Author's Note: Hey everyone, I'm back! I'm so sorry I haven't updated in so long... It's just I had major writers' block... and to top it all off, my wrist has been acting up. Anyway I want to thank my recent reviewers: thank you to puppypower01, Deserted Child, WhiteStarburst, Yazoo IS Superior, laiastar, bebe123456, Sunset Dreams, and Freedom Rionach. Cheers to you all! Without your kind words, I probably wouldn't have bothered to put this up today. Thank you.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN:
"Kitty! Kitty! Oh my god!" Tifa stopped short, her eyes wide.
Kadaj was still kneeling, holding Kitty tight to his chest. His hair cascading down with the bow of his head, he looked up at Tifa.
"Don't come any closer," he threatened.
Tifa shook her head slowly, "What did you do to her— oh my god! What happened?!" her hand flew to her mouth. All she could see was the blood streaming down Kitty's face. She couldn't think of anything else but the worst. She didn't take one step forward. She was afraid Kadaj might kill Kitty. But she didn't even know Kadaj…
"Back away," Kadaj's voice was becoming even more perilous.
"No."
Kadaj whipped his head around only to find Cloud standing there; buster sword drawn. "Wake up, Mother! Wake up!" he whispered urgently to the small girl in his arms, as he watched Cloud.
Kitty didn't even stir. Her hands subconsciously clasped onto Kadaj's leather, and held onto him fast.
Don't leave me…
"Let go of her," Cloud clutched tightly to his sword. How Kadaj had managed to come back to life, Cloud couldn't fathom him kneeling there, alive.
It's not possible…
"Don't cower behind her," Cloud spat, "fight me, and we'll settle this."
Kadaj's free hand went to his Souba's hilt.
"No. We're here, little brother. Just keep Mother stable— we'll take care of Big Brother."
Kadaj hugged kitty closer now with both arms. "No," he reciprocated with a slow deviant smile.
Cloud's brows furrowed, but before he could do anything there was a cry of alarm from Tifa. Without warning Cloud was knocked unconscious. As he crumpled to the ground, both Yazoo and Loz appeared from the shadows.
Now Tifa began to back away, "You…," her eyes were trained upon Loz.
Loz smirked at her.
"Mother…?" Yazoo walked over to Kadaj, and kneeled down next to him. His eyes didn't even widen as he gazed down at the trail of blood running down Kitty's face. "She needs to be cleaned up, and re-stitched."
Kadaj nodded absentmindedly. The periphery of his vision caught Loz walking towards the raven-haired woman, yet he couldn't have cared less. "You know what she said before conking out like this, brother?" he raised his head a fraction towards Yazoo.
"No. What did she say?" Yazoo tilted his head in curiosity.
Kadaj looked down at Kitty, and brushed away a stray strand of hair. "She said: 'Don't leave me sir… Don't let him get me…"
Yazoo stood up, and looked all around into the darkness. "Who? Don't let who get to her?"
"She didn't say," Kadaj murmured.
Far away, in the enigmatic world of Kitty's dreams, she faced a nightmare.
He was just standing there…
"Kadaj…?" she ventured a step forward, and laid a hand upon his shoulder. "I'm scared," she whispered to him. "I don't know what else I'm supposed to do… this necklace— what type of power does it hold within?"
Silence. Kadaj was tense under her touch.
"You told me that—"
Kadaj whipped around and lunged at her. From Kadaj's back there grew wings, and from the starry blue color of Kadaj's eyes there grew a misty cloud of crimson. He took a hold of her throat— their bodies a tangle of limbs— and he strangled her.
"Kadaj…," she gasped. She was crying, and trying to push his hands from her throat. They wouldn't budge, "Please…!" tears were choking her.
He was rising up into the air, now. He whipped around and made to slam her into the wall, yet she went right through it— him following in pursuit.
They were suddenly a jumble of tumbling bodies. When they finally rolled to a stop, at the bottom of a hill, Kadaj was on top of her. His glinting silver hair tickled her cheeks, she giggled slightly and gazed up into his eyes. They weren't red, and he no longer was burdened with heavy black wings. He returned her smile.
With a quick mischievous glance sideways, she saw that they were laying in a field of Aerith's elegant white and yellow flowers. Her mother's flowers…
She glanced back up at Kadaj. He seemed breathless somehow, her own breath hitched. He leaned down, slowly, teasing her… and captured her lips with his own. He took the lead, and began to ease her into it. His tongue played gingerly upon her lower lip. She didn't know what he wanted, until his tongue pressed firmly up against the line in between her lips.
She shifted beneath him; she could feel all of him pressed up against her. She could feel the movement of his taut muscles, and the shapes that he traced lucidly upon her back. She parted her lips for him.
And the ground opened up underneath her, sending them spiraling down.
"Don't let go!" she cried, "Please…," his hands were slipping from hers. They were spinning together— from his back grew those dreadful black wings… and yet they were helpless; weak.
"Kadaj!" she screamed out in agony.
His hands slipped from hers
And they were tumbling; two beings through an ethereal sky of a glowing mélange of color.
Kitty awoke with a start, only to find herself staring into Kadaj's piercing eyes. She cried out in alarm.
Kadaj immediately stifled her yelp with one of his pale hands. He was kneeling down above her. "Shhhh…," he smiled with childish delight, "we've got you Mother."
Kitty glanced around, while slowly prying his fingers away from her mouth. She was on a pallet laid out next to three sleeping bags on the floor of a small vacant room. Two windows, to the right, were the only source of bright light the room contained. She gave the room another cursory glance, and was still not satisfied. There was raw fear in her heart. Fear of this all being an illusion cast by that bald man.
"A-am I dreaming?" she glanced back up at Kadaj. She'd had many dreams in which she'd awake, and yet she was only dreaming. Perhaps this wasn't an illusion after all.
Kadaj was dead, along with his brothers.
She watched as the expression on Kadaj's face became a mar of thought. Pain tugged at her heart. She wished this was for real. Suddenly he spoke, "Can you feel this, Mother?" he reached out and pinched Kitty's arm— hard.
"Oww!" she cried. She tried to pull away, but he wouldn't let go.
"Can you feel this?" he repeated himself.
"Yes...!" she gasped.
Satisfied, Kadaj let go. "Well then, Mother, you aren't dreaming."
Kitty stared at him for a long moment. Unmoving. Unseeing. She couldn't process what she'd just heard…
As soon as Loz and Yazoo walked in through the open doorway to the left— her heart skipped a beat in joy. Her face lit up like a flame, and she darted off the bed and threw her arms around Kadaj.
He stumbled a bit out of surprise, and held his arms out above her head.
"You're alive! You're alive!" she cried out.
When Kadaj pushed her away gently, he saw that she was crying. Human weakness; he felt disgusted. But he eschewed this strong feeling to the side, and gave her a small sincere smile. "Yes. We're alive, Mother," he brushed another stray strand of dark hair out of her face without even thinking. Her ponytail was coming undone.
Kitty blushed at this simple act of affection and averted her gaze.
"Hey…," Loz whined, "don't I get a hug?"
Kitty quickly turned away from Kadaj— but he had already seen her cheeks flush with crimson. Something tugged at his heart. It was a foreign pull of excitement.
"She's beautiful isn't she…?" Yazoo's voice broke interloped Kadaj's mind. Kadaj locked gazes with Yazoo, as Kitty gave Loz a huge hug. She was so small compared to his bulky physique.
Kadaj's eyes narrowed. "What are you talking about, dearest brother?"
Yazoo merely smirked, "I felt that a few minutes ago. Remember that I have the ability to sense your feelings, dear brother." He looked down at his nails in nonchalance, "But don't worry, I just love her as a Mother— even a younger sister most of the time."
Kadaj felt like lunging at Yazoo in that moment. How could Yazoo even suggest such a thing? But he gritted his teeth, clenched his fists, and turned his back upon them.
Kitty pulled away from Loz with some difficulty, and turned to Yazoo, who was staring at her with thought.
"I don't understand," she frowned, "how'd you guys get away from those creatures back there? I thought they'd… killed you."
Kadaj turned back to face her, "We didn't… they just suddenly left," he watched her face take on a pale sheen. "What?" he frowned, "What is it?"
Kitty began to back away, but bumped into Yazoo who deliberately placed himself in front of her. "Mother, I think it's time for you to tell us who is after you."
"I… I…," she looked from one brother to the other, "I don't know! Seriously!" they still didn't know that she wasn't from this world. They still didn't know that some bald man had just about raped her. The latter, she wanted to keep to herself.
"Mother, are you lying to us?" Kadaj walked forward— something lurched inside of her, as she gazed at him. He was gorgeous beyond measure— he gripped her by her chin. He made her look him in the eye.
Kitty began to struggle. There was something dark coming, something far away… yet something coming swiftly. Her eyes widened at this sixth sense. There was something else too— something even closer.
"Let go of me…," she ripped her chin from his hand, avoiding his gaze, and twisted into a run. But both Yazoo and Loz got in her way, and hindered her from reaching the door. "Please…," she looked to Loz. His expression visibly softened, she looked to Yazoo who was intensely observing her; not even a soft gleam shone in Yazoo's eyes. "Please— I… I think those creatures are following my scent— and if so, I need to get back to Seventh Heaven."
"No."
Kitty spun around and glared up at Kadaj, "Do you have any idea who lives there?"
"Children, right?"
Kitty's eyes widened. She had no idea that Kadaj was so heartless. She assumed that she hadn't been around him for so long, to notice this. Was he only kind to her because he thought she was his Mother? What would he do once they figured she wasn't their Mother?
"Yes. Children live there," her eyes were welling up with fresh tears. "Do you guys really not care?"
"Mother…," Loz whined pitifully from behind Kitty.
"What makes me your Mother, anyway? Are you guys really so desperately lonely?" she felt trapped.
Kadaj looked furious.
With a flash of movement, Kitty suddenly found herself on the floor. She was gazing up at an enraged Kadaj being held back by Loz.
"Let me go!" Kadaj shouted at Loz, "she deserves to be punished."
Yazoo set forth, "Stop it!" he shouted. Kitty couldn't believe Yazoo's sudden change of character. She slowly got up.
"Shit! Look at us!" Yazoo grabbed Souba from Kadaj's hand. "And all of this over what Mother has just said— so what if Mother's a weakling? You guys and her are all I have, so stop it!"
Kitty stifled a sob, and starting backing away.
Loz pushed Kadaj in the chest, and Kadaj barely even registered it. He was staring in surprise at Yazoo.
Once Kitty was out the door she turned and began to run. I'm so sorry Kadaj… Loz… Yazoo… I'll return to you as soon as I can. Please don't come after me… She ran for a long time: down hallways, staircases, and wings.
As Kitty was going down the last flight of stairs, she heard something.
"Mother?!" there came a lost cry from down the hallways.
Kitty stumbled going down a flight of stairs, and fell. Hitting the bottom, Kitty unfurled from her protective ball, and moaned. She let out another sob, and immediately stifled it.
"Mother…?" it was Loz's deep voice. Kitty wanted to call up to him tell him that she was there— but she just couldn't. She needed to do this.
Kitty closed her eyes in pain.
You're the evidence that I lived…
Kitty gasped, her eyes opened.
"Kid… you called for me?"
There stood Zack, as handsome as ever. When she embraced him, all questions that she had ever wanted to ask him disappeared. She was so glad he was solid… she was so happy and grateful he was there. She held him in a vice grip of a hug.
"Please, Zack, I need to get to Seventh Heaven— and quickly," she whispered into his clothes.
Zack stroked her long hair, "Of course, kid."
"Marlene! Marlene!" Denzel comes running down Seventh Heaven's front path towards a small girl in a pink dress. "What's wrong?" he grabbed a hold of her wrists, "Tifa was looking everywhere for you!"
Marlene began to cry, "I couldn't find her— I tried— but I couldn't find Kitty. I… I wanted to give this to her before she left…," Marlene held out her hands. Flowing gently against her palms was a soft melon, pink ribbon.
"But that's yours, Marlene," Denzel squeezed her shoulders, "Remember, Aerith gave that to you."
From somewhere inside of Seventh Heaven there was a shout, "Denzel! Where are you?!"
It was Tifa.
"I've found Marlene!" Denzel called back.
"No, Denzel…," Marlene gave him a scowl when he turned back to face her.
"So it's true? Aerith's daughter has been taken captive by the come-back-to-life- Sephiroth remnants…?" Yuffie let out an uproar of laughter. "Okay Cloud, I'll play along, what do you need of me?"
Cloud's lips were set in a firm line as he gazed upon Yuffie. She was leaning up against a wall in the foggy alleyway they were conversing in.
"I need your help in finding her. I need you to past this on to Vincent."
Yuffie rolled her eyes, "How are Vincent and I supposed to find her, when I don't even know what she looks like?"
"She looks a lot like Aerith…," Cloud replied in a blunt voice. He then turned his back on Yuffie, and walked away.
"Hey!" Yuffie called after him, "who's the girl's father?"
You've failed me once again, Jacca—
"No master," the bald man smiled up at the heavens. He was sitting upon his motorbike in the midst of the desert. Bizarre people with appalling physical mutations, were appearing from out of thin air all around him. They were all singing in low murmurs, singing a chant. "I have only just begun…"
A motorbike revved up outside— Kadaj raced to the window. There he saw Kitty clambering up behind a dark-haired man he'd never seen before. Tears, going unnoticed, trickled down his cheeks.
"Shit, Mother…," his hand slid down the window pane. "Not again— not again! Damn it! Damn it all— Yazoo pack up everything. We're going after her."
Yazoo came up next to Kadaj, and watched as the motorbike disappeared from view. "Have you been having these strange dreams lately?"
Kadaj's eyes widened. He turned to Yazoo who was staring out of the window still, indifferently.
"What about them?"
Yazoo turned his feline gaze upon Kadaj. "I think they're excerpts from our past."
Okay, I want to thank you guys for staying with me. I hope this chapter was to your liking:).