Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction / Kingdom Hearts Fan Fiction ❯ Jenova's Children ❯ Reunion ( Chapter 15 )

Jenova's Children

By Kawaii and Junsui

 

Chapter 15

Reunion

 

Kadaj gave an unconcerned chortle, tossing his silver tresses with a jerk of his neck, "What does it look like I was doing?" He inquired, a grin curling onto his lips. The woman snarled fiercely, and with a flash of silver, her knife was a mere centimeter from Kadaj's jugular.

"Stealing." Snarled the woman, her hazel eyes glowing murderously, "Give me one reason-" She whispered coldly, raven tresses spilling over one eye as a grin with insanity to rival Kadaj's spread onto her face; realization dawned on the teen's face, dark pupils shrinking into slits as he gasped slightly, "Why I shouldn't throw you down onto the ground and castrate you right here, you little thief?" The dark-haired woman twitched slightly, eliciting a startled squeak from Kadaj before she tossed her head, her obsidian locks flying behind one shoulder, laughing mirthfully, "I'm waiting."

"M-" Kadaj began in a tiny voice, "M-mom?!"

The woman sneered, tightening her grip around the handle of her dagger before her hazel orbs softened considerably and became as wide as saucers, her face relaxing as she reached up her left hand to cup his cheek, staring deeply into his emerald and azure orbs, "Ka... daj?"

Kadaj stared up at his mother, a small grin creeping up onto his face, "Uhh... hi?"

For a moment, Haruki Nonaka looked about to cry, her body going rigid as she began to tremble slightly, "Kadaj..." She whispered breathlessly, her hand sliding from his cheek.

And then it was all lost as she looked up at him with bloody murder in her eyes, "WHAT DO YOU MAN 'HI'?!" Haruki dove for him with the knife, knocking down cartons of various fruits as she wrestled him to the ground, "KADAJ NONAKA, I THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD, YOU LITTLE BASTARD!" The silver-tressed youth wrapped his hands around her wrist, attempting to wrestle the knife away from him.

"Haha-ue- Haruki." He quickly corrected himself, unsurprised to find the amount of strength the woman held, "Put the knife down."

"I THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD!" Haruki screamed, tears streaking down her cheeks and falling onto his chest as she fought for control over the dagger, "DAMN IT, KADAJ!"

The knife clattered to the ground, and the dark-tressed woman wrapped her arms around her son, burying her face into his chest a she began to sob uncontrollably.

"H-Haruki... stop crying... please stop crying." Kadaj quietly begged, sitting up and bringing his mother with him, ignoring the scrutinizing glares from the various villagers around him. Riku slowly walked up to them, his eyes large in disbelief, having recognized his mother walking up towards the stand several minutes earlier.

"STOP CRYING?!" Howled the woman, pulling away from Kadaj and starring at him with red-rimmed hazel orbs before she broke down into another round of tears, "My baby... my Kadaj is home..."

"Mom..." Kadaj hissed through gritted teeth, his face taking on the hue of a tomato, "Stop it."

"Is everything alright here?" A deep voice inquired. Three pairs of eyes snapped towards Vincent, whom was standing with his arms around a recently apprehended Yuffie, squirming wildly within his grasp, squawking indignantly.

Haruki used a handful of a pale violet shawl she was wearing to wipe her eyes as she climbed up off of the ground, clutching Kadaj's arm in a metal death grip.

"Yes, everything is wonderful!" She beamed pleasantly, pulling her son into her arms and squeezing him tightly.

"Can't- breathe-" Kadaj choked, struggling violently. Haruki reluctantly let him go as he composed himself, still red-faced, "Yeah. Haruki, this is Vincent and his..." Kadaj paused, "His... girlfriend... Yuffie. They've been traveling with us."

"Us?" Inquired the woman, adjusting her knitted shawl, "Who's us?"

Kadaj's eyes widened and he smirked, throwing an arm around Riku, "Haruki, this is-"

"Ritsuka." Riku interjected quickly, "I've been traveling with Kadaj."

His elder brother's eyes snapped to his, knitted in confusion. Riku shook his head slightly.

"Well, it's nice to meet all of you." Haruki nodded towards the three of them, her hazel orbs coming to rest on Riku, whom shivered slightly, "I'm sure my son's given you plenty of trouble."

"Oh, don't worry, he has." Yuffie smirked, finally ceasing her struggling and leaning against Vincent, his arms wrapped around her midsection.

Kadaj growled furiously at the ninja before Haruki smiled and walloped him upside the head.

"And Miss, I'd like to pay for the stolen fruit." Vincent sighed, reaching into his cape and withdrawing a handful of Gil. Haruki made a face at him.

"Oh, no. Kadaj didn't even steal one, it's fine." She raised her hands up, shaking her head.

"I mean the fruit my fiancé stole while you weren't looking." The raven-tressed man explained, looking calmly down at Yuffie, who smiled up innocently at him.

"Who, me?" Cooed the ninja. Haruki huffed and glared at the young woman, snatching the Gil from Vincent's outstretched hand as she muttered darkly under her breath. She turned back towards her cart and shot a grumpy look over her shoulder.

"So, are you going to just stand there, or are you going to help me close for the night?" The woman quipped, beginning to pack the fruit away into baskets. The rest of the group awkwardly helped her to pack up the various fruits and load up the knives and wooden trinkets into a secure storage compartment below the counter. Riku then went to fetch the chocobos; after this, the dark-haired woman threw a tarp over the top of the stand, signaling her departure to the nearby stalls with a quick yell before she began to lead the quartet down the street.

"This is where Cloud grew up, isn't it?" Yuffie inquired, glancing around at the small buildings that made up the Nebelheim market.

"Yes, I believe so." Vincent nodded in reply as they turned a corner to enter a neighborhood.

"Hey, Kadaj, did you and Cloud known each other when you were kids?" Quipped the ninja as they came to a two-story house painted cream with a brown trim. Haruki wordlessly took the reigns of the three chocobos from Riku and lead them around the back, "It would be weird if you did."

"Can't say I did." Kadaj shrugged, "He probably lived on the other side of town, over by the Shin-Ra mansion."

At this, Vincent's face darkened, and Yuffie glanced to her beau worriedly, "Uhh-"

Haruki then walked around from the back, slipping in front of the group before she jammed her key into the slightly rusted knob resting on the wood of her front door, grumbling darkly at the small piece of metal before she ruthlessly kicked the door open with her foot, met with insanely whiny mewling.

"Oh, my babies, my babies!" The woman cooed affectionately, unceremoniously dropping several baskets of fruit on the hallway table next to several pictures, one of which was a wedding photo of a young Haruki and a dark-haired youth. The next was of the same two, Haruki cuddling a swaddled infant and the man holding a grumpy toddler in his arms, on the other side of the basket was a picture of two muddy toddlers laughing, and the last was of a raven-haired Kadaj, barely twelve, flipping off the camera with a huge grin.

Riku stopped to glance at the pictures sadly before his attention was directed to Haruki, whom had gotten down onto her knees, three cats rubbing up against her, purring loudly. A fat, black cat waddled up to her, and the woman scratched it under the chin, muttering baby-talk to her beloved cats.

"Puddles?!" Kadaj gasped, spotting one of the cats that his mother was petting, "Oh my God, Puddles is still alive?!"

The elder teen dropped to his knees and snatched up a large-eyed Russian Blue, cuddling it to his chest. Yuffie cleared her throat as she started into the house alongside Vincent. The ninja smirked triumphantly as Kadaj dropped the gray cat, "Stupid cat..." He muttered; yet Riku could've sworn he caught his brother planting a quick kiss on the feline's head whilst he thought nobody was looking.

"So, I suppose you want dinner, seeing as my demon-spawn attempted to steal an apple not fifteen minutes ago." Sighed the woman as she stood, her cats still nuzzling her ankles.

"YAY FOOD!" Yuffie screamed, causing Vincent to flinch from the strength of her shriek.

"Thank you, that is a generous offer." The stoic man thanked the elder woman quietly. Haruki shrugged.

"Whatever - I just don't have anything to cook... however..." An evil glare formed in her eyes as she smirked in a way eerily similar to Kadaj, "I saw that retarded chocobo you had."

"Steven's only dyslexic!" Yuffie corrected quickly, hopping up and down.

"Whatever." Haruki rolled her hazel eyes, waving away the correction with a single hand, her satanic grin returned a split second later, "But, I think you three-" She gestured towards Vincent, Kadaj, and Riku, "Should meet me in the backyard in a couple of minutes." She turned to Yuffie, throwing one arm around her, "Do you know how to cook?"

"What kinda question is that?!" The ninja huffed as the elder woman dragged her into the kitchen.

Silence ensued before Kadaj was sure that his mother was out of earshot.

"Riku!" He hissed, crossing the room to his younger brother, "Why didn't you tell her who you were?!"

"I-" The younger teen began, shifting his weight foot-to-foot nervously, "I don't know. It just didn't seem like the right time..." He trailed of awkwardly before Kadaj heaved a sigh, shaking his head.

Riku blinked, feeling something rub up against his leg. His blue and green eyes dropped to the ground, where a fluffy cat was starring up at him expectantly.

"Purrow?" She trilled, pawing at his leg imploringly. Riku scooped up the Maine Coon, scratching her behind the ear as she began to purr contently.

"I guess love of animals runs in the family." Riku commented as he watched the fat cat waddle up to Vincent, whom blinked at the cat. The cat blinked back, expelling a loud, "Mow?" before Vincent nudged it away with his foot.

"Love of animals?" Kadaj snorted, rolling his eyes, "Mom HATES every living thing - accept cats. She WORSHIPS cats."

"Oh, that's not weird or anything." Riku muttered sarcastically before smirking, "Now I know where you get it from."

"'It'?" Kadaj inquired as Vincent started towards the back door, the fat cat waddling after him, "What's 'it'?"

"Your general insanity." Riku chuckled. To his surprise, Kadaj didn't try to punch him. The elder teen shook his head slowly.

"NOBODY." He said, "NOBODY is insane as Haruki."

"Aren't we supposed to meet her out in the backyard?" Vincent asked; the two teens turned towards him, to find that he was holding the fat cat under one arm like a sack of potatoes as it purred and drooled.

Kadaj and Riku simultaneously burst into laughter as Vincent glanced away from them, "It wouldn't stop following me." He muttered, setting the cat on the floor.

"Looks like Yuffie has some competition, Vincent." Riku laughed as he started towards the back door, the two others not far behind.

Kadaj slid the door open, groaning grumpily, "What the fuck? She tore out the swing set!"

He walked up to a small pen where Haruki had gone to tie up the chocobos while the others waited in the front and gave it a dirty look, "Geez, we used to have so much fun on there... Loz and Yazoo used to come over and we'd play all sorts of weird games back here and do all sorts of stupid stuff on the swing set... Haruki would come out and yell at us. Do you remember?"

Riku squinted, attempting to recall the memories of his early childhood. He vaguely recalled going flying through the air and landing painfully in a patch of dirt, "Um, kinda... did I ever launch myself off of the swing?"

Kadaj threw his head back and released a bark-like laugh, "We used to have contests to see who could go the farthest. You used to get jealous because we said you were too little to play. The one time we finally let you play, you flew farther than any of us ever did - but you fell and got all scraped up - Haruki was so pissed..."

"Wow..." Riku sniggered as the sliding glass door hissed open and his mother stepped out of the house.

"Okay, dinner..." The raven-tressed woman mused softly as she opened the pen and grabbed Steven's reigns, leading him out into the yard, "Will be oven-fried chocobo." She shoved the leather reigns into Kadaj's hands, "Cut it up good, Kadaj. I have to go check to see if that ninja's blown up the kitchen yet."

And with that, she curtly plodded back into the house, slamming the door behind her. Vincent and Riku stared at Kadaj. Kadaj stared at Steven. Steven starred at a tree and attempted to charge it, nearly strangling himself on the reigns that Kadaj still held. Kadaj walked the large bird over to the tree, tying its reins to a low branch before he extracted Shouba from the sheath that rested against his hip, holding the double-bladed katana out at arm's length.

"Well, what're you waiting for?" Riku inquired, raising an eyebrow, "I thought you hated Steven."

Kadaj bit his lip, starring at the bird as it repeatedly rammed its head into the ground, "Well, yeah... but..."

"But what?" The younger of the two brothers quipped, folding his arms.

"But... I kinda feel... I dunno... sorry for it." Kadaj mumbled, shifting his weight foot-to-foot nervously.

"Come on! It's just a bird!" Riku heaved an exasperated sigh, gesturing towards the ebony bird.

"Fine then! If it's just a fucking bird, then why don't YOU kill it?" Snarled the elder-teen, thrusting Shouba into Riku's grasp. Riku blinked down at the sword and then looked at the chocobo, which was now attempting to eat the tree that it was tied to.

"Hell no." He shoved the blade back into his brother's hands, "I've only killed Heartless and Nobodies. I don't want to have a living creature's blood on my hands."

"Grow a backbone! You weren't complaining when you were slicing up Cloud-"

"JERKOFF! That was completely fucking uncalled for!"

“You were all but implying that I like cutting living things up!"

"Well don't you?"

"Asshole! You kill the fucking bird!"

"No, she told YOU to do it!"

"I'm feeling generous today!"

"You're getting soft, Kadaj!"

"WHAT?! You know what? Fuck you. Fuck you with something HARD and SANDPAPER-Y!"

"Well fuck you, too! Now kill the goddamn bird or I'm pretty sure we'll starve!"

"I-"

BANG.

Kadaj never got to finish. Steven fell to the ground, dead, three bullets embedded in his tiny, gray brain; his tongue lolling out of his beak in a grotesquely comical way as his body gave one final involuntary twitch. Twin sets of eyes slowly traveled to Vincent, the silver-haired brothers agape as they starred at the red-clothed man, whom stood holding a smoking, triple-barreled gun, a mirthless smirk curled onto his face.

"Oh my God… You killed Steven..." Kadaj said quietly, still not believing his own words.

“You bastard!” Riku gasped.

"Yes." Vincent said quietly, closing his garnet orbs as he brought his hand back into his cloak, "Steven is dead."

 

 

"Thank you all so much for coming to help." Tifa looked around at her comrades affectionately, brushing a strand of brunette hair behind one ear.

"It was no trouble at all." A scarlet beast the vaguely resembled a lion of some sort said calmly, "Cid picked me up right after he talked to Vincent's group; he and Barrett decided to come to Edge after they heard what had been happening." The feline paused to study the thrashed landscape with a single, amber eye, "It's a good thing we came when we did."

"And I didn't want to waste a single second gettin' back to Marlene!" Barrett grinned, hitting his chest with a single fist, "Speakin' of, where is she?"

"She's back at the bar with Denzel and Loz." Cloud explained, rolling his shoulder, a large bandage wrapped around his upper arm and several scratches upon his other showed his damages from his and Tifa's fight with the shadow raptors.

"LOZ?!" Barrett, Cid, and Nanaki started, Barett's mouth pulled into a snarl, Cid cracking his knuckles, and Nanaki bristling with a feline growl deep in his throat.

"YOU LEFT MY BABY GIRL WITH THAT MOTHERFU-" Barrett began, his hands balled into tight fists, dark eyes shining with anger.

"Barrett!" Tifa quickly interjected, placing her small, strong hands firmly on his shoulders, "Barrett, Loz's changed! He loves the kids, and I know that he'd protect them with his life!"

"He better or I'll-" The dark skinned man growled, but was quickly interrupted by Cloud.

"Barrett. Loz wouldn't hurt Marlene." The towhead said, Barrett heaved a grumpy sigh, folding his arms angrily, "Now, we should get back to the bar to restock on potions."

"I also want to let everyone know that we're okay." Tifa nodded earnestly, "We should get going."

The rest of the group nodded in agreement a they started their trek down the road.

"Hot damn." Cid commented darkly, expelling a breath of gray smoke as he spoke, surveying the damage with bloodshot blue eyes, "Sure took a toll on this area."

"I hope everyone's okay... I haven't even seen Yazoo since we lost him in the center of the city..." Tifa mumbled, chewing on the corner of her thumb nervously. Suddenly, a low, feline growl sounded from Nanaki. Four pairs of eyes landed on the crimson beast as the hair from his long mane began to stand on end.

"Something's wrong." Nanaki growled, flexing his yellowing claws as they scraped against the asphalt.

Tifa gasped and broke out in a cold sprint towards Seventh Heaven. The rest of the group tore after her in a foreboding silence; when they finally reached the brunette, she was standing stock-still in front of the bar, auburn eyes wide as saucers.

"Tifa! What's-?" Cloud began, skidding to a stop beside her. The woman did not reply. Cloud followed her gaze towards the bar and slowly shook his head.

"Oh no..." The flaxen-spiked man muttered. A second later, Tifa was running towards the door, which had been knocked off of its hinges, crying the names of her adopted children and comrade. Cloud followed, knowing that the rest of the group wasn't far behind.

"What's goin' on?! Is Marlene okay?!" Barrett yelled as he followed Cloud and Tifa into the bar. Tifa stood before him trembling violently.

"Tifa..." Cloud whispered as he extended a hand towards her; the woman merely fell to her knees and began to sob violently. Cloud froze.

"MARLENE!" Barrett howled violently, his thunderous steps shaking the floorboards as he dropped to his daughter's side. The child was lying peacefully on the wooden floor, her long hair blending in seamlessly with the brown grain, curling in cherubic ringlets. Her face was beginning to loose color and was as ivory as the single lily clasped in her hands crossed over her chest, obviously having been placed there by one of the several grievers sitting upon a nearby couch.

"Marlene..." The dark man whispered, sliding his massive hands below his child. Her head lulled backwards, chestnut locks still brushing the floor, her arms slid uncrossed, the single lily falling to the floor as Barrett held her to his chest, a single tear staining a dark streak down his cheek. Barrett then gritted his teeth, holding the limp form of his daughter to his chest with one arm. The dark-skinned man threw back his head, roaring angrily to the heavens as he extended his metallic fist; it began to come apart at the joints, re-forming itself into a massive gun, from which he began to rapidly fire dozens of electric bullets at the ceiling. Cloud grasped his friend's shoulders, attempting to calm him, but his words were lost as Barrett threw him off violently, the gun at the end of his arm becoming a hand once more. Still clutching Marlene to his chest, he lumbered across the room to where Loz, Denzel, and Yazoo were sitting upon the couch, the latter obviously having just arrived. Denzel was sobbing into Yazoo's lap as the long-tressed man stroked his hair, tears coursing down his cheeks. Loz sat next to them, his face buried in his hands, shaking slightly with the last of his tears long since cried away.

"YOU!" Barrett spat reaching out and grabbing Loz around the neck, he pulled him from the couch, hanging him a good yard off of the floor. Loz dangled there without a struggle, his eyes still focused on the dead child in Barrett's arms, "YOU LET THIS HAPPEN!"

"NO!" Suddenly, Denzel threw himself from the couch, grasping Barrett's massive, tattooed arm in his small hands, "NO! DON'T TAKE HIM, TOO!"

Barrett starred down at the young boy, whom attempted to shake the large man's arm, sobbing and shaking his head. He glanced away from Denzel, unceremoniously dropping Loz to the floor, where he lay crumpled in defeat. Denzel gasped for air, expelling a shuddering breath as he wrapped his arms around himself.

Tifa looked up from the ground, her eyes still red with tears, and struggled towards her son, wrapping her arms around him, bringing him to her chest. The brunette glanced up, feeling a heavy hand on her shoulder. Cloud crouched down beside his future wife and son, and pulled Tifa's head to his chest, brushing his lips against her forehead. The woman could've sworn she saw unshed tears in his dewy orbs before he did so.

Even Cid was affected - the old pilot having retreated to a corner, facing away from the group to hide his tears. Nanaki raised his head; ears drooped, and expelled a haunting howl as the lament of the eternally sleeping child before them.

 

 

"This is the most delicious meal I've ever eaten!" Yuffie squealed, helping herself to another serving of mashed potatoes, "And I even pealed the potatoes myself! Aren't you proud of me, Vinnie?"

"Yes, Yuffie, I'm very proud of you." Vincent said softly, patting the ninja on the leg, "But I think you have Mrs. Nonaka to thank for this delicious meal."

"Please, call me Haruki." The raven-tressed woman corrected him, waving a single hand nonchalantly.

"Haruki, you have no idea how much I missed your cooking." Kadaj said before ravenously tearing a piece of oven-fried Steven off of its bone with his back teeth, "Ih ah nevah ee oo goo iffout urr-"

"Chew and swallow before you talk, Kadaj." Haruki grumbled, sending a venomous glare towards her eldest son, whom gulped.

"Yes, ma'am." He squeaked, recoiling into his seat. Riku smirked at his brother, never expecting him to be frightened by anybody, let alone his own mother.

"So, Ritsuka." Began the woman, it took Riku a moment to realize she was addressing him; he turned to face her, "When did you meet Kadaj?"

"Uh... awhile ago, in Edge. Just, you know, in passing. Met him at a bar, he was looking for a traveling partner..." Riku scratched at the back of his neck sheepishly with a shrug. Haruki settled her eyes on Kadaj, a glowing smile on her face.

"Oh, Kada-chu!" Cooed the woman, said son looked up from where he was inhaling buttered noodles, "I'm so glad to know you've finally gotten laid! I just knew you were gay, with letting Loz and Yazoo dress you up like a girl all the time-"

"MOM!" Kadaj stood up from his seat, his face so bright red that it was glowing with embarrassment, half-chewed noodles falling from his mouth. Yuffie was howling with laughter across the table, Vincent looking like he was attempting to contain a smirk, "I AM NOT GAY! RI- RITSUKA'S NOT MY BOYFRIEND!"

"Keep telling yourself that." Haruki smirked cattily, tossing her dark hair. She then looked at Riku, whom had all but shrunken into his seat, his face the shade of a cherry, his ears bright red as well, before the woman burst into giggles. Riku glanced up at her with cat-like eyes, "Oh, I'm sorry!" She beamed, "It's just - you looked so much like my husband just then... his ears used to get all red, too."

"Your husband?" Riku inquired, now becoming interested.

"Yes, I had a husband quite awhile ago, in SOLDIER." A melancholy smile formed on her face, hazel eyes misted with emotion, "He died, however... I used to have another son, too." Riku froze, "His name was Yukio, and he was a blessed little angel. He looked like me, when this one over here looks like his father." Haruki reached over to muss Kadaj's hair, as the silver-tressed teen grumbled in embarrassment, "Yukio went missing when he was very young." Riku's mother explained softly, "They said he died, but I have a feeling that he's out there, somewhere."

"I-" Riku began, but was quickly cut off.

"This meat is REALLY good, Haruki!" Yuffie cried, waving around a piece of chocobo on her fork, Vincent ducked to avoid the flying utensil, "What kind of meat is it?"

"Steven." Kadaj replied, taking a large bite.

A slight pause.

"NOOOOOOO! STEEEEEEVEN!" Cried the small ninja, whom resumed eating the chocobo seconds later, "Why must you taste so gooooooooooood?"

"O-kay?" Haruki said slowly, blinking at Yuffie, before beaming around at the table, "I hope you all have room for dessert!"

"It isn't Floyd, is it?" The younger woman inquired darkly.

"No, actually, its apple cake." The elder woman explained, standing up from the table to fetch said cake from the kitchen.

"So, what do you think of Haruki's cooking?" Kadaj smirked, folding his arms across his chest, after flipping his hair out of his eyes.

"I think-" Yuffie began, her face screwed up unpleasantly, "I think I'm gonna be sick."

She then sprinted for the kitchen as fast as her legs could carry her (which is pretty damn fast, mind you), hand pressed firmly over her mouth. Vincent sighed and stood from his seat, silently following after his beau with a toss of his scarlet cloak.

"Maybe it wasn't in our best interest to eat Steven." Riku mumbled, poking at what was left of the chocobo with his fork.

"I feel fine." Kadaj shrugged as Haruki brought out the apple cake, "Hell yes!" He dove for the dessert as soon as his mother set it down before him, only to have his hand slapped away.

"Guests first." She snarled at her son, wrapping him over the head with the back of her hand. Kadaj rubbed the offended spot on his head, grumbling to himself, "Here you go, Ritsuka." Haruki beamed, "The Nonaka family award-winning apple cake."

"You win honorable mention one year at the apple festival and suddenly it's award-winning." Kadaj muttered, attacking the cake that his mother set before him.

"Well, it doesn't seem like you're complaining." Beamed the woman; Riku laughed and used the side of his fork to remove a sliver of the cake, bringing it to his mouth.

"Wow!" He grinned at his mother, "This is really good!"

"Don't sound surprised." Haruki giggled, her hazel orbs coruscating softly as she reached across the table to lightly pat his hand before collecting the dirty dishes from the table. Riku and Kadaj finished their cake in semi-silence, the later making small snarfing noises as he inhaled the cake.

"I think I'm gonna go talk to Mom." Riku said as soon as his mother disappeared into the kitchen.

Kadaj swallowed, "Want me to go with you?" He asked.

Riku shook his head, "No, I'm just going to go in there and wait until Vincent and Yuffie leave."

"Okay." Nodded the silver-tressed teen before he eyed Riku's unfinished cake hungrily, "Can I have that?"

"Hell no!" Riku smirked, snatching the cake off of the table and bringing it with him into the kitchen. He heard Kadaj's faint curse as he slipped into the kitchen, and immediately wished he hadn't.

Yuffie was retching into the sink, Vincent awkwardly patting her back, while Haruki bustled around the kitchen, extracting a bag of herbs from the cupboard before she shoved a mug into Riku's free hand, taking the plate of cake from him.

"Go over to the fridge and fill this with water." She directed, plodding over to the counter, where she pulled a tea strainer from one of the drawers, "Here, I'll make you some tea, dear." Haruki added to Yuffie, whom clutched the rim of the sink, panting, as Vincent turned on the water to flush away the sick, "This kind really helps the morning sickness."

Riku pulled the cup away from the fridge, blinking several times. Haruki seemed to cause a lot of awkward silences.

"M-morning sickness?" Yuffie squeaked, "Isn't that in the morning?"

"Morning sickness, evening sickness, roll-down-the-window-and-barf-all-over-the-side-of-the-car-sickness." Haruki numbered off nonchalantly, "The kid doesn't exactly care when they make you sick."

"Kid?" Whispered the ninja, her gray orbs the size of saucers- flying saucers, "B-but... I've just been sick lately! It's... stomach problems..."

"Uh-huh." Haruki rolled her eyes, "How long have you had them."

"A couple of weeks, but-" Yuffie's eyes darted towards Vincent, whom was standing beside her with an odd look on his face, "Vinnie? Are you okay?"

"Oh, he'll be like that for awhile." The elder woman sighed, taking the cup from Riku, "He'll start screaming like a maniac in about an hour, give or take a few minutes."

"I can't be- I'm not-" The ninja struggled for words, fidgeting nervously before she stopped her gray orbs resting on Vincent, who's brow was furrowed, "You knew, didn't you?"

He glanced away, dark tresses falling over his eyes. Yuffie reached out and grasped his upper arm.

"You knew from my scent or something... the reason you made me go back to Hollow Bastion... why you didn't want me to come with you here..." Her face softened as she loosened her grip on his arm, "Gawd, that's really weird..."

Vincent spun around and pulled Yuffie into a passionate kiss, threading his fingers through her short tresses as he pressed her against the rim of the sink. Riku glanced away sheepishly, embarrassed to have intruded on such a private moment.

The two broke, Vincent grasping Yuffie's hand, and giving her an imploring look, "Come on." He said softly, tugging her towards the kitchen door. Yuffie smiled softly, and nodded, following after him before she paused at the doorway, "Haruki," She began, glancing over her shoulder, "How did you know that it wasn't just-"

"Oh that's simple, dear!" Beamed Riku's mother, popping the mug into the microwave, "You're glowing! Now, are you going to need me to bring you the tea, or are you going to be 'otherwise occupied'?"

Yuffie glanced at Vincent sheepishly, "Uhh..."

"I'll make you some more later." Haruki beamed with an understanding nod before the couple disappeared. The woman sighed nostalgically, traipsing across the kitchen, where she began to clean out the sink, "Ah, young love." She glanced over her shoulder at Riku, "Would you like to help?"

"Sure." He nodded, crossing to kitchen to the sink, "What do you need me to do?"

"Just scrape the food off of the plates and throw it in the trash." She directed, using her head to gesture towards the stack of plates.

"Okay." Riku nodded, and began to do as he was told.

"So, what do you think of Kadaj?" Quipped the woman wistfully.

"He's... something else." Smirked the teen, feeling slightly guilty that Steven was being thrown away instead of buried, "But he's a good guy."

"Are you sure you're not bedding him?" Haruki inquired, raising a suspicious eyebrow, Riku gagged, "I won't be mad or anything, I just want to know."

“N-no! We're just friends, I swear!" Riku shook his head so rapidly that it was a silver blur.

"Okay, good. I was hoping for grandchildren." Sighed Riku's mother, taking the scraped plates from him, "You said you met in a bar?"

"Seventh Heaven - it's run by Tifa Lockheart and Cloud Strife, you heard of them?" Riku explained, standing next to Haruki as she began to scrub a plate. The woman threw back her head and laughed, grinning at Riku.

"Heard of them? They're legends around here!" She shook her head, grasping towel off of the counter to wipe the plate dry, "What were you doing there?"

"I came looking." Riku whispered, Haruki stopped drying the plate, her form rigid, "At first, I didn't know why I even came. But... then I met Kadaj and I realized that I was searching for something... my family."

"We-well..." Whispered the woman, bowing her head slightly, "I hope you find them."

"Haruki." Riku said softly, setting a heavy hand on her small shoulder, "I already found them." The woman was silent, Riku continued, "My name isn't Ritsuka."

There was the sound of tinkling china as the plate fell to the bottom of the sink and Haruki took a shaking breath, her body trembling slightly, "Y-Yukio?"

"Yeah..." Whispered the teen, feeling a dull pounding behind his eyes as the tears threatened to fall.

Haruki slowly turned to him, strands of obsidian falling over her hazel eyes as she reached for him, cupping his face in her callused hands. She used her thumbs to push away his lustrous tresses, hazel linked with green and blue, "Yukio..." The woman whispered, and only then did Riku realize how old she was; years of grieving and pain rested on the fluid surface of her eyes, thin lines covering her pale face. Haruki studied his face, ghosting the tips of her fingers across his cheeks as she trembled slightly, "My sweet little Yukio... I can't believe..." The dam broke, and she threw herself into his chest, trembling, sobbing, and gasping for air, "Yukio's home... Kadaj is home... our sons came home, Koishii..." The woman whispered under her breath as Riku wrapped his arms around her, burying his face into the crook of her neck.

"Mom..." He whimpered, feeling himself begin to succumb to his emotions. Haruki pulled away from him, smiling fondly as she pet his cheek with the rough back of her hand.

"Look at you..." The obsidian-haired woman sobbed softly, "You're so handsome... oh, Yukio..." She looked him up and down, smiling slightly, "You have your father's build, and his beautiful eyes-" The woman frowned, "Yukio... what happened to your eyes? They aren't ice blue anymore... Kadaj's too..."

"We'll explain later, mom." Riku matched her gentle smile, "I'm... I'm just so happy to be home."

"I'm happy to have you home, Yukio." Haruki sighed, brushing her lips against his forehead, "This is such a miracle... my boys... my sweet little boys..."

 

 

"Aw, wow!" Kadaj grinned, launching himself from the doorway into a neatly-made bed, burying his face into the soft pillows, "She's actually kept my room clean! The bed sheets are fresh and everything!"

Riku stepped into the room after his elder brother, brushing a lock of silver hair behind his ear as he looked around. The wooden paneling on the walls and floors were the same as the rest of the house; accept Kadaj seemed to have taken to decorating it to his liking. There were three 'Murder Will' posters tacked haphazardly to the walls around the windows, as well as a small TV set on top of a waist-height wardrobe next to a picture of a very young black-haired Kadaj, a redheaded Yazoo, and a brunette Loz in front of a Ferris wheel of some sort. A broken-looking game console rested on top of the TV, controllers lying beside it, a stack of DVD's and video games was placed neatly next to the television. On the other side of the room was a tall bookcase, on which Riku recognized a thick leather volume emblazoned with three golden letters 'POE', several Shakespeare novels, various mangas, and an out-of-place magenta novel. Riku furrowed his brow and crossed the room, puling the book out of the dark wooden case.

"Whispered Heart Shattered?" He inquired, raising an eyebrow at the picture of a young blonde woman, her hair fanned out behind her in the arms of a tan young man on the front, Riku turned to Kadaj, whom was attempting to get the TV started up, "I didn't know you read romance novels."

Kadaj bristled, dashing across the room in several steps, and yanked the book from Riku's grasp, "What the hell? Yazoo lent me this ages ago." The elder teen glared at his brother's smirk, "I didn't borrow it! He MADE me take it!" He shoved the book back into the case, grumbling darkly. Riku turned to the television where Lab Coats was on the comedy channel and made himself comfortable on his brother's old bed.

"Hey!" Snapped Kadaj, tossing himself onto the bed once more and shoving Riku over, "This is MY bed! You get the window bed, jerkoff."

"Well, I'm watching TV here." Riku retorted, grabbing a pillow and using it to prop himself up, "Now shut up, I wanna see what happened with DJ and Kirk. I missed the last couple of episodes."

Kadaj muttered several unkind things under his breath before snatching up a pillow as well, laughing at one of the show's jokes. Moments later, the door opened, and Haruki plodded in, carrying a blanket and a pillow.

"I hope you don't mind using the window bed, Yukio." She said to Riku, placing the linen down on said window bed, "We only have one guest room and your friends seem to be using that."

"TMI, Haruki." The eldest brother huffed; his mother crossed the room and used both of her hands to ruffle their hair. Riku smiled at her, his grin being returned ten fold.

"Well, it's how you two came to be on this planet." Haruki shrugged nonchalantly, Kadaj turned bright red, one eye twitching.

"MOM!" He cried, digging his fingers into his pillow.

"Well, it's true!" She huffed, placing her hands firmly on her hips, "Now, you two get good sleep, okay?" The woman bent down to peck each of them on the cheek, pushing dark tresses out of her face as she did so, "And don't stay up too late!"

"Christ, woman!" Kadaj growled, "We're not kids anymore."

"Get to sleep early, Kadaj, or I'll wake you up at four with a gong." Haruki threatened as a retort, "Good night, boys."

"'Night." Kadaj said, directing his attention towards the TV.

"Sleep well." Riku smiled with a small nod. Haruki smiled fondly at her boys before she turned on her heel and plodded out of the room.

 

 

Riku was standing inside of Aerith's church, blinking in the brilliantly pure white light around him. Flower petals slowly drifted from the heavens in shades of ivory and pastel yellow along with long streaks of emerald rain. He turned slightly to see Marlene kneeling in the nearby flower patch. The young girl raised green eyes to meet his and smiled serenely, waving a cherubic hand. Riku smiled back, waving to her and extending his and towards the sky. A flower petal slowly drifted onto his palm and burst into flame. He pulled his hand back to his chest, as if struck, and felt his eyes widen as all the flower petals drifting around him spontaneously combusted, the cool rain falling turning jet black and leaving dark, ugly stains upon his skin.

Riku looked up towards Marlene, to find her gone. In her place was a beautiful woman with a long braid of chestnut tresses, beautiful emerald orbs wide with shock. She was resting on the tip of a massive katana held in Riku's hands. He pulled the sword back, letting the beautiful, pink-clad woman fall into the flames which burst into life around her. Riku raised his hands, finding them large and clad in worn, black-leather gloves before he suddenly looked up into his own reflection.

He was Sephiroth.

 

 

Jolting awake with a gasp, Riku's eyes darted around the room. Finding that he was safe within Kadaj's own bedroom, he fell back into the soft window bed, running his hand through his hair, which was matted with sweat.

'It was just a dream.' Riku told himself, his chest slowly rising as he took in a breath of cool air, 'Just a dream.'

Yet something unnerved the silver-tressed teen and caused him to stand, crossing the room to his brother's bed.

"Kadaj..." Riku whispered, hovering over the bed, "Kadaj?" He repeated, raising his voice, Riku poked the lump in the bed, only to find that it was a bundle of sheets. Riku's heart began to palpitate and the teen recalled the time he'd been unable to sleep without his elder brother's presence.

Riku crossed the room and pushed open the door with an elongated squeak, slowly starting into the hallway. The bathroom door directly across from Kadaj's bedroom was open, and the lights were out, meaning that the elder teen wasn't using the bathroom. Riku passed up the next bedroom, recognizing Vincent and Yuffie's hushed voices lightly conversing (Riku thanked God that the voices weren't doing other things). He then came to a door at the end of the hallway, poking his head in.

"Haruki?" He whispered, to his surprise, a silver head slowly rose from the bed.

"What're you doing in here? You didn't come to sleep with Mom, did you?" Kadaj inquired sleepily.

"Look who's talking!" Riku hissed in a whisper, attempting not to wake the woman. Riku knew that he'd be able to see Kadaj blushing if he had been able to see details in the dark.

“Yeah... so what?" The elder boy grumbled.

"Stop talking." Haruki's groggy voice said as she shifted in place, throwing back a corner of the bed. Riku stood in the doorway, stock-still, "Well?" The woman mumbled, squinting hazel eyes at the younger of her two sons, "Are you getting in?"

Riku stood for a moment before crossing the room and climbing into bed with his mother and brother, feeling ridiculously silly for a split second before the woman slid her arm under him and pulled him close. Riku shifted in bed, easily finding a comfortable spot in her warm embrace. He instantly began to drift off, the lull of his mother's warm, creamy scent helping him slip into a deep sleep, a content smile curled onto his face.

 

 

“What do want for breakfast this morning, Kadaaaa-chuuu?” Haruki crooned. This morning she seemed particularly bright and was donning a bright yellow apron over a pair of cargo pants and a black tank.

“MUFFINS!” Kadaj hooted, jumping the last six stairs and landing in a crouch. His mother glared doom at him.

“No!” she said disapprovingly, taking the opportunity to whack him over the head with a wooden spoon. “I'm not making you those, they take forever!”

“But-”

“We'll have apple waffles!” she announced suddenly cheery. Riku couldn't help but think how creepy her mood swings were.

“I have the strangest notion that we've been living off of waffles and pancakes…” he mused.

“Well after our big cereal manufacturer burned down, there's been a bit of a shortage of cereal - you know, Final Fantasy Flakes Co.?” Yuffie chirped.

“That's it! Cereal!” Kadaj yelped, rushing over to the pantry set beside the trash compactor. With a burst of gusto, he swung the doors open, devouring the contents with his eyes. “DUDE!” he exclaimed excitedly upon catching sight of a maroon box. He snatched it from the shelf, looking at it lovingly. “Unlucky Trinkets! I loved this cereal! And look! They still have the special promotional purple telescope that turns the milk green. I wonder if it still works?” And then with inhuman speed, he zipped about the kitchen, pouring the milk and the strangely shaped pieces into a blue and white ceramic bowl almost simultaneously. He peered at it anxiously, turning from it, disturbed. “It turned black.” He stated.

“That's probably because we've had that box since you were eight.” Haruki beamed, wiping her hands on a dish towel.

“YOU'VE KEPT THIS BOX OF CEREAL FOR TEN YEARS?!” her son spat, shooting the bowl a deranged look. “It's a wonder I didn't eat it and die.”

“Hey, I'm sentimental.” His mother argued defensively.

“Sentimental?!” Kadaj exclaimed melodramatically. “That could've killed me or something!”

“Or at least given you the stomach flu or diarrhea, which you would certainly deserve you ungrateful-”

“Ya, ya.” Kadaj waved her off sarcastically. “Do we have any other cereal?”

“We have Grape Oats.” Haruki said huffily.

“Eww! Why do we have old person fo-OD!” he grunted as his mother chucked an orange at his head. “Well, we do!” he grumbled, rattling the box of raisins and corn flakes. “Let's see… what else. Captain Jack Crunch, Gimmicks, Chocolate Poofs-”

“OH! I WANT THOSE!” Yuffie shrieked. Vincent sighed dejectedly and sat her down at the table. With a look that screamed, “Oh God please help me, but I love her” at Kadaj, he reached a golden clawed hand in removing both Yuffie's Chocolate Poofs and a box simply labeled `Death' with little chocolate chex mix like squares spilling over the front.

“Filled with angst in every bite!” the ninja said brightly as her fiancé sat beside her. Kadaj continued on his raid of the pantry. “Grain Crunchies - eww, Grape Oats - double eww, Glazed Flecks, Molasses Clusters of Grain, ooh, Retarded K, now with strawberries.” He smiled absently and removed the box from the shelf.

“I was going to make a bad pun there, but you kinda already did it yourself.” Yuffie called from her seat. “I mean, Retarded K. That explains a lot.” The silver tressed teen shot her a scathing glare and returned to listing the stock of cereal his mother had collected over the years.

“Veggie Hoops.” He said darkly, giving an involuntary shiver. “I remember when Loz and Yazoo made me eat those things-”

“I remember that! You started barfing like crazy, and then Yazoo had to hold your hair back for you. That was so cute. That's when I became sure that you were ga-”

“HARUKI!” Kadaj howled, starting to turn crimson. “Gah! Whoever made that abomination of a breakfast food should be shot. At the marketing agent who thought it would be a big hit should be shot twice.” He spat vehemently. “And… what the hell?” he frowned. Extracting the box from the pantry, he stared blankly into the eyes of a portly man standing next to a horse. “Heidigger Crunch?” he asked, disbelievingly. Kadaj blinked hard. Shin-ra's overweight Head of the Peacekeeping Division still stared back at him.

“You think that's bad?” Haruki snorted as Yuffie and Vincent snickered into their bowls. “Only two months later they came out with Rufus Flakes.”

“Wow, the world really has gone to Hell and back, hasn't it?” Riku laughed, snatching Kadaj's box of Retarded K from him.

“Hey! Give me back my cereal!” his older brother whined.

“You have no idea.” Haruki shook her head, talking over her son. “And to think! That bastard Sephiroth is the whole driving force behind it!” she growled, chopping her banana a little faster than necessary. There was an awkward pause, and Kadaj looked as though he'd been doused in ice cold water. Riku's stomach knotted up instantly, looking sheepishly at the floor as images of his nightmare sprang to the forefront of his mind.

“No.” Vincent said quietly, briefly looking with sorrow and sympathy at the brothers. “Don't blame him. Blame Shin-ra. Blame the people who made him - who encouraged him - to be as he was. Yes, Shin-ra bit off more than they could chew, but it was irresponsible. And dangerous. To… to both mother and child. Imagine how different things could have been if Sephiroth was never born. We should appreciate what we have. We were lucky in those regards. It could have been anyone. It could have-”

“It could have been me.” Kadaj whispered, tears undeniably welling up in the corners of his eyes. Angrily, he wiped them away, shrugging off his mother's gasp. Without looking at anyone, he sat down and started eating, finding the most interesting shapes his corn flakes made.

“What do you mean, Kadaj?!” Haruki persisted. He hadn't heard her the first two times she asked. He shook his head, silver hair splaying about his face. “Kada-” he shoved in a huge spoonful of dehydrated strawberries and flakes. Vincent scooted away from the table and everyone looked to him. He beckoned to Haruki and gave a look to Kadaj that simply said, “I've got this covered.”

Kadaj cheered up a bit after breakfast. He had decided to show his little brother the house. Riku was surprised to find that there was a lot that he could remember, and with help from Kadaj, they relived several early memories. The two were laughing heartily by noon. “How many cats do we have?” Riku exclaimed as the Maine Coon rubbed up against his leg. It stared up at him expectantly.

“Mrr?” she asked, preening for him and arching her back affectionately.

“Oh, hey Tigerlily.” Kadaj smiled, scooping the cat up in his arms. Vincent and Yuffie sat curled up across the room from them in the loveseat. The fat black cat was sprawled out in the older teen's lap.

“Hey Vincent! Vincent! The cat is drooling on me, and shedding, and… and dandruff-ing! Fix it. Uh… please?” Yuffie squirmed under the immense weight of the feline. The dark haired man smirked and reached back into the folds of his cape. “No! Don't shoot it!” she suddenly shrieked.

“Don't shoot my cat, you jerkoff!” Kadaj growled, dragging the lard away from the pair. “But you can shoot… him.” He ushered, his voice dropping to sound evil and foreboding. A black cat crept out of the hall, glaring down the party. He sat pompously in the middle of the carpet, tail tucked around small white paws. “Hello, Satan.”

“Satan?” Riku asked, amused.

“Not even joking. That's what we named him.” Kadaj grimaced evilly. “Please Vincent. Help yourself. Salt him like they do to the possessed people in the movies or something. We actually only kept him because he looks nice on the front couch. Come to think of it, I think there's a taxidermist around here…”

“So, uh… There were other cats here too?”

“Ya, lessee, there's Tina.” Kadaj began, indicating the black cat that lay drooling on the floor in a pool of her own flaky fur. “Satan, Tigerlily, and of course, Puddles.” He said the last name with a dopey look on his face. Clearly the Russian Blue was his favorite.

“And who's this?” Riku asked, stroking an orange tabby that had squeezed out from under the couch. It had luxurious fur and pale green eyes. He fiddled around with the collar and checked the tag. “Henry” he read.

“Huh, I guess he's new. I've never seen him before.” Kadaj mused, bending over to play with the cat, tickling its speckled belly. “Looks like an orange marmalade, and a young one too.”

“Sorry to break up the menagerie here, but…” the two silver haired teens looked up at Vincent. “… haven't you even noticed Cait Sith wasn't here?”

“WOAH!” the elder teen gasped, sitting back on his heels. “Dude! Dude… where is Cait Sith?”

“He's at Shin-ra Manor.” The man's velvety voice dropped. “I told him we'd meet up with him today. So, if you wouldn't mind? I believe there's some things there you may find interesting.”

 

 

“HACHOO!” the sneeze echoed hauntingly through the grand old manor, filling the large rooms with its sound. Dust coated everything like a thick cottony layer of clouds. The dark wooden floorboards creaked and groaned ominously, half a staircase already crumbled. Heavy velvet curtains lined each room, adding to the somber feel. Kadaj fingered a candlestick; silver, but tarnished with melted wax encasing its side. Its match lay in two halves on the floor.

“Well this place has been through the ringer.” Riku commented dryly, edging his way around a rotten series of floorboards.

“You don't say.” His elder brother rolled his eyes. “So uh, why did we go through the tiny side door from the courtyard? I mean there was kinda HUGE FRONT DOOR.” He asked skeptically.

“Just watch. Stay here.” Vincent said by means of reply. The two brothers shot each other questioning glances, then turned to watch the dark man slowly stalk into a large formal entry. In mere split seconds, there was a faint scuttling sound and Vincent swung out a leg and ducked, using the momentum to swing around in a low crouch. There was a loud bang and then a sick crackling sound, and a muffled crash.

“What the bloody hell?!” Kadaj exclaimed, racing over to the now erect man. “What - eww. What is that thing?” His lip curled back in disgust at the slumped iridescent shape in the corner, draped in heavy velvet that tore from the remainder of the window covering. It spasmed, then lay still.

“A bug.” Vincent replied calmly, turning to the room. Indeed it was a bug; a glistening black beetle the size of a small Labrador, with mechanical gears ensnaring the entire carapace, wires creeping over the lacquered shell forming shining blue and silver spirals. A shining visor was welded into what would have been the front, now fizzing with static, sparks of electricity erupting at the joints and meeting each other halfway like lightening strikes.

“I'm taking it that's why we didn't use the front door?” Riku asked, staring at the giant beetle. There was the clicking sound of a trigger. BANG! Vincent sprung back firing off three shots in quick succession, skidding across the wooden floorboards. Nine shells clattered noisily as the three travelers stared at the five dead bugs. Slowly, almost in a dreamlike way, more of the creatures came crawling into view, swarming out from behind old moth eaten curtains, and out from the old, worn furniture. There was a deep vibrating feeling, and they rose from under the wooden planks, tearing them from their holdings with ease, squeezing and crowding around their comrades, clicking their pincers menacingly, glaring through unseeing visors at the intruders.

Riku pressed up against Kadaj, back-to-back, Way to the Dawn shimmering in his right hand, the other with Shouba in his left. Vincent stood to one side of the teens, an arm thrown out in a protective manner. There was a static crackling, thick with anxious anticipation. Clink!

“Yes Riku, I suppose this is why we didn't use the front door.” Kadaj laughed apprehensively, eyeing up the massive insects. Clink!

“Hey… what is tha-?” And with a great wrenching sound, the giant chandelier was loosened from the tall ceiling, crashing through the carpeted entrance, separating the group. A hundred dull, many faceted diamonds skipped away from the twisted gold wreck, spinning out from view. And from the hole came a dozen more beetles, two dozen, three and those on the floor took this as a signal and surged forward, the sound of scuttling legs rising to a crescendo.

Kadaj launched himself forward in an X-formation, Shouba held high over his head. As he came to his first beetle, it rose and latched deep into his shoulders with razor-like pincers, shaking his frame back and forth. With an agonized grunt, the double bladed katana was brought heftily down into the thick shell. A burst of electrical pulse shuddered through the creature, burning the teen's wounded arms. Screaming, he reeled back, clutching either arm, both of which where already bleeding profusely. Scrunching up his nose, cheeks flushed, he pried his weapon from the carcass and swung it around as a shield, parrying the creature's advances.

Riku winced as a strong force clamped around his leg. Already, three bugs lay discarded around him, their undersides slashed open. Thick black blood oozed slowly to the floor, some of which clung to the teen's clothing, a nauseous scent magnified to a greater intensity by his enhanced sense of smell. He could smell his own blood as well, which was quickly soaking into his black jeans, now shredded in the grip of the beetle attached to it. He twisted, trying to defend himself and shake the creature off simultaneously, but the serrated edges of the pincers only sunk in deeper at the effort. He heard a strangled cry from his brother and turned to look just in time to see Kadaj push his attacker off, two inch wounds blossoming on his pale skin.

Vincent growled irately, eyeing the entire situation critically. Needless to say, the odds were not in their favor. A small circle of clear space surrounded him, filled only by his voluminous cape and several golden shells. His opponents were more tentative by his quick deliverance of their deaths, and edged forward more cautiously. Unlike the two silver haired teens, who would, for all their skill, be soon overcome by their enhanced foes. There was something deeply unsettling about these beetles. Besides for the fact that they were the size of a large domesticated canine, there was a disturbing similarity between these creatures and those manufactured for DEEPGROUND. However, it was not the same. These beings moved fluidly and abnormally fast, seeming to be able to think in a human manner, like the sharpest soldier moving through their environment, changing every problem to their advantage. Furthermore, while blue wires covered their outer shell, they did not shine like hundreds of super powered glow sticks as DEEPGROUND's weapons had. So where had they come from? Who had made them?

At a second scream from Kadaj - this one even more gut-wrenching than before, accompanied by a sickening crunching - Riku found the inner strength to plow through four more beetles. A Dark Firaga roared through the following wave, repelling the creatures slightly. Kadaj stood with his legs spread slightly apart, gasping for breath. A light sheen of sweat had broken over his brow and he forced a sort of grimacing smile in his brother's direction. Shouba was sticking tip-first into the wood, shaking slightly. Kadaj rolled his right shoulder stiffly, clamping his hand over the hilt awkwardly. His sword arm hung limply at his side, a trickle of blood from his shoulder wound running like veins across the back of his hand.

Cerberus had run out of bullets. The beetles seemed to know this as well. Maliciously, they surged forward, crawling over each other greedily, awaiting the sinking crush of yielding human flesh. No time to reload now, Vincent hastily deposited his signature weapon into the holster at his hip and pulled out his only other alternate weapon. This one rang out sharper than the long barreled gun, and felt wrong in his grip, the weight seeming unbalanced in comparison. There was no way they could fight their way through the swarm now. The thick carapaces proved difficult to penetrate, the first being luck backed by the force of the kick back and deadly grace with which it was delivered. But with the close proximity of the creatures, there was the speed and unforgiving pincers to factor in. They would be forced to make a run for it.

“FIRE!” Riku screamed from back behind the glittering ebony sea. “VINCENT! They hate fire!” And that was all the words he needed to hear. Smirking with triumph, the gunman cocked his weapon, pulling back a second trigger along with the conventional one. A clear window along the top of the barrel lit up temporarily with a bright orange color. There was a small ticking and then a flare burst out, creating a fiery wall between Vincent and his assailants. Behind him, Kadaj growled and fended off the nearest bugs, allowing Riku to send off two more Dark Firagas before being lifted by the midsection roughly. There was a quick blur of picture and color and the two brothers felt the bottoms of their stomachs drop. In mere split seconds, their feet met oddly shorn carpet, and they stumbled forward into dazed heaps upon the hallway floor.

Vincent barred the path to the two, firing off six shots into the bugs. They had already figured out that their prey had escaped their grasp. The fact that both spiral staircases had disintegrated over time was not stopping them either. Forcefully, he pushed them forward growling as he shook a heavy bug from his golden arm. “Run to-” the dark man paused, calculating. The silver haired teens stood behind him a few paces uncertainly. Vincent waited, tensing. Three, two, one, and the beetles were right before them, clambering over each other and packed like sardines. The first six were shot in the middle of their visors and trembled, electricity spreading back and through their wiring. The swarm paused momentarily, rippling with static. Vincent swirled around, dragging the two until they could run, turning back every now and then to shoot at the beetles that did not short-circuit.

Down the hall and to the left, through the room and the connecting door. Into the room and behind the tapestry, down the hall and the spiral stairs, and into the dimly lit hall. “What. The. Hell?!” Kadaj panted heavily, falling to his knees. “What were those things?!”

“Bugs.” Vincent frowned. “They were able to track our movements and record and process data - perhaps our conversations as well - because of those visors they have. But they all act as one, so they must be receiving commands from a database of sorts.”

“But if they are getting info from a database-” Riku frowned.

“SHIT!” Kadaj swore, letting his head strike against the dirt wall. “Whoever wants us dead now knows where we are.”

“Precisely.” Vincent nodded sagely. “We can't leave the way we came now that we are being watched. There's another way out of here, but we will have to re-enter a section of the mansion to make it.”

“Which basically defeats the purpose.” The elder teen commented dryly.

“We'll just bust through a window or something.” Riku shrugged. “Hey… you alright? You're really pale.”

“I broke my arm.”

“What?” Vincent questioned, concerned. He kneeled beside the teen, carefully prodding at the offended appendage. Kadaj hissed through his teeth in pain, fighting the urge to recoil from the man's touch. “It's your elbow.”

“What?”

“You broke your elbow. That's why you can't move your arm without it causing pain. Here.” He unclipped the top section of his cape that hung around his neck and shrugged it from his shoulders. With a quick jerk of his hand, he tore off a strip of fabric from its bottom and fashioned a splint from it.

“Th-thanks.” Kadaj muttered, flushing. “So, uh…” he continued, fishing for a change of subject.

“Kindness often comes to those who don't expect it.” Vincent mused. “Come, I want to show you both something, seeing this is where we landed ourselves.” Wordlessly, they followed the black haired man farther down the path, barely lit by torches that stayed aflame even in their dank climate. At long last, they came to a door, average in stature and appearance, wooden and slightly re-enforced. A golden clawed hand rested upon the door nostalgically, but a moment later it pushed it open, revealing a small antechamber.

“COFFINS?!” Kadaj yelped, brushing up against Riku. “There's DEAD PEOPLE in here?! This is what you wanted to show us?!”

“They're empty, Kadaj.” His brother sighed exasperatedly.

“Still! It's kinda - what are you doing?” he asked as Vincent paused before a horizontally resting dark chestnut coffin. He turned to the rest of his party.

“This is what the desire for redemption and forgiveness does to you. It eats away at you and destroys you from the inside out. I punished myself by undergoing eternal sleep. For fifty years I lay dormant - living but dead all the same. I did not age physically, and I sometimes wonder if I ever shall. Thanks to Cloud and his friends - my friends - I have seen that there was so much better alternatives.” He paused. Then in a soft whisper, “Don't repeat my mistakes. Things are difficult, and at times unbearable, but running from your grief only magnifies the things you could have done and the errors you've made.”

“Vincent…” Kadaj murmured, his expression falling.

“RIGHTY-O LADDIE!” There was a collective gasp as the coffin erupted, spewing out a fluffy orb of black and white tuxedo cat fur. Cait Sith grinned amusedly, pushing his crown back into place. “It's awful dusty in there, laddie! Couldn't 'magine five-o years in there!”

“Damn cat.” Riku swore in relief, scooping the robot into his arms. “So what have you found out? We came to get you, but-”

“Oh those nasty lil' critters? A few good barrel rolls gets ya right passed 'em.” The cat waved a gloved paw indifferently.

“Which is your way of saying you've been trapped down here too?” Kadaj moaned, shifting his weight uncomfortably. “Look, just tell us what you know and let's split. I really want to sit down right now.”

“Do you need another?” his brother asked, proffering a shining green vial.

“Eh, no. The first two only took the edge off it.”

“Uhhh, laddies?” Cait Sith piped up. “I hate to tell ya, but this place has been ransacked. Nothin's left.” He gave a quick apologetic shrug. “But there is somethin' you'll be wanting to know `bout. It's from Reeve.” He whispered melodramatically. “There's been trouble up in Edge.”

“Edge?!” Kadaj yelped, suddenly aware. “Is everyone okay? Is Yazoo-”

“Yeees, lad. Cool yer' britches. Reeve had a Turk go over to check on `em. Though there is rumor that someone died. A young girl, I hear. But they burned down `eadquarters, so-”

“Marlene?!” Riku gasped, eyes wide. “Who? Who… who would kill a child? She couldn't have done anything wrong…”

“I know who.” His brother growled darkly. “But he's supposed to be dead.” Kadaj sent a semi-mutinous glare in Vincent direction. “Twice.”

“Third times the charm!” the cat chirped.

“It better be.”

“But wait.” Riku frowned. “You said `they' burned down Shin-ra Headquarters. Who is `they' exactly?”

“Tha's the trouble. We don't know. Now everybody an' their mother is movin' out to the ol' Midgar ruins. A safe house that is. Least till we figure out who is causing this.”

“What all happened?” Vincent asked, taking the time to reload Cerberus and his LeMat 9-shot Revolver. “In detail.”

“Well, I don't know too much meself, but I heard from Reeve that the place was torched. Lot's o' smoke and fire everywhere. Not sure yet how many people are dead, just lil' Marlene there. Prob'ly more when we go an' look.”

“So… I take it Cloud and the others will move with everyone else?” Kadaj suggested. “Ya know, seeing as they'd wanna protect everyone and everyone will soon be no one as far as Edge is concerned.”

“Perhaps.” Vincent nodded thoughtfully. “I believe that even still, they would stay in Edge, because that's just the kind of people they are. They'd rather stick it out than run. But seeing as Marlene has been… lost… then they might have decided it was in everyone's best interest to leave.”

“So what do we do now?” Riku quipped. “I mean - we didn't learn anything by coming here. Sure, we have Cait Sith and all, but we don't have the information we were looking for, someone got here before us. So do we return to Edge or Midgar?”

“That information is crucial to you.” Vincent argued. “No, we stay here and follow our own agenda.”

“Bu-!” the teen interjected.

“It's not abandonment. We will listen for news, but we must stay on course. They need us to succeed. Going back would be giving up.” He held the door open to the party and they filed out back into the dank hall. This time, they went to the left, winding deeper underground.

“So we have to `save the world' and all. That's kinda cliché.” Kadaj sighed.

“Dude, it's s friggen' oxymoron. You used to be the antagonist.” Riku snorted.

“Not like it was my choice.”

“True.” There was a brief reprieve of words; silence filled only by the dull thump of footsteps against the hard packed dirt path. “So. We're the anti heroes of war, eh?”

“I suppose we are.”

“Everyone is an anti hero at some time. It is just a matter of choices.” Vincent added. “Oh, and Kadaj - watch out for those land mines.”

“What land-?”

BOOM!

“Right. Those landmines.”