Summary: Laura was just your average woman, until a freak accident involving her television set, the Advent Children dvd, and lightning strike transported her to Gaia. And that's only the beginning of the story!

Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own FFVII or Advent Children. Just a single copy of the movie. Now put the pitchforks and torches away. Oh, I also don't own the rights to the song in here. It just seemed like something that a person would sing to someone who needs comforting after a bad dream.

Queen's Quornor: Characters might be a little OOC in this chapter. I haven't decided yet. Yazoo doesn't have enough lines in the movie for me to be sure. Yes, he's a little talkative in this chapter, but I've reasoned that this is because he cares about his brother(s). Now before any of you still reading this decide to lynch me, I should tell you that in reviewing the movie I have come to a conclusion. I believe that Kadaj is a split personality. He has his original self, of whom we see very little in the film (up until the very end, that is, after he collapses), and then the part Jenova has driven to insanity. Sephiroth wasn't always the same man he is portrayed as in the game; why can't the same apply to Kadaj? Jenova is a corrupting influence, after all. In this story, that insane part hasn't really taken over yet, and the rational, original part is still in control, most of the time. So part of the reason he's been almost child-like in this chapter and the previous one is due to the conflict going on inside him, the war over which side will win. How many of us, after all, revert to a more emotional, I-need-you-to-be-there state when going through something that traumatic? Kadaj may not be human, but he is still human (yay for philosophy classes!). Oh, and for the one girl's name, it's the Latin pronunciation, "Keer-ee-eh."

Disney Has Its Uses

When Laura woke up the next morning, she was immediately conscious of a warm weight pressing against her ribcage and stomach. Lifting her head, she realized that Kadaj was sleeping atop her, his head pillowed against her breasts and his arms wrapped loosely around her waist. He looked so peaceful that she was loathe to disturb him, especially after his tearful admonission of the previous night. But the insistent pressure of her bladder demanded she do so.

"Kadaj?" She stroked his hair softly, trying to keep her voice low and gentle. "Kadaj, it's time to wake up."

"Mmmph."

My, Kadaj. You really lose your eloquency in the mornings, don't you? 'Course, it'd probably help if you weren't talking into my left boob. "What was that?"

"Don' wanna." He nuzzled against her, still asleep, reminding her absurdly of a tiny kitten.

"I 'don' wanna' either. However, I also 'don' wanna' make a puddle in the middle of this bed. That would be bad, don't you think?"

"Puddle nasty."

Oh, so he's a baby talker when he's asleep, is he? Heh, Denise is the same way. I know how to deal with him, then. "Kadaj, if you let me up to go to the bathroom, I'll be right back. Then we can go back to sleep, ok?"
"M'kay." He rolled off her and curled onto his side, still fast asleep. Laura got out of the bed, careful not to bounce the mattress or make too much noise, and set off to find the bathroom.

She found it after a few minutes of searching, and took care of her needs. That done, she tied her hair back again and retraced her steps to the bedroom, hoping that Kadaj hadn't woken up yet. She rather liked him like this, all warm and soft and cuddly, almost as if he needed someone to take care of him.

Strangely, the words 'cuddly' and 'Kadaj' sound really, really funny together!

He was still asleep when she got back, but it was no longer a peaceful sleep. He was gripping the sheets with one white-knuckled fist, face grimacing in a mixture of pain and fear. Soft cries of distress were making their way from his tightly-curled form to echo around the room in a steady stream.

Nightmare.

Laura was on the bed beside him a moment later, pulling him up into her arms and rubbing his back comfortingly, whispering soothing words to him while he struggled against her, desperate to get away from whatever was tormenting him within the depths of his mind. She ignored the fists beating against her chest as best she could and continued her endeavors, fighting not to hold him so tightly that he would be unable to move. That would only make the nightmare worse, if he felt like he was being held down.

After a few minutes of this, Kadaj quieted and lay limp against her, his legs curled around her waist and his arms held protectively against his abdomen. Laura felt him turn his head into the curve of her neck, and then hot moisture against her skin.

Oh Kadaj… I'm so sorry…

She wondered how she was going to comfort him, and then had a flash of inspiration. Denise told me her mother always sang to her when she had had a bad dream.

But what song? Most of her favorite songs were hardly what could be considered soothing. Laura wracked her brains for a moment for something appropriate, then recalled a Disney song that had warmed her heart the first time she had heard it, while she was boredly channel-surfing one afternoon. Thank God I've got a decent voice.

Gently caressing his hair, still holding him close to her while he cried, Laura began to softly sing, even going so far as to rock him a little.

"Come stop your crying, it'll be all right. Just take my hand, hold it tight. I will protect you from all around you. I will be here, don't you cry."

There was movement in the doorway, and she raised her head to see Yazoo, silently watching them with unreadable eyes. Laura paid him no mind; her attention was on Kadaj, who had quieted somewhat.

"Feeling a bit more confident that it was working, she continued singing. "For one so small, you seem so strong. My arms will hold you, keep you safe and warm. This bond between us can't be broken. I will be here, don't you cry. 'Cause you'll be in my heart. Yes, you'll be in my heart. From this day on, now and forever more. You'll be in my heart. No matter what they say. You'll be right here, in my heart, always." She turned so her lips were just centimeters away from his ear, eyes closed so she wouldn't see her observer while she whispered the final lyric.

"Always."

The tears, the shaking of his back and shoulders, had finally ceased. Laura leaned her head against Kadaj's, still stroking his back and hair, glad that it had worked. She didn't know what, specifically, had so terrified him, but she was thankful that she could help make it go away.

I'd kill Hojo and the other scientists if I could, for putting him through shit like that. Look what it's done to him.

When she finally raised her head, Yazoo was still in the doorway, watching them. Sensing that he had something he wanted to talk about, she reached a hand out and patted the bed, inviting him to come sit down. Kadaj stirred slightly in his sleep, and she quickly resumed her petting. He seemed to enjoy it, if not need it.

Yazoo whispered over to the bed and climbed atop it, his weight barely disturbing the mattress as he settled into a cross-legged position against the footboard. Like his brother, he had given up his usual leather garb in favor of loose cotton sleepwear. He watched them, the woman and his brother, for a long moment before speaking, his voice even softer than it normally was. "That's the first time he's ever allowed anybody other than me to make the nightmares go away. You should feel privileged to know that he trusts you."

"I said I wanted to help you. I don't want…certain things…to happen, that's all." Laura nuzzled Kadaj's silky-soft hair briefly, causing him to sigh in his sleep and cuddle more tightly against her.

"You think our pursuit of Mother is wrong."

The blunt statement made her look directly at the long-haired man, searching for hostility. His face was as expressionless as ever, smooth and unreadable.

Dammit.

"I know what will happen if you find her, if you get your hands on her head. I would prevent that from taking place, if I could."

"What will happen, if we were to find Mother?"

Might as well tell him. I never paid attention to philosophy, anyway. "All three of you will go mad, especially Kadaj. You will put innocent children in mortal danger, all of the kids suffering from Geostigma. Downtown Edge will nearly be destroyed, and when all is said and done, all three of you will be dead. Kadaj will be exposed to Jenova's cells and transform into Sephiroth, and he will battle Cloud Strife. Cloud will defeat him, but Kadaj's body will take the damage. Sephiroth's possession, as well as the wounds incurred in the battle, will kill him." Laura bit back tears, remembering that hated scene. "You and Loz will come upon the scene just as Kadaj is fading into the Lifestream, and shoot Cloud. He will attempt to kill you, and you both will activate all of the materia you have in your arms, resulting in an explosion that kills all three of you. But Cloud will get healed in the Lifestream, and be sent back to Gaia while you three remain…dead.

"I don't want Jenova to take over your minds, Yazoo. She is not you mother, nor was she Sephiroth's mother. I don't want her to drive you insane.

"I don't want the three of you to die."

She hugged Kadaj to her, hand still moving over his cotton-garbed back, waiting for Yazoo's reply. When it came, it was as whisper-soft as before.

"I think I believe you."

Laura raised her head, her eyes eloquent.

"Kadaj has told me that he hears voices sometimes. Mother's and someone else's, a man's, telling him what to do and how to do it. Most of the time, he's the same Kadaj. But sometimes, he's someone completely different. The way he was when you met him… That is not what he's usually like. When he's like that, he…"

"Cares only about Jenova." She looked at the young man in her arms. The movie is this 'other' Kadaj, not the real one. She hasn't netted him completely yet, but she's trying. Very, very hard.

Well, she's not going to get him. Not if I can do anything about it.

"Yes." Yazoo laid a hand on his brother's back, emotion finally reflecting in his yellow-green eyes. Sadness, with a touch of despair. "He is dangerously unpredictable when he's like that. He's even attacked me and Loz before. He's always sorry when he snaps out of it, but we never know if he'll do it again. You can never predict when he's going to change, or how long it's going to last. But he's like a crazed fanatic when he goes under, almost someone completely different, not our brother. Loz and I do whatever he wants so he won't turn on us." Yazoo looked genuinely ashamed now. We've…done some really bad things…to keep him happy. And when the real Kadaj comes back…we don't tell him. Kadaj doesn't like killing people; it reminds him too much of the labs in the manor."

"Is that what his nightmares stem from? What Ho…" Kadaj whimpered at that. "What he did to him?"

Yazoo nodded, hand still resting against his brother's back. "Most of the time. All of us had some really bad stuff done to us there. And sometimes, if one of our brothers or sisters didn't meet expectations, they'd make us fight each other to the death. Kadaj was one of their favorites for disposing of failed clones. I think he had to kill seven of our siblings, and was punished every time he cried after doing so."

"Punished for displaying emotion?" There was more than a little disbelief and disgust in Laura's voice.

"They wanted living automatons. Perfect SOLDIERs, not people with feelings. Some of the things they…" Yazoo swallowed hard, and then looked away. "Anyway, other times his nightmares are Sephiroth's memories. All the terrible things he did after he read the documents in Shinra Manor. Those aren't the worse, but they do bother him. A lot."

Kadaj was still asleep, but he murmured something then, so quietly that Laura didn't pick it up. She looked at Yazoo. "Did you catch that?"

Yazoo looked a little satisfied. "He said your name."

"My name? Why?"
The older clone didn't reply at first. He watched his little brother for a long while before meeting Laura's eyes. "Kadaj may seem very young, but let me assure you that he is as much a fully-mature male as Loz and I. He is also deeply emotional. I don't know why, but he's taken a liking to you."

That fast? Wow, I'm definitely impressed!

"So, I can only tell you one thing." Yazoo glared at her, as serious as a heart attack. "If you hurt him, rest assured that I will kill you. And it will not be a quick death. I'll make it as long and excruciatingly painful as I can, until you scream for mercy, for death. Understood?"

Laura nodded, and tightened her arms around Kadaj. "Understood. But how can you be sure? That he likes me, I mean. I just met him last night!"

Yazoo gave her a look that basically said 'then why are you holding him like that?' before answering. "Because I remember the way he looked at you before, and I recall how he treated you. He's done that to only one other person, our sister Kyrie. When they were allowed to interact, that's how they were towards each other, constantly flirting in a very sexual way. They even managed to get together alone a few times, once they figured out how to jam the security cameras. But Kyrie was trapped in her cell when the scientists released their latest creation, this…thing…that man had bred to hunt down and kill Sephiroth. We were its test run, because we were his clones. But they didn't let us out of our cells. That thing rampaged through the cell block where we were held, breaking into the cells and murdering the people inside. I honestly don't know how Kadaj, Loz, and I got out alive, but we did. And we were followed by two others, a brother named Alezz and one sister, Nalae. Kyrie didn't make it out. Kadaj grieved for her for weeks after that, even as his addiction to all those drugs put him through the most intense pain imaginable.

"Besides, Kadaj goes by his instinct. If he feels something, he'll go with it and not think twice about it. It was the one thing about him that the scientists hated; unlike Sephiroth, he is not a cold, calculating killer. Kadaj is fire where Sephiroth was ice. I wouldn't question it, if I were you. Just go with it." Yazoo started to get up, but Laura stopped him.

"What happened to Alezz and Nalae?"

Yazoo blew a sigh, not facing her. "Alezz died when he didn't get his drugs. His body had grown to depend on them, to a far greater extent than any of the rest of us, and when he went without them, his organs failed and he went into cardiac arrest. We didn't have a Phoenix Down, and I'm not even sure that would have done much to help. They can't change the make-up of the body, after all. As for Nalae, she suffered a wound during our escape. That wound got infected, very badly, and when we finally got our hands on a Cure materia, all it served to do was close the wound and draw the infection deeper into her body. It eventually killed her." He went to the door and pulled it open, dragging it closed behind him. "Take care of him, Laura. On your life."

Relatively alone now, Laura looked down at Kadaj, still sleeping peacefully in her arms. I don't know if Yazoo is right or not, but I do know that I wouldn't hurt him. I don't have it in me.

A split personality. It made perfect sense, now that she thought about it. There was the part Jenova had already managed to get under her control, and that was a minor piece. Then there was the true Kadaj, who was not nearly as fanatical or single-minded as the movie portrayed him. She had seen that last night.

Jenova will drive the true, rational part of him out of his own body, and do the same to his brothers. She will drive them to insanity so Sephiroth can occupy the first available one, which will be Kadaj. And if what Yazoo said is true, then she'll wear down his resistance until his true self is too weak to fight her anymore, and the insane part she had created will take permanent control. And then Advent Children will take place.

And all three of them will die.

Laura hugged the man a little closer, digging her hand into his silver hair and laying her head atop his as a goal solidified in her mind.

If I can make him stronger, give him something to anchor onto that Jenova can't corrupt, then maybe…

Yes. It should work.

And I'm the only thing on Gaia that Jenova cannot touch.

"Laura?" Kadaj raised his head, eyes a little unfocused, still half-lidded in sleep. "What time is it?"

She smiled and let go of him, watching while he knelt and stretched his arms over his head. His shirt rode up his stomach until his wash-board abs were clearly visible. Somehow, I don't think I'll be too unhappy with what I've got in mind, should certain things come to pass. "I don't know. I don't have a clock or a watch on me."

There was a muted grumbling sound, and both of them stared at his stomach, which had clearly been the culprit. Then Kadaj laughed, a sound that sounded both wonderful and strange to Laura at the same time. She giggled a little, amused at how normal he could be. "I guess that means it's time for breakfast. You hungry too?"

"Now that you mention it, yes I am. Who's cooking today?"

"I think it's Yazoo's turn, with some help from Loz." Kadaj waited at the door as Laura got off the bed, pulling her tank-top down so she looked a bit more decent. "Word of warning: if Loz offers you something, don't eat it. He never pays attention to what he puts in his concoctions. Nice top, by the way."

"Thanks." She followed him down the stairs, pleased with the view of his backside through the pants.

Maybe this won't be so bad after all, so long as that 'other' Kadaj doesn't show up. He's kinda nice when he's not insane.