them or this little child."
Chuckling amused, Loz got into a fighting position as well. "Let's see about that..."
Tifa's eyes narrowed.
He let her make the first move. Waiting until she rushed against him. Her strength surprised him, and Loz felt his arms tremble as he blocked her punch. Her strength surprised him enough to let her add a few more punches for him to block, before he reached out and grabbed a hold of her arm to toss her away. The elegant mid-air turn made Loz smile and he felt strangely satisfied to see her landing on her feet. Yes, this could be fun!
He was strong. Horribly and unnaturally strong! Tifa sprinted towards her opponent and slid under his attack, trying to sweep his legs underneath him as well. A punch aimed at her hit the ground instead, and she actually felt the tremble from where she got up on her feet. And that thing on his hand... It had barely grazed her and she still felt her muscles twitch from the electricity. Running towards him again, Tifa clenched her fists hard and put all her strength into a fierce kick to his face.
Loz staggered backwards at the kick, a sense of pain actually ringing through his senses, but it didn't drown out the thrill. She was strong, true, but her greatest strength was in her speed. The brunette was dangerously fast. He actually had trouble keeping up at times, and got more than his share of kicks and punches. Face, face, gut, elbow to gut and a kick to the face again. Face, gut, toss into air, and face before gut once more. He was almost sorry when he rammed his fist into her stomach and heard her agonized sound before letting a charge of electricity rush into her. That was the attack that always finished the fight. Loz sighed disappointed when he tossed her away, letting her fall limply to the ground. He'd wanted to play some more, but Kadaj had made it clear they were there for a reason! Turning to gaze at the pilot, now down on one knee and yet still holding the little child, Loz gesticulated faintly. "Just hand the boy over..."
"We're not... done yet..." Tifa's voice choked out, and she saw the surprise in his reptilian eyes as he spun around to find her standing. Her entire body was hurting, her muscles in spasms after the shock, but her will was even stronger. Strong enough to allow her a moment of glory when she managed to dash over, grab a hold of Loz's throat and slam him to the ground with enough force to leave a mark.
Loz felt the air being knocked out of his lungs, and he failed to hold back the pained sound. He rolled away from her intended stomp, and got up quickly. His enhanced speed allowed him to rush over and grasp a hold of her throat tight enough to block her airway. She was willing to die for a child?
Metal sliced through flesh and blood soared through the air before slamming against a window. Crimson drops ran down the clear surface like tears.
Seconds later, the window shattered as a form smashed through it in a shower of shards glimmering like diamonds. A quick roll on the ground, and Sephiroth was back up on his feet to meet Kadaj as he followed him through the window. The Ultima sword blocked the younger man's sword, and the two swordsmen were locked together for a moment to glare murderously at each other. Heavy breathing and the dripping sound of blood hitting the ground.
A blink of an eye and they were just as suddenly attacking and defending in movements too fast for the regular eye to be able to keep up with. Sparks when the swords met and trails of blood following their in their tracks.
Sephiroth breathed hard as the swords were locked against each other again, not taking his glare off Kadaj but noticing Tifa struggling to free herself from Loz's grip on her throat. Things were out of hand. Though he'd managed to spill Kadaj's blood, the older of the two had also suffered a couple of injuries. A cut to his side were bleeding enough to cause concern. It had to end soon, or it would end for real!
Almost seeing the thoughts churning behind his older brother's eyes, Kadaj sneered annoyed. Mother had told him that it wouldn't be a problem to defeat Sephiroth. She would help him. But big brother was fighting fiercly, and was showing no sign of giving in.
Another heart beat passed, and Sephiroth was forced to make a decision. It was a dangerous, perhaps lethal, but it was the only possibility he could calculate that resulted in an acceptable result.
Sephiroth put all his weight behind the sword and shoved Kadaj to take a step backwards, then flung the Ultima sword towards Loz and twisted his upper body so that Kadaj's sword cut deep into his upper arm instead of vital organs in his chest. He didn't even pause as he forced his injured arm to reach up and grab a hold around the sharp blade, while reaching out to call for the Masmune. Sephiroth could only register the pain raging through him, failing to see the horrid surprise on Kadaj's face or how Loz was forced to release Tifa and dodge into safety.
Kadaj saw the blood, heard his sword meet bone as it dug into Sephiroth's arm, but he failed to prevent the other man from taking a hold of the blade and summoning his own unnatural sword. The infamous Masamune was in Sephiroth's free hand within seconds, only to be resting against his throat just as fast. He'd lost...?
Breathing strained, Sephiroth cast a quick glance over at the startled Loz staring at them. "Back off, or I kill him!"
"Don't listen!" Kadaj snapped. "Don't you do ANYTHING he says, Loz!"
"Quiet!" Sephiroth increased the pressure on the Masamune, causing a fine line of blood to appear on Kadaj's throat. "You tell him to bring my daughter back to me, or I swear I'll..."
Kadaj laughed strained, trying in vain to tug his own sword free from where Sephiroth's hand was locked around the blade. He was only rewarded with more blood dripping from his older brother's hand. "I'm dead anyway! You're going to kill me whether you get your brat back or not, big brother. I know you."
"Then you should have known better than to have taken her in the first place," Sephiroth sneered in a furious whisper. "Now tell him to bring Zefiris, or I will prove to you that death is far from the worst thing that could happen to someone!"
Kadaj's eyes narrowed but he remained stubbornly silent.
Sephiroth released his grip on Kadaj's blade abruptly and threw out a violent punch to the pretty face. The shock combined with the harsh impact made the younger man stagger backwards, and as the Masamune was released, the second punch hit him even harder. Kadaj was still struggling to make himself react when he fell to the ground, and tried hitting back as his attacker followed. Kadaj's skills in a sword fight nearly rivaled Sephiroth's and his speed nearly matched Loz's, but in a pure fist fight he had some way to go before being able to defeat a furious Sephiroth. The older of the alleged brothers was simply physically stronger after all the years of training in SOLDIER and a hard life. Sephiroth was also angrier and determined to retrieve his daughter even if it killed him. He had nothing to lose!
He'd lost count of how many punches he'd rained over the familiar face, but eventually Sephiroth slowly straightened to glare over at the numb Loz staring at them. Kadaj trembled weakly, but was drifting in and out of consciousness and unable to warn his other brother. "You," Sephiroth slowly got up and tore the young man along with blood soaked hands. "You bring Zefiris back to me, or I'll snap his neck right here!"
Loz stared nervously at Kadaj's limp form, over at Tifa gazing warily at him, finally at Cid sitting with the child in his arms with every look of fighting him if he tried anything. Then he turned and abruptly ran into the forrest at an unnatural speed. He didn't know what to do! Yazoo would know!
Tifa slowly sank to her knees in the soft grass and her eyes filled with tears as she slowly reached out to touch the cold stone. She couldn't believe it... It wasn't possible... It was just some horrible nightmare... It just wasn't possible...
"They came here about... eighteen months ago..." The dark haired woman said softly, gently hoisting the blonde child in her arms. After the fight was over, the people living in the little town had finally dared emerging from their houses and the dark haired woman had agreed to bring Tifa to the child's parents. To their graves, at least. One stone, two names. Cloud and Jessie Strife. "They'd been traveling for some time, and finally wanted a place to settle down. I think they liked our peaceful town."
Biting her lower lip, Tifa let her fingertips trail over the engraved letters as silent tears were finally sliding down her face. "Were they... happy?"
The woman smiled faintly. "Very." She gesticulated faintly back at the house Sephiroth had fought in. "Cloud helped build that house and they lived there after they got married." A warmer smile to the child in her arms. "And just under half a year later, this guy came along. Didn't you?"
Tifa swallowed down her agony, forcing herself not to collapse into a hysterically sobbing heap. "What... happened to them...?" She didn't even know why she suddenly remembered a memory of Jessie laughing. The two of them giggling over drinks in the 7'th Heaven.
A brief silence. A hand brushing over stubborn locks of golden hair. "Cloud got sick. He just... started withering away. Got weaker each day until... After that, Jessie began acting strange. She made Sarah promise to take care of Raito. We all knew she had some kind of sickness too, as she had these attacks almost every two weeks, but...No one knew how bad it was until they found her by his grave a week after she'd lost him..."
A weak breeze brushed through the green grass and a leaf came dancing over the graves. Tifa trembled. She remembered Cloud saving her in Nibelheim. She remembered their promise at the well...
Sephiroth said nothing as he stood behind the agonized Tifa, gazing neutrally at the grave stone. His wounds were somewhat healed thanks to an old woman with a Restore materia, but his mind was still struggling to digest everything that had happened. He was grateful for Cid's silence when the pilot stepped up beside him too. The blonde had been checking up on Kadaj, despite there was no real chance for the young man to be able to break free from the ropes.
"Tifa!" A voice suddenly shouted, and she numbly got up to see Rufus stalking towards her, followed by the rest of the gang. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"
Raw pain made Tifa draw a shivering breath and walk towards him. "Rufus..." However, she got no chance to explain herself before he grabbed a hold of her upper arms and glared furiously at her.
Rufus didn't really know whether he wanted to hug her or shake her half to death. Both probably! When he'd gotten the message that she'd joined Sephiroth and Cid in pursuit of the silver haired men, Rufus had felt the blood drain from his face in pure fear. "Are you trying to get yourself killed, woman? What about the twins? Don't you even have the slightest bit of sense left in that head of yours?"
Tifa made a weak whimper, too deep in sorrow to get angry. "I can take care of myself, Rufus..."
"I see that!" Rufus snapped angrily, taking hold of her chin to tilt her head slightly backwards and exposing the bruises Loz had left on her neck.
Aeris stepped past the arguing couple and walked over to gently take Sephiroth's face between her nimble hands and meet his eyes solemnly. "You ok?"
Closing his eyes briefly, Sephiroth nodded.
She gave him a light kiss, then Aeris saw the graves. Her heart skipped a beat. Her blood went ice cold. Slowly walking towards the headstone, she paused in front of it as if she was hoping it would vanish. Finally sinking to her knees, the flower girl didn't even notice how everyone was silent now. "Oh, Cloud..."
Tifa walked over to the dark haired woman holding the child. "I want Raito to come with us." She absently wiped away another tear that escaped. They just kept coming! "It's not safe here, and..."
Nodding, the dark haired woman reluctantly handed the boy over and told herself she was doing the right thing. Sarah was dead. Cloud and Jessie was dead. But her heart told her to trust these people. Raito would be safe with them. With Tifa. "A child shouldn't experience such losses at his age..."
Tifa sniffled silently, hugging the blonde boy close, and allowed Rufus to place an apologetic arm around her. "He's safe now... I wont ever leave him..."
And they slowly walked back towards the Highwind that was now waiting just outside of the town, only Sephiroth hesitating one second before leaving Aeris to sit kneeling in front of the graves.
He'd found an old poster of Sephiroth, from the time when ShinRa had been promoting their favorite general to the public. (Especially the young and female part of it, probably)
Yazoo held his gun on a straight arm and slowly closed one eye, aiming carefully at the poster he'd placed on a tree a small distance away.
He fired twice.
Poster-Sephiroth's eyes were now reduced to smoking holes.
Smirking, Yazoo lowered his gun for a moment to admire his handy work, then raised it again.
"Yazoo!" Loz's voice suddenly cut into the silence and broke the concentration.
Yazoo tensed slightly with annoyance, but forced himself to lower the gun and turn to face his brother that came running towards him. "What? You out of handkerchiefs again?"
Shaking his head, Loz didn't even react to the snarky words. "Yazoo, they got Kadaj! What are we gonna do? They got Kadaj!"
"What?" Yazoo holstered his gun and crossed his arms. "You're not making sense, Loz. Who's got Kadaj? What happened?" He frowned at the pale look on Loz's face and the fear in his reptilian eyes. Something big had to have happened to startle him this much.
Loz tried to catch his breath after his long run from the plane. "When we got there... Big brother showed up... Kadaj fought with him... Two others were with him as well, and they took baby brother..." He took another step towards Yazoo, wringing his hands anxiously. "Big brother says he's gonna kill Kadaj if we don't return Zefiris!"
Silence. Yazoo didn't reply. He merely turned his face away and gazed at the horizon for a little while. Kadaj had never lost a single fight before. Sephiroth was obviously even stronger than they'd feared, and now the idiot was in their power. This was a severe bump in their planned road. If they gave up the kid in exchange for Kadaj, they would never get their hands on her again, and there was a strong possibility that Sephiroth killed Kadaj anyway. Yazoo knew he would, if he'd been in big brother's place. Still, without Kadaj, it meant that the responsibility of the Reunion would fall on Yazoo, and that would be a real drag!
"Yazoo?" Loz nagged, shifting uneasily. "What are we gonna do, Yazoo?"
A slight frown on Yazoo's face. "Shut up, I'm thinking." He absently drew a thumb over the gun holster. The Reunion had to happen. Simple as that. Though Kadaj was the one preaching about it at all ungodly hours, Yazoo and Loz both had the itch in their blood. Mother didn't speak to them like she did to Kadaj, but they could feel her. She would want her favorite back, wouldn't she? But was Kadaj worth trading away Zefiris?
"Please," Aeris whispered through tears. "Give her back to me. She's innocent, damn you! I'll take her place. Please..."
Yazoo shook the memory away and focused on the nervous Loz at last. "Pack up the kid. We're heading for Midgar." The half-blood might be the key to regaining Kadaj. He needed to talk to her.
Loz nodded eagerly, but halted as he was turning around and gazed puzzled at Yazoo. "But... you left her inside? Alone?"
"She's fine!" Yazoo snarled annoyed, hunching his shoulders defensively.
Loz swallowed nervously. "But... if she's alone, then..." He blinked as he realised. "You didn't...! Kadaj said you weren't to put another Sleep spell on her!"
Yazoo snorted. "Yeah, well, Kadaj can just kiss my a..." He cut himself off and merely waved Loz away with an irritated motion. "Just go get her, you numbskull!"
Poking his tongue at his younger brother, Loz then quickly darted inside the tiny house before Yazoo could pull his gun.
The beginning of a headache was stepping at the edge of Yazoo's mind, and he sighed wearily. The brat had been crying for hours after Loz had left, so it was her own fault really. It wasn't his fault! And the spell was harmless! Kadaj would just have to deny him dessert for the rest of the week, if they got him back. Yazoo wandered over to pull the cover off their motorcycles. His gaze lingered for a moment on Kadaj's bike. As much as he feared him, despised him, and cared for him, Kadaj was a part of the only family he had. Yazoo was not ready to give up that. His family might be far from perfect, but it was the only one he had.
"Ok, we're ready!" Loz chirped as he came walking with the drowsing Zefiris in his arms.
"Oh, joy," Yazoo muttered, straddling his motorcycle and getting ready to start it. "When we get to Midgar, I want you two to hide while I check it out. There's something I gotta do before we get Kadaj back..." The machine roared to life and he wrung the accelerator handle a few times. There was only a minor detail of how he was going to get to the flower girl without anyone else around...
They'd returned to the Highwind and everyone went to their separate corners. Tifa was still clinging to Raito, and Rufus had finally caught up on everything that had happened. The young ShinRa had dropped his anger-speech and merely held his mourning wife close. Barret exchanged a few words with Tifa, but had retreated to his own cabin after that. Yuffie and Hawk were guarding their prisoner. Seto and Vincent was still back in Midgar. Sephiroth was gazing out one of the huge windows, still blood stained and with an absent look in his eyes. Cid felt the pain radiating from the silver haired man, but knew better than trying to talk to him right now.
An entire hour passed before Aeris returned. Her face the colour of ash, and eyes red from countless tears. She didn't speak. Merely walked over and took Sephiroth's hand.
So they had returned to Midgar.
Cid watched them all go their way, and he slowly made his way up to his own room in the ShinRa tower.
He felt like crap. Whatever had happened in that town, it had drained him beyond belief. The pilot still shuddered at the memory of the voice in his head and the raw pain shooting through his body. Cid knew what it was, yet refused to acknowledge it. If he admitted, even to himself, that Jenova had such power over him, he could just as well retire from AVALANCHE, couldn't he?
Entering the room, he closed the door and wandered over to sit down on the bed.
Cloud was dead? Jessie was dead? Cid was surprised at how much the thought hurt. He'd been worried when Spike had just disappeared, but now his harsh thoughts came back to haunt him. Cloud had probably known. And how could Cid blame a man for wanting his freedom? Rubbing his face wearily, the pilot sent a silent plea of forgiveness to his friend.
Raito.
Cid gazed through his fingers down at the floor, remembering the feeling of the little child hugging him with all his little might. He'd trusted Cid Highwind to protect him. A wry laughter broke free, sounding almost pained, and he got up abruptly. If Raito only knew...
Shrugging off his jacket, Cid let it fall to the floor and wandered over to the window while removing his flight goggles as well. Kids weren't his thing. Simple as that. So why did he feel so bad? Shera. The blonde man closed his eyes tight.
She didn't understand. He'd tried to explain, but words had never been his stronger side. Shera had merely gazed confused at him when he'd told her that he had enough people hating him already! And she kept gazing at him with this hurt look...
Cid placed a hand against the window, feeling the cool surface. Vincent told him to get his act together, but it just wasn't that easy...
Taking out his cell phone, the pilot pressed the button to connect him to the woman on his mind. It rang a few times before she picked up.
"Captain?" Shera's voice sounded insecure as always.
Cid smiled faintly and moved over to sink down on a chair. "Hey..."
"Is everything ok?"
Another pang of sorrow. Cid sighed. "No... Not really..." He swallowed hard. "We found Cloud and Jessie today. Their graves."
A gasp and a sound of pain. "Cid, I'm so sorry..." He could hear Shera force back her own tears. "It must have been terrible for Tifa and Aeris..."
"Yeah..." Cid began fidgeting with his cigarette pack. "They had a kid, tho. Raito. Them Sephiroth-wannabees came for him, but we got there in time. Even managed to snatch one of them too." His heart was beating hard now.
"Cloud and Jessie has a son...?" Shera's voice was trembling. "Poor boy..."
Clearing his throat, Cid hesitated briefly. "Yeah, but... Tifa got him covered, so the kid's gonna be okay. Even ShinRa seems fine with Strife jr moving in."
Shera hesitated as well before replying. "Good. A child needs to know it's loved and wanted..."
"Exactly," Cid whispered, then cleared his throat again. "Listen, I gotta go... In serious need of a shower and some z's. Call ya later some time."
"Goodbye, Cid... Take care... And come home soon..."
Metal boots should make sound against the floor.
Kadaj wasn't completely sure why that thought just kept repeating inside his head, but it did help him ignore Vincent Valentine's presence. At first he'd thought it'd be welcomed relief from the ninja brat's constant insults or her companion's obvious distaste for him, but the crimson cloaked man was proving to be an even bigger challenge for Kadaj's nerves.
The man didn't say anything. Merely watched him with his red eyes half-hidden under unruly black locks. It felt like a predator gazing out of the darkness. And if the muteness wasn't bad enough, he didn't make a sound at all! The golden metal boots didn't cause a single dent in the sound of silence when he walked.
Mother stirred.
"I'm sorry I never got to meet Lucrecia," Kadaj declared softly, eyeing the other man with glee. If Vincent reacted to the words, it was impossible to detect by only looking at him.
The former Turk didn't reply.
Kadaj sighed, squirming slightly against his restraints. He'd woken up in the darn airship and found himself hogtied in some cabin. He even had to suffer the indignation of being tossed over Barret's shoulder and carried to this new room. His current prison. "I hear she was a great lady. Quite helpful." Kadaj's eyes narrowed. "She even stabbed you, didn't she?"
No reaction this time either.
Closing his eyes, Kadaj leaned his head back against the wall and allowed himself to feel the throbbing bruises for a moment. Sephiroth had done quite a bit of work on it. Still, it didn't matter. Loz got away. And Yazoo would break him out.
"Why the children?"
The sound of Valentine's voice started Kadaj slightly and he gazed quickly over at the other man. It took a second before he realised that he wasn't dreaming. The man had actually spoken. "So you can speak. Amazing." The silver haired man gave a smile of pure acid. "What can I say? I like kids."
Vincent gave a barely noticeable frown. "You want Sephiroth's aid, and you kidnap his child. Rather foolish move."
"Yeah? And what were we supposed to do? Knock on his door with pamphlets?" Kadaj spat venomously and tugged at his restraints again. "We knew big brother wouldn't listen to us. Mother said so. We wanted his attention, and we got it. Right?"
The former Turk gazed at the insolent youth for a few seconds then stuck his chin out. "The one who draw Sephiroth's attention in such a matter always ends up dead. Does your cause require your death?"
Kadaj opened his mouth to deliver a snappy reply, but slowly clamped it shut. He glared hatefully at the dark haired man. There was still a lot about the Reunion that he didn't know or understood, but Mother knew, and that was all that mattered, right?
"Sephiroth, Hojo, Lucrecia and Cloud were all Jenova's puppets, but they all broke free." Vincent said silently, feeling the creatures inside him stir curiously. "Jenova uses people. You need to break free too, before it kills you."
His hateful glare grew even more intense as Kadaj made a silent vow that the only killing that would be done was him ramming a sword through Vincent Valentine. "Don't talk about Mother that way!"
Gazing at the young man with something reminding of a wistful expression, Vincent knew instinctively that this one was beyond rescue. At least it appeared that they'd might be able to contain the destruction this time, before any more people got hurt. The former Turk was still shaken to find Cloud Strife having joined the Lifestream, as well as the young lady that accompanied him. Why was a monster like him allowed to live, but a pure soul like Cloud had to leave?
Kadaj watched the distant and gloomy look slide back over Vincent Valentine's face and the young man tilted his head slightly. There was something about this man... Like someone peering out behind those red eyes...
And Chaos gazed back at him.
AN; Yes, people! Yet another update! And within the same year! I'm almost proud of myself!
/End Sarcasm. Anyways, thanks to everyone who took the time to read and send me a few lines! Thank you so much for your words and your patience! I hope you'll keep reading and keep enjoying! Questions, comments and corrections desired and appreciated!