Final Fantasy VII 1. Chapter 1

About this story:

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>This is a role play, written by two players. Role plays differ from fanfiction, and instead of editing this into a fanfiction form, we let it stay in the original role play form - where you can actually see which parts were written by each player.<br>The art was done by Hojo.

**Warnings**: Be careful not to misinterpret. We assure you that this story isn't about romance, nor does it include pedophilia or any kind of other harm done to a child. Kadaj's feelings for the adult are about attachment, with a little 'fanboying'. Whereas Hojo's feelings (if there are any) for Kadaj are solely natural caring because Sephiroth is Hojo's son, and Kadaj is Sephiroth's remnant.

**Time**: Pre Advent Children.

**Plot summary**: Kadaj is born. He is a mere child, unaware of being a remnant, who accidentally finds Hojo's current hiding place. Out of circumstances they spend the night together, and plan to go look for Jenova's remains. Will they find Kadaj's Mother?

**Background for our rp**: We figured it would be nice to let them meet in this time when Kadaj is only a child so we could let them get to know each other – which serves our other rps after this one. The way Kadaj is played, he is someone who can be reborn from the negative Lifestream at any time; this time we wanted him to exist without Loz or Yazoo.  
><em><br>Should you wish to read the rest of the chapters and be notified when we publish something, remember to click 'follow story' or/and 'follow author' on the bottom of the page. Thanks._

**Chapter One - The Meeting**

As ever in Icicle, it was snowing. Whenever it wasn't snowing, even if the skies were sunny and clear, snow was never far off. Professor Hojo ignored the latest white flakes that drifted lazily down past the window of the abandoned laboratory of his former mentor. How funny that he should find himself in that place after so many years. The last time he had darkened its door, a man named Gast had been shot dead.  
>The elder scientist rifled through notes and bits of ephemera that had not moved since that day, searching for something – anything – that could help him achieve his end. He had been able to make his way to the remote continent by virtue of the fact that he was presumed dead. After the chaotic events at Shinra following the Meteor Crisis, the professor was not surprised that none had tried to seek him. That was for the best, he felt, as he had some very important work to do. If he was found, he would be stopped and that would not do. The nature of the work that he longed to complete was much the same as before he'd been defeated and left for dead by that band of do-gooders: Restore Sephiroth.<p>

However, while the nature of the work remained much the same, the methodology was very much more complex. It was no longer a simple matter of merely firing an enormous Mako cannon into the heart of the Northern Crater. No. The only method that might possibly work now was to recreate Reunion. For that, he needed the cells of Jenova. He was unsure if any yet remained, save for those he had injected into himself in the hopes that he might learn something. He'd certainly learned a few things… but they would not help. He needed to create clones.

Angrily tossing a useless notebook to one side, he cursed Gast for ever discovering that wretched creature… while also thanking him for being so very useful to him. Without that discovery, he would not have been able to create his greatest work. All the same, it was aggravating that what he sought was probably buried deep in a cold, dark crater. How in Ifrit's flaming talons was he meant to get a hold of what he sought?

OoOoOo

Somewhere deep in the Northern Crater there was a tiny pond of black water. It looked just like any other puddle, but it was where the negative Lifestream had come alive. The depths of water that didn't bring humans alive; didn't bring the planet any good, and instead worked as a cradle for something silvery, something tiny and pale, something people would refer to as Silver Nightmare in the future. As the shattered daylight tried to reach the dark waters past the snow flakes and past the walls of rock, a silvery head broke through the surface, a pair of cat-like eyes revealing their mako-turquoise insanity. Just a boy, he marched out of the water, revealing his pale skin for the freezing air before the black mist which had lingered on the surface, wrapped around him and seeped into his skin, forming oil-like leather to cover him from shoulders to toes, becoming boots around his feet. With wide and curious eyes the boy stepped onto the icy shore, looking around, trying to see the sun while the snowflakes melted against his forehead and cheeks. Spontaneously he opened his mouth and caught a flake on his tongue. It was cold and he hummed then took a deep breath, realizing something was hanging on his lower back. Turning his head as much as he could, he tried to see what it was, but he wasn't an owl and thus failed. Eventually, he brought his left hand to grasp the said object and an excited laugh bubbled from his lips as he realised it was a weapon. A double-bladed Katana. It too had formed against his back; it was like magic, he thought.

Kadaj knew his own name, knew he was alive, but… this was very different from what it had been like when he had been alive before. His recollections were shattered, his memories were so vague he could have dreamed a past life, but he felt certain he had existed before. Shaking the wet, silvery strands of hair, he tried to push all his thoughts away. It would be tiresome to think on a moment like this. He was alive and right now he would need a warmer place before he'd freeze. He wasn't very sensitive to cold air and the leather seemed to dry fast, but he was shivering and started marching, feeling no fear. There was a tunnel on one of the walls of the crater and boldly he marched through it, his eyes narrowing when it was suddenly bright after the darkness. It seemed he was on a glacier. The child had absolutely no idea where he was, but that didn't bother him much because his vision was excellent and in the distance he could see smoke. Smoke meant a house and a house meant warmth, so off he went, ignoring the annoying snowflakes that kept clinging to his silvery front hair. He marched through the whiteness, the coldness, and gritted his teeth when there was a soft pile of snow that made his boot get stuck for a moment. Unfortunately, by the time he got his boot free, the smoke had vanished and he could only hope it had indeed been a house and not just a hallucination. Still, with determination, he kept marching.

He was so light that the ice and snow easily held his weight and he had no trouble walking. The silver boy in black leather only stopped when he was at the first house he could find. There had to be someone inside because one of the windows had mist and mist meant there was warmth inside the house. Otherwise, everything was quiet, so quiet it was almost difficult to believe anyone would be here despite there were more houses a little further away. With force he knocked on the door. It was really cold now and his hair had turned into icicles. He would kick and bang the door until someone opened it, or else… he would take the whole door down and enter the house by force.

Frustrated, Hojo was on the verge of giving up for another evening. A pile of notebooks, charts, disks and other items had been tossed to one side while more lay in drawers that had been hastily pulled out and let fall to the floor. The place was certainly not getting any neater the more the professor rummaged around, seeking an answer. Something that meant he would not have to begin a dangerous trek north to look for something that might not even be there.

A rather loud knock on the door froze him in his tracks and he turned to look very slowly round, as though the mere act of turning his head would betray his presence to whoever it was outside. Could it be Turks come to find him? He sincerely hoped not. While his actions at the controls of the Mako cannon could be called 'suspicious', he had hoped that it would not be noted in the wake of the explosion that had destroyed the top floor of Shinra Tower… and presumably killed Rufus along with it. Either way, he wasn't going back. Not until he had finished what he'd come to do.

Resisting the urge to call out, "Who's there?" Hojo glanced to the windows to see if anyone was peering in at him. If they were, he would only see shadows as the windows were, rather thankfully, misted up with condensation. He smirked bitterly to himself as he remembered the day he'd killed Gast in that very room. Wouldn't that be hilarious to be discovered in much the same manner...? He kept his eyes on the door, muttering under his breath, "Go away. There's nobody here."

Kadaj was extremely impatient, his moods of a child, and veiled with such determination it was more the type of a spoiled only child. When his banging gave the result of a silent voice telling him to go, his eyes narrowed with frustration. His hearing was excellent, better than an ordinary human's. Surely there was someone inside if that someone told him there was nobody there. Glancing around to see if there were better options, his childish determination seemed to only strengthen when the voice didn't urge him to enter. Giving the door a kick, he closed his eyes and imagined what it might look on the inside. It was most likely warm and nice, a fireplace and something warm to drink. As he opened his eyes and was about to knock, he noticed to his horror that his arms had turned into black mist. Hastily looking at his feet, he realised he had become a cloud of mist. How it was possible he could still look at himself while he was in this state was a mystery, but he had no time to start considering because his current condition gave him the perfect way to get inside the house.

And so the black mist dived through the keyhole, some of the mist slithering past the doorframes. The room wasn't nearly as cozy as he had imagined, but now that he was on the inside, his body soon became visible again, naked skin of a boy before the mist formed a skin-like leather shelter. "But it's really cold outside…" he told the stranger man and simply looked at him, pleased by having been so magical he had managed to come inside despite he'd been told not to. "You lied…" he informed the man and stepped closer, tilting the silvery head which covered nearly half of his face, "… You're here." Not even one single cell in his body was scared of the stranger. After all he had a pretty sword resting against his lower back and, despite he was a lot shorter and so small compared to the adult figure, he felt as if they had met, as if there was something familiar in the eyes which were staring at him. It was funny though, because he was sure he'd remember if he had ever seen a funny-looking man like that.

In the somewhat sullen silence that followed the knock, Hojo stood very still, his eyes never leaving the door. Just as he thought that the stranger outside had given up, there was a loud impact against the door that made him jump. The person outside must have kicked it. He braced himself for the sound of another impact… expecting the door to be kicked in… but nothing happened. Maybe the person had given up and that kick had simply been them venting their frustrations at going unanswered..? Yes, that sounded very plausible. Very childish too. He felt immensely relieved. It must have been one of the local children come to chance their arm. All the same…

He was just in the act of leaning forward, the intention being to step towards the door to listen for the sound of retreating footsteps crunching away in the snow… but he never took the first step. With his eyes still firmly locked upon the door, the elder scientist saw everything and was alarmed. Black smoke… black mist... Thinking it some form of poison or something equally as sinister, he stepped back and watched as the eerie substance poured through the keyhole and pooled upon the floor, rising and forming into the shape of... a boy.

The boy spoke in the tones of a petulant child and, as he stepped closer, Hojo stepped back. _Well_ back. He'd seen something that he couldn't explain and as such it was frightening. A boy in strange clothes had materialised out of nowhere. The words the boy spoke to him were just as unnerving. He had a firearm in one of the drawers... if he could only get to it... "Stay back."

The very young remnant halted in mid-step, obeying the old male simply because he could tell the human body was as tense as a bow string, tense in fear, and it confused Kadaj. Wasn't he small and harmless? How could someone be intimidated by him? Not that he didn't enjoy the feeling of power it gave him. His lips pursed slightly as he pondered on what to say, then he spread his gloved palms to show they were empty, no firearms or knives hidden inside his tiny fists. Reluctant to shift his eyes from the stranger, he suddenly asked, "Don't you have a fireplace here? I'm cold." The place was messy; there were papers and files here and there, as if something had been searched in a hurry.

In his opinion there was nothing strange about demanding something from a stranger. He was shivering and wanted a seat by a fireplace, preferably this instant, and something to eat too, the silver boy was hungry. "I want a fireplace." Standing still, he crossed his arms over his chest, shoulders tense as he was trying to stay warm, almost hugging himself. The man had funny glasses, and the white jacket brought another question on the curious remnant tongue, "Are you a doctor?"

Hardly blinking, the older man watched as the child spread its arms with the hands open to indicate that he meant no harm… All very well and good but people didn't just form from black mist everyday now, did they? The question about the fireplace jolted him from his thoughts about putting a bullet between this... creature's eyes. The way it came out just sounded so odd when compared to the situation. Oddly ordinary. Then it came out as a demand. Only not a threatening one. All this child had to do was stamp his foot and the picture of a spoiled brat would be complete. How perverse.

Frowning, Hojo nodded slowly and answered uncertainly, "Uh… Yes... I didn't light it..." He hadn't lit it because he hadn't wanted to be found. Only, that hardly mattered now and it was actually quite chilly. Finding he was relaxing somewhat, likely due to confusion at being confronted with a brat instead of a Turk, Hojo looked about for something to light the fire with. He was reluctant to burn the papers, regardless of how useless they were to him - that was against his nature. He looked back at the other question. Even though he had never met this person before, he was reluctant to give him whole answers. "Not exactly."

"You look like a doctor…" Despite his curiosity wasn't satisfied so easily, the little silver nightmare was suddenly smiling a bit now that he saw the human body relax somewhat. On his lips, it looked somewhat mischievous. Wasting no time at all, he marched over to a table and grabbed some of the papers then walked over the abandoned fireplace and stuffed the papers in, so fast in his movements the man wouldn't have been able to stop him. Straightening his back, he turned to the adult with questioning eyes, "But… how can we light it?" He would recognise a lighter or matches if he saw them, but he couldn't see any, so he returned to the table and started opening the drawers, determinedly seeking for matches. "I'm hungry," he whined while emptying a drawer on the floor, pens and papers covering the cold wooden floor. When no matches were found, he stopped and again looked at the stranger, simply staring with a naïve, childish wonder, expecting the man to do something to make him feel less hungry and less cold. His hair was melting even though it wasn't very warm in the house, drops of water kept drip-dropping down his shoulders and onto the floor.

Rolling his eyes at the boy's response, Hojo was quite prepared to start lecturing about how there were many different factions of people who wore white coats. He really had no patience with children. They always said the first thing that popped into their heads without taking the time to actually process what it was they were about to say. However, before he'd so much as opened his mouth to do so, the little creature was mobile and grabbing fistfuls of papers… papers he hadn't had time to look at yet… and putting them into the fireplace! Naturally, being a man of knowledge, Hojo was rather outraged at such sacrilege. "Hey! You can't burn those!" As he bent to pull the papers out, the scamp was already up and away, whining about being hungry. Making a mess.

If he wasn't still nervous of that strange ability of his, Hojo might have given the boy a smack on the side of the head and told him to get lost. As it was, he could only glower from where he was knelt, busy pulling papers back out and smoothing them out from where the boy's nasty little paws had crumpled them up. Ugh... The professor supposed that he would have to feed this brat to get it to shut up for a few minutes. As he looked at the boy though, he was aware of something. He was fairly certain that he had never seen such a child before… but he seemed very familiar. Brushing the thought aside for the moment, glaring at the droplets of water that dotted the floor, Hojo straightened himself up and forced himself not to raise his voice. "If you're hungry, I will get you something. Just stop what you're doing for a moment." He hadn't a lot of food – Just enough really to keep himself going as he worked late at night... but he had to do something to placate this brat.

The remnant was thinking very little, except that he wanted food and a lit fireplace. And a blanket, a pillow and something hot to drink, maybe a nap and a fairytale. His mood was dropping quickly and he felt strangely itchy, somehow very uncomfortable despite the leather had dried up already, almost as if his very blood had been tingling and not in a pleasant way. Restless, agitated, a tiny frown appeared on his pale forehead even when he heard a promise of food. Having absolutely no idea why he felt so anxious, he gritted his teeth slightly, shifting weight from one foot to another.

What a terrible brat indeed, Kadaj watched the man smooth the papers he'd stuffed in the fireplace and could tell from the tone that he had done something bad. Was he sorry? Not one bit. It annoyed him that the man took the papers back – by this rate the fireplace would never be lit and he might freeze to death. Crouching to grab some papers from the floor, he walked right over to the Doctor-looking man, and began stuffing the papers in the fireplace with the same type of determination that someone might use to summon a supernova, declaring, "It's cold here! Where are the matches?!" With his moods, the tiny remnant was a ticking time bomb and he was on the verge of grabbing the pretty twin blade and turning the furniture into firewood.

Quite shocked at this display of insubordination, the older man's hands itched to grab the little monster and give him a sound thrashing. Strange capabilities or no, Hojo was fast running out of what little patience he had. He snapped as he folded the papers he'd managed to rescue and put them into the pocket of his coat, bending once more to collect what the boy was putting in and rescue them too. "I'll get the matches in a moment!" The matches were in a cupboard nearby… but he _certainly_ wasn't going to tell this little demon that.

Patience spent at last, he took a firm grip of the boy's arm in order to stop him from putting any more of the papers in the fireplace - his need to preserve knowledge taking precedence over everything else. He'd quite failed to notice the sword that hung from the boy's back. Since the boy was small, he did not suspect it to be anything so threatening and had been, in any event, much more preoccupied with the fact that the boy had formed out of black mist.

The little silver demon wasn't expecting the human to grab him and for a moment he got caught staring at the human face, eyes widening until the strangest feeling coursed through him; familiarity, as if they had met. Pulling his arm free with force, he growled, "No!" He wasn't aware of the change in his eyes as the colour suddenly turned into bright mako-turquoise, the feeling of familiarity so strong he couldn't ignore it. There was no sudden memory flashback, only the feeling that they had met and it confused him, bringing his emotions into a blur. With one swift move he reached for the Souba and pulled it out, pointing the edges of the twin blade at the human, "You know who I am! Don't you?"

Despite he couldn't actually remember ever meeting this man, they had to share some sort of history. Kadaj was angry and confused, not able to put the pieces together. Quickly, the anger dissolved like black mist and he relaxed, letting the blades droop towards the floor like tired flowers, "Do you know who I am?" He hadn't seen any sign of recognition when he had entered the house. Placing the Souba back in its sheath he took a small step backwards, if only to prevent the human grabbing him again. Maybe he was insane. He felt very strange and the feeling only seemed to get stronger the longer he spent time in this human's presence. He didn't like to be touched by a stranger; that much he did know. If he had known himself even a bit better, he would have known he was a remnant of Sephiroth and would have understood that it wasn't Kadaj who had met this man. Instead, he only felt the vague memory of the SOLDIER no1.  
>Soon as the anger vanished, he started feeling slightly embarrassed for his strong reaction and looked at his toes. He was bold by nature and wouldn't easily feel regret for anything he did. But still he was so very young and so very lost, guided by those strange emotions that kept crawling underneath his skin. "I'm cold," He muttered.<p>

With strength and speed that should not be possible for a mere child, Hojo felt the boy's arm rip free from his grasp and fairly flinched as he found himself staring down the length of a very sharp-looking weapon. Multiple questions formed in his head. Questions as to who this boy was, why he carried a sword and who had trained him... but something else came forward and drowned the others out. As the boy insisted that the professor knew who he was, as those eyes _changed_, a flicker of recognition passed through his mind. Strong recognition. He said nothing; too shocked to speak for fear his throat might get cut.

Almost as soon as it had happened, however, the blades of the sword – the Souba – were drawn back and sheathed again as the boy's anger died down and the small form of the child stood back. Still very tense, Hojo kept his eyes trained on the boy. He was quite a pitiful little creature the way he stood there, saying that he was cold. Pitiful but incredibly volatile, as it turned out. As he stared, the professor was following the threads of recognition to find where they led. The eyes had surprised him the most and were triggering other thoughts. As he stared fixedly at the boy who stood once more looking miserable and cold, he found other details leaping out at him.

The ice in the boy's hair had melted leaving it wet and glistening... but a colour that he had not expected to see again. It was silver. In his considerable lifetime, Hojo had only known of one person to possess such a colour of hair. That anger... The way it had flared... As the threads he followed converged and led towards a conclusion, there was a stabbing sensation in his body like dozens of pins were either driving themselves in or trying to drive themselves out. At the same time, the colours in the room began to change. Outlines blurring and sharpening as shadows darkened and highlights brightened. Then it stopped. Just as suddenly as it began, it stopped and he was left breathless. In one hand, papers that had been so recently rescued and smoothed out were crumpled tightly into a ball.

The curious, cat-like eyes returned to the stranger when no reply came but what Kadaj saw was unexpected. There was an expression on the man's face, or not quite an expression, more like another spirit had entered the room, like there had been a ghost present. And as if the said ghost had stepped in between them, Kadaj could see the colour in the man's eyes become brighter, going from the dark into what he would call 'morning meadow green'. The said eyes were staring towards Kadaj but it seemed as if they were looking at someone else – a ghost. The moment was sudden and very short, only lasting for seconds, before the ghost vanished and the man's eyes took their usual colour. The remnant had very sharp senses and noticed everything; the way the human body was tense, clearly having been holding his breath, and knuckles gone white around the papers he'd been holding. So the man did recognise him now. They had met, they weren't complete strangers.

The curiosity alone was enough to leave Kadaj's eyes bright and his childish mind felt no fear. It didn't cross his mind the man might not be an ordinary human and, even if it had, Kadaj wasn't afraid of unnatural things. Sensing no threat whatsoever, his boiling curiosity made him step closer, eyes narrowing gently as he approached the mystery. Whatever the human had been feeling just now had been near fear and, despite Kadaj's brain was undeveloped (and would forever stay less developed than an average human's), he was not stupid. It was very easy to tilt his head innocently, steps slow like he was approaching a scared animal, his tone gentle, "My name is Kadaj… And we've met before…" Halting only when he was close enough to touch, he stared up at the human face, straight into the dark pits of the brown eyes, "…haven't we?"

Blinking away the aftermath of what had happened, finding that everything had returned to normal, Hojo needed a moment to gather his wits and found that the child was approaching him. He wasn't certain that it really was a child anymore and was incredibly on-edge as the boy, Kadaj, came slowly forwards. A part of the elder scientist's mind scoffed in contempt at the idea that he could be approached in such a manner. Like some cornered beast that might lash out at the slightest provocation. However, it was an apt comparison. The expression on Kadaj's face was unnerving. The eyes were alight with curiosity. One would nearly think that there was no harm in him at all and they would be foolish for even considering it.

Hojo had just about gotten his breath back when Kadaj stood before him, gazing upwards like an innocent little urchin. Hojo frowned at the question. It was true that the boy reminded him very, very strongly of someone he'd known all too well.. but the name was unfamiliar. He searched his memory and found nothing. "I don't know. I'd definitely remember a name like that.. Kadaj.." He was being trivial, still trying to process what he'd felt before. Just as he'd made the connection to Sephiroth, his body had been wracked with pain. Surely it wasn't possible? The resemblance was there, though. Chancing it, he spoke uncertainly. If he didn't introduce himself, he might find his head struck from his shoulders, regardless of how harmless the child appeared at that moment. "My name is Professor Hojo. It's.. nice to meet you."

Kadaj's lips pursed slightly as he stared up at the human; then echoed experimentally, "Professor?" He had absolutely no idea what the difference between a doctor and a professor was, "What does a Professor do?" His lips formed a small 'o' of utter wonder and his gaze slipped down to the human hand clutching some papers. Reaching out to pull them from the human hand, he tried to read what was written on them but, despite he could understand the letters; he had no idea what the words meant and offered the papers back before once again staring at this strange human. He wasn't quite sure if Professor Hojo was telling the truth when he claimed it was nice to meet Kadaj.

While the silver nightmare was staring into the deep brown eyes, his mind was twirling the idea of the brown morphing into green again. What had caused it? Had Kadaj somehow made it happen? Was Kadaj that magical that he could change someone's eye colour? Most likely not, so he ended up asking, "Can Professors make magic tricks?" The little remnant loved magic, it was so exciting. Anything unusual was interesting to him. Ordinary things were dull and boring, and he hated boring things. Needless to say, this energetic little remnant got very easily bored.

He was so pleased to have gained some knowledge; that they hadn't met before, and that he was with a magical Professor, he wanted the Professor to like him. Instantly doing what he thought would seem adorable to anyone, he tilted his silvery head cutely and batted his eyelashes, purring, "Will you light the fireplace now, Professor?" The human had stolen his attention in a way that rendered him empty from all other feelings.

His brow furrowed in thought and renewed suspicion of this strange child, Hojo considered the question and wondered if this Kadaj was genuinely seeking an answer or just trying to make him drop his guard. The look on the boy's face seemed genuine enough. As a small, gloved hand tugged at the papers still tightly clutched in his own, Hojo loosened his grip and watched as Kadaj tried and apparently failed to make sense of them. He answered as best he could; having to amend his answer as he recalled this creature's childish nature. "A professor professes. It means to teach.. but we do other things."

When the papers were offered back, Hojo took them and wasn't pleased to find that the green eyes were staring up at him. Something else that he didn't like about children was the fact that they had a weird tendency to stare at people like they'd somehow figure it out if they stared long enough. The professor's usual tactic was to stare back and glower, snap at the person and ask if they needed assistance, only he was nervous of antagonising the child and having those blades turned on him again. As such, he looked away to the sides when he found that he couldn't maintain eye contact for very long.

He was somewhat taken aback by the next question as it sounded so utterly random. He hadn't a clue what Kadaj meant by magic and less of an idea why the boy was asking him about it. As such, he pulled a face that reflected just how ridiculous that question sounded to him. Before he'd thought of a suitable answer to that utterly childish question, the boy was asking him in a rather disarming fashion if he would light the fire. Kadaj spoke in the sweet tones of a child who wanted something, but that volatile anger only made him sound dangerous. All the same, there was definitely some genuine naivety there.

The elder scientist looked to the papers in his hand before putting them in his pocket with the rest. He spoke as one who was too weary to argue anymore – too confused by it all to think of anything else to do. "I'm not sure what you mean by 'magic tricks' but I'll light a fire, since you're so adamant about it." Keeping his gaze on the child from the corners of his eyes, Hojo went to the corner to find an easily-missed box meant for firewood. It was still half-full and the wood would catch quickly. He picked up an armful and transferred it to the fireplace, setting about building it into a pile that would catch easily if lit from within.

The tiny silver head could tell the adult felt uncomfortable at his staring and, despite he felt like staring, he tried to instead concentrate on looking at the tie and the white jacket, even the bulge on the pocket where the papers had been stuffed. Idly he wondered if all teachers wore white coats like that.

The curious emerald eyes followed the Professor as he went to get some wood. Noticing a moment where he could shine, he trailed the Professor to the box and grabbed a huge pile of logs to show off how strong and useful he was. He could barely see from behind the enormous pile as he followed Hojo over to the fireplace, then dropped the pile on the floor so the wood would be close-by when needed. Flashing a little smile, he looked up at the human, ever so pleased the fire was now catching the wood, creating an instant aura of warmth, the heat seeping into the black leather and making the remnant feel relaxed and satisfied at having his wish made true.

His question about magic tricks had been pretty much avoided but he insisted, wearing a bright, eager expression, "I can do magic… I can turn into mist." It was true he could turn into mist but he had only done it once; and even then by accident, so he wasn't absolutely certain he could do it again. The need to impress was bigger than that though, so he added, "Want to see?"  
>Without waiting for an answer, the boy turned and marched over to a couch, pushed it all the way over to the fireplace before hesitantly grabbing a human hand and tugging at it as he climbed on the couch, nearly pulling the adult on the couch too. Filled with little questions, he couldn't hold his tongue and asked, "What else do professors do except... teach?" The warmth of the fire was so pleasant, his eyes went nearly shut and, had he been a kitten, he would have purred loudly, "Will you teach me something?" He only wanted to learn something so he could impress the adult.<p>

If he'd been better disposed toward children, Hojo might have laughed at the sight of a tiny boy carrying a pile of wood that was almost as tall as the boy himself. As it happened, he wasn't and so merely raised an eyebrow before returning to his task. The fire lit quickly, the dry wood feeding the eager flames and the Professor turned towards Kadaj as if to announce it, only the boy spoke first.

The older man's expression was caught somewhere between bemusement and what appeared to be mild irritation as Kadaj spoke. The child was plainly very pepped up and keen. Hojo wondered if that was all a result of the fire being lit. Strange child. The mention of the boy turning to mist again piqued his interest somewhat, though he was reluctant to call it 'magic'. "I wouldn't mind seeing it again, if you would be so kind." He spoke quietly enough in subdued tones when compared to the bright and chirpy tones of Kadaj. Such was his way when confronted with what he would deem to be an overbearing personality.

Needless to say, his voice was more-or-less drowned out by the sound of the couch as it made its swift, scraping progress along the floor. The boy was deceptively strong as well as agile. That was underlined when Kadaj fairly pulled him forwards to sit down. Hojo predicted that he would soon be bombarded with yet more questions and was correct. He had many of his own but, judging from the way Kadaj had looked over the pages before, the Professor severely doubted that the boy would be able to give him any of the answers he sought.

Hojo took a deep breath and tried to settle his nerves so that he would not sound too disgruntled. On the bright side, being disgruntled was distracting him from being afraid of this little creature. He again took in the sight of the green eyes, silver hair, dark leathers and Souba. Then he answered at last, trying to patiently dumb it down for the benefit of a child. Being in possession of a considerable ego, he was also very, very mildly flattered at being asked. "They learn a great many things and gather as much information as they can about whatever it is interests them. The idea is to pass it on for those who will come after. My field is science, therefore I am a scientist. Do you know what science is?"

Ever so pleased to have been asked to show how talented he was, the remnant smiled and encouraged, "Watch…" As if the human might miss it if all eyes weren't on him. Closing his eyes the boy concentrated on thinking he was just mist and nothing else, but when he opened the cat-like eyes to see the results, there was mist alright but only the leather had turned to mist and with a mortified expression he stared down at his naked body. Closing his eyes and growling as he concentrated again, thinking he wanted to be somewhere else, somewhere else completely, and how he moved around, he cracked one eye open to see if it worked and indeed his arms had turned into mist. The moment was brief because as soon as his concentration quivered, his body took its usual form. It required a lot of energy from such a tiny remnant, and he felt tired and hungry, but was far too pleased to get distracted.

Grinning and beaming with joy, he asked, "Did you see it?! I was mist!" Releasing a small insane laugh which soon died, he took the human hand he'd been tugging earlier, and held it with his tiny paws, turning it around to study it. It was a huge hand compared to his own. Huge and wrinkled. Losing his interest on the hand, he remained holding it while taking a better seat, nearly blocking the fire warmth from the human as he sat his back turned towards the flames so he could only observe the man, bent knees resting against the human side, and curious jade eyes travelling from the funny glasses to the dark hair. It was long enough that he wanted to grab the strands and tug it, feel if it was soft or coarse, but he refrained in the fear of angering the amazing Professor.

Shaking his silvery head slightly at the question, he asked, "Is science where you study stars and the universe?" Pursing his lips slightly and tilting his head, he added, "So… you're not a doctor at all? You just study something and then… teach it?"

The peculiar child entreated him to watch and that was exactly what Hojo intended to do. He didn't want to miss a moment and narrowed his eyes in anticipation. A few seconds later, his eyes widened as the mist rose from the boy like smoke from a fire that has been doused with water. However, he could still see the boy's silvery head of hair – and everything else – ergo he wasn't fully diffused. After that brief moment of embarrassment, Hojo saw and heard how Kadaj tried harder to succeed. As the boy uttered a little growl and his body began to diffuse into black mist, Hojo watched with utter fascination. He had to blink several times as his eyes began to itch very subtly the longer he watched.

The tiny creature was ecstatic for having succeeded. His laugh was almost explosive in the way it started and ended abruptly. In spite of himself, Hojo began to find this odd boy vaguely amusing. "Yes, I saw. That's quite extraordinary." While he didn't exactly appreciate how he had his hand examined or found himself stared at, he found it vaguely amusing to think that this Kadaj could be so easily entertained. Honestly, one would nearly think the tiny thing had never seen an adult before the way he carried on. That couldn't be so though.. could it?

As he puzzled this latest train of thought, Hojo grew much more aware of the itch in his eyes. It hadn't gone away and was making his vision cloud up. Maybe he was tired. As the small person seated right up next to him pontificated, the Professor sighed and took his glasses off so that he might rub the itch from his eyes and take a second to form his answer. "Science has many different branches of study. What you just described is one of them. It's called 'astronomy'. And, on the contrary, I actually know a great deal about medical science. I just don't practice as a doctor."

He really wasn't going about it the right way – far more used to dealing with colleagues. He looked round at Kadaj as he polished his glasses on his sleeve, still trying to remain patient. The boy appeared very slightly blurry but not so much that Hojo couldn't see the eager little spark of curiosity that danced in the widened, green eyes. "What I do is gather as much knowledge as I can and try to see if I can learn anything new based on what I already know. If I learn something new, I write it down and then the person who comes after me can either try to disprove it or follow on from what I've done. That's what I meant by 'teaching'. Hmm... I don't suppose that you've ever heard of SOLDIER, have you?" Considering how young Kadaj looked, Hojo doubted it. But the resemblance to Sephiroth made him wonder.

Even if Kadaj had seen humans or adults and had been around them, there was no way of telling. He couldn't remember a single thing from before the time he stepped out from that black pond. Of course he had to have lived before – how else could he know so much, know words and their meaning? Still in his childish way, the Professor was now the first person he had met after being born and Kadaj still hadn't figured out the goal for his life. He didn't have any plans, he didn't think about tomorrow and all this time he was living in this moment, the Professor giving him plenty of excitement and things to concentrate on.

With a tiny smile, the remnant was observing each move the man made when the glasses were taken away from that adult nose. Perhaps he was imagining it but the brown eyes seemed greener now. Nodding in understanding he imagined he understood everything, in his mind's eye seeing the Professor read books and make notes. 'Science' was a rather difficult word to comprehend, but an excited smile soon twisted his lips, "Yes, I know what a soldier is!"

Jumping up from the couch, he declared, "Look, I'm a soldier!" With one smooth move, his left hand had pulled out the dangerous double-bladed Katana – the remnant of the once great Masamune – and, placing one foot in front of the other, he tensed his body, holding the pose of a knight who was about to kick someone's ass. As if he was waiting for an invisible enemy to make the first move, he stood perfectly still for a few seconds before jumping, doing a small back flip in the air, landing on both feet like a flexible cat and twirling, the twin blades cutting the air while the flames reflected golden shadows from them. When he came to a sudden, perfect stop, the blades halting on the invisible enemy's neck, he stated, "Soldiers are fighters. I'm a soldier."

Despite he again only wanted to impress, he did feel a tiny tug of the realization that he was very good at this, he was born to hold the sword. Slowly turning until the blades were directed at the Professor, he smirked and asked, "Am I not amazing?" To prove how skilled he was, he brought the blades so very close to the human neck. He could almost feel the heartbeats travelling along the metal and up his arm. The cat-like eyes were glued on the human ones but soon shifted over to the pale neck. The Adam's apple was teasing him – he didn't understand what it was and wanted to touch it. So, extending the blades just a tiny bit, he brought the metal in contact with the fragile skin. At the first gentle touch, the skin broke instantly and a tiny bead of blood emerged, causing the remnant to hastily place the Souba back in its sheath.

Climbing to the couch to study the tiny wound, as a reflex he brought his face closer and suddenly licked the blood off. Lick, lick. Like a kitten lapping tongue on cream. As he pulled away to study the results, something miraculous happened. Something which he might not ever witness again, not on the same type of context at least; the wound healed on its own.  
>The emerald eyes were wide as he looked up at the Professor's face, gasping, "I healed it."<p>

Yes, he had healed it, but he would never heal someone else's wound again – unless it was geostigma. The remnant could not heal a person but his DNA allowed him to heal whenever he got a smaller wound. Remnants were nearly immortal, even at death they didn't bleed, simply went to rest in the dark Lifestream until they would wake up again and return. The fact that this tiny wound had sealed itself must have been the effect of Kadaj's DNA reacting to the Jenova's cells which the Professor had once injected himself with.

From the moment Kadaj declared that he knew what 'a soldier' was as opposed to what 'SOLDIER' was, Hojo knew that there was little point in asking any more. However, he did yearn to ask if Kadaj had ever in his presumably short life heard of Sephiroth. He didn't get the chance as the small boy demonstrated almost frightening prowess with the twin-blade he carried. 'Born with a sword in his hand,' so the saying went. The Professor didn't know just how right he was when those words crossed his mind. Sephiroth had been a natural too after his early training. The similarities just kept on coming.

The elder was very impressed but it turned swiftly to alarm when the shining blades were leveled at him. Though he leaned back, the points of the sword just followed as the tiny creature in black gazed up at him. The metal of the Souba seemed to be singing from when Kadaj had made it dance through the air. It was as if it cut the very draught of warmth from the fireplace that permeated the room. Hojo had to seriously resist the urge to swallow or do anything that might mean he would get cut. So sharp was the sword that Hojo didn't feel it pierce his skin.

What alerted him was the way the boy sheathed his sword, a look of vague puzzlement or concern on his face. Hojo couldn't see it as clearly as he hadn't yet placed his glasses back. He winced as Kadaj leaned in and he felt a small, wet tongue against his throat along with a small sting. He had been cut after all. "Ugh!" He glared at Kadaj for being so intrusive and might have struck him but for the fact the boy would probably kill him on reflex or just for fun. Clearly Kadaj was quite unhinged. Nonetheless, he ran his fingers over the supposed wound site, seeking blood but finding only some saliva. He put his glasses back on despite that annoying itch in his eyes, which had only gotten worse after being licked, and looked at the boy proper. "Why did you do that? You could have taken my head off!" The Professor really didn't want to die at the hands of this boy.

Still not psychologically developed enough to feel any kind of compassion or empathy (and this specific area in his personality might not ever develop), the tiny silver boy only got worried when his new friend's tone changed. It was obvious he'd done something wrong and his expression fell, pale lips taking a small pout as he dropped his gaze down to his lap. All he really wanted; was to receive attention, to feel accepted by this stranger who had in short moments become important to him. The urge to cry was overwhelming, the tone and words of the Professor still stinging somewhere deep down. With a quivering lower lip, he collapsed against the Professor's chest, sliding the slender arms around the waist to get close and pressing his cheek against the human chest. Blinking to get rid of the tears which now started rolling down his cheeks, he listened to the heartbeats. His fingertips were digging to the man's back in the fear of being pushed away.

Quietly, he whimpered, "I wouldn't have cut your head off." He didn't have a proper reply to why exactly he had done what he did. The boy was insane, someone else's insanity coursing in his veins and, combined with how child-like he was, there was always the possibility of unexpected, irrational things happening. It would be just pure luck if he didn't cause a huge mess unintentionally. So afraid of saying the wrong thing and not pleasing the adult, he remained quiet and sobbed. He could have apologised, but it wasn't something he would often do, and saying that right now didn't even cross his mind. Feeling broken and incomplete, he was afraid of weeping, thinking it might annoy the male further, but he couldn't control the tears that kept pouring down and soaked the Professor's shirt.

The last thing, the _very_ last thing that Professor Hojo expected was to see the expression that formed on Kadaj's face. The mischievous smile dropping and tears welling up in the corners of the wide, green eyes. As soon as the boy began to look down, Hojo nearly felt like cursing. Oh no. The brat was going to start crying. Though this was good news in a way, since it meant the Souba wasn't coming out again, it wasn't great either. Hardly the greatest father, the Professor would rather leave the room than be faced with a weeping child. Kadaj made his mind up for him by latching on and starting to sob.

At first, Hojo did nothing. Merely sat and stared at the top of the silvery head that pressed against him. He felt the boy's tears upon his skin and the tiny fingers dug into his back as the little thing cried into him. The Professor mentally announced that he was getting too old to be dealing with this nonsense, disregarding the fact that he'd never had to deal with it in the first place. The point was that he had a strange boy clinging to him and he wouldn't stop crying unless something was done. Hojo reviewed his movements up until that point. Having witnessed a child form from mist, had a sword turned on him twice, been cut once by the aforementioned sword, licked, pawed at and bombarded with questions, he decided that he had reacted reasonably. Still, it wouldn't stop Kadaj from crying, would it?

Slowly, hesitantly, he lifted one of his hands and brought it round to gently pat the top of the tiny boy's silver head. He supposed he had spoken rather sharply.. Under the circumstances, he reckoned it was fair enough for the boy to cry. If anything, it meant he still hadn't lost his touch. "There, there.. I'm uh, sure you didn't mean it."

As soon as the human hand landed on the silver silk strands, the little remnant calmed down, both by the gesture and by the gentle heartbeats that were caressing his eardrum like a lullaby. Sniffing once more he took a deep breath, and relaxed his hold on the man, now embracing him gently instead of clinging in emergency. Strangely he wanted to stay right there, it was warm and comfortable, and he almost wanted to fall asleep.  
>Slowly tilting his head in an attempt to see the adult's face, he muttered, "Could you make me something to eat?" The boy was starving, but instead of throwing around his usual commands, he did his best to be likable and easy, trying not to give another reason for the man to get heated or snappy.<p>

Knowing he'd have to let go to allow the human to get up, he silently released his hold and pulled away a little to observe the Professor's expression. There seemed to be a strange green colour still mixed in the brown eyes, but Kadaj could have been imagining it, so subtle it was, as if the jade colour was lurking and looming, waiting for a chance to take over. Hoping to encourage the man to make him something to eat, he took his black boots off and got up, walking slowly towards to the corner where he imagined was a place to cook. There was more than one door in the room, and he couldn't imagine what was behind them. Hmm – maybe a bathroom, or a bedroom, or a proper kitchen. Halting and turning, he stood and waited for the man, calmly watching him through the silver curtain of front hair.

The first thing that Hojo noted was the softness of the tiny boy's hair. This was something he'd never once done before for a child. In a sense, he wondered if this was what Sephiroth's hair had felt like and nearly wished he'd found out when he'd had the chance. As the child relaxed, he tried to push such sentimental thoughts from his mind. There was no point in dwelling on things that he couldn't change. The green eyes regarded him again as the request for food came once more. The professor nodded and spoke bluntly, his mood restored somewhat, "Alright."

The professor watched the child as it released him, looked at him quizzically for a brief moment and then pottered off a distance towards the far end of the room. Plainly, Kadaj wanted him to follow. Checking that the fire would keep for a time, Hojo rose with a slight sigh and walked towards a door that led to the kitchen. Since Gast had stolen a specimen and tried raising a family with her, the kitchen was rather homelier that the main room that doubled as a lab-space. The larder, however, was stocked with what could be described as 'canned rations'. Icicle being no stranger to mountaineers and the Professor having little patience for cooking, these canned goods were ideal.

They were labeled clearly for convenience. Trying to judge just how hungry the little creature that no doubt lurked at his heels was, Hojo selected something that looked like it might be more filling than the usual soup. It was some form of stew with red meat. It would do. He pulled the ring from the can and sniffed at it before showing it to the child. He could heat it up once it was approved. "Do you think you'd eat this?"

The remnant followed the Professor with soft, bare-foot steps, curiously observing each move the man made, pleased to see that there were so many cans of food. He was looking around curiously and wondering what other places the house had. Despite Kadaj did have preferences, he would eat sour and sweet things, lime fruit or lemon, and whip cream, if he could choose. Still, any food was more than welcomed right now. Nodding as soon as the smell travelled into his sensitive little nose, he only took a brief look when the can was showed to him, "Yes, please." Kadaj lacked natural politeness but he was still doing his best to be likable and formed a happy smile on his face, gazing up at the man who was going to rescue him from starving.

Now that he was going to get something to eat, he lost his interest for a moment and went to play scientist, soft footsteps leading over to a table which had papers, books and files on it. Humming as he pretended to be a scientist at work, he started opening the books and files, even taking a pencil so he could make notes. The books were just plain pages of boring text so he moved onto the files, and took his gloves off too because he didn't think scientists wore gloves. The first file was boring, mostly pages of text and pictures of plants and their anatomy, so he opened another one. It was more interesting because it had pictures of a man. In most of the pictures the man looked dead, sleeping on a table with bonds around his feet and arms. And in some he had a golden claw instead of a regular hand, feet golden as well. Raising the picture to show it to the Professor, the boy declared, "Look… that man has golden shoes. Pretty…" Giving one final look to the pictures, he placed the file back on the table and made a few notes on an empty paper, writing down the important stuff like 'Golden shoes' and 'Metallic fingers'.

Losing his interest after making the important notes, he opened another file and it had pictures of another man. Pursing his lips slightly, he looked at the pictures carefully. This man didn't have golden shoes but he had very pretty, long silver hair and, in the pictures where his eyes were open, their colour was very pleasant to Kadaj. All in all the man was very pretty and handsome in Kadaj's opinion. And very tall too. Idly he wondered if he'd look like that when he'd grow up because, just like Kadaj, the man was holding a sword in his left hand in one of the pictures. They also shared the same hair colour. One curious fingertip caressed the nose in the picture, a sharp nose, then the same fingertip rose to stroke Kadaj's funny nub of nose, not sharp nose. Even though they had the same hair colour, Kadaj didn't think they'd ever look identical because their noses were different shapes. Giving a small smile to the man in the picture, he started reading what was said in the file. He became confused quickly because he was reading about Project S and the word SOLDIER was mentioned on one of the pages, which took him back to the question the Professor had asked him before. He had never heard of SOLDIER, but his curiosity piqued and he started reading even though he couldn't understand much.

Hojo noticed at once that the boy had used the word 'please'. It was a far cry from when Kadaj had burst in and begun making demands like he owned the place. Not a bad improvement. The Professor refrained from acknowledging it save for a slight nod, though the child's smile almost made him smile too. Such a simple little creature beneath it all. Give a child food and warmth and it seemed perfectly content. Turning to dig out a small camping stove, since the power to the stove had dissipated long since for whatever reason, Hojo busied himself about getting the small meal heated up.

He effectively ignored Kadaj and got lost in his own thoughts. His eyes were still annoying him and he decided that it must have had something to do with that attack, episode, whatever – as soon as he'd made the connection that Kadaj resembled Sephiroth. He pondered at the possibilities. The likenesses between them were far too present to simply cast off as coincidence. But he didn't know where the child had come from. Come to think of it, he knew very little at all about him, aside from his name. He wondered at who had given the boy such a name.

Interrupted by the precocious voice behind him, he frowned at the mention of 'golden shoes'. His notes and journals – he'd left them on a table. Sure enough, Kadaj was holding up a photograph of another subject of his. Oh, yes. Vincent Valentine. "They certainly were an improvement." A sneer crept onto his face at the memory of shooting that man and augmenting him. Though, he couldn't take all the credit there. _She_ had nearly put the icing on by attempting to save the wretched fool's life. The bastard got what he deserved for getting too close and trying to interfere. Waiting for the stew in the can to start bubbling, Hojo remembered how Valentine had been laid to rest in the depths of Shinra Manor. How a second monstrosity had been left to guard him from anyone who so desired to waken him. It had been fun to set that up just for the heck of it. An elaborate prank crossed with boredom and a desire to set things in motion.

In all honesty, though he'd never thought to see the former Turk again, he'd been glad. Just so he could taunt him about being a monster. He'd been glad right up until the point that those bullets had pierced him while he was in that other form. Were it not for the fact that he'd needed to restore Sephiroth, his son, Hojo might not have cared if he died. Unfortunately, he had underestimated that party of saints and was still paying the consequences. The only reason he'd bothered to share that little nugget of information about his family ties was that he was sure he would defeat them easily. Oh well. Chances were they had already been told, unless Valentine had been too busy brooding.

Lost in such thoughts, he didn't notice that Kadaj had gone quiet. If he had, he would have been suspicious. Instead, he stared into the can atop the stove, not quite seeing it until he could smell it. Then he came back and stuck a fork into it to stir. It seemed about ready.

The little remnant started humming again, still studying Sephiroth's features and comparing them with his own, eventually tip-toeing over to a mirror on a wall. Posing like a mannequin, he turned around and peeked over his shoulder to see if he looked like Sephiroth from behind, then twirled like a ballerina until coming to a halt, trying to see if his movements had anything similar to how Sephiroth held himself in some of the pictures. After all, there had been loads of pictures, ordinary ones and ones where he'd been in a laboratory of some sort. Kadaj couldn't see any resemblance to the tall silver-haired man and thus leaned really close to his own reflection, so close he could have kissed his reflection.

His eyes were light green, a pretty colour – the same colour he'd seen on one picture of Sephiroth. The green eyes were wide as he told his reflection, "When you grow up, Kadaj… you're going to be just like Sephiroth." His reflection looked pleased and smiled a little, so Kadaj touched the surface of the mirror, trying to touch the twin's hair, sliding fingertips down the smooth surface and asked, sounding amused when the reflection smiled, "Yes, you are, you'll become big and strong… Would you like that?" His own reflection nodded enthusiastically. Soon he got bored when the reflection twin didn't speak, so he abandoned it and instead headed where the Professor was cooking.

Standing next to the adult, and looking between the funny stove and the man, he asked, "Can I meet Sephiroth? Is he a SOLDIER?" The name Sephiroth tasted so familiar on his tongue, it could have been his own name, but he was certain he had never met the tall man. He would remember, so handsome the god of silver was. Even thinking about meeting Sephiroth caused a tiny heat in his blood. He assumed it was probably because Sephiroth was so tall and handsome. Just as badly as he wanted to eat, he now wanted to meet Sephiroth, so excited about the idea that most likely he would faint or hyperventilate if they ever met. If only Sephiroth was his brother. Whimpering slightly he clutched at the hem of the Professor's jacket and, looking up at the man, told, "I really have to meet him…"

The first mention of Sephiroth from the small child that had suddenly appeared by his side caused Hojo's arm to jolt and nearly knock the can clear of the stove only that he kept it pinned there in time. Despite the fact that he knew the child was nearby, he was still startled by the sudden sound of a voice right next to him where it had been behind him only minutes ago. He looked down and again noticed the child's bare feet. No wonder he'd moved so silently. "You'll get cold again if you move about with bare feet, you know.." He transferred his attention to the stove long enough to turn it off and then looked back over his shoulder at his notes. The little thing must have read his notes about Project S, then. He idly wondered how much that Kadaj had understood.

A little tug on his clothing brought his gaze back to a rather plaintive-looking Kadaj. He was rather pleased to find that the boy was enthusiastic about meeting Sephiroth. A small swell of pride ran through him as he thought on it. A shame the situation was more complicated. He fetched a bowl down from a cupboard and tipped the contents of the can into it – it would save the small thing burning its fingers, since he didn't seem patient enough to allow the can to cool down. "Come along, Kadaj. I'll tell you of Sephiroth as you eat." He took the bowl in hand, the fork too, and made his way back to the fire. Then he sat down and offered the bowl to the no-doubt ravenous little being. He wouldn't begin until the bowl had been taken and the first few mouthfuls consumed.

Where to start? Not exactly the greatest story-teller, much more accustomed to lying and making reports than speaking plainly, Hojo wondered where to begin. Since it was a child he addressed, he supposed he ought to colour it up a bit. Oddly, he relished the idea at being able to tell a story to someone who was eager to listen. He watched the boy and judged what to say – what to leave out and what to emphasize. "Long ago, this planet was kept by beings who called themselves the Cetra. They are mostly called 'Ancients' by everyone else. They had a belief that all life on the planet was like a river and that the flow of energy was constantly in motion. Life feeding death, death feeding life.. all that nonsense. All very deep and meaningful. Anyway.. about two thousand years ago, something happened and the Cetra began to die out."

At the mention of his feet, Kadaj glanced down at his bare feet, then raised his chin with the defiance of a child who was determined it was nicer without boots. Eagerly following the man like a silver shadow, the boy climbed on the couch and offered his feet towards the fire to get warmer again, hungry hands grabbing the bowl and eyes narrowing with affection because he was very pleased. Excited even to hear about Sephiroth and getting food, there was fire and good company. He couldn't have been happier. Had he been a kitten, his ears would've perked, so enthusiastic he was and the spoon barely touched the food, with such haste he was spooning it into his mouth – not even stopping to munch before swallowing.

The Professor could have just as well said 'I'll tell you after you've eaten', because the bowl was empty in no time and, not wanting for the Professor to pause with the story, the remnant held the bowl in his lap for a while before carefully placing it on the floor, just far enough from his feet so he wouldn't accidentally step on it later. Now that his feet were warm, he pulled them up and turned towards the Professor, sitting on a lotus position. He was just small enough to be able to do that. Staring at the storyteller with intense eyes, he had to bite his lip not to ask questions.

Imagining the Cetras looked like fairies, swimming in their rivers of life and death, silver light and darkness, the boy couldn't hold his tongue and, as soon as the was a pause enough for him to intervene with his silver tongue, he asked, "What happened? Did someone kill them?" His eyes were bright with enthusiasm, the idea of the Cetras dying didn't really bother him, he was more curious about who killed them and how and why. And how did any of this have something do with Sephiroth? Had Sephiroth once been a fairy too? A SOLDIER fairy? He might have seen the word Cetra in a file on the table but couldn't be sure.

Interrupted, Hojo's train of thought derailed for a moment as Kadaj stared up at him with eyes that were bright as two stars. He could tell that the boy was itching to ask questions and that it was likely he'd be interrupted again. He glanced at the empty bowl and vaguely wondered if he ought to offer the child more or finish the story first. In the seconds that he pondered these matters, Kadaj kept staring, waiting for him to continue.

His greatest concern was how much truth he ought to tell. With Sephiroth, he had been very dismissive. With Kadaj? The boy was not Sephiroth.. but they had a connection. What exactly that connection was had yet to be discovered but he would find out. Deciding to work with what he knew Sephiroth must have discovered before going insane, and nothing else, he tried to frame it in a way that Kadaj would both understand and find entertaining to placate him.

"Yes. There was a being that fell from the skies and landed where the Northern Crater is now situated. I'm not sure if you've seen it yet but it's quite vast. The being's name was 'Jenova'." He had to stop again as it felt like a presence other than Kadaj had turned its gaze upon him. Like a shadow had fallen over him from above and whatever cast that shadow was listening closely. Hojo was far from superstitious but he had never told the truth about Sephiroth's birth to anyone save those who had defeated him. Did Sephiroth know before he met his end? Did they tell him? In spite of the fire, he felt a chill and he had to rub at his eyes again. They really were bothering him.

He kept talking as he did so, choosing to ignore it and tell as much as he could before he had to doctor the details in earnest. "There was a conflict of interest between the Cetra and Jenova. We're not sure what happened exactly but what we do know was that the humans that existed at the time hid themselves away in fear. The Cetra were nearly all killed and Jenova disappeared... until she was found again by another scientist."

He puzzled over what to say next, still struggling to decide if he should mention certain people or not. Changing tack, he turned to Kadaj and looked at him with a slight smile for once. "Do you want me to describe her to you?"

Even if Kadaj could have eaten a whole bucket of the tasty canned food, he was too interested in the story to ask for more. That wouldn't stop him from whining later again. Carefully, the remnant studied the human face as he told the story, the child's mind filling with pictures. His eyes widened slightly at the mentioning of a cave, but it would have been too big of a coincidence if he was born from the same cave, so he didn't seriously think it might be the case. Still, the cave of the story looked in his mind exactly like the one from which he had arrived that day.

The silvery head tilted slightly. 'Jenova' was a pretty name. The observant eyes saw the human neck, cheeks and wrists fill with goose bumps, and the tiniest amount of tension was visible in the jaw line, the shape of shoulders. A small frown appeared on Kadaj's pale forehead, and he listened very carefully, almost expecting to hear an invisible guest breathe. What did the Professor see or hear? Kadaj couldn't hear anything and, feeling slightly paranoid, he turned his head just enough to look around the room from the corner of his eye, but he didn't see anything. The fire in the fireplace was crackling happily and the flames would most likely flicker if someone had opened a door or a window somewhere. These kinds of things Kadaj did know, his whole reason of living was built on self-preservation, even though his own personality was in stark contrast with it. Someone else inside his body had great plans and the poor remnant was still completely unaware that his body worked like a seashell for a pearl.

Kadaj's paranoia vanished suddenly when the human man gave a small smile. Watching the smile and returning it, his attention went solely on the man and he wouldn't have noticed even if a whole army of fairies had burst in, "Yes, tell me what she looked like… Was she pretty?"

The innocent question from Kadaj provoked a slightly better grin from the elder. He'd certainly thought that Jenova was pretty. Pretty extraordinary just from a scientific perspective as well as rather easy on the eye. "I still remember the first time I saw her. Her body was found frozen in the North Crater and taken back to one of our laboratories for study. Though she didn't move, she was definitely alive. Just.. dormant after such a long time, I suppose. We kept her safe in a special container while we tried to figure her out. Anyway, I digress..."

He wanted to describe her in full but thought that Kadaj might lose his recent meal if he went as far as mentioning that the creature's organs were located _outside_ the body. Besides, if he was ever going to locate her, it might be better to paint her in a better light in case Kadaj offered to help him. He had a feeling that the boy would. He was getting a definite vibe off the child. All the same, he skirted the exposed organs for the time being. "She had long silver hair, rather like yours, that fell past her waist and it rose behind her head when she was immersed in the tank. She had slender arms and legs and would have been a rather tall lady if she'd been standing rather than floating."

Getting lost in the aesthetics, the Professor spoke as though he was still in awe of her. It had been such a discovery, after all, and Jenova had fascinated him from the word go. "She had a certain kind of _cold_ beauty about her. Maybe because she was found in the ice. Her skin was a peculiar grey-blue but it didn't make her look unsightly, you see. It just lent itself to the fact that she was from another world. She was young-looking, very striking. Her eyes were a glowing pink and were always open. They seemed to look right into you as though she knew you were there.. but they never moved."

He looked at Kadaj and leaned in a little closer as though sharing a secret. Technically, he was. "When we placed her in the tank, some of her hair fell over her face and covered one of her eyes. It made her look mysterious, like she was hiding or even shy. But one of her eyes was always watching." He pointed to the eye that corresponded with Jenova's exposed one – his left eye. He had often wondered what that eye had seen in the creature's long existence.

In the remnant imagination, there was a pretty woman found from the same cave from where he'd been born and the woman had been brought into this very house. He could see how Hojo's eyes became softer, as if he had been fond of the alien woman. Kadaj's stomach couldn't easily be turned upside-down and he wouldn't have thought it disgusting even if he had heard all the strange details. In his mind, a woman with pretty blue skin and long silver silk hair watched with red eyes, seeing everything but deciding it was smarter to not speak because she was more intelligent than humans. On her planet, everyone was as pretty and smart as her. Hearing about the tank didn't cause any stir in the remnant because Kadaj liked water in all its forms and he could easily imagine the blue lady floating inside a tank.

But was she happy to float there and observe the humans that were so stupid in her eyes? Maybe she had tried to speak but no-one had understood her language. Kadaj didn't mind the human proximity but his expression had become serious as he stared at the Professor, now demanding to know, "You didn't hear her voice?" Blinking two times, he added, "What happened to her after she was placed in the tank? Did she like the tank?" He had never heard of a prettier woman, the alien was now the prettiest lady he could imagine. All blue with silver hair as long as a dress to shield her from the humans' curious eyes. And her red eyes always seeing and understanding, but never blinking.

Hojo was taken aback by the sudden change in expression and tone from the child. Kadaj was deadly serious all of a sudden and the questions were hard to answer. "I.. no.. I don't know – She never said anything.." He looked away, nervous now of what to say next. He'd been about to explain in layman's terms about Projects G and S. Mainly S. Those green eyes were still upon him – nearly boring into him, he felt. If he didn't answer he just knew he would be pressed for information.

"Truth be told, we thought we could learn something about her by using some of her cells. We wanted to revive the Cetra race and.. well, it didn't really work." He wanted to get to the point without compromising himself in the process. But Kadaj had seen his notes on Project S. Seen Sephiroth in them. Hojo breathed a deep sigh, staring into the flames ahead of him. Concentrating on how they flickered and danced. "What happened was that Jenova's cells were meant to be used to create a new strain of Cetra, except that we learned later she wasn't a Cetra at all. As I said, it didn't work but we did end up with something truly great indeed. We ended up with a child that had silver hair exactly like his mother's. Silver hair and green eyes. His name was Sephiroth. He was the strongest fighter alive. The company I worked for were fighting a war with Wutai. Sephiroth was sent out and became a hero.. Later, I was put in charge of another project called SOLDIER. Young cadets were injected with Jenova's cells and given Mako to make them stronger. They were very strong... but nowhere near as strong as Sephiroth.."

That presence that hovered felt very, very close. Like it was leaning in closer the more the scientist spoke of his son. Avoiding the whole truth, spinning half-truths in its stead. He still kept his eyes on the flames, avoiding Kadaj's gaze. He didn't know why, but he was made uneasy by the fact that the child had appended emotions to a dormant specimen in a tank. True, Jenova was beautiful and fascinating.. but she was there to be used and she was _so_ useful.

The poor alien lady had probably just wanted to come see what their planet looked like, Kadaj imagined. She must have flown through the cosmos, wings attached to her back because on her planet everyone moved by flying and perhaps they communicated by exchanging thoughts instead of talking, if she had never spoken to the Professor. But the… Kadaj didn't know word for it, the oxygen layer around the planet had burned her wings and so she had fallen into that cave. Wounded and wingless, she must have felt cold and lonely, resting there when all the water and ice froze over her body and kept her as a prisoner until the scientists had found her.

A tiny frown of worry was painted on the remnant's forehead, as he was convinced she hadn't been happy. He wanted her to be happy, he wanted to save her and protect her. And so the unexplainable longing was ignited inside the remnant chest. Barely listening to what was said about Sephiroth, he demanded to know, "When you found her, she was alive… and wounded. Couldn't you heal her?"

The presence the Professor felt could have been Sephiroth's will, rising and infuriated by the fact that Jenova was nowhere in sight. Kadaj's teeth began to grit as his chest ached, an uncomfortable itch spreading underneath his skin. "You put her in a tank, and took her cells without asking her permission.." He accused quietly. It was all becoming clear to him now. This was not a fairy tale with a happy ending.

The only bit that caused him to get confused was the mention of this woman having a son. First there was a pang of jealousy at Sephiroth for having this amazing woman as his mother. Then he recognised the longing as wanting to have her as a mother as well. The emerald eyes were turning bright water turquoise as Kadaj directed his gaze to the flames. Why couldn't he be that woman's son as well? He wanted her, all to himself. He wanted to touch her blue skin and give her everything she wanted, anything to make her happy and be with her forever.

Rubbing his fingertips as the restless feeling kept growing, he turned to look at the adult and demanded, "Where is she now? I want to see her."

Again, he was being asked questions that he could not answer satisfactorily. The Professor pictured the creature known as Jenova as she floated in the tank that encased her, staring endlessly out at the world from beneath a curtain of silver hair. In all honesty, she seemed happy enough in there else she could have made some move to escape. Although, the creature's main drive was self-preservation so it might have been too wary to move for fear of being discovered. Unaware that there was only one Cetra left to oppose it in place of many. Hojo reckoned that if Jenova had moved, all life on the Planet would have ended so very quickly. Humans were stupid beings ruled by fear. She would have conquered them all in a few short months.

However, he could say none of this to Kadaj. The very mention of Jenova being afraid would be sure to set the tiny but nonetheless dangerous child off. That Souba would make very short work of anyone who was unlucky enough to try blocking its swing with their bodies. He could only shrug and shake his head. "We knew nothing about her and she remained dormant, so the most we could do was to keep her safe and monitored in case she showed signs of life. We kept her a secret from everyone, including Sephiroth in case something happened. He only knew her name."

Finding himself accused, the elder's eyes turned to regard the child while the rest of him remained still. Even if Jenova had been awake, in all likelihood, her status as a supposed Cetra would have rendered her body forfeit. They were just lucky to be serving her purpose in a very roundabout way. Again though, he could say nothing to that effect. The child's impatience would have him jump to the wrong conclusion. "Yes. If we'd known to ask, we would have begged her to let us take just a few samples. Such is the way when one is burdened with an overabundance of curiosity. That is the very essence of science – the desire, no, the _need_ to know."

Kadaj turned his head away and Hojo kept watching him, puzzling just how much he would love to know of Kadaj's makeup but for the fact it would be idiotic of him to ask. In any case, he had a much more pressing matter at hand – one that was underlined in triplicate when the boy's head turned back and the eyes blazed that colour from before. The demand caused the scientist's eyebrow to twitch almost imperceptibly. Aside from the cells that were housed within himself, he could only guess as to Jenova's whereabouts. "I have a theory that she may be somewhere in the North Crater.. When Sephiroth learned of her true nature, he wanted to continue her work."

He looked hard at the small boy and figured that he might be able to diffuse the situation somewhat if he changed tack again. Kadaj was clearly taken with the alien and that was all to the good. The looming presence hovered close, like it listened intently. "I'm not really the best story-teller, I fear. Would you like me to tell you a nicer one? About Jenova's mission here?"

The little remnant had been almost ready to jump up and go look for the lovely alien woman. So restless, he nearly squirmed. He wanted to have her so badly he was very close to stomping and declaring that he needed to find her right now. Finally calmed down by the knowledge that she had seemed like she didn't object being in the tank, and that the Professor would have asked her permission, had it been possible, Kadaj managed to suppress the sudden anger he'd felt. He would find her – there was no doubt about it in his mind. After all, Kadaj could somehow understand that science was something important for the adult and he could understand curiosity. Also, he could only believe what he was told, not knowing any better himself. Holding the childish naivety, he would easily believe anything he was told without questioning it.

When the Professor mentioned the Crater, it was just as good as promising to a child that he would get a lollipop. Blinking twice and pointing his left index finger to the direction of where he imagined he had come from, he asked, "Is the Crater... that way?" If it was the same Crater where he'd been in, he would go back there very soon. Maybe that very night. Now that he was starting to relax, firmly believing he would be able to locate the wonderful alien woman, he was starting to feel tired, sleepy after having such an exciting day, so he suddenly keeled over, placing his head on the Professor's lap to use it as a pillow. Looking at the flames reaching towards the ceiling in their endless hopes of freedom, he asked, "Do you want to go look for her with me?"

Nodding slightly in response to the final question, he would be pleased to listen anything related to the pretty alien, "Yes, tell me…" Closing his eyes to enjoy the warmth of the fire, not being hungry anymore, the remnant was very happy to listen any stories he was being told. He could easily listen to them the whole night.

Hojo's answer as to the crater's location was simple, "It's North" but he allowed himself to nod as Kadaj pointed in not quite the right direction but close enough. The boy truly was a strange little creature. So restless and excitable.. though the Professor had to cross his conclusions out as the tiny creature flopped its silver head onto his lap. He flinched and kept his hands clear, unsure where to place them as he found his lap now occupied. Though, he was cheered by the fact that the boy was happy to go to search for Jenova. Did he even have to ask? "I'd like that, Kadaj."

He frowned a little as he puzzled that he couldn't get up without disturbing the boy. Pinned beneath him as one would be pinned under a cat. Not wishing to wake it but liking the option of being able to get up and move. All the same, he was pleased that Kadaj wanted to hear of the creature from the skies. "Well, let me see now. As you know, Jenova fell to ground over two thousand years ago. How exactly she got here is a mystery and why she came, no-one knows, but once she arrived she had important work to do. She could take the form of anyone but we knew her as a pretty woman with silver hair, red eyes and blue skin. I quite forgot to mention this, but we think that she must have had wings because her child also had a wing on one side and it was black."

He figured it was best to stick with the favourite child – Sephiroth – rather than go into the complicated details of Project G. "Anyway, when she came here, she started putting her cells in others so that they might become a part of herself and travel the cosmos with her to visit new worlds. A gift, some would say. Certain people didn't like that idea. They fought her and she disappeared until she was found again frozen in the ice. Sephiroth, her son, thought that her work sounded good. He was angry that she had been mistreated by the Cetra and by the humans who did nothing to help. When he was strong enough, he called Jenova to him and together they tried to finish her work. He called a Meteor to wound the planet enough so that he and his mother could absorb the Lifestream and turn into something far greater. They nearly succeeded too but were stopped. Since then, neither one has been seen again."

Hojo looked seriously down at the small child and ran a finger through the silken, silver strands. "That happened in the North Crater only a short while ago. I am here to find out what happened to Jenova and to see if I can bring Sephiroth back. I am here because I think he was right and I want to help him."

Pleased by the knowledge that he didn't have to go look for her all alone, a tiny smile visited the pale lips. It had never crossed his mind that he might not recognise the alien. He would know when he saw her, no question about it. And he would love her and keep her safe forever. No matter what she looked like, if she was like a chameleon, Kadaj would like her real appearance the best. Idly he wondered if her skin was cold, cool to the touch and very soft, like silk.

The cat-like eyes opened briefly at the mention of wings. It was amazing how well his imagination had worked, it could have been a coincidence… or not.  
>As the story went further, the details started blurring in the tiny remnant mind – he was so sleepy, too much new information to process. It would be nice to go on a journey with the alien woman, through the cosmos, and maybe Sephiroth could come too, he would like that. And the Professor could come too. But only after they had killed those who had mistreated the alien and caused her to vanish. Despite Kadaj had never killed anyone, the idea of wringing someone's neck didn't feel any stranger than the idea of making tea.<p>

Yawning and stretching briefly, he was more than happy to receive caressing on his hair, so sleepy that the dreams were already clouding his mind. Pleased by the story and what the Professor was telling him, he muttered, "Me too…" Too sleepy to elaborate, he let the dream world suck him in. 


	2. Chapter 2

_There she was, the blue skinned lady, sleeping in a tank with one burning red eye open. Wanting to touch her so badly, he placed his gloved left palm on the glass. He was so tall, she almost looked small despite her head was floating above, and he looked up to her. Her hair was long and silver white, just like his own, "Mother…" He called out to her quietly, with a dark, deep voice, but she kept on floating, not giving any sign if she heard him or not. "Mother," His voice was filled with longing and he embraced the tank to get closer to her, never removing his eyes from her one red one, "Come with me, Mother, and together we'll sail through the cosmos." Just as he was about to break the glass, there was a sound behind him and he got distracted._

And so the cat-like, emerald eyes flew open. Feeling extremely disorientated, the remnant didn't say anything. The word 'Mother' was still tainting his tongue.

A corner of the Professor's mouth moved and drew his face into a half-smile of amusement. The tiny, excitable creature had fallen asleep on him. It felt a bit awkward as he could see the bowl that really ought to be moved to the kitchen, the pile of logs that were _just_ out of reach now. Behind him, there were notes that he'd been meaning to flick through in the hopes that he _wouldn't_ have to trek North, but at least he wouldn't be alone if he chose to go now. Considering the restless nature of the boy, it looked like the choice might be made for him.

Originally from Wutai, a place where there were cats in abundance, Hojo was of two minds in having Kadaj sleeping on top of him. On the one hand it made sense but on the other... firewood... He couldn't reach it without moving and he guessed that this boy was a light sleeper as well as being highly strung. Keeping the minimal amount of contact, the scientist traced a fingertip through the silver strands and wondered if Sephiroth's had been the same. He went further and wondered if Jenova's had been the same. Due to her infectious nature, nobody had had occasion to touch her with bare skin. Probably just as well.

He thought on that which he'd willingly injected into himself and wondered if it possessed enough sentience and intelligence to know that he meant to aid the organism to which it belonged. In all likelihood, it did. He wondered what Sephiroth might have thought. Kadaj… Sephiroth... Jenova... They were all connected somehow. Somehow. The intrusive shadow that lingered near seemed to grow more substantial as Hojo gazed into the dwindling flames and Kadaj dreamed. He could hear a small mumble from Kadaj... a word.

His body was not wracked with pain this time, but it felt like he had pins and needles that were growing steadily worse. In addition, his eyes were beginning to sting, where they had only itched before. As Kadaj continued to mumble, the sensations grew worse. He had to cease stroking the boy's hair and clench his hands – the sensation was growing painful and he was trying to see what was happening. To see if he was bleeding from the fingernails as something either tried to bleed out or warp his fingers to talons in the attempt. As the sensation became nearly unbearable, he realised what it was that Kadaj had been saying. The boy was calling her. _He_ was calling her.

He didn't notice that Kadaj had woken. He was addressing the presence that felt like it was there, listening, watching, waiting… trying to materialise. Seeking her with a desperate fury that was unrivaled, almost, and she was trying to answer at last, by any means, "Y-you…"

The disorientated boy turned on his back to gaze up at the adult face. The fire was turning into embers, it was colder and darker in the room; otherwise everything seemed like before, except … something was very wrong. Two things were wrong. First, he still felt like he was Sephiroth, still felt like Jenova was his mother, without any doubt. As if it hadn't been a dream, but a memory. Wondering if he had any connection with Sephiroth at all, he heard the one word being said aloud.

That was the second thing which was wrong; the Professor looked strange, as if he was talking to someone else than Kadaj although there was no-one else in the room. Parting his lips in wonder, he stayed that way for a moment, observing the situation, afraid to disturb whatever was going on. Almost certain the human saw another presence, he couldn't imagine who it could've been. Jenova? Or Sephiroth?

The curiosity was too strong and innocently he tried to play along, "Yes, Hojo, it's me…" It still sounded just like Kadaj, the voice of a child, so he didn't think the Professor would be tricked that easily. The expression on the human face haunted him too much so he slowly rose to sit and studied the adult. The human fists were clenched and Kadaj worried he was in pain. The Professor's eyes were as bright green as a field on a summer day, almost glowing with the colour of poison. Sephiroth's spirit in Kadaj's blood was strongest when Kadaj was angry, any mood change could trigger that unbearable itch and burn under his skin. Right now the restless feeling was quiet though, as if Sephiroth had been just watching the scene unravel, or perhaps had left Kadaj and instead was visible only for the human eyes.

"What are you seeing?" The little remnant asked, too curious. He liked the man enough to not want him to be in pain and spontaneously grabbed one tightly clenched fist, stroking it soothingly as if his touch might help. He wanted to know. What was going on? What did the human see? It wasn't the first time when the brown eyes had taken that colour. There had to be a reason for it and whatever it was, the remnant was determined on finding out. He also needed to ask if it was possible that he had a connection to the alien, or Sephiroth, because he felt so connected to both of them.

Lost in the sensation that felt once again like needles were piercing him, Hojo stared ahead even though he wanted to just shut his eyes and have it stop. He saw without seeing, sensing more than anything that Sephiroth was close, so very close. The alien matter had stirred and was reaching out in all directions for the one that called it. The elder could not see him but a voice sounded right next to him, answering in the affirmative. Completely tense, trying to endure the agony, only his eyes moved to fix the source of the words with his widened gaze.

In the back of his mind, he knew it was Kadaj, but the words the boy spoke were true. Kadaj was a part of a whole. An independent being… but somehow still only a small fragment of a much larger being. The eyes, the hair, the anger – it all made sense. Even as he stared unblinkingly at the little boy, he could see something else. Flickering like a haze, becoming visible one moment and then flickering to nothing as he watched. "S-Sephiroth..."

He felt the little fragment, the remnant of the once-great fighter take a hold of his hand and where the child's fingers touched, the skin felt like it burned as the stabbing sensations concentrated there, before ebbing away slowly. Very slowly. The oppressive presence, the presence of Sephiroth, remained but did not move or feel any darker. The excruciating pains started to finally die off.

As though frozen, but for the fact that he was shaking as his body relaxed, the Professor's gaze remained locked on Kadaj as though hypnotized. He was looking at a remnant of Sephiroth. Not a perfect reincarnation but a small piece of him nonetheless. No wonder the cells had reacted if the former General's will lived on in this child. Slowly, his fingers loosened and his hand was limp in the tiny creature's grasp. "Kadaj… Where did you come from?"

When Sephiroth's name slipped from the human lips, the silver haired youth didn't look surprised. That's what he felt like, as if it had been his own name – so familiar now. He wanted to confirm it but it wasn't his name. So it was true. Kadaj had something to do with Sephiroth. Was he Sephiroth reborn? Was Sephiroth living inside his body? He didn't know but his guesses weren't far from the truth. A tiny spark of childish joy threatened to curve his lips into a smile but he managed to keep his expression calm. Sephiroth was so strong, so powerful, so amazing, and Kadaj was somehow connected with him. It was brilliant. He would probably grow up to be tall and famous, stronger than anyone, and he would find Jenova, who would be his mother, just like she had been Sephiroth's mother.

Eventually, he couldn't hold his restless energy bottled up and released a small laugh, quickly catching it back so it died as if it had never lived in the first place. Giving a soothing smile to the human, he stroked the cool hand with his thumb, trying to relieve the tension because he could tell whatever the Professor had just realised or experienced had been a shock.

At first, the little boy thought the question meant how he was right there and he was about to reply 'I was here the whole time', but caught himself in time. His lips pursed slightly as he thought, then told with a mysterious tone, letting his eyes widen dramatically like he was telling a secret, or a horror story, "I was born from black water… In a cave…"  
>Deciding it was too chilly in the room; he released the man's hand and got up, taking a log and carefully placing it in the fireplace, hoping it would catch fire.<p>

"It was a big cave," He added, and turned to look at the male on the couch, tilting his silvery head slightly, "And there was a tunnel, so I got out…" He wanted to ask if it could have been the Crater the Professor had mentioned in the story, but didn't dare, in case the man would become even paler, or if his eyes would become absinth green again. Now their colour was turning back to a warm chocolate colour while the log in the fireplace was caught by the possessive flames.

Heading towards the stove, the remnant asked, "Would you like some tea? You look rather pale…" The boy was growing very fond of the adult and was worried for his health. Never having made tea before, his simple determination would be enough to make him succeed at anything he tried hard enough. There were curtains pulled shut over most of the windows but that didn't stop the curious remnant from peeking outside. It was pitch black. It must have been really late, possibly midnight already. Wondering if they could go search for Jenova in the middle of the night, he took a pot and filled it with water, humming as he tried to figure out how the stove worked or if it worked at all and if he'd have to use the same methods the Professor had used when warming up his food earlier.

Black water? In a cave? The elder man could barely process the words in the wake of learning who Kadaj was. He just kept staring at the widened green eyes until the tiny creature let go of his hand and hopped up to feed the fire. It brought him back to the present a bit as the new log sent up sparks with a small thump when it landed among the embers. He blinked several times but kept his gaze on Kadaj, regarding him in a clearer light. All the same, he wasn't in any state to get up or start moving until he'd calmed down some.

That sarcastic part of the scientist once again announced to the rest of his mind that he was getting too old for this nonsense. When Kadaj offered to make him tea, his brow dipped a little as he seemed to consider it and the fact that he looked pale. What was more, he considered the fact that the boy seemed to be worrying for him. That was most unusual and Hojo was somewhat touched by the rather kind offer from a child who had been so rude earlier. "Uh... Thanks."

While Kadaj wandered off to make the tea, or attempt to make it, Hojo worked to steady himself by flexing his fingers and testing his limbs. The pins and needles had finally ceased but he still shook a bit in their wake. Looking around, he checked to see if his vision had worsened by looking over the tops of his glasses and then through the lenses. No change, so far as he could see.

A sound of running water alerted the Professor to the fact that the little remnant had begun the operation of making tea. Did he even know how? Reluctant to merely sit, Hojo thought best while he was mobile. As such, he stood up and braced himself against the arm of the couch until he was sure he wouldn't fall over and made his way back to the kitchen to check on Kadaj. Funny. This all seemed very surreal to the elder male as he watched a small, silver-haired boy, a remnant of his son, fiddling with a stove that no longer functioned. "…Do you need any help?"

The pot filled with water was held steady by the pair of strong remnant hands as he turned and nodded firmly, "Yes… please." It wasn't nice to ask help from someone who had looked so shaken and Kadaj wanted to be strong and be able to do things by himself, not needing someone's help. But… the stove didn't work and he was clueless on how to get the water to boil. If he hadn't received help, his next idea would have been the fireplace. Pleased to see that the man was at least able to stand on his feet; and despite there was the tiny indication of Hojo still shaking a little bit, but not as hard as an autumn leaf in a storm, he figured his new friend would be alright.

His mind was already spinning with ideas of how they'd go look for Mot- ...Sephiroth's Mother. With that endless impatience, he looked up at the man with a pleading face, eyes wide like a puppy's, "When can we go look for her?" For this little remnant, the dream filled nap had been enough to give him energy to go for a while, but he didn't know if humans got tired easily, especially when they were THAT old. It was night time after all, and if the Professor wasn't feeling too well, then Kadaj could tell him bed time stories until the man fell asleep.

"Can we go tonight?" Like a bottle that had been waiting to be opened, there were questions swirling on the silver tongue. Trying to be nice and patient, he merely stared up at the man and circled him with restless feet, not being able to decide which side he should be standing on. Eyeing the cupboards, the remnant started opening them, along with the drawers and boxes. Inside a pretty tin box there were tea bags, so he grabbed one and sniffed it, "Mmm lemon…" He didn't know if he would like tea, but he liked lemon, so he thought he might give it a go and took another tea bag on the table.

Standing absolutely still for a moment, he grabbed the hem of the Professor's jacket and stared up at him, asking, "Am I Sephiroth?" The Professor was a smart man and would probably know, "But why is my name Kadaj then?" It didn't make much sense, now did it? "I can't be two people at once…" His eyebrows had risen behind the silver front curtain of hair as he suddenly added, "Or can I?" It was very confusing indeed. It was even more confusing the more he thought about it.

Hojo took the full pot from the remnant and placed it on top of the small camping stove to heat it. Luckily, it was wide enough for the pot to sit upon it without overbalancing too easily. A good purchase if ever he'd made one. It suited his needs down to the ground and it could be brought along if indeed there was no alternative but to make for the crater. In light of what he'd heard from Kadaj, it would seem that there was indeed no choice but to go. The very thought made the elder male sigh as he was not a fan of cold weather. What was more, he'd been to the crater once before and it was very cold. It didn't matter that the high walls of the crater provided shelter from the bitter winds that blew almost constantly.

Hojo had almost gotten lost in his thoughts again when he heard Kadaj's plaintive voice again from below. Looking down, he was met by the sight of two wide eyes and a slight pout that the scientist could guess was meant to sway him. He rubbed at one of his eyes, which had thankfully stopped stinging and were now merely itching again – more from tiredness than anything else. It had certainly been an eventful day and he was no longer used to such things at his time of life. As he watched, the small person became mobile again and was soon clambering about and opening everything in the room that possessed a hinge.

"Aren't you tired? You were barely asleep an hour. Less than that, in fact." The scientist wasn't irritated. He was merely unable to comprehend where Kadaj got his energy from. Possibly a leftover trait from his – Hojo had to stop and think for a moment. What exactly was Kadaj with regards to Sephiroth? One was a remnant of the other, yes. But Kadaj had a personality all to his own. In the case of cell division, the order was parent, child. Kadaj was hardly Sephiroth's son. That would make the scientist a grand-parent. Imagine that. No, Sephiroth was more like an older brother maybe.

Jolted once _again_ from his train of thought, Hojo felt a very insistent tug on the end of his labcoat and he looked down to see what the matter could be now. Honestly, he could barely keep up with this child. He'd be worn out before they even set foot out the _door_, let alone reached the North Crater. Though, the child's questions were very good questions indeed. The Professor leaned up against the edge of the inactive stove while the water atop the smaller stove heated, crossing one arm and raising the other to rest his chin upon his hand as he thought.

It took him a little moment but the scientist was suddenly struck with an idea – a hypothesis. He looked at Kadaj as he pontificated, speaking slowly as he tested his words carefully to see if they made sense out loud. "It's difficult for me to answer your questions accurately at this juncture... but I have a theory. I think that you are very much like Sephiroth… but I am correct in saying that you are rather a bit different as well. My theory is that Sephiroth is an awful lot like his mother. In two places at once, but still part of the same whole. Still connected, wanting to be together…" Smiling a bit as his theory teased itself out, Hojo made a conclusion. "I guess that makes Jenova your mother too. Sephiroth is... like your older twin, nearly. Or an older brother. Does that make sense to you?"

A brother? The silvery head tilted, his eyes staring blankly ahead as he pondered on this and what it could mean. Jenova was his Mother. That made sense, no wonder he liked her so much. His love for her was unconditional, everlasting, and nothing could change that. Big brother was a nice idea as well. A wide smile took over his face, pleased that he was so special. His family members were amazing and unique, he couldn't have been happier. Suddenly the smile vanished, as he realised he didn't exactly know where his family was right now.

The question he'd been given, indicated that the Professor indeed might want a nap before they'd set off for the search. Rising to his toes to catch two mugs from the cupboard, he put the tea bags in them and then, out of whim, wrapped his arms around the human waist for a quick hug. As he let go, he was smiling again, pleased that the Professor had given him a family and also a goal in life. He would not stop seeking until he would have his Mother and brother, or would at least know where they had gone to, if they had already left this planet.

"I'm not tired… but you are," He told while looking up at the human, still staying close after his childish hug. Turning around to study the various doors of the room, he asked, "Do you have a bedroom?" He didn't think the Professor slept on the couch. Kadaj would have no trouble sleeping on the couch because the fire was so relaxing and he was capable of sleeping anywhere if he was tired enough. Always curious, he was looking forward to being led through all those doors so he could see what was behind them.

Just like the Professor, Kadaj also disliked cold. His leather was super comfortable, almost like skin, so flexible it adapted to all his movements. The material could keep him warm in cold and relieve the heat if it was too warm. Still, he didn't like cold. "I can tell you a bedtime story," He smiled, not having any idea what kind of stories the Professor might like and not sure he'd be able to come up with something that was interesting for him.

Unused to surprise hugs, let alone normal hugs, Professor Hojo felt a twinge of heat rise to his face as the small creature's arms closed about his waist for a moment. He wasn't sure what the hug was for – he'd only been testing a theory. Though, he wasn't blind to the fact that it had certainly made the little remnant happy for a time. Odd child. One that seemed under the impression that he should sleep despite the fact that the child himself was full to bursting with energy. Odd, considerate child. Very considerate underneath it all.

Questioned about the bedroom, Hojo's mind turned to the sadly neglected room beyond a different door. Since he had been working almost ceaselessly and since the room possessed nothing of interest and was a walk away from the rooms that did, Hojo had been in it only once or twice. Most nights, he slept in whatever chair he'd been sitting in – usually towards early morning. Not so much sleep as passing out until he was woken either by the need to relieve himself or whenever a sudden thought crossed his mind in sleep.

The offer to be told stories amused him some. But he'd rather take tea first. Deciding that the pot had boiled for long enough when it had only really begun to reach boiling point, Hojo spoke simply. "I can show you it after tea... and I wouldn't mind hearing something from you." When he saw that the teabags were already in the mugs, he sniffed at one of them and figured it was fine. Tea was tea and he would gladly kill for some. As soon as he'd put the water in, he bent to give one of the mugs to Kadaj. "It's hot – don't burn yourself. You don't take sugar, do you?" He thought he might have some still.

Shaking his head firmly, the remnant told, "No, I want cream or milk. Sugar is only good with whip cream." Most children might like sugary, very sweet things, but sugar wasn't on Kadaj's favourites list. He preferred sweet, creamy things instead and only liked sugar when it went with cream or hot chocolate, or was disguised in some other way. Candy wasn't his thing and, surprisingly, he didn't like ice cream much either, but it could have been because it was so much like snow and he didn't like cold things. Sorbet he would like but only if it was really sour, made of lime or lemon fruit. Strange child, indeed, but he was no average child in any way. Picky, with strong opinions about most things.

The mug was a tiny bit hot too but Kadaj didn't mind. Most things he could tolerate out of sheer will, and yet he refused to place the mug on his lips just yet, not wanting to burn his sensitive tongue. Not waiting for milk or cream, the curious youth headed for a door, "Is it here?" It was like Hide and Seek, and the bedroom was hiding. He placed his fingers on the handle, but turned to look at the Professor over his shoulder, not wanting to go in before given permission. Kadaj wasn't very good at following any sort of rules, most times he would do exactly as he wanted to, but the man was being nice to him and Kadaj wanted to be accepted and liked so strongly that he would not piss the adult off if he knew how to avoid it.

Trying to imagine a bedroom, his imagination provided him with a picture of a huge room with a large bed with four posters and fine fabrics, loads of pillows of different colours. More like aristocratic than ordinary, the Professor could have just as well been a Prince based on the remnant's imagination.

Hojo pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes at what he was told. For one that could not possibly have been around for very long and seemed to have little idea of how to behave around people, Kadaj seemed to have very specific preferences. The scientist wondered if that was anything to do with Sephiroth. To be fair, it wasn't like he'd ever asked. Where Kadaj had encountered whip cream and sugar before, having the leisure to test them against and with one another, Hojo was sure he didn't know.

"Very well, I'll get you some milk." It was tinned, like everything, but kept separate from the rest. Due to the chilly nature of the region, milk kept rather well without having to be refrigerated. In an emergency, there was plenty of snow. Though, the Professor had not intended to stick around for very long so there wasn't an awful lot of anything that needed to be kept cold. He located it and turned back around from the cupboard. "Alright, how much of this- " Kadaj had moved again and was standing with his little paw on a door handle.

Turning his eyes toward the heavens for a second, the elder felt his patience slipping a little, but he couldn't allow himself to get angry or risk making the boy cry again. He placed his mug and the tin of milk down on the table and cleared a space for Kadaj by closing his notes up and stacking them. "Kadaj… That's a broom cupboard. Come over here and take your tea, please."

Sitting down without waiting for Kadaj to comply, the elder pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling very weary from all the increased activity. He was glad of the fact that he was no longer shaking. He felt better in that sense, but it only allowed the fatigue to creep up on him. That made him smile somewhat bitterly to himself and mutter. "Yare yare... tsukareta..." It was not often that he reverted to his native tongue, but it was all that came to mind and it gave him the leisure to complain about how tired he was without making Kadaj feel bad.

Pursing his lips at the prospect of having been about to enter a broom closet, the remnant calmly returned and sat down next to the Professor, blowing into his tea mug to get rid of the steam that kept indicating the contents were still too hot for him to consume. He didn't fail to notice how tired his companion seemed. Hearing the mutter in a foreign tongue, the remnant eyes widened slightly as he stared over the mug. In fact, he stared for quite a while before asking, "What language is that?" He had never realised Hojo might know a language he couldn't understand. Then again, he knew very little, and only now realised they didn't know each other very well at all. "Yare yare…" He tried to mutter, not sure it sounded even remotely the same when it came from his mouth.

The boy reached for the tin of milk, taking his sweet time to figure out how it was opened, and poured some of it in his tea, probably a little bit too much because the tea was now all white. He liked the colour and when he finally tasted it, it was delicious. Milky lemon taste – he liked it and hummed approvingly, narrowing his eyes as usual when he was very pleased, the green colour of his eyes becoming tiny slits. "I like it." He announced, running his eyes on the human facial features, again wondering if the dark, long hair was soft or coarse; studying the wrinkles on the forehead and underneath the eyes – wrinkles, which were so typical for humans – and idly wondered if his own skin would age like that.

For someone who wasn't an ordinary human, things like wrinkles were fascinating. Little things; like body hair, or what the skin felt like in comparison to his own. All the little things a human could possibly be made off. The only place on his body where Kadaj had any kind of hair was his head. From shoulders down he completely lacked any. He didn't have a single freckle or a mole, not even a belly button. Once he'd grow up, he'd learn a lot of other things he lacked, or had, that humans did or didn't have. Sipping some more of his tea, he was quite content to just sit and be because he knew they'd still get some rest before going outside. There was no use being impatient, but he hummed a little, possibly out of impatience, possibly because the tea tasted really soft on his tongue.

Practiced in the art of sipping hot tea, Hojo took a little from his mug after he'd adjusted his glasses back into place. As he did, he spotted the green eyes that peeked from beneath silver strands looking up at him. Clearly there was a question coming. When it did, the elder was a little surprised by it. He'd been speaking more or less on autopilot. "It's the language of Wutai. I'm from that region… originally. Don't mind me if I start to think out loud sometimes." He shrugged and took another sip of his tea. It had been a very long time since he'd last been to Wutai or anywhere near it, preferring to remain hidden in his laboratory. He listened as Kadaj tried to imitate him and found it mildly amusing to hear the syllables pronounced as though treading on ice that might crack.

The Professor raised an eyebrow at the sight of the remnant poking and pulling at the milk tin. He was sure that Kadaj would figure it out by himself but it still took a while. Such a while, in fact, that Hojo was just about ready to do it for him when the penny finally dropped and the top was pulled free. The older male nearly winced at the sheer amount of milk that was poured in. Might as well have heated milk up instead. Still, the boy seemed to like it and that was the main object of the exercise. "That's good then." Hojo smiled quite warmly for a moment before he remembered himself and his features straightened out again. Why was he smiling?

The aged scientist, a sociopath by all accounts, puzzled as to why he'd felt a smile form on his face. Generally speaking, he only smiled when he was feeling cocky, wanting to poke fun at or insult someone, or was on a roll with experiments. That was nearly all the time and at those times it was a sneer more than anything else. Rather, it had been until things had slowed down somewhat after Sephiroth's defeat. He'd become very bitter afterwards, bitter and resentful, though he still sneered at most things. With things slower than ever, almost at a standstill, his temper had not improved. Still, the arrival of this remnant was proving to be a step in the right direction at last. Maybe that was it, or maybe he just genuinely liked the company. He looked up from his reverie to study the boy only to find that he was the one being studied. Feeling just a mite on-the-spot for being stared at, that slight warmth crept to his face again, "What's on your mind, Kadaj?"

There were small marks where the glasses had been pressing the bridge of the nose before those glasses covered the marks again. The observant remnant eyes didn't miss anything, "I don't mind…" He muttered from behind his mug before taking another sip of the milky lemon contents. Having no idea what the Professor had said in Wutai, he tried his best not to get too curious, strongly believing he would learn a word or two if he heard it often enough. Hearing a strange language was pleasant. It was like a mystery, or a puzzle to be solved. Perhaps the man had muttered something about the tea, who knew. Where was Wutai anyway? Kadaj had never been there.

As a smile appeared on the human lips, Kadaj's lips curved too, as a reflex. He was happy if the Professor was happy, despite he wasn't certain why they both were smiling. The small smile stayed on his lips even after the scientist's was pushed away. Pleased by the tea, pleased by the moment, he kept humming while staring until the question brought him to a halt. Ever so gently his eyes moved from the glasses to meet the brown gaze, and his only reply was as honest as it could get, "Your wrinkles." Pointing his left index finger at the glasses because there were tiny lines underneath the brown eyes, he couldn't quite reach far enough to actually touch despite they weren't sitting far from each other.

Reaching out furiously, he gave up and stood up, leaning over to place a finger on the man's forehead, "There…" He pulled his finger away, in the fear of angering the adult. The same way a child would want to touch a dog but was afraid it might bite. "You have wrinkles," he explained and gave another smile, in an attempt to show he meant no harm. His eyes kept flicking over to the wrinkles on the forehead while he took another sip of the tea, trying to hide behind his mug because he could tell the man was getting uncomfortable from all the staring.

One day, Kadaj would become the leader of a very dangerous trio of brothers. Those who were born as leaders could easily come up with plans, no matter what the situation. And so Kadaj came up with the plot to get closer to the wrinkles. Humming innocently, he stood up again, shifted his feet until he was standing right next to the Professor then took the mug of tea from the human hands. "I'll help you," he told, and climbed to the human lap, sitting there like a Princess, both feet on one side, and wrapping one arm around the human neck to stay still. Smiling innocently, he looked at the human. From such close range, he could see everything there was to see in his face. "I'll be your personal assistant…" he explained, not even knowing where he'd learned such a word. Bringing the mug closer to the human lips, he encouraged, "Have some…" As if the human hadn't been perfectly capable of drinking the tea without Kadaj's help. His gaze kept travelling to the forehead, and very soon he dropped the question bomb, "Where do wrinkles come from?"

As soon as the answer came, the older man blinked once, as much as to say he was expecting that such a thing would be inevitable. That was another thing that he found perplexing about children. The fact that they stared was one thing, the fact that they were able to pick out small details that were generally overlooked by most adults was another. If someone like Rufus Shinra had marched in suddenly with a slight smudge on his otherwise pristine white clothing, not one adult would have dared say anything about it. Hojo would most likely have taken note of it and had a private laugh in his head or as soon as he was out of earshot... but this child, or indeed any child, would have drawn attention to it almost as soon as it was noticed. Fearlessness or just plain lack of grace, either way, the details were always brought to one's attention. And it was hardly ever funny until afterwards.

It was one thing to simply draw attention to it but quite another to point at it as well. If the Professor wasn't feeling on-the-spot before, he certainly was then as Kadaj's little finger pointed towards his face. The way the child strained as though to touch him and finally stood up to do just that only made the situation feel a bit more awkward. Hojo's eyes followed and blinked as a cool fingertip poked his forehead for a second and Kadaj beat a retreat. Yes. He had wrinkles. That was hardly the bulletin of the month. There was no need to very literally point them out. Keeping civil, he answered, "Indeed I do. I have had them for a while now." A snarky thought crossed his mind that he might develop some grey hairs at long last if Kadaj kept up such behaviour.

While unable to read children very well, as their minds flitted from one subject to the next without rhyme or reason, Hojo was fairly certain that he knew what was coming next. In a way, it was almost exactly like the very beginnings of a scientific process. Look at what it is you wish to study, identify it, let everyone else know what it is you're looking at, and then… He found that Kadaj was standing next to him offering assistance. That wasn't what he expected. No more did he expect that the child should take the mug from his hands. Curious as to where this new process was heading, he relinquished his mug and then tensed up immediately as the small creature climbed up to sit upon him, so very close to him.

The term 'personal assistant' sounded very off to the elder in that moment as a small remnant of Sephiroth gazed at him while perched atop him, offering him the tea he'd just been holding. Was he being mollycoddled on account of his age? He wasn't sure. Considering that Kadaj didn't know how old he was and considering that the child was completely unpredictable, he hadn't a notion. What he did know was that the child was oddly considerate in a way that children seemed to be for some unknown reason. He was tired, he needed the tea and he wasn't going to reject the offer, though he did place one of his own hands on the mug to guide it as he took another sip. Then the question popped and he narrowly avoided choking upon said tea. Not totally unpredictable after all, it would seem.

Once he'd ensured that none of the hot, lemon-infused liquid had gone the wrong way, he looked at Kadaj and tried to judge how much it was that the boy wanted to know. After a slight sigh, he gave up and started from the very basics. "Wrinkles appear when you get older. They're just creases in the skin from where you smile or frown a lot. Over time, the tissues that make up the human body gradually break down, so that's why."

A confused frown, wrinkles, appeared on the remnant's pale forehead, "Tissues break down?" He echoed with rising worry. It sounded terrible. Why would tissues break down? It must have been painful. No matter how incapable he was of feeling empathy, the idea of this man being in pain hurt him. He didn't like it one bit, "But… can't it be prevented? If you had something that would prevent the tissues from breaking down…" Pouting slightly because he imagined the elderly man had been enduring horrible pains, he forgot the mug and instead started stroking the warm human forehead with gentle fingertips, "Do they hurt?" as if he was caressing healing wounds instead of simple lines on the skin.

For a control freak like himself, the idea of aging was terrible; it was something that couldn't be controlled, something that constantly kept happening with time. And he wasn't very certain he understood time much because sometimes it went fast, sometimes it went slow. Like right now it felt like time was going both fast and slow, because he felt like they'd known each other forever, so comfortable he was sitting there, letting his feet hang in the air. At the same time, he knew it wasn't even dawn yet and they'd known each other less than a day.

The wrinkles looked much worse than how they felt beneath his fingers. The human skin felt fairly smooth and soft, pleasantly warm. As his fingers left the forehead, he remained staring, offering a little smile because he hadn't been pushed away yet. As he was sitting there, one arm wrapped around the human neck, he decided to secure his position and wrapped his fingers around the long hair in the man's back. Narrowing eyes slightly with happiness, he realised it was softer than he had imagined. It looked so coarse but it was very soft. Perhaps not as silky as his own hair, but soft nonetheless and he clutched the strands gently, making sure he wasn't pulling or causing any pain, simply touching out of curiosity.

"I don't like wrinkles," he finally said, now wide eyed again. He was sitting so close he could feel the Professor's chest rising and falling along with his breathing. He didn't think the wrinkles looked ugly, quite the contrary, he liked the human face. Without letting go of the ponytail, he took a hold of the mug with his right hand, not minding if the man wanted to hold it too as he again brought it closer to the human lips.

Hojo blinked again, in surprise this time. The remnant sounded very concerned for his well-being. Indeed, maybe his choice of words hadn't been the best but it was true. There wasn't really any better way of saying it. He shrugged slightly, "For those who are concerned about their appearances as they age, there are ways of making the wrinkles appear less severe but it doesn't actually do much. For the most part, it's all lies to sell products. And it's very expensive. In any case, even the treatments that work don't actually halt the process."

As he felt the lines of his brow being caressed by small fingertips, the elder felt mildly flattered. Well and good that Kadaj might try to smooth the skin out but it wouldn't work no matter how many times he tried. "It doesn't hurt so don't worry about it." When Kadaj ceased, Hojo lowered his gaze and was met with those bright eyes again and a small smile to match. Unbidden, the corners of his own mouth twitched. The adage of smiles being infectious sprang to mind and he nearly smiled a bit more at it.

It felt very peculiar to have a child sitting so close where it might have been shoved off at any other time. The Professor had been wary to do anything due to the presence of a very deadly weapon hanging from the boy's back. Now that he knew more of the child, he felt a little more at ease with him. Kadaj was a volatile being by nature, he thought. This was likely due to his association with Sephiroth and due to the fact that he was searching. Intelligent enough, but very naïve. Still only a child despite his being was a fragment of an adult. Driven by the simple instincts of a child. The scientist felt that he must be tired indeed if he was feeling sentimental.

As he felt his hair being grasped gently, Hojo flicked a quick glance over his shoulder. He didn't ask Kadaj to let go though. Something he couldn't quite put his finger on kept him from asking the child to move or get off him. He still wondered at what the next words out of the child's mouth would be and what would follow. It was his nature both to get engrossed in the very tiny details and to look ahead for the next thing he could pull apart or throw together to see if it made sense. As such, though he was relaxed a bit more, his senses were still on alert. However, the feeling of warmth of another living organism against him, he started feeling that fatigue creeping up in earnest. Kadaj's conclusion about the subject of wrinkles made him grin, "That's something we can both agree on." When the tea was 'offered' again, he accepted.

It was good to know that wrinkles weren't something painful and the worry vanished from the remnant's mind. That was when the first signs of his possessiveness came alive. The fact that he wanted to protect this human from harm wasn't out of good will but because he liked the adult and wanted to be able to protect him, shield him, decide things relating to him in one form or another. Kadaj wasn't scared of anything and as long as he admired the adult as much as right now, he would've gladly fought for him, jumped in front of any sword or bullet to keep him safe.

The hair was so soft and nice, the remnant's fingers kept kneading it, tangling in it and playing with it by twirling strands around his fingers. Idly, he wondered if the hair was ever set loose from the ponytail, perhaps when the man slept. And if he didn't, then perhaps Kadaj could release it while the man was sleeping. Watching the human lips as they curved into a smile, Kadaj responded to it with yet another smile before locking their gazes. He could tell the Professor didn't mind him having taken a seat there and it seemed as if the moment was somehow special, because the remnant had done exactly as he had pleased and not once had been told to get up or let go of the hair. The boy felt as if he was special and it made him so glad, he was nearly radiating with self-confidence about his own capability. As long as he felt special, he would worship the one who made him feel this way; like he was the apple of the man's eye. 

Even when the boy was very pleased and happy, he got restless quickly, remembering they would go look for Jenova soon. His Mother. The uncomfortable itch he often had had gone away for now completely, as if the Professor's presence soothed it, or possibly it remained away when he was being happy. Wiggling his bare toes with impatience, he looked at the Professor in the eyes through the glasses and asked, "Have you had enough tea? Can we go to bed now?" The sooner Hojo would fall asleep, the sooner he would also wake up, and the sooner they could go look for Jenova.

Placing the mug on the table as if the boy had already made the decision for both of them, he got up and started tugging a human arm determinedly. He still had no idea where the bedroom was and glanced around as if the bedroom would appear if he looked carefully enough. The boy had a good imagination and despite he hadn't yet decided what kind of stories he could possibly tell to make the adult amused and sleepy, he would think of something.

The Professor would have been perfectly content to prop his head on one arm and shut his eyes for the night. He would have been content to remain seated there with Kadaj still playing about with his hair. Indeed, that sense of feeling heavy and weightless at the same time that often precedes sleep was beginning to take hold. Still, he wasn't far gone enough to miss the deliberate look that Kadaj directed at him along with what nearly sounded like a demand to sleep. Before he could make any contribution, the child had put the near-empty mug on the table, placing it down with a very final-sounding tap.

He nearly felt like resisting the determined child that pulled insistently on his arm. What a turn of events that he should be the one following orders, even if they were framed as questions rather than direct commands. If he resisted however, he figured that Kadaj would just pull harder until he moved. As such, there was little point in arguing so he rose and pointed in the direction of travel – Out of the kitchen, down a small, narrow hall and towards the far end of the house. The room was not nearly as elaborate as Kadaj had imagined. Had Hojo known, he might have laughed in shock at the child's heightened imagination. As it was, the room was certainly smaller but a respectable size nonetheless. Not a four-poster, but a decent-sized double. Since the scientist slept irregularly, the room had been of very little use to him. There were no notes to be found in there, therefore there was no point in considering it.

The elder had gotten to the point where he would sleep like the dead if he assumed a horizontal position for more than a few seconds but it didn't stop him asking Kadaj a question since he had noticed that the child, by contrast, was very mobile and impatient-sounding. It puzzled him and he had visions of the child running amok, completely restless. If nothing else, he had learned that Kadaj would not sit still for very long. Rubbing at one of his eyes, Hojo asked "What'll you be up to? You don't look tired at all."

As soon as the man had gotten up and pointed the direction of the bedroom, the remnant paw located a warm human hand, entwining their fingers before pulling him along. As long as there was no order to stop, Kadaj walked through the rooms fearlessly, dragging Hojo with him all the way, until finally they had reached the door which revealed a bedroom.

Indeed, it wasn't like Kadaj had imagined, but he wasn't disappointed at all, merely curious. As they stood on the threshold and the light from the corridor painted their shadows on the floor (a child holding a man's hand), the green gaze took in the furniture, the bed and the closed curtains. It was dark in the room and it would get even more so once they would close the door to the corridor. It was impossible to tell if there was a bright moonlight behind the closed curtains or not.

Emitting a small 'mhmm' the youth released the human hand and stepped inside the room, rounding the bed and taking off his Souba, carefully placing it on an armchair nearby in case they'd fall under an attack during the night. As he climbed on the bed, boldly claiming one side of the bed as his, he lay down and hugged a pillow. It was really soft. He would most likely sleep wearing the leather because it was comfy now that he didn't have the Souba, boots or gloves. It might be nicer to sleep in the nude but it might be too cold for that.

Smiling while hugging the pillow, the reply came, "I'll tell you stories, and after that… I will protect you." A very small childish laugh was released, "I'll protect you the whole night while you sleep." The pillow was so soft, he might fall asleep too. He pulled a blanket over himself. It was very soft too and so warm that he might have to get rid of the black leather anyway. Beckoning with his little fingers, he ordered, "Come…"

The little remnant's grip was firm and broached no argument. Until Kadaj released him, the Professor was obligated to move forwards. Once he was released, the darkness of the room afforded his tired eyes a momentary relief. Enough to see how the child hopped eagerly up onto one side of the bed to get better acquainted with one of the pillows. More and more, the child's behaviour reminded Hojo of cats.

He was aware that Kadaj hadn't answered his question and was very charmed by what the child said he would do. It was very… the Professor searched for a word to describe it, "That's very nice of you." He had no doubt that anyone who would dare attempt to cross this child wouldn't last very long. They might even find their top halves severed from their bottom halves before they could so much as draw breath to beg for their lives. This thought had a perverse, cheering effect on the Professor as he removed his lab coat and loosened his tie to deposit nearby.

Hojo hesitated as to whether he ought to remove any more clothing. A part of him thought it wouldn't be decent with a child next to him. Another part just told him to lie down already. Distantly aware of the fact that a pair of green eyes were watching his every move, the elder removed his shoes last as he sat on his edge of the bed. Hojo did his best to do all of this at a respectable pace or risk being chewed out by the child that watched him. Drowsy, he lay down beneath the blanket and faced the ceiling. Were he alone, he would face towards the door automatically as though his mind lay beyond the door and on the notes in the other rooms. Since he was not alone, it would be rude to turn his back on his 'guest'. A guest that he was rather glad of as it turned out.

Kadaj had no clue about what was appropriate and what wasn't. He was far too undeveloped to understand about naked skin. Even when he'd failed to turn himself to mist and had revealed his naked body, he hadn't been the slightest ashamed of someone seeing him without clothing. He'd only been embarrassed for not succeeding in his attempt to show off his talents. The same way any child would rather spend their time running around without wearing pants and would throw a tantrum if someone tried to get them dressed, because clothes were restricting their freedom.

Thus, when he was watching the adult loosening his tie and stripping the lab coat, he was merely curious in his childish way and very observant – not a movement went missed. Once the man was securely on the bed, facing the ceiling, the little remnant monster smirked. Like a kitten which preferred body heat, he climbed on top of the adult, first straddling him and smirking with mischief, "Don't you have any clothes you wear at night?" The idea of having to sleep in trousers with a belt was shocking for someone who preferred freedom. He wasn't tired at all now that he was playing this game of keeping the man up for a moment longer, not giving him enough peace to fall asleep.

Figuring if they slept close to each other they'd survive the temperature of the room, he started playing with the belt, trying to loosen it, but it was quite difficult to get open. Once he managed, his smirk grew wider and he started unzipping the trousers right after unbuttoning the only button there was, proceeding to the buttons of the white shirt right after. The buttons of the shirt were easy and he unbuttoned them one by one, travelling up the body and closer to the human's neck. "Isn't it easier to sleep without clothes?" He asked while helping the tired man to get rid of the clothing as much as he was allowed to do so.

Though he probably should have expected that Kadaj would sit astride him or perform some similar activity, Hojo was still rather surprised by it. Surprised and yet much too tired to ask the child to get off him. He figured if he fell asleep, Kadaj would just climb up again. However, he did have some objections to his clothes being tampered with. Objections that came out very wearily. "Hey... What are you doing?"

More questions. The Professor couldn't handle any more questions this late. He wanted to sleep but the cheeky brat was on top of him and would keep him awake until he answered. In truth, he wore very little while he slept. In the recent past though, he'd generally slept in one form of his clothes or another – too tired to strip off until the next morning when he would change his shirt. By the time he'd sleepily mustered the will to take a firm grip on the waistline of his trousers, the deft little fingers had brought the assault almost to his collar.

Hojo nearly whined his answer. "It is easier... but that's not the point." Alright, alright. That was fair enough. The remnant did have a point there. He wouldn't have minded having his shirt off but he wasn't going to relinquish his grip on his trousers while he still had the presence of mind to do so. In the little light that was left in the room, he could dimly see that the remnant was smirking. The boy's curtain of silky hair fell about his face, hiding the eyes as the boy leaned over him.

The boy wasn't giving up easily despite the man did nothing to help him with his task. Wrapping an arm around the human neck to force the body up enough for Kadaj to be able to tug at the sleeve until the arm slid out from it, and repeating the procedure with the other sleeve, he was determinedly making progress until he was able to pull the whole shirt off with force – throwing it carelessly on the floor and releasing a small noise of victory. Kadaj could see quite well in the dark and took a moment to look at the naked torso.

Despite Hojo didn't have a very warm personality, his human body was still warm, almost hot as the remnant's palms rested on his lower stomach. Of course another childish truth had to come out from the pale lips, "Your chest isn't hairy…" It was impossible to say whether it was a good or a bad thing, most likely the sentence wasn't meant to carry an opinion of such a thing.

There was some hair under the man's bellybutton though, and carefully the remnant stroked it as if it had been an animal, his pet. It was only a few strokes before he stopped and looked up at the human face, "I don't have any hair here," He poked the hairs under the bellybutton, "I don't have a bellybutton either…" Despite he didn't have one, he did know what a bellybutton was but didn't know why humans had one. "Look…" he said and pulled the zipper of the black leather down to reveal his hairless chest and bellybuttonless stomach.

In all honesty, the Professor thought that Kadaj would give up after undoing the buttons, considering that he was lying in the shirt. That was an underestimation as he was more or less made to co-operate. When he was held up by his neck, he had to prop himself up to relieve the pressure. The leather the boy wore felt very supple, like a second skin. Not a wonder the boy had been cold as it didn't seem to be the type to insulate heat. Or maybe it did. He didn't know anymore – he was exhausted.

Once released, Hojo lay back again while keeping his attention on the child. He felt faintly embarrassed. At another time, he wouldn't have given much of a damn but this wasn't something he was used to at all. Little hands rested on his bare skin and it made him nervous as to what the child might try next. The next words out of Kadaj's mouth made him frown – more childish observations. "That it isn't." Wishing that he could have some peace, he felt small fingers caress him near his navel, followed by more observations, one of which caught his attention for a while.

"You don't...?" Dimly, Hojo remembered that Kadaj said he had been born from 'black water'. In other words, he was not a natural birth. That was a fairly obvious point though if one was a remnant of someone who was supposedly dead. The elder raised a hand to place on the pale chest that was revealed to him. In the dim light, he could hardly see but he could feel it. He felt smooth, soft skin beneath his palm. Probably flawlessly smooth. It felt nice to touch. Curious, the elder's fingers traced down and met only more smoothness. No bellybutton, as Kadaj had reported. Checking, Hojo slipped his fingers in under the leathers to one side. He felt a small hip by his fingers, smooth skin by his thumb. Indeed. No bellybutton. His mouth twitched in a small smile. "That's very interesting."

Pleased to receive attention, the remnant sat calmly still and tried to figure out what the Professor's expression said. He didn't look very surprised, then again perhaps his reactions were numbed by the fatigue and at least he seemed interested in the topic. As soon as the tiny smile was formed, Kadaj gave one back calmly. The human touch was warm and gentle and the cat-like eyes went shut for a moment. He felt accepted, complete and comfortable when touched like that. Opening his eyes to observe how the adult-size fingers were caressing his smooth skin, he felt a pleasant warm tingle following each touch. Who knew that someone who on the outside seemed so violent and angry was enjoying being touched just so, gently and approvingly. Letting out a small hum of being satisfied, he shrugged the garment off from his shoulders so it fell down to his waist. He was planning on abandoning the leather for tonight but was enjoying the touches too much to take the risk of moving.

Eventually risking it, he stood up and shrugged the leather down from his waist until he could step out of it and give it a kick so it landed on top of the Professor's shirt on the floor. The very naked, silver haired, magical creature crawled on top of the warm human body before pulling the covers so high that only part of his face and the silver hair was visible. That was because his face was located on top of the warm chest, and he didn't want the Professor to be cold so the blanket had to be pulled all the way up. It was very warm and nice there in that cocoon of human body heat and the blanket. He let out a tiny whimper because he wanted to be touched some more. Too bad he didn't have any more peculiarities to show. Well, he had one, but he didn't know about it just yet and perhaps it was better he didn't know and thus couldn't say it in a situation like this. After all, the Professor might have been a bit confused if the child had said he didn't have a gag reflex either. Knowing the child remnant, he probably would have wanted to show that too and would have forced the human fingers down his throat to prove the point.

Concentrating on the sweet human heartbeats, he wrapped his arms around the body as much as he could and closed his eyes with a sigh. It was very likely he would fall asleep there before any bedtime story was told.

The Professor had his doubts about allowing a child to share a bed with him while so scantily-clad. On the one hand, it didn't seem right to him but on the other it made sense. Sleeping in leathers, Kadaj was bound to overheat and he would need to remove them in order to remain comfortable. Something else bothered him as well. While Kadaj may look, act, sound and possess the qualities and mentality of a child, he was absolutely not just a child. Far from it. As such, having such a being that close, that physically close, continued to make the elder uneasy.

However, at that moment, Hojo's movements and thoughts were very sluggish. It took him several seconds longer than it should have for him to realise that Kadaj had stood up and stripped off entirely. By the time he'd gathered the wit to form a protest, the little creature had already lain down on top of him and covered itself up with the blanket. As awkward as it felt, it felt oddly soothing to feel another pulse against his own. If he'd had to presence of mind to do so, he might have made an observation about Kadaj resembling a cat aloud. As it was, he merely looked down at the sight of a small, silver-haired little head and felt the child's arms curl round him.

Absently, the elder raised a hand to touch at the silken strands again but didn't make it that far. Warm, strangely comfortable, completely spent, the Professor's eyes shut and he finally succumbed to sleep. The hand that was intended to stroke at the remnant's head came to rest along the boy's smooth bare back instead.

The sweet song of the human heart travelled throughout the little remnant body, wave after wave of warmth speeding from his muscles to his bones. In no time, his own heartbeats had taken the same rhythm, as if his pulse was just an echo of another's. Right that moment, he felt complete, forgetting who he was because he had become a part of something bigger, like they had been just one entity, one heart, one body. The soothing breathing of the sleeping adult, the way his chest was rising and falling ever so gently, was like an invitation. Unable to resist, especially when that protective arm around him was keeping him safe, the boy fell asleep too.

A restless mind, like his, was often busy – even while he was sleeping. The dreams came and went, ones of Jenova, others of Sephiroth, and the rest about the Professor. Bits and pieces of reality mixed with surreal things. As he suddenly woke up and cracked his eyes open lazily, the remains of the last dream were still blurring in his mind. They'd been on a field, it had been sunny and warm and Kadaj had been naked while blowing huge bubbles. The magical liquid, from which the bubbles were blown, had been made by the Professor, who had been sitting under a lemon tree. The man had been complaining about the heat and the sun but was smiling because Kadaj was laughing when the bubbles were larger than the boy. The remnant had just asked if he could go inside the bubble to fly when the dream had shattered and he'd woken up.

Too lazy to keep his eyes open, they kept going shut while he rested in the comfortable warmth and safety, still securely spread all over the human body. It felt so good that he didn't want the morning to come at all and didn't want to go outside to the cold weather now that he felt perfect right here. It was still dark, so he believed they'd only been sleeping for an hour or two and he remained still, not wanting to move an inch or to disturb the Professor's sleep. 


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 The Morning

Tired as he was, the Professor dreamed little, if at all. Accustomed to passing out rather than lying down, it was rare that he remembered any visions that chose to visit him while he slept. If he ever had dreams, they usually slipped away before they could be remembered and left only fleeting impressions in his mind. Compared to a child, the adult was rather like a computer that shut itself down to resume some hours later. On this occasion, he was visited by very fleeting glimpses that were more like fragments of memories rather than dreams. They felt familiar but were glimpsed as if through a fog and he could grasp none of them before they had faded.

Still straining to grasp what they were, on the verge of understanding, the scientist opened his eyes and the fragments scattered like leaves in a sudden gust. There was a moment where Hojo felt very mildly disappointed and annoyed, just as one would when they have been interrupted. However, those feelings dissipated as soon as he found himself staring at the ceiling of the bedroom and his mind did a recap of the events that had led him there. Not moving a muscle, the brown eyes blinked once and had moved to look downwards upon opening again. Sure enough, in the early morning gloom, he spied the silver hair of Kadaj and sighed. He was glad it wasn't a dream.

The child's arms were still around him and the elder wondered whether he ought to move or not. The prospect of finding Jenova compelled him to move even if the thought of travelling through snow and ice to find her made him wish he didn't have to. The sooner they started the journey, the better their chances of reaching the crater and locating what it was that they sought before it became dark again. Hojo's fingers moved slightly as he grew aware that he had fallen asleep with one hand rested against the boy's bare skin. Unaware if Kadaj was awake or not, he moved his hand upwards to stroke at the sleek, silken strands of hair. Perhaps it would wake him.

Through that drowsy, slumbering state, Kadaj felt each move Hojo made. When the touch landed in his hair, the cat-like eyes flew open and so easily the childish energy was unleashed again, like from a bottle. Lifting his head to peek at the human face, he whispered, "Are you still sleeping?" He could see the Professor's eyes were open, but asked anyway.

Stretching, his slender arms were raised on each side of the man's face before he crawled up to place his elbows on each side of the dark haired head to look down at the Professor. To his horror, he realised the man had slept the glasses on. So he started prying them off, putting them on his own nose, but they fell because they were too big. Placing them back to their original place, he gave a small smile, just staring the man in the eyes, his silver hair was hanging loose and the edges caressed the human skin, so close they were.

Feeling a childish, possessive joy at having the man under him and being granted his undivided attention, he asked, "Do you want to go outside right away? Or do you want breakfast first?" He was so bossy, controlling and keen on knowing the details of the next few hours that he was bound to ask questions, perhaps even order the man to do things his way. There might not come an ending to the amount of questions, "What are you going to wear? You need a warm jacket. Do you want to take a shower first?" As excited as he was about the idea of finding his Mother, he was really content right there and made no move to get up yet. He simply stared at the human, wearing a smirk.

The suddenness with which Kadaj reacted startled the older man somewhat. It would seem that Kadaj had awake for some time already. Merely lazing on top of him until he woke up. The question confused him a little, since the boy could plainly see that he was awake. Probably an automatic question, "No, I'm awake."

Small limbs poked the elder a little and he let out a small grunt as Kadaj adjusted his position and brought his youthful, mischievous face closer to his own. Staring straight up at the green eyes, Hojo realised just as soon as the remnant's fingers began to fiddle with his glasses that he'd kept them on during the night. That was annoying but on the bright side, they weren't bent. He squinted as Kadaj took them and tried them on before they were put back. Though they were placed back correctly, Hojo reached to straighten them by habit, his brow creasing as he did so.

No sooner had that small task been accomplished than he was assaulted by a torrent of questions. "Ugh..." It was too early for that amount of questions. Much as he felt he should get up and answer some of them, he would rather just close his eyes again and ignore them, for he would only have begun to answer half of them when more would be sure to follow. Pinned beneath the small, naked form of Kadaj, who was once again bursting with energy, Hojo felt weary by comparison. "We'll eat something and talk then. Um… Would you mind letting me up?"

The man hadn't just slept his glasses on - Kadaj had forgotten his plan about freeing the dark hair from the ponytail, so it was still in place as well, and the remnant's lips pursed slightly because now he might never get a chance to see it open. The smirk on his lips turned mischievous at the only question he got in return. Nearly purring with a tease, he replied, "Yes, I would mind." Whenever he was feeling mischievous, a glimmer of excitement was visible in the absinth green of his eyes. Not making any move to let his prey go just yet, his tiny fingers raced in the dark hair, catching the ribbon and pulling it off as gently as he could. When the ribbon was safely around his own wrist, he placed his hand on the human chin to tilt the man's head, granting the boy more room to comb the long hair with his fingers. "Mmmh," he hummed, "Your hair is really soft…" It was very soft, and very long, and he curled his fingers on the strands. "Why do you keep your hair tied like that?" he asked, then took the ribbon and tried to put his own hair in a ponytail. His hair was so short that it became a silver fountain on top of his head, most of the strands escaping their leash and falling back to frame his face.

Now that he had tortured his poor victim for a moment, he gave another smirk before slowly getting up and hopping down from the bed to get dressed, his hair still in that silly ponytail. "What are we having for breakfast?" He kept throwing more questions while pulling his zipper up and fetching the Souba from where it had been left on the armchair previous night. When he was ready to go for the said breakfast, he leaned on the doorframe and would be observing each second when the older male would get dressed.

Finding that his request had been denied, Hojo frowned. It didn't sound like a threat, but it still caused a faint tingle of worry to pass through him as Kadaj's smirk widened. It was hard to miss that deliberate look in the emerald eyes that stared down at him and seemed to seek some new mischievous havoc to wreak. As before, Hojo felt small fingers teasing at his hair and his gaze flicked to one side as though straining to see what was being done. He didn't get much further than that before he felt the length of his hair being released. He took the compliment but was still a bit put out that he hadn't been asked to let it down. In truth though, he would have refused to let it down. He kept his gaze directed back to where he felt Kadaj stroking the dark length of his hair, still wary of what the unpredictable child might do. "Thank you. I keep it tied back so that it stays out of the way while I work." There was nothing more annoying than having one's hair falling about their shoulders while they sat hunched over paperwork, lab-work or indeed any work. How a certain Turk managed, the Professor didn't know.

He had to watch as his hair ribbon was taken and used to attempt to tie Kadaj's hair up in some form of ridiculous-looking top-knot. What made it look worse was the fact that the majority of hair escaped. He averted his gaze while Kadaj moved to release him and get dressed but he wasn't pleased that his hair ribbon was escaping in the process. As the tiny boy stood in the doorway to watch him, Hojo sat up and rolled his eyes as the shorter strands of his hair fell about his face and over his eyes. No matter what he did to tie them back, those shorter hairs always ended up in his eyes. It seemed to have gotten worse as he'd gotten older. Brushing them back regardless, he raised an eyebrow at the green-eyed scamp that waited for him. "I guess I could throw milk on some oats or something." He extended a hand, not expecting that he would be obeyed but doing so nonetheless. "Would you give that back to me, please?"

Observing carefully, the remnant was pleased now that the dark hair was loose, it looked nice. He wasn't very surprised that the man wanted his property back. Milk and oats? Hmm, he had never tasted that, but he would give it a try if it was something the Professor liked in the mornings. And he would like something hot to drink, because it felt cold now that he had been forced to leave the cocoon of human warmth.

Kadaj hid his hands behind his back and shifted his weight from one foot to another, then back, swaying as he contemplated his answer. "Hmm..?" he hummed, then took slow, cat-like steps over to the seated male, halting right in front of him but keeping his hands behind his back as if he had no plan to take the ribbon from the silver silk hair. "Do you want it back?" His head tilted as he locked their eyes, the mischievous glimmer shining bright from his insane cat-like orbs as he leaned closer to the adult face, "You can have it…" but in seconds he had turned in a quick swift and was heading towards the door, "If you catch me!" Bursting into insane laughter, the young remnant escaped the room and ran all the way behind the couch, waiting to be chased. 

As Kadaj padded over to him with measured movements and stood looking up at him with a very suspicious stance and expression to match, Hojo narrowed his eyes. He didn't like the tone that was being used to address him. It was dripping with false sweetness as it virtually screamed of more mischief. The Professor began by reaching tentatively for the ribbon and had to turn it into a swipe as Kadaj's eyes widened minutely with mockery before he turned and danced out of reach. Needless to say, Hojo missed and he was left glaring as the remnant made good his escape.

Never one to back down from a challenge, the elder sprang forward after the little brat to apprehend him, pausing only to adjust his belt for fear the tiny monster would catch him with his pants literally down. He stopped at the end of the corridor and scanned the main room. The fire had long since crumbled to ash and it was quite chilly once more. The scientist barely felt it as he hissed. "Where are you, Kadaj..?" From here he stood, he couldn't see the small child unless it made a move. Slowly looking about, he stepped forward and spotted that ridiculous tuft of hair peeking from behind the couch. Growling, he started forward. "There you are! Give that back to me!"

Kadaj loved games and his heart was beating rapidly with adrenaline as he waited, every cell in his body was prepared for a fight. He hadn't even noticed the fire had gone out while they'd been sleeping. His tiny head was peeking from behind the couch to see when the adult appeared. The little remnant was like a rabbit. He stood absolutely still behind the couch until the Professor started chasing him. Releasing a scream of excitement, he started running again, the scream turning into laughter because he was so fast the man would never catch him unless he let him do that. Speeding like ray of light, he ran by the desk and hid underneath it, imagining the adult hadn't noticed. Holding his breath, he pulled his knees close to his chest. He didn't like cheating and wouldn't turn into mist in a situation that wasn't really threatening at all. It didn't even cross his mind that the man might actually be angry with him.

Again, Hojo had to nearly lunge forward to catch what he sought and again he missed. It was maddening having to watch as a small blur made its way past him, emitting piercing shrieks of laughter. Though his head turned to follow the boy, his hair followed at a slower pace and ended up in his face. The Professor lost sight of the child once more. Thoroughly riled, he tossed his head like some angry horse to get it out of the way long enough to try and locate Kadaj. Keeping low, he scanned the length of the room as he stalked through it again and quite failed to notice the boy until he was right on top of him. Once he did, he made another grab for him, "Got you!"

The waiting remnant could hear every step the human made and as the steps neared the desk, he watched the feet approach, imagining he was invisible and impossible to catch. As soon as he was caught, he released a yelp of excitement and only wondered for a second if he should let the man drag him from his hide, but then decided otherwise and instead willingly crawled out from his nest. Looking up at the adult, he smiled and climbed on the table to jump; wrapping all his limbs around the human, feet around his back and arms around his neck. The monkey remnant was pleased and grinned sweetly now that he was again so close to the human face. He could feel the Professor's breathing as he stared into the brown eyes through the silly glasses. "You can have it…" His clinging became an embrace as he hugged the man, burying his face on the warm human neck and muttering, "Do you like oats and milk? Is it good? I've never tasted it…"

Though he was still fairly riled, the elder was also triumphant that he'd managed to catch the little rotter and avoid a lengthy chase all over the house. That triumph had formed his features into a near-savage grin as opposed to a glare as Kadaj emerged and stood smiling up at him. A twinge of doubt crossed the adult's mind as the child crawled up onto the table. What was the boy up to now? No sooner had that thought crossed his mind than the little thing had launched itself at him. If Kadaj had been heavier, Hojo might have staggered. As it was, the elder flinched and took a step backwards to compensate for the extra weight, even as his arms caught the child automatically as though he'd been tossed a ball or a bag or indeed anything. With the child's small limbs latched around him, faced with those green eyes and that sweet little smile, though he had started off angry, the Professor bit back whatever snide rebukes he'd been thinking of throwing. If he did such a thing, Kadaj would cry and then where would they be?

Once allowed to reclaim what was rightfully his, Hojo plucked it from the top of Kadaj's head. What little hair had been bound up in it fell away and settled down instantly to frame the boy's face again. "Thank you..." he muttered. He had to sit down on the arm of the couch to free his arms enough to tie his hair back once more. With the child propped up in his lap, warm gusts of breath caressing the exposed flesh of his neck, Hojo simmered down and bound his hair back into its usual ponytail, albeit with a few strands still coming free here and there. They would have to do until he could sort them out properly. "It's quite bland but it's easy to prepare and gives you plenty of energy. I guess you'll need something to sweeten yours up…" Feeling a slight shiver run along his spine from a cold draught, Hojo sighed to himself. "I still need to get dressed."

"You're welcome." Kadaj muttered happily, as if it hadn't been the Professor's property at all; and the remnant had given him a gift. It was so that Kadaj was much happier when he got to cling to the human. The closer they were, the less anxious he felt and his restless energy was pure happiness, instead of being that grumpy, constantly unsatisfied type. In fact, he might just cling there until they reached the Cave where his Mother and Sephiroth would be. It was odd how he hadn't seen those silver heads when he had been standing on the shore of the black puddle. Perhaps it had been a different cave after all, or perhaps Mother and Sephiroth had decided it was too cold and had gone to find some nice place, a place like this, a place with a fireplace and food. "You can get dressed…" The boss remnant gave his permission and simply tightened his hold around the human neck. To him it didn't matter if they were sitting on the arm of the couch, or if they were walking, he wasn't about to let go.

Now that Kadaj's hair had returned to its usual silky curtains around his face, the boy clutched the dark hair which had been tied again, twirling the strands around his fingers. Looking the adult in the face, he just smiled, happy to have been caught and pleased that the man had played with him. The loose strands of darkness here and there around the human face - the ones that had kept coming to Hojo's way and which he kept brushing out of sight desperately - caught his attention, and the remnant fingers started caressing them, keeping a close eye on the Professor's expression. He would stop if it annoyed him. His lips pursed slightly as he petted the soft hair, a sudden confession escaped his mouth with a barely audible voice, "I like you."

Well, that was a lie. He just didn't know what the feeling was when in fact he had become very addicted to receiving attention and was blinded by the belief that he was the centre of the universe for the Professor. The remnant would remain pleased and happy as long as the man obeyed his childish demands and as long as he was given attention.

Having expected to be released from the remnant's hold, Hojo was confused as the arms did not loosen but tightened instead. "Uh…" It was going to be very difficult for him to put on a shirt if the urchin was clinging to him. He wondered at what would happen if he locked the door while he got changed. Possibly the boy would either batter the door down or pour silently through like mist and stare at him some more. The very idea was giving the Professor the creeps as he did like to have some measure of privacy.

The next quiet words from Kadaj's mouth really did make the elder blush. The way it was said and the simplicity of the words chosen to say it made him feel incredibly awkward as he became all-too-aware of the child's limbs that still held him firm, the small fingers that teased his hair and the fact that there was a pair of green eyes less than a foot from his own. He fairly choked out his response, sounding very defensive and unable to meet Kadaj's eyes anymore. "You're crazy - nobody likes me!" Wanting nothing more than a moment to himself to get past this sudden, humiliating feeling of embarrassment, Hojo felt like bolting to a different room. Not exactly possible to save face if the one you wanted to hide from was still holding onto you. "Could you please let go of me? I really need to get dressed." He was inwardly cursing himself as he felt his face turning quite red.

The pursing of the remnant's lips turned into a defensive pout and a small frown appeared on his forehead, "I'm not crazy!" The red colour that took over the pale cheeks didn't go unnoticed by the sharp green eyes, but he couldn't understand the reason why the man blushed and thus ignored the whole thing. Feeling angry at being rejected instead of being cuddled to the next century, the child released his hold, sliding down the human body until his bare feet were securely on the floor. Letting go of the adult and turning in a quick swift, he marched angrily over to the couch and slid his boots on, then sat on the couch, crossing his arms over his chest and sulking.

Kadaj could have lit the fireplace, but was suddenly very keen on leaving to find his family who would want him, who would cradle him and take care of him. While seated and angrily staring at the toes of his boots, he wondered if he should leave alone – maybe just walk out when the Professor would go get dressed. He would probably remember which direction he had come from, and despite the cave was far away, he had to be able to get there since he had already walked from there to the house on the previous day. Considering his options, he kept sulking.

Though glad that he was let go again, Hojo couldn't fail to notice that he'd offended Kadaj and made him quite angry. Keeping a careful watch in case a tantrum was thrown, Hojo noted the mannerisms that the boy employed as he practically stomped off and flounced onto the couch - the very image of a sulky, spoiled brat who'd been denied something or told off. The Professor couldn't get his head around this child and doubted that he ever really would. The fact that the boy had become so sulky so quickly after a fairly simple request was irritating him. He figured he had a right to say whatever he wished, particularly after having been made to run around after his own hair ribbon. All the same, he was the adult and it was his duty to set an example. Still embarrassed but resenting the fact that he had to apologise regardless, Hojo muttered over his shoulder. "It's just an expression… Sorry."

His piece said, feeling a chill creeping into his flesh in earnest, the elder had to stand and shuffle off back to where his clothing was located. Before he closed the door behind him, he called back to the little figure that sat pouting in the couch in a tone of resignation. "I'll make you some food in a few minutes." He didn't expect to be answered, so he shut the door and groaned at his luck. Barely awake twenty minutes and he'd been made to chase a tiny demon around and apologise for defending himself. "Hmph. If I didn't know better, I'd swear I was becoming a pushover." Haughty and arrogant, he blandly refused to accept such a notion and rifled through the few belongings he'd brought for a fresh set of clothing.

Determinedly, the remnant kept sulking, his lips pursing even more as the tiny apology carried to his ears. Indeed, a spoiled brat. But the apology and the promise of food were enough to keep him on the couch and stopped him from leaving, even though he hadn't quite abandoned that plan yet. Would the man miss him if he left? Possibly not. The thought depressed him so much that he was close to tears. He was all alone in the world, his big brother and Mother were out of sight and there was no certainty he'd ever find them. No-one would take care of him. Covering his face with his small palms, he sniffed. The apology had washed off most of the anger and left him with this unbearable sadness, solitude and hopelessness.

And so he decided not to ever get attached to anyone again. He would have to take care of himself and would have to survive all on his own. Sephiroth's insanity was rushing in his blood, soothing him with promises of strength, his mind filling in no time with ideas of how strong he was, how he was stronger than humans, he was unique and once he'd find Mother, everything would become perfect. Mother would love him and together they'd be happy. The tears dried fast and he dropped his palms on his lap, staring at the ashes in the fireplace with an empty expression. For an outsider, such mood changes might have seemed peculiar, but to him it was normal. That was exactly what his life would be like for years to come.

It didn't take the Professor very long to change for quite a few reasons. The first being that the faster he did, the less time he would have to worry about the chill air getting to him. The second being due to the fact that he was already half-stripped. The third was because he was suspicious of the silence beyond the door. Considering how quick the remnant was to anger and how restless he was, any silence could not be good news. Hojo kept throwing furtive glances toward the door, as though expecting it to open and wondered why he even cared. In all honesty, he wasn't sure why he would. Kadaj possessed all of the qualities of a child that the elder disliked and was intimidating to boot.

After throwing his coat back on, a habit of years as well as a necessity to keep out the cold, Hojo carefully opened the door and found the corridor empty. Fair enough, that was good. Making his way back to where he'd left Kadaj, Hojo didn't believe that he would find the child still there but he was. Sitting almost exactly as he'd been left but no longer sulking. Indeed, the small shoulders had dropped and the slender arms were no longer crossed. Even from where he stood, he could see that the boy's head had dipped significantly, hiding the child's face behind a curtain of silver hair. Kadaj looked very dejected and that just brought another form of awkwardness back. Still, one couldn't stand like a lemon while someone else appeared to be crying. Averting his gaze, looking anywhere but at Kadaj, the Professor asked quietly. "Are you crying?"

As soon as the human steps neared the room, the remnant determinedly ignored his presence. He wanted to give a reply to the question, he wanted to snap 'no', but didn't trust his voice not to quiver and instead pretended not to hear the question at all. In fact, he proudly turned his head away a little and even while keeping his gaze on the floor, his chin rose slightly with defiance. Crossing his arms protectively over his chest once more, as if that could somehow shield him from the offensive human presence, he answered after all, "No." It came out with such determination, there was no doubt that he would never admit he'd cried.

Kadaj concentrated very hard on ignoring the Professor, to show that he didn't care the slightest about anything relating to him. Maybe he should have remained silent and pretended to be deaf and mute. Secretly, deep down it made him feel a little better that the man had asked about his crying since any question was attention, any question meant interest. The last thing Kadaj wanted was to be ignored or to be meaningless to someone he had felt such intense feelings of attachment for. He was a tiny bit hungry, but would never ask for anything again. So rejected he felt. But at least he hadn't started throwing stuff and hadn't screamed cruel things in an attempt to hurt.

Hearing a negative reply, Hojo looked round and examined the stance that Kadaj had adopted. Something about the very deliberate tone of the child's voice made the elder _know_ the child was lying and had indeed been crying - but he knew better than to challenge the answer which was pushed at him. As little as he knew about children, Hojo had known many childish adults and their habits. He could give as good as he got when it came to the silent treatment - better in fact. However, he was apprehensive about pulling such a trick around an unpredictable creature like Kadaj. The boy might fly off the handle if he was ignored for too long.

"Good." That single word said, Hojo went straight to do as he'd promised and fix some food. The sooner they had it in them, the sooner they could get back on their way to finding Jenova. Then... then they'd just have to wait and see. Trying not to let his mind wander back to the small figure he'd left alone on the couch, the elder set about tipping oats from a small bag into a little pot and draining another tin of milk into it. As it heated upon the stove, he saw that the mugs were still out on the table from the night before. Strange little creature. Angry one moment, caring the next, sulky after. Very strange. Try as he might, Hojo kept finding his gaze travelling to the door and wondering at what Kadaj could be thinking as he sat beyond. The word 'crazy' was thrown around a lot - it was just a word.

At first, Kadaj was disappointed for not receiving more attention, his mood dropping lower when the human footsteps went further away. Soon, he sighed and let his arms relax, feeling passive and numb because trying to remain angry for a long time was tiring, and laid himself down on the couch, studying his fingertips while thinking. As soon as the smell of the cooking oats reached his nose, his stomach started making noises like there was an angry monster trapped somewhere beneath his ribcage. For some reason, he didn't expect the breakfast to be delectable, but he would eat anything when he was hungry enough. He closed his eyes, curling onto a ball on the couch, like a hedgehog, but as he tried to imagine what his mother looked like, silly thoughts were distracting him. For example, he wanted to know if the Professor would wear a blue tie and what he would be wearing when they headed outside. That also made him wonder if the leather would be warm enough for a longer period of time spent outside. He had survived the day before but if he could choose, he might want to wear something else as well.

If he were to remain on the couch, the Professor might get impatient and angry with him, so with a sigh he got up and went to take a seat at the table, still pouting and staring at the table to avoid looking anywhere near the direction of where the adult was. The mere idea of the human getting upset with him was enough to bring another set of tears to the corners of his eyes, and he got so stressed out that he started biting his fingernails while waiting. His feelings were bouncing around and he couldn't put two and two together. They would only bounce this much when he cared for someone.

The oats and milk had thickened to the point that it could be safely called porridge by the time a small, silver-haired little boy was seen entering quietly and hopping up on a chair. Hojo nearly rolled his eyes at the way the child seemed to avoid him with every step he took and the way the head remained dipped. Those bright, green eyes were hidden behind silver so the Professor could not see the expression they wore. With the two of them keeping silent, the atmosphere was tense and quite uncomfortable. All was silent but for a certain, distinct sound that could only have come from a hungry child's tummy.

Finding faint amusement in that allowed the Professor to break the awkward silence at last as he split the porridge evenly between two bowls. "If you don't like this as it is, I'll find something to put on it." Saying nothing else, he placed one of the bowls down in front of Kadaj, a spoon already in it, before he seated himself at the table and waited for the verdict. He pretended to be more interested in his bowl than the little creature nearby, but kept a watch out of the corner of his eye.

As the bowl landed in Kadaj's vision, he looked at the steam rising from the porridge and stared at it for a while. Despite the growling and grumbling of his leather covered stomach, he didn't feel like eating and when he finally grabbed the spoon, he twirled it in the porridge. He was still pouting, drawing circles in the porridge with the spoon. From the very corner of his eye he tried to look at the Professor but failed and refrained from actually taking a look, instead taking a tiny bit of the white stuff on the spoon and bringing it to his lips. Blowing onto the spoon with the last remains of his anger and grudge, he figured it wasn't too hot anymore and tasted it carefully, sucking the tip of the spoon. Instantly, he scrunched his nose and dropped the spoon back into the bowl, raising his chin and declaring, "I don't like it." He didn't like it because the Professor had rejected him, thus he would not like the Professor anymore and wouldn't like anything he did. "I want cream in it." Kadaj would like the porridge as soon as the human was reduced to being his pet or servant.

Such a ceremony before taking so much as a small nibble. Plainly, Kadaj was still quite disgruntled and was determined to show it with every gesture he made. Hojo watched covertly as the boy played with the creamy mixture rather than ate it before finally deigning to try it. When the spoon hit the edge of the bowl with a loud clatter, Hojo loosed a sigh. That was fine – he hadn't really thought that Kadaj would like it right away. What wasn't fine was the demanding tone that was being used to address him.

Biting back his annoyance, straining to remain adult, Hojo attempted to lighten the tone a little as he rose from his place to fetch cream, if indeed there was any. "It is a bit bland, isn't it? Let me see..." Tins of milk there were some. Cream was something else and there was none. Hojo felt that such an item was hardly necessary as milk did the exact same job. Keeping civil, he still went through the process of checking before making his report. "I fear there is none. Will milk do instead?"

Wanting to say 'no' to everything the Professor said, Kadaj remained silent because he knew he wouldn't eat the porridge without milk. He simply refused to agree on anything the man suggested. Pursing his lips like a food critic, he lifted his chin higher, making another demand because it pleased him when the adult had to do something for him, "I want sugar on it." At least they had to have sugar since Hojo had asked about sugar when they had tea. And now that he had given another demand, he might just accept the milk, "And I want the milk… and some tea." He was still avoiding looking at the man but had to take a small glance to see if he was obeying the orders.

Hojo narrowed his eyes at Kadaj and breathed deeply to keep himself from growing even more annoyed. Oh yes – he wasn't going to be let off lightly. Still, there was no cause for rudeness. Thank goodness he hadn't been given a demand that he was unable to fulfil. Little brat would have probably thrown a full-blown tantrum for sure. Offering a false smile that only lasted as long as the curt nod he gave; the Professor resigned himself to doing as Kadaj demanded – determined not to lose his composure, but struggling to maintain it in the wake of childish demanding.  
>The milk and sugar were quickly located and placed down in front of the little remnant before the Professor turned away to see about the tea. He hesitated and plucked the lemon-infusions down again. "Same again, yes?"<p>

He had seen the smile, oh yes, but ignored it because he didn't trust it. "Yes," The remnant replied with determination, still with his chin held high as he started pouring the milk and sugar onto his porridge. Twirling his spoon in the even whiter mass, he was slowly starting to feel better now that the human was obeying him. After all, the Professor had to like him a little bit otherwise he wouldn't bother to go through all the trouble of pleasing the boy. Tasting the porridge and munching it, he liked it now and started eating in earnest. It didn't take long to empty the whole bowl and he waited for the tea, tapping his fingertips against the table impatiently.

While it was good to know that Kadaj had eaten, it was maddening to hear the tapping sound as the small fingers drummed the table while he waited for water to heat. Tiny things like that tended to get on Hojo's nerves if he was in a mood. Since a watched kettle never boiled, he had to turn his attention elsewhere, seeking a distraction. He frowned as he looked out the window. It had gotten lighter but it was hard to tell what the weather was like. Tap, tap, tap. Though the child's fingers were small, the room was quiet and the sound rang through clear as a bell. The seconds ticked past slowly. It was so _annoying_. After clearing his throat, the Professor looked at the small hand that beat against the table. "Would you mind stopping that? The tea will be ready when it's ready."

The now bored child was also gazing out of the window. He didn't really care if it was snowing or shining, it would be cold either way. His sharp senses informed him of the way he was being looked at. Pleased by the attention, he ignored the Professor's request at first. Turning his head so he could actually look at the human and see the tension growing tighter on his temples, he brought his fingers to a sudden halt. "And what will you do if… I don't stop?" Would the man grab his arm like he had when Kadaj had stuffed the papers in the fireplace? Would he take a knife and try to cut the fingers off? He was very curious, but right now he didn't want to see the adult angry and thus clenched his fingers to a fist. He wouldn't have minded if the man grabbed him, as long as there was no shouting and no weapons. Pursing his lips again and tilting his head, he regarded Hojo and wondered if their friendship had come to an end.

The elder did not like what the child was insinuating at all. It was as though Kadaj was taunting him, daring him to become violent. Had Kadaj been someone else, the scientist might indeed have become violent and swiftly and decisively made him regret crossing him. But the child was not someone else. The child was Kadaj and, disgruntled as he was, he couldn't raise a hand against him. A very small portion of it was fear that the sword would be drawn again but most of it was something else. Something he didn't really care to admit as it would lower his guard and make him seem weaker than he was. Hojo was a proud creature who didn't appreciate seeming any less than he was. Still, he sighed and looked at the tiny fist on the table. "Nothing, Kadaj. Not a thing." He felt very defeated. But he couldn't raise a hand against someone who had seen fit to guard him while he slept.

The Professor wasn't the only proud creature in the room. Hearing the sigh, Kadaj felt as if the adult had come to the borderline of his patience. Not wanting to push him over the edge, the boy remained silent and dropped the clenched fist in his lap, just to draw it away from the Professor's gaze in case just seeing Kadaj's hand would cause him to explode. Trying to be quiet and harmless, he directed the green eyes back to the window. He wanted to go get his gloves from the desk but didn't dare to, as if he was a bunny and there was a hawk watching him, something that would attack him if he dared to move. It most likely would have been a verbal attack, but Kadaj didn't want any of that. He could hear the water boiling, probably flowing over the edges already, but he said nothing. The remnant didn't necessarily even want the tea, the only reason he had wanted it was to boss the human around, but now that game was no fun anymore.

Staring hard at the form of the little remnant, the Professor saw how Kadaj became very still and wondered at what it was the child thought about. Although he had thought that the boy's needs were simple, the boy had a complex personality. That much Hojo knew from the way his moods seemed to change at the slightest provocation. After merely staring for a time, he soon became aware of the sound of the water boiling and turned away at once to deal with it. With the heat turned off, it was a matter of simply waiting for the water to settle a little before it could be poured into mugs.

Again, the thought of the tea prompted him into thinking on the night before and the Professor's thoughts turned to what Kadaj had said to him moments before he reacted badly. Though he wasn't one to dwell on what was past, he couldn't help but wonder if those three words had been true. Swallowing his pride for a few moments, Hojo selected two mugs and set the tea-bags in to draw along with a copious amount of milk for Kadaj. It still looked pretty dreadful to his eye – more milk than tea – but he did it anyway and placed the mug down in front of the remnant.

"I need to say something. I never thanked you properly." It was harder than he thought to say anything on the subject, but he was saying it nonetheless. It wasn't often that someone went out of their way to do anything for him. Especially not something as considerate as offering to protect him.

Looking out of the window while listening to the water being poured in the mugs, the remnant was lost in his thoughts when the mug was placed in front of him. He only had a short moment to look at the colour in the mug, pleased to find the hot contents being soothed with the milk; he really didn't like anything too hot because his tongue was so sensitive to heat. The words brought him to utter confusion, his head snapping to look at the tall adult with wide green eyes. Was he being thanked for stopping with the tapping? It was rare for the remnant to blush – perhaps his blood circulation differed from a human's – but right now his cheeks started burning terribly. Feeling extremely shy and vulnerable suddenly, he didn't know how to react. Should he say 'you're welcome' and explain that he wasn't tapping in order to annoy the man?

Blinking in confusion, to his utter horror, he realised he still felt attached and wanted nothing more than to drape himself all over the Professor and cling there. Dropping his eyes to the mug to hide his burning cheeks, he finally muttered, "You don't need to thank me for anything…" He knew that he was the one who should be thanking the adult for letting him stay and for not throwing him out in the cold. In fact, the man had been a complete stranger and still had let him stay and had taken care of him, giving him food and warmth. Hojo had even given him a family, despite his brother and Mother weren't here right now.

Feeling guilty all of a sudden, he did something he would rarely do – apologies or being humble weren't strengths of his – and muttered, "I'm sorry if I've annoyed you… I'm sorry I took your ribbon…" It hadn't exactly been a ribbon, more like an elastic band, but he didn't see any difference between the meanings of the words.

The Professor's generally stern expression softened a little as Kadaj's pale cheeks flushed pink and the child dropped his gaze to hide from him. Such a sensitive little creature. It wasn't a wonder then that the boy had gone off in a huff after being told to let go. As awkward as he felt about saying 'thank you,' it was apparent to him now that Kadaj felt just as awkward saying 'sorry'. Maybe more so.

Nonetheless, an apology was an apology and Hojo accepted it graciously since he believed that such things would not come around very often with this child. "It's quite alright, Kadaj." After a brief hesitation, the elder reached out to pat the boy gently on the head. He still had something he wanted to say but it wouldn't come out properly. He wanted to know if the remnant had meant those words from before and he wanted to say something to similar effect. Only the words wouldn't come out so he changed the subject. "I guess I should find you a coat or something – that leather doesn't look like it'll stand up to the cold for long."

Kadaj sipped his barely warm tea to distract himself from his burning cheeks and feeling of guilt, but as he placed the mug back on the table, someone else gave him the feeling of relief. With a soft sigh, he relaxed when the warm human hand touched his hair and all the pain he'd felt ebbed away so easily. Hesitantly looking up at the man, he gave a little smile and then reached out to hug his waist briefly before letting go. He didn't dare to start clinging, but now he was pleased again. Sipping his tea once more, he narrowed his eyes as the soft milky taste caressed his tongue.

"Mmm..." The boy agreed and nodded, now looking at the adult again, eyes raking the clothing to notice it looked very much the same as the previous day. The same type but he could tell these weren't the same clothes, they just looked somewhat similar. "Yes, I want a coat… and mittens…"He flexed his bare fingers, not believing the leather gloves would keep him warm enough if they stayed outside for a long time. "You need a coat too…" he demanded gently. In his eyes, the human was something fragile. Humans were weak and vulnerable compared to magical creatures like himself. Having gotten enough of the tea and now emotionally free of any pain, he headed for the desk and put his gloves on, then returned and just stared up the Professor, expecting to be dressed in warmer clothing.

That small hug felt pleasing for it meant that the child's mood was restored and that the elder had also been forgiven. He would have to make a conscious effort not to speak carelessly or it might offend Kadaj. As the latest demands were made, albeit sounding a trifle less demanding than before, Hojo noted the boy's overall shape and size and also how those small fingers flexed. It was a reasonable request to want mittens as well. He couldn't remember if he'd bought any while he stocked up on supplies. He doubted it. At the time, he'd been thinking of putting it off until they were actually needed and had been focused solely on locating any other means of finding Jenova's cells that would avoid snow. He blinked at Kadaj's talk of him getting a coat as well and then shrugged. Finding something in his own size would be easy and he wasn't picky. Kadaj, on the other hand, was a child with very strong preferences. Thankfully, Icicle was no stranger to children.

He was just about finished his tea when Kadaj appeared by his side again and stared up at him. Time to get some more supplies, then. He placed the mug down and tilted his head at the child before asking a rather important question, "How long did it take you to get here, have you any idea?" Though it was still early and they could make it to the crater in good time if they set off immediately, even if the weather was poor, there was a problem. If they reached their destination and couldn't find what they were looking for, they would have to return before it got dark. If their luck held, it might be a clear night and not pitch black but Hojo doubted that either of them liked the cold enough to endure a night-time journey through the frozen wastes. Therefore, it was imperative to know what their time-limit was.

Fortunately, there were more ways than one of getting places in Icicle. Just a shame that it had been quite a long time since the Professor had had anything to do with Chocobos.

"Hmmm…" Kadaj's head tilted as he thought and he turned absentmindedly to stare out of the window. He was very bad with time. He didn't really understand how it worked and clocks were just numbers to him at this point in life. "I don't know…" he finally said, a little disappointed with himself for not being useful at all. Returning his gaze to the adult, he said, "I knew there had to be houses here because I could see smoke…" That was as much of an answer as he could give. Shrugging, he stated, "I might need a hat too… unless the jacket has a hood…" He didn't really care what he'd wear, he'd be fine even with a blanket, anything that would grant him a shield against the wind and snowflakes. Not having really considered how much clothing Hojo had, he suddenly added, "But if you don't have a jacket for me, I can take the blanket…"

Frowning, Hojo weighed his options in light of this new information and wondered what they ought to do. He supposed a Chocobo would be their best bet as he absolutely did not want to get caught out without a fairly speedy means of getting back. He was puzzled though. Very puzzled that Kadaj could not remember how long it had taken. Although, the boy had only just been born and a white horizon didn't offer much in the way of stimulation if one were to walk through it while it snowed. It could have taken hours or even a whole day.

Assuming that it had taken longer than an hour but less than a day, the Professor shook his head at Kadaj's good-natured suggestion to take only the blanket. "As much as I appreciate your thoughtfulness, I think you'll definitely need a jacket. A blanket won't keep you warm for very long once you're out and about. Hmm... I suppose I'll have to purchase one for you." Even if Kadaj didn't get cold with the blanket on, it wouldn't be very handy if they had to start digging about for anything once inside the crater.

On that thought, the Professor suddenly departed to the next room. Yes, he'd almost forgotten. In a small knapsack in the corner, he had stashed a few specimen containers. Since Jenova's status was unknown, it might be best to bring something to collect even just a part of her, should they find anything at all. The same went for Sephiroth's remains, if indeed any existed. These he could bring with him, just in case. And since Kadaj would be accompanying him, it might be best to pack a few rations – packet-rations this time and simple fare at that. "Alright, I suppose we should go then. Um..." He remembered the sword hanging from Kadaj's back again and spoke deadly serious. "If you decide to bring your sword, you'd better keep it hidden or we'll both wind up in trouble."

The little remnant followed the Professor around, watching his every move with a childish curiosity, observing as the man was packing something. A sudden smile appeared on his lips, the green eyes shining bright, "Purchase? You mean… are you going to buy me something?" Releasing a little noise of excitement, he started hopping around. To him it meant the same thing as being given a gift. Hojo could have just as well promised to buy him a motorbike or a kitten, so happy the remnant was. The hopping only came to a stop at the mentioning of his Souba. Turning in a swift to look at the man, he made a thinking sound. Slowly taking his Souba off, he looked at the weapon, then at the man, "Should I leave it here while we go… shopping?"

Even if he left the twin bladed Katana on the couch, it would most likely appear on his back sooner or later. Since he was born with it, it was a part of him. He didn't know how they could hide an object that big as it might not fit in any sort of bag or rucksack. Considering the possibility of hiding it inside his leather clothing, he decided no. Without waiting for an answer, he placed the beloved sword on the couch, then took the human by the hand and started leading him towards the door, eager to go see how the human would 'purchase' something for him. He was so happy, he looked up at the man and gave him a sweet smile, eyes narrowing with joy.

The elder couldn't honestly see what was so marvelous about the prospect of buying things. Like a lot of people, he wasn't over fond of the activity and viewed it as a chore. This was most especially the case whenever he needed something and found it immediately, the entire transaction lasting maybe a few minutes at most. If something was difficult to find or the task could be passed off to a third party, it was usually done that way if he could help it. However, he believed he understood why Kadaj was suddenly hopping from foot to foot and felt that odd sense of flattery again.

He kept an eye on the Souba until it was laid down, looking quite unremarkable on the couch. That was to the good but Hojo would lock the door as well in any case. Though Kadaj couldn't know where it was they were going, the Professor let himself be led forwards. It would seem that he'd joined the ranks of those countless people who had to bring excitable children about for things. Never once in his life would he have thought that such a thing would come to pass. Still, it couldn't be that hard, could it? The smile on Kadaj's face seemed pleasantly reassuring in its sweetness. A flicker of sentimentality informed the scientist that one could easily get used to such a nice sight.

Stepping outside, the air was quite still – cold but still and with no snow drifting downwards. That could change at a moment's notice, he thought pessimistically. After making sure that he'd locked the door, the elder stashed the key in his chest pocket and began the short trudge to the general goods store. The snow about was mostly undisturbed as few people had become mobile yet, save for those who had businesses to run. At peak times during the day, there would be tracks everywhere and people bustling about their daily affairs.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 Shopping

The cool air was enough to make Kadaj narrow his eyes at first, his shoulders tensing slightly as the cold seemed to penetrate his leather skin. Instinctively, he pressed a little closer to the human and took the big hand in between his little palms to keep his gloved fingers warm. Despite he disliked the cold, he soon got used to it and relaxed somewhat, giving Hojo a chance to walk towards the store. The remnant was still clinging to his hand but walking along with determination. It had been very quiet the day before when Kadaj had come to the house and everything looked different now.

Between two houses there were three children playing. One of them was making a snow angel while the other two were building a snow castle. Kadaj's first thought was of why anyone would lie down in that cold white stuff voluntarily. Right after, he wondered if he should build a castle too. Maybe build one for the Professor and together they could rule a whole empire. Hojo could be the King and Kadaj could be the Prince, and they'd have slaves, and the ice cubes would be diamonds and crystals which could be used for decorating the castle. They could have a whole room made of ice, a sparkling blue ice room, where they would have their thrones. And they'd have crowns as well. He remained staring at the children for a moment longer, just clinging to the human's hand and letting him take the remnant anywhere.

Once the children were out of sight, the silver haired boy looked up at the human, his green eyes sparkling now that the sun was rising, "What will you purchase for me?" He was really starting to like the elaborate word. "Will I get a jacket? And mittens? And a hat?" Releasing the warm hand of comfort, he started hopping again, too excited to keep all the excitement bottled. "And wool socks too?" he added, already thinking about the evening when they'd be all seated by the fireplace; Mother, Sephiroth, Professor and Kadaj. Wool socks would be good, so Hojo wouldn't have to tell him to stop running bare foot.

Though they weren't that far away, the Professor heard the sound of children's laughter as though from a great distance. The sound did not actively repel him but it was ingrained into him not to look up at the sound or pay it any heed. Just as he was conditioned to feel no remorse at the sound of monstrosities screeching and wailing, so he was conditioned to feel no need to pay attention to children. The irony of his looking after Kadaj, who was most certainly a child, was completely wasted on him. So far as his mind was concerned, Kadaj was filed in the sparsely populated category of 'people I don't mind so much' and everyone else under the broad heading of 'everyone else'. Gradually though, Kadaj was revising that simple filing system and creating a new little heading. Something along the lines of 'people I rather like'.

At the sound of Kadaj's voice, Hojo looked down and nodded at him. Honestly, it was perplexing to him how someone could get so worked up over clothes. "Yes, Kadaj." The mention of socks gave him a slight pause for thought until he remembered that the boy was wearing only his boots. Not a wonder he was cold, especially since black clothing would radiate whatever heat it held, even if it could be warmed up rather quickly again. In answer to the question of socks, the elder nodded again.

Pushing open the door of the store caused a little bell to chime. Like most things in Icicle, it was quaint. While the region was well-known for people coming to hike, sled and snowboard, it had stubbornly maintained its otherworldly charm in order to attract more business. Still, it wasn't to everyone's taste. Most especially those who did not care for the cold. The inside of the store was also quiet but for the very faint crackle of a radio not yet tuned in for the morning. Doubtless someone would attend to it presently. "Right... Let me see now. They stock their outdoor gear over there so there should be something in your size nearby. Go have a look." Shuffling forwards to some racks by the wall, the elder set about seeking something practical, unconsciously avoiding the bright colours and patterns of the children's section.

Kadaj wasn't an ordinary child, and he didn't care for the colourful items, nor for the patterns. Flowers and cars and other silly prints on the children's clothing went wasted on him. What he wanted was easy to find. It either existed or it didn't and only one thing was certain; when he'd see something he wanted, he would get it, one way or another. An only child's determination. The determination of someone who would become a leader, and who would always maintain the belief that what he wanted was the law. Anyone who opposed would either be manipulated until they gave up or would get beheaded. Kadaj's rules were very simple, just as simple as his liking; what he liked, he liked, and what he didn't, he didn't. Everything was very black and white.

Today it was white. The one, big, white overall he found which had inner walls of white fur. Easily, he located the matching white boots, gloves and a hat. The hat was silly though; it was meant for children and had cat ears on top. Not bothering to strip off the leather, Kadaj pulled the overall on and looked at himself in a mirror. It was really a huge outfit for someone his size. His mouth had vanished behind the white collar, leaving only the tiny nose (which was now red thanks to the weather) and green eyes visible. As he placed the silly hat on his head and quietly growled at the funny ears on top of it, he turned and to his horror noticed that the overall also had a tail. A furry, white cat's tail. Huffing with annoyance, he took his boots off and slid the white ones on instead. They were wonderfully warm, so warm that the boy started sweating in the warm shop. He flexed his toes inside the boots. The fur felt so pleasant. Grabbing the white gloves and the black boots with him, he marched to find the human who would purchase him all this lovely white clothing. He tugged the man's sleeve and said, "Look!" Turning around, he wiggled his hips a little bit to show the furry tail then looked over his shoulder, whining quietly, "Can I cut the tail off later?" He would cut the ears off from the hat too, if it was possible so that it didn't leave any holes in the item. The clothing felt so pleasant, he hoped he didn't have to take it off when it would get paid for. "I want these…" He said with a serious expression. The sweet smiles and puppy eyes would be saved for manipulation if the simple demanding wouldn't work.

White was a lovely colour. Just as lovely as black, but today it was better than black because it would turn him into a chameleon. The remnant would vanish against the snow white background. Either he was smarter than anyone assumed, or someone else was very keen on protecting this little remnant body from all harm.

Impatiently comparing prices of two items that he'd located almost immediately, Hojo didn't expect Kadaj to finish so quickly and was surprised when he felt that tug on his sleeve. He'd expected the child to browse and pull down half the items in the shop before he was satisfied. Looking down, he was fairly horrified at what he saw. It looked like some weird snow-cat with half the air let out of it. All was whiteness apart from two eyes and some silver hair that leaked from beneath the brim of a hat. A hat with _ears_ on it. The bright green eyes and superior tone were unmistakable though as they peeped out from beneath that ridiculously adorned hat. The Professor tilted his head, saw the tail and pinched the bridge of his nose. Why anyone would find it necessary to add cat ears and a tail to clothing he hadn't a notion. "Kadaj… It's at least two sizes too big."

While he did approve of the colour, the elder certainly agreed with the child about the tail, and the ears if it came to the bit. Though, they suited the boy better than he might know. "I think we should have a look for something smaller." Looking up, he ignored the cacophony of colour and flair that accosted his sight and looked for something that matched what was presented before him. He wondered at how much it would all cost on top of things and bent to look for tags. Though he wasn't strapped for cash, he did like to know where his currency went and he was reluctant to spend a small fortune on something so silly-looking unless it was going to last.

The white cat pursed his lips behind the collar. He wanted this outfit, tail or not. It was warm and soft and nice. It was really starting to get hot inside all the clothes but he was reluctant to take it off. "But I want it…" He muttered pouting, and followed the adult into the jungle of screaming red and green fabrics. Grabbing the hem of the Professor's jacket, he looked up with wide eyes and whined, "I want this one… Look, I'm cute…" He brushed his head against the Professor's waist, like a cat, and made small mewling noises, then tried to imitate purring sound. "I'm a kitten…" He explained and brushed his head against the waist once more before looking up at the adult's face and wrapping his white arms around the human, giving the puppy eyes look, wide eyes and fluttering eyelashes, "Let me have it... please?"

If the Professor didn't say 'yes' in the next moment, the kitten remnant would run out of the shop before the store clerk came back and would go to make snow angels until the items were paid for.

The Professor felt that they really ought to try and find something else in a more reasonable size but it was very hard to make any headway when a small cat-like being was following you around, whining. It was harder still when said being was pulling at you and then imitating a cat… or a kitten. Hojo felt very uncomfortable as the small cat-boy looked up at him with those wide eyes. Clearly the child was pulling out all the stops to make him change his mind. At least he said 'please'. A quick glance about himself told the Professor that it would be far easier just to let Kadaj have his way and suffer for it later than cause a scene now. Still, he didn't have to like it.

Hojo's shoulders slumped a little as he made his choice. "Oh… alright. Do you still want the socks?" A brief look at the flush that was beginning to creep into the remnant's cheeks suggested to him that Kadaj would be quite alright without anymore clothing.

Pleased that he would get the white fluffy clothing, the remnant didn't care if he got socks or not, "Not necessarily…" His toes were curling inside the wonderful boots, "These shoes are really warm." So happy to get what he wanted, the boy narrowed his eyes as he smiled up at the man. Apparently whenever he was very happy, he expressed it by staying very close to the one who had given him this joy, his little fingers gripping the human arm with affection. His black boots and the white gloves were scattered on the floor where he had released them from his little arms when he'd been eagerly hugging the Professor. Now eager to please the one who had made him happy, he picked up the clothing from the floor and proudly headed towards the clerk who had appeared from the back room. The clerk must have been used to seeing white cats in the shop because his expression stayed neutral when Kadaj neared the counter.

Before he followed after Kadaj properly, Hojo stalked over to where he'd been trying to decide between one parka and a slightly different coloured parka and just grabbed the nearest one to hand, along with whatever weather-proof pants were hung beneath. As it happened, the black one was closer to hand than the dark navy. It should have hardly mattered to him what colour it was - the point was that it would keep the cold off him... but the Professor would have abjectly refused to don anything brighter as he would feel utterly ridiculous in them. Still, at least he would not be the oddest thing spotted roaming the wastes.

The little white kitten certainly seemed pleased enough. The clerk wasn't saying anything but that could have been because it was far too early for chit-chat. If that was the case, it was just fine as far as Hojo was concerned. He liked it when there were as few hitches as possible during transactions. Dropping his items on the counter and grabbing a pair of gloves from a stand nearby, the elder fished out his coin and spoke offhandedly, nodding towards Kadaj in his fluffy white finery. "He'll be wearing those out, I think. Is that a problem?"

"No. Unless he is bothered by the price tags." The clerk chuckled. His work days were filled with puppies and kittens, in all different colours, especially when it was the busiest season. He was only interested in the price tags, since the children sometimes accidentally ripped them off. Seeing that there was still a tag hanging from the kitten's ear, he beckoned for the aforementioned animal, "Come here, kitten. I'll take the tag off." Usually there was no problem to lure the animals close enough to see the number in the tag, but this cat shook his head and suddenly hid behind the man who had to be this child's father… or grandfather. Trying to smile, he said to the cat's owner, "Could you check the tag, please?" It wasn't the first time a child was too shy to near a stranger who had scissors ready in one hand. Assuming all the children's animal outfits had the same prices, and those boots that peeked from behind the guardian, plus the white gloves, he would be able to count everything together after finding out what the white hat cost. Checking the tags in the adult clothing while waiting patiently to hear the last number, he knew the price would be around 600 gil. Poor man, he should've thought twice before deciding to have children. Children were expensive.

"Hmm." The Professor waited patiently for the verdict to be delivered. He had a feeling that the outfit Kadaj had selected would be costly but he wouldn't know the full story until the clerk had read out the prices to him. In light of the way the remnant had barged into the house the first time and started whining and ordering him about, Hojo was quite astounded when the furry white kitten turned and hid behind him. Kadaj was awfully shy all of a sudden. Peering over his shoulder to confirm it, the elder frowned to himself before the clerk caught his attention again and he gave a curt nod in response. He turned around and stooped low to examine the tag that dangled from the timid little creature's ear. 75 gil... Well... Taking a breath and counting to three before he stood up again, Hojo looked to the clerk and tried not to look too stony-faced. "It reads 75. What's the damage?" Those clothes must have been part of a brand. Probably very likely, as such items were bound to sell no matter the cost.

Raising one eyebrow the clerk started adding the numbers to a calculator to make sure. "That would be… 587, please." Feeling slightly sorry for the man, even though he saw this exact same thing so many times per day, he said, "You're lucky he didn't choose the white lion cub-" Instantly, he closed his lips to prevent possible further damage when he noticed the white kitten had peeked curiously from behind the old man. The white lion cub outfit was double the price and seeing that this little family of two hadn't arrived in a limousine or helicopter, it wouldn't be smart to let the spoiled kitten demand for more expensive clothing. Sighing in relief at the notion that he didn't have children himself, and perhaps would never have to get to the verge of being bankrupt just because of one child, he waited for the man to count the money.

The shy kitten wasn't actually shy at all. He just didn't have the double-bladed Katana with him and didn't want to go too close to the clerk because he had had scissors in his hand. And besides, the white kitten was becoming dependent on the adult human, still dizzy with happiness that someone would purchase all these things to him. It was much nicer to become Hojo's shadow, occasionally touch his hand or the hem of his jacket to let him know he was still right here. For some reason, he didn't like the clerk at all and hadn't appreciated at being beckoned and called 'kitten'. If anyone could call him a kitten, then that was the Professor, and no-one else.

"Would you like a bag?" The clerk offered, already taking a bag and opening it ready.

The price bombshell dropped, one of the scientist's eyebrows registered a twitch. That was a lot for mere clothes. Though it wasn't utterly ludicrous, it was still rather a lot when one thought about it. Beneath the quaint charm of Icicle, people must have been making an absolute fortune during the busy season. Fortunately, Hojo had been able to access the majority of his funds in the wake of the disaster at ShinRa and siphon it off to another location before scrambling the record of the transfer. He had enough to keep going for a good long while as long as he stayed low and didn't draw any unwanted attention to himself. In other words, if he wanted to try and get some more lab equipment for future work, it would have to be acquired piece by piece and assembled discreetly. The last thing he needed was for someone to find him that way.

Still, there was no need for Kadaj or anyone else to know that or else he'd never get any peace. Therefore, at the mention of a 'lion cub', he froze and gave the clerk a look that promised dire consequences if he should ever think to finish that sentence before he sullenly resumed counting out his coin. Handing over the better part of 600 gil, the Professor puzzled over how much he would need to hire transport for a day along with some greens to keep it quiet. Hiring the beast would be fine enough - the greens were where the profits were made. At the offer of a bag, Hojo nodded. Might as well take something extra for his troubles. "Yes, thanks."

The clerk took the offered money, wasting no time getting the change and offering it back to the man. Deciding it was best to let the customers choose if they put the new clothes on or not, he merely offered the bag, and the scissors too in case the customer wanted to get rid of the price tags. "Is there anything else I could help you with?" He hadn't seen the man before, and didn't know if he was a local or a tourist. Since the child had needed warm clothing, it could be that they had only come for a skiing vacation, and the shop keepers often had to help with numerous things, everything from the hotels and alike, to the daily trips one could take to the glaciers or skiing centres. Or if they needed to loan a chocobo, this was the best place for that, since they had several in the back yard. "Would you like some brochures?" Offering a generous amount of restaurant and chocobo guides, he had definitely done his work right.

The kitten was getting hot and tugged at Professor's sleeve, "I'll wait for you outside…" Releasing the sleeve, he vanished outside as the bell of the shop informed about his absence. The weather wasn't bad. In fact, now that he wore the warmest clothes, the snow started looking rather tempting. There was an untouched layer of snow right by the store, so the white kitten threw himself on it and started making a snow angel, or rather, a strange looking snow kitten which had a very fuzzy tail and little ears.

Hojo took his change and the scissors when offered and started snipping away at the price tags, mentally grumbling to himself about clothes. When he was offered some brochures, he ignored all but the chocobo guides and set the scissors down to discuss it properly. "Maybe you could help me, it seems." Before he got any further, he felt that distinctive tug on his sleeve again and looked down at Kadaj. After watching until the fuzzy white tail had disappeared out the door, the Professor returned his attention to the clerk. "Yes, we were hoping to take a daytrip towards the mountains and I was wondering where I ought to hire a chocobo. If you have any sound creatures, I'd be interested in taking one out for the day. Hmm... I could give you a security deposit now but when would you be needing it back?"

"Since it's not the season just yet, I'm sure you can keep it a day or two, even three." The young clerk shrugged. They had enough chocobos for hire for half the village. Turning a page in the chocobo brochure, he placed his finger on the prices, "One day deposit would be 60 gil. If you need it longer than that, I could give you some discount." This little family was planning to go to the mountains? "It gets dark early outside, so it might be difficult to find your way back… So make sure you leave the mountains before the sun starts setting." Turning another page in the guide, he pointed his finger at the picture of a mountain in the map. Trusting this little family surviving with the help of the map, he closed it, offered it to the man and took the keys from the counter, "Right this way, Sir..." He opened the door to the back room, and took the customer through the rows of shelves, leading him outside to the garden behind the shop. There was a huge area with fences, and maybe ten chocobos prancing around and nudging each other. As he unlocked the gate, he asked, "I take it you have ridden a chocobo before?" Taking one of the chocobo by the leash, he led it out before locking the gate and offered it to the adult, "This one's pretty lazy and calm… Thought it would be best to have a calmer one when you have a child with you. Children can sometimes get scared of chocobos."

Nodding in approval, the Professor read the list of prices. It wasn't bad at all, assuming one meant to return the animal before nightfall. If it needed to be fed, it was a different story altogether. He accepted the guide and followed the clerk outside to where many of the large, flightless birds were milling about, their heads turning to regard the humans with one of their large eyes. Like all animals, they were infuriatingly sprightly early in the morning, probably just having been fed. Hojo spoke absently as he looked over the chocobos and examined their conformation. "I have, but I'll admit I'm a little out of practice."

The specimen that the clerk held on the end of a leash appeared to be one of the larger ones. Probably greedy as well as lazy. As if to confirm that, the large feathery head dipped to nudge at the clerk's pockets as though it could smell more food on him. "Wark. Waark?" The Professor raised an eyebrow and thought that this beast might be the ideal candidate. A bomb could go off next to it and it wouldn't budge… or a kitten might get excitable and start hopping around and it wouldn't be phased. "Hmm… I don't think that boy will be too scared of this creature for long. This one will do. Will it run easily or is it stubborn?" Hojo frowned up at the bird that had turned its attention to him as though expecting more food.

The pocket the chocobo had been interested in, did in fact contain several bags of chocobo food. Batting the creature's head away from his pockets, the clerk fished out one of the goody bags and offered it to the customer. "Ay, it runs. Just give him a biscuit every now and then and it'll stay happy." He stroked the chocobo's head, although the animal was now more interested in the customer who had the biscuit bag, "Just give me the deposit and you can take it right away." Pulling out a paper and a pen from his pocket, he took the chocobo's leash so the customer could take the pen and paper, "Just sign it and you're good to go."

As the chocobo's head leaned in to follow the little bag of biscuits, the wings to either side of its body flexed as though it meant to start forward but it was stopped by the leash. Hojo stashed the little bag in one of his coat pockets and frowned up at the enormous bird. It seemed to frown back as it searched for the treats that had mysteriously vanished.  
>The Professor handed over the 60 gil easily but hesitated when he was offered the page to sign. He didn't know what to put down. While he highly doubted that anyone would turn him in right away, he was still loathe to submit his name for fear that it one day be traced. He couldn't take any chances when he was so close to making progress for the first time in months. Stalling for time, he chatted a bit to the clerk. "I imagine that your animals will be in very high demand fairly soon. Do you breed them yourself or what way do you operate?"<br>Having chosen a pseudonym that he thought would be fairly innocuous, he signed the document. It read, 'Hideyoshi Akira'. Just to be sure, he signed it in Kanji as though out of habit.

Taking the money and stuffing it in his back pocket, the clerk was happy the customer seemed pleased enough. Walking to the gate of the garden, he unlocked it to let the customer and animal out to the small alley which would lead them back to the main street. "Ay, we have a farm in the country side. It's a family business. My father is a chocobo farmer, and my mother keeps this shop. It's been going great for years and at least the whole family can make their income without any worries." Taking the paper and pen without even glancing at the name, he said, "I don't want to rush you, but I have to get back to the shop. I'm alone in there most of the day today." Giving a small smile, he held the gate open.

In the meantime, the little silver kitten was getting impatient. There were now several kitten angels in the snow and he had run out of untouched layers of white, so instead he went to peek through the windows of the shop. He couldn't see anyone. Hesitantly pulling the door open, he called out, "Hojo?" But no reply came, so he pouted, wondering where the men had vanished. Before he could do anything but observe from the threshold, the clerk came back though and explained, "You father is just around the corner." Nodding his head towards said corner so the child would know, the clerk busied himself with placing the deposit money and the signed paper in a safe place. Kadaj merely closed the door and headed for the corner of the street, wondering absentmindedly if the Professor had now become his father.

"Oh, really? That's good. And of course, thank you for your help." The Professor walked through the gate and tugged the leash a little to coax the chocobo through. It cocked its head but didn't move at first until it heard a small rustling from the bag of treats. Yes, it would be a fairly easy animal to control so long as it was promised a biscuit every now and again. Halting the large beast in the alley, Hojo puzzled at whether he ought to return to the house to put the weather-proof gear on or just do it right there and be off at once. He supposed it might save him a trip if he just did it as soon as possible but there was something else preying on his mind. Kadaj might want to collect his sword and he might need to use the bathroom. Nothing would be more infuriating than having to stop for such a basic reason.

Assuming that they would be gone for most of the day, Hojo figured it might be best to ask before they set out. On that thought, he led the chocobo forward and went to look for the white kitten. As the feathery creature's long talons left their deep impressions on the snow, Hojo wondered aloud at what the clerk had said, addressing the chocobo. "You're not very intimidating. I hope Kadaj doesn't feel it necessary to pull out any of your feathers." The chocobo had nothing to add to that, other than "Wark."

As Kadaj neared the corner on the street, he could hear the distant voice of the Professor, but instantly understood that he was talking to someone so he wasn't alone. His expression grew stern with curiosity as he peeked around the corner. The cat-like eyes widened with surprise as there was a huge creature standing next to the human. Was it a monster? "What is that?!" He hissed loudly, keeping his body hidden behind the corner in case the monster liked to eat children. It didn't look like a very scary monster, but its beak was big enough to swallow him. As the huge, yellow bird made another 'Wark' sound, the white kitten decided to be brave and marched up to the Professor, pressing against his side, just in case. "Don't let it eat me." In the next moment the chocobo already got interested in the white jacket and sniffed at the remnant. The boy wrapped one arm around the Professor's thigh and with the left hand tried to push the huge chocobo head further away from himself, "Stop it! I'm poisonous!" The chocobo was lucky enough to not make the mistake of trying to tug the white jacket with its beak. That would have given the result of a very unconscious chocobo and a very unhappy remnant who wanted a new jacket.

At the sound of sudden hissing, Hojo looked around for a cat - a small white cat, to be precise. At first, he couldn't see Kadaj at all until he emerged from behind the corner and boldly strode up to him. Against the snow, the remnant was almost invisible. The Professor frowned slightly at the thought but approved again of the choice of colour if not the extra appendages attached to the outfit. He did nothing to stop the chocobo from trying to get better acquainted with the child but he did tighten his hold on the leash in case it got too interested.

"It's a chocobo, Kadaj. They're completely harmless unless you make them angry. This one is just curious, I think." Who wouldn't be curious to get a better look at such a precocious kitten? All the same, it was better not to tease the boy - the tightness of Kadaj's grip indicated he might get riled if the beast tried. "In any case, it's our transport for the day so I think you'd better be nice to it or it might get annoyed." He wondered if he ought to give the creature a biscuit to demonstrate how harmless it was. Thinking it might be a good idea, he reached into the little bag that was safely stashed in his pocket and broke one of the biscuits in half. There was no need to be too generous, after all and Kadaj could give the bird the other half. Producing the half-biscuit he held it up for the bird to take. Its eyes followed it with keen interest and the large wings flexed open again. "Wark! Waark!"

The silver kitten observed the monster bird with curiosity. Trusting the adult's opinion, he stole the biscuit half from the Professor's hand and offered it to the bird, but before the large animal reached his hand, he threw the biscuit bit in the air, nearly shouting "Catch!" The observant animal had no trouble extending its neck and opening its beak to catch the flying treat. A pleased smirk twisted the remnant's lips. He really liked it when living things did as he told them to. Looking a bit more excited, he gazed up at his human friend and asked, "We'll ride it?" Looking back at the big animal, he was all ready to climb on its back and order it to run. Thinking it was best to get along with the animal, he took the remains of the biscuit from the Professor's hand and now stepped closer to the bird, releasing his hold of the human's thigh, "Come here, monster…" He talked in a gentle tone, like he was addressing a kitten, taking slow steps closer to the huge creature, "Come, come…" As soon as the beak touched his hand, he stayed firm, not even twitching, just staring as the biscuit vanished from his palm and then started stroking the feathery neck of the animal, "Good boy," He purred when the bird munched the biscuit, not even reacting to the child's touch. Turning his silver and white head, the boy asked, "Is it a girl or a boy? How can you tell?"

The elder probably should have guessed that the child would do something like that and while it was irritating at first, it was a step in the right direction as far as getting used to the chocobo was concerned. Therefore, he would let it slide without complaint. It was rather interesting watching how a timid Kadaj turned brave and determined so quickly. Interesting and rather amusing. The chocobo certainly wasn't complaining and it seemed to enjoy all the attention as Kadaj stroked its neck. Asked how it was that one differentiated males from females, Hojo said little. Hardly a fitting subject for one so young, remnant or not. "There are ways of telling but we have to be on our way soon. The man in the shop said it was male. Do you need to use the bathroom before we go and would you like to collect your sword?"

If Kadaj said 'yes' Hojo planned to get the boy used to the idea of riding the chocobo as soon as possible… though he would have to make the child promise not to kick the animal or there would be some consequences.

Shaking his head at first because everything would mean a delay and he was eager to go look for his Mother, he changed his mind, the shaking replaced by nodding, "Yes, I need my sword." The chocobo still hadn't eaten him and the more Kadaj looked at it, the more he sort of liked it. "I want to ride it," He demanded and stepped to one side of the large bird, stroking its feathers to let the bird know he was there. The more he would touch it, the less likely it would mind if he sat on it. "Can you lift me up?" The remnant asked with a pleading tone. This tone was especially reserved for the Professor because the boy liked him so much and respected him. Indeed, this specific tone would rarely be heard from his mouth when he got older. His basic nature repelled against any kind of asking or begging, instead demanding was more natural for him. Hopping eagerly with anticipation, he tried to climb up but the feathers were slippery under his new white mittens and boots. Perhaps he could have gotten up by himself, if he had backed off and ran then jumped, but it was so convenient to ask the Professor's help with everything since he was there.

Satisfied with this arrangement, the Professor bent slightly and picked Kadaj up without a word, holding him under his slender arms. The little kitten was soft and had small flecks of snow still clinging to its fur from where it had apparently been lying in the snow. The remnant was very light, even with the addition of extra layers of clothing and it was an easy task to transfer the small creature to the chocobo's back. The bird watched out of one of its large eyes and stood relaxed as the little remnant was placed on its back, behind the wings.

A giant yellow bird with a small, white kitten perched atop it. Were Kadaj to lie down, he would be lost to view behind the wings that folded about the chocobo's body. "Okay. Now grip with your knees and don't kick him, Kadaj. Save that for when we're pointing in the right direction." Hojo spoke sternly to ensure he was understood. He highly doubted the bird would listen to Kadaj - it seemed too lazy to respond and would likely only break into a false trot that would last only a few paces before it settled down again. In any case, it wouldn't go far if it knew that the treats would be left behind in the process. Safe in that knowledge, the Professor tugged a bit at the leash to get the animal moving. It complied happily enough and moved forward with bold, almost self-satisfied strides.

The remnant felt weightless and only released a tiny, impatient sound of stubbornness as he was suddenly able to straddle the giant animal. The white kitten wore an expression of childish beaming, emerald eyes sparkling with happiness now that he was high up and tried to clutch at the feathers with his slippery mittens. The chocobo's neck was so long and its head so big, he could barely see where they were going, but he didn't really care to know either. He was too busy looking down and looking at the houses, he could've easily reached for the Professor's head because he was now high enough for that. The Silver King of the world, all the little humans short and slow, somewhere below him. "I'm going to call it Sephiroth…" The white kitten declared and reached his arms around the Sephiroth-chocobos neck because the feathers were too slippery to hold properly. When they neared the house, he could recognise it but wasn't disappointed because soon they'd be riding the chocobo for a long time. "Sephiroth, stop!" He demanded, but the chocobo clearly wasn't listening to him. Frowning when his request was ignored, he told the human companion, "Tell it to stop. I want to come down…"

Hojo rolled his eyes to himself as Kadaj named the chocobo. It really didn't seem very fitting, since the man to whom that name belonged had been vengeful and god-like, where this animal was rather more laid back and possessed a simpler mind. Keeping his silence until he was ordered to halt the animal, Hojo held the lead near the top to restrict the bird's movement forward. It stopped easily, clearly easy-going and not at all bothered by a demanding child sitting astride it.

There was a small bit of fencing near the side of the house and Hojo tied the animal's lead off there before turning his attention back to the remnant. His face wore the half-smile of someone who knows more than the person they are addressing. "You want to come down, do you? You could ask it to bend for you." Most chocobos were trained to sit down so that they might be easier to mount. It was possible to mount one while it was standing with the aid of a mounting block or even a box but Hojo was interested to see if Kadaj could manage. "Put your arms around its neck and pull back lightly - it should respond for you."

The child stared at the human for a moment in confusion. He'd been planning to get lifted down by the Professor and he made a tiny noise of complaint. His lips pursed slightly before he addressed the chocobo, "Sephiroth… bend for me!" Sephiroth wasn't paying attention. Huffing with annoyance, the remnant wrapped his white arms around its neck, most likely bringing the animal into slight distress because the touch was so demanding. As the remnant pulled the soft neck furiously, the poor bird made a sound of confusion and shifted its feet before kneeling, perhaps hoping the child would get off quickly or else it might have to shake him down before it got strangled by those white arms.  
>As soon as the bird was closer to the ground, the remnant released his hold and slid down, landing firmly on both feet. Looking up at the Professor with an expression which clearly read 'You could have lifted me down', he marched over to the door, waiting for it to be opened for His Majesty Silver Kitten.<p>

Eyes widening in concern for the chocobo's welfare, something he wouldn't normally be bothered with, Hojo watched as the poor creature righted itself after being half-strangled and rustled its feathers back into place. He looked down at Kadaj with that same expression of mild shock before he opened the door for the remnant. There was no way he would be letting Kadaj take the reins anytime soon.  
>After opening the door, he fished out a biscuit and tossed it to 'Sephiroth' by way of keeping him happy. The chocobo accepted it gladly enough and seemed to forget about the whole thing as the treat was crunched in its beak. Hojo leaned up against the fence after placing his satchel on the ground and donned his weatherproofs quickly after removing his coat. The air was still and cold but the clothes he'd bought were living up to their claim as they were zipped up. The chocobo watched with interest as he folded his labcoat and put it in the satchel – it would serve to cushion the sample containers and stop the biscuits from being broken en route. Having traded his usual white for black, the Professor looked toward the exit out of town. They might have a clear day all day.<p>

As soon as the door was open, the white kitten vanished inside the house. He left a trail of snow in his wake when he walked over to the couch and grabbed his double-bladed Katana, putting it on in its rightful place. As he was heading back to the door, he caught movement in the corner of his eye and turned. There was a funny-looking white cat-boy watching him from the mirror. Wasting no time, he stripped off the new clothes and pulled the Souba from its sheath. Grabbing the white tail, he cut it off and soon the ears had been cut away too. Pleased by this result, he got dressed again and twirled in front of the mirror, "Mm, much better…" Now he looked more like a snowball than a cat and left the room, closing the front door behind him. "I'm ready," He announced and neared the chocobo again. The large bird either had a short memory or was forgiving when it came to children because it made no complaint when Kadaj started stroking its head. Turning his own head to look at the adult, he asked, "Can we ride it together?"

Looking round as Kadaj emerged, sans tail or ears, Hojo nodded approvingly and crossed over to lock the door once more. A glance inside revealed a measure of snow upon the floor and he winced at the knowledge that it would soon melt and form into puddles. There was no time to waste clearing it out so it had to be left there as the door was first locked and tested to ensure that it was locked. Stowing the keys safely away, the Professor looked to Kadaj and nodded again. "That's the notion. Please stand back a moment."

Hojo untied the leash from where it had been loosely knotted around the fencing and adjusted the strap so that it attached to either side of the bird's beak - forming a pair of reins. Checking that it was secure, the elder pulled back firmly, arching the chocobo's neck backwards. It got the signal and bent low to the ground, almost to the point of sitting down. Satisfied, the Professor straddled it behind the wings and shimmied back a bit to make room for the little remnant. Beckoning, he turned to the still-furry but no longer quite so feline child. "You'll sit in front of me, Kadaj."

Now that there was someone else riding the chocobo too, Kadaj didn't have to worry about how to get on it or how to get down. Then again, if he hadn't convinced himself of being so helpless, Kadaj could have easily jumped down from the chocobo's back earlier. He was as flexible as an acrobat and his little body had more strength than an average human's. If he had jumped from the top of a building, he would have landed on both feet, elegantly like a cat. And he had more lives than nine, so he was very capable of taking care of himself and surviving any situation without any real harm done. Giving a little smile of excitement, he climbed on the chocobo, groping the human thighs for support as the feathers were slippery underneath his white mittens. When he got up, he was at first seated so that he was facing the adult. Wearing that small smile, he turned and declared, "Sephiroth, run!" The giant bird didn't care to obey but Kadaj was too happy to know that they were finally on their way to look for Jenova, so instead of trying to make the animal take his orders, he just leaned on the Professor and let him take the reins. By now, he was so used to seeing the man in the white jacket that the new black clothing caught his interest. It was a nice colour and it looked really good. The clothes could really turn someone from doctor- looking into someone who looked like they were about to go skiing. To any outsider, they looked like a father and son who were on a winter holiday. Clutching some of the feathers in the back of the chocobo's neck, he was very ready to head for the mountains.

The elder flinched a bit as two little paws groped at him while Kadaj clambered up onto the chocobo's back and smiled that mischievous little smile. He waited for Kadaj to turn round and face the direction of travel before he made ready to coax the bird back to standing. This was achieved very simply by gripping the bird harder with his knees until it straightened up in a smooth movement. Steering the animal by the reins, Hojo turned 'Sephiroth' and urged him forward into a brisk walk. Slow at first, the animal complied before it fluttered its wings a bit and obeyed properly.

Seeking the route out of town, Hojo kept the chocobo at that pace to avoid running over any curious urchins who might suddenly appear from little side-streets as they played. He could tell that the remnant enjoyed the fact of being high up but wondered if he ought to hold the boy round the waist in case he slipped off to either side when the chocobo picked up speed. While it had certainly been a long time since he'd ridden one of the giant, flightless birds, he was quickly growing accustomed again to the slightly swaying gait of the animal. As each leg moved, the chocobo's body dipped slightly to the side and rose on the other as the weight was taken. Sitting further back than he normally would, Hojo found it was more noticeable. "Alright, Kadaj?"

The wide-eyed boy was observing houses and sights as they rode through the town and headed towards the endless desert of white. "Uhuh," He agreed, not minding his moving seat. The boy's thighs were pressing against the sides of the bird and he was prepared to wrap his arms around the animal's neck if he was at risk of falling off. It wasn't bad at all when they weren't going too fast. He was able to sit in a relaxed manner and the Professor's arms were just close enough for him to grab those too. When they got onto the fields of snow, the only thing that kept Kadaj constantly visible to the eye was the Souba. "It's very white…" The boy said over his shoulder. The sun was shining through a very thin layer of clouds and it was so bright, the emerald green sparkled when he narrowed his eyes, the amount of light almost painful. He got used to it soon enough, able to keep his gaze on the horizon. Luckily, the mountains far ahead were big enough for him to see even when the chocobo's massive head kept blocking most of his view.

The Professor kept the chocobo moving forwards at that brisk pace until the town of Icicle was maybe half a mile in their wake. The light was indeed dazzling as they entered the vast, frozen plain but it couldn't be helped. Soon enough, all tracks and signs of movement that had been left upon the snow were gone, leaving only smooth whiteness before them. The Professor checked their heading by scanning the mountains, seeking a very distinctive peak and steering the enormous bird round until it was in his sights.

Preferring not to take any chances, Hojo transferred the reins to one hand and made sure that they were in a constant contact with the chocobo's beak. His free hand slipped round the snowy remnant's waist and held him as he gave their mount two firm kicks. "Don't fall off now." Seeming a little friskier, the bird pranced a few paces before it settled into an easy run, the neck arched as though in pride. Feeling that it could do better than that, Hojo gave it another firm kick to get it running properly. "Wark! Waark!" The message got, the bird's head dipped forward as it dashed and the Professor extended the hand holding the reins forward to allow the chocobo to run relatively unhindered. As the bird's legs moved faster, the swaying gait evened out.

The white remnant liked adventures and the further they went, the happier he became. It was so thrilling. Who knew what would be waiting for them when they'd reach the mountains? Anything could happen. When the human arm slid around his waist protectively, he knew what was going to take place. As soon as the chocobo started running, he started laughing, the excited sound echoing over the fields. He had to place his hand over the human arm to make sure he wouldn't fall off while laughing. Once he finally managed to quieten down, he leaned on the human chest and tilted his head until he could somewhat see Hojo's face from that strange point of view, "This is fun," He said. It was much nicer to be here with the Professor than if he'd been all alone. As the sights got rather dull after a while, just snow, Kadaj started fantasising about travelling to other places. Perhaps they could go to a jungle together. Or a beach. Somewhere pretty and warm. But of course they would have to find Mother and Sephiroth first. Or maybe Mother preferred the cold places, since she'd gone hiding to the mountains. "Do you think she'll be there?" He asked suddenly and again craned his neck in an attempt to see the human face, even though it was impossible to tell what the expression on it was.

Scanning the horizon in front of him for any approaching obstacles, the Professor was settling into the chocobo's rhythm as any nerves about riding after such a long time began to dissipate. The beast's eyes were wide open and it would naturally avoid anything that might block its path unless it was too large to avoid - unlike a car. Otherwise, it would attempt to jump over the obstacle or stop. Reminding himself of that, Hojo found amusement in Kadaj's laughter. Such a child. He didn't particularly find riding to be 'fun' but it certainly seemed more preferable when there was someone else present. Glancing down at the large green eyes, he smiled a bit. "You seem to be doing well for your first time riding." It was true - some children might've wanted to be let off or cried when sitting up so high. Strange beings. After a while, the terrain was beginning to change as the ground started sloping. They'd reached the foot of the mountains. Soon they would have to seek ways through to get to the one they wanted. The chocobo would need to slow down soon to rest and to let them manoeuvre properly. Hojo heard Kadaj's question and looked grave. "I hope so, Kadaj. It's the only place she could be." He thought to himself about a related matter. If Jenova was there, in what shape would she be? He wouldn't have any idea what he was looking for until he found it. He looked down and asked seriously, "Kadaj, do you recognise anywhere here? You spoke of a tunnel that led into the crater."

The remnant was definitely enjoying the ride and the adventure. As the terrain changed, Kadaj took a hold of the protective arm around him so not to slide off from the chocobo's back. Of course Kadaj recognised the place – he had just been there the day before. Nodding firmly, he pointed at a rock further away, "The tunnel is behind that rock…" The tunnel hadn't been large, but the adult would survive if he kept his head down. As the mountains blocked the direct sunlight, it was easier to keep his eyes open without them watering because of the brightness of the snow. The rock they were nearing had sharp edges and the chocobo's leash could probably be tied to the rock while they went to investigate the cave. Shivers of excitement kept crawling up the child's back and he was quickly getting impatient to get down on the ground. "Let's go inside the cave," he pleaded, as if they weren't almost there already, and started squirming, "Let me down…"

As Kadaj pointed, Hojo's gazed followed and lighted upon the rock that supposedly hid the tunnel behind it. One look told him that the tunnel wasn't likely to be very big, as he couldn't see it plainly. Another thing he noted was that Kadaj must have been wandering through it for a while as they were some distance yet from the crater itself. Either way, the Professor kept a firm grip on the small remnant and drew back on the reins to slow the chocobo down. Its pace slackened and turned again into a prance that was neither a walk nor a run while its head arched back again to its normal position. "Waaark!" Hojo felt that if he didn't get the bird to stop soon, Kadaj would wriggle free whether they were in motion or not and potentially hurt himself. Well… it would serve him right if he did. Such impatience. The scientist was impatient as well, but he was going to make damn sure he could get down the tunnel in one piece. "Hey, wait just a second longer, will you?" The chocobo, 'Sephiroth', was still prancing a bit but breaking stride to assume a walk.

"Stop, Sephiroth!" The restless child commanded, but the chocobo ignored him. His feet were swaying and toes wiggling inside the white boots, but he remained seated because the man's arm held him in place. Sighing as he tried to keep his childish energy bottled for a moment longer, he tilted his head and stared up at the upside-down vision of the Professor's face, "I don't think he'll fit in the tunnel…" He muttered. There was something about the place that made his blood itch.

His patience tested, the Professor drew firmly back on the reins until the chocobo had been brought to a halt and lowered its body towards the ground. Releasing the remnant, looking straight down at Kadaj, Hojo shook his head. "I don't think he'd appreciate it if he could." Dismounting in the usual manner, the Professor picked Kadaj up long enough to transfer him from the back of the chocobo and deposit him in the snow. While he highly doubted that the bird would wander off, he felt it would be safer to tie the beast up before leaving it alone. He adjusted the reins back into the form of a simple leash and tied it securely to one of the jutting spurs of the rock. As an afterthought, the Professor hunted in his knapsack for almost all of the biscuits that remained and dumped them in front of the chocobo. The bird tucked in with gusto, contented. With those small tasks done, Hojo could turn his attention to the tunnel. He frowned at it. It was rather short and seemed very narrow. It could be easily missed by anyone who happened to be passing. "Through here, you say?" Though he was very keen to press on, there was something very off-putting about the prospect of a long walk through a darkened tunnel.

The white clad Kadaj was more than pleased when he didn't have to try to make the chocobo kneel, and instead received this treatment of an aristocrat; being lifted down. Despite his impatience, the remnant enjoyed being spoiled, thus sat rather patiently until he was able to wrap his white arms around the Professor's neck and waited until there was suddenly a solid ground under his feet. Releasing his hold of the human, he smiled victoriously and observed Hojo's movements with keen eyes. He could see how many cookies Sephiroth-chocobo was given but soon lost his interest and turned to look into the tunnel. Taking a few steps closer to the entrance of the passageway, he looked at the human over his shoulder and asked, "Are you afraid of narrow places?" The expression on the Professor's face said so – at least Kadaj couldn't think of any other reason why the adult didn't look as eager as one would have expected. Children had very sharp eyes, even when they didn't have unnatural senses like this remnant did. The white, tail-less, ear-less kitten released a small laugh. He was afraid of nothing and the itch in his blood had been replaced by a rush of adrenaline. Suddenly strong and fearless in the same way children were when they didn't understand the possible danger of the situation – like a child who didn't know the stove was burning hot after cooking – he made a promise, "Don't worry, Hojo… I'll protect you." Despite being so childishly naïve and innocent, the boy was still carrying a deadly twin blade on his back. "Do you have a torch?" he suddenly asked. Kadaj could see easily in the dark but he didn't know if the Professor could.

Looking between the dark fissure in the wall of rock and the bright green eyes that regarded him from the young face of Kadaj, Hojo shook his head. He wasn't afraid of narrow spaces per se but this was no ordinary narrow space. It was a tunnel that lead into the heart of the North Crater, where Jenova had crashed to ground and been entombed in ice, where Sephiroth had been entombed in mako, and where they both presumably remained. Feeling the first creeping feelings of pins and needles, the Professor thought he might just have to grin and bear it. Kadaj's offer to protect him was kind, even if the elder doubted that the boy would be able to swing the sword in such a tight gap, unless it widened out further in. Sighing, he dug in his knapsack again and produced some flares. He had several of them but would have to move quickly to make them last. "I have flares. Hopefully they'll last. Lead on, Kadaj." He looked back over his shoulder at the chocobo who was watching with some polite interest but showing no move to spring loose. Good. Readying the first flare for use when the light had thinned to nothing, Hojo went to follow Kadaj.

As soon as the adult was following him, the small boy stepped into the dark tunnel with walls of rock. It wasn't too narrow in width but it wasn't very high, so anyone taller than him might have to crouch to fit in. For his size, it was convenient. Had the remnant heard the Professor's thoughts, he would have pointed out that the man didn't have to worry. The size of the tunnel wouldn't provide much room for any sort of attack, especially not from anyone or anything larger than Kadaj himself. Fearless, the child started humming as he stepped deeper into the darkness, his innocent voice echoed in the passageway. A tiny movement in his peripheral vision caught his attention and as his head turned in a snap, he was almost face to face with a large spider. Smiling to the oblivious creature, he extended his mitten covered hand. The spider wasn't used to company and as the hand neared, it darted into a hole in the wall, vanishing from the child's view. A hum of disappointment echoed in the darkness before Kadaj resumed his careless humming. "Follow me," he encouraged happily, pleased to be the one who had already been here before. It was easy for him to hear the following footsteps as their echo bounced smoothly from the surrounding walls. Taking a faster pace, he stalked ahead, carefully listening for the human behind him to make sure he didn't get lost on their way. The other end of the tunnel was a circle of light ahead. Excitement rushed in the boy's veins at the prospect of possibly finding his mother, possibly even Sephiroth.

Less than ten paces in, Hojo heard and followed the child by his humming. He figured that even if the flares ran out, he would be able to locate Kadaj that way. However, he was not enjoying having to crouch low as he made his way forward. In that regard, he pulled one of the flares and lit it. Instantly, the tunnel was bathed in a ghostly, red glow that threw stark shadows ahead of Kadaj and behind the Professor. Any lingering insects or arachnids that were sensitive to light scurried away into whatever cracks in the rock in which they dwelt. With light safely cast, Hojo could move forward at a more confident pace than one who is merely feeling their way along. Examining the walls of the tunnel, the scientist wondered if the tunnel had always been there, or had been created in the sudden rush of the lifestream bursting through to the surface. Since he was not a geologist, he couldn't be sure and returned his attention to the snowy, eerily glowing remnant ahead of him.

In spite of the freezing air outside, inside the tunnel there was a strong smell of damp, almost like it had been raining. As if something was keeping the rock warm, the atmosphere was filled with moisture and an eerie drop of water landed on Kadaj's nose. Scrunching his nose as he wiped it off, he knew it was definitely warmer inside the cave than outside in the whiteness. Turning his head to check up on the human, the red light was enough to make him narrow his sensitive eyes and turn his head away. "We're almost there!" the excited child exclaimed and started running, his little boots stomping as he neared the light at the end of the tunnel. Before exiting, he stopped and turned to wait for Hojo, not wanting to abandon him in the tunnel. For the child, the tunnel wasn't long because the speed of his running was way faster than an ordinary human's.

Half stooped, holding the flare out ahead of him, there was no way that Hojo could have kept up with Kadaj even if the remnant had been a normal child. Though he was making a good pace through the tunnel, he was still being cautious for fear that something would break off, or suddenly confront him. The chill, crisp air of the outside had been left far behind while the air ahead definitely seemed muggy by comparison. One of the first signs of that, was how the elder's breath stopped rising in a mist as he exhaled. Suddenly, Kadaj piped up and took off with steps that, though light, sounded very loud in the tunnel – echoing back very loudly. "Hey! Wait!" The remnant disappeared into the gloom and the Professor was left to follow along as fast as he dared without barking his head or his elbow off the sides of the tunnel. About halfway to where Kadaj waited, Hojo lowered the flare and could make out some light at the other end. That was a better sign. Encouraged, he hurried on until he had caught up with the remnant some minutes later. By that point, the elder was a little out of breath while the child was not. "You ran all the way here? How are you not- no, never mind..." A remnant of Sephiroth; that was probably why. 


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The emerald eyes raked the sight. The inner walls of the crater rose so high, he imagined they might scrape the skies; leave scratches on the grey and white canvas. Above his head, in the entrance of the tunnel, there were icicles hanging and he grabbed one of them and brought it to his lips, sucking it like a popsicle until Hojo reached him. He ate the ice with a crunching sound formed by his jaw. Raising one silvery eyebrow questioningly at the adult, he asked, "Hmmm?" How was Kadaj not what? The very unfinished question only occupied his mind for a moment before his interest was back on the surroundings. The green gaze swept the place as he started walking, deciding they'd have to check the whole vast place. Calling over his shoulder, his voice echoed in the crater, "Will I recognise her when I see her?" He was currently keeping his eyes open for blue skin. That was what he was looking for.

Taking in deep breaths until his pulse had slowed back to normal, the elder took in the sight of the child as it crunched a small hunk of ice. That was strange, he thought, but he made no mention of it because he had other things on his mind. The crater spread away on both sides for a great distance, curving around until it met again far off ahead, past mists, patches of snow that had filtered in from above and dark pools of melted water that would not freeze properly again due to the strange heat emitted from the earth. Farther in were precipices that led deeper into the ground, towards the core of the planet. Many of them had gone dark where before there would have been soft green light rising from within. The layout of the crater had changed somewhat after the Lifestream had burst forth, causing an enormous cave-in and sealing much of itself off from all but the most ardent of cave-divers. As Kadaj wandered off, Hojo was again grateful that the child wore white - he would show up easily in the semi-gloom.

Hojo looked around and felt utterly lost. He didn't have any idea where to start the search and the crater was so vast, it could take him years, never mind hours. In answer to the remnant's question, he called back, "Yes, you will." The scientist didn't know what he was looking for anymore but he was certain that if he found it, he would know it at once. Suddenly struck with an idea, he called again, "Where is this black water you spoke of?"

The remnant walked by the wall, his white-gloved left hand caressing the rocky surface. If he'd run around the area, he would have been much faster, but he didn't want to leave the Professor all alone in that place. If Kadaj hadn't been born there and hadn't felt that disoriented emotion, when he'd felt perfectly calm even though he'd had no idea where he was and had a very vague idea of who he was, the area could have felt intimidating. So many strange elements; ice, snow, dark grey rock, ponds like miniature lakes here and there and the sun that could barely reach its tentacles into the darkness. The overall atmosphere reeked of supernatural things. Hearing the question, the remnant's steps headed to another direction, his gaze searching for the human form and his lips curving into a small smile, "It's right here…" As he got closer to the pond which he assumed must have been the one he had first stepped out of, he noticed the colour of the water wasn't dark at all. Quite the opposite, it looked like ordinary water, the sky reflecting in an acrylic way from the surface as he halted by the edge. As he turned his head to make sure Hojo was going to join him, he declared, "It's this one…" He pointed at the water with his glove, "But now it's not black…" Crouching and taking his glove off, he dipped his fingertips into the liquid which instantly reacted to his touch, ripples forming, the colour turning black as if smoke had been released swirling to the depths. A tiny, excited laugh erupted from his lips and as he leaned over the surface to see his reflection, he noticed how bright turquoise his eyes had become, nearly glowing. The white hat looked ridiculous even now that it lacked the kitty ears. Standing up and straightening his back, the water soon took its usual colour. "The water turns black when I touch it," he tilted his head and gazed at the Professor, giving him this report of his magical skills.

The remnant's answer sounded very prompt indeed. So prompt that at first Hojo was quite taken aback and felt a bit doubtful – as though Kadaj had given him an answer that was not entirely truthful or correct. But the boy looked very sure so the adult couldn't exactly believe anything else. Curious to investigate, the Professor made his way to where the child was stood pointing with his little gloved finger into a fairly normal-looking pool of water. It was a little difficult to tell at first but Kadaj was quite right – the water was clear and still. Not black at all. As he frowned at it, Hojo absently wondered how deep the pool was. The reflection of the sky above along with the gloom of the crater made it impossible to tell. As Kadaj removed the white glove, Hojo was wondering if maybe they ought to check to see if any of the other pools might be black when suddenly the current one changed its colour.

It was as though the water had been flooded by ink that bled from the boy's fingers. Within seconds, the pool had turned completely black, the reflection of the sky having taken on an almost oily appearance. Though the surface was calm but for a few ripples created by Kadaj's fingers, the water seemed almost to _pulse_. As though that blackness was the vital essence of something. Something powerful and restless. Some_one_. Hojo stood watching, transfixed by the sight. Though he could see everything clearly, it felt like that pool of blackness was too bright to look at and it hurt to look at it for too long. That unwelcome feeling of pins and needles threatened to take hold again but thankfully didn't progress very far as Kadaj stood back from the pool and the blackness dissipated once more.

In response to the child's report, Hojo answered with a half-smile. "Yes, I saw. It's quite impressive." Impressive, indeed, but what was it meant to accomplish? It would take him a minute to figure it out. He frowned a little at the appearance of the remnant's eyes. They had changed colour again.

As Kadaj looked at the Professor, he could once more notice that the human's eyes had taken a greener colour. He'd been meaning to ask about it for a while. Given this opportunity, he stepped a little closer to stare right up at the man and inquired, "Why are your eyes so green?" To Kadaj, it wasn't a shock to see someone's eyes take another shade, but in that childish way he was curious about everything and anything.

Temporarily setting his eyes loose, he raked the sight of the crater, narrowing his eyes when he suddenly noticed something he hadn't noticed before. On the opposite wall of where they had come from, there was a darker area. It could have been a tunnel or a cave – a bigger one than the one through which they had entered. "Is that a cave?!" he exclaimed and pointed his left white glove in the direction. It was possible he had missed said cave when he had been there for the first time but in his childish mind he wondered if it hadn't been here the last time and if someone had created it while he'd been absent. In his opinion, it was very likely that his brother or mother had made the cave while waiting for Kadaj to come back.

Excited by the idea that his family might be waiting for him, he started skipping towards the dark area. He had to round a few smaller ponds on his way and he hummed happily, his childish voice echoing in the crater. When he got to the cave, he realised that the entrance was a lot bigger than he had expected. From his point of view, it looked simply huge. And pitch black – he couldn't see anything. Standing firmly at the mouth of the cave, he waited for the Professor to follow and hesitantly called out into the darkness, "Mother?" All he could hear was his own voice travelling inside the tunnel of rock, his voice echoing and twirling in the darkness. His ears perked as he waited for someone or something to react to his calling. So far, there was no sign of anything living but the tunnel was definitely large enough to give a home to any kind of monster.

The half-smile that Hojo wore faded as Kadaj asked him about his eyes. "Huh?" He hadn't known anything about such a thing happening at all, only that his eyes began to feel irritated. After he'd learned who the child really was, he'd made the connection that the alien matter within him stirred at the presence of Sephiroth's will… but he hadn't reckoned that anything about him had actually changed. Only once before had he transformed entirely, when he'd first injected Jenova's cells into himself and Sephiroth had been at his strongest. Before he could form a proper answer, the child had transferred his attention to something off in the distance.

Squinting, though it would not enable him to see any clearer due to the mists that swirled in the crater, the scientist thought he could see what it was that the remnant was referring to – a rather large opening in the crater wall. Then the little white remnant was skipping off to investigate. Caught between wanting to glance into the pool of water and see if his eyes were actually green and following Kadaj, Hojo chose the latter and followed. He was not as sure-footed as the boy and stepped carefully about. If there were any cracks or holes, he didn't want to suddenly fall into one. The Professor wondered at how Kadaj would react if he knew that some of Jenova resided within him. He'd told only a few that fact and they'd been disgusted. Still, they weren't scientists. They had been trying to stop Sephiroth, so what did they know about anything?

In the cave, something heard a noise echoing in the blackness. It opened a single, ruby eye and looked towards the mouth of its cave. At first, it saw nothing… then it saw the silhouette of something very small. Something small and white. The enormous belly rumbled a little at the thought of having a snack. If it had been deeper asleep, it might not have budged and slept on until it was hungry enough to wake. Since it was awake and saw a possibly tasty morsel, it raised its enormous scaly head and took in a deep sniff. The scent was faint but it smelled like a warm-blooded creature. Tempted to know more, the creature flexed its long scaly neck and stretched sturdy legs that ended in long, cruel talons. Stepping forward, the earth beneath it trembled a little as it stretched its long, blunt snout forwards to sniff the air once more. Huge wings, black as night, unfurled to a wide span before folding up to either side of the massive creature's body. A long tail trailed lazily behind it, dragging stones.

Getting closer, the dim light from the skies above the crater revealed inch by inch what this enormous creature was. It was a huge black dragon.

As Kadaj was staring into the darkness of the cave, a sudden earthquake made the ground under his feet quiver. A very short earthquake, until another tremor followed right after. His jaw dropped open as his little brain tried to figure out what was going on. Something big must have been moving in the cave and was probably heading their way. As the adrenaline kicked in, his instincts became as sharp as the Souba blades and his reflexes were lightning fast. "Hide!" He commanded, and already neared the Professor with speed, roughly pushing him behind the largest stone in their proximity. The only concern Kadaj had was the fact that Hojo was a human and would be vulnerable if there was a monster on the loose. The remnant felt no fear for his own health because most times in front of a threatening situation, Sephiroth's spirit would concentrate on its survival, Kadaj's tiny body becoming a weapon to protect whatever was hiding underneath his skin.

As soon as he'd made sure the human was safely out of sight, he sprang closer to the head of the cave again, a little more on the other side so that whatever would dare to crawl out of the darkness would surely keep its eyes on the tasty little snowball instead of paying attention to the rock which was currently shielding the Professor.

Just in case, Kadaj pulled his Souba out and narrowed his eyes, observing keenly as the earthquakes indicated something was heading his way. It didn't take long for the creature to sneak out into the daylight and Kadaj clenched his jaw as he stared up at the huge monster. He had never seen a dragon before, but perhaps based on someone else's memories, he did have a vague idea what the creature was. Whether it was hostile or not was still to be discovered but the dragon's nostrils were flaring as it sniffed the air. To the remnant, it seemed as if the dragon was hungry and his mind rotated different ideas to find the best solution. One idea included a chocobo turned into a dragon's meal, another idea included a remnant turning into mist and slithering inside the dragon's nostrils to put out the fire which was surely just waiting somewhere inside the dragon's lungs. Deciding it was best to let the dragon make the first move, the child stayed still and looked at it both with interest and with a tension which indicated he was very prepared to react to whatever might happen next.

Out the corner of his eye, the Professor had spotted some form of movement in one of the pools. He stopped moving and turned to look, seeing another ripple forming as a muffled thud sounded from somewhere ahead. That was as much as he recognised before a small person in white came hurtling towards him and shoved him behind a rock after telling him to hide. "Oof!" He didn't say anything else as he took in the set of the child's jaw and the way the eyes were wide yet focused. Another muffled thump, along with a tremor he hadn't noticed properly, sounded from ahead. Then it clicked. Something was in the cave and was coming out. Though he was at once curious to see what it was, Hojo stayed still behind cover and watched as Kadaj streaked off again. Whatever it was, it was big.

The dragon had seen the silhouette vanish and paused very briefly. The little thing was fast. Like a snowy hare. The scent had gotten stronger as it neared the mouth of its cave and emerged. It moved a little faster in case it lost its quarry. Once out, though it was sure that it had spotted other movement further ahead as it came forward, the little white morsel stole the great beast's attention as it showed up well against the dark rock of the crater's interior. The dragon saw, then leaned its snout close to the creature and took a good sniff. It smelled very good.

Though the tiny creature was fast, the dragon didn't think it was threatening. The shining blade in the furry creature's paws looked long and sore, if it should pierce the scaly hide… but the dragon cared more about how the creature tasted. It wondered if there might be more about. There was a scent of second, if not a third creature present in the crater. The third was too faint to be certain as it was blown in through the long tunnel that led outside. More like a crack than anything. This white creature had the smell of chocobo about it in addition to its own. Chocobo and something else. Either way, it caused the dragon's tummy to rumble again and it opened its jaws in anticipation of plucking this doubtless flavoursome morsel up off the ground to gobble it down.

Behind cover, Hojo had peeked out to see why it had gone so quiet. What he saw made him pale instantly. A tiny white kitten facing a gigantic black dragon. He picked up a stone, ready to fling it in case a distraction was needed.

Strangely, Kadaj felt no fear whatsoever. A creature that big had to be slow in its movements and the boy knew he would be faster than light. His sensitive little remnant ears could pick up the rumbling noise and based on all the sniffing and flaring nostrils, the dragon must have been hungry. Maybe it was better to make sure how fast the dragon moved and how angry it was while hungry. Sliding one white glove off, Kadaj waited until the great jaws opened and then boldly threw his mitten right inside the beast's wide mouth, observing the creature's expression to see if children's clothing was a common snack or something unwanted. After all, if the dragon tended to eat children, then the taste of fabric couldn't be surprising. Just to make sure the dragon didn't eat him, he did a hasty back flip, landing securely on both feet and out of the monster's reach for now.

In its own way, the dragon was rather beautiful. Eyes red, like blood tainted diamonds, and dark wings like massive shadows. It hadn't even roared and Kadaj wondered if it could be turned into a pet. Oh, but no, it was probably too big to be kept inside any house. What a shame, really. It would be nicer to ride this magnificent creature than ride a silly chocobo. "If you try to eat me…" Kadaj told the hungry dragon, "I'm going to cut your throat and keep your eyes as souvenirs." He meant it but the monster clearly wasn't listening because it had swallowed the mitten and was nearing Kadaj with bared teeth. To the remnant, it was all just fun and games and he released a small, insane laugh as he started running, luring the dragon further away from the Professor's direction, dancing with long jumps in between the pools of water. It didn't take him long to reach the small tunnel from which they had originally come in. He stood in front of the entrance and laughed at the massive beast which still hadn't caught him, "You'll never catch me!"

As he peeked out from behind the rock, the Professor watched in suspense as Kadaj threw his mitten into the dragon's mouth. The beast must have liked it for it began to follow the tiny remnant with its great jaws primed to snap Kadaj up in one bite. Though the dragon wasn't exactly slow, as no large animals are once they get moving, Kadaj was much faster and outstripped the giant black lizard easily – leading it back to the tunnel that led outside. Hojo angled himself round his bit of cover as the pair moved so that he might remain hidden. There was a problem, though. If the dragon decided to turn around and seek another exit, it might spot him. He was glad he was clad in dark colours, as it would make him a bit more difficult to spot.

The dragon slowed as it reached the tunnel, clearly aware that it would not be able to get through if it tried, though the smell of fresh air wafted in from above and taunted it almost as much as the delectable little white furball did. The mixed scent of chocobo and warm-blooded biped was fanned in its face, making it hungrier and riling it to the point that it shoved its big snout into the narrow gap, trying to reach the little morsel that tantalized it. A deep growl was bubbling in its throat... rumbling threateningly like a volcano about to erupt... If it couldn't reach the small bite to eat it, the dragon would burn it to a crisp and sear the entire length of the tunnel with its fiery breath...

Back a ways, the Professor observed the great beast's movements and silently cursed. He had only a large stone and some flares to distract the creature and it wouldn't give him much of a head start. The dragon's talons were scraping the crater floor as it strained to reach Kadaj, who was presumably dancing just out of reach. Before too long, it would pull back and arch its long neck before it spewed flame into the tunnel and blasted everything inside to ash. Kadaj was fast – very fast... but he mightn't be able to escape in time... especially if he was unable to turn to mist properly. A loud roar jolted the elder into action and he threw the rock as hard as he could towards the dragon to convince it to turn around. It landed short, but landed in one of the many pools of water with a loud splash. Ducking behind cover again, Hojo waited for the sound that meant the dragon had drawn back. He hadn't much of a plan in his head but having the surviving remnant of Sephiroth turned to ash was not one of them.

The remnant child had been hoping the dragon would be stupid enough to chase him into the small tunnel and get stuck there. When it became apparent that the monster wasn't quite that stupid, he immediately started thinking about another way to get rid of it. The scales looked tough, he wasn't quite sure if the double bladed Katana would pierce them or not. How does one kill a dragon, hmm? A terrified yelp erupted from his mouth when he heard a splash of water and saw the dragon's head turn away from the remnant. Was the Professor trying to catch its attention? Oh no, he shouldn't, it was dangerous.

When the dragon started moving its enormous body away from the tunnel and the tiny remnant inside it, Kadaj sprang into action without even fully knowing what he was going to do. The simple need to protect the human adult was so huge, he would have let the dragon eat him if it would have helped – however, luckily Sephiroth wouldn't have allowed that. No sacrificing this body which sheltered the remains of the great General.

Kadaj ran after the creature which was clearly trying to look for a mouthful. The turquoise-eyed boy could see the tip of the Professor's hair where he was hiding and reacted without thinking as he grabbed a stone and threw it at the monster. As the dragon received the pebble on its head, it roared in annoyance, its attention directing back to the white mouthful that was now running towards the human's hiding place. The white remnant stopped running suddenly and turned to look at the annoyed beast. It would be good if he could make the dragon harmless. Pursing his lips in thought, he glanced at the pools of water around them and wondered how he would manage to get the dragon soaked. As the monster roared and started inching its head closer to the white meatball, Kadaj concentrated much the same way he had when turning into mist, a tiny frown appearing on his forehead. The power of another creature was humming in his blood, nearly talking aloud as his palms itched and he spread them slightly. A rush of coldness, like ice running in his veins, Kadaj felt strong and confident, fearless and unbreakable. He didn't turn into mist this time, instead the water in the pools started turning into mist, in seconds covering the whole strand of sky visible above them, turning into thick and heavy dark clouds. Almost like thunderclouds, he wondered, and watched them gather there until the whole crater became dark like at night time. And then it all came down in thick blankets of rain, the droplets beating the dragon mercilessly but never fully reaching where Kadaj stood. As the remnant watched, it almost looked like the rain turned into waves, so much water there was pouring down on the poor monster who seemed confused by the sudden situation.

It was aggravated and tilted its monstrous head towards the skies, roaring furiously but that only resulted in some of the water penetrating its mouth which did nothing to help sooth its fury. Recognising this as their only possible moment of escape, the remnant turned and hurried over to the human, grabbing him by the arm, "Run!"

The steps of the dragon seemed to be coming closer. The ground shook with large tremors as it moved its enormous self about, away from the tunnel. Alright, so his ploy had worked insofar as the dragon had changed course and was now looking for the source of the noise. Now what? There was no way that Hojo would ever be able to outrun it. However, even without looking, Hojo could tell that something had changed, as the steps faltered as the beast roared again. What was going on? The sounds of the dragon's heavy breaths and angry growls were so close. Suddenly it grew dark. Very dark. Looking up, fully-expecting to see the shadow of the large reptile blotting out the light, the professor instead saw clouds forming. Heavy, dark clouds that had seemingly formed from nowhere. Sure, it was common knowledge that the weather round mountains could change at a moment's notice... but even this was quite incredible. Then, just like turning on a tap, a deluge of rain dropped into the crater. Within seconds, the distressed roars of the dragon could be heard as it was rained upon. The beast did not like it one bit. Yet, strangely, the rain did not seem to be striking the whole of the crater.

No sooner had he begun to puzzle this little oddity than a little white snowball appeared in the corner of his vision and grabbed hold of his arm with a furry white paw, telling him to run. Hojo didn't need to be told twice. As the pair hurried past, the scientist observed the way the rain was coming down in torrents, beating heavily down upon the great black lizard and giving its hide the appearance of wet tar. Its wings were spreading and folding as it sought shelter from the downpour and it finally turned to retreat back into its cave. Meanwhile, the remnant and the professor made for the dark tunnel through which they had entered and were very soon some distance up it before Hojo simply _had_ to slow down and catch his breath. His heart was pounding like a drum in his chest. Beating so hard, it hurt. "Wait... I need a second..." he rasped, leaning heavily against the wall of the tunnel. The exit to the outside was a pale light in the distance.

Kadaj was mortified when the Professor asked for a moment to catch his breath. They were in danger and not only that, Kadaj was more than worried for the human's safety. He didn't really have time to wonder why this person was so important to him, more important than his own safety, really. "You can't stop now!" the white kitten demanded and stepped behind the adult to violently push him further into the tunnel. Hurriedly glancing behind to the wide area of the crater, he could tell the disappointed dragon had gotten tired of the white kitten and its tricks, and was seeking shelter from the rain in its nest somewhere in the bigger cave on the other side of the crater. Deciding it was safe enough to stop for a moment, Kadaj stopped trying to push the human towards the exit, determinedly staying behind him in case the monster would change its mind and would give it one more go. The rain stopped, the clouds vanished as abruptly as they had first emerged. It came was a surprise to the remnant that he had such powers – the power to control weather.

He was suddenly very tired of the crater, very tired of the weather and snow and wanted nothing more than to just hurry and ride back to the town on the chocobo. The remnant wanted a fireplace, food, and perhaps a nap with the Scientist. Their little journey had been useless, they had found nothing, but the disappointment was subdued by the knowledge that at least the Professor was safe and all was well. Deciding he didn't want to leave the human in the cave alone, he wrapped his little arms around Hojo's waist and cuddled him from behind briefly before letting go and taking his hand, trying to pull him towards the exit. So impatient. He looked up at the man's expression and gave him a tiny, pleased smile of someone who had just discovered they could control the weather, "Can we have hot chocolate when we get back?"

With his chest heaving in and out as he tried to catch his breath, Hojo was past caring that a sudden rush of flame from an enraged dragon might still engulf them whenever the rain stopped and the beast came looking for what might have been its morsel for the day. He would have happily sat down to rest if the little snowball hadn't given him a very rough push to make him keep moving. Forced onward for another few metres in the gloom of the tunnel, the older man had to claw his way along on the tunnel wall to know where he was and to give himself something to help him move forward. Mercifully, Kadaj stopped trying to push him on for a while and he once again leaned against the tunnel wall to get some air back into him. The back of his throat was burning from the effort but at least his heart-rate was evening out... slowly.

In the humid tunnel and the weatherproof gear, it felt far too warm but there was no time to do anything about that as a pair of slender arms hugged him about his waist for a second and a soft paw took his hand again to lead him out. As the little request for hot chocolate was given him, he might have laughed only he was still out of breath and simply nodded. "Let's... get out of here first, though... shall we?" With an effort, Hojo commanded his tired self to move at least until they were outside, then he would just flop in the snow for a little bit before he had to face riding a chocobo again. Yes... That sounded like a decent plan...

Since there was no sound or sight of the dragon and the Professor seemed utterly exhausted, Kadaj simply tugged at his hand restlessly, then let it drop and skipped to the entrance of the tunnel. The sun was still shining, yet it was hanging lower in the sky, most likely they would get back to the town before sunset. Trusting the human to call him if anything bad happened, he went over to the chocobo and started petting it. His stomach was grumbling and his white clothing felt moist. He wasn't too cold though, mostly just hungry. The chocobo started shifting his feet restlessly, and tried to sniff Kadaj's mittenless hand. The animal was probably hungry too. The remnant was too hungry to think about the trip they had done, the fact that they hadn't discovered anything interesting. If he hadn't been that hungry and wanting to go somewhere warm and nice, he would have been disappointed.

The worst part about exiting the tunnel had nothing to do with the distance or the darkness and gloom. It wasn't even the fact that it was humid and damp or even that it was narrow and cramped and low. It was the fact that the ground sloped _uphill_. The professor was of that particular species of human that spent the majority of its daily life indoors, hunched over documents or peering at writing on screens. Though he had haunted the long corridors of the Scientific Division at night and taken the stairs to travel between floors, that did not necessarily add up to make one fit enough to sprint up a hill for several minutes without pause. Especially not when one was past a certain age.

Once the inexorable little white paw released his hand, Hojo dragged himself a few paces more out into the crisp, cold air and let himself sit in the snow with his back braced against the rocky wall next to the narrow tunnel opening. He pulled down the zip of his jacket to let himself cool off and immediately felt the chill enter to relieve the heat. It felt very nice. After a few seconds where he took a few more slow breaths, he glanced up to see Kadaj and the chocobo restlessly fidgeting. He remembered something then. He still had the knapsack on his back and he awkwardly shrugged it off his shoulders and pulled it out from behind him. In it, his coat was still cushioning the empty sample containers – disappointing. Under that, he found the little helping of rations he had packed. He picked something out at random and tossed it towards Kadaj. "Here." It was an energy bar made of cereals and raisins and no small amount of sugary substances. It might bide him a few minutes of rest while the little remnant munched on it.

As the snack was tossed in his direction, Kadaj quickly caught it with the reflex and speed of a remnant. Twirling it in his hands, he wondered what it was then ripped open the packaging to satisfy his curiosity. The appearance and smell told him it was edible and he sniffed it before placing it between his teeth and taking a bite. Very crunchy. It was a bit too sweet for his liking but he was hungry and took another bite, munching it with a pleased expression. Apparently it would have also been to the chocobo's liking because it brought its huge head very close to Kadaj's and make a 'wark' sound. That made the white-clothed boy take a few steps backwards until the leash kept the chocobo away from his snack.

Turning towards the human, he took another bite and soon casually went to keep him company by sitting on his lap and looking up at him while munching. "Do you want some?" he asked and offered the half-eaten bar. The chocobo might want some too, so if the human didn't want it, the rest would become pet food. As the Professor had opened his jacket, the heat of his body felt almost like a tropical breeze to the remnant who was occupying his lap. There was a strange smell though and Kadaj pressed his nose on the human chest, inhaling deeply. Chemicals. He scrunched his nose and pulled back, looking at the brown eyes behind the glasses. He hadn't noticed that in the house because the whole house had smelled like chemicals – probably a very common scent for scientists.

Offered some of the bar, Hojo declined. He looked at the chocobo though and saw it straining and scraping the snow-covered ground. Clearly, it wanted one too. While he didn't particularly mind that Kadaj had decided to sit on him, the Professor was less than impressed to find the child taking such a shameless liberty as sniffing at him and then pulling a face afterwards. He looked back at the green eyes with a look of disapproval and shrugged cantankerously. "What?" Something he was fast learning was what it felt like to feel self-conscious. If it wasn't endless questions, it was acts like this that made the elder dislike being around children for very long.

If he hadn't still been feeling quite warm, Hojo might have zipped his jacket back up in case Kadaj decided to do something else. Like what? He hadn't a notion. The remnant did what it pleased and without any prior warning. As a follow-up to his rhetorical question, he asked another, "Something wrong?"

The silvery head turned from left to right in a headshake, "No, you just smell funny…" It wasn't a bad smell, just strong for his sensitive nose. As he took another bite from the bar, he got onto his feet and went over to the chocobo to offer it the remains of the snack. The grateful animal took the snack in its beak, then tilted its head back and swallowed it whole. As patient as children usually are, Kadaj didn't like all this waiting – to him, this little moment felt like a lifetime. "Let's go already," he demanded. Not even glancing backwards he lifted his little hands in the air, standing next to the now happy bird, fully expecting someone to lift him up and place him on the chocobo's back.

Hojo raised an eyebrow at that remark and nearly felt like making a comeback. However, since the remnant had merely smelled of leather and water when last he checked, the comeback would hardly have been a match. In any case, the Professor wasn't in the mood to start bickering pointlessly and settled for watching as Kadaj awarded the remainder of the biscuit bar to the bird. It seemed to like it. Once the demand to go was made, the older man felt like groaning. Alright, fair enough. They did need to get going or the sun would be down before they got back. Still, there was no need to be _quite_ so impatient.

"Alright, I'm coming." Almost sulkily, Hojo zipped the front of his jacket back up and he stood up with some difficulty. As he thought, he was going to be stiff for a while after all this running about. He went to close the knapsack first and changed his mind, seeing the way Kadaj stood by the chocobo. Better to sort that out first or suffer the consequences... Catching the small creature under the arms, the scientist lifted Kadaj up to set him on top of the chocobo and turned back to collect the knapsack. He half-toyed with the idea of leaving it there but decided against it as he picked it up and put it back on his shoulders.

Kadaj was very pleased to be placed on the back of the chocobo and smiled widely, clutching with both hands at the feathers. The feathers felt nice and soft on the hand which had lost its mitten in the dragon's jaws. Proudly he straightened his back and glanced at the horizon where the sun was having clear plans of retiring. "The sun is setting soon…" He voiced the results of his deduction and turned his head to study what the Professor was doing. Apparently he was picking up the knapsack, which was a good thing because it meant they might soon be on their way. Humans were so incredibly slow, in Kadaj's opinion. If he'd been here alone, he would've been riding back already.  
>As he looked at the human, he inquired, "Are you very disappointed we didn't find anything?" It was sad. The remnant had no idea where his Mother might be. He was so impatient, he tapped the chocobo's sides with his heels and the chocobo made a 'wark' sound, clearly annoyed that it wasn't yet allowed to run home. <p>

Hojo hardly needed the reminder that the sun was on its way down. He could tell by the lengthening shadows that they would have to hurry back. He shrugged his shoulders to get the bag into position and sighed when asked if he was disappointed. If he was honest, he was bitterly disappointed. Even if there hadn't been a hungry dragon guarding it, the interior of the crater was enormous, received only a certain amount of daylight and was full of nooks and crevices where Jenova's remains might be lurking. He couldn't face having to trek back and forth every single day until he found something, especially when he had nothing visual to base it on. Added to that, there was no guarantee that there was even anything there.

Rather than say all of this and end up ranting, the Professor merely nodded at Kadaj. "Yes, Kadaj. I am. Still, it can't be helped for today and it's high time we got back." He frowned at the way the little snow-white heels tapped against the chocobo's sides. Lazy or not, the bird was ruffling its feathers – plainly missing its dinner and just as eager to get home. Hojo untied the leash and re-attached them as reins before entreating the bird to kneel rather than set off wandering. It took a sharp tug on the reins to make it behave long enough for him to mount and then it resumed walking without waiting for command. "Well, we learned one thing, Kadaj... What's the phrase? 'Draco dormiens nunquam titillandus'..."

Kadaj was very pleased when the adult took a seat behind the impatient remnant. Although he had no idea what that last sentence meant, he assumed it had something to do with the dragon and declared proudly, "Indeed." Maybe in the summer it would be warmer around here and they could come back for another search. Or maybe the wise old human would come up with other ideas about where Kadaj's mother or Sephiroth might be.

Wearing a small smile of someone who was expecting to get food and a fireplace soon, Kadaj watched the setting sun and leaned back against the Professor, soon falling asleep because the chocobo's pacing was so soothing. Little did the remnant know that he would have plans for the future, and even less did he know that they would meet again one day, a long time after. 


End file.

Final Fantasy VII, Adventure, Hurt-Comfort