5. Hush, little baby, don't say a word

Jenova. Reunion.

Those two words was the reason for Rufus' old life to be completely destroyed three years ago. Now, as much as he didn't regret things turning out the way they had, especially as Tifa hugged him closer in her sleep, the ShinRa President felt horribly uneasy at hearing the words mentioned again.

Kadaj had seemed utterly dedicated to his cause, just like Sephiroth had been all those years ago. Like Cloud Strife himself, when under the Crisis' influence.

What would be left broken in the wake this time?

Rufus sighed, gazing up into the darkness. Leaving Kadaj in his cell hours ago, he'd returned to Tifa's side and even when in the safety of his own bed, the cold voice kept haunting him in the night. It was so frustrating trying to understand the reason in the derailed logic... Like Sephiroth, Kadaj was a complicated puzzle. Parts of sanity mixed with shards of insanity. There was something to be read in what Kadaj had told him, yet Rufus couldn't sort it out.

Tifa sighed softly, her breath caressing Rufus' bare chest, and his gloomy thoughts was momentarily interrupted. Smiling, he absently brushed away a dark lock of hair from her face and savoured her presence.

Even if the world went crazy again, he still had her. His family. That was enough.

That was when the first explosion shook the ShinRa Tower.

Instantly awake, Rufus was out of the bed before Tifa had managed to sit up with a startled cry.

"What's going on?" She called out as she scrambled out of bed too. "Rufus! What was that?"

Rufus fastened his jeans and grabbed a shirt. "Trouble." He stalked towards the door. "Stay here."

Tifa frowned, before grabbing her robe. "Yeah, right!" She didn't hesitate, even as he turned to face her in the doorway with a warning look. Halting only inches from him, Tifa met his glare evenly. "The twins."

Biting back a curse, Rufus cast a hasty glance down the hall. It was basically just about impossible that any intruders could reach the top level of the tower, so the twins were theoretically safe. Theoretically. The fiery haired man nodded briefly in defeat. "Be careful!"

Tifa nodded as well, absently clutching her robe tightly around her as she watched Rufus run towards the elevator. "You be careful too, you moron!"

Rufus grinned slightly and gave her a light wave before stepping into the elevator. That was his wife. Beautiful, strong and as stubborn as a chocobo! His light thoughts were interrupted once more as the building shook again. The intruders had to pack some pretty heavy fire power to manage this kind of ruckus, and obviously pretty intent on getting Kadaj back. Oh, yes, Rufus had no doubt this was the rescue mission that had kept the young man so calm throughout his capture. It was going to be fun to see that smirk rubbed off his face when the rescue failed!

The first thing that greeted Rufus when the elevator doors opened was thick, grey smoke. The alert was blaring frantically, and the flickering orange light was dancing on the smoke. The ShinRa soldiers running around added even more to the chaos.

It was a good thing that he knew his way around. It was almost impossible to see through the heavy fog.

Slowly making his way through the mayhem, Rufus coughed strained as he finally reached the door. It was still unharmed. A couple of ShinRa soldiers were guarding it with anxious looks on their faces. Relief lasted for about five seconds, then there was movement in the smoke. A person. Sephiroth?

Rufus blinked surprised, but the moment passed, and he realised this man was not the one he'd come to count on as a friend. This one was an even more disturbing copy. Shorter hair, but long enough to cause a flicker of uncertainty of his identity, but too weak a frame to fulfill the illusion. The young president had barely time to take a step backwards, then there was yet another explosion. Flames roaring and invisible forces ramming into anything in their way.

It was strange how silent it always got after a painfully loud sound. Rufus had been aware of falling, but numbly realised that he was now lying on his back and staring at the ceiling. It was hard to breathe. And he was also becoming more aware of the pain spreading through him. The alert was now a distant sound.

Kadaj's face swam into focus above him, and the silver haired man was smiling. A second face beside him, the long haired one. And then a third on Kadaj's other side. A short haired one with a bored look. Rufus felt a spark of panic as he was slipping into unconsciousness, and he could feel Kadaj placing something in his hand. Fingers automatically locked around it. The three men was then gone.

Reno's voice called his name, and the Turk was suddenly beside him.

"Get on the bird."

"No."

"Get on. The bird." Sephiroth's patience was wearing dangerously thin, but it didn't look like the newly arrived scientist was awfully concerned.

Hojo sent him a dry look. "No."

The silver haired swordsman took a step towards him. "Get on the chocobo now, or I swear I'll...!"

"You got one bird," Hojo pointed out with a sour smile. "Are you suggesting we're both going to get on that creature?"

Sephiroth paused. True, Trigger would have no trouble carrying both of them, but like Hojo; Sephiroth wasn't thrilled at the thought of the other man that close to him. He might not hate his biological father as fiercly as he once did, that did not mean he had reached the hugging stage. "You get on. I'll walk."

"Math was never your strong side," Hojo remarked snidely, gazing at the golden chocobo with disdain.

Surprised at the embarrassment he felt, Sephiroth huffed annoyed. "What do you mean? I got perfect results on every test you gave me since I was five!"

Hojo waved the words away. "Yes, but that was the times I actually got you complete a test. You always preferred to chase your teacher around with a sharp object, didn't you?" If he'd kept his eyes on his son, he'd seen the sheepish look on him, but the scientist was too busy sulking over being dragged back to a place that only wished him gone once more. "Where is that girl of yours anyway? She's the brain of your duo."

Sephiroth frowned. "She's in Midgar." He hesitated, then cleared his throat. "You know why you're back, right?"

"Maybe if I did, I wouldn't be as annoyed as I am, now would I?" Hojo sneered, taking a step away from Trigger's curious face.

"There's three men running around that looks like me," Sephiroth began, and only hesitated briefly before dropping the bomb. "They kidnapped Zefiris."

Hojo tensed. He remained silent for a while, and golden brown eyes became impossible to read. When he finally glanced over at his son again, there was a flicker of confusion that was quickly hidden away again. "Well, can't you just call your little helpers and have them fetch us with a helicopter or something?"

Relief washed over Sephiroth as he realised that Hojo was actually basically agreeing to helping him. For now. "I left the PHS behind. I didn't want Rufus to track me down and stop me from going alone."

A long pause. Hojo merely gazed at him. Then he drew a deep breath and shook his head. "You can't possibly be my son...!" He took off his glasses and automatically wiped them on his sleeve. "You go into the wilderness, knowing there are people who abduct children to get you, and you don't bring a phone? No son of mine would be that stupid."

Sephiroth sputtered angrily. "Yeah, like YOU are the dream father!"

The sound of a footstep made the two turn abruptly and gaze over at where Cid stood staring surprised at them.

"Well, slap my butt and call me Bob, is that really the old geezer?" The pilot looked like he half expected the dark haired man to vanish in a pillar of smoke at any minute!

Hojo closed his eyes. "And thank you, Highwind, for that mental picture that now will leave me traumatized forever." He started walking towards the blonde. "Of course it's me. Who else would be stupid enough to help you people. Again."

The scientist trugded towards the airship, while Sephiroth walked beside Cid with Trigger. "How did you find us?"

"I merely followed your tracks, talked to the people that had seen you speed by and the usual stuff," Cid replied, still gazing curiously at Hojo.

Sephiroth frowned. "But... I went north. Way north. How did you know we'd ended up here?"

Cid glanced over at him, chuckling amused. "You must've been dreaming that, Sephy, cuz your tracks lead straight to this place."

Sephiroth was REALLY going to kill the Sage the next time he had the misfortune of seeing him.

"Can't even remember what route he took, no wonder he needs my help," Hojo muttered in a huff.

Sputtering again, Sephiroth automatically placed his hand on the Masamune. "I did go north! It's that little twerp that's messing with me again!"

Cid petted his shoulder as he passed the silver haired man. "I think we better get you back to Midgar, buddy. Looks like you could use a little rest."

Sephiroth fumed. "I DID GO NORTH!" He gazed from Cid to Hojo, neither looking very convinced. "That old man thought I was selling girl scout cookies!"

A pause. Then Cid drew a slow breath and turned to his airship again. "Yeah, oh-kay, let's just get you back to Midgar, Seph. Fast."

"Rufus?" A distant voice. "Rufus, please wake up. Look at me."

It was Tifa's voice. Sounding so worried. A thin and fragile plea that cut through the darkness.

Groaning softly, Rufus slowly became aware of the thrumming pain and his eyes fluttered open. What had happened? He didn't remember. Wait. He did remember. The explosion. Kadaj. The other two. "Did... they get away...?"

Tifa's face swam into focus, and she clutched his hand gratefully. "Rufus! Don't worry. You're going to be just fine. Ok?"

Rufus frowned, now slightly worried. He tried to sit up, but pain shot through his entire body, and he had to allow Tifa to help him by placing pillows behind his back to support him. A weak sense of comfort was found in the pain in his legs, as it at least meant he could feel them. "How bad is it?"

"You got lucky." Tifa absently corrected a lock of his hair. "The doctor said it was nothing less than a miracle that you didn't get paralyzed this time. Rufus, you got to be more careful! Last week, you nearly..."

Rufus shook his head annoyed, cutting her off. "I know!" He drew a frustrated breath. "Then I take it that Kadaj got away?"

Tifa gazed down at the floor.

A knock on the door broke the silence that followed, and Yuffie stuck her head into the room. "He awake?"

Nodding, Tifa motioned for her to come in. "Yeah, he's awake and grouchy already." She smiled faintly to the sour looking ShinRa. "There's some people here to see you."

The ninja skipped inside the room, followed by Aeris with the twins, Barret, Seto, Hawk and Reno. "We heard from Cid a couple of hours ago!" Yuffie grinned from ear to ear. "He's bringing Sephiroth back to Midgar, and you'll never guess who's coming with them!"

Rufus blinked confused, gazing briefly at the pale Aeris, but then shook his head. "Who?"

"Hojo!" Reno blurted out, stalking over to stand in front of the hospital bed. "Listen, boss, Kadaj and his posse got away. Not even the ninja's were able to track'em down."

Barely avoiding his mouth dropping open, Rufus gathered himself. "Hojo?" Kadaj's escape came as no surprise and only made him more annoyed. "How's that possible?"

Tifa got up and walked over to Aeris, moving her daughter over into her arms. "He appeared when we needed his help against Jinrei. I suspect it happened again."

Barret snorted. "Dem Cetra foos wasn't too happy with Sephiroth. Why help him now?"

"Because if they don't, Sephiroth might have no choice but to join Jenova again," Aeris explained silently, allowing Tifa to claim the second twin as well.

Silence followed, then Rufus suddenly frowned confused. "Where is Vincent?"

The exchange of puzzled looks told that no one actually knew. The last time anyone had seen the former Turk was when Kadaj had been freed. He was gone? Where?

"Considering the amounts of Mako you were exposed to as a child, I'm not surprised that there are side-effects. I'm merely puzzled as to why it's taken this long to manifest themselves." Hojo's voice came through the air, along with the tell-tale sound of the elevator doors opening and Sephiroth's vehement objection to him hallucinating about old men mistaking him for a girl scout cookie salesman. A smug laugh revealed Cid with them as well. The scientist was in the middle of yet another snappy reply when he halted in the doorway to the hospital room and gazed at the crowd gathered by Rufus ShinRa's bed. "Why, a welcoming committee? You really shouldn't have."

It was hard to say who was the most surprised, after everyone had stared for a few seconds, when Aeris' eyes teared up and she ran. Throwing her arms around him, hiding her face to Hojo's chest, the half-Cetra sobbed quietly against the stunned man. She had complete faith in that he would know what to do!

Awkwardly raising a hand to pet her shoulder lightly, Hojo cleared his throat. "Now, now, I didn't even call you Cetra this time..." He hesitated, then whispered silently. "We'll get her back. I promise. And after that, I'll take these creatures apart and find out everything there is to know about them."

Aeris raised her face to meet his eyes with their uncanny golden brown colour. "Thank you. For coming back." She managed a weak smile, then released him to move over to the staring Sephiroth. "And you..." A second hug, this time heartily returned. "Welcome home..."

Hojo sheepishly pushed a lock of his black hair out of his face as he gazed away from his son re-united with his beloved, and started slightly as he saw everyone else in the room staring at him. "What? I'm huggable!"

Rufus joined in on the faint laughter of disagreement that appeared in the room after the scientist's statement, but then gazed thoughtfully at a small object on his nightstand. It was the item that Kadaj had pressed into his hand before vanishing like a bad dream.

A small cell phone.

The motorcycles finally came to a halt, and the one called Yazoo got off to aid their injured brother. Kadaj released his grip on Loz and allowed the other to help him get off the massive machine. A low conversation, where Kadaj nodded and pushed Yazoo's hands away, while Loz watched them anxiously. The fiercest looking of them was obviously the more delicate. Another nod, then Kadaj lifted his face and gazed directly at the one watching them. "I think you can come out now."

Vincent frowned, prolonging a reply for a moment as he remained crouched on a thick branch. How had the child of Jenova discovered him? As a former Turk, the dark haired man knew how to follow his prey without being discovered. However, the slit pupil eyes were looking directly at him and left little doubt that Kadaj was very much aware of his presence. Probably for the entire pursuit.

Yazoo pulled out his gun blade and Loz got into a fighting position, each on different side of Kadaj, when Vincent Valentine landed on the ground a small distance from them.

Kadaj chuckled softly, his body revealing his weariness despite the keen look in his eyes. "I'm impressed you managed to keep up with the bikes."

"Where is Zefiris?" Vincent kept a wary watch on both Yazoo and Loz, but neither appeared ready to attack him without some signal from their leader.

Another soft laugh, Kadaj shook his head this time. "You should be worried about your own fate, Mr. Stalker."

Vincent's brow furrowed slightly and he made a barely noticeable shrug. "If, and I cannot see how it's possible, you were to defeat me, you will gain nothing from it." Something reminding of a wry smile. "Or do you plan to continue this idiotic kidnapping plan to a new level?"

Kadaj's eyes flickered with malice and he took a step towards the red cloaked man, ignoring the piercing look Yazoo sent him. "Quite the opposite actually. I'm counting on your assistance when it comes to making our big brother see reason."

If Vincent had been the type to laugh out loud, he would have done so, yet as it was so against his nature; Vincent settled for a incredulous raise an eyebrow. "You're even more deluded than Sephiroth himself was in his time. I am here to bring Zefiris back. Either you give her to me, or I will fetch her myself by force."

There was a click as Yazoo cocked his gun blade and Loz clutched his hands hard enough to cause electricity to crackle, but Kadaj merely kept grinning.

Having calculated his plan, Vincent knew there was only a tiny possibility for the three being able to get close enough to actually do some damage to the former Turk, yet all his instincts were screaming about some unseen danger. He couldn't see the threat, but the nervous tingling down his neck was not something he would ignore. "You shouldn't have taken Zefiris. Sephiroth will never stop before he's spilled your blood now. He will never forgive you for this." Vincent wasn't even aware of taking a cautious step backwards.

Kadaj's eyelashes lowered for a second, then his eerie eyes locked on Vincent Valentine before he uttered a single word. A name. The true name of a demon.

Vincent buckled over as if someone had rammed a sword through him and could only gasp in pain as darkness attacked him from within. Chaos roared inside his head and he felt the wings tear through his back. The demon's claws were taking over his hands, and Vincent only had time to feel a flicker of fear before everything went black. Never before had the demon been this strong, and Chaos was the most powerful enemy the former Turk had been up against. Every battle between him and the demon in the past seemed like minor shuffles compared to this, even the ones where Vincent had lost, and the demon roared in anger as much as triumph when his human host faded into darkness.

Yazoo took an involuntary step backwards, eyes widening slightly as the monstrous creature appeared in front of them. He refused to acknowledge the trace of fear in his rapid heartbeats as red demon eyes moved over them in turn to the sound of lazily beating wings. The monsters they summoned was nothing against this one. Those were puppets for them to use, while this demon probably rivaled their own intelligence. If not surpassing it. This was beyond dangerous now...! Had Kadaj really lost it?

"The last time anyone uttered my name, this planet was still young," Chaos declared in a deep voice. Pure malice was radiating from the creature, and they all knew curiosity was the only reason why he hadn't attacked them yet. "Why did you call me, little one?"

The true name of a demon was a powerful thing indeed. If you knew how to handle it, even the most powerful demon had to bend to the one wielding it. Kadaj knew Mother was right to trust him with it. "I want you to aid us in our cause." He smiled slightly at the horrid grin of mockery on Chaos' face, and used his trump card. "You want your freedom, don't you?"

A memory of a barren battlefield, the smell of fire and blood, and Chaos crossed his arms tensely. "The last time I trusted someone of your kind, she didn't deliver."

Kadaj's grin turned even wider as his eyes narrowed. "Your powers in trade for your freedom, and should you decide to cancel our deal... I'm sure you will have no problem killing us."

Chaos eyed them with evident disgust for a few seconds, the lure of the return of his freedom dangerously strong. He'd been a free creature once. His own master. And this prison inside Vincent Valentine was slowly killing him as well. With this insolent whelp knowing his name, Chaos actually had the possibility to keep Valentine subdued for some time. Hopefully long enough to find a way to break free. "I accept this offer. For now."

Cid Highwind peered over Hojo's shoulder as the scientist was reading some papers on his way to his old laboratory, and the pilot had decided to tag along for some obscure reason. "That's the report on the guy we caught, huh?"

"Excellent deduction, Highwind," Hojo grumbled, barely able to resist the urge to swat the blonde away. "No need to waste time. And these morons ShinRa got in his labs can't match my genius, so I probably got to do most of it all over again."

Grinning slightly, Cid glanced over at the other man. "Modest as always, eh, Hojo?" He chuckled slightly at the haughty scoff he received, as they both knew Hojo never joked about calling himself a genius. The pilot was about to give another snide remark, but then the doors to the laboratory opened and for a moment he was surprised at the look on the scientist's face. Hojo had a default grumpy expression most of the time, but for a heartbeat it was gone. There was almost a soft affection in the golden brown eyes as he saw his old work place. Lucrecia might be the woman in his heart, but Cid knew science was in Hojo's blood the same way flying was in his.

Hojo cleared his throat and shuffled inside, refusing to admit that he had actually missed this. The knowledge of the never-ending possibilities he could discover under a microscope. The excitement of a new discovery. The glorious feeling when he was right. The dark haired man tried to tell himself that this was not the time for that. He was here to work!

Cid sauntered after him and plopped into a chair. "So, uh, it's good to be back, huh?"

Hojo honoured him with a non-committing sound, leafing through another addition of papers already awaiting him on the desk.

Hesitating, Cid stared at the floor before glancing over again. "How was the after-life then?"

"Bring a book," Hojo advised annoyed, then put down his research to focus on the pilot. "Why are you here, Highwind?"

The blonde stuttered something, shifted uneasily in his seat, feeling how the piercing gaze never eased up for one second. The harsh glare demanded an answer. "Well, I just... I wanted to ask you..."

Hojo rolled his eyes. "For the love of acid sodium carbonate, will you just please stop wasting my time?"

Cid's drew a deep breath, tensing, before he managed to force himself to speak. "You... Sephiroth and you don't exactly... get along, do you?"

Defensiveness replaced annoyance, and Hojo slowly placed his research paper down on his desk. "I believe that's an understatement, but I can agree to that. Any reason why you feel like pointing this out?"

"It doesn't bother you?" Cid blurted out, almost anxiously. He gesticulated faintly. "I mean..."

Hojo hesitated briefly then shrugged. "There's very little I can do about it. His dislike for me is very well founded, and I cannot say I blame him." He absently tapped a finger on top of the papers, a distant look in his eyes. Was there a touch of regret? Loss? It was impossible to say. Hojo had spent too many years learning to hide what he felt. "There's nothing I can do about the past, so I focus on the present. Why are you asking me this?"

Cid shook his head, more to himself than to anyone else. "It's gotta hurt. I think." The pilot looked like he was already in pain. "Why seek it, if you already know..."

A moment of silence, then Hojo took a step towards him. "Is there a point to this, Cid Highwind?"

A wry smile and Cid began to fidget with his packet of cigarettes. "I just wanted to know how it's going to be like..."

Hojo frowned, considering what had been said, and calculated what had not been said. A sinking feeling came over him and he exhaled. "Please tell me you're joking..."

"Joking? About what?" Cid blinked confused, fastening his cigarette packet by his flight goggles again.

"Are you telling me that your woman is pregnant?" Hojo sneered angrily. "And you left her behind? Alone?"

Cid jumped up and glared back at him. "Like it's any of your damn business!"

Hojo clenched and unclenched his hands, usually frowning upon violence, but feeling the urge to punch the blonde. "There are three creatures running free with every intent to cause harm, and you leave her unguarded? I always knew you were slow, but I did not realise you're a complete idiot!"

The pilot clenched his own hands into tight fists, ready to wring the scrawny neck. "In case you failed to notice, these guys are after Sephiroth! Ain't got nothing to do with me!"

Golden brown eyes narrowed. "Have you forgotten the Jenova cells in you, Highwind? Has it completely escaped your sil of a mind that they're after ANYONE with a connection to the Crisis!"

All colour drained from Cid Highwind's face and he suddenly felt sick. "No..." Pure terror shot through him and he fought to breathe. "Shera..."

Aeris did not know whether to cry or not.

This morning had brought good news. Hojo had returned to help them. And Rufus would be okay again.

On the other hand, they had lost whatever hope they had to regain Zefiris. Kadaj was gone. And she was left with nothing to trade. Would she ever see Zefiris again?

The flower girl had left Sephiroth sleeping in their room. Her beloved warrior hadn't fallen asleep before dawn, and she was actually a little relieved to see him get a little rest, even if his dreams haunted him. There was no expression of peace on his face. Sorrow and anger. That was all he knew now. And Aeris wasn't even sure why she'd gone to the church. It was so foolish, but she couldn't help tormenting herself a little more. She'd been so close to getting her daughter back...

Kneeling in the flower bed, Aeris let light fingertips touch by a golden flower petal.

One moment she was alone, drowning in her misery, the next second there was someone walking towards her out of the darkness.

The sun light spilling in through the hole in the ceiling bounced off silver hair, and black leather seemed to absorb whatever light touched it. The young man she'd spoken to before sauntered over to her, a strange tenseness surrounding him, but suddenly she could only see what he was carrying. Like some kind of pet, Zefiris was tucked under his arm and was glaring sulkily up at him. Her tiny legs and arms dangling on each side of his arm. But very much alive and apparently unharmed.

Aeris jumped to her feet and ran over. "Zefiris!" Her heart was thundering frantically and her hands shook as she reached out for her daughter. The little girl cried happily out for her mother and reached out as well. One second later, Aeris was clutching her daughter close as if they'd never been apart. The flower girl laughed and shed tears at the same time, unable to hold Zefiris close enough, needing to feel that she was truly there and not some dream, until there was a weak objection from the child and Aeris forced herself to glance over at the man who was still standing there. Usually, her first instinct would have been to flee with her daughter, but something in his eyes told her that he was no threat. At least, not now. "Thank you." It was a mere whisper, but painfully honest. She had not believed that he would bring Zefiris after what had happened that night. Why return the child when he'd managed to break out his brother? Aeris feared the answer to that. Forcing a weak smile, she hoisted Zefiris slightly without taking her eyes away from the silver haired man. "I... I don't even know your name..."

"Yazoo," Yazoo replied tersely, clearly uncomfortable. "I said I would bring her. Didn't I?"

Aeris nodded, unaware of clutching her daughter protectively. "You did. Still, thank you for holding your word. Yazoo."

"Where's Unca Loz?" Zefiris asked and squirmed in vain to free herself from her mother's iron grip.

A puzzled glance at her child, Aeris glanced confused over at Yazoo. Zefiris had began talking when she was no more than 9 months, always eerily skilled before her time due to the Jenova cells, no doubt, and she hadn't said 'unca' instead of 'uncle' for over a year.

Yazoo cut a face, shifting uneasily. Darn Loz! Telling that kid he was her 'Unca Loz'... "You wont be seeing him anymore, okay?" He cleared his throat awkwardly and made a dismissive gesture to Aeris. "It's my brother." For a moment, he watched mother and child before he took a step towards them, pretending not to see Aeris' flinching away. "I'm going to ask you something!"

Aeris swallowed hard and tried a weak smile. "Okay?"

Yazoo gesticulated towards them. "You knew Mother?" He frowned insecurely. "Could you tell me about her?"

A moment of hesitation, then Aeris managed a nod. "Yes... Yes, I knew her." She eyed Yazoo warily, but her instincts told her that his intentions was not to harm them or take Zefiris from her again. So far, her instincts had not been wrong. She'd trusted them when it concerned Sephiroth, so she decided to the same when it came to Yazoo. "Do you want to sit down...?"

Yazoo shook his head. "I just want you to tell me what you know!" It was strange, but it almost felt that Mother was gazing over his shoulder and was NOT happy with what she was seeing. He didn't have much time. There would be a price to pay for this, he knew that, but the information might just be worth it...

Aeris bit her lower lip nervously then drew a deep breath. "I first heard about Jenova when I was a little girl... My parents were killed, so I lived with this wonderful woman I loved as if she would be my real mother. I didn't know I was a Cetra, or even that such beings had existed. All I knew was that the Planet would talk to me, and there were voices talking to me that no one else could hear. They were the ones who told me about the Crisis..."

"You did what!"

Yazoo knew it was coming, but it didn't hurt any less when Kadaj's backhand hit him and snapped his face to the right. Ignoring the burn, he clenched his hands fiercly. "If we hadn't returned the brat, there is no force on this planet that could make Big Brother join us...!" He slowly gazed back at his furious younger brother. "As long as we had the kid, he would never have listened."

"Without her, we have no reason why he should listen to us!" Kadaj screamed, lashing out again.

Tasting blood, Yazoo gingerly touched his cheek as he gazed once again at Kadaj. "That brat is Sephiroth's everything.There is no enemy more dangerous than one who has nothing to lose." A provocative step towards him. "As long as we were keeping her hostage, we were the enemy to him!"

Kadaj scoffed. "And you honestly think he'll just forgive us now that the child is returned?"

Yazoo smirked and gave a little shrug. Of course he had no illusions about that Sephiroth would stop chasing them. They had committed a horrible crime and he would not rest until he'd punished them himself. He remembered Aeris' almost apologetic look as she backed away with her daughter, explaining that there was no way she could stop Sephiroth from hunting them. Yazoo had merely replied that at least Aeris would stop targeting them.

Shaking his head, Kadaj backed away without taking his eyes off the insolent face. "If I didn't know better, Yazoo, I'd say you'd betrayed us."

Loz flinched where he stood staring at the ground. Ever since Kadaj had noticed Yazoo was gone with Zefiris, he'd basically tried to make himself as invisible as possible. He hated when they fought. He hated whenever Kadaj raised his voice, or when Yazoo's eyes got that mean look. He hated it!

Yazoo tilted his head, smirking again. "My loyalty is with Mother, Kadaj. You shouldn't doubt that." He still had to digest everything the half-Cetra had told him and decide for himself whether it was the truth or not. Mother had always told them what to do, but Yazoo had wondered sometimes why she didn't tell them the reason behind her decisions. He always did what Kadaj ordered him to. Simple as that. But his mind was always picking up details he didn't want to see. Putting together pieces of a picture he refused to believe. Sometimes, as he would tilt his head and watch Kadaj rant, he wondered if they were all insane or just his little brother.

Kadaj sneered a grin, looking ready to pull his sword and punish Yazoo himself, but merely gazed over at the silent party of the three. "Loz!"

Starting slightly, Loz slowly gazed up at him. "What?"

"Our brother here seems to think he knows best," Kadaj drawled, still resting his glare on Yazoo. "Claims that he did it to help us. I think he messed up. Don't you?"

Loz didn't reply. He couldn't honestly mean that he thought Loz should take sides? They were a family! There was only one side! Their side!

Kadaj's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Loz! If Yazoo should ever decide to betray us again... I want you to kill him!"

This time, both Loz and Yazoo started. First glancing at each other, then over at Kadaj again. It had always been them against the world. They took care of each other. They protected and helped each other. They were brothers!

"Kadaj, I..." Loz began helplessly, feeling sick with worry. He knew Kadaj's word was law, as Mother spoke to him and not them, but he couldn't be serious!

Kadaj glared over at the taller man. "Kill him, Loz! If he EVER goes against my word again!"

As the youngest brother stomped away, Loz and Yazoo was left in a deafening silence. Neither sure how to deal with just had happened. Finally Yazoo glanced over at Loz and saw the tears glimmering in his eyes. "For Pete's... Loz, don't you dare cry!"

Sniffling, Loz shrugged.

Yazoo sighed and touched his flamed cheek again. "Don't worry about it, ok? It's not like we got a stock of kidnapped Sephiroth kids, so I'm going to behave."

Loz glanced anxiously over at him. "I've never seen Kadaj this angry before..."

"Me neither," Yazoo admitted silently. He wondered if it was the work of Mother, or the eerie demon who seemed to hover constantly by Kadaj's side.

Hesitating, Loz then shuffled over to stand by Yazoo's side. "Hey, Yazoo...?"

Yazoo glanced wearily over at him. "What?"

Loz gave a careful smile with a curious look. "What was Aeris like?"

Blinking surprised, the younger brother gazed quickly towards the horizon. "What she was like?" He tilted his head slightly. "Dangerous."

AN; I can't believe I actually managed to finish this tonight! Yay for me! As much as I would love to keepup my old weekly update, I fear it cannot be done at the moment, so I hope you'll forgive me my lateness. The only promise I can give you is that the updates will come. This story will not be discontinued. I just need a little prodding and reminding sometimes! A special thanks to Tirnam'Bas for the inspiration and the quote of the most dangerous enemy being the one with nothing to lose.

On a side note, for the ones wondering, Chaos made a deal with Lucrecia in my other fic, Unforgivable Sinner, and she broke it knowing that the demon was more useful to her in captivity.