Birds of Prey

Title: Birds of Prey
Author: Reichi
Rating: NC17
Pairing: Cloud/Kadaj
Comments: o_o Wow. Alot of people like my story. I uploaded it at Midnight and I've already scored a bunch of hits. x_x Its sort of difficult to keep Kadaj in character alot, so forgive me. I'm only running out what SqaureEnix has released about his personality, since I've yet to see the movie. In this chapter, he acts more like a impulse teen though. Btw, thanks to everyone who reveiwed! Keep em' coming to give me some insentive to keep writing this, or I might loose track like my other ones. x_X But I like this one. Even -I- dont know what Cloud and Kadaj will argue about next. ^_^;;
Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children and Final Fantasy VII are owned by Square Enix, so none of these characters or places belong to me. Okay? None of these are mine. Hear me yet? NOTHING HERE IS MINE!! -Points to SquareEnix- ITS ALL THEIRS NOT MINE



Chapter Three: Dis-Mutual.





Cloud half-expected not waking the next morning.

Kadaj, no matter how –friendly- he pinned himself to be these past few days, was still about as trustworthy as a hungry snake to a mouse. But he did, feeling better than ever, in fact, the loss sense of warm behind him causing him to shrivel back under the covers while stretching.


Sneezing once, Cloud pried his bright blue eyes and noted with distaste that the sun had risen yet. Rolling thunder changed his mind… was it still storming outside? A dark shadow sitting on the opposing side of the bed caught his attention suddenly.


Something odd was going on.. “ Whats wrong? “


The teens shoulders moved, but he said nothing. It prompted Cloud to draw closer to him, rumpling the sheets further as they just dragged along with him across his lap. He reached out, fingertips skimming across the upper part of Kadaj’s arm.


“ Do… do you love me? “


“ What” Cloud jolted his hand away, as though he had been shocked. Heat was rising to his cheeks rapidly, obvious to the green eyes that turned his direction solemnly, brighter than over in the milky, dim light.


“ You heard me. “ He repeated softly, “ Do you.. love me. “


“ I…I- “ Cloud was suddenly feeling very naked, despite his rather stiff sweater, still prominently there. He tugged at the sheets and yanked then over himself, none-the-less. “ We-ell… I guess… yes. “


The Hero’s heart fluttered madly in his chest, pounding in his ears until he thought the Villain would hear it, uneasy written allover his expression. Kadaj seemed to be reading it, the feline eyes flickering back a forth a couple of times, then anchored toward the floor.


“ I thought so. “ The teen answered smoothly. The tension flickering between them as intense as electricity itself. “ I mean… why else would you save me… “


“ Its not a bad thing, you know. “ Cloud said lowly, releasing the death-grip he’d been holding the sheets captive in, “ People are usually happy… you know. Because of it. “


“ You hardly know me. “ Kadaj countered. His tone, expression, had turned spiteful suddenly, like the change in weather, “ And… Just because you save me, means absolutely nothing! “


“ Its more than that. “ Cloud swallowed and reached to take hold of Kadaj’s silken shoulder again, a shuddering rolling underneath his fingers. As thought he were using this as leverage, the blond pulled himself closer to Kadaj, whose timid eyes were casting upon him again with almost a dangerous nature inside of them. Fear mingling with his lack of understanding.


“ Then why? “ His voice wavered.


“ It.s… its just… “ words failed him. Cloud never was someone who truly mastered the art of talking, especially about… feelings. His weakness… the point that could shut him up entirely, more so than often. Actions were of higher value than words any day, on any subject. And so, cupping the youths smooth cheek in his palm, Cloud leaned in for a kiss, eyes locking with the wide green apprehensively watching every move he made, muscles tensing as the bird readied himself to fly away.


When the touch finally came, it was light and warm, Kadaj’s mouth parted a slight degree with his heightened breathing. Cloud wasted no time in pressing closer, locking them together sensually and nearly sighing with the sensation. Pleasant bolts were rushing through him, eminating from the Teens impossibly soft lips, and yet Kadaj seemed quite the opposite. A flash of antagonizing fear passed his features and he yanked away, mere seconds later.


“ Stop. “ Kadaj warned, upper and bottom lip meshing together for a moment, threateningly staring into the Blonds stricken eyes, “ Don’t. “


“ Please Kadaj, “ The name rolled smoothly off his tongue. A tinge of desperation was tainting his heart, his object of longing seated mere inches away. Scantly clad, to make the situation worse.” Its not bad… that, that I love you. “


“ Don’t say that! “ Kadaj’s nasal voice rose higher than his own, clench jaw and extending lower lip, like an angry child. Silence then overcame him, and Cloud new there would be no more on the subject.


Heartbroken and rejected, Cloud slipped from the bed and landed on the floor with a dull ‘thunk’ on the opposing side, curling his legs to his chest and staring pointlessly. He was still very tired, but he couldn’t will himself back to sleep. The springs squeaked as the Teen arose, and silently crossed the room to the bathroom, its loud snap crumbling whatever had been left of Clouds rapidly depleting will.






Midday came, and the weather seemed passable for travel. Where though… entirely out in the open. There was free-passage to practically anywhere they desired, yet it somehow seemed balant and pointless. And returning to Midgar was certainly out of the question.


Staring at his reflection, Cloud wiped just beneath his eyes a last time, sniffing raggedly. Morals hadn’t allowed him to even shed a tear early this morning, but it left him with horrible dark rings beneath his eyes, sullen otherwise, a couple pieces of hair hanging limp at the ends. He glared at himself before turning and re-entering the small room, where Kadaj was just finished the last touches of his outfit, which had dried with tiny wrinkles.


“ Clean wrappings? “ He said simply. The teens response was delayed.


“ Yeah. “ He finally said, adjusting the buckle at the center of his chest, and exiting the room without looking at him. Cloud followed shortly, eyeing the Teen that had already saddled his Fernir.


“ What are you doing? “


“ What does it look like? “ He started the engine, green eyes slipping his direction for the first time, “ You look like hell. “


“ Thanks. “ Cloud grumbled, walking to his bike and digging around for his small snack supply, “ I’m driving, by the way. “


“ Who said? “


“ My bike. That’s why. “


The teen pouted, scooting back to give the Blond more than enough space to mount the chilly, slightly damp leather seat. Dropping the bottled water he had retrieved from the side pouch, Cloud revved the engine once and begun cantering it into the main street.


“ I’m hungry. “ Kadaj whined when they coasted by a bakery, smoke billowing from the smoking ovens through the roof. The smell wafted through the air, and Cloud stopped simply because the nagging feel of hunger was drawing away his strength.


“ Did you save any Gil from yesterday? “ Cloud asked, glancing back at the Teen, who was staring at the ground and blinking slowly.


“ I think… maybe fifteen Gil. “ Kadaj’s eyes flickered up to him guiltily. Cloud facefaulted.


“ Are you kidding me? “ Cloud wanted to spin around and knock the teen upside the head, except the full weight of Fernir was rested upon one leg. Instead, he punched the seat just in between his legs, “ The room cost two-fifty Gil! And that was little less than half that I had! Where did it all go? “


“ That potion that I wasted MY time to go get because YOU’RE AN IDIOT cost over two-hundred Gil! “ Kadaj easily countered, mood swinging violently, “ If you had mentioned that the Shadow Blade cut you THEN I WOULDN’T HAVE HAD TO SPEND HALF YOUR DAMN GIL TO BUY IT. “


“ Ass. “ Cloud seethed, flipping open his storage to sorrowfully withdraw the last the Gil and shoved it at Kadaj, who was so flushed with anger than smoke was practically expelling through his nose, “ Get in there and buy something cheap. “


“ Fuck off. “ Kadaj snarled, snagging the money and sauntering inside, pace quick and heated. He emerge moments later, carrying a old, rather dirty-looking paper bag with a couple long loaves of bread sticking out.


“ That’s all you could get? “ Cloud snapped, watching Kadaj tossed it into the side pouch by the back wheel.


“ For the shit-money you gave me, yeah. “ The teen placed himself behind Cloud again, this time his back rested heavily against the Hero’s, arms crossed with a little sneer. Cloud ignored him, and kicked off the bike hard, half hoping the teen would slip off the end and be left in the dirt.






There was no where to go.


Nibelhiem was a ghosttown, Neo-Midgar was out of the question. Hell, even Gold Saucer had shut down because of the Mako plants closing. Cloud was thouroughly unwelcome in the Wutai city, and Barrets hometown never wanted to see him again [ a warning further enhanced by all kinds of hand-made weaponry ]. There was just absolutely no where to go.


“ The Fiends have been chasing us for the past hour. “ Kadaj said behind him, lazily. It was dusk, and the dusty planes upon which they drove were a deep red with the setting sun, the stars beginning to flicker to life. Sighing, Cloud looked into his rear mirror again.


“ Why down we stop and fight them, to get them off our backs? “


“ Because I’m not in the mood. “ Cloud said, “ And you don’t have a weapon. “


Kadaj snorted, watching one of the Fiends slash at another in the face, causing the assault one to catch its feet and stumble to the ground, with a rather painful squack, “ I don’t care if your in the mood or not. Give me one of your Busters and I’ll take it out if you don’t want too. “


“ I’m not stopping. “ Cloud changed his excuse.


“ Fine. Then don’t. “ Clouds back was suddenly cool, devoid of Kadaj’s warmth. The teen had gracefully leapt off the back of the bike, speeding along at fifty miles an hour plus, turning himself about in midair so that the Ice he’d cast cushioned his landing and causing the front most Fiend to scream pitifully at him, dissolving into a dense black cloud.


“ Hey! “ Cloud bellowed, stopping Fernir so quickly that it spun about and lost balance, skidding on its side and creating a cloud of smoke from the dry ground. The Blond barely moved his legs out of the way just in time, the metal crunching slightly when it hit rocks. When it finally stopped, Cloud rose, heaving Fernir to the upright and sighing in relief. The strong armour had taken the hit, not the engine.


Flashes of a Fire spell caught his attention, watching about six Fiends gang up on Kadaj at once, Materia practically glowing where it was.


“ Asshole. “ He swore, popping the sides out and grasping one of the Busters, hurrying to help Kadaj.


With a mighty roar, one of the large Fiends marched up through the crowd of smaller ones, and slashed its monsterous head at the Teen. The pointed beak barely managed to scathe the nimble body before Cloud slashed straight through it. It emitted another roar, then sifted into nothing.


“ You’re an idiot! “ The Blond screamed, practically slicing straight through them all as he went. Damn, these things were strong… it was taking a couple of hits each to take them down, their claws reaching and grappling at him at every angle. Now and then, Thundaga would slice through the sky and strike one dead on.


“ I’m getting you your Gil back! “


“ These stupid things aren’t worth anything! “ Cloud yelled, glancing at him, and then powering up his Braver for the final Fiend; a large one from far away, that must have been trailing after them for a while. It screetched and melted away.


“ Damn you. “ Cloud turned to him instantly. Kadaj was nursing the shallow slice, “ I told you I DIDN’T want to fight them! “


“ Geez, cool down. “ The teen said smoothly, nasal, glancing up momentarily, “ I just wanted to get you your damn Gil back so you don’t cry about it anymore. “


“ But I told you I didn’t want too! Shit, first this morning, then the Gil, and now this! Cant you listen to what anyone tells you? “


From the look in the bright green eyes, something frail inside Kadaj snapped, “ This morning? Fuck-face, I wasn’t asking you to kiss me! “


“ You implied it! First you wake me up and ask me some inane question, I answer you truthfully, and you –fucking- reject me! So forgive me if a seem a little tense! “ Cloud didn’t mean to be wavering the Buster with every word spoken, and tossed it in the vague direction of Fernir when he finally did.


“ YOU’VE been acting like a rats crawled up for ass since I first met you! “


“ Like your any better, clone-boy. Maybe Sephiroth is still controlling you! “


“ Sephiroth!? He was NEVER controlling me! “


“ ‘ Ooo, mother! Let me gather your rotten parts and put you back together so we can rule the planet ‘. Sounds familiar to me, asshole! “


Upon the word ‘Mother’, Kadaj unleashed an inhuman screaming and launched himself at him, knocking Cloud off his feet and pounding his face with punches. Cloud reeled for a moment, then easily turned the tables, pinning down the struggling Kadaj. The teen wormed around violently beneath his grip, bucking his knee up and kicking Cloud in the stomach.


“ Jerk! “ Cloud rolled off of him with a gasp and Kadaj stood, breathing hard, going to aim a sharp kick at the Blonds stomach. It partially hit the burning double slices at his side and he whined out loud, yanking down Kadaj by his ankle and retorting with a swift punch into the Teens abdomin.


“ Fuck you! “ Kadaj wormed around again, twisting into he was on top of Cloud [ even though a leg was trapped under Clouds larger frame ] and held the one arm he could grasp down, his other slender hand flying to the Hero’s throat and gripping it tightly.


“ Urgh! “ Cloud gasped, instantly gripping Kadaj’s wrist and struggling to find a pressure point here, hitting it hard once Kadaj hissed through his teeth. A trick from his SOLDIER days.


“ Stop it! “ Cloud didn’t wish to use the entirety of his force, but he was driven to it. In what he knew would be a painful grip, he clasp both flailing wrists and flipping them both over, his weight holding the Teen down, no matter how hard he struggled. It wasn’t too long before he worse himself up, Mako-eyes blazingly bright as he glared in outrage at the Blond, heaving breathes.


“ I hate you. “ Kadaj seethed when he’d caught his breathe enough to say it, “ I absolutely hate you. “


“ Well that’s too bad, punk. Because I love you. “ Clouds expression was one of deep-seriousness. Something Kadaj had failed to see clearly the night before, even if he’d been granted a degree of night-sight from experiments. Kadaj’s face twisted a little.


“ Stop saying that. “ Kadaj said, eeirily quiet, a strange look in his eyes.


“ I love you. “ Cloud repeated, an edge having taken onto the teens features, “ I –love- you. “


“ Stop it. “ Kadaj clenched his teeth, those long hands of his forming into leather-clad fists, tendons in his wrists tightening up beneath Clouds hand.


“ I lo—“ Cloud was cut off when Kadaj flipped him over with incredible strength, one hand trapping both wrists above his head, hand about his neck again and slowly cutting off his windpipe. Cloud gasped and choked, shock blue eyes staring at his captor.


“ I told you to stop. “ Strange moisture was gathering in his deep eyes, unfamiliar lines running between his eyebrows and the downward slant of his mouth; the expression of sorrow. What the hell did Kadaj have to be sad about?


Cloud vision begun to get fuzzy, watching through a daze as tears begun to flow freely down the Teens face. The grip slowly relented, air swallowing down Clouds mouth hungrily, “ What the hell—“


“ I-I don’t love you! “ Kadaj said sternly, hand slipping from Clouds neck and flattening onto the ground, “ I don’t want too! So stop trying to make me, or I’ll… I’ll leave, and you’ll never hear about me again. “


“ Why? “ The world slowly came back into focus, the familiar pang from the night before rising in his chest, “ Why cant you? “


“ Because! “ The teen wiped his nose, slipping down with his elbows to lay flat upon Clouds still-heaving body, shudders breaking the hard edge of his shoulders and wracking them entirely. He set his smooth cheek against the woven plane of Clouds sweater, soaking it with tears, “ Because the professor who made me told me that stupid emotions, like love, would make me weak. I cant be weak, for Mothers sake! “


“ Jenova is dust. “ Cloud managed, swallowing, “ The planet has stopped punishing us with Geo-Stigma because she has died. “


Kadaj shivered and released a pitiful sound into Clouds chest, “ But I don’t want to be weak! I never want to be weak. So please… please don’t love me. “


Cloud started blankly at the empty heavens above, wrapping his strong arms about Kadaj and holding him close, as anyone would their beloved. Kadaj continued to cry, something that had been denied him as a child, yet it was a leap toward his initial humanity, with every drop that leaked down his perfectly shaped cheeks, flushed brightly with distress.

Cloud felt something dark shadow his entire heart, staring, silent, and surmised that his love would forever be unrequited.




To be Continued...