Author's Note: I'm so sorry it's taken a week to update... but I caught another cold and ended up really sick, so I spent two days out of school this week because of it. Anyway I hope that nobody seems OOC in this chapter either.
Ummm... I want to thank my more recent reviewers for reviewing... I really love how much time you guys put into your reviews to make them lengthy and enjoyable for me to read :). Thanks for that!
Enjoy chapter eleven!
CHAPTER ELEVEN: DAUGHTER
Kitty had expected a man with white hair… a scar across his eyelids… anyone but the man that she was now staring upon. She would've never… in a hundred years, have guessed that Zack's 'Cloud' was Kadaj's 'Big Brother.' Cloud was that guy who had tried to slice her and Kadaj in half with his buster sword… he'd tried to kill her back in the alleyway… And now here he stood— his back to her— staring almost in lament at a sword planted deep into the sand.
It's a monument… Kitty wondered if the sword marked a person's grave. She felt paralyzed, scared of the blonde man in front of her. Kitty scrambled back with wide eyes, but she was only thrown down on her back the second the rear of her foot hit a small upturned rock.
Thump.
Cloud's head snapped to the side, his hair rustled in the breeze, and he gazed sideways at the small girl on the ground behind him. "Who are you…?" His voice was young.
Kitty's whole body shook— he didn't recognize her? She began to stagger back… and then she remembered what Zack had wanted her to do, and that she had nowhere else to go. She stopped and shifted down from her crab position.
"I'm—"
Zack smiled, and began to back away, "You were always a fast learner, Kitty. But now that I've gone as far as I can, I have to leave… take care now. Tell Cloud that 'Zack' sent you and tell him… your full name," he met Kitty's puzzled gaze and— with an informal wave— was devoured by a blinding white light, that swallowed him, buster sword and all, whole.
Tell him… your full name…
"I'm Katarina May Gainsborough," she declared in a shaken voice, "and Zack sent me to you."
Cloud whipped around, an expression of immense shock painted across his face. For a second there, it looked like he'd seen a ghost.
Kitty was shocked by his reaction. She'd been expecting Cloud to not believe her, she'd been expecting him to narrow his eyes— like he'd done back in the alley— and bring his buster sword down upon her. She'd expected everything but the look of realization on his face.
"Katarina…," he breathed, "is that really you?" he narrowed his eyes at her, as if really trying to calculate her features.
Kitty sat up awkwardly, "Yeah… I guess," she smiled sheepishly at him, "but I usually go by the name Kitty."
"It can't be… but…," Cloud stepped closer cautiously, "you are Aerith's daughter aren't you?"
Kitty's eyes widened, "W-what?" had she heard the guy right?
Cloud came closer so as he was but two steps away; Kitty was frozen to the spot. "Turn around," he whispered.
Kitty looked up at him with fear.
He chuckled softly, "Don't worry I won't hurt you."
With his assurance, Kitty obliged to his request, and turned around. She immediately closed her eyes when she felt the sensation of his fingers pulling thick strands of her hair up into a pony tail. Yazoo had let it down… Yazoo had done this first…
Holding her hair up with one hand, allowing a few strands to fall over Kitty's shoulder and across her face, Cloud told Kitty to turn back around. Kitty did as she was told, and as soon as she turned to face Cloud he inhaled sharply.
"You look just like her," he breathed.
Kitty noted that the pupils in both of Cloud's eyes had become nothing more than deflated slits. Was he talking about her Mother?
"W-who again?" she began wondering if maybe Cloud was referring to the similarity between her and Kadaj's color of hair. Perhaps Cloud had gone delusional and believed Kadaj to be her mother… But then again how could he be referring to Kadaj? For surely Kadaj looked more like a male than a female…
"Aerith…your mother," he murmured.
Kitty's eyes widened— she had heard Cloud right— "Aerith…?" Kitty stumbled back and grasped her locket that she'd placed in a pocket in her shorts. Can it be…? Was the lady who abandoned me at the church… my mom?
Cloud watched her impassively, yet when Kitty looked up into his eyes, she saw sincerity despite his cold demeanor.
"Please… will you take me to my mom?" Kitty begged him in a soft voice.
Vivid grief shot across Cloud's features, plus some other emotion that she couldn't quite decipher.
"W-what's wrong?" Kitty squeezed the locket in her hand. She remembered Zack admitting to her that he was in touch with Aerith… well at least she'd seen the look in Zack's eyes when she had uttered Aerith's name; the look of familiarity and concealed knowledge.
"Is she… dead?" Kitty wondered if the lady at the church had only been the spirit of her supposed mother. Perhaps Aerith's spirit had been sent down to soothe her… But if Aerith was her mother then that would mean Kitty belonged—
"Yes…," Cloud was contemplating something, "… we all thought you were dead… too," he looked Kitty in the eyes at this and then reached an uncertain hand out for her cheek. Within contact with Kitty's skin, Cloud closed his eyes briefly and stood stock still. His eyes flickered open.
Is he making sure I'm not just an illusion? Kitty watched the swirl of emotions in Cloud's eyes. Disbelief… a flicker of guilt… concern… affection… and a flicker of some dark shadow…
He breathed; a sound of despondency. "Come on kid, I'll take you home."
Kadaj shifted in his sleep.
A pounding of bare feet against marble floors... the hem of her dress turning the corner… he could hear his brother's calls far behind him.
"Kitty-kat!" her nickname slipped from in between his lips and echoed down the halls.
Kadaj turned in bed and groaned.
It was only a game to her.
He heard her giggle from a hall to the right, and then call back to him, "You can't catch me!" He rounded the corner… his eyes widened… he watched her trip and fall…
"Katarina—no!"
She fell over the bridge…
Recklessly he ran after her, and without thinking, followed her overboard. But he jumped without thought…
Kadaj shot up in bed, breathing heavily.
"Did Mother send you a bad dream again, little brother?"
Kadaj searched the dark room for Yazoo, and found him leaning with a smirk against the far wall.
Kadaj leaned back against the headboard and closed his eyes, "No. The dream focused upon Mother's vessel."
Yazoo came forward and sat down on the foot of Kadaj's bed; he could tell something was bothering his younger brother. "Go on."
"And," Kadaj opened his eyes and stared unseeingly at the ceiling, "I was chasing her… just I was younger, and barefooted."
Yazoo raised an eyebrow, "Anything else?"
"We were in a castle—"
"Hmmm?"
"It was above the clouds…," Kadaj looked over at Yazoo with an unreadable gaze, "I chased her to this bridge and— the moment she turned around to look at me she fell into the sky…"
"That's not what's bothering you is it?"
Kadaj let out a soft groan, "It felt like déjà vu."
"The dream?"
"Yeah…," Kadaj closed his eyes yet again, "ever since after the lifestream… I've been doing a lot of thinking… Have you ever believed in a second life, Yazoo?"
Yazoo got up from the bed, "Do you believe in a second life, little brother?" he shot back.
Kadaj frowned and changed the subject, "Has Loz come back yet?"
"Yes, he says they're ready."
"And the materia…? Do you still have some left, for Mother?"
"Yes."
Kadaj sat up, "Then let's go find her," he grabbed Souba from the bedside table— his pale reflection flashed in Souba's blade— he sheathed her and followed his brother out of the room.
Edge reminded Kitty of San Francisco. All of the houses and buildings were crammed together on either sides of the street, and the sidewalks were cacophonous with billions of people.
"Cloud…?" Kitty tightened her hold around Cloud's waist; this was her second ride on a motorbike today… and she wasn't exactly happy about it.
Cloud risked a glance over his shoulder at the small girl.
From his glance, Kitty took it as permission to go on with her question, "W-who was my dad?"
The motorbike took a swerve in the middle of the road for no apparent reason, causing a few car horns to sound around Cloud and Kitty.
Kitty buried her head into Cloud's back, "Sorry…," she whispered.
Cloud heard Kitty's apology, and glanced sideways as if silently regretting something. "Hold on," he spoke only for her ears, "we're almost there."
Kitty nodded her head in acknowledgement. Another place to be kept away from who I really am…if only it had been different— Kitty's head snapped up… she'd been thinking of the brother's a lot. It was all her fault that they were dead… all my fault. She wondered what it would've been like, if the creatures hadn't interposed… maybe she wouldn't be thinking about how alone in the world she really was now. Or maybe she would've found out anyway.
Cloud pulled his motorbike up in front of a small brown building along one of the streets.
Kitty looked up at it. In a way the building was very welcoming... above one flawless glass window were thirteen flashing neon red letters that read Seventh Heaven. A warm welcoming name.
"It's a bar…," Kitty whispered to herself. Curious, Kitty gazed up at Seventh Heaven's top floor. There, Kitty spotted a small square piece of paper taped to one of the three windows present. I wonder what it says… Kitty's attention was quickly averted when the motorbike quivered from under her— Kitty looked up.
Cloud gracefully dislodged himself from his bike, "Need help?" he offered Kitty a gloved hand.
Kitty took it absentmindedly and jumped off of the immense vehicle, "Thanks," she gave Cloud a small appreciative smile.
Cloud nodded and gestured for her to follow him.
The small path up to the door was aligned with vibrant spring flowers. Kitty took it all in from the flowers to the creaky wooden steps of the porch, to the swing hanging in front of a window to the right. She hoped that she wasn't being led to some imprisonment.
Cloud knocked on the door.
While they waited, Kitty glanced over her shoulder, at Cloud's bike. It wasn't too late for her to just turn back right now… hop on the bike and ride away, right? Who am I kidding…? Kitty closed her eyes, Zack had told her that Seventh Heaven was a safe haven— and by the definition of 'safe haven,' Seventh Heaven couldn't be a prison for fourteen year old girls.
The door swung open.
Kitty jumped.
"Cloud?"
A young woman stood in the doorway. She had long brown hair and a gentle face. She was clad in a small leather shirt and a flowing leather black skirt. Her visage beheld the simple expression of surprise, as she gazed at her visitors.
"Tifa, this is Katarina Gainsborough— Aerith's daughter," Cloud stepped aside to present Kitty.
Kitty gazed up into Tifa's disbelieving gaze.
R&R, please-- you know you want to P