Silver [Closed]

[Kadaj]

Teeth ground against each other in Kadaj's mouth, staring hard into Sephiroth's eyes. Why did they seem so much more... real than those of his brothers? Were his also lost in comparison?

"What do you know?!" he demanded. Souba appeared again and he lashed out in front of himself at the stranger that made everything in his world seem to turn upside-down.

[kempff]

Sephiroth sighed, grabbing Kadaj's hand tightly before the Souba ever had a chance to get near him. His other was a fist, sent straight at Kadaj's stomach. If his brother wasn't physically strong he'd find out if this was enough to knock him out.

"I know everything, that is the problem, but the world of difference."

[Kadaj]

Souba almost fell right out of Kadaj's hand. This man... his speed was like Yazoo's. His strength... as the fist crushed into his lower abdomen, was like Loz's... not as extreme as either, but still more than this brother's. He had also already seen his skill with that long blade make a torrent of stone and earth seem like child's play. Was he truly that much better than all of them?

Kadaj lost air from the punch but grit his teeth and held on. Souba suddenly twirled around in his hand, guided by amazingly dexterous fingers. It's body curved downwards as it actual blades rotated around so that, as it rose upwards towards Sephiroth's arm that was holding his wrist, it would be facing in the direction to cut it clean off.

Were it anyone but the One-Winged Angel then they might have been amazed at such absolute sword control, the speed of the slash not hindered at all by the fact that it was propelled by finger alone.

[kempff]

Kadaj certainly showed his family traits, but Sephiroth was not interested in toying with his next in line. His hand holding the Souba arm let go of it altogether and flew up from the Souba, while Sephiroth's other arm wrapped around Kadaj's back, then all at once the two of them flew into the air at full speed.

With no warning they flew into the wall behind Kadaj, Sephiroth's free hand to jam Kadaj's head into the wall first.

[Kadaj]

In the rush Kadaj's sword kept moving, knowing he needed it. It wasn't hard to tell what would happen as the two rushed back at the speed of thought, Sephrioth's hand coming towards the teen's face. The parallel blades pointed backwards as Kadaj's arm shifted that way to reach the stone wall first. It sunk into it and then, as Kadaj was slammed to the wall, he jerk it upwards. A cit was blazed through it, which also shifted much of the rock in the direction of the slash.

Kadaj was still slammed into the wall and once again was racked with pain, but his head was forced into little more than a new pocket that he had carved, saving some cranial trauma. Meanwhile his cut continued cutting even without the Souba, going up and over the ceiling. A split there cracked wide open and heavy chunks of earth began to fall down towards them both, threatening to bury them

[kempff]

Sephiroth was not troubled by the rocks above, more so he was pleased at Kadaj's strength. So he would happily show his own, by grabbing his brother and tossing him to the ground. His Souba followed next to him. Whether or not the rocks followed behind him didn't matter, Sephiroth would handle it. This was the point to his little brother now.

Silently he touched down on the ground, his wing outstretched, a grin across his face.

[Kadaj]

Kadaj thought Sephiroth was trying to trap him under the falling debris when he threw him to the ground, but the elder male did not move either. The boy's left hand, his preference for which was another family trait, gripped the Souba tightly and held if closely to himself, upwards. If an opening presented itself while Sephiroth had the roof caving in on him then Kadaj would slam his weapon into the ground next to himself and use it as a pivot with which to fling his entire body free into the tunnel off to the side.

[kempff]

Again with resistance. Sephiroth chose a direct approach this time, re-summoning Masamune and using Sin Angel. At this speed it didn't matter what anyone else was doing, they could only choose to defend. However, using Kadaj's odd position to try and pivot with his Souba, Sephiroth collided into him and centered his attack instead on the Souba, a total of seven hits and hopefully enough brute force to knock sense into Kadaj.

I'm tired of manhandling this child...

[Kadaj]

One!

Two!

Three!

Kadaj had barely stabilized his footing again when Sin Angel had come his way. Sephiroth had centered his attack on Kadaj's blade instead of the man himself. That allowed this... whatever he was... to show off something interesting.

As the third of the first hits landed Kadaj's blade suddenly exuded a phenomenal amount of parrying force upon the Masamune, the highest reaches of his swordsmanship. Both fighters were blown away from each other, skidding across the tunnel and grinding to a halt several meters apart. The tunnel behind Sephiroth had finished collapsing now, but white flashes and sparks filled the air form the two blades' exchange in the space Sephiroth and Kadaj had once stood. It left deep scars in a ring around that spot's walls ceiling and floor.

Kadaj might have looked pleased with himself, and for the briefest second he did. But it quickly passed into disillusionment. The Souba remained in his hand but that left arm drooped to his side. The teenager's entire body felt to its right knee.

He made no more moves to attack or resist.

[kempff]

Sephiroth looked at the youth, his face not showing much emotion.
"Are you happy with yourself now? Do you think the two of us fighting makes Mother happy? Kadaj, Mother wants us to work together, not against one another! Our enemy is not those of our blood, but those that betray Mother!"

[Kadaj]

No. He wasn't happy. But he was confused. Kadaj was, after all, a child at heart.

It all made sense. This man... looking like them. Better than them. Older than them. Knowledge of Mother. Targeting her betrayers. So why did his heart scream to refuse?

"Do you..." he began, still on his knee, looking at the ground. "Do you know what Mother will want to do once she returns?'

This mystery was beyond Kadaj's ability to discern. If this was Mother's "first" then maybe...

[kempff]

Sephiroth smiled happily. "Mother...will do more than you, I, and all of our brothers combined. Kadaj...she will lead us to the Promised Land. Where we belong, our true domain. However....the others must not be allowed to take it from us."

[Kadaj]

Kadaj looked up. He really did seem like a child now. And yet Sephiroth was feeding him everything he'd ever wanted to hear, save for it not being from mother's mouth. But there was something else too.

People wanted to keep Mother away from them. A brother. A betrayer.

"How many know?" he asked with determination, rising back up, weapon now gone again. "Is there more than one betrayer?"

[kempff]

"There is one. One in particular that...because of him..." Sephiroth looked directly into Kadaj's eyes, but in fact through him. He glared and grit his teeth, swinging Masamune through a wall before controlling himself.

"There is more to this Kadaj. Much more. Don't think now you understand. He is the source of all of our problems. Not until I've told you and your brothers everything, and you've seen him....then maybe you will understand."

[Kadaj]

Kadaj looked down. The thought of such a person existing made his blood boil. His cruelty had found a new outlet. This person he would make suffer more than anyone else ever had!

But there was another problem. This person knew the betrayer well, it seemed. And was so obviously powerful. That left a terrifying question at hand.

"Is he... stronger than you, brother?"