Author's NoteYeah! Here's my seventh chapter! Sorry I couldn't post it up sooner, but I got home late yesterday... and as I said I was sick. But now I'm feeling a bit more better! This afternoon I actually felt good enough to go running around playing keep-away with my friends. So yeah...

Ummm... I want to thank all of my loyal reviewers, because without your reviews, I'd probably have gone at a pace of posting these chapters up once every month instead of posting them up at least every day. I really love all of your reviews... and hope that if you find anything in my writing that needs criticizing please tell me!

Okay well enough of my notes... and on with the chapter! Hope you guys like (Insert smiley face)!

CHAPTER SEVEN: UNDERSTANDING

I'm back! Mom…?

My daughter… it is too late…

What are you talking about mom? They don't have Kitty— how are we too late?

I've misinterpreted something… When the girl was born something happened… Long story short she's no greater good than she's evil. She is the key to both ways… if Caltrat gets his hands on her than all is lost.

But… how are we too late?

He isn't coming here… Sephiroth betrayed us…

Kadaj took Kitty back to the room he and his brothers had acquired. There he set her down, without a word, on her bed and went into the bathroom and shut the door hard.

Kitty was stunned, she'd expected Kadaj to hurt her, tie her up— anything! But she hadn't expected him to leave her alone, bleeding and dizzy from blood loss. She sat there staring at the door blankly; perhaps she had judged the brother's nature, wrong.

"Kadaj! We're back!" the room's door burst open revealing an overly energetic Loz and a bored, unenthused Yazoo. As soon as the brothers saw Kitty they stopped, and then glanced from her to the bathroom door.

Kitty only sat there, paralyzed. She wasn't exactly sure how to act around the brothers any more… they weren't trying to attack her or harm her in anyway… what was going on? Only a few days ago the brothers had hunted her down for a candy bar… tried to kill her, and then had taken her as hostage. Now she had just tried to escape… and Kadaj had found her and— what do you know— hadn't harmed a hair on her head. Instead he had protected her from being sliced in half by a buster sword back in the alley.

As Kitty sat there in silence there came the sound of running water in the bathroom. Kitty wondered if Kadaj was taking a bath… She watched as both Loz and Yazoo began to go around the room collecting up scattered weapons and articles of— Kitty looked away— clothing. From their expressions Kitty could tell that they were speaking of her in their telepathic ways.

The water turned off in the bathroom.

Kitty glanced over at the door, it began to open. Kadaj came through carrying a basin of water and a rag. He dipped the rag in the water, and came to kneel before Kitty.

"What—"

Kadaj reached up and began to roughly wash her face.

Kitty gasped, the rag was burning hot. She slapped Kadaj's hand away and glared at him unappreciatively.

Kadaj growled, his eyes widened and then narrowed in a threatening way. "Yazoo," he called his brother over, "hold her back."

There was a weight on the bed behind Kitty and within seconds Kitty had been gathered up into Yazoo's lap. Yazoo held her hands in a firm grip.

Kadaj brought himself up on his knees, and starting all over, began to— more gently— cleanse her face. Kitty closed her eyes in silent confusion… Did they really believe her to be their mother? The way Kadaj stroked her face with the rag was, in a way, soothing. In no longer than a few minutes, Kitty found herself leaning back against Yazoo.

When Kadaj's strokes moved up to Kitty's forehead, she gave out a yelp and almost jumped ten feet in the air, yet Yazoo kept his hold on her.

"Shhhhhh…" Kadaj murmured. He locked gazes with Kitty.

Kitty saw something flicker in his eyes; something that she could not read. She looked away, his gaze had been intense— as if he'd been daring her to look away first… she had. There were some things she didn't care to find out about; his thoughts were one of those things.

Kadaj frowned… yet Yazoo told him to leave her alone. Kadaj wasn't used to Mother treating him like this, yet he would let it slip this time. Kadaj reached out a hand, and made Kitty face him, she avoided his gaze.

When Kadaj finished cleaning her wound from blood, he assessed the damage that had been inflicted to her forehead, and stood up. "Yazoo, where's the medical aid kit?"

Yazoo shifted with Kitty in his lap, "It's under my pillow," one of his hands went to Kitty's ponytail. She could feel his long fingers running through her tresses, her eyes widened when he pulled on the hair band at the base of her ponytail. Her hair came down framing her face…

Kadaj looked at Kitty strangely, and then behind her at Yazoo. Kitty didn't know how she could tell… but something about Yazoo's manner told her he was smirking. Kadaj scowled, and moved to the mattress at the foot of Kitty's bed; there he bent down to retrieve an object. He stood up and set the box upon the bed, he then opened it, and pulled out a glinting silver needle and cobweb thin thread.

Immediately Kitty became pale; she hated anything to do with needles.

"Please… don't…" she whimpered, she turned her head away from the sight of Kadaj advancing towards her.

"Hold still, Mother," Kadaj hissed at her, he kneeled once more before her.

"No!"

Loz came into sight, his arms crossed over his chest, he stared at Kitty with an unreadable expression upon his face. They were, all three of them, uncaring bastards!Kitty thought in defense of her fear.

Yazoo gathered Kitty's hair up in both of his hands, and yanked hard, pulling her head back so as he could gaze into her eyes. It was almost as if he had heard her remark. "Mother… let us help you. Kadaj doesn't wish to hurt you, but he will if you do not cooperate. Understand?"

Kitty's eyes watered, but she nodded nevertheless.

Yazoo pushed Kitty's head back up, yet kept a hold on her hair.

Kadaj then began the tedious effort of stitching Kitty's forehead wound closed. Every once and a while Kitty would flinch or cry out or squirm yet Kadaj would have none of it, he continued to stitch repeatedly. When Kadaj was done, after only a few more minutes, Kitty was left staring at him with an expression likened to 'I hate you,' on her face. Kadaj only ignored her.

"You're welcome, Mother," he whispered— avoiding her gaze. Then he stood up, "Loz scout the room for anything we've missed. Yazoo, stay here with Mother. I'm going to go and see what else we need." Then Kadaj left the room with a shut of the door.

Kitty stared blankly at the window that Kadaj and her had jumped through earlier, she was even more confused. Her hand went up to feel the stitches that were holding her wound together—

"No. Do not touch," Yazoo had placed his hand around her wrist; soft but firm. "Kadaj worked hard… you are lucky he did it fast, Mother. If he had wanted to cause you pain then he would have gone slow. You should've shown your appreciation—"

"I don't understand…" Kitty interrupted him, she looked up at Loz who still stood before her. He had been staring at the door from which Kadaj had exited, but the moment he felt Mother's eyes upon him, he turned his attention upon her.

"What do you not understand?" Yazoo implored of her.

"Just a few days ago… you guys were hunting me down for a chocolate bar. And now… I'm… your mother? And… and you're acting as if I'm some fragile little being that can't take care of herself! What's up with that? I don't understand… what is the point of my being here? What is the point of anything anymore?!" Kitty was starting to cry. She was beginning to remember Clary, and everything that she would never be able to do or have, ever again. "I just don't understand… why did it have to be me? Of all the people on earth… why did it have to be me?"

"Earth?" Loz raised an eyebrow.

"You're Mother," Yazoo answered simply, "there's nothing else to understand… It will all come back to you in time."

"Come back to me?" Kitty's brows furrowed, "Do you actually think that I really am your mother?"

"You are Mother," Yazoo's fingers were braiding through Kitty's hair now, as if he were already bored with the conversation, and needed something to keep him awake. Kitty gazed from Yazoo to Loz.

Loz reached out a hand to touch Kitty's cheek, with a small smirk, "I think that Mother is playing with us," he stated.

Kitty swatted his hand away, "I'm not playing with anyone!"

Loz frowned at her, his hand fell lifeless against his side.

"Honestly! Do I even look a bit like you two?" Kitty cried out… she was so positively sure that they had no come-back to that. But she had forgotten one miniscule thing…

"Yes… you do…" Yazoo held out a strand of Kitty's hair; silver.

Kitty grabbed the strand of hair from Yazoo's grasp, in a tantrum, and yanked it from its root. "Fine!" she shouted, "maybe I was your 'mother' in a past life— but now, I'm just a fourteen year old girl! I haven't even had a period—" here Kitty clamped a hand over her mouth, and stared in horror at Loz's widened smirk.

Against Kitty, Yazoo began to laugh. It was a curious sound that Kitty had never really heard before— deep, dark, and melodious— she liked the sound of it…

Hold on Kitty. I'm coming for you… hold on… don't fall in their trap. Have faith in me…

It was later in the evening, and Loz had left the room to go and found Kadaj. Now it was just Yazoo and Kitty.

The room was getting even gloomier than it had been in the morning. Shadows collected in the corners, marring the already dirty walls and floor. Kitty stood by the window, staring out of it, her back to Yazoo's ever persistent gaze as he lay on his side upon her bed. It was creepy… to say the least that guy wouldn't even blink as he watched her. Perhaps he was making sure that she had no chances of escape… or perhaps he was only trying to creep her out and make her turn back to him so as he could continue his ministrations on her hair. Whatever it was… it almost worked on Kitty… but she was also highly aware of the fact that he was a 'he,' and that in the past few hours, Kitty had been noticing in all aspects that the brothers were utterly gorgeous beings.

Deciding to break the silence, Kitty decided to ask something totally out of the blue, "So… what was so special about that candy bar?" The mystery surrounding the chocolate bar she had eaten, had been nagging Kitty ever since Kadaj and his brothers had attacked her. She didn't turn away from the window, though, she was too timid to meet Yazoo's gaze.

"What candy bar?" Yazoo spoke in a velvety voice, deeper than Kadaj's yet not as deep as Loz's. His tone was almost care-free— and as always— bored.

"You know…," Kitty tried to imitate Yazoo's care-free tone, "the one that I stole."

There was silence behind Kitty, and then, "It was Kadaj's candy bar. He never told us what it was for."

Kitty frowned. Kadaj's candy bar…? She had touched Kadaj's cheek and had eaten Kadaj's candy bar "Oh," Kitty whispered.

The bed creaked in the interval between conversation and silence, causing Kitty to tense up. She whirled around in a panic only to face Yazoo's leather clad abdomen right before her eyes. Looking up slowly, with a vivid blush on her cheeks, Kitty found that Yazoo wasn't even looking at her; instead he was staring out the window.

"It's all quiet," Yazoo murmured.

Kitty gulped, and nodded, "Everyone's probably inside, away from the rain," she dodged to the side as soon as Yazoo looked down upon her. He smirked knowingly as soon as he saw her flushed face, but did not comment.

The silence persisted making Kitty uncomfortable. A question popped up in her head, "What exactly… took me over that night we arrived here?"

Yazoo raised an eyebrow, he still hadn't moved from his close proximity before her. "You mean to tell me you don't even know?"

Kitty shook her head slightly.

"Hmm… that would explain your not knowing anything about us… until now," Yazoo returned his gaze out the window.

Kitty frowned as silence returned and Yazoo made no effort to break it and answer her inquiry. Kitty cleared her throat deliberately; without her I-pod or any source of music, there was nothing left of Kitty but for an empty shell of fear and claustrophobia. The silence was like a house bearing down upon Kitty, squeezing her until she could no longer breathe.

Yazoo looked down at her with an intense stare; "You don't like being quiet do you?" it was as if he had read her mind… maybe he had… it would definitely explain earlier. Yazoo decided to answer Kitty's inquiry, "It was Jenova, who talked through you, our mother. Your mother too… until she decided to use your body as her vessel."

"Oh," Kitty looked down at her feet, "I feel so important now," Kitty mumbled lamely.

Yazoo nodded slightly, his attention— Kitty could tell— was vacillating between her and out the window. He had completely missed her sarcastic tone of voice, and was watching the shadows across the street for some unknown reason.

Kitty began to inch her way from before Yazoo to the bed. Yazoo didn't move, but Kitty could tell that he was completely aware of where she was in the room.

Sitting down on the bed, Kitty noticed how dark it was getting, and so leaned over and turned the light on by the bedside table. When the lamp switched on, it emitted a warm flame of light that bathed the whole room with an almost tranquil warmth.

"So…," again Kitty interrupted the ringing silence, "where do you think they are?" she swung her legs against the bed; jittery with anxiety.

Yazoo's head cocked to the side, but he made no motion to turn around. He was the epitome of silence.

Kitty sighed after a few minutes of him not answering, and fell back onto the bed; it made a creaking noise as her whole weight made contact with its surface. Creak… Kitty grinned, the noise had just given her a brilliant idea. Kitty needed some source of noise right now to keep her from going crazy. She sat up, and began to bounce up and down.

Creak! Creak! Creeaakk

Yazoo whipped around, "Stop it!" he growled at her.

Kitty's eyes went wide, she'd almost forgotten about him in her moment of bouncing, she immediately sat still.

Yazoo's eyes narrowed upon her, yet when there came the sound of a key turning in the lock, his eyes flashed towards the door.

Kitty turned, and watched as the room's door opened. In came Loz and Kadaj: Loz was carrying a few grocery bags; Kadaj was carrying some small glowing balls of… well… Kitty wasn't sure what they were.

"What are those?" Kitty asked in fascination.

Kadaj glanced her way after setting the circular objects upon the bed next to Kitty's. "They're called materia; powerful things, Mother… you should know this," he frowned at her in thought.

Yazoo came up behind Kitty, "Perhaps she doesn't know of materia, dearest brother, because she comes from some other world entirely," his breath played upon Kitty's neck—

Kitty yelped and scrambled away from Yazoo, yet she was met by Loz who was grinning at her deviously on the other side of the bed. Changing course, Kitty scrambled to the foot of her bed, and jumped to the ground taking refuge near the bathroom door. There Kitty was able to watch all three of the brothers, and just in case they made any threatening move towards her, she could immediately slam the bathroom door in their faces.

"I think that maybe you're right Yazoo," Loz purred, smiling playfully at Kitty.

Kitty glanced over at Kadaj, to see how he was reacting to all of this.

"Let her alone, you two," Kadaj had a small trademark smirk of amusement upon his lips, "Loz give her some food. I'm sure she's hungry by the way her stomach keeps on rumbling every few seconds."

Kitty's face flushed all over again, she couldn't believe that he could hear her stomach from all the way over to where he stood. It just wasn't fair! The nerve of him to point that out!

Yes… darling… life isn't fair.

Loz brought Kitty two candy bars.

"This is… food?" Kitty stared at the two bars in disbelief. "Is this what you three eat?"

Loz frowned at her, "What's wrong with what we eat?"

Kitty was baffled. She glanced around at the three brothers; they were all staring at her, candy bars in hand.

"This isn't healthy for you guys!" Kitty cried, "No wonder you three aren't humans! But still…"

Kadaj got up from where he sat. Portentously he walked over to her, his eyes narrowed, "Just eat them if you know what's good for you," he hissed, "you ate my special chocolate bar—so why not eat these two?"

"Because…" Kitty looked down at her feet in contemplation—

Kadaj reached out lightening fast, and yanked her chin up, "Eat them… or else Mother."

Kitty glared evenly into his uncanny eyes, "No."

Without any warning, Kadaj had Kitty up against the wall with his precious sword up against Kitty's throat, "Say that again…"

Kitty's eyes were wide, and her body trembled, yet she tried to keep her voice calm, "I said—"

Kadaj pulled her from the wall, and then shoved her up against it again.

"Kadaj!" Loz was abruptly behind his little brother, staring up at Kitty with panic evident in his eyes, "you're hurting Mother. Remember Mother, Kadaj?"

Yazoo came up, and grabbed Kadaj's weapon-bearing hand, "Take Souba off of Mother's throat, brother, before you do something you'll regret."

Souba… Kitty found it weird that the brothers gave their weapons names; she squirmed in her dangling position.

Kadaj's body was tense, his eyes mere slits, and he stared at Kitty with something akin to hatred. Kitty stared back, but with an expression of mock pity. She was kind of enjoying the power she held over the three brothers now…

Kadaj lowered his eyes, "I'm sorry Mother," he whispered and then he let go of her and backed up. He couldn't believe he'd allowed his anger to get the best of him again… worse of all, he had used that anger upon Mother.

Kitty dropped to the ground, and caressed her throat in her hand. She was sure it would bruise come tomorrow morning. Yet… something flickered in Kitty's emotions when Kadaj had apologized; she knew how hard, it probably was, for him to abdicate his pride in saying sorry. Kitty looked up at him with curiosity; he was staring down at her— his hair falling into his face shrouding his expressions from Kitty's view.

"I'm sorry," he whispered again.

The room was still and silent, all three brothers watched the girl that was their mother's vessel. They wished for her appraisal; they thirsted for her love; they wanted her to fill the void of their pitiful family. Mother… they needed a mother.

Kitty stood up, she gazed from Loz to Yazoo and then to Kadaj. She walked up to Kadaj, and stared up into his eyes, "I don't understand…" Kitty stared up at his intimidating gaze fully, "I don't understand…" here she smiled, "what is so special about that candy bar."

Kadaj stared at her, dumbfounded for a second, and then a slow quirk of his lips, alerted Kitty that she had won him over. "I stole it from Shin-Ra…"

She who is the key… we must find… she who is the key… WE MUST FIND!

The creatures let out their agonized screams, and sped into the village. They could smell her, she was theirs… blood would be spilled. They loved blood. They lived for blood. They drank blood.

Oh blood… it was everywhere… lights turned on up and down the village streets, faces appeared at windows; pale with fear. Then double locks could be heard clicking throughout the village, barely audible under the sound of the thrumming of motorbikes. Windows were shuttered close. People hid in their basements and attics, not ever to come out again until morning.

She who is the key… master we return her to you… blood will be spilled tonight in favor of your name.

On a brighter note, R&R, please!