Chapter 12

Everyone had already gone to bed by the time Cloud and Kotetsu had made it back. Cloud rushed Kotetsu in, out of the torrential rain, cursing his unpreparedness.

"Oh, I'm so sorry." Cloud shot into the kitchen and was back with a towel before the door had even had a chance to shut. Kotetsu revelled in the attention she was receiving as Cloud fussed over her. He dried her hair with the towel, trying his best not to make Marlene's masterpiece any worse than the weather had already, though he couldn't help but think that Marlene would probably be over the moon that she had her blank canvas back to play with. The thought made him smile as he pictured a pretty happy family, and future.

"Fun." Kotetsu smiled as Cloud continued to rub her down, his perfect smile making her blush a little. His face was so close to hers, and she could feel her impulses begging her to do something.

But what?

Cloud dumped the towel behind the bar again, fully aware he would probably get a row for it tomorrow morning.

"Food?" Kotetsu nodded as she sat at the table the family had seemed to have adopted. Cloud watched as Kotetsu slumped almost as her tired body protested her still awakeness. "Then bed." Kotetsu nodded, a tired smile plastered on her face.

...

Kotetsu woke in her room the next morning, no recollection of ever actually eating, or even going to bed the night before. She sat up slowly as she cringed in the thin strip of sunlight that seemed to seek her out every morning almost. Her new enemy.

There was a soft tap at the door, so soft in fact that Kotetsu was contemplating whether it had actually happened or not. Before she could turn over and go back to sleep, there was another knock, this one only slightly louder than the first.

"Come in?" The door clicked open and Marlene popped her shy head around the door.

"Morning!" She chirped, her smile so big that Kotetsu was beginning to feel a little uneasy. "Tifa said I couldn't bother you until you were awake, and I was so sure I had heard you move." This didn't help.

"You listen?" Marlene looked at Kotetsu oddly, probably picking up on her terrible speech. She then smiled again and nodded, no shame in her apparent stalking.

"Cloud said he was sorry, but your hair had fallen apart in the rain last night, sooo..." Marlene looked at Kotetsu expectantly, obviously wanting her to fill in the blanks. Kotetsu had apparently taken too long to realise though, and Marlene huffed. "You know. Like... Can I do it again?" She couldn't contain her excitement as bounced into the room, her left arm which had been hidden until now completely covered in lots and lots of different coloured bobbles. Kotetsu would have been a liar if she said that she herself wasn't a little excited. She did love colour.

"Okay." Kotetsu jumped out her bed and began to undress. She turned to see Marlene facing the other direction, her face red with embarrassment. Kotetsu learned yet another thing about people.

Stripping in front of them was not cool.

"Sorry." Kotetsu mumbled as she pulled on her new jeans that Tifa had given her. She loved how they sat on her perfectly, making her feel almost as if she had been born to wear jeans. "Ready." Marlene peaked through her fingers cautiously, making sure that Kotetsu was fully covered again.

"Tifa said you've to go down for breakfast first, Cloud apparently didn't feed you last night. He's a silly man at times. Would forget his own head if it wasn't attached." Kotetsu laughed to herself as she imagined Cloud forgetting his head, his frantic body looking everywhere for it, only to find it sitting on his bed...

"Morning." Kotetsu smiled in reply to the boy Denzel, surprised that he was actually up before lunch. How long had she been sleeping? "You're not bothering her about her hair again, are you?" Marlene stuck her tongue out at Denzel, clearly unimpressed with his opinion. "Have you ever thought that she was just letting you to be nice, and that she actually hates it?" Marlene knitted her eyebrows in annoyance, but glanced at Kotetsu nervously.

"Like it!" Kotetsu chirped, Marlene immediately relaxing.

"See she does like it, you big smell. Why don't you go back to sleep?" Denzel gave the girl evils before storming off. Kotetsu wasn't really sure of what had just happened, but she made it a point to ask Cloud later.

"There you are sleepy head." Cloud ruffled her hair tenderly, a few more strands coming free of the now disastrous masterpiece on her head. Marlene eyed him suspiciously. "It was the rain, honest." She huffed as she pretended to go in a bad mood, but her cheeky smile ruined it for her. "Well, look at it this way. Now you get to do it all over again!" Marlene hugged the blonde hard as she giggled.

"Yeah and it's going to be even better than yesterday!" Cloud nodded as he placed his hand on the girl's shoulder.

"I'd expect nothing less." Marlene nodded, all seriousness back.

"First Kotetsu needs to eat. Then we can give her a make-over." Tifa held out a plate of food and signalled for Kotetsu to sit down as Marlene cheered and danced in circles, and then proceeded to push Kotetsu into her seat.

"Eat! Quick!" Kotetsu giggled nervously, the girl beginning to scare her a little. She looked over to silently beg Cloud for help, but found him to be no longer in the bar area. Tifa must have noticed her panic as she explained.

"He's just taking out the bins." Kotetsu nodded, blushing slightly. When had she become so dependent on the blonde?

"Bin far?" Tifa shook her head.

"Nah, just out the back." Kotetsu nodded again, though she wasn't very sure where 'out the back' was. Kotetsu then began to eat her food, enjoying the sausage very much. Tifa had even been kind enough to explain what animal it had come from, which had Kotetsu almost in tears. She hadn't wanted to eat the pretty animals, but apparently it was a normal thing to do...

"Is she alright?" Cloud had returned to find Tifa hugging a silently crying Kotetsu, her hands pulling at Tifa's top, her head hidden deep in her shoulder.

"I told her the sausage came from a pig." Tifa looked at Cloud desperately. "And then I tried to explain that some animals are bred to be eaten, so they're just going to die anyway, and that it's no use to be vegetarian 'cause it doesn't really change anything and..." Tifa clearly had no idea what to do as she stroked the girl's hair tenderly. Cloud smiled softly as Kotetsu peeked out to see her saviour.

"It's alright." Kotetsu nodded, though she didn't seem to be any less distressed.

"Live to be eaten." Cloud nodded, Tifa slapping her forehead as she realised how much worse she had made things. "So sad!" Cloud nodded again.

"But when they are alive, they are treated well. They get to eat, sleep and play whenever they like, live in great big open fields, and it's only when they are old, and ready to die anyway, that they are killed. And it's done quickly so they don't feel a thing." Kotetsu digested the information, her brow knitted in thought.

"So... not bad?" Cloud shook his head, relieved that he had managed to pull the girl back from her tears. Of all the topics Cloud had thought she was going to breakdown over, he definitely had not expected this. He almost laughed as the girl dried her eyes, her cute blush back on her cheeks. "Sorry." Tifa shook her head as she stood up from the floor.

"No I am. How about we just never talk about where food comes from? That way you don't need to worry about it." Kotetsu thought for a moment, though she wasn't sure she just wanted to eat anything and not know what poor defenceless she had just chowed down on.

"No. Want to know." Tifa sighed as she looked apologetically at Cloud, fearing she had made things so much more difficult than they needed to be.

...

Kotetsu rubbed gently at her new and improved matrix of plats as she stared out into the street from one of the bar windows. Tifa had allowed her the day off since business was slow today; the torrential rain apparently making people chose to stay at home for the day. Kotetsu watched, intrigued, as water droplets continued to fall harder and harder, their splashes getting higher and higher as they struck the ground violently. Massive puddles had begun to accumulate, the dirt roads turning to rivers of mud as more and more water fell from the heavens.

Kotetsu thought back to her and Cloud's journey home the day before, her love for the rain realised as it washed over the pair as Cloud sped through the open areas between Midgar, and wherever they had gone to deliver that package. She had even squealed in joy, her hands leaving Cloud's side to raise into the air, trying to grab at the water. It wasn't that she had never experienced the water, it was just that she had never been well enough to enjoy it so much before. Her time in the rain had been spent desperately looking for shelter from it, because her health was in such a bad shape.

Which reminded her.

Tifa had mentioned that Cloud would take her to get rid of her black marks, but she hadn't heard anything yet. Kotetsu jumped up from her seat gracefully, and pranced silently over to the bar where Tifa was counting the money in the till.

"Tifa?" Tifa almost jumped out of her skin as she looked up suddenly, clearly surprised at Kotetsu's sudden closeness.

"Kotetsu! Jesus girl! When did you... Never mind. What's up?" Kotetsu smiled apologetically as she brushed some of her new fringe back behind her ear. She sighed as it fell back into place, dangling in front of her eyes again.

"Geo... the..." Tifa raised an eyebrow inquisitively. Kotetsu lifted her t-shirt, to show Tifa what she meant.

"Oh. Yeah." Tifa looked at the girl nervously, while pulling her t-shirt back down again. She would have to teach the girl about modesty at some point as well it would seem. "I told Cloud this morning. I had wanted to tell him sooner, but getting him alone anymore is seemingly quite hard to do. He's upstairs just now actually, checking with Reno for any word on the whereabouts of Rufus's gang, making sure that he can avoid bumping into them when taking you to the church. The place is quite tight with security, Sebastian apparently sure that you will turn up to be cured." Kotetsu nodded slowly, the mention of her master's name making her body shiver all over. Tifa pushed some more of Kotetsu's bangs behind her ears, her smile reassuring. "Do you know if any of the others have the disease?" Kotetsu shook her head as she thought.

"All dead." Tifa felt a deep sadness well within her, Kotetsu's stoic expression somehow making the whole thing that bit more desperately depressing.

"Well I suppose that's a relief. We won't need to bring back any of your friends..." Tifa closed the till and zipped up some bags containing money. Kotetsu watched patiently as she waited for Tifa to tell her what to do, but the woman just disappeared upstairs, her work clearly a priority right now.

Kotetsu slinked back over to her seat at the window, and continued to watch the people of the town pass by. She watched mothers running with their children into the shelter of their homes, men pushing their way to and from work. She watched the clouds, their thickening darkness only seeming to bring her mood further down.

Time seemed to pass painfully slowly as she waited for Cloud to reappear; her fears of her master returning making her step back from the window suddenly.

"Everything alright?" The blonde's voice washed over her as she felt herself relax again, the air of safety the man carried with him something Kotetsu was sure she would never get sick of.

"Yes." Cloud eyed her suspiciously as he tossed his keys idly in his hand. "Geo..." Kotetsu rubbed her head painfully as she tried desperately to remember the word... it was an awful long one...

"Geostigma?" Kotetsu smiled and nodded. "We are going to head over there tonight." Cloud seemed rather annoyed at the mention of the disease. Was that because it brought back bad memories? Kotetsu eyed him inquisitively, her intuition surprising Cloud. "It's nothing." Kotetsu raised her eye brow suspiciously, the time for pushing things by her a thing of the past it would seem. "Tifa should have told me sooner." Kotetsu shrugged as she walked back over to the window again, resuming her position.

"I fine." Cloud sighed as he approached the girl, his hand running through her hair as his footfalls echoes on the wooden floor.

"I know what it's like. I was there once." He pointed to Kotetsu 's chest, though the action was lost as she hadn't turned to look at him. He waited for her to do so before continuing. "The unimaginable pain it brings, especially if you are as far on as Tifa thinks you are." Kotetsu shrugged again, her eyes stuck to the floor as she tried to avoid Cloud's ever demanding gaze. "Sore to touch, to move, to breathe, to live." Kotetsu felt a sense of realisation as Cloud spoke, the words meaning a lot to her. It did hurt to do all of those things, but the Geo-whatever was the least responsible...

"I fine." Cloud sat on the chair next to her, not bothering to turn it round as he straddled the back rest.

"You don't need to always be strong. It's okay to hurt. Okay to be in pain." Kotetsu glanced at Cloud, but quickly returned her gaze to the outside world. Why did Cloud have to make her feel so conflicted and confused all the time?

"I fine. Really." Cloud rested his chin upon his folded arms, another sigh leaving him. The pair sat in silence as Kotetsu watched the world pass by, Cloud thinking of his best course of action for the night.

"Everything will be all better soon. I promise I will dedicate my life to making yours a free one." Kotetsu smiled at Cloud, not really sure what exactly he had promised to do.

"Not burden." Cloud ruffled the girl's hair tenderly.

"You're never a burden."

...

Cloud stopped the bike a good distance away from the church. Apparently, Sebastian had seen it fit to surround the church with some of Rufus's guard. He had been waiting for Kotetsu to come here to be cured, had known that Cloud couldn't let her go on with the disease, knowing that it would eventually kill her. He had surprisingly not used any of his own weapons, but Kotetsu had informed him that she and her colleagues could not leave the compound until they were totally ready. It was possible that the outside world could ruin their brains, making everything that her master had worked for worth nothing.

Of course, Kotetsu had never experienced the overwhelming surge that the weapons were feared to experience when introduced to the open world, but then again, Arashi had warned her of everything. All those late night talks and teachings, Kotetsu would never forget.

Arashi...

"Kotetsu? Are you alright?" Cloud tilted Kotetsu's chin so that he could look into her eyes and was met only with pain. Kotetsu pulled away as tears threatened to come and straightened herself up as she began to make her way towards the church. Cloud caught up with her quickly, deciding it best to leave it alone until they were back at Seventh Heaven. This probably wasn't the best time to hassle her anyway, the task ahead needing all of their concentration.

Plus, he didn't want to push the girl away by being impatient.

Cloud then took the lead as they travelled through the ruins of Sector 7, memories of this place not as painful as they had been for Cloud in the last couple of years. He looked upon the mess, unable to shake the deep sense of failure that still plagued him.

"Cloud?" Cloud snapped back from his painful reminiscing, a small smile on his face as he watched Kotetsu struggle for the right words to say. "You... Okay?" Cloud raised his eyebrows in surprise, not having realised he had been so obviously upset. In fact, he was sure he had been hiding it quite well if he was honest...

"I... This was home to a dear friend of mine." Kotetsu caught up to Cloud so that she was now by his side, happy and a little surprised that the blonde was opening up to her. "She was killed, and I couldn't save her." Kotetsu watched as Cloud seemed to physically slump in depression. A thick feeling of failure filled the musky and rotting air. Kotetsu acted impulsively as she rested her hand gently on Cloud's forearm, her way of saying that she was sorry, and understood. Cloud smiled at her, seemingly over the moon at her support. "I blamed myself for such a long time, and became impossible to live with, or even just be around. Tifa and the kids went through a lot, and it took me a while to forgive myself..." Cloud thought back to Aireth, and how she had never once blamed him, even though he had shouldered the guilt for two years almost."I had never felt lighter, the day I finally did." Kotetsu stared hard at the ground as they walked, glancing now and again at the spires of the church towering high amongst the crushed rubble, an indication that they were close. Cloud took the girls hand that was still resting gently on his arm, and pulled her behind some old foundations as a huge gun machine marched by, its ever watchful scanners missing them only just. "We have to be quick." Kotetsu nodded in agreement as she followed Cloud, the pair sprinting to the next checkpoint, another pile of rubble that once was probably someone's home. "They have patrol patterns, and are thinly spaced out since Rufus has other business in the north. Apparently a new threat is arising, but Reno doesn't know exactly what it is yet." Cloud was whispering now. "Stupid redheaded pain in the ass." Kotetsu giggled quietly, enjoying how much Cloud and Reno seemed to hate each other. Their arguments were just so ridiculous sometimes that it was just funny.

"Idiot?" Kotetsu offered, wanting to be a part of this funny and harmless feud.

"In more ways than you can imagine." Cloud's cheeky smile graced his impeccable face, Kotetsu feeling her heart rate increase. This man was going to be the death of her, she was sure of it.

Cloud took the girl's hand again, and led her stealthily through the rest of the labyrinth of rocks and stone, avoiding as best he could, the scanners and watchful eyes of the patrolling machines. It wasn't long before the pair had made it to the small church, pushing quietly through the doors and shutting them again.

Cloud stopped Kotetsu from venturing further into the church, the figure of a man sitting in the front row making her hair stand on end. He looked back at the pair with black, calculating eyes, his smile cruel and full of malice.

"You…" she breathed out, her mind going numb. Her time with Cloud had been so short lived, and every second she spent with the blonde made leaving that bit more difficult.

If she was honest, she didn't think she could go back at all.

"You miss me?" the tall man drawled out as he stood, his smirk widening slightly. He walked along the front of the altar, his foot kicking some of the water as he passed, looking around as if to inspect the place. "So this is where you came all those times you escaped. Quaint." Kotetsu stood stalk still, unable to speak. Cloud squeezed her hand in his, offering her the support she needed. "Your little blonde friend is cute… Cloud isn't it? Wouldn't mind having a piece of you myself. At least Kotetsu has good taste I suppose... How is little Denzel and Marlene by the way? And Tifa? Now she is quite the catch, unlike the trash you have stuck to your hand there..." Cloud swore then, earning a rather animalistic growl from Sebastian.

"Hold your tongue." Cloud's voice was low, but commanding, and Kotetsu's master clearly did not appreciate it. She watched as he tensed up, his rage almost getting the better of him. Her attention was then drawn to the open roof, a shadow crossing through the moonlight. Cloud noticed it too, his hand now pulling Kotetsu away from the door.

And good thing too.

Kotetsu watched the wooden doors fly off their hinges and down the aisle towards her master. One of her kin entered the small church.

"Kotetsu! My dear. I would like to introduce you to your replacement." Sebastian watched as Kotetsu stared helplessly at a younger version of herself, the girl only slightly different in appearance. Cloud cursed as he stepped in between her and the new threat, his voice as clear as day.

"Woossa Narii!" Without any warning, Kotetsu found herself falling into darkness.

Cloud caught Kotetsu before she hit the ground, laying her gently on the nearest bench. He felt a little guilt hit him when he looked over to see the other girl, the 'replacement', lying in a crumpled heap on the stone floor. He would have to work out how these words worked, and sort it so that Kotetsu, and all these other kids, would never have to fall under their power ever again.

Cloud turned to face Sebastian, who was now screaming the trigger word.

"Aranii Solei! You stupid bitch! Aranii Solei!" Cloud smirked as he took out the base Sward from it's place on his back, the other additional parts almost vibrating with excitement, coinciding with Cloud's overwhelming enthusiasm for justice.

"Give it a rest and just die, will you?" Cloud jumped into the air, his sward brandished over his head as he landed in Sebastian's now previous position.

"Don't underestimate me Cloud Strife. I am the one who taught these kids how to fight. Remember that. I taught them everything they know. Everything!" Cloud rolled his eyes as he began to attack left, right and centre, Sebastian proving to be rather competent when it came down to it. Cloud slashed and swung his sward, but never once connected, Sebastian's defences seemingly impenetrable.

Sebastian then finally began to offend, kicking bits of broken pillar and benches at Cloud as if they weighed nothing. Cloud inwardly sighed as he began to wonder just how good this man was, and if he should be worrying...

The two fought for what felt like an age, Cloud amazed at the man's resilience. He had cut and slashed at the man, blood pouring out of him like a river, but he just continued to smile manically as he fought back, giving Cloud quite a beating. He stood at the altar again, unsure how many times they had circled the building, quietly nursing his now probably broken ribs. Two or three maybe? Sebastian dusted himself down, halfway up the aisle, his cocky smile still in place. Cloud felt a little at a loss, but figured if he just kept this up, Sebastian would eventually die...

"You look tired." The cursed man tried to taunt Cloud as he steadied himself.

"Don't count on it." Cloud's voice was still strong and commanding, Sebastian clearly faltering a little.

And then he was off.

Sebastian jumped into a sprint as he made his way to the back of the church, pulling out a small piece of machinery. Cloud sprinted after him, trying his best to get to Kotetsu before he did.

Sebastian jabbed the little box against Kotetsu, and Cloud realised instantly that it was a tazer. He made it to Kotetsu's convulsing body, kicking Sebastian back as hard as possible.

"Aranii Solei!" Cloud hadn't even opened his mouth to counteract with the sleep word when he felt Kotetsu's cold hands wrap around his neck. She was on his back like a spider, her arms and legs seemingly everywhere, crushing him. He couldn't even find the breath to call out her name, his hands pulling desperately at her constricting limbs.

"Kill him!" Sebastian's commending voice seemed to just spur the girl on, her strength quite surprising to say the least. Cloud fought as best he could, wriggling and fighting her as he dropped to the ground, his head spinning.

"Ko-" Cloud struggled to pull her arms free of him, but found a weak point in her hold. He had only a moment to catch a breath when she had repositioned herself, the new submissive hold much more painful than the first, her knees now crushing his ribs. He called out in pain as he struggled some more, Kotetsu's grip seemingly unbreakable. Cloud managed to wriggle his hand in between his throat and Kotetsu's forearm, and pushed hard, sending the girl back off of him. He fell back to the floor as the world spun, Kotetsu on him in flash. She sat across his middle, straddling him, her arms locking his left arm against his own neck, again choking him. She shuffled herself up his body, sitting on his chest and further constricting his breathing, Cloud's failed attempts at pushing her off all in vain. "Kotetsu!" He managed to choke out her name as he pushed her back again, only to be rolled up in some other hold, again much more painful than the first. He cried out as he felt something pop, his left shoulder now no longer connected. "Woossa- " Kotetsu's fist connected with his jaw, stopping him from finishing the command. Cloud felt himself panic as he tried to push the girl off again, his ribs screaming and his left arm useless. "Woo- " Another punch connected with his chin, making him see stars.

"Kotetsu. Take this." Cloud watched through blurred vision as Kotetsu accepted a rather meaty looking dagger, the blade thick and curved with a gem encrusted hilt, quite beautiful really.

"Woossa- " Kotetsu hit her knee against his chin, and kept it there as she prepared herself to kill him. Cloud closed his eyes tight as she raised the dagger, hoping that she would miss any vital organs.

The sound of tearing flesh and the pitter-patter of dripping blood on the wooden floor resonated throughout the church, Cloud's pained cry closely following.

...uh oh... Cloud's in trouble! Will he pull through, or is this the end of Kotetsu and Cloud?

Well i hope you are all still enjoying this wee fic. I'm really loving writing it and gettin to deal with such interesting topics! Thanks for the reviews, they r really making my day. And i hope to hear more from you all! Enjoy!

And have fun! XD