(no subject)

[dark-platinum.livejournal.com]

Who: Kadaj, Open
What: Just messing around
When: Late Afternoon
Where: Midgar
Rating: PG-13


A motorcycle stood seemingly abandoned at the base of a giant pile debris that was once one of the generators that lined the city limits of Midgar. However it's owner was at the very top overlooking the ruined city. The silver haired young man wearing his black clothes had once died, not too far from the spot he was at. His bright green eyes looked through his silver hair out to that area. His face was brimming with curiosity. He had been there for almost half an hour just looking, wondering why exactly he was drawn to it.

Then a thought crossed his mind that made him begin to leap down the pile to his bike. But he stopped short when he noticed that someone was holding his motorcycle, beginning to walk off with it while looking around every now and then. But never thinking to look up.

"No, I don't think so." said Kadaj as he sat down. He raised his arm and turned his palm up to the sky.

Shadows began to rise from the ground. Kadaj's eyes widened with surprised. It wasn't the shadow beasts that answered his summons before, but instead black creatures with yellow eyes. The man had stopped and turned to see those take shape.

Kadaj's surprise turned into morbid curiosity and with a lofty wave of his hand, they leaped at the man, who screamed and managed to run a few feet before they pounced on him. It was quick, but what came next made Kadaj snap up instantly to his feet and watch, enraptured by what he was witnessing. The man's body was nowhere to be seen, in his place was another of the yellow eyed creatures, but it look different, taller than the rest. More humanoid. Not only that, but he only saw a glimpse of a red light escape into nothingness from the attack.

Kadaj stood there, looking dumbstruck before he began to giggle uncontrollably. He dismissed the shadows as he laughed, leaping down the rest of the pile and onto his bike. Once he was sitting on it, he pulled out his phone.

"Curiouser and curiouser." he said to himself, smiling as he began dialing a number.

Comments

[sergerp.livejournal.com]

A normal day, that's all Serge wanted. He hated boredom, but utter chaos wasn't his cup of tea either. Throw in Heartless into the mix, and it instantly made him flare up.

It was supposed to be a simple trip to the old 7th Heaven, just to see if he and Kid left anything behind before she and Denzel had fled from Sephiroth weeks ago. He had thought his faithful friend Poshul had followed him, but he didn't know where she was. Shrugging, he thought a simple slab of meat or something would get her attention.

Just as he entered the city however, he had heard a scream. He sighed heavily. "So much for normal..." Holding out his hand, Mastermune appeared in a bright flash. He ran to the source, dodging people left and right before spotting a man near some debris, Heartless surrounding him...and the man was actually laughing, creeping out the blue-haired youth even further.

Yet strangely enough, the clothing was far too familiar, similar to..."Loz..." He hid behind the corner of a nearby building, scoping out the possible target from a safe distance, enough for him to cast an element for protection anyway. "He looks so much like him...yet...like Sephiroth..." Based on the description and pictures he had seen, the resemblance was uncanny. Could this be one of the remnants he overheard from Cloud?

He mentally cursed. Things were going to get out of hand at this rate, especially with Heartless here. A white light charged within his hand, just in case the remnant came to him, he could end it in one blow, hopefully without resorting to several lives lost.

[black-masamune.livejournal.com]

There it was again. A presence he recognized as so similar to his own. Sephiroth had to chuckle as he stood on Midgar's Plate. So another one of his Remnants had survived? It seemed the fates were playing favorites on the side of villainy lately.

Pushing off of the building he stood again, Sephiroth closed his eyes and quickly discerned where his little brother must be. Once he found the young man's location, he smirked. 'ShinRa's tower? Best go see how he's doing.' he thought. His single wing slid out from his back, and he took to the sky.

Immediately he noticed someone else had found his brother. Sephiroth didn't recognize him, but the sword the blue-haired young man wielded seemed awfully familiar.

Sephiroth landed near where Kadaj's motorcycle lay, but was too focused on Serge and his peculiarly familiar sword.

OOC: Uh, Seph. Serge doesn't actually use a sword, it's more of a double-blade spear

[poshultime.livejournal.com]

Poshul kept running as she whipped her head around. "SERGIE-POO! WHERE ARE YOU!" she said as she stopped at the group of three people. "Hi, Sergie-poo!" she said, smiling as she looked at the two. "Thethe people rook rike Guile!" she said, happily as she wagged her tail;

[dark-platinum.livejournal.com]

After having his conversation over the phone, Kadaj's smile broadened as he closed his phone, pocketing it.

"Things are looking up. Two of three." a small laugh forced it's way through his mouth as he ran his hand through his hair, which flopped back in his face. He raised his head to look at the sky, and his face was pale, his smile fell, and his iris widened. There above him, and then before him was Sephiroth.

The memory slammed into his mind. He was being held by Cloud, the slender hand that must have surely been Mother's reach out to him, giving a sense of serenity. She matched his mental image perfectly. The Lifestream was different from just being alive. A hand grabbed him, firecely gripping his throat. Was it pink, or blue? It was fuzzy. But she spoke without using her voice. Him. She wanted him. She wanted to use him to escape, to get back. Destroy his essence, use his empty shell to get back. But she was driven away, driven away by-

"SERGIE-POO!"

Kadaj blinked and saw that Sephiroth was looking in the direction of the voice. Thinking quickly, he sat somewhat sideways to follow Sephiroth's gaze. Something to buy him more time before he decided on what to do. A dog was walking to the corner of a building. His smile returned as he slid off his bike. "And what is this?"

[black-masamune.livejournal.com]

The sight of the dog made him want to laugh a bit. Instead, Sephiroth just smirked and turned back to Kadaj. He could always worry about the other two later. There wasn't much to fear from a small pink dog and the man with Mastermune anyway.

"You look well, Kadaj." he tilted his head slightly. He could tell the Remnant was uncomfortable. He was practically sweating from being nervous, it seemed. "Though I am a bit curious as to how you're here."

[dark-platinum.livejournal.com]

Kadaj's ears involuntarily perked up when he heard himself being addressed. He turned back to look at Sephiroth. The talking dog would have to wait. This was much more important. He looked into Sephiroth's face and for a split second it was replaced by that of the thing that had attacked him in the Lifestream.

"I don't know either."

I was taken out of the Lifestream by the kind and gentle Mother so I wouldn't be erased by our-YOUR Mother. Kadaj thought. But no, he wouldn't get answers by showing his sudden repulse at the mere thought of Mother. It had been eating at his mind. He needed to know what his big brother's motives were first, what his reaction might be. Loz was his little brother, Kadaj had always been able to sway Loz before.

"I just stopped someone from stealing my baby." he said, moving his hand lovingly over the seat of his motorcycle, looking at it fondly. Giggling maniacally when he had the image of the shadow creatures he summoned and what they did to him. His hand stopped moving, and his green eyes moved up to Sephiroth without moving his head. "Have I missed anything?

[black-masamune.livejournal.com]

"Not much has happened, to be honest," he shrugged a bit, "Besides just spreading mayhem and destruction at my capricious whim." He looked over at Serge and smirked.

"Miss Lockhart should be back in Midgar anytime soon though, I hear." he taunted. Again he ignored the man and looked to his 'brother.' Something had happened to Kadaj in the Lifestream. Sephiroth saw it in the boy's eyes. He was different than his memories of the entire event concerning the three silver-haired men recalled. He honestly hoped not much had changed, as Kadaj was the most like him...the only one out of the three Sephiroth actually respected, and distrusted. Yazoo and Loz would do as asked as long as Jenova was mentioned. But Kadaj...his mind was more independent, like his own.

"Tell me...was 'Mother' waiting for you when you died? Or...was something else there? Jenova never appeared to me, so it would be nice to know if she loved her other...children, at least." He moved closer to Kadaj, staring down at him intently.

[dark-platinum.livejournal.com]

The way Sephiroth seemed to look through Kadaj's eyes, the intensity of his gaze was such that it was all Kadaj could do to stare back at them. The eyes filled with mako answered all of Kadaj's questions. Mother's sway still had a strong grip on Sephiroth. Or did she even need to try to influence him? His words were clear, lacking the uncertainty that had been growing inside Kadaj.

Kadaj's mouth opened, but no words came out at first, then he answered before even thinking of the question. "You knew where she was?"

He had wanted to turn, to see why Sephiroth found the dog so amusing, but felt that this wasn't a subject that could dropped and picked up later.

[black-masamune.livejournal.com]

The silver-haired general wanted to laugh. He truly did. How like the child to still cling to his 'Mother.' That fantastically malevolent force from the stars was no more fit to be a mother than Sephiroth was to be a father. Certainly a road he never wanted to travel.

He drew himself up taller and stared coldly down at Kadaj. He was smart, but also the most maniacal of the three Remnants. His next words would either drive the poor thing even more mad, or just break him, he figured.

"Jenova's influence is still strong, but...Jenova herself is dead."

[dark-platinum.livejournal.com]

Eyes widening with comprehension, Kadaj slowly shook his head at Sephiroth, his mouth still slightly open. It wasn't Jenova's absence that scared him, but Sephiroth didn't seem to know that. His green eyes look up into the face of the long silver haired man, the only one he had called big brother. It was time to come clean now, he needed to tell Sephiroth everything, the truth.

"She-She's there. She was there, in the Lifestream." he said, stuttering at first but solidfying himself, steeling himself so he could convey what he felt, how he had felt back then. "She tried to take me. Make me into nothing. If she did that I think she could be alive again." he said going from looking from one of Sephiroth's eyes to the other before looked down at the ground. "She doesn't care about me. I don't think she cares about any of us. If she comes back-" his breathing got a little quicker. "I saw her thoughts. If she comes back, she going to destroy it. All of it." He looked back up to Sephiroth, his face void of his usual crazed smile and wild eyes. "Including us. She's just waiting. Waiting for one of us..."

[black-masamune.livejournal.com]

And there it was.

Sephiroth was definitely pleased with this newfound result. He had been hoping this one, the one closest to himself, could come to see the truth. With him, the other two would come as well. A strange mixture of pride and pity rose from his stomach at the thought.

In an act that would terrify any who knew him, Sephiroth reached out his left hand -his sword hand- and laid it on the Remnant's shoulder. How small he seemed now, how weak and childlike. that could change, and it would change. Jenova, that destructive and almost mindless creature, couldn't understand the power she toyed with. Kadaj could prove to be a new Sephiroth with the right molding. Of course, his "older brother" would have to monitor him very carefully to make sure the boy didn't grow too much like him.

"Give it time. She'll be gone from the stream, and from our thoughts, soon enough. You needn't fear her influence much longer. Big Brother will take care of you provided you prove useful." he said. No genuine smile was on his face, just his practically trademarked smirk. The comforting words had a crueler meaning: as long as he wasn't in the way of the chaotic path Sephiroth was carving, he would survive and stay far from Jenova's choking hands. "And I can tell you will be useful to me for quite some time."

[sergerp.livejournal.com]

Serge turned pale the moment he heard the dog. He completely forgot about her, and now it was biting him in the ass. In a flash, he pulled the dog behind the corner with him, and cursed. No doubt they spotted him by now. Yet they continued their conversation...

And the moment Tifa was mention, Serge nearly got out of his spot. This bastard reminded him too much like Lynx, giving him all the more reason to go out and attack...were he an idiot.

The topic of their conversation however he knew nothing about, especially this Jenova. But if the swordsman had kin, and planned on using them for his own purposes...

His eyes went back to his phone, their conversation recorded. It was faint, but Kid should be able to make out most of the words at least. He kissed the phone, thanking however made it, and placed in admist the pink fur on Poshul. "Poshul, go to Kid and give that to her."

He spun the Mastermune briefly, his poking out of the corner to see them still chatting. Two on one, including several Heartless, was a tad suicidal, but hopefully the GF he had would help with everything. He had noticed an increase in both Glenn and Kid's abilities when they got to control theirs.

"I'll buy you some time! Go!" he ordered, jumping out from behind the corner, the Mastermune in one hand, and a white element in the other. The white aura faintly surrounded him, the element shining within his hands. "Sephiroth! Where is Tifa Lockheart!?"

[poshultime.livejournal.com]

Poshul looked at Serge as he placed the phone with her. "To Kid? Why...." Poshul said before frowning and nodding, rushing off to find the Aussie-accented thief. She glanced back as Serge went into battle. "Be thafe, Sergie-poo"

[dark-platinum.livejournal.com]

Bewilderment crashed into Kadaj's mind. He was positive, sure that Sephiroth would have tried to smite the thoughts from Kadaj's head, one way or another. And while Kadaj normally had an abundance of confidence in his ability, he felt he would be unable to hold his own against his big brother. But this was completely unexpected. How was he so sure that Jenova would fade away. Had he experienced what Kadaj had? Was he also nearly consumed by her? Too many questions filled his head. Kadaj has always been the curious one of his brothers, the one who kept thinking. And who was also slightly paranoid.

Sephiroth's statement had Kadaj wonder exactly what he meant. Of course he was intimidated by his tall mako filled brethren. But he had a feeling. A warm feeling, and within the blink of an eye, he mentally saw someone smile that reflected the warmth he felt, or generated it. And there was his epiphany. Kadaj smiled when it hit him. And he fond himself looking at Sephiroth again. He nodded.

"Of course. Without my brothers, I have practically nothing."

It was then he heard Serge's shout. Kadaj's head instantly turned, his hand on the sheath that housed his parallel bladed Souba. His thumb tensed against the hand guard of his dual katana, pushing it out slowly so he could draw it quickly. He looked the boy up and and down, his mischievously insane smile returned to his face widening when he saw the weapon he wielded. It matched Loz's description. Apparently he had an interest in Tifa, but he knew addressing his bigger brother in a manner was quite foolish.

"You're the one who ruined my little brother's fun." he said coolly. "How rude..."

[black-masamune.livejournal.com]

Sephiroth made a light clicking noise with his tongue and withdrew his hand from Kadaj's shoulder. There went the moment. He didn't mourn the loss long, though, and turned to face Serge himself.

"Miss Lockhart is no longer in my possession. If you haven't found her, I assume she doesn't want to be found." he said, shrugging lightly. He spoke the truth. He had released Tifa without so much as a visible scratch not too long before coming back to Midgar. If the woman wasn't reunited with her friends yet, it was no skin off Sephiroth's back.

[sergerp.livejournal.com]

Serge glared at Kadaj, sizing the twin remnant up. The smile definitely made him cringe, yet it fueled his anger at the same time. "Your brother tried to kill so many lives! I don't understand what's so fun about killing!"

"What!?" Serge couldn't believe the news Sephiroth told him. It had to be some kind of lie or something, a ruse....or an entirely different plan. His eyes widened at the thought of what Tifa could be doing, or what she might have been suffering through...or currently.

He immediately reached for his phone...and grasped only air, having given it to the dog. Staring back at the dynamic duo, he tightened his grip on the Mastermune. He didn't know whether he could take on the both of them by himself, but it was better than allowing Poshul to join the fray; the dog may have been strong, but she was no match for such power. "You bastards did something to her, didn't you!? I want to know what, right now!"

[black-masamune.livejournal.com]

"I did nothing to her she didn't want." Sephiroth answered. What that meant was up to Serge himself. Still, this young man's prattling on was beginning to try his nerves. With nary a thought, Masamune appeared in his left hand in a wisp of smoke. Though he truly didn't want to get into a fight so soon, he realized that if it came to blows, which is most likely would, it would still be a good idea to have a weapon in hand. A thought hit him then.

"Kadaj, would you care to show Big Brother your swordsmanship?" he asked, turning to the younger man. He was still a bit tired from his sparring with Grobyc and was not at 100%. What better solution than to have Kadaj take care of this minor annoyance? "Though be careful of the Light power he has. Aside from that, I'm sure you'll do just fine."

[dark-platinum.livejournal.com]

Kadaj gave a derisive laugh as Serge tried to interrogate Sephiroth and himself. Not only was it funny that Kadaj had no answers, so the questions seemed pointless, that and his big brother had already given his answer.

"And not even a please." he said to Serge, his teeth highlighting the glee in his smile.

His eyes shifted to Sephiroth. "Of course, I'd be happy to." he said relishing the fact that he got the honor. After hearing about the boy's natural talent with Light, he gave Serge an interested look, his head tilted.

"No one taught you any manners kid?" he asked as he strutted towards Serge, his hand steadfast on his weapon. "You don't draw your weapon until your opponent tells you he's ready." he stopped short just a few meters from Serge.

"Make yourself comfortable big brother." he said, his green eyes quickly running back and forth over Serge's weapon and stance. "I'll make it entertaining." his smile riddled with crazed glee.

His left hand snapped towards the handle of his sword, drawing it quickly, his right hand still on the sheath. With his feet as far apart from each other as his shoulders were, his took a light step forward. His left hand lowered before him, his dual katana almost appearing to look like the sights of a gun.

"Let me show you why we consider it fun."

[sergerp.livejournal.com]

The blue-haired adolescent tilted his head at Kadaj. He couldn't have been serious about what he said, but considering who was his relative, he believed it. "Oh yeah, be polite to psychopathic morons who have pretty much nothing better to do with their lives." Serge rolled his eyes in annoyance. Why did the bad guys always have to be this annoying? Red was right when he said villains were always dumb...

Then again, he was outnumbered and left his one chance for back-up back at home. He mentally cursed, wondering where the hell Cloud was at a time like this.

For now, they seemed to be afraid of holy power, and he smirked. Still, the fact that Sephiroth outclassed Kid did raise his concern, but if Kadaj was anything like Loz, then this fight shouldn't be too much trouble so long as he stayed focused.

Smirking, he vanished in a trail of light, reappearing right in behind Kadaj, his palm pulsating with the holy light. "You want a show? Then let's hit the fireworks! Photonbeam!" The white energy suddenly burst from his lands in a gigantic ray.

[dark-platinum.livejournal.com]

Being incredibly sure that this boy was of little concern, Kadaj hardly expected him to move the way Loz had when he utilized his weapon. He turned around, off guard by the sudden movement. the beam of pristine white hit Kadaj square in the chest.He imagined the pain that would follow. The holy power had always been a bane to him.

The beam pushed him back, making his feet slide through the dirt making a blazing trail before the Remnant. When he skidded to a stop, Kadaj blinked confusedly. It had hurt, but no more than a jab in chest. He looked down to see the damage, only to see a light smoke rise from the point of impact. But the confusion was answered as his mind raced.

When he was on death's door, held by Cloud, when he had accepted his fate and released his attachment to Jenova. When the water, the cleansing, purifying water marked with healing light hit his face it didn't burn like it once had. it had been peaceful, calming. Enough to move him to shed a tear before clasping the hand of her. Before entering the Lifestream.

He gave a swift look to Sephiroth and then reoriented on Serge. This wasn't the time. he had to prove himself first. He would have to sort his issues later.

"Looks like I underestimated you." he said, his smile returning to his face. "It seems you've done the same for me."

His legs turning into a blur, Kadaj rushed forward toward Serge, his beloved Souba in his hand as he jumped, his body rolling in the air, the katana moving about in the crazed fashion it's wiedler behaved. Fighting as such was a method Kadaj relished, confusing and opponent, picturing them wondering where he would attack from. But he knew this boy had fought his little brother, meaning he would have to be more alert than casually strutting about.

[sergerp.livejournal.com]

"What!?" Serge growled. An attack like that at pointblank range should have knocked him away farther than that, if not give him a new hole in that chest of his. This was a being that could summon the Heartless, so why didn't it work properly?

The time for games was over. He needed to end this, and fast, but with what? Anything like Carnivore or Earthquake left him at a disadvantage. But the way they treated him like a minor threat...it pissed him off, and irked him at the same time.

Gripping tightly on the Mastermune as he saw Kadaj head towards him, swinging his blade like a maniac, Serge simply stood still, closing his eyes, the white aura growing larger in size. A calm mind always prevailed in a fight, a lesson taught to him by his master, Radius, and even Glenn. It had been awhile since he had a real fight for a change, so he hoped he wasn't rusty over the past few months.

He swung, catching Kadaj's katana with the Mastermune. Suddenly, he jumped away the moment their weapons collided, holding out his palm. "Let's try this again! Photonbeam!" As the blast shot from his hand, he held out both hands this time, a green aura shining around his form, wind encircling both of them. "Aeroblaster!" The gust of sound closely followed the light. Satisfied, he held out his hand, the Mastermune spinning towards him. Catching it, he spun around, the white aura intensifying yet again, and took a defensive pose, waiting to see if his assault had work. Who on earth could cut through or dodge sound and light at the same time?

[dark-platinum.livejournal.com]

The resulting clashing sound of their weapons meeting was, to Kadaj, the official start of their battle. However, Serge backed away and Kadaj landed deftly on his feet. Now that he knew the boy had spells available to him, Kadaj put his arm forward, the white light speeding it's way towards him once more. With dexterous reflexes, his parallel katana spun quickly in his hand, the twin metal blades reflecting the light to angles away from it's original target. Small flecks of holy power from the Photonbeam flew past his smiling face.

However, that wasn't the only spell he heard the boy cast. The moment the beam began to dwindle, Kadaj leapt above the distortion of wind and sound behind the white light, his eyes locked onto Serge, his grin split when he spoke. "And here I thought you wielded a weapon, not a shield."

Naturally Kadaj's nature made it's way into his combative approach. Getting under his opponent's skin, be even more reckless than he sometimes was. "Or are you a mage?" he asked with mock curiosity. He held his katana behind him as he fell through the air towards Serge, his free hand open before him. Five lights of energy left them as they spend to Serge. Instead of being the white color when he had Bahamut SIN at his command, they were dark purple to reflect the Doomtrain he now held with him.

He watched to see if Serge would leave a small opening for either a strike or a chance for him to trap the hand hold of his dual-weapon in his Souba and disarm the blue haired warrior.

[black-masamune.livejournal.com]

Sephiroth watched the entire display with great interest. Though the fight was hardly a taxing one for both parties so far, he knew he wouldn't have to wait long to see some truly spectacular swordplay. His sword hand twitched slightly as he played with the idea of joining Kadaj in fighting Serge.

He knew the Remnants possessed a rather synchronized fighting style when together, and he was curious as to whether or not he and Kadaj would be in harmony if they fought together. It was all too tempting, especially considering the skill of the blue-haired man wielding Mastermune. Sephiroth smirked and summoned Masamune to his grip. He stood up off the wall he leaned against, dusting himself.

"Kadaj, so far you've impressed me. However, I'm curious as to how synchronized our fighting would be if we fought together. Do you believe this swordsman could stand a chance?" he asked, already making his way over to the two.

[sergerp.livejournal.com]

"You gotta be kidding..." Serge had never seen anyone deflect such a powerful beam. Endure maybe, but using only one sword!? What was this guy made of? He growled more, watching as he simply jumped over the Aeroblaster as well. Both his attacks had failed, and now the place was becoming more wrecked than before because of him.

Still he wondered if controlling one's GF truly did give others power. If they did, then it was no wonder none of his attacks seemed to be working properly. The failure of both techniques like that was just BS to him.

His thoughts raced with ideas when his opponent jumped in the air and shot off several lights of energy, but to his surprise, Kadaj had already given him one. "This weapon is more than just for show!" he yelled, singing his blade at blinding speeds, batting away each light that came towards him, the debris falling everywhere from the buildings from his defensive maneuver. "And for the record..." With the light aura surrounding him intensifying, he blocked Kadaj's blow with the Mastermune, glaring at the remnant as he pushed back, breaking the hold. His palm glowed once again, this of a bright yellow, and he struck the ground, the earth beneath Kadaj crumbling open, and several spiky columns rising from above. At best, it could at least serve as another annoyance for the remant. "I'm what some would call a jack of all trades! But it does help I'm a decent fisherman!" he yelled.

Glancing from behind, his eyes widened at the sight of Sephiroth. Staring back at both combatants, he growled again. Fighting Kadaj was bad enough, but Sephiroth too!? If only he had some more backup...

Despite the dire circumstances, he couldn't help but let his cocky attitude take over. "Nice to know I can warrant the attention of such great warriors..." he said with sarcasm etched into his voice. Swinging his weapon, eyeing both warriors in his sights, he waited for their move. If they were both going to attack, he had to be more careful and think more tactically. He planned on punching whoever gave him the information about the remnants being weak against light. Yet it worked so perfectly against Loz, but why not him? Something didn't smell right about this situation at all.

[dark-platinum.livejournal.com]

Upon hearing Serge's comment, and batting blows at the wide blades of the boy's weapon, a gleeful smile on his face. "You must have had poor sparring partners." he said with relish. Serge proved to be quite quick with a weapon Kadaj would classify as bulky and unwieldly, his chance to disarm him Souba being thwarted.

Truth be told, Kadaj was quite glad Sephiroth made no mention of the earlier incident when Serge fired his first Photonbeam. He had been just as surprised as Serge had at the result, but he couldn't let that slip. Maintain a cool exterior in combat usually stymied opponents.

Then there was a tremble below Kadaj's feet. Quick on his feet he leapt up as he looked at the ground. His green eyes looked on as spikes made of solid erath rose, growing thicker as they ascended, pointing in any direction. Disengaging from his target, Kadaj leapt onto the side of one spike briefly and continued darting from one to other. Culminating in a large leap into the air.

"Sounds like a fun test ride! Besides, I can't have all the fun" he called down to his big brother who had the itch for combat. As Kadaj descened from his straight jump into the air, he slid down the tallest spike, whipping his blade about him as it seemingly passed harmlessly through the rocks. As he got to the base of the spikes themselves, the sound became loud once more.

The rocks slid at the cuts he had made, breaking and crumbling as they crashed into each other making a large cloud of dust and dirt. One Kadaj stayed patiently in to use as cover for a sneak attack once his big brother joined the fray.

[black-masamune.livejournal.com]

He couldn't resist a smirk as he came nearer to Kadaj. That the Remnant looked forward to fighting alongside him made him feel that sense of pride again. However, he quickly sped away from his brother's side as the columns of earth sprang up near them. The earth-based spell had jarred him a bit as he dodged back away from them. He really should have expected it, but hindsight was 20/20 and so forth.

Sephiroth instead reversed direction and came back around toward Serge's back. He fired off a row of Thundaga spells before charging straight through the dirt and dust with Masamune poised to strike. Back attacks weren't particularly his favorites -he preferred seeing his opponent's face as he ran them through- but it would do for now. He knew Serge would sense him anyway.

However, he teleported away from Serge's back and instead went to the side after casting Shadow Flare.

[sergerp.livejournal.com]

The blue-haired youth wasn't fooled by Kadaj, knowing others that had mimicked this type of cowardly tactic. Yet why need help in this fight? He clearly had more of an advantage than Sephiroth did, an unfair one at that.

But the young man snapped out of his thoughts, hearing the crackling of lightning behind him. He managed to spin his body around, the lightning grazing his arm. He winced at the pain, but his hand glowed with a burning flame. "Fireball!" Wasting no time, he hurled the fireball, but Sephiroth was clearly one step ahead. The flame hit the dirt instead, fading the moment upon impact; it was meant to slow him down anyway.

Glancing towards his side, he saw Sephiroth, but then the swordsman was obscured from his sight by a glowing orb. The young man panicked, surrounded by darkness. "No choice..." The white aura grew larger every second the flares closed in on him...

But he was forced to cover his eyes by the sudden explosion. "What the...!?" Opening them, he was wide-eyed to see four knights decked in stylish armor standing before him, unaffected by the darkness. Serge grew confused, for he could never summon such beings. Yet the mark on their shoulder armor, it looked so familiar...

A rose struck in between Sephiroth and Serge, and the young man raised his eyebrow, his head immediately looking towards where it was thrown from. His answer came in the form of a dark blonde man wearing what appeared to be a tuxedo, yet two swords were in his hands: the Einlanzers. "No way..."

"Sephiroth!" The figure grinned, jumping down from the side of the building and landing perfectly on his feet in between Serge and Sephiroth, poised to strike with his swords. "It's been awhile! Remember me?"

Snickering suddenly filled the battlefield, and Glenn's eyebrow twitched, more focused on the one behind him. "Shut up Serge!"

Indeed it was his friend, and the blue-haired man simply couldn't hold it in. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! It's just so funny! Who in the world comes to a fight wearing a tux!"

"The same guy who saved your sorry ass!" countered Glenn. "Now let's just rap this up already!"

[crystalstiletto.livejournal.com]

Garnet ran up behind Glenn, and panted hard for breath once she'd stopped near him and Serge. She really should have been used to running so much, but given the large healing staff in her hands, that had been a difficult venture.

"You were...supposed to wait!" she gasped out between gulps of air. She had been about to say more when she finally caught sight of what was going on before her. She guessed who Serge was right away based on what Glenn had told her of him, and that left the other two to be Sephiroth and...someone related to him? She didn't know, but the mere sight of the ex-SOLDIER filled her stomach with dread. She only felt that before when facing down Kuja.

Sephiroth was about as baffled by the sudden appearance of the rose as...well, any sane person would have been. He raised an eyebrow at Glenn, then just smirked and shook his head. Of course that troublesome knight would show up again.

"Come for another beating, have you?" he asked.

[dark-platinum.livejournal.com]

Waiting for an opportune moment to strike, Kadaj's entire being stopped moving when a rose sailed through the air, piercing the dirt at an angle. A few petals fell gently. The cloud of dust Kadaj had been within had deteriorated showing a slack jawed Remnant.

Wielding two sword and wearing a tuxedo, a young man named Glenn joined the battle. Even Serge had found this quite ridiculous. Shaking his head, snapping out of his stupor, Kadaj heard his brother address the knight. So, it sounded like a rematch.

But a feminine voice made Kadaj look over his shoulder.

A curved smile coated his lips when his eyes fell on a brunette that was out of breath. Bearing that in mind, he looked back to the battlefield.

"Well big brother. Would you like to finish the fight with Glenn?" he asked, using the warrior's name even though he had only just heard it now. "I'll make sure our friend here doesn't interfere." he said glancing to Serge.

[glenn-cc.livejournal.com]

The Dragoon glared at the ex-Soldier, raising his Einlanzers to strike. "I guarantee the results will be different, Sephiroth. I may have underestimated you before, but I assure you..." He held a blade against his own face, his glare still present. "I will kill you and find Ms. Lockheart!"

"And he isn't alone!" shouted Serge, coming to his friend's side, poised to strike with the Mastermune. "Be careful though, Glenn. The younger one seems to be almost immune to light."

"Dagger and I watched from the sidelines. We know what to expect..." His blade aimed towards the the dark duo, he mentally gave the orders to his knights. 'Wave 1, assault the enemy. Wave 2, defend the white mage at all costs'

The knights nodded, half of them, six to be exact, flew by their master and Serge's side. The other seven, including King Arthur himself, stood by Dagger. Glenn wished he didn't have to involve her in any of this, but it was her choice to follow him, and he had to respect the wishes of a warrior, no matter their specialty. He eyed Kadaj, his glare shifting to him now. The way he just stared at Dagger...he clutched his swords tightly. He needed to end this quickly.

White and green auras enveloped themselves around Serge and Glenn, respectively, intensifying with each passing second. They glanced at one another, nodding.

"Let's do this!" Serge vanished, a trail of white light in his wake.

Glenn chuckled. Often he wondered why Serge was the leader...until times of trouble such as these. "Just try to keep up!" The Dragoon vanished as well...

And both warriors appeared in front of Sephiroth, each holding back their weapons before going through the one-winged angel, passing him by with their weapons. They knew someone of Sephiroth's strength could easily block suck an attack...which is why they slid underneath the giant sword, striking the ground instead, a furious crimson X carved itself into the ground, fire seeping through the wound given to the earth.

"X-Strike!"

[black-masamune.livejournal.com]

The White Mage gave a nod to Glenn appreciatively as the knights he summoned blocked her from any attackers. She knew how to defend herself fairly well, and understood the risk she gave everyone by just being there. Still, she had her duty...and she had promised Glenn they would journey together.

Immediately Garnet set to work casting Shell and Protect on both Serge and Glenn, and she even cast Might on them as well just to give their strength a little boost. Something told her they might need as much as she could give.

Sephiroth, amused by the two warriors, slashed and parried both their strikes with ease. He knew the extent of Glenn's abilities well, having fought him before, and at least a sample of Serge's had been shown to him when the blue-haired man fought Kadaj. Provided the knight didn't blast him to hell with as much Light magic as possible, Sephiroth figured he would do quite well against the two. That White Mage would need to be taken care of, especially if she was to cast Regen on either of his opponents. That wouldn't do at all.

One of the attacks that came when the two passed him by caught his sword arm, and he grimaced slightly. He berated himself for not being careful and turned to give chase. Shadow Flare again was cast and blocked their attacks at him for at least a moment. It was all the time he needed to slip around to Glenn's side and make the hacks at him he needed.

[listless-angel.livejournal.com]

The last few days seemed like a blur to Schala. How had she gotten to this point? It seemed like just yesterday she was walking into a restaurant with Dagger and Glenn, and now she was standing on a battlefield watching attacks coming from all sides. It always ends up on a battlefield she thought ruefully to herself. Wondering if she wasn't somehow cursed. But that was besides the point.

She stood a few feet back from the rest of the group. Staying close to Dagger, the person she felt most comfortable with at the moment. Still, she felt far from safe there, in the crumbling ruins of what used to be a city. She wondered if she could be of use there, she did have magic after all...

Schala's train of thought was cut short as the cat she'd picked up in Balamb hopped off of her shoulder, apparently seeing something interesting. It darted out onto the battlefield and all thoughts were lost as Schala dashed off after it. "No wait, come back!" She called as she blindly followed the cat out into the open, scooping it up as it tried to bat at a beetle it had spotted.

[crystalstiletto.livejournal.com]

Garnet's eyes widened as she heard Schala call out for her summon. The mage's attention went to the blue-haired woman and her spellcasting was interrupted, the spell on her lips dying out in a flash.

"Schala! Wait!" She was torn between running after her and staying where she was. Of course, she chose the latter. She looked to the knights around her, and settled her gaze on two of them. She didn't know if the summons would obey her, but it was worth a try. She was a summoner, after all. "You two, please look after her? I don't want her injured!"

[dark-platinum.livejournal.com]

Knowing his brother oculd handle himself quite well against the duo, Kadaj returned his gaze back to the brunette that had arrived. Armored knights that seemed unnaturally tall guarded her. The tallest stood before her. Taking advantage of his big brother having the attention of Glenn and Serge, Kadaj's eyes went from one knight to the other, trying to calculate a quick way to infiltrate their towering form without being cleaved in two.

And opportunity had knocked. Another girl who had arrived but was easily concealed by the knights chased off after a cat, not knowing that she was practically running towards him. Kadaj glanced back to Sephiroth only to see a gash being made along his arm. Something wasn't right. Now that he focused on it, he could feel that his brother was not at his full strength. If they tarried here any longer, the knights would surely jump in and possibly even more reinforcements would arrive. A horrible way to meet his big brother since his emergence from the Lifestream.

After that quick glance and thought, Kadaj took to the blue haired girl after she finally managed to get a hold of the cat. He put his arm around her to prevent an easy escape and put the katana just two inches from her neck.

"Yo." he said loudly, his voice firm and even. "Game over." he said through a wicked smile. "And I'll be taking a bonus."

There was a distant rumble that became louder, Kadaj's right arm had a sickly purple glow to it. His brother needed to recover from whatever it was that weakened before on top of the wound he had gained. No sense in being waylaid in a battle where the odds were getting worse. When the ground began to tremble, Kadaj grabbed a hold of Schala with the arm that clasped Souba and held his right hand up. When he stopped moving it a horrible visage of a train roared by, he gripped it as it passed his smiling face turning into a blurring streak. The giant ghostly skull on the front of the train needed no tracks as it plowed through some of the debris of Midgar.

Even though he knew Sephiroth would be able to leave at his leisure, Kadaj mentally commanded the train to pass by and offer him a free ride. Kadaj looked back as his blew about holding the blue haired woman tightly, that same lurid smile on his face. He enjoyed the cruel irony of his idea considering his brother had just released Tifa not long ago.

[listless-angel.livejournal.com]

Schala's gasp was cut short as she found herself in dire straights indeed. If the knights heeded Garnet's call, they'd heeded it too late. Schala struggled, but with the blade so close to her neck and her arms pinned around her cat, there wasn't much that she could do against the sudden assault.

And then, the earth began to shake.

Wondering what else could be happening, the blue haired woman soon found herself swept up along with the man by a terrifyingly macabre train that ran without aid of tracks. And though she was in fear of her life at the moment, she couldn't help but think it again. It always ends up on a battlefield.

[sergerp.livejournal.com]

"Learn a new trick!" both warriors shouted as they flipped over the flares, watching them pass through one another harmlessly and fading.

Glenn saw the swordsman coming, and spun around on his heels, running towards him and slashed, fast and furious blows swirling about in an endless waltz. Just as Serge was about to aid his friend, he looked back over to Kadaj, figuring he might attack.

But to his surprise, he paled at the sight of him holding Schala hostage. Schala actually being here had thrown him for a loop, for he thought she resided within Kid, who was supposed to be Edge. But if Schala could take over and retain that form....He threw the absurd thought aside; his questions could be answered much later.

He clutched the Mastermune, growling, and the weapon shined with a dark crimson in response to his newfound bloodlust. But he shook his head, a hand against his face as he tried to calm himself. If he allowed the Mastermune to be corrupted again, Schala nor Kid would ever forgive him for it. He hated feeling so helpless right now.

Even Glenn had become distracted when he heard her name and glanced, nearly breaking the string of blows and allowing an opening for the one-winged angel. His desire to kill the two brothers grew, but he knew more about self-control.

But when the Doomtrain whisked her and Kadaj away from the battlefield, he lost it, glaring at Sephiroth, the speed of his swings becoming harder and faster, dashing around in a blur at every side, looking for the perfect opening for his Einlanzers to pierce through. Of all the things, he had promised to protect Schala and Dagger, and even as the knights flew after her, he screamed in anger at the failure. "GIVE HER BACK!"

"Glenn!" Serge shouted, his gaze torn between helping the Dragoon and saving Schala. Seeing that even the knights failed to keep up with the train, he growled, shouting at the sky before running to his friend's aid, a sphere of holy energy forming in his free palm. Had Kadaj ran off with her, then it would only be a matter of time before he came for his brother.

[black-masamune.livejournal.com]

Garnet just watched in stupefied awe as the Doomtrain sailed by, taking Kadaj and Schala with it. She ran after it for a few feet, but it was quickly out of sight and she was out of the protective circle the Knights gave. Immediately she backpedaled, barely missing a Shadow Flare that had been thrown at her by Sephiroth. When she was back near the Knights, she resumed the Protect spell she had been working on previously.

Kadaj's snatching of the purple-robed female and subsequent departure on his summon was quite a curious sight to behold. Sephiroth didn't know what the boy was planning, but he hoped it was a good one. The silver-haired man just smirked down at Glenn. Bringing such weaknesses to the field was folly, he thought. Even better, he now knew exactly how to rile the knight up even more. He closed the distance there was between himself, Glenn and Serge and struck out with his right fist. His left followed up swiftly by bringing Masamune to bear and parry the bladed strikes they would throw at him.

"I wonder, do you think that lovely young woman would make a good pet? My brother seems to like both that blue-haired woman and the pretty little brunette over there." he asked Glenn, his eyes flashing cruelly. "Perhaps I'll take that one there when I'm finished with you."

[sergerp.livejournal.com]

The shout from his comrade snapped him back to normal, realizing what he was doing...and failing. He had allowed such bitter taint onto his own blades, something he swore never to do. Unfortunately, the fist struck him, knocking him backwards and he landed gracefully on his feet, Serge by his side. Both warriors stopped when Sephiroth held a defensive position, and the knights Glenn summoned readied themselves above the swordsman, awaiting the orders.

Just as Glenn was about to give the command, Sephiroth's words made him freeze. If Kadaj had come back, what were the chances of him taking Dagger as well? Growling, he nearly lost his emotions again...

But was stunned when Serge ran forward once again, twirling the Mastermune, the weapon seeping with holy energy. He threw the weapon like a disk, watching as it sailed above Sephiroth, and came down, waiting to crush the swordsman in the back.

Serge's anger proved even worse as he ran forward, reaching the swordsman in the blink of an eye, hovering above him. The holy aura engulfed him, pouring through his hands. he put them close together, a sphere of energy forming. he glared at Sephiroth with such hatred. For his sake, Kid had better not have been the one abducted as well. "Farewell...Luminaire!" The flash was too bright, and the blast engulfed them in a large radius. The earth tore asunder with the mystical light, desbris flying and shattering by a mere touch.

Glenn immediately ran towards Dagger, ordering the knights to retreat. They barely made it and surrounded both the knight and mage. The Dragoon immediately embraced the white mage, tackling her to the ground and protecting her from the attack that soon followed.

[crystalstiletto.livejournal.com]

Sephiroth barely saw Mastermune's attack in time, and even then it left a nasty gash along the left side of his back and his sword arm. The slash had nearly cut through to the bone judging by the sheer amount of blood gushing from the hole, as well as the visible muscle and frayed skin.

The ex-SOLDIER scowled and returned the glare Glenn shot his way, his own eyes burning with the desire to shove his blade through the knight's skull. Oh how very satisfying it would be to see his head cleaved in two and to hear his friends scream at the sight.

However, now the very earth was crumbling below him! On top of that, that thrice damned holy energy was again flying at him. It seemed the Fates didn't wish for the general to win this bout. No matter.

By the time the attack had ended, Sephiroth was gone.

----

Garnet barely registered being taken to the ground, but when she did she clung to Glenn for dear life, eyes squeezed shut. She barely registered the Knights of the Round circling them for protection, as her mind swam with what had just occurred.

When the attack ended, she opened her eyes slowly, carefully, and saw only the sky overhead. Quickly she looked to Glenn and sat up.

"Glenn! Where are you hurt?" she asked, already prepared to summon a spell of healing. It was a pointless qustion, as she could already tell there was no way he could have avoided injury in a fight like that.

[glenn-cc.livejournal.com]

Glenn broke his hold from her the moment deep breathing filled the battlefield, coming from his comrade. He stared at Dagger, shaking his head. "No need. A punch isn't going to take me out." He looked back at his summons, noticing that they had shielded their own eyes from the brightness. The Dragoon was certainly grateful Serge made sure to not hit the entire battlefield with that attack. Another second in there, and he might have ended up like--

It was then that he didn't even see Sephiroth, and a panting Serge leaning on the Mastermune replaced the one-winged angel. His jaw dropped, his eyes scanning the damage to the area. The light had taken a good chunk of the buildings, but certianly not enough to topple them. But the fact that there was a crater below Serge caused some alarm.

He gulped, fearing what he was going to hear next from his comrade. "He's not dead, is he?"

Serge took a deep breath before sighing heavily. "If it were that easy, I would have done it a long time ago." he growled, kicking a nearby rock into the rubble he had created. This turned out to be one bad day...

[crystalstiletto.livejournal.com]

She frowned in concern at the two of them. Sephiroth and his ilk loved nothing more than continuing to make things harder for both of them. It made her ill inside, as all she could think of while imagining Sephiroth's smug grin was her own experiences with Kuja. Though the two villains were hardly the same person.

"Thank you for the Knights," she told Glenn appreciatively. Garnet then turned to Serge. "Do you need any healing? I'm more than happy to help."