A/N: I found this chapter extremely hard to write. By the time I was done, I felt extremely exhausted. Kadaj takes a lot out of me. lol

Hope you enjoy it. :)

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VII or any of its characters.

Chapter Six

Kadaj's eyes scanned over the over the area, taking in the bar, the booths, the stools. He looked over the counter and all the things behind it-the pots and pans, the bottles of wine, and the notes that were stuck to the wall. He had never been to this place before; he hadn't known what to expect. So this was where Cloud lived, where he spent most of his time with these people he called his family.

The bar was uncomfortably silent. The sun had hidden behind the clouds that afternoon, giving Edge and everything in it a dreary hue. The fan spun on the ceiling, only adding to Kadaj's unease.

He looked from the bar, and from Tifa who was standing behind it. His eyes went to the floor, and he examined the simple tile, having nothing else to do.

His eyes lost focus, his mind drifting elsewhere as he concentrated on that soft feeling deep inside-that feeling he always had: the simple knowledge that his brothers were nearby. This was obvious for Loz, who was sitting just to his left on another stool. Yazoo, though...Yazoo was elsewhere. Close, but just beyond his reach.

Kadaj felt a pair of eyes on him. Drawing back to the present, he looked to his left, to the stairs. Standing there was a boy. He was about ten years old, from what he could tell. If he remembered correctly, this boy was Denzel, a part of Cloud's "family". Vincent had told him about the order of the household before.

Denzel was staring directly at him, anger and hatred in his light green eyes. He was challenging him, wondering how he was ever allowed in his home. And Kadaj remembered him. He could spot each one of those children he had controlled three years ago. He could've picked them out of a crowd blindfolded.

The remnant offered Denzel a sly smile, winking at him. This only seemed to aggravate the boy even more.

"Denzel," Cloud said softly. The break in silence drew everyone's attention to blonde. "Why don't you go outside with Marlene?" he suggested, giving the kid a smile to assure him everything was fine.

Denzel wasn't convinced.

"Come on," Tifa said, making her way around the bar and approaching him. She put her arm around his shoulder and led him to the door. She started talking to him, as she opened the door and went to step outside. Their path was blocked as Vincent and Yuffie came through the doorway.

Vincent apologized as he stepped out of the way, and both Tifa and Denzel went outside.

"See?" Yuffie said, apparently continuing the conversation the two of them had been having the entire way there. "I told you something like this would happen! Now you've gone and lost yourself a remnant."

"Yuffie..." Vincent cut her off, his tone reprimanding.

She looked from Vincent to Kadaj, the both of them glaring daggers at one another. Vincent took her by the shoulders and made sure to steer her clear of both remnants. He sat her down at one of the booths, then turned to Kadaj and Loz again.

"Any ideas?" he simply asked.

"He's not in Edge, he won't be in any of the bars," Kadaj informed.

"Well then where is he?" Vincent wondered. "Where would he have to go?"

Loz shrugged, "Maybe he went deeper into Midgar to find some creatures to fight. That's what I do when I'm bored."

"So that's what you do every night."

Cloud stepped closer to Vincent, crossing his arms while he thought hard about their situation. "Is there anything we should be more concerned about? Him running off is one thing, but do we know why he ran off?"

"What other reason would there be besides him getting bored?" Kadaj asked.

Cloud met Vincent's eyes for a moment, before turned and looking at the youngest remnant. His stare was serious, conveying his concern.

Kadaj grew offended. "Yazoo wouldn't do anything. Not like before. Why would you think that?"

"Kadaj," Vincent said calmly, settling him down, "You know what happened with you the last time you took off."

"Sephiroth doesn't have control of him," Loz said, amazingly calm where his brother was not, "We would know."

"We're assuming they would tell us even if he did," Yuffie chimed in.

Kadaj threw his glare her direction, his hands clenching in anger.

"Yuffie," Vincent said again.

Cloud took a deep breath, looking from Yuffie to Vincent. "So what do we do? Should we start looking for him?"

"He'll come back," Kadaj said, "You guys don't have to be so concerned. He's our brother, he would never permanently leave us."

"He's right," Vincent reinforced. He knew them well enough to know that their relationship with each other was more important than anything. "Still, I think I'm going to check around. Make sure he's not at any of the bars." He turned to Yuffie. "You're coming with," he said, offering no compromise in the matter.

The Wutai girl stood without protest and followed him as he went to the door. She cast one last look at Kadaj, who was about to murder her with his stare.

"Will they be alright here?" Vincent asked as he stopped in the doorway.

"Yeah," Cloud replied.

Vincent nodded then left the bar, the door closing after him. Cloud was left with the two remnants, the uncomfortable silence ensuing once more.

Kadaj looked out the window at the dark streets. They were becoming more and more empty, as the hour grew later and later. He was waiting for Vincent to come back, waiting to see his red cloak in the bleak colors of the city. He hadn't returned yet though; he hadn't even called. Kadaj wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing.

He focused on his brother again, on the feeling of his presence. He was still there, no closer, no further. But where exactly was he? And what was he doing?

Are you afraid yet?

Kadaj sighed heavily, leaning against the table and rubbing the heel of his hand between his eyes.

Are you sure what you told them is really true? How do you know he will come back to you? How do you know that I don't have him already?

"Shut up," Kadaj said under his breath, pressing his hand harder against his head.

Why? Does not hearing the truth make it any less real?

"Shut up."

Yazoo is weak. He has always been weak, and you've known this. What will he do without you, his stable brother? What if he stumbles? Who will be there to lift him back up?

"Shut up!" Kadaj wheeled about, jumping when he realized he was no longer alone in the bar. Cloud was standing there, a questioning look in his bright blue eyes. Kadaj scoffed, turning from the blonde to hide his embarrassment.

Perfect, is it not?

Cloud took a step closer to him, the confusion still in his eyes. "You alright?" he asked.

"I'm fine," Kadaj lied, composing himself enough to look him in the eye.

He didn't look very convinced, but he dropped the subject. He looked from the remnant to the window the teen had been staring out. "Vincent's still not back, huh?"

"No." Kadaj's gaze followed him as he stepped closer to the window. He looked tired, but Kadaj had a feeling the blonde wouldn't be getting much sleep because of them. Even though the three of them had changed, Kadaj had come to accept that they would never be fully trusted. Not by Cloud at least. Sephiroth had scarred him too many times for him to be trusting. And Kadaj didn't blame him. But at least he believed now that he was trying. And at least Cloud could understand how being a tool for Sephiroth and Jenova felt.

Not even Vincent could relate to that. That was a role exclusively for Cloud.

"Can I ask you something?" Cloud asked, breaking the quiet moment. He didn't looked back at Kadaj; his eyes were to the city.

"Alright," Kadaj said, stepping up to his side.

"Do I have anything to worry about...concerning Loz, with Tifa?"

Kadaj's eyes narrowed, a smile hiding the rising contempt the question raised. "That depends. How trustworthy is she?"

"That's not what I meant," Cloud said, casting him an impatient look.

Kadaj's smile mellowed out, as he turned and rested his back against the edge of the table. "He would never hurt her. Not anymore."

"Are you sure?"

Disbelief was in Kadaj's eyes, "Why are you so quick to assume the worst of us?"

"I'm not," Cloud said, moving away from the window and standing before him. "I'm not," he reassured, looking the remnant directly in the eyes. Their proximity seemed to keep him from lashing out, but the anger was still in the teen's eyes. "I'm just concerned. I've talked to Vincent, he's said he still hasn't been able to get a clear answer from Loz concerning Jenova."

"He helped fight Sephiroth when he took me over."

Cloud didn't reply, but Kadaj could read the look in his eyes.

"Loz is our brother, even if he was undecided, he would never act on his own."

He was still silent, only this time, Cloud's gaze went to the floor. Kadaj shook his head softly, "Vincent doesn't doubt us. Why do you?"

"I don't doubt you, Kadaj."

"But you doubt my brothers? It's the same thing to me."

"I doubt Sephiroth, Kadaj. I don't trust Sephiroth."

"We are not-"

"I know, Kadaj. But it's-"

"It's hard?" he finished for him.

"Yes."

"You know what's hard?" the remnant asked, "Standing right here is hard, staring at you. Every thought, every feeling, every impulse Sephiroth ever had concerning you is inside, screaming at me. But I would never hurt you, brother. Because that is not me. Those are not my thoughts. They're the thoughts of who I used to be, not of who I am now.

"Loz is the same. If you believe I've changed, then do me a favor and believe he's changed as well."

Cloud was once again silent. Kadaj sighed, looking away from him. There he was, admitting the turmoil that was going on inside him and all his surrogate brother could do was stand there awkwardly. His hands gripped anxiously at the edge of the table.

"If anything, I would be more concerned about your own safety."

"What?" Cloud asked, jerked from whatever reverie he had gotten himself into.

"Think about it: what's the one thing standing between Loz and your girlfriend?" He raised a brow, smirking, "You."

A/N: Please review. :)