Disclaimer: Ponders. If I buy stock in Square-Enix, could I then claim partial rights to the chars? Hm?? Ok, not mine.
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Promises Fulfilled. Chapter One: Something old, Something new
"Brother, listen. I'm at the Gold Saucer." Sniff "and I'm broke." Another snuffle "And there's this guy named Dio who wants to throw me in some soft of desert prison. H-he said-said I cheated in the battle arena. I swear I didn't" There was heavy sobbing, which was abruptly cut off. "Shit, they found me." The message ended.
Yazoo sighed as he replayed the message. He was rightfully pissed after hearing it for the third time. Two years and not a word from either of his brothers and now out of the blue, Loz calls him with this? What did the eldest expect the younger to do?
Nimble fingers brushed long platinum-sliver strands out of his eyes. He retrieved his debit card, and flipped his phone open again. Calling the 1-800 number, he checked his balance. He released another sigh. No where near enough to pay off any debts Loz may have incurred at the cassino slash amusement park. However, Loz really hadn't mentioned debt, he said he was being accused of cheating.
Yazoo could understand how someone could assume such a thing, given Loz's genetic enhancements. His inhuman strength and speed did give the large man unfair advantages. It wasn't his fault, it was just the way he was made. He did, however, blame Loz, for entering such contests to begin with. The eldest should have known better. Just because the trio were away from places where people would recognize them, didn't give the three excuses to be stupid.
He lit up a cigarette, a terrible habit he'd picked up since being separated from his siblings. He sat at his kitchen table, trying to think of something he could do. No matter how upset he was, he wasn't about to leave Loz to his fate. He'd heard stories about the man named Dio. Good- hearted Gold Saucer manager by day. Infamous crime lord by night. Rumor had it Dio had a small army of criminals in his desert prison. Many whom started out innocent, only becoming wild savages after their incarceration. Stories also spoke of those who owed Dio too much money or who were too crafty to be left in the desert. Those people ended up with a bullet in the back of their heads, remains being fed to the Behemoth he kept as a pet. Thankfully Yazoo didn't put much stock in rumors.
Crushing out his finished smoke, Yazoo opened his phone again, this time calling the youngest's number. If anyone could figure out what to do, it would be Kadaj. After three rings, voice mail picked up. He closed the phone, not leaving a message. Maybe it was best the youngest didn't answer. After all, they had went their separate ways to learn to stand on their own.
Yazoo gracefully stood up, went to the bedroom in his small apartment, and quickly packed a bag. He still wasn't sure how he could help his brother, but he was damn sure going to try.
The trip to the Gold Saucer would take weeks. Yazoo had taken up residence in a small town in the Mideel area, and as far as he knew there were no airships around. He'd have to go by boat. As he straddled his motorbike, he couldn't help but think that making him miserable was Loz's soul purpose in life.
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A week at sea was not a pleasant experience for green-eyed young man. He luckily had the forethought to purchase a few books from the town the boat had left out of. He'd mainly stuck to his cabin room the whole trip, venturing out only for the few meals he actually took.
Once the boat docked and his bike was unloaded, he'd wasted no time in heading out. It felt good to be on the open road again, with a goal to achieve. His mind wondered as the scenery flew by. The years had gone by too slow, he realized with a start. It sure takes an awful lot of time to do nothing. He'd made a few friends back in the town he now called home, and had a quaint little job as a library assistant, but that was about it.
Gone were the days where he was part of something greater than himself, when the only real company he had were his brothers. Gone too were the nights of some fearful undefined Mother figure plaguing the trios nightmares. Also lost with the years, was the feeling of true importance. Back when they were chasing Mother and looking forward to reunion, Yazoo had been someone important. He had been needed. He had been dangerous. Not so much now.
He remembered the day he and his brothers had bid their farewells . It was some few hours after being rejected from the Life Stream. The three had not been human enough to be accepted, or something along those lines. To this day, Yazoo still didn't understand it. All he knew was that he was still alive, when he should have been dead.
Anyway, Loz, Kadaj, and himself, had come to agree that their best bet, to stay safe, and to 'learn to be human' would be by striking out on their own. It might have been touching, their goodbyes, had any of the three understood emotions at the time. He did not ask where his brothers were going, for fear that if he knew, he would follow them. Instead he simply wrote his cell number down on a piece of paper, and handed each a copy. He got on his bike and left.
That had been two years ago, and just until last week, he had heard nothing from either sibling. He had grown accustom to not having them around, though the first few months had been hard.
Yazoo vaguely noticed that he was heading into a town, the small wooden sign reading 'Gongaga' was completely lost on him. However, the one thing he did notice was the burned out Mako reactor, standing in shamble just a little past the borders of the town. Slowing his bike to a stop, he dismounted and started to push the vehicle.
He took note of the mostly overgrown cemetery when he first entered. It was really nothing out of the ordinary, one could find something like it in any small town they visited. Moving deeper into the town, he found himself surrounded by place that was a hair short of being abandoned.
With less than an enthusiastic stride, the slender remnant of Sephiroth quickly found the inn/tavern. After settling in his bike, he went inside. Just like the rest of the town, the place was almost empty, save for the aged, portly woman behind the counter. She was reading the new paper by the looks of it, but her head snapped up when the door closed behind him. A toothless grin spread across her plump face, and she motioned him over.
Movements graceful as ever, Yazoo crossed the three table room that served as the tavern, to stand on the opposite side of the counter. He noticed there were only five bottles of various liquors on a tiny shelf behind the woman, and sighed.
"The stars must be in alignment," that gummy grin still on her face, "yer my second guest today."
He stared at her, nodding slowly. Then in that whispered way of his, "I need a room for the night."
"'coarse ya do, or ya wouldn't be here. Aint no one comes in here to drink." She laughed, it sounded like scratching sandpaper. "fifty gil." Not bad he thought. "Plus 200, insurance fee. You'll get that back when ya leave, assumin there aint no damages. Yer kind has a tendency to be a bit... rough."
His head cocked, his kind? His eyes narrowed, lips pursing. "Excuse me, madam, what does that mean, exactly?"
She cackled. "I've seen yer type before. Young men yer age, dressed in black, bad dye jobs, havin some strange fixation with that hooligan, Sephiroth. Ya did know he tried ta destroy the world, right?"
Yazoo looked away from her, only to look down at himself. As if someone threw cold water in his face, he realized with horror, that he'd dressed himself in his old leathers. He hadn't done it consciously. He hadn't worn his armor since the day he split from his brothers. He now understood what she was going on about.
Reluctantly he paid the gil, mostly in small notes. Once the room key was in hand, he left the bar without another word.
Not expecting much from the room, after seeing the downstairs, he wasn't disappointed. There was a twin bed, a small dresser, a mirror on the wall, and closet sized adjoining bathroom. He dropped his duffle bag onto the bed, and un-holstered Velvet Nightmare. When had he holstered it? Dear Gaia, he was moving back into his old routine without even realizing it. That might actually be a good thing, especially since going to get his brother was dangerous.
He flipped open his phone to check his messages. There was one, but it wasn't from Loz like he was hoping.
"You know Brother, voice messaging, is for...oh I don't know... voice messages. That means you talk after the beep." 'Thanks for clearing that up, Kadaj', Yazoo mumbled under his breath. Good to know the youngest hadn't lost his sense of sarcasm. "Good think I have caller ID on my phone. Just in case you didn't know, it's the thing that lets me see what number has called me." 'You think?' Yazoo rolled his eyes. Maybe calling Kadaj hadn't been the best plan to begin with. "Anyway, after not having talked to you in....hmmm...YEARS...I figured you probably wanted or needed something. Well, being the kind, loving brother that I've always been, I'm at least willing to hear you out." 'How thoughtful' a smirk crossed Yazoo's lips. He couldn't really blame the youngest. He and Loz had spoiled the child rotten. "Hit me up when you get this. Oh, and talk to the voice mail if I don't answer. It makes things much easier."
Yazoo closed his phone after deleting the message. He was about to call his baby brother back, but decided against it. He was determined to save Loz on his own. Then, maybe, he would call Kadaj, just to see how he was doing.
He pondered the message while unzipping his dress-like black trench. Kadaj hadn't mentioned a thing about Loz. Which meant, Loz hadn't called him. Strange. Kadaj was the first person Loz went to when he was in trouble. Something bothered him about that.
Shrugging it off to Loz just being a baby, the middle child finished undressed, and stepped into a hot shower. It was the first decent shower he had since leaving home. He let the hot water run over him as he put things into perspective.
Ok, Dio, an infamous shadow crime lord, wanted Loz in prison, his prison, for cheating at the battle arena. Loz calling him instead of Kadaj. Him, subconsciously gearing up for battle. Something just wasn't clicking and he couldn't put his finger on it.
He stepped out of the shower, feeling much better, and redressed in his armor.
He went back down stairs, and seeing that it was still empty, save for the old woman, he took a seat at the bar. He ordered a scotch and soda, and since the woman wasn't in a very talkative mood this time around, he relaxed.
Three drinks and he was feeling light-headed. No surprise there. Yazoo had never been a heavy drinker. He left that to both his brothers. He had just lit a cigarette, when a voice, full of melancholy snuck up behind him.
" There is no hate, only joy
For you are beloved by the goddess
Hero of the dawn, Healer of worlds
Dreams of the morrow hath the shattered soul
Pride is lost
Wings stripped away, the end is nigh."
Yazoo's head cocked to the side. Surly there wasn't someone standing behind him, spouting off Loveless. Loveless! The least talented, most overrated poet to ever walk Gaia. The poet had been a drunken, whore-mongering, drug addict. At this point, Yazoo was quite positive that everything had been a dream. Soon he would wake up in his nice cozy apartment, dressed in a warm pair of sweat-pants and a tank. Velvet Nightmare would be put up in on the top shelf of his closet.
"You haven't forgotten, have you?" The rich velvety voice was closer now. Yazoo couldn't help but shiver. "You once told me I had beaten it into your head." Yazoo took another drag off his smoke, not yet turning around. The man behind him could not be talking to him. There was no way. Though someone with a voice that sexy, reciting Loveless to the old woman behind the bar, seemed laughable.
"You've gotten your hair cut, and are thinner. Not a look that suites you very well." Yazoo froze. He couldn't have been more stunned if the little old woman reached across the counter and smacked him, and the silver-haired man was hardly ever shocked. He could feel the man at his back almost touching him now.
Did this mysterious man know Sephiroth? That was the only thing that made sense. Yazoo had been told many times that out of the three brothers, he was the one who resembled the Great General the most. No one else in all of Gaia looked like Sephiroth, that is until Yazoo came along. The man spoke as if he not only knew Sephiroth, but had gotten along with him. There was no hostility, or anger in the tone.
Slowly, almost dream-like, he turned around. What he beheld caused his mouth to drop open. Here stood the most captivatingly beautiful man he'd ever seen. Mako infused sky-blue eyes held his attention at first. Then he registered the rest of the face. Auburn hair parted to one side, brushed softly across the boyish features. Those blue eyes were set deep, eyebrows a straight line matching the color of his hair. His nose was small, coming to a perfect point at the tip. The round face supported luscious pink full lips. The man's complexion; a pale bronze color.
Yazoo's mind took all of him in within a few seconds. He noted the faded dusty red leather coat, the black shirt underneath. The black leather pants which he wore clung to him like a second skin. Yazoo even noticed the red rapier at the man's hip and the silver ear-ring dangling from the guy's right ear.
He met the guys eyes again, feeling a hot blush creep across his face. Never before had the sight of a man made him feel so weak. Giddy school girl was the term that flashed through his mind.
The other man's face held a mild look of surprise, but he overcame it quickly. "My sincerest apologies Sir. It seems I've mistaken you for someone else." The auburn-haired man bowed deeply. "Please forgive the intrusion."
"I...I" Yazoo stuttered. Think damn it. "Yazoo" his tone coming out stronger than he intended, being almost a shout. His green eyes dropped to the floor, embarrassment flushing his usually pale skin. He held his breath.
Suddenly he felt cool, leather gloved fingers under his chin. His head was tilted up, and again he was staring into those blue orbs. His stomach did a flip-flop and his heartbeat raced.
"It's a beautiful name," came the low satin laced voice. "I'm Genesis. Genesis Rhapsodos." He smiled and Yazoo melted.
Yazoo swallowed hard, his throat very dry. He could feel his palms sweating. He nodded at the introduction, noticing that the fingers had yet to leave his skin.
Think Yazoo. Say something. "Loveless sucks." He blurted out. Ok, anything but that.
To his surprise and instant relief, Genesis' head fell back and he chuckled. "Why don't we discuss that over a drink?"
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AN: OK, this pairing is just sexy. Tell me what you think. R&R