Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction / Kingdom Hearts Fan Fiction ❯ Jenova's Children ❯ Database ( Chapter 10 )

Jenova's Children

By Kawaii and Junsui

 

Chapter 10

Database

 

The house was oddly quiet. Sure, the bar was full par usual - Tifa rushing around taking orders with the help of Marlene, Yazoo working behind the bar this time, and Loz doing the dishes. Vincent had left on an errand, and Yuffie had decided to tag along with him, and Cloud and Denzel were in the back working on Fenrir. All in all, things were going full swing, but somehow… it was quiet. Like some unseen fog had swept down upon the surrounding city and muffled all cheer and … emotion, really. Riku bit his lip tentatively, trying to piece things together as he ran to the giant freezer. The icy blast chilled him, and he hurried to roll the fresh keg out as quickly as possible. Generally, all the ales and wines were kept in the cellar down in the basement, but this liquor demanded cold as it was from some remote area to the North.

It couldn't be a holiday, or a festival, it was too somber. Had someone died? Were there lay-offs recently? Riku pondered, poking around the large and cluttered cabinet for the corkscrew. He growled softly, pushing aside ones only appropriate for wine bottles and glared evilly at the only manual one left. That was going to be Hell on his hands. And his arms ached something awful too. That morning's conversation with Vincent had got him thinking, however, and he wondered if memories could cause physical pain as well. Could I just have such strong memories of these events that they are causing me to relive them physically? Is that even possible?

“Snap to it kid!” Loz said playfully, reaching beside him to grab the ice strainer. He gave Riku a quick grin before whisking away to hand off the utensil to Yazoo, who stood impatiently with a margarita glass in one hand and a towel in the other.

“Don't forget the salt!” he cried to Loz, who had just attempted to escape to the kitchenette the family used behind the bar. The place just seemed empty, however, and Riku found himself lost in thought once more. Where was Kadaj? Sure, it wasn't unusual for him to wander off, and for long increments of time at that. He always did enjoy stretching his luck with Tifa's good graces; for all of her talk of hard punishment and long work - not to mention community service - she hadn't really impressed the duties upon him. But somehow he seemed to have been absent longer than usual.

“SHIT!” he exclaimed suddenly, slamming his fist downwards in frustration. It punched through the top of the keg, cleanly removing the lid. Pain lanced up and down his arm, and he instinctively cradled the injured member to his chest.

“That's one way of taking care of that.” Yazoo said, eyeing the scene with interest, slender eyebrows raised. “Although I don't think it's a method Tifa would approve of.”

“Where's Kadaj?!” Riku gasped, wheeling around to fully face the just-legal young man.

“Probably out causing havoc and mayhem -“ the other shrugged, wiping a bit of counter. “- as usual.” He ended dryly, scowling slightly.

“NO! Where. Is. Kadaj?!” Riku reiterated, flushed at his sudden outburst.

“Riku, maybe you should - “ Yazoo began, worry lacing over his usually calm exterior.

“Oh, just drop the façade, Yaz!” Loz interrupted, emerging from the kitchenette with a huge container of sea salt. “You're just as worried as the rest of us!” His “brother” sent him an exasperated death glare and stalked off. “Look, kid.” Loz explained, removing bobbing pieces of lid from the open keg. “I know you aren't stupid, and none of us think so. The fact is you're… a bit fragile.”

“I AM N-“ Riku began angrily.

“And we're all trying to give you as much respect as possible for the circumstances.” Loz continued. “We know that you are a strong individual and all, but you've been through a really hard time. And things are just getting more complicated for you. We get that. We just wanna make sure that you don't do something rash that you'll regret. We wanna keep you safe but not shield you from the world like you're so incompetent of functioning otherwise.” He shrugged. “We're here for ya kid, whenever you need us. Heh, it's not like we haven't been through enough shit already not to know things, right?”

Riku stared at him in shock. “Ya, thanks.” He blinked. “Really, I mean it. It's nice to know that complete strangers are here for me.”

“Ouch.” Loz grinned. “After all this time and we're still strangers, huh?”

“I didn't mean it li-“ Riku hurried to explain.

“It's cool kid, only teasing! Now, help me move this thing, eh?”

“S-Sure.” The teen nodded, moving to help him. At that moment, the door burst open, creaking as its hinges bent a tad too far, and slammed shut from the sheer force. A flurry of black and white bounced about the room, and promptly landed square in front of the three silver haired men. The door opened more silently this time, and an embarrassed man rushed after the… cat?

“The HELL?!” Riku backed away from the tuxedo cat that sat dramatically before him. Atop his head was a small golden crown, and a small scarlet cape was tied around his neck. And was he wearing…? Yes, small white gloves covered his forepaws.

“Why hello there laddie!” It greeted him in a thick Scottish accent.

“IT TALKS?!” Riku now stood completely flabbergasted before the feline.

“I am SO sorry about him!” the man who had followed the cat apologized, picking up said feline from counter.

“Hey! Reeve! Let me go!” it continued on, muttering words so thick with accent that it was completely inaudible.

“I'm Reeve Tuesti.” The man continued, offering his hand to Riku who awkwardly shook it. “I'm the commissioner for the W.R.O.”

“Um, I'm sorry. The what?” the teen asked, confusedly. Did he know this man? Was he supposed to?

“The World Regenisis Organization.” Reeve laughed, still struggling with the cat. “This is Cait Sith by the way.” He added begrudgingly. “He's actually a robot of sorts I built. Great for infiltry work.” He whispered slyly. “So! I hear Vincent has been hanging out around here. Any chance I might have caught him?”

“Sorry, no.” Yazoo replied. “But - “ he craned his neck around to peek at the clock. “- with any luck he'll be back within the hour, providing Yuffie doesn't take him on a wild goose chase looking for a new game controller or a flat iron or something.” He rolled his eyes.

“Yuffie?!” Reeve exclaimed. “Yuffie Kisaragi?!”

“The same.” Yazoo moaned, his upper lip curling distastefully. “Why, you know her?” he asked, sounding more like, “Why, can you remove her from my sight and peripheral vision?”

“Why yes, she did some work for us just barely a year ago.” The tanned man nodded. “She was a great help, headed up our intelligence unit.” Yazoo barely suppressed a snort.

“I'm sure she was.” He nodded seriously, the corners of his lips threatening to twitch into a grin.

“Well, who knows when they'll be back.” The commissioner shrugged, brushing back a few stray ebony locks with a hand. “I'll return later, and without the extra baggage.” He sent a meaningful look to the now placid Cait Sith. “Sorry for the trouble.” He waved.

“Hey, Reeve?” Riku perked up, an idea forming in his mind. “How far out does the W.R.O. patrol to?”

“All over the place. We stick to Edge, but we often circuit the nearest towns just in case. You know, like Kalm, and old Midgar, even out to the chocobo farms at times. One can never be too careful!” he chuckled. “Why do you ask?”

“I was just wondering.” Riku said thoughtfully. “If you happen to run across Kadaj, would you send him over here for us?”

“Kadaj?” Reeve frowned.

“Ya, he looks like one of us.” Riku explained, hitching a thumb towards the other two. “A bit shorter than me, well, barely, with shoulder length hair. Shouldn't be too hard to find. He'll probably be in black leather too.” He added. “Last we saw him…” Riku gulped audibly. “He was in old Midgar, near the church.”

“Sure thing.” Reeve nodded, slightly put off by the teen's strange change of character. “We'll keep an eye out for him. Well, we'll see you around!” Once he was out the door, Loz and Yazoo looked imploringly at Riku.

“I can not believe you just did that.” The younger of the two sighed, adjusting the collar of his turtleneck.

“Why?” the youngest of the group frowned, eyes darting from one to the other. “What's wrong with that?!”

“Kadaj… he looks like Se- well, you know.” Loz explained, wincing as he checked to see if anyone had caught his words. “It doesn't really help that he's in that suit either. People may not know his name, but once they see that… well, it's not something you just forget all that quickly.”

“But you guys are working here and turned out to be great and all, so what's the big deal with the W.R.O. helping us out?” the Keybearer argued.

“But Kadaj is the one who was selected.” Yazoo pointed out, eloquently using his words that meant something specific to them alone.

“And?” Riku spat impatiently. “I still don't see why it's such a big deal.”

“It's a psychological thing, mostly.” The older brother sighed. “People see you and put the pieces together with another thing, no matter if the puzzle fits together or not, and they judge you based on that alone. Hell, we scare the bejesus outta people - and with good reason I suppose - an it wouldn't shock me when they instinctively walk away, shield their children, or reach for a weapon.” He shrugged sheepishly.

“Stereotyping.” Riku said in disdain.

“Exactly.”

 

 

As it turned out, Vincent arrived exactly two and a quarter hours later than he had planned, burdened down with a multitude of bags from various locations. Yuffie traipsed through the door happily, swinging around a small white bag with her new pink game controller inside. Not only was it pink, but also there were little strawberries and stars painted on the handles, and every half hour it would play some urban pop song that Riku had never heard of. Also, it could recognize whenever you'd made a combo of any kind and would light up with pink light. What a ninja as rough and tumble as Yuffie wanted with such an obsessive amount of pink was beyond Riku, but frankly he found it somewhat disturbing.

“So, what else did you drudge up from the depths of The Super 24 hour Midgarmart?” Cloud asked amusedly, wiping off blackened and greasy hands with a spare dishtowel.

“Look Cloud! Soap! Soap is gooood!” Yuffie teased, waving a lavender infused bar at him. The blonde rolled his eyes.

“No really, there's always something interesting to see from the labors of your little adventures.” He smirked, blue eyes twinkling mischievously.

“Weeeeeeeeeeeeeell.” Yuffie said dramatically, poking through the bags. “We got a chia pet that looks like a chocobo!” she chirped, pulling the clay creature from the nearest bag. “And a tennis racket, and some shoe polish, and nail polish - for me, obviously -“ Vincent paled considerably at this. If she weren't his fiancée, he'd probably have shot her then. “We also got a tube of tennis balls, a churro machine, a power washer, a jade plated flat iron that can also crimp, a pack of hair ties, Spiderman on DVD, two Sports Illustrated, a folding fan, a PS2 converter, aaaaaaaaaaaaand…” she took a deep breath and rattled off more of the completely random crap she had used Vincent's money to buy. He sighed mournfully at the loss and slipped away, giving Riku a convenient excuse to escape the piling amount of junk that was now blocking the ninja from view.

“Do you even like tennis?” Riku couldn't hold back the comment. Vincent looked at him wryly.

“Not in the slightest.”

“Oh!” the silver tressed teen hit the heel of his palm against his forehead with a loud THWACK! “A guy named Reeve was looking for you a while back. Him and his deranged cat.”

“Cait Sith.” The man nodded. “Good, that must mean they found something.”

“Huh? What do you mean?” the teen cocked his head to the side. “I asked if they could look out for Kadaj, but did you already…?”

“No.” Vincent answered simply. “Come with me.” Riku stared after him, perplexed, but did as he was told and followed after.

“Um?”

“Hmn?”

“Are we gonna use your cloak again?” the Keybearer asked hesitantly.

“No.”

Ohthankgod. Riku sighed to himself. Using Vincent's cape as a means of transportation made him feel dizzy and lightheaded, and not to mention sick to his stomach as if someone stabbed him in the gut up through the navel. Not an experience he wanted to undergo again, if given the chance.

“We don't have to go to the W.R.O. headquarters, seeing as they only have access to the legal paperwork. We're lucky that we're in Edge already, and have connections to old Midgar, myself especially.”

“What do you mean? What is it we're looking for?” the lustrous tressed teen asked, struggling to keep pace with Vincent's long strides.

“Records.” The man replied curtly.

“Records? What of, and what does Reeve have to do with anything?”

“Reeve worked with Shin-ra as the Head of Department of Urban Development, and was therefore exposed to many files. Shin-ra itself had a huge room filled with documents of all kinds - citizens records, building verifications, mako licensing, historical references, copies of court trails, even receipts for some of the major dealings between Midgar and other cities - you name it, Shin-ra had it recorded. Their work was extensive, and unfortunately, for more sinister and greedy intentions. All of which brought them to their own demise in the end, but those records still survived. As you have seen, Midgar is a ghost town these days. Such records are of extreme value, and therefore the less fortunate - and many at that - have raided the place and stolen many legal documents in exchange for money. Can you imagine having papers entitling you to a chunk of land at your disposal? It's pandemonium for the workers, trying to trace these things down, but most all of it had wound up here in Edge.”

“Why here?” Riku posed. “What makes Edge so special?”

“It's where many of the inhabitants of Midgar flocked to. It's part of their history now, the foundation of their new beginnings.” Vincent replied. The rest of their walk was silent, and it wasn't long before they had made it to the cities heart. The giant statue in commemoration of Meteorfall stood shining bronze in the mid afternoon sunlight, streaking an amberish glow on the surrounding buildings. Vincent led Riku over to a building to the Southern end of the town, slightly separated from the rest. It was oppressive, with ornate carvings in its gleaming steel framing, yet at the same time… humble, and a part of the city. The great glass doors were locked, although no arms barred the way, nor were there handles. A small box sat mounted into the wall to the left of the doors, onto which Vincent rapped his golden claws. With a sigh of slight exasperation, he stared pointedly into the security cameras that Riku had never noticed before, and within seconds, a startled female voice admitted them entrance.

The giant glass doors slid apart, making a slight sucking noise as the strong, near invisible seal split apart. “It's weather stripping as well as a coating that cancels out sound.” Vincent explained. “This is a very important building. You'd do well to mind yourself.” He reminded kindly. Riku nodded wordlessly beside him and tried to ignore the stares of several official looking employees that eyed them over some notes they were reading, or who briskly strode down the long hallways with a ceramic mug of coffee. The whole place was pristine with simple plants placed sporadically for just a touch of color to the sterile environment. For a second, Riku journeyed back to the time when he'd walked the halls and corridors of the castle that resided in The World that Never Was, home to the elite group of Nobodies that comprised Organization XIII. Funny how that seemed like ages ago.

“Here.” Vincent gestured to a wide door at the end of the hall. As they approached, an employee exited the opposite room and stopped for a brief second to punch in a series of numbers on the keypad beside the door before entering. Riku shot a glance at the gunslinger, catching a slight sheen in the man's eyes. They came up to the keypad and Vincent eyed it a second before carefully selecting a series of numbers. Riku sucked in his breath, certain that alarms would suddenly sound off at any moment. But the door released from its airtight seal with a rush of air and swung open, beckoning them in.

“You just learned that password, didn't you?” the Keybearer smirked.

“What's it matter if it got us in?” Vincent replied, coming relatively close to what might be called a smile. For him, anyways.

“What is this place?” the silver tressed teen inquired, scanning the multiple monitors buzzing and whirring around the room.

“This is the record room. To keep civilians from stealing documents and the like, as with what happened in Midgar, the leaders of Edge decided it was best that all of the records be transferred into digital files. All of it can be backed up, and is backed up and stored in a vault.”

“Can't the system be hacked, though? Or get a virus?” Riku thought, recalling Ansem the Wise and his ever-president fear of loosing his data.

“That's why it's all backed up. If they wanted to, they could wipe the entire system clean in case of emergency. Now.” He directed the teen to a chair before one of the screens, sitting in front of it himself. “I had Reeve and his team look up citizen files for the name `Nonaka'. If he was looking for me, he must have found them.” He clarified, typing in a user name and password for the user “Reeve”.

“Vincent?” Riku asked, a quirky smile playing across his lips. “You really don't play fair, do you?”

“Small price you pay for information.” The other man shrugged casually. “Thank Cait Sith, he's got zero loyalty to that man, loves to play harmless jokes on him.” He chuckled softly.

“Woah!” Riku suddenly ushered as row after row of headlines appeared on the screen.

“Well, I suppose we just start here.” Vincent decided, clicking on the first headline.

 

CITIZEN

 

Name: Nonaka Sitoshi

Date: October 11th - November 2nd

Height: 5' 11”

Hair: Black

Eye: Blue

Birthplace: Midgar

Parents: Nonaka; Masayoshi and Naoki

Residential: Nebelheim; Central Plaza; two story

Relations: Nonaka Haruki; Nonaka Kadaj; Nonaka Yukio

Occupation: SOLDIER Fifth Regiment, Second Class, Bronze Star

Licenses: Polearms and Shotgun; Registration I.D. #09734097VR

 

 

“Dad.” Riku breathed. “Tou-san. Kadaj was serious.” He gazed forlornly at the screen. “He's dead.” He said regretfully. Vincent placed a hand on the teen's shoulder.

“I'm sorry.” He muttered. “You should be honored though. He has quite a lot of honor attached to his name.” He added seriously, scanning over the list with slight awe before turning back to Riku. “Yukio, is it?” he raised a skeptic eyebrow.

“Ya, according to Kadaj. That was my birth name. Once I became an experiment, well…” he left Vincent to piece the rest together. It seemed as though he had, for he faintly nodded, and then clicked on the next headline.

 

CITIZEN

 

Name: Nonaka Haruki

Date: April 3rd -

Height: 5' 7”

Hair: Black

Eye: Hazel

Birthplace: Kalm

Parents: Takaya; Rokuro and Ayano

Residential: Nebelheim; Central Plaza; two story

Relations: Nonaka Sitoshi; Nonaka Kadaj; Nonaka Yukio

Occupation: Merchant/Vendor

Licenses: Business Establishment Circa 8300; #0938674

 

 

“Look!” Riku exclaimed excitedly. “There's no date to mark her death. You don't think?” he looked eagerly at his companion.

“Hate to put a damper on your party, however…” the pale skinned man sighed heavily. “Chances are… just don't get your hopes up just yet. There's still more to read through.”

“The next one is Kadaj's profile.” Riku read. “What's that pushpin next to it indicate?”

“There are files in relation to this one.” Was his response. The curser hovered over the yellow icon and a cream colored box appeared beside it. “37 files, to be exact.” He said in slight shock.

 

CITIZEN

 

Name: Nonaka Kadaj

Date: June 19th

Height: 5' 6”

Hair: Black

Eye: Hazel

Birthplace: Nebelheim

Parents: Nonaka; Sitoshi and Haruki

Residential: Nebelheim; Central Plaza; two story

Relations: Nonaka Sitoshi; Nonaka Haruki; Nonaka Yukio

Occupation: None+

Licenses: Handgun: Registration I.D. #39524738KD

 

 

“Black?” Vincent mouthed. “That's interesting.” He pointed to the screen. “It says here that his hair color is black, but we know this isn't true. Unless he lost pigment…” he bit his bottom lip. “The records are never wrong, you see.”

Kadaj's words drifted back to him. We died that night, all three of us. But not for very long. Whatever it was that had happened, we came back, as you see me now. Silver hair, cat-like eyes that show signs of mako energy. Increased speed, senses, strength. And we were no longer ourselves. “It turned silver, the way it is now, after they had passed through the Lifestream, imprinted with Seph-“ he stopped himself short, recalling Loz's restraint of the name back at the bar. “Imprinted with his soul.” He rephrased.

“Makes one wonder, then.” Vincent mused, looking at Riku critically.

“Makes one wonder what?”

“Hold on a second.” Vincent muttered, clicking on the next headline.

 

CITIZEN

 

Name: Nonaka Yukio

Date: May 15th

Height: 3'2”

Hair: Black

Eye: Blue

Birthplace: Nebelheim

Parents: Nonaka; Sitoshi and Haruki

Residential: Nebelheim; Central Plaza; two story

Relations: Nonaka Sitoshi; Nonaka Haruki; Nonaka Kadaj

Occupation: None+

Licenses: None

 

 

“T-That's me.” Riku said breathlessly. “I… I really did have black hair?”

“I suppose you did. But how do explain that? You never passed through the Lifestream, nor have you endured that sort of metamorphosis, at least to my knowledge.” The cloaked man pointed out.

“No.” Riku shook his head slowly. “I may not have, but I was experimented on. Both Kadaj and I have been in the presence of Jenova cells, at least, that's how we figure it. See that cross beside the occupation? What happens if you click on it? Kadaj's page had that too.”

“It should lead to more information, like the pushpin icon.” He thought out loud, hitting it all the same. “Just as I thought. These files just are specifically tied to occupation.”

“I had to have been only four or five at the time! Younger maybe! What could they possibly have for - “ something caught his eye. “R.I.K.U. Jenova Project # 1445” His throat suddenly felt parch dry, his eyes sliding out of focus. “Vincent, click on that.” He whispered. In a split second, the screen came up.

 

R.I.K.U. Jenova Project #1445

Class 5

 

Dr.'s R. Hojo and L. Crescent

 

In such an event that Project #385 should fail to meet any and all requirements as is assumed he shall fulfill, Project #1445 may step in and resume his place. The balance of Jenova/Mako of 1445 is both higher and lower than that of 385, and administration was performed differently. Procedure for 1445 lasted 6 weeks, with daily dosage and nine additional shots alternating days. Balances consisted of 85% Mako/15% Jenova. Dosage increments rose by week 4, and Jenova concentration rose by 8%. 385, on the other hand, received two shots daily of pure Mako and pure Jenova for a span of approximately 270 days. Project 385 was immediately separated from distinct parentals, as 1445 shall undergo similarly. While the two substances are relatively unstable, there has yet to be discovered an unbalance between the two, rather than that of a harmony, which may increase the lifespan of our race. Jenova Project #1445 in the end received a ratio of 6.39-8.54 Jenova/Mako, whilst project 385 received a more equal 7.12-8.46. Instability may occur in either specimen, and further documentation will prove the entire outcome of this venture. Given the physiological brain schematics and read outs of 385 so far, it is plausible that 1445 will make a much higher quality of a specimen. Shin-ra Electric Power Company may most benefit from 1445 in their search for the elite and stoic warrior they so wish to posses at the helm of their own quest for success. As scientists of said company, we are entitled to a quarter the rewards of said venture if the project forthwith proves within the likes of the company.

 

- Dr. L. Crescent

 

Jenova Project #1445

R.I.K.U.

Regenerate International Kamikaze Ultimatum

 

to bring into existence again

planet-wide

a person whom behaves in a wildly reckless or destructive manner

a final proposal or statement of conditions

 

 

Below this was the digital rendering of two signatures; one tiny and neat in a fine cursive, the other scrawled and haphazard looking on the page. A short distance down from these two was another of generous proportion and five others underneath this, and finally, Shin-ra's official seal. Riku sat back in his chair heavily, a tangy feeling sinking into his stomach. He felt a horrible, acidic wave of disgust, shock, and horror intermingling throughout him, pouring into every ounce of his being. “Who is #385?” he asked hollowly, ideas already formulating in his mind. Vincent paused a moment, his eyes sliding back into focus. The cursor hovered over the set of three numbers, but when the page loaded, there was nothing but a blank screen.

“THE DATA IS CORRUPT” a robotic female voice read as a bright read box flashed up on the monitor.

“It's been deleted.” Vincent mused. “I'm afraid it'll take a lot more searching if the Shin-ra files aren't accessible. Either the original files were never found, they were destroyed or stolen, or it was simply erased from the system. It may never have been entered, of course, but that would be only if the files were never found or found faulty.”

“So what now?” said Riku, staring blankly at the error message.

“Only thing you can do.” Vincent replied, clicking out of the page and signing off. “Follow your leads. Talk to Kadaj, for one thing. Your mother's ending date was never given, so it is possible that she's still around. Even still, there are connections in Nebelheim, and files as well. That's where Shin-ra Manor sits, the place where I was kept underneath for thirty years in a coffin. For my own redemption. For atonement for my Sin. No matter how you look at it, there are answers waiting for you in Nebelheim.” His eyes connected with Riku's cerulean ones. “And this journey's only just begun.”