Bullet
By: Pizazz
Author's Notes: This is just prior to the main events of Advent Children. The fanfic should explain the rest on it's own. Enjoy!
This is my first attempt at an all-action piece, so constructive criticism is entirely welcome.
Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children or its characters.
Velvet Nightmare is Yazoo's gun, and Cerberus is Vincent's…just an FYI.
Yazoo was often chosen for 'guard duty' as he was the most patient of the three brothers. He could perfectly well tolerate standing and watching for signs of any unexpected interruptions. Even though Kadaj and Loz were often amusing themselves whenever he was assigned this duty, Yazoo didn't mind. It was nice to have some quiet time to simply do nothing on his own. Plus he tended to make the least fuss whenever someone or something approached…and had to be disposed of.
In the remnants and debris of the Forgotten City behind him, Yazoo could hear hisses and moans of despair. They weren't coming from his brothers, but rather the two captives of theirs. He never cared to learn their names, although he knew the little team they came from was called the Turks. Not that it mattered to him, as they were enemies of Mother. So long as they were enemies of Mother, they deserved whatever torment they were experiencing. All the people who dared to get in Mother's way would be punished.
A particularly loud groan of torment – from the woman it sounded – caused a grin to spread on Yazoo's face. Thoughts of how much the filthy creatures deserved their pain ran through his head, fuelling his unnerving smile. Despite his strong amusement, the grin was very short-lived as Yazoo heard approaching movement. It was the rustling of clothing, like a sheet…
…Or a long, tattered red cloak. Yet the cloak did not seem to be attached to anybody, instead moving as if pulled or dragged by some invisible force. It seemed that whatever force that drove the disembodied cloak was sending it hurtling in Yazoo's direction. Immediately, Velvet Nightmare was drawn and fired in counter. However, the bullet hardly deterred the cloak. Twice more he fired, until the cloak swerved to the side. It bounced softly several times before stopping some distance from Yazoo. Slowly, the cloak spun in place, the beaten edges spreading with a haunting fluidity. From the centre of it rose a tall figure, and eventually the cloak spun around to the figure's back.
Still embraced by the cloak, the figure was male, and had long black hair and eyes that matched his cloak. Like Yazoo and his brothers, he was dressed in black. Vincent Valentine's red eyes stared in to Yazoo's own vivid green eyes, and Yazoo returned the gaze.
"I'm here for the Turks," Vincent stated simply, following a long silence.
"Kadaj and Loz are playing with them. You can't have them now."
"I wasn't asking."
With that, Vincent drew Cerberus and fired it at Yazoo. With the Velvet Nightmare having already been drawn, it was a simple matter of raising it sideways to use it as a shield. A few sparks flew from where the bullet struck. Once again, Yazoo grinned before turning his gun and firing it in response. Vincent swept into an evasive side step, his cloak billowing as he spun with an ethereal grace. In the same motion, he aimed Cerberus and fired another shot. A bullet flew from Velvet Nightmare at the same time, and the bullets ricocheted off of each other into the glowing forest.
"Hey! Yazoo!" came the curious voice of Kadaj from within the ruins. "What's going on?"
Yazoo's eyes never left his opponent, nor did the grin leave his face. "Someone has come for your toys."
An amused "Heh" was the only response before Kadaj's footsteps retreated back into the remnants of the Forgotten City. The sound was mirrored by Yazoo as he slowly took one step forward, then another, with Velvet Nightmare still aimed as the dark-haired visitor. Three times he fired, each shot aimed a bit lower than the last, with the first shot aimed at his head. Vincent's stance widened greatly in his legs and he leaned to the right, his torso swerving in a downward arc beneath Yazoo's shots. Cerberus was aimed once more, and from his low position, Vincent fired at Yazoo in a sweeping motion, taking aim at his chest. Taking another step forward, Yazoo crossed his arms over his chest and flipped forward. He spun in mid-air, the line of bullets passing far beneath him.
Darting Forward, Vincent jumped up directly beneath Yazoo with Cerberus raised above his head. Just as Cerberus was fired, Yazoo's spinning came to an end, and he aimed Velvet Nightmare at the opposing firearm. It too was fired, and the bullets bounced off of each other. Both gunmen spun around each other as they fell, though their eyes remained locked throughout their descent. They landed in kneeling positions. Fluidly quick they stood, still with thrashing gazes, and took aim at their opponent's head. A stalemate was the result, as both Yazoo and Vincent stood at each other's gunpoint.
No words were spoken, though the malevolent grin on Yazoo's face clearly portrayed his enjoyment. Toying with lives was fun, though this dark-haired man was the first plaything that had ever fought so hard, and held up so long against him. Just remembering the fight alone would send shivers down his spine at the memorable thrill of the duel. Of course, the duel was far from over, and Yazoo would make sure to make it even more memorable.
The grin on Yazoo's face disturbed Vincent, though his expression didn't show it. Those who took joy in tormenting their opponents before finishing them were the worst kinds of people in his mind. In his lifetime, he had seen far too many of them, and rued every encounter. He was distracted from his train of thought when Yazoo broke the stalemate. With a pained grunt, Vincent found himself at the receiving end of Yazoo's kick as the aqua-eyed being flipped forward. Without using his hands to aid in his landing, he sprinted towards the cloaked trespasser the second his feet hit the ground.
Vincent had used the force of the kick to push himself into a backwards flip. When his clawed hand hit the ground, he used it to propel himself away from his charging nemesis. Yazoo fired Velvet Nightmare zealously, leaving Vincent with no other option but to spin in his flight and attempt to avoid the bullets. Suddenly, Vincent felt his feet touch an unseen tree behind him, and a determined smirk of his own crept onto his face. Without missing a beat, he pushed himself off of the tree and raised Cerberus, firing several rounds in retaliation.
Putting all of his great agility to the test, Yazoo twisted and writhed between and around every bullet that came his way. Now on the defensive, he was unable to fire Velvet Nightmare in return. Vincent flew towards him in the meantime, still pulling the trigger repeatedly. Soon, instead of facing the sparks and shots of Cerberus, Yazoo found himself staring into the eyes of the airborne Vincent Valentine. His clawed gauntlet was raised and ready to swipe bloody ribbons across his enemy's face. Once more the crimson and aqua of their eyes clashed before Yazoo bent over backwards beneath Vincent and his golden claws. He came to stand on his free hand, and grunted as he kicked both legs upwards into Vincent's stomach.
Although Vincent took the hit hard, his pained mind still saw Yazoo jumping into the air after him. The grin on Velvet Nightmare's wielder was frighteningly malicious, reflecting all the joy that he would receive from putting a bullet between Vincent's eyes. Yazoo intended to do it at point blank range, and drew closer to his target with every second. Seeming to realize this as he watched the barrel of Velvet Nightmare approach, Vincent saw an opportunity arise. As he began to descend, he started to turn around to the right, drawing back his right arm which still clutched Cerberus. Despite the fact that his target was now moving, Yazoo was not worried about losing his chance to end the life of the red-eyed trespasser. Velvet Nightmare would be a point-blank range by the time Vincent would finish his spin, and that would be the end.
At last the moment came when Vincent's red eyes met with Yazoo's eyes once more, but before the trigger could be pulled, a sudden darkness came over his vision in a flash of pain. It was Vincent's turn to grin as he watched the handle of Cerberus connect hard with his enemy's jaw. Yazoo was sent spiralling downwards towards a thick tree, and Velvet Nightmare flew from his hand. He managed to stop spinning in time to brace himself against the tree. On his hands and feet he slid down the white bark, with Vincent falling close behind. Not far from the base of the tree, Yazoo pushed off and flipped to land gently on the ground on one knee. His landing reunited him with the Velvet Nightmare, which had clattered to the ground within grasp. And grasp it he did, grinning at feeling the shape and trigger of his beloved gun once more.
Yazoo heard the thump of Vincent landing behind him, and turned around, still on one knee. Suddenly, two more thumps drew their attention as two bodies came to lie on the ground between them. Both of the bodies were dressed in the remains of the same navy blue suit. The wretched state they were in brought a smile to Yazoo's face, while Vincent did his best to mask his disgust. Their duel forgotten for the moment, Loz's voice then added to the distraction.
Standing at the entrance of their hide-away in the ruins, Loz wore a grin that was identical to Yazoo's. Seeing the Turks in their current state of injury and distress was a joy, but it had been even more fun putting them in that state. "We don't need them anymore," Loz said simply. "Kadaj and I worked all the fun out of them. You can have them back."
Yazoo then stood slowly, and with Velvet Nightmare raised towards Vincent, began to step backwards towards Loz. Vincent realized that he would have no chance fighting against two of them, or possibly even all three. Plus, the Turks were in desperate need of assistance. Vincent was no medic, but he would have to do. He moved to stand between the bodies of the Turks while keeping his eyes on Yazoo and Loz. Both of the brothers continued to watch with vicious grins, and Vincent was silently thankful that he would soon be away from them.
Vincent flared his cloak and lowered himself to one knee, shielding both the Turks and much of his own body from view. A moment later, he stood in a fluid motion with Cerberus holstered and the Turks held under his arms. In the same motion, Vincent leapt backwards into the trees and was soon gone.
Velvet Nightmare was slowly holstered once the red cloak disappeared from view. As Yazoo turned to enter the hideout, he noticed a surprised expression on Loz. "You're bleeding," said Loz without having to be asked. He then turned and vanished into the ruins without waiting for his brother.
Yazoo blinked at Loz's statement, and wondered if he had taken a hit without realizing it. A sudden new sensation hit him then; a coppery taste in his mouth that he hadn't realized was there before. He recalled the strike he took to his jaw and grinned slightly, feeling some more blood run from the corner of his mouth. It was rare for Yazoo to encounter an opponent who could fight back, let alone cause him to bleed.
Slowly, he raised his hand and touched a few of his fingers to the inside of his mouth. The grin remained as he pulled his fingers back into view, though it faded slowly as observed the stain. Yazoo looked at the blood on his fingers, darker than normal against the black of his glove but still prominent nonetheless. His blood…Mother's blood…too much of Mother's blood had been spilled by heathens. The planet belonged to Mother, and she should own everything that dared to draw breath when she could not. In Mother's name, Yazoo and his brothers would pay their vengeance in the blood of the heathens who took her planet from her.
As Yazoo contemplated this, the blood began to dribble and collect at the edge of his fingers. Now suspended above the ground, the crimson of his blood was now more visible. Crimson was a colour that neither he nor his brothers seemed to care for, but the crimson life-giving fluid that bore Mother's cells appeared very beautiful to him then. The first drop of blood slowly formed and fell to the ground. He watched this descent, and the next. Although the sound each droplet made was very minute, the light pattering seemed to transform into the sound of a gunshot in Yazoo's mind.
Bang.
Each lovely drop of blood was no different from a bullet.
Bang.
Yes, his heart, the heart that beat for Mother, it was a trigger.
Bang.
Every heartbeat was Mother pulling a trigger. He was her weapon, hers to use however she willed it.
Bang.
Every drop of crimson blood was a liquid bullet that fired life throughout his system.
Bang.
Yazoo held his hand up higher to watch the pale light of the forest reflect on every crimson bullet that fell from his fingers.
Bang.
He was crafted to kill, destined to restore her glory, whatever Mother required him to be.
Bang.
A phantom of gun smoke. A weapon.
Bang.
A bullet.