Chapter Eighteen

I walked with Kourtney, Kadaj, and Loz through the markets. Kourtney and Loz as always having fun at family events and being in one another's company. Seeing us as a family brought a smile to my face. That small thing once had no meaning to me, but now it was what completes me, makes me whole, makes me human. The thoughts of who I was spending the day with were a thought that didn't worry me, the four of us spending the afternoon as a family.

"Where is Graceona?" the teen beside me asked.

"At the bar with Yazoo, Reno, and Rude, we're meeting them later. Did she tell you about the moving arrangements?"

"Yeah, she talked about moving closer to Vincent. I suppose you're glad to be moving closer to your father." He looked at the ground.

"It's nice, but why do you seem sad? I'll still be there for you and your brothers."

"I don't feel sad. I know you will be here."

"Oh? I asked. "Then what explains your sudden mood change? I have the impression that a dark cloud is hovering over your head. Why is this the case?" the adolescent sighed.

"I have a feeling Vincent hates us. He never communicates with us."

"Kadaj, he doesn't hate you. If he had anything bad to say about the three of you, you'd hear it from him. You wouldn't have had to rely on your emotions to tell you anything. He never converses with anyone. How many times have you witnessed him talking with Cloud? Or any of us?"

"He talks to you; you are the only person he talks to."

"He did the same thing to me. That, however, would not work. I was constantly telling myself that he was going to talk or else. Being the obnoxious twenty-three-year-old that I was. I stuck to my guns. I believe I borrowed a strategy from your playbook after joining the group. Annoying the man until he spoke to me. That's how we got to where we are now. That's why I didn't chastise you for dealing with the same strategy years ago; I was guilty of it as well."

"You annoying? I find it difficult to believe you had a childlike personality."

I fixed my gaze on him. "It's not that unbelievable. I was once a child, and then I grew into a man. I had to let go of foolish things. You three only saw me as the man I had become and, with the chaos of twenty-plus orphans, getting upset. I had to be careful of how I handled you three. I imagine you've never had to put twenty-plus children to bed. You couldn't even make Yazoo sleep. I don't think anyone would have gotten any sleep that night if I had relied on you with minors."

"Yazoo is older than children, father, and far more stubborn. I've been able to put Kourtney to sleep occasionally."

"You are correct. Yazoo is obstinate, but Kourtney is only five. Try getting twenty-plus Kourtney's to sleep who are paralyzed by fear of what has walked into their safety net while already being with a man they barely knew. I'm sure it was a source of discomfort for them." I exhaled a sigh. "Those children were a blessing in my life, though they were stressful at first. However, the longer I stayed with them, the more difficult it was to let them go. I run into a few of them now and then. They've grown a lot in the last eight years. It makes me happy to see their smiling faces. When they speak to me or even hug me, it brightens my day." I cracked a smile.

"You vanished after you adopted us. Why? Didn't you want to look after us? Did we bother you so much that you wanted to leave us?"

"I needed to master my powers because, despite having the power of Materia, I had no experience with them; I had never used the spheres, not even in battle with Sephiroth. Going into a battle with which I had no familiarity may have resulted in my injuries. I did not know about fighting or weaponry. However, I was about to face a man who possessed all of that and more. Fighting against him was a foolish desire of mine. Dare I say it, common sense was something I lacked, a twenty-three-year-old with a childish demeanor, idyllic dreams, and a lack of common sense." I laughed. "My father must have had a strenuous life. I now feel sorry for him and the burden I must have been. If I were him, I might want to pull my hair out. I'm sure he got his vengeance when you and your brothers showed up at the pub. It's ironic, even funny." Kadaj looked at me as I looked at him. "Do I have any regrets about taking in the three of you? No, we've had our share of problems, but regret isn't something that has crossed my mind. It's something I'd do a hundred times if I had to."

As a burst of laughter erupted, the teen smiled. I looked at the structure in front of us. We arrived at our destination. As I stared at the teen, Loz and Kourtney entered the building. "I hope you brought your weapon with you. We're going to have a good time later. After we finish moving, all of us will have our battle. Do you think you'll be able to keep up with an old man like me?"

"You're on. Do you think you'll be able to keep up with us? You're a middle-aged man, a thirty-four-year-old. We might be too much of a pain." The adolescent smiled proudly, holding his head high and smug.

"Let's see who's old and rusted. I still have a few good fights left, don't be shy. You three show me what you got."

"It's something I've always done, father. Are you certain you'll be able to handle it?"

"I'm confident in my abilities as a warrior that I can handle the three of you. I don't need Grace to fight my battles, though her help is appreciated; twenty-seven, thirty-seven, or seventy-seven, I will never give a fight less than my best."

"We'd be disappointed and offended if you didn't give it your all. Bring it on, father, and don't hold back."

"Deal."

We entered the small wooden structure together.