Chapter CCXXXXVIII: The Weapon Known As Lachesis Part III

Looking up to the screen, Nozomi couldn't believe what she was seeing! As she saw the woman who she now knew to be the author of the Lachesis reports, she stared on with utter shock at the child that was by her side. As she looked at the younger form of her bitter enemy, she repeated, "Lachesis...Crimson?"

Cait sith having heard this too, couldn't help but cry out in disbelief, "That can't be it!?"

Puzzled, Kagi looked back to the crowned cat and asked pausing the memory on the screen, "What do you mean?"

Seeing the green haired boy had turned his attentions towards him, the crowned cat told him, "That girl there! Her name's Hari! We've met her before! She was-!"

"You've seen her?" Kagi asked interrupting him with surprise now entering his own voice.

Seeing this expression, Leon not understanding his connection to the hated girl then told him, "Most of us have," With that crossing his arms as he stared at the young girl's empty downcast eyes, he proceeded on to say, "She's caused everyone here much grief and chaos."

Still as he heard this, Kagi repeated, "Grief and chaos?"

With a single nod, it was then that Zidane proceeded on to say, "Yeah! I've seen it first hand! She wrecked us all badly ages ago, she was workin' under the orders of some witch named Maleficent and her fat chump of a henchman Pete!"
Then Timbre added with a sigh, " And that's including my poor mislead sister."

Still hidden away under the covers of the invisibility cloak Pete was instantly irritated! If he wasn't supposed to remain in hiding, he would have given that monkey boy a real swing about with his tail he'd never forget and-!
"...So? She's been taken advantage of after all." Hearing this disheartened tone, Pete turned in Kagi's direction and saw that his expression looked as depressed as his voice sounded.

Seeing him this way, the villain and the rest of the group were confused. As they looked to Kagi, it was then that Riku decided to ask, "What do you mean 'taken advantage of?'"

As this question was asked of him, Kagi was quiet... then looking to the white haired keyblader solemnly, he told him, "You'll see." With that he turned back to the screen and allowed his memories to start playing again for everyone to see...

Looking up to the girl that was before him, Kagi didn't know what to do or say. But there was no doubt that he was in deep trouble! He didn't know exactly what to do, or what to say then... but he knew what he wanted. He had to go home! He had to-!

"And you my young Kagi," distracted out of his thoughts. The green haired young man saw again that Rosso was addressing him. As he saw her spectacled red eyes fix themselves on him, he remained silently perplexed as he heard her tell him, "You will have the pleasure of being my Lachesis's young playmate."

Silent as he heard this, Kagi repeated cautiously puzzled, "Play...mate?"

Smirking at his reaction, Rosso then told him, "Correct," with that looking down to her child, she continued to say, "I have yet to see her interact in her life, with another individual near to her age..." with that, putting her sharp red nailed hand into the strands of her daughter's long brown hair, Rosso looking down to her said, "And children do need to learn to socialise with others their age."

Kagi seeing Rosso say and do this to Hari, he was quiet. For looking at them both, neither looked at all like mother and child to him. The young girl practically looked like a lifeless puppet, being manipulated by its domineering master. He felt chilled seeing this, but he didn't have another moment to think, as-

"Doesn't that make you happy, Lachesis?" Rosso asked her child.

Hearing this question being put to her, the young girl dully replied, "...If it appeases you my lady, then that's all that I require to be satisfied."

Smiling more at this response, Rosso then responded, "Very good." With that said to her child, she looked back to Kagi and asked, "And I'm sure you will enjoy the opportunity to make a new friend as well, won't you?"

As this was put to him, Kagi was not thrilled at all at this prospect! He didn't want to have any part of what was happening! He had to get out of there! Looking behind himself, he saw that the men who had dragged him inside that darkened space. All of them had stepped back, leaving a big space between them that led to the door. If he was fast, he knew he could-!

STEP! STEP! STEP! STEP! STEP!

He didn't have time to hesitate and immediately ran back towards the door he'd been taken through! He knew he had to try to-!

PUSH!

"AGH!"

GRAB!

Quickly subduing him in seconds though, the daughter of his captor had ran forwards and tackled him to the floor. Sitting over him, she had taken his arms and was restraining him by using a basket hold.

Struggling with pain against her hold, Kagi was gritting his teeth. "Let me go!" As he did this, the hold on him only tightened and he heard-!

"Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!"

It was the malicious and heartless voices of the henchmen, who'd begun mocking him,

"Serves that little brat right!" "There ain't no gettin' away from here!" Yeah not for a puny test subject at least!" "What a stupid kid!"

Grimacing as he heard all this, Kagi hated this! His eyes were watering from the pain and humiliation, he gripped his restrained hands hard. He just wanted to go home! He just wanted-!

"My, oh my!"

Hearing that chilling feminine tone, Kagi knew who it was. It was that woman, Rosso again. She had made her way over to the two children again. Smiling still, containing a few sinister giggles by concealing her mouth with a single hand. She then commented, "It seems you two have already begun to play!" Then lowering herself to look into Kagi's terrified blue eyes, she continued on to say, "I do hope you both will provide even greater entertainment to me in the future..."

Looking on at the screen as Rosso's heartless red eyes, peered into Kagi's. Everyone watching the memory couldn't help but feel chilled like the young boy did. As she stared up to Rosso, she couldn't help but ask almost in disbelief, "This woman...she was really Hari's mother?"

As this question was asked, Kagi with his sad eyes looking on up at the past replied, "She was... she was terror incarnate."

Pete still in hiding hearing this, couldn't help but be chilled too. For looking at the changing images of the memories, he couldn't help but wonder? Was this woman the reason why Hari-?

"Yeah she looks like she was bad! But I bet she was even worse to deal with!"

Surprise to hear this comment, it was then that Pete looked in Ori's direction. As he did, he didn't need to ask his question, for someone else did for him, "Who was?"

Looking at Aerith who had asked this question, Ori then responded, "Who do you think I mean?" With that pointing to the memory again, where Kagi was being lifted up by Rosso's goons and carried away, he directed his finger towards the person he meant and stated, "Hari obviously!"

With that Aerith looked at the memory again as did everyone else. They saw that Hari still with her eyes downcast was being followed behind by her mother. As she continued on with no expression on her face as Kagi continued to try and fight back, she heard Ori say, "I mean with someone like that as their parent, it's obvious why she turned out to be such a monster!"

Pete was instantly offended hearing this! For if there was one thing that Hari was, it was anything but that! He was about to open his mouth to object when-!

"I don't blame you for saying that."

Looking in the direction this voice had come from, Pete became still as it was Kagi who had spoken.

Ori looking on at the young boy was quiet for a moment, however thinking about what he had just said. He then asked looking puzzled and sour, "What? Are you saying I'm wrong for thinking that?"

Kagi then replied with a sad small smile, "Well you're not exactly wrong, I mean I thought that too but-"

"LET ME DOWN! LET ME GO! I-!"

TOSS!

"AGH!"

Everyone saw quickly that in the memory still being played, Kagi had been unceremoniously tossed into a bedroom. It was a plain white walled one with a wide window, two white sheeted single beds with a single bedside table between them with a lampshade on it, with a same colour sliding wall wardrobe opposite to them.

Kagi watching as the imagery played out was quiet for a moment again, before he looked in Ori's direction and told him, "I think I'll let my memories reveal the truth to you." With that he looked back to watch as the others did, to see what occurred between the anxious child he was and the silent emotionless girl who had entered the room.

"Sleep well my darlings!" Came Rosso's chilling goodnight, as she left the children alone leaving with her goons who locked the door behind them...

"Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! That hurt!"

Kagi was cringing from the pain at having being tossed in the room like a mere used cloth. His back was aching from the strong impact as he rubbed it, but more than that... the pain that knowing now he could never go home was-!

"Do you require medical assistance?"

Hearing this cold voice asking him this question, he saw again the girl who had restrained him. She was looking down at him dully and as she did so, she asked again, "Have you incurred a fracture?"

Not understanding how she could be so...? Casual after everything, Kagi simply shuffled away from her. He was terrified of her and didn't want to have anything to do with her! As he moved back hurriedly as she continued to approach, his back finally collided with the wall.

Seeing and feeling what had halted him, he was terrified and quickly became more so as he heard her oncoming footsteps that were heading straight towards him and a distant voice asking, "Are you-?"

"Don't come near me!"

Quickly the footsteps came to a halt. As they did so, Kagi shivered his eyes squeezed tightly shut. He was scared, for had he made her mad shouting that? Would she... do something awful to him?

…

There was nothing but silence in the air, only disturbed by his sounds of shivering. Confused by this stillness... he cautiously peaked one of his eyes open, doing so he saw...she hadn't moved from the spot where he heard her steps come to a stop. As he saw her standing there still and unmoving, he was confused? Why wasn't she doing anything to him?

Again there was nothing but silence... with her only staring at him, this entire situation just felt eerie to him. Finding this silence disturbing, he decided to cautiously asked, "What're you... doing?"

"Doing?" She repeated in a questioning tone.

Not understanding her still, he asked again, "Um? Weren't you going to try and hurt me... or something?"

As this question was posed to her, the girl then replied, "I have had no instructions to harm you, that is not my purpose in this situation."

"Purpose?" Not understanding her at all still, Kagi then decided to ask, "But... you hurt me before?"

It was clear he wasn't making any sense to the girl either as she asked, "When before?"

Shocked, Kagi then told her, "I mean! When you grabbed me when I tried to run away before! You hurt me then! Pushing me down onto the floor and-!"

"That was done so you would not escape," the girl simply responded.

Pausing as this was told to him, Kagi then had to ask,"What?"

"My mother instructed me, that under no circumstances are you allowed to leave this facility or venture into the city below." The girl explained to him calmly. Then she added, "She also told me, that I am not to leave your side...ever."

As she did this, Kagi only registered one word and asked, "City?"

The girl seeing he didn't quite comprehend her words, then gestured to the right where the window was. As he saw her do this, though he ached badly, Kagi got up and wandered over to the tall transparent glass panel. There he quickly saw below the glittering lights of the city that surrounded the tall tower that he was trapped within, as he saw all the lights flickering and shining... he couldn't help but again be reminded of his now lost home, but most importantly his family's warmth.

As the images of his family's warm smiling faces came into his mind's eye, he gripped his fingers against the cold glass. He wanted to see them, to hear their voices... to hold them again! But he couldn't now because-!
The girl unaware of his internal suffering then said,"In order for me learn to socialise and excel in my learning, you and I must not be separated or this experiment will-"

"Is that all I am to you?" Kagi asked her bitterly.

Silent as this question was posed to her, the girl then asked, "You will need to clarify that statement to me, what do you mean by-?"
"I asked you if I'm nothing but an experiment to you!?" With that angrily turning to face her, his eyes were streaming with rapid amounts of tears as he continued, "Am I just a plaything for you now to use, to get a kick out of!?"

The girl didn't answer him. Her expression didn't change, all she did was stare at him silently.

Seeing her still cold state like this, Kagi then cried out mad, "Well you can forget it! I'm not here for you to use!" With that he ran right on past her and went to open the door!
However to his frustration and upsetting him more, the door was tightly locked. He struggled badly against it, trying to pry it open! To make it do something! But it didn't work! No matter how hard he twisted and pulled against the knob... it wouldn't budge. Then-!

CLINK!

"Huh!?"

Something moved upon the bottom of the door and then-!

SLIDE!

Jumping back, Kagi saw that there sliding along the bottom of the floor was a big black tray with a metallic serving dome on the top of it. As he saw it and then saw the opened hatch he leapt towards it and cried reaching his right hand through, "Hey! Let me out of here I-!"

KICK!

"Ow!" On the other side, whoever had delivered the food had kicked furiously into Kagi's reaching right hand. As he retracted it back fast, holding it against himself as it ached awfully. He heard an angry male voice on the other side of the door say,

"Shut ya damn brat! Be glad I didn't crush your fingers!"

Then as those bitter words were spat out,

SLIDE!

The door was quickly sealed shut again and quietly footsteps disappeared down the hallway. Leaving the two children alone in the white walled room...

Looking on over at Kagi as he continued to shiver and shake from the pain, the girl appeared disinterested. Instead walking over to the tray and pulling off the silver dome, underneath what was revealed to her was a couple of plates of food.

It was steaming and warm, clearly freshly made. Seeing this the young girl picking the tray up then walked over to Kagi's huddled form and told him, "Here sustenance, this will help you to-"

SMACK!

"I DON'T WANT ANYTHING FROM YOU!"

The girl seeing this reaction looked for a moment partially startled, but Kagi blinded by his tears didn't care for her expression. Instead running up to his bed, he hid himself under the white sheets and cried, practically wailing into the pillow he was hugging, "LET ME GO HOME! I WANNA GO HOME!" Then struggling against the torrent of his tears, he screamed out, "MOM! DAD! SIS!"

Hearing his loud cries and seeing his hunched form that was under the covers, the girl was quiet. However after another moment, she moved herself and quietly sat upon the edge of the bed and simply continued to watch him curiously as he continued to wallow in his painful sorrow...

Everyone was quiet as they watched the scene. Of course, none of them could really blame the young boy for acting out the way he had. For who as a child would want to be snatched away from their loving family and forced to accompany someone who was practically no different than a-!?

"I shall turn off the lights now, you should be able to recuperate more efficiently this way."

CLICK!

With that everyone saw the lights were turned off in the room, then everyone saw the young girl walk back to her bed and get under her own covers, without giving a single word of gentle consolation to Kagi. She really was no different to a machine, cold decisive and working upon only what logic demanded of her or moving towards the orders of her mother.

Kagi remembering how he had felt at that time, couldn't say how he acted was wrong. But knowing how everything played out later... he wished he could have been more-!

"Huh? What's happening to the imagery?"

Hearing Nozomi's question pulled Kagi's out of his own thoughts. As it did, he looked to the screen and just saw flashes of brief images appearing through seas of grey static. Seeing this, the young boy was quiet, then with a sigh a small smile appeared on his face as he told her, "Well, everything's a mess here on the monitor now because... my mind at the time was a mess."

As he said this, it was then that Juan asked him, "You were a mess amigo?"

Kagi simply nodded in reply. As he did this, he looked to the screen again and explained, "Yeah, I was so distressed and wanted to go home so badly... that everything else around me became a blur." With that now again on the screen, everyone saw through the grey some images become a little more focused.

As they did so, everyone saw Kagi on his own, depressed looking down and lifeless. He acted the same way, no matter where the scene was taken, a library, a canteen, or a laboratory. However despite this, Nozomi noticed one thing.

There in the background in each of the spaces, Hari was always there with him. Looking on quietly, staring with her cold and seemingly empty eyes. She didn't know what to think of this, but she knew Hari was only there because of the wishes of Rosso, she wasn't there to console him or be kind un anyway. She was just there to study and watch him, nothing more than that...

Kagi looking on at the images then explained to everyone, "Things continued like this for a long while, with her watching me... and I for the most part just ignored her or rejected her at any point she tried to converse with me." Then looking at his depressed form, he continued on to say, "I didn't want to have anything to do with her."

Again the imagery changed again. As it did so, everyone saw that it settled onto an image of the white walled bedroom once more. Seeing it, Kagi then said, "But despite my sadness and loneliness... old hobbies die hard." No one knew what he meant by those words, but they didn't need to ask for the answer was being revealed right before their very eyes.

Sat upon the floor, Kagi dressed in his white pyjamas was looking down at the floor. There in front of him were countless small little metallic pieces and some screws, nuts and bolts. Taking a small screw driver, he was trying to pull something together, to alleviate some of his boredom and to distract him from his sadness for even just a moment.

As he turned the screwdriver carefully and quietly, setting each piece into place. He stopped for a moment to have a look at his small invention to see how it was progressing, by moving it in about his hand while concentrating hard on it with one opened eye.

As he looked at it, he realised with regret and said with a sad sigh, "This is no good."

"What isn't?"

Hearing the question from the cold feminine tone he'd come to loathe, Kagi uttered irritated, "Go away!"

The girl though hearing him, didn't pay heed to his request. Instead walking over to his side, she spied the object he was making as he tried to hide it away with his hands. As he did this act, she commented, "A locomotive is it?"

Seeing she'd made out the overall shape of his invention, Kagi told her annoyed, "It's none of your business about what it is!" With that, his back was turned to her as he tried again to tinker at it.

Watching his back as he did this for a few moments, the girl said nothing... however after a few more moments. Kagi sighed mad again, "Darn it! These pieces from the trash can aren't enough and I know there's no elastics in the lab either! I'll never get this thing to work!"

"Elastics?" The girl repeated curiously.

Kagi sighed mad and uttered not answering her, "Without one, I'll never keep the motion in this thing going! I don't want it to be just a toy model, I want it to be able to move!"

As he cried this out, the girl looked at him quietly... then as she did so. She made a decision.

His back still turned to her, Kagi was quiet. However, he could hear her hands moving, he didn't care for this either. He wasn't fearful though, for in the few weeks or more since he'd known her. She hadn't touched him even once, not since that time she restrained him.

As she did whatever it was she was doing, it seemed she'd finished as she said, "These may be of assistance then." With that she kneeled down and left something on the floor before his back.

Not understanding her, Kagi didn't turn around to look at her. Instead, he uttered, "I don't want anything from you!"

"You are free to take these items if you wish, I am not here to command you...and I ask for nothing from you either," with that she got herself back up and moving away, she added, "You may do as you wish with it."

Hearing her say this, Kagi heard her footsteps move away from him. As they did, he then heard the gentle springs of a bed. Turning back to look in the direction she had gone after a few moments, he saw that she'd gone under the covers making a small hunched shape in the middle of it. He thought this was odd of her, was she tired already?

However as he did this, he saw something in his peripheral vision. Looking down he saw there lying on the floor was a couple of items. A couple of green hair bands.

Surprise now decorating his features, Kagi didn't know what to think or say... instead looking to the girl's bed he was quiet. She didn't move from the space, nor say a word.

As he saw this, he looked down at the hairbands quietly again, it was clear she'd left those for him. She'd even said that she didn't want anything from him either. So if that was the case...

He was uncertain about using them, but they were the last components he needed if his invention was going to work! So... after debating with himself after a few moments, whether or not to act on this opportunity. He decided to finally go for it, taking the hairbands into his hands, he quickly placed them where they needed to be...

TINK! TINK! TINK!

Sliding the lever back on the small contraption, Kagi then said, "Okay let's see if you'll work!" With that, he placed the invention on the floor and in another second-!

TRICK! TRICK! TRICK! TRICK! TRICK!

Watching on with immediate amazement. Quickly for the first time, in a long, long while... Kagi's face lit up! Smiling he cried out, "It works! It's really working!"

Then in seconds, the little train that had sped away, quickly hit the wall. As he did, he excitedly ran to get it, as he did he said, "This is great! With a few more adjustments I could make it turn about and-!"

Suddenly his words stopped, for then he noticed and turned saw that peaking under the covers, the girl had been watching the mechanism spring into life and move. However as Kagi looked at her and she quickly looked back at him, the two were still...

Then the young boy asked her, "Hey! Were you-!"

But quickly, the girl hid herself away under the covers. Hiding from his sight. As she did this, she then uttered in an almost annoyed tone, "You saw nothing..."

Blinking as this voice murmured from under the covers, he was quiet. However going over to pick up his toy train, looking at her huddled form. He couldn't help but utter quietly to himself, "She's such a weird girl."

Seeing Hari do this, everyone was surprised. But Pete who was hiding amongst them was even more amazed. For he saw that this moment was significant, for Hari in that moment in her youth. She'd done something without being ordered to!
He'd never seen such a thing being done before. Then as he watched Kagi as a young child climb into bed, ignoring Hari. He couldn't help but wonder... what had changed her, to make her become the person he'd come to know...?

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Oh...! Uri honey where are you!"

Pouting displeased, in her search so far of the Radiant Gardens. Jona hadn't come across her lost beloved anywhere... as she sat upon one of the rooftops, she uttered, "If he really is hiding away up here, he's doing too good of a job of it!" For taking a sniff of the air, she had to admit, "I can't even track his delicious scent!"

Then uttering this, she lay fully down on the tiles and added, "Life's been so boring without him." For without Uriax to keep her thoughts and fantasies amused, she'd been left with only an overbearing witch of darkness, a powerful yet dull puppet and dumb oversized lummox to contend with. It was looking so poor for her, that if she wasn't sticking with them to keep a claw up in the food chain, she'd-!

"Did ya find them!"

"Hm?" Looking down, Jona then saw that running down the streets was an afro haired man with a young boy on his shoulders. Then there approaching him, from another direction was a red clad figure, Vincent.

As he approached, the stoic man responded, "No not yet," then looking to the streets he couldn't help but add, "They could be anywhere in the depths of the city."

Sighing, Sazh couldn't help but say, "Typical soldier, she's never around when ya want her!"

Dajh hearing his dad say this, couldn't help but say, "Do you think the others will be okay without us?"

Sazh hearing this question then responded, "Don't worry Dajh, I'm sure they're all okay, with the big numbers of themselves altogether in one place they won't be havin' any trouble at all."

"Indeed," then as Vincent looked in one other direction sharply, he added after a moment of concentrating, "...But regardless we should find Lightning and Hope sooner rather than later."

Jona hiding behind a chimney could have sworn Vincent had sensed her, she'd only just hidden away in time before he could see her! She was sweating! That guy was too sharp!

"You're right Vincent!" Then looking up to his son, he said, "Well we better get goin' Dajh! We don't wanna keep our friends waitin'!"

"Right dad!" The young boy responded. Then with that as the three heroes took off, they went to locate the last of their numbers that needed to see the truth.

Peeking from behind the chimney seeing where they were going, Jona then said quietly, "So... those chumps are all gonna gather together, huh?" Then after a moment of consideration, she decided, "Well I guess my times up when those guys meet up, then I'll follow them and get my hands on our prey!"

With those words, Jona then quickly took off and again went in search of the one young man she wanted to see above all others...