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Characters: Kadaj and whoever else!

Location: Death City Outskirts

Rating: PG

Time: Afternoon of March 14th

Description: Kadaj reflects on what he must do to get in Shibusen’s good graces again.

Several long and begrudging days had passed since he had been released from jail. Kadaj was doing his best to keep a low profile. Hiding underneath the Shibusen’s watchful gaze was tricky at best, but luckily the remnant’s innate skill and know-how had kept him alive so far. It was his devotion, determination, and hope to one day be reunited with Mother that kept him going—it kept him fighting.

The outskirts of Death City were miserably hot. The heat bore heavily down on him. Light skin and silver hair offered little protection, and the thick leather suit he wore clung to his body. He favored it to the inner city which was polluted with humans and their trash.

Kadaj bent down and scooped up a handful of hot sand. “Don’t worry, Mother.” He spoke aloud, as if she could hear him. “I won’t let them keep you away from me forever.” It occurred to Kadaj that his failed strategic attempts all had something in common. Only now, did he realize that he'd need to use different tactics to regain his rightful place by Mother’s side.

“I’ll ruin this planet first if I have to.” He crushed the sand within his fist. “Whatever it takes!” The sand leaked through his fingers until nothing remained.

He didn’t like this new idea. It wasn’t his style. But getting his way, was, and if it meant trying something he didn’t like to get results, then so be it!

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Here was a familiar figure. Familiar, but not the same as the one he'd spoken to previously. All trolls had dark hair and horns, after all, and the hair was the main similarity between this man and the other as well.

Gamzee didn't know why he was even interested. Perhaps he simply had nothing better to do then to watch someone yell out at nothing. There were worse forms of entertainment, he was sure.

The troll had found himself a unicycle, and sober as he was now he was having a far easier time keeping his balance on it. He did so now, making short pedaling movements forward and back again to keep himself in place.

"Humans are kinda all motherfuckin' weird about those families they got. Never quite understood it all, myself." He turns in a little circle now. "But you ain't a human are you, bro."

If there was anyone who had an inherent problem with worlds being destroyed, it was one shabby detective who was, not coincidentally, watching Kadaj from a short distance away. He imagined that the exchange before the assignment had gone something like...

There's a dangerous, destructive criminal who requires constant supervision and a clear upward trend in good intentions and deeds.

Who do we have with the Watch that has that kind of fixated, single-minded obsessive streak?

Wait. There's a guy.... but it's no dice if he isn't interested.

L was, as it happened, interested. He wasn't going to find another Light, he wasn't going to have that kind of tightly wound and desperate, exhilarating relationship with anyone else. But he missed having a long-term assignment that took his mind away from endless introversion. Staring into the abyss was dangerous for moody, volatile men, and focusing on the wreck of another man's life was preferable to seeing nothing but what might have been (or could never) in his own.

It was time to make himself known after that little statement about destroying the world.

"I wouldn't be heard talking like that, after your recent brush with discipline and disaster," he said in a slow, soft voice, announcing his presence to Kadaj. "Don't you want to convince them that you can be rehabilitated, rather than showing everyone within earshot just how hopeless that is? It's very foolish. You never know who might be listening."

As soon as Yazoo had got wind of his brother's release, he had naturally gone looking for him. However, due to Cloud and Sephiroth's interference, it had been some days after Kadaj had gotten out that he finally found the second most important person in his life.

He sneered and squinted in the unrelenting heat of the city limits as he walked toward the familiar figure. The heart of Shibusen reeked, true, but at least it didn't feel like standing at the heart of a sun - a normal sun, anyway. The bizarre creature here barely counted.

Remnants were naturally creatures of the dusk and the cold, not the brilliant sunshine and Death Valley extremes. Yazoo hoped they could move somewhere more shaded later, but this was Kadaj and if he willed it, his older brother would swim through blessed water and stand in holy fire. It didn't matter what his personal wishes were.

He didn't call out and run like Loz would have. He didn't need to. He only waited until they were close enough to touch, then stopped, feeling the first faint smile in a long time curl the corner of his lips. "Kadaj."

Lee had been on his daily laps around the city before his patrol shift when he happened across a man who seemed to be playing in the sand. It was not typical of the populace here, and Lee had to wonder if maybe he was suffering from some heat stroke. Not that it was incredibly hot this time of year, but it was incredibly dry.

Hopping on over, Lee broke out a small water bottle from the tool pouch he kept at his thigh and held it out with a smile. "Are you in need of some refreshment, sir?"

Expect the unexpected no matter what. These were lessons that Kadaj was quickly beginning to learn. To witness a troll on a unicycle, while humorously annoying, did not surprise him in the least. What did catch his attention was what the guest said.

The corners of Kadaj’s lips curled upwards. Truer words have never been spoken. “Not exactly.” He stated proudly. In fact, he was far from being human—both mentally and physically—at least back home. Slitted pupils forced eye contact with his newfound toy. The greyish skin gave him fond memories of Geostigma and the power it once held. Could this human be infected? No, Kadaj would have felt it then. There were also those horns that needed to be accounted for. “And neither are you.”

“You mean someone like you?” Kadaj retorted, back still turned. Head bent slightly forward, Kadaj contemplatively chuckled. “Are you Shibusen’s little watch dog?” He sneered. “The one who is supposed to keep an eye on me? You know, to make sure I don’t cause any trouble?” That was a laugh! Kadaj was born for trouble, literally. But he had not forgotten his new revelation so quickly. The teen shrugged, palms facing upward. “It’s nothing more than. . .” He paused, searching for the right words. “It’s nothing more than memories of the past.” This statement was, indeed, true. However, Kadaj knew as well as anyone that history had a nasty habit of repeating itself. Death City would not be any different.

“Brother,” Kadaj’s voice was smooth, articulate, confident—as if nothing bad had ever transpired at all. “It’s good to see you.” The remnant replied with a characteristic smile. “I see they let you live.” Of course they did. The Shibusen would have executed Kadaj long before getting rid of Yazoo. Still. . . Kadaj glanced off to the side and refocused on the empty horizon again. Too many times before had they taken away his family. Too many times had they left him with nothing but despair. Perhaps, then, it would not have been a surprise to find Yazoo gone or killed just to get back at Kadaj. An eye for an eye. A life for a life. So, it really was a relief to see his brother standing beside him.

“We have work to do.”

Thirst. It was a disease—just like mankind. It was a miserable way to live, Kadaj thought, if you could even call it living. Thirst, hunger, sleep, among other things--these were basic needs the remnant was now afflicted with. It went without saying that he was not happy about these current arrangements.

He snatched the water away from Lee without thanks. Unscrewing the cap, he brought the bottle to his dry lips. He suddenly stopped. Kadaj tipped the water bottle over and its contents splashed onto the hot desert sand. “Do you think I am that foolish?” He chuckled and raised a questioning eyebrow at Lee. “You’d think the Shibusen would know me better by now.”

It was, admittedly, a little bit surprising that Shibusen would offer up someone so physically unimpressive to keep a ruthless homicidal maniac under control. L appeared shorter than his height of 5'10" due to his perpetual slouch, and there was little substance to him; his thin body formed the shape of a question mark from head to ankle, curved and wiry and frail. He was not an attractive man; conversely, he was shabby and owlish, round European eyes set in a pale European face that was framed by dark, straight Asian hair.

Despite the scorching heat on the outskirts, he didn't seem to be perspiring.

"Call me what you want. I really don't care, one way or the other," he said quietly. "But your assignment wasn't one that most members were eager to consider. Your strikes against you don't make your prospects particularly hopeful, you see. Frankly, I'm bored, and that's the only reason I'm bothering with you, but if you don't want to be executed, you should probably see that you don't cause trouble." he smiled thoughtfully. "If you do cause trouble, there are already people at headquarters taking bets on whether or not you'll cry at your execution. It's entirely up to you, you understand... it's just my job to record, report, and reinforce good behavior."

Yazoo nodded. Speech was unnecessary.

Some small part of him breathed a little sigh of relief that Kadaj was neither scowling nor pacing, since both were signs that his younger brother was likely to blow up at the first thing to interrupt him. However, there was some news Yazoo hestiated to say, unknowning of the reaction.

He waited for the moment to draw out into silence, then said, "...I have infiltrated our brother's domicile."

That was certainly a familiar face. She remembered having quite a few heated conversations with this one, though.. she hadn't really seen him in a while. Whether he'd been sent back to his world, or to prison or other wise wasn't really what she was interested in, anyway, and more so what the hell he was doing muttering to himself in the Outer District. She'd gone out for a bit of a walk in the heat (something she'd found she quite enjoyed from the frozen homeland she'd left) and had stumbled on him by mistake, but still.

"You know, sitting out here and talking to yourself doesn't bode well for your mental state." To say the very least.

Lee tilted his head in confusion. "... You are foolish if you think wasting precious water is a good idea."

Lee shook his head, a disappointed pout twisting his lips. "That was my last water bottle. We will need to go get more!" The shinobi reached out to take Kadaj's arm. "Come! We shall go find new refreshments and you will no longer be stuck out in the heat!"

“Don’t lie,” Kadaj snapped testily. “The Shibusen think nothing of me.” It will be their biggest mistake—was what he was about to say before he thought better of it. Instead, he merely met L’s smile with a sly own of his own.

“You’re going to be severely disappointed.” Kadaj shook off the remaining sand from his hand. “You see, I plan to be the perfect citizen.” No lies there. He would help out where necessary in order to gain their trust. He would have to fight the internal conflict of disgust and hurt pride. It was not his favorite plan, but it was a plan, and it would hopefully bring him closer to his goal. As they say, keep your friends close but your enemies closer; and the Shibusen and Kadaj were going to be like conjoined twins.

“So,” he added, rather lazily, and waved a dismissive hand, “go home.”

“Good.” Kadaj was pleased. While in jail, he had been given time to think—to think about how he could develop new strategies—strategies that would help achieve their ultimate goal. “You and I both know that Sephiroth is now a traitor.” He turned to fully face Yazoo. His feline pupils were deeply dilated with delight. “But,” he grinned, “he still represents her power. In a way, she is still with us. Do you understand, brother?” Kadaj tilted his head slightly, curious, before side stepping past Yazoo and walking behind him.

“Sephiroth made the mistake of misusing Mother’s gift. It may be difficult, but it’s our duty to take control of that power again.” He paused for dramatic effect, “No. It’s our right. You see, it’s no different than before!” The teen chuckled and released a long sigh. “Shibusen is the new ShinRa. Sephiroth is the new president. However!” He held up a single finger and pointedly continued. “Sephiroth is nothing but a ticking time bomb just waiting to go off. It’s our job now to figure out what exactly makes him tick. Once we get that then everything else will fall into place.”

Despite being in the desert, water was a rather plentiful commodity around here. Besides, recent events had the remnant fairly weary of all water in general. Not that he was afraid! He was just cautious of what it might contain. That poisonous rain back home was the beginning of the end for him. He had everything under control until that point. Needless to say, even on the rare rainy day in Death City Kadaj preferred to stay inside.

Kadaj yanked his arm away. Just who did this guy think he was? Where did he get off ordering Kadaj around? “You,” he corrected in an irritable tone, “you need to get more water.” The remnant had nothing to do with this annoying guest, nor did he plan to.

Ah, he knew that voice! Kadaj recognized the look and sound of the newcomer. She had the potential to be useful, if he recalled correctly. “Finally,” he said with a satisfied grin. “You’ve realized you’re place.” Had she come here to fight him or to help him? Perhaps neither. Either way, the young remnant was an opportunist, and he planned to take advantage of every opportunity that presented itself.

He smirked at her comment. “I’m no more worse off than you are.” Kadaj made a sweeping gesture across the landscape. “Or anyone else here, for that matter. But you’d be a little angry too if Shibusen destroyed your family.”

"But you wasted mine!" Lee crossed his arm, not planning on giving up so easily. "You are also acting quite erratic! It is natural to think that the heat is not doing well for you, especially dressed in such heavy black garments!"

Whether they were really all that heavy in Kadaj's mind or not, compared to Lee's spandex they would have been like an oven! Perhaps if he waited it out, the sun would become too much and he could drag the man back into the inner city for treatment...

"You are not a very happy person, are you?"

The troll laughed. "Motherfuckin' obvious one there." He lifted up a hand to tap the side of one horn, not that they needed to be pointed out. "Nothin' here but troll."

He began pedaling backwards, going in slow circles. "Funny thing. You might not all be human, but I ran into another bro a whole bunch like you just recently. Real motherfuckin' similar." More similar than a lot of the humans looked to each other, as much as troll might joke that they all looked the same. Whatever that other man had been, this man was too. And it was a curious thing.

Teresa had been enjoying the freedom that the warm weather brought on the outskirts of town. She had been passing by when she had heard the muttering, and she sized up the child speaking with a glance. She thought that her partner had mentioned something about previous injuries on someone who matched his description. She couldn't say she'd run across him before, but his words were simply fascinating.

"That's rather tall talk," she chided playfully from where she stood a few meters away. "Do you even have the souls to back up such words? I don't believe I've seen you on the soul registry at all." Perhaps this one was just blowing off some steam?

"My place?" Ouch, sore spot. Re-l and her place were still very much at odds with one another in Romdeau, and in Death City, but that didn't mean she wanted to talk about it anymore than usual. Eyes narrow slightly, but she doesn't react otherwise, seeming to remember their past encounters and reminding herself of them within a few moments.

"Actually, I wouldn't care." Complete deadpan, at that. Her family hadn't been much of one, and the idea of them destroyed wasn't much different from when Romdeau fell. It was a little sad, but mostly she was happy to be free of it and its crushing weight on her shoulders. "They weren't all that important, anyway."

Back on Gaia, Kadaj’s home world, a troll could have easily passed as a monster. Monsters were the result of a tainted Lifestream –the energy source of the planet and all living things. Given that the remnant was a mixture of tainted Lifestream, Jenova cells, and Sephiroth’s willpower, Kadaj didn’t consider monsters to be all that bad. So, luckily for Gamzee, he would be starting out on the teen’s neutral side inside of his well-known bad side.

Someone who looked like Kadaj? “Hn. Was he with a little blond puppet or alone?” A misplaced rock caught the corner of his eye. He picked up and studied it briefly. “Not that it matters,” Kadaj said, “we’re all family.” Well, not quite. “Or we’re supposed to be,” he added sourly.

“No.” Strict. Firm. To the point. Kadaj knew what true happiness was. His brief experience of it had left a mark on him, an emotional longing to feel it again. He flexed his fingers before curling them into tight fists. All that built up frustration, anger, and disappointment was testing his self-control. It will be worth it, he reminded himself. Well worth it.

“Let me guess,” his tone was drenched with spit and sarcasm. “You’re happy to be here. To be fighting a war that isn’t yours to fight?” Kadaj turned to face Lee with a scowling frown. “You have friends and families here too, don’t you? And you’re just perfectly fine with being lied to--with being put on the front lines for such a worthless cause!” Stay calm, Kadaj.

He clenched his mouth shut so tightly that his jaw muscles twitched. The remnant broke eye contact and turned his back to Lee again. It was obvious, wasn’t it? “Of course I’m not.”

For evident reasons, Re-L reminded Kadaj of Yazoo. If Yazoo was a human female of no relation to Jenova, perhaps this was how he would turn out. She was serious, even tempered, logical, but there was something deeper too. Hidden emotions, maybe. But why hide them? Kadaj was curious.

Not that he personally cared one way or the other. Manipulation just required getting to know someone sometimes, that’s all.
That over satisfied grin remained plastered on Kadaj’s face. He watched her closely. “Well then,” he encouraged, “why are you here?”

At the unfamiliar voice, Kadaj glanced over his shoulder. Female. Human. Blonde hair and---he studied her for a moment---and sure of herself. He could tell by the way she stood. Body language always revealed buried secrets. Not that she was deliberately hiding anything from the remnant—that would be a foolish move.

“I’ve done it before,” he stated confidently. “I can do it again.” Kadaj regarded the bright sun once more before focusing on the girl. Oh, that’s right. Not only did he have a soul count of zero, his meister ability had been taken away.

“Souls aren’t everything.” The teen shrugged, attempting to act like he wasn’t annoyed by his punishment. “Besides,” he smirked, “souls like these don’t even exist where I’m from.”

"Um... yes. You did. And you are." Lee was about done with this argument. He wasn't going to accept a lie. But that would be his last words on it. Any more denial would simply be ignored.

Lee had not expected the sudden outburst that his question would cause. If he had been weaker he might have started backing away, but Lee held his ground like a good soldier. His face remained fairly blank as the man finished his rant, finally coming to the conclusion it had been building toward.

"I understand." Lee said after a length of silence had passed. "BREW has brought many here who had obligations back home, things to do, and also some who are not fighters at all. It has not been fair in how it chooses to hold us here, or when it chooses to send others back."

Lee shook his head. "But what use is it to squander your time and energy. If a wish to end this war is what brought us here, then doing what we can to end the war will lead us home." Whether Lee hated the circumstances or relished them was a moot point. It was the result of his hard work that mattered.

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