Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ My Mother, That's Who I Mean ❯ Cut me off ( Chapter 13 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Walking up the stairs, he made sure to look around the area really well once stepped into town. He's never gone up such a long row of paver-stone stairs. It seemed really impractical in a place coated in snow, that melts a bit in the sun. It's a slipping down accident waiting to happen. Another oddity he stored away are the signs. He couldn't read a word on any of them! All the signs were written in this very strange language that he's never seen before.

Mara held tight to his hand, steering him through the village like a professional nanny minding a very naughty child. He didn't bother to make pleading faces with anyone. They would likely only believe that he was being a brat that didn't wanna go out with his mother. And they'll know that she is his mother because they look very much alike. He has her nose and jawline, at least he thinks so.

"You'll like it here, the food is really good. I brought some to our temporary home once before. Do you remember that roast we had?"

"Sure." He replied half listening.

"Up here." She points.

A large building emerged up ahead. His eyes nearly fell from his head widening at the splender of the place. Large tinted windows from the ground, practically to the ceiling of the place gleam in the sky's bright grey light; he could see his reflection as they approached. But he can still see people inside walking, chatting over their meals, or just staring out of the window at the moving village.

"Can you afford this place?"

Mara laughed. "Miles, you say the cutest things."

He winced at that, but kept his voice in check. He had to play along so when they got inside she wouldn't be suspicious of anything - if he could do anything, once inside. Maybe he can climb out of the bathroom window or something? Kait noticed a few other things too, like how a good majority of the crowd was carrying ski equipment, and how all the buildings look like, well, buildings. Where were the normal houses?

'Stupid,' He popped a hand to his head. 'get rid of that islander brain, not all towns have houses just right there by businesses.' He had a momentary thought of Deling. It was the place he'd been to with his fathers. Fist balled, his resolve to get away was renewed.

Mara tugged one of the large glass doors open and allowed Kait to pass through first, then she followed behind him. "Mmm." Smiling, she stoops over. "Can you smell that?"

Sniffing, he smiled. "Cinnamon?"

Nodding, she says. "Cinnamon. How will we ever get through dinner when we can smell dessert?"

He was chuckling at that, because honestly, it was sweet. He knew the notion too. He has a wicked sweet tooth when it came down to it. Every kid does, except for Antione, he can be such a weirdo sometimes. "I think we'll manage, my need for fire roasted hot dogs isn't gone..." Sniffing at the cinnamon scent again, he shakes it off. "Do you think they have chowder? I've always wanted to try it, but aunt Selphie still needs to learn how to cook, so I've never eaten hers." He hadn't even realized he'd said it until it was too late, wincing he peeked an eye up at the woman to see if she would flip-out, but she was busy removing her gloves, still smiling.

"Its a shame when a woman can't cook." Mara commented. "She'll learn though, once she gets herself a husband."

Taken aback, he cocks his head, brows furrowed. "Why would getting a husband teach her how to cook?" He honestly didn't like the idea of Selphie having a husband? If its anything like a boyfriend, the guy would surely wanna take up all of her time. What would that mean for him? Twiddling his fingers together, he awaited an answer he wasn't sure he wanted to hear.

"Because men like to eat, and a good woman likes to feed her man... Oh, you'll understand when you're older."

He didn't think he wanted to. Following her over to a table, with a booth, he slid into the brown leather seat and looked around. All these people looked like they've been out on the slopes. Where the hell is this place?

Innocently, he asks. "Where are we?"

"Town, sweety." Oh. She's good.

Menus were placed down before them, and the waitress said she'd be right back with 2 warm teas. Tea. What a grown up drink. Kait scrunched his nose at the thought of having to drink that creepy brown junk. Feeling a pat on his hand he looks up to see that it was Mara who'd done it, of course.

"I'll see that they bring you a hot chocolate when she comes back." She spoke naturally, like a friend rather than a mom.

Something about that made Kait feel funny. Like he might throw-up, or he'd have to excuse himself to the bathroom to hide out for a bit. She really isn't a bad person. From the side of his eye, he sees a man end a conversation on his phone then slip it into his pocket, before getting up from his seat at a table. Kait watched him, and took notice that he wasn't leaving the eatery but in fact going to the bathroom. Perfect.

"Ma-... Mom," he knew how to get to her. "where's the bathroom?"

"Umm," Looking across the room to where a few people might be heading, she points. "It's back there, I think. Follow that man with the red scarf." Blinking, she lowered her menu all the way to the table. "Sugar, did you decide you wanted chowder?"

"Mhm, the red one." He pointed to the picture while getting up. "I'll be back, real quick." He darts off to the bathroom.

Mara watched with a smile. If he's moving that quickly she hoped that he'd make it in time.

The bathroom has a rich-blue tile floor, a small drain in the center of it. Sinks lining one wall and urenals along the other. Two big windows allowing the bright grey sky through to light the room, and along the last wall are 3 stalls, with light grey doors. Kait didn't see the man when he went through the door, he must be in one of the stalls. Rats. How long would he have to wait? His big blue eyes glance at a man washing his hands at the sink. The man looked over at him and smiled.

"You lost?" He asked.

He opened his mouth to say something, but then closed it. Saying he was lost would be a really dumb idea. Better stick to plan A. Walking over to the gentleman, he tried to sound professional and serious. "Do you have a cellphone?"

"I do."

"Can I... Can I use it, real quick?"

"They have payphones right outside in the foyer." The man seemed annoyed at the thought of giving his phone to some grubby kid.

"I can't use the payphones."

"I'll even give you a quarter." Shaking his wet hands freely; Kait brushed a few stray flecks of liquid from his face, the man then walked over to the hand dryer.

"I have to use it in private."

"Why?"

"I can't tell you why."

"Then you can't use my phone." And at that, the man left the bathroom. He didn't even care whether or not his hands were actually dry.

"Creep!" He called after the man.

Shoulders slumped, he pressed his back against the bare wall by the window and waited for the man from the table to leave the stall. It was after about four minutes that the man walked out, groaning about something being good one minute and gone the next. Euw. Kait wondered if he really wanted to touch the man's phone after that. Hopefully he would wash his hands first.

Walking over to the sink, he looked up at the man, dewy eyes in place. "Mister?"

"Sure, kid, you can use my phone. But..." He shakes his hands out; he didn't even soap up! "you'll have to make it quick. My wife is a real stickler about being late to something."

Grinning, he feels renewed hope swell in his chest. "Thank you. I will." Taking the phone into his hands he flips it open. Dialing Squall's number he waited for his father to pick up, but the line was busy. Dammit. Irvine was next, but his was also busy. He needs a person, voice-to-voice, or they won't believe its him. Zell was next and again, busy. What the hell were they all doing? Playing phone tag? Not even Selphie, Quistis, or Rinoa could pick up. He was at his wit's end when he finally called Seifer; the phone owner looked damned impatient.

"Pick up, pick up." He mantrad. Who knew how long he could stay in the bathroom before mommy-dear came calling.

"Who the hell is this?" Droned the ex-knight through the phone.

Kait could have squeezed him so tight those sharp Cyan-colored eyes of his came right from his head. "Seifer it's me, Kait."

"Who's phone are you on?"

"Just someone's, listen, you have to give my dads a message."

"Yeah, where can they pick you up. They're fucking shitting themselves looking for you."

"I know. But you have to tell them to stop."

"Why?"

Losing his patients, he replies through grit teeth. "Because I wanna stay with Mara - not to live, just to calm her down. I... I think she might give me back on her own, if I can talk her down."

Seifer's laugh came so suddenly it scared the kid. "Are you kidding me? You know Leonhart alone won't allow that shit. So where are you?"

"I don't know. I can't read any of the signs." He scratches a hand through his hair. "The writing is super foreign... I even heard some of the people talking in that strange language aunt Selphie swears in."

"Is there anyone around you can ask who speaks English?"

"Y-yeah, hold on." Looking up at the large man, he asks. "Mister, where are we?"

"Earth, can you speed it up?"

"He says earth."

"Dick. Ask him again."

"I'm not kidding, I need to know."

"We're in the ski resort restaurant, it's called Slope."

"Some place called Slope, do you know where that is. It's snowing here, too."

"Sounds like you're up North, probably Bika. I'll call Sel' and see if she knows."

"Where is everyone?" He moves away from the man who's reaching for his phone. "I tried calling and got nothing."

"They're out looking for you, as far as not picking up, they probably saw the number and figured it was no one. Lucky I picked up, eh, Little Squab?"

Inching away from the man, he replied with a deadpanned tone. "Yeah, lucky me. So, you'll really give them the message? And leave out the last part?"

"What last part?"

Rolling his eyes he says quickly, as the phone is being snatched from him. "The part where I am! She said we'll be going where second grampa lives! Hey!" He grumps over the fact that the phone was taken back.

"Bye, Seifer," said the man as he snapped his phone shut. "I'm sorry, kid, but I really have to be going."

Face still scrunched, Kait's voice came out tight and pinched. "I understand." He shrank in on himself when the man reached out to pat his head. He hates that from strangers. "I shouldn't have been in the bathroom for this long" He's walking to the door. "anywa-..." He had to leap back out of the way of the door coming in at him.

Mara looked down at her son, a cock in her brow. "Our food came," She says in a strange tone.

"Oh. Okay. Sorry I took so long, it was a number two.. It was kinda big..." He blushed.

Blushing as well, she waved her hand before her face. She was either smelling what the man from before had done or an imaganary poop scent. The best way to remove suspicion of being a child guilty of something is to be disgusting. Its etched into every kid's mental hardware. He gave the man a nod of, thank you, before following Mara across the dining room of the large restaurant.

"Your chowder looks very delicious," she says, and took her seat. "mind if I steal a spoonful?"

"No. Go ahead."

"You can have some of mine, if you'd like."

Looking over her plate of sautéed brussel sprouts, mashed potatoes that smell like garlic, with rich chicken gravy poured over it, and a very nice slab of oven roasted, herbed chicken on the side. Reaching his spoon out, he nabs a sprout and pops it into his mouth in hopes that it would fill his vegetable quota. "You can cut me a piece of chicken, please. I don't think my spoon can do it."

Slicing into the chicken with her knife, she rest the slab right down atop the contents of his bowl of chowder. The young boy smiled watching the chicken sink into the thick stew. While taking her spoonful of the chowder, Mara wondered what was so appealing about a sinking hunk of chicken but chalked it up to the mysteries of being a child.

This is amazing. It really is. She's sitting in a restaurant having a nice meal with her son; he's not trying to run away; they went belly flopping down a hill! Maybe... maybe Miles is beginning to like her; to understand that she's a mother missing her son. A mother who believed him dead, like her late husband, now has a second chance. They can be a family. The can return to her home town and live on the small ranch together...

Miles will eventually forget about those two men, and all the other delinquents around him.

#

Seifer phoned Selphie. She's a Northern girl, she would know where Kait is. He's only been as far as the mountains around Trabia Plains, and that was for the rebuilding project too many fucking years ago. It took her a moment to answer the phone, but when she did the girl's voice was dead to the world exhausted.

"Hey, Seifer, you holding up?"

"Now that Dinky has come home to care for the wounded, yes." He smiled hearing her huff of laughter. "Listen, Messanger Girl, I need to know if you've heard of this place... Slope, I think it was?" He tried to sound very casual.

The kid may be a squirt, but he can respect his choice to remain with Mara until she's willing to give him back on her own. Plus, running around like a Zell with his head cut off - he smiled at the chicken joke even to himself - is getting them all nowhere.

"Slope? Yeah, that's in Pockette - that's a ski resort. The place is ooh la la... Why do you wanna know that?"

"One of my idiot cadets called, saying he and another idiot would be out there over break. Asked dear old Commander if he could come."

"Oooh, well aren't you popular." She chuckled. "Gotta say, not even my Mittens would ask me away with them."

"Just one of the perks of being amazing."

"Mhm. Have you heard anything about Kait? I know you're manning the home phones, what with that busted limb."

Looking at said limb, Seifer looked around the living room wondering where his manservant had run off to other than the store? How fucking long does it take to get a can of soup, anyway? And wasn't Seifer milking his pain since Zell's come back. He's had the chicken-haired fighter rushing here and there getting things for him. Not to mention with his new Esper Phantom, he can disappear and reappear on command.

He really flipped-out the nurses at the hospital with that one. He kind of missed their shrill screams when he was gone one minute and there the next. Priceless, Dinky, however, would just get annoyed. He even tossed water on him because he knew he was still stationery.

"Actually..." And he let the suspense drag.

"Actually, what? Did someone see him?"

"No. Actually, Kait called himself."

"He did! When? Why didn't you say anything to anyone?"

Putting on a high and mocking tone of agasp, that Selphie could raise her voice in anger that way. "Yes! A minute before I called you!" Returning his tone to its normal inflection, he sighed. "And because he left a very specific message for his dear old daddies."

Selphie was quiet before asking. "What was the message?"

"It was to not look for him... Kid doesn't want them freaking her paranoid-ass out anymore than they already have." He glanced up when seeing Zell walk through the door with a plastic bag swinging from his grip. "He thinks he can make her see reason, and just give him back."

"Ha!" Scoffed the, not-at-the-moment, plucky girl from her end. "I've never met her, but I'll bet she's not the type to see reason."

"Are you? Listen to yourself, you won't even give it a chance" He signals Zell over so he can scrutinize the contents of the bag.

Rolling his eyes, the short blond sauntered over to the couch dropping the bag on Seifer's lap, taking a bit of pleasure in his disgruntled look when a heavy can of soup nearly landed on his hidden meat. Flopping down beside him, he cocks his head to listen in to his love and Selphie's conversation.

"What's happening?" He asks.

"Sssh!" Seifer shoved his head away. "Sel', Kait knows what he's doing... he's been with her for a while now. Maybe he has been making progress; and if he decides not to come back-" He moved the phone away when Selphie loudly shouts.

"He will come back!"

"Unfortunately, its Kait's call..." Seifer lowered his tone, and an expression crossed his indifferent features that made it seem as if truly he didn't wanna say the next part. But sucking it up, he says swiftly. "I don't like it anymore than you do; I've grown fond of the little twerp... But like I said, it's his call."

Inserting himself into the conversation, Zell shakes Seifer's shoulder. "What? Tell me... Did you hear from Mara with like.. a ransom, or something?"

Rolling his green eyes to the ceiling, he shoves the bag back into Zell's arms then gives him a push towards the kitchen. "I'll tell you in a minute." He says to Zell. "Make my soup."

"Seifer... you know I have to tell them, right?"

"I know."

"Good. Now you have to tell me everything that he said to you." Does she ever sound sad, but sobered. "If I'm gonna call off the big dogs, it has to be clear."

"He said: Don't come for me, I wanna stay with Mara - not to live, just to calm her down until she's ready to give me back on her own. Don't come here, because we're not staying. We'll be going to where second grampa lives."

"Got it. ...Who's second grampa?"

"Don't know."

"Well... okay. I'll tell them the message. And thanks..."

"For what?"

"Y'know... telling me, and... not making a big thing over my wanting Kait to stay with us."

Smiling, Seifer closed his eyes thoughtfully before saying. "What can I say... to some girls, I'm unusually nice."

"Tch. You're not nice to Quistis."

"I said girls, not haggared old witches with discipline complexes."

Chuckling, Selphie let out a faint sigh. "Thanks again. Bye."

"Yeah."

Hanging up, he looks through the small living room into the open kitchen where Zell is giving him a very vengeful stink-eye, while stirring his lover's pot of soup. Seifer can't help but smirk at how easily the little blond was to work up - even when he hasn't really done anything!

"Zell," He began but got cut off.

"Ohhh, look who finally remembered I'm a person, not a butler... Oh wait - well, butlers are people too, but... damn it, you know what I mean!" He stamps his foot on the white tiled floor, chest puffed out with dominance. "So what was it?"

"Kait called me, he couldn't get anyone else from the search party" And he spoke with exhausted 'I've already been over this'. "he wants to stay with Mara until he can convince her to give him back to Lioness and the cowboy."

"As if that's gonna happen! Squall's gonna freak! Do you know where they are?"

Seeing as Zell was second in command, possibly first, on the information-super-highway, Seifer only shrugged. "No. Just that he was heading to his second grampa's town."

"Huh?" Zell scoffed thoughtfully. Turning the stove off, Zell lifts the pot from the stovetop and tips it over a large black bowl. "Soup's ready."

Raising a brow, Seifer huffs. "Well, I can't get up to get it myself."

Zell thought about dumping it over into the sink, or leaving it on the counter top to get cold. Seifer was such a pain these past few days... but, looking at the taller blond on the bed... that little touch of sadness in his otherwise sinister eyes. He slumped his shoulders and gave in. Walking the bowl into the bedroom, he hands it to Seifer then plops down beside him.

"Thank you."

However roll-of-the-eyes it came out, it was still nice to hear. And Zell really was a little down that his lover/antagonist broke his leg. "I'm kind of glad, y'know..." He rests his weight to the back of the bed, head tilted so his neck is against the top of the cushy Heather grey uprise.

"About?" He sips his soup from the spoon.

Oh dear Hyne, this Seifmare is only getting worse. Listening to his lover slurp away, Zell wondered if he could get away with feeding him to quiet down the male's purposeful noise. Although, Seifer once said that watching him eat hot dogs made him sick to his stomach; so he guessed they both had annoying eating habits to take care of.

"About Kait wanting to stay with Mara," He answered after that moment of pause. "I have a mother... Ma's really great. If it were me in his situation, I'd wanna give her a chance to get to know me. Wouldn't we all, if our blood parents were still alive out there?"

"Mmm. I'm too old to give a rat's-ass about parents..." Seifer said thoughtfully. Slurp.

Scrunching his brow, Zell calmed his nerves. "But if you weren't... Wouldn't you wanna be around them? We must have all dreamt of that day when we were growing up at the orphanage."

"Hn." Slurp. "I dreamt about being older, being rich, being a soldier at war then a war hero. Never about dear old mom and dad coming to my rescue."

"Well, I did." Frowning, he cocks his head at his lover. "My mom would have blonde hair, like mine. My dad... he'd be a red head - one of those high-rez' kinds, that are really orange... I'd have his eyes."

With a worried sigh, Seifer looks Zell in the eyes and says softly. "You're more weird than I give you credit for."

Snickering, he says "Shut up." while popping Seifer lightly in the gut. "We've all thought about it anyway. I think giving that woman time with him..." He trailed off as if thinking about what it would mean to himself if such a gesture were offered. "It's really sweet. Probably the best thing any kid can offer."

"But, that being said... Squall and Irvine - hell, all of us - are in some way connected to that kid." Seifer retorts, slicing a nice cut through Zell's thought bubble. "We were there sometimes while he was raising him, when Kinneas was missing. He's gonna be just as worse for wear when it comes to the bad news. He'll hunt them down."

"Not if he doesn't know where they are."

"Yeah, but I told Selphie where they'll end up; knowing the two of them they'll wait around for Kait and Mara, then snag the kid on sight."

They sat in silence, broken by the sound of the spoon shifting due to Seifer's slight movement.

"...I'd miss him. For all the little brat that he is," Seifer huffed out a disbelieving laugh. "I'd fucking miss him." Smiling, he shifts his emptied bowl to Zell; who leaned over to place it onto the coffee table. "Kid wasn't even an inch high, and he used to challange me to battles. What a twerp."

Smiling fondly, Zell nods. "Yeah, I used to tell him to aim for your crotch."

"Asshole." He smacks Zell up the side of his head.

The two sit in an uncomfortable silence; Zell was the first to break it this time by getting up from the bed. "I'm gonna take a shower; try not to die before I get out."

Seifer snickered at the comment. He told Zell that he would rather die than be forced to move about with crutches like some cripple. Listening to the water rushing in the background, he wondered if Selphie had called the brooding couple yet? He'd no doubt hear it for not patching Squall through the minute the call came. Part of him, honestly, hoped that Zell wasn't right about returning to his blood parents. He honestly would miss Kait if he stayed away.

...

Angelo raised his head after twenty-six minutes of searching by sniffing around area, his large dark eyes zero in on the tunnels leading from Timber station to two other locations.

Roof! Roof!

Kneeling, Rinoa touches her hand to the dogs soft fury head. "What is it, Angelo?"

Roof! Rrroof!

Looking up ahead, she sees that he's focused on the tunnel for train F to Trabia station. Straightening up, she hurries after the fleeing dog; pulling out a penlight when they hit the darkness of the tunnel, she panned the light along the path to keep herself and her fury conpanion from falling onto the tracks.

This tunnel is a good few miles long; whatever the dog smelled could either be close by or far away, and the breeze is wafting its scent into the dog's sensative nose. Angelo was running for a while before finally, he stopped somewhere in the center of the tunnel.

Playing the beam around the small area, Rinoa checked left and right. Now and then she'd pause when hearing a train coming. Angelo stopped then began barking. Rinoa spots something shining in the yellow light.

"What's this?" Stooping down, she lifts the little piece of metal from the ground and her breath catches. "This is Kait's necklace, the cat's eye he wears beneath his shirt. They've been through here!"

Rinoa was out of the tunnel and on the phone as quickly as she could get service, this was the first lead they had within the week that the boy had gone missing and whereas it was small, its big in the grand scheme of things. It means that they went through the tunnel, undoubtedly traveling by motorcycle. She's seen Seifer do it, and had even gone through one with him to the next town once during an emergancy.

"Squall, I've found something!" She called through the phone, panic and relief hard in her words. "It's Kait's necklace... It was in the tunnel from Timber to Trabia. She must have gone through it. Kait found a way to drop the necklace without her knowing it."

"Trabia?" Squall replied.

"Mhm. ...What's with the voice? I thought you'd be a little more excited then that?" Her large brown eyes flicker to where Angelo is nudging her hand. "You sound like you're gonna take someone's head off."

"I am. But I'm feeling a little better now; you just gave us another lead."

"Another lead?" Rinoa cocked a brow. "What was the first?"

"Selphie called four minutes ago to give us a message... Kait doesn't want us looking for him."

Shaking her head, completely taken aback, she asked. "How does she know?"

"Kait used someone's cell and called Seifer. He didn't tell him where he is right now, just that he and Mara will be headed for Galbadian Plains at some point."

"What does that mean?" Rinoa was a little nervous to have asked.

If Squall thinks he's pinpointed the runaways, he'll go after them at full force. They can't have that; the goal was to get Kait back, not get arrested while scaring the living crap out of a citizen, who is actually the child's mother. The police already said they weren't going to help out much, because Kait should be in safe hands with his mother.

She hated to ask but had to ask. "Do we stop looking?"

"I thought about that as an option for the time being, but we'll be going to Roden' to wait out their arrival after maybe 3 days." Squall sounded tired as hell, but fully alert somewhere in the back of it. "But you said the necklace was in the F station line?"

"Uh huh."

"We're getting in Ragnarok, we'll flying over to get you."

In Pokette at Slope.

Kait and Mara finished their meal and moved over to a small room where Kait spied something that looked like a video game. Except it was huge. It looked like a colorful oversized TV, with a screen that plays games placed top center. He'd asked to play, and his mother said it was fine. She handed him a couple of quarters.

Mystified by the sudden offer of money; his gaze went to a slot she pointed out. He pushed the money in, and the game booted up. He wasn't tall enough to hold the ball stick or press the buttons, so his mother got him a chair to stand on. It's a game with a fat yellow man munching on little yellow balls and fruit.

Kait played for a moment getting all the way to level 4 without being eaten by the ghost who roam the mazes. He even offered Mara to do the fifth level, but she passed. Video games were not her thing.

"This is fun, isn't it? Hanging out together... You like me, don't you Kait?"

"Yeah, you're really nice."

A small smile spread across her face. She seemed to physically just drop something from her shoulders, as if a ghost had been playing piggyback all day and it finally called it quits. It was important. It was important that he likes her. It would seem that now she was finally doing everything right; the entire time they've been together he's cried maybe once, but she doesn't think that she was supposed to know that, since he was weeping into his pillow and the only proof were the wet patches seen when woke him in the morning.

Wrapping an arm around his shoulders, she plants a kiss against his swath of brown waves. He turned his head offering her a smile, then went back to his game.

Everything was going real nice at the moment, but then it turned a little sour when the man with the red scarf came up to him to say that his wife wanted to stay a bit longer for a massage. If Kait wanted to use his phone again, he could.

It was as if the air were electrically charged just then. Kait was physically holding his breath at what might happen and what his mother, who only a second ago believed that things were going great until this loud mouth came along and ruined everything, was going to do.

"How long ago did you make the phonecall, Miles?" She asked in a low tone.

Swallowing, he lowered his gaze to the stool he's seated on. "Twenty three minutes ago."

"We're leaving." She snatched him up by his bicep at the highpoint near his armpit, so that he would have no leeway to tug free. "I can not believe you..." She was seething.

Even Kait, who's never had the mother's tone come down on him before, knew that he was in hot water. He'd gotten that tone from his father maybe twice his whole life: when he'd seen Irvine and finally told him about it during bath time, and when he didn't tell them about Mara... But his fathers would never hit him. It felt that Mara would.

He wondered if he'd cry? He didn't think so, but he wasn't sure how he'd react to the sudden shock of a spanking. The utter disbelief alone would bring tears somewhere and at some point.

Even the man who'd unintentionally ratted him out looked worried about the poor lad, as he was carted away, literally floating off the ground by the sheer difference in strength; even for eight years old he hadn't gotten any muscle mass to make him the solid rock of misbehaving-strength that children could acquire when being carted off by their parents from the park, or someplace they shouldn't have been.

He'd thought about calling for help now. If he could bet on Seifer upholding his word to him, his family and friends might show up to rescue him if he could stall long enough. Or did he really want that? He was sure of it, but he still... He still wanted to give Mara time with him. She would only end up doing this all over again whenever opportunity struck.

So when a guy that he recognized as one of Seifer's cadets raised his ski goggles from his face to get a better look at him, he didn't scream or call out his name - if he knew it. He maybe once heard Seifer call him 'Burn', but that's not a name. The male cocked his head, pointed and then said something to a girl beside him, who's holding a pair of pink skiis over her shoulder. She nodded and the two started over, but a rapid shaking of Kait's head gave them pause. Burn said something to the girl, and again they edged forward.

That was when Kait took charge of his own carting-off and just ran, dragging Mara along with him.

"We have to hurry!" He sprinted on. "Those guys know me."

Stunned by those words, she picked up her pace. "You... you mean you wanna stay with me?"

"Uh-huh. But I can't if those guys catch us. So come on!"

He didn't add the part where he would stay with her only for a little while. She had to know it already. Deep down, somewhere, she had to know. Kait could feel a spell shifting the air around them. They wouldn't actually use magic on them, would they? An odd sound reveberated through the air. It sounded sort of like someone cracking a glow stick to life; before he knew what was coming, a fireball slammed into an iron light pole beside Mara's last step. The woman shrieked and covered her head in-case something fell.

"Just keep running!" Kait commanded, and lagged so that he was behind her; they wouldn't take any wild shots like that if he blocked their target. Although, this is Seifer's team he's dealing with. 'What are they doing here anyway? Shouldn't they be on missions or something?'

After thinking this, he recalled the man in the bathroom saying it was a ski resort. That would explain the equipment and long slope beside the village, and that large building way in the back. That must be the lodge. Thankfully the shot of magic caused a panicked uproar; concerned parents swarmed to discipline the pair, and others simply closed in to talk to one another about what they think the commotion is about.

The pole suffered the worst of it, having melted slightly before freezing right back into its solid form, no good to anyone to light an area, but maybe it could be looked at as some lopsided, funky art. The pair got out of town and hurried through the snow. It wouldn't take long to get to the cabin, but they were both fatigued from running through the village. Mara tugged him away to the side so they could hide amongst the thickening trees to catch their breaths.

Panting, Kait looked at his mother with despair in his big blue eyes. "I...I'm sorry."

She smacked him clean across his face. Getting up, Mara grabs Kait around the arm tugging him along again to their cabin. They had to pack and leave. Now! Once the door flew open, the wooden rooms were merely a blur as they grabbed only the motorcycles keys, a box of oatmeal bars, and some packettes of tea to brew up on a hotplate in the small camper attached to the back of the motorcycle.

This was exactly the thing she wanted to avoid. Exactly the thing that reminded her of that day...

She'd been asleep. And dammit Miles just woke her up, crying and screaming at Hyne knew what. But Martin was running wasn't he? He'd been running when she woke up, and she took notice of how she'd been standing as if she too was going to run someplace. Something was chasing them. He with Miles in a duffle, and she with a knife in her hand. Could she protect her family if the lerking thing in the darkness caught up to them? Martin seemed to think so, since he'd just vanised on up ahead.

"Come back here!" She heard her own voice scream. Was she... chasing them? No... Why would she? They were all being chased by a monster or something. Roshfall forest is full of monsters! It could have been any one of them!

She even remembers catching up to her husband; Miles was nowhere in sight when she approached him. ...He held his arms out to her, to hold her, to comfort her. Then she...

Mara held her head, feeling a headache coming on. "Let's go! Let's go!" Stuffing her son into the tiny camper built for two, she climbed onto her bike, started the engine, and drove for the tunnel.

"Squall?" Zell hurried up the ramport to where Squall had vanished a moment ago.

They have only to get Rinoa, before they could head off. Selphie got in first so she could go with Quistis to Rodenite. It was slim that the two would be there, but they couldn't rule anything out. Squall is going to Pockette, because he wants the end result now. The first blood of a fresh kill.

It was knowing this that made Zell emerge from his home to speak with the gunblader. "Hey man, wait up!"

"I thought that you were staying behind with Seifer?" He said over his shoulder.

The engines flared from Irvine giving them a jump start.

"I am, but, I wanna talk to you about what you're doing."

"Zell, I don't wanna hear it."

"I know you don't wanna hear it, but you've got to - Squall," He tugged him by the shoulder so that he would stop walking the hall and turn around to face him. "Its Kait's decision." And he said this slowly, as if dealing with a very dumb person. "He wants to stay with Mara; didn't Selphie tell you that part?"

"She replayed the entire message for me, word for word. She's efficiant that way. So?"

"So... can't you respect his wishes? Kait said he wasn't going to live with her." He blinked, shrinking back for a milisecond before puffing up his chest, stamping his foot down on the ground and holding his position. Squall can't intimidate him. They're the same age for crying out loud! "Squall, if you love your son-"

"Don't say that, Zell. Don't you ever fucking say that... of course I love him; why do you think I'm going out to get him?"

"But that's just it!"

When Squall turned around to go to the cockpit and completely shut him out, Zell swiped his hand over his brow, relieved that a punch to the face didn't follow Squall's angry tirade. Following after him, he grabs his arm. "Squall, Kait thinks that he can calm Mara down. Make her see the light about how he's been raised, and the two of you as his father..." He let that sit. "If you go in there gunblade fucking blazing, how do you think that's gonna look? The police already don't wanna help us for that reason alone. She's his mother, and gave no consent to his ever being put up for adoption... You look like good guys for taking the kid in and raising him this far, but they won't see it that way forever. You're gonna mess it all up by doing what you're planning on doing."

Squall seemed to be thinking that over, his cool-blue grey eyes thoughtfully blink as he runs over the words Zell just spat out at him.

"Even Kait seems to know that; which is why he wants to talk her down. It may take two weeks, it may take eight months... But if he believes that it can be done" He felt his shoulders sink when Squall looked past him. "then dammit, let him do it. At least love him enough to try."

"We're leaving." Said the gunblader.

Zell's hopes sank a little lower. "Dammit!" He kicked the air space. "He contacted you once before... He can do it again. He will always let you know if anything happens..." He's cut off at that sentence.

"I won't give her time to have anything happen. We're leaving." He reinforced heading to the cockpit.

He departs the aircraft. Watching the ship lift from the ground, Zell let despair wash over his face as he left the plains and returned home. He was groaning in agitation as he walked through the door, moreso when he spotted something peculiar on the living room floor. It looked like a broken statue, but that can't be. Their apartment is a batcherlors surroundings, there is no 'feminine touch' going on. When he got closer to inspect it, he balled his fist in anger and grit his teeth to silence his swears. On the coffee table was a note for him. It said:

Dinky, I ordered an Elixir online and woo hoo, I'm cured! Anyway, I'm heading off to get the brat - and for once, I don't mean Kait. You stay put, love Seifer.

Damn it.