AN: Wow…it's already been a month since I last updated…Time surely flies, huh… Well, people, sorry for the delay! Please enjoy yourselves and make sure to review! On with the story!

Hitori, Futari

Chapter 4: His Reasons

Yazoo rested his elbows on the counter, supporting his head with his hands. The last customer for the day had just exited. He looked after the old lady, disinterested, and sighed. He felt pleasantly tired and a bit sleepy; he observed, with his eyes half-open, the streets overwhelmed by dusk. The entire area seemed as if it were dozing off, together with its citizens. The orange and red gave the ruined city such a stunning, mysterious beauty.

He was looking outside, dreamily; his chest felt surprisingly light. Was it the feeling of fulfillment and internal peace? He wondered, swallowed by the silence. It was already seven o'clock. He didn't have to turn on the lights, since it was still visible enough. When he thought about everything, he pondered if this was the time when you could say that everything was alright with the world. Somehow, it felt awkward. It felt boring.

When he was about to take his bloody apron off and wash his hands from blood, the door of the shop opened and somebody entered. He turned around, about to say that the shop was closed, but the opportunity to open his mouth never came.

"I guess I came too late to see you working, yo." The redhead said, approaching the counter. Yazoo straightened up, regaining his calm composure; all the signs of sleepiness wiped away from his flawless face. He didn't know what exactly Reno wanted to accomplish with this; he was positive that the redhead had planned to be his supervisor all along, ever since the interrogation. He would be lying if he said he felt comfortable around Reno. The man carried the air of danger with him, and the experienced fighter such as Yazoo could feel it. Yet, he didn't want to spoil the show and deprive the curious cat of its satisfaction.

"I need to cut some meat for tomorrow, so you can watch if you want." He suggested. Even though he could just wake up early in the morning (really, really early) and do the job, this felt like a better idea. He wanted to see if Reno could stand so much blood. Actually, he knew that Reno had probably seen many terrible things and done them as well, but still he liked to entertain the hope that he could toy with his little tagalong. If he had to put up with him for three whole years, then this was fair enough, wasn't it?

Actually, when he'd said that he had some 'meat to cut', he meant he was in the mood for some slaughter. There was this sow in the pigpen in the backyard that his landlord had told him to slaughter due the following day. So perhaps Reno's arrival was a good thing after all; he would've completely forgotten to do it if it hadn't been for the redhead. He showed the redhead to come behind the counter and follow him to the backyard.

And there they were again, Reno mused. It was the same old yard from couple of nights ago, but looked dirtier during the daytime. Not that it was actually the day anymore, but it was surely lighter than darkness of summer evenings ;not that you could tell one season from another anymore; they long stopped changing and all that was left of them were stunning sunsets and gray, rainy days (most of the time). The terrible stench spread throughout the air of this small refuge of Yazoo's, and he secretly wondered how the remnant could put up with such a stupid job of a butcher. Reno felt all bitter, frowning when he realized his thoughts started to be way too depressive.

When they entered the pigpen, there was nothing to be seen, really. The sow was killed mercilessly in a matter of seconds, and then Yazoo dragged the enormous creature to the yard. He did everything in silence, not even bothering to ask Reno if he could help him carry it out. He behaved as if Reno never existed, just like he'd behaved that night, the assassin noticed. Somehow, it didn't feel right. He felt so useless, just standing there and watching Yazoo do all the toil himself. He wanted to ask if the silver haired youth had to do this every day alone, but refrained. There was something inside Yazoo that he couldn't understand no matter how hard he tried, so he just stood there and closely observed.

Somehow, it didn't feel as pleasant as Yazoo expected, to be watched. He hadn't even seen a hint of dread on the redhead's face. Still, it didn't stop him to draw all the satisfaction he could from the bloody sight, as he cut sinews and took the guts out, soaking his forearms in the process with warm, beautiful crimson fluid; spurts of blood marred his pale face, making such a striking contrast. Reno could just watch agape, how calm yet fierce this strange…person looked while doing that horrible work. He still had problems with referring to this man as a person.

Yazoo straightened up, looking at his handiwork. Sometimes it felt nice being a butcher. You could vent all your energy on poor animals, and no one could blame you for it, for people would eat their meat and be healthy and whatever. He would feed many hungry mouths by doing this; that was something that made his heart feel cozy. No harm was made, yet he had lots of fun, and seeing how Reno was powerless to write anything bad about him in his monthly reports made it even sweeter. He was just doing his job and nobody could blame him for it.

"Blood really suits you, doesn't it, yo?" Reno said, examining his blood-covered host. It was trickling down Yazoo's forearms, making a puddle around his boots.

"Hn." Was all the youth said, and shifted his mako eyes from Reno to something that was behind him. "Bring me the tub of hot water." His words weren't addressed to the redhead, so he turned to look at the person behind him. His eyes rested on the chubby girl in flamboyant garments.

"I see you were a good boy, Yazoo." She purred with her whiny voice. "Daddy will be pleased when he comes back and sees that all the work was done." With that said, she eyed Yazoo's guest up, and disappeared into the shop.

"Yo, who was that chick?" Reno asked, already suspicious of her morals. The way she'd swung her hips several seconds ago, her speech pattern, her clothes…

"My landlord's daughter." Replied Yazoo, laconically, hoping that his former nemesis wouldn't ask any other questions. He preferred it quiet; the redhead was most of the time annoying.

He was on his way to Yazoo's place, thinking about the day before; the way Yazoo seemed pretty engrossed in the things he was doing; how devotedly he had taken care of the sow's carcass, and bathed it in hot water. Then he'd placed its guts in several containers, explaining they would sell them to some factory that would make other products from them; in the end, he cut its finest parts so perfectly, and placed it into the freezer. The butcher's daughter had been nowhere to be seen, which somehow felt relieving for him.

Somehow, it seemed that he'd spoiled Yazoo's fun with meat; when he'd asked Yazoo if he could drink some coffee or tea upstairs, at his place, the silver haired man had replied with his usual 'hn', and ignored him, which Reno, naturally, had taken as a 'no', and gone home.

He could understand Yazoo's hostility to some extent; he realized that to Yazoo, he had just been means to find Rufus and make it an official meeting and nothing more. He knew he was unwanted, but there was no helping it now. Reno was aware of his selfishness, and was doing all of this, for the first time, not to protect ShinRa's interests, but satisfy his curiosity.

When he reached Yazoo's place, he saw him mounting the bike. Without second thought, he hopped behind him, covering his eyes with goggles as he did so, and wrapped his arms around the silver haired man. At this, Yazoo started to writhe, trying to get rid of Reno's grip, but the redhead appeared to have won this round. He overpowered him.

"You can't go with me." He said coldly.

'Why, you're going on a date or something?" Reno asked, and feeling Yazoo's cold stare on him, he knew that the youth didn't have a lover. "Your eyes are telling me you're not going on a date, so I'm going with you, yo!"

Experienced as he was, Yazoo quickly came up with the plan how to get rid of his unwanted guest. He was going to the place Reno shouldn't see, and he couldn't afford to take him there. It would spoil everything. So he slowed down, knowing that, even though Reno was among few people he deemed smart, he couldn't find anything bad in him doing so. Naturally, Reno loosened the grip on him, and that was just what the silver haired youth was waiting for all along. He shifted all the weight to his left leg and lifted his right one, half-turned toward Reno. The heavy boot met with the redhead's chest, and he was harshly thrown from the bike. He was rolling down the road for several moments, feeling his shoulder crack. From his tear-veiled eyes, he saw Yazoo speeding off into the depths of the Forgotten City.

At that moment, Yazoo didn't think of consequences. Reno could write whatever he wanted in his report about this, for all he cared. The only thing he had in mind was Kadaj and no one else. His insane brother should be informed of his successful meeting with Rufus. Deep down, however, Yazoo knew that Kadaj would never agree with him. He would still think he was doing wrong.

The bike was roaring as he passed through the woods, enjoying the turquoise light the sun cast from above, coloring the trees and the ground. But he was unaffected by this magic sight; seeing Kadaj standing in the distance, waiting for him.

His younger brother looked enraged and disappointed, as he watched Yazoo dismount the bike. "Long time no see, Yazoo." He said morosely, in his usual, hissing voice. "What brings you here? You finally realized that you don't belong there, didn't you?" He always spoke his sentences theatrically, Yazoo noticed. It had been the entire month since they last saw each other. "I was pleasantly surprised when you phoned."

"Quite the contrary." He said, leaning against his bike; the two slim figures standing before one another seemed almost identical. Anyone would presume they were brothers, but Yazoo didn't feel that way anymore. In the best case, he was an outcast, in the worst, they didn't share the same blood.

"Oh, is that so?" Kadaj said, placing his hands behind his back, one of his hands gripping the wrist of another. He approached Yazoo, looking him straight into eyes. "Then what is it?"

Unfazed by his brother's hostility, Yazoo coolly replied that he went to see Rufus Shinra, and that he would be granted citizenship in three years. He deliberately skipped the part with Reno being his supervisor. He knew what Kadaj would say to that. He wanted to defeat him somehow, and prove that he was wrong. However, he himself knew that everything had gone way too smoothly to be actually true.

"It surprises me how you, of all people, can believe in such a lie!" Kadaj nervously laughed. "What surprises me more is how you are willing to wait for the entire three years for something that will never be granted to you!" he ran his hand over Yazoo's cheek. "Yazoo, Yazoo, Yazoo…" He purred. "It appears that you can be smart only when fighting and doing something suicidal…Without Loz to assist you, you are nothing. You are no one."

At that, Yazoo decided to react. No matter how unreal it seemed, he shoved his brother's arm, piercing him with his infuriated mako eyes. "I won't have you talk to me like that, Kadaj!" He said, opening his mouth to say something more, but saw Loz standing several feet away from them. The eldest was staring at him in disbelief, tears trickling from his eyes. Yazoo shook his head, standing from his bike and made a gesture with his hand for Kadaj to move.

The youngest did so, a bit bewildered because of Yazoo's sudden disobedience. "Loz, are you crying?" Yazoo asked, approaching the large, infantile man. This time, he didn't say it teasingly, but somehow with worry and care. The green eyes, hidden between the trees, were mesmerized by the sight, and their owner gaped in disbelief.

Loz didn't hide his tears. He sobbed and pulled his brother in a tight embrace. "I can't stand the sight of you guys fighting." Confused by his brother's cuddliness, Yazoo hesitantly patted the man's back. "Now that you're finally with us..."

"Haha, what a nice reunion." Kadaj threw his head back, turning around to face his brothers. " But let me tell you something, Loz. He's not your brother. He's not mine, either. If he claims he's human, then we share no bonds. If he has no Sephiroth's cells, then he's not even the black sheep in our little family."

"Neither are you two, for that matter. We're all human beings now." Yazoo managed to say, his mouth pressed strongly against Loz's shoulder. "There is this possibility we're just strangers to one another."

"Don't say such things, Yazoo!" Loz sobbed, hugging him even tighter. "Remember how we always stuck together." Yazoo couldn't take Loz's pressure on him anymore. He was out of oxygen, so he gently placed his hands on Loz's forearms, removing his arms from him.

"Just stop crying for once." He said, and then turned to Kadaj. "And what are you planning to do now, Kadaj?" He asked, but he already knew. Kadaj was probably going from one town to another, forming some kind of a sect. "Do people listen to you?"

"You bet they do." Kadaj replied, swinging his hips as he approached the twosome. 'We are all going to take revenge on this planet for making fools of us! We must tell about our experience with the Lifestream and claim it as our natural right!" He said dramatically. Yazoo couldn't understand what his brother wanted to say, so he didn't bother listening to him. It felt very tiring and confusing. He didn't know why he'd come to visit them, when he knew what awaited him.

"I think it is safe for you to call me, if you want, Loz." He said to the man next to him. "Does Kadaj forbid you to call me?" Loz waved his head.

"No." He said, in his deep, calm voice now. "Even if we're not brothers, we're at least friends, right, Yazoo?" The one with the longest hair nodded.

'Yeah." He said, watching Kadaj make his circles while talking about his strange philosophy. Then, suddenly, his eyes fixed on something, then he tilted his head to the side. Yazoo followed him with his eyes, seeing how he dragged Reno from behind the trees.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here, huh? Shachou's dog…Is he your babysitter now?" He threw a glance in Yazoo's direction, with all disdain he could manage, shoving the redhead, who fell into the dust.

"He's my supervisor."

"So Shinra doesn't trust you. My point is proven, then. Now I have to kill him."

"He won't tell anything." Yazoo rushed and stood between Kadaj's Soba and Reno, who was silently watching everything. He was too much in shock to say anything.

"Oh?"Kadaj lifted one of his delicate eyebrows. "How do you know?"

"I have my methods of persuasion." He looked down at Reno, looking intimidating. Reno flinched a bit. "We're leaving now." He motioned him to follow him.

"And don't come back here anymore. I don't want to cross paths with you, you traitor!" Kadaj screamed at him, turning his back on them demonstratively.

"Hn." Yazoo said, and with Reno in tow, left the Forgotten Forest.

Despite his cold exterior, Reno was certain that Yazoo was in pain. Beneath the palm of his good arm, he could feel his nervous heart, pounding so loudly. In his ears, he could only hear its sobs, over the roar of the engine. Being disowned, having no one to support you in your great efforts to be normal, to fit the standards of one society, it must have felt horrible. Yazoo was riding slowly, since Reno couldn't hold onto him with both his arms. Reno could tell that he was desperately trying to breathe normally. The assassin updated his mental note-Yazoo's efforts were real; he possessed some kind of emotions; despite this slap on the cheek, he persisted. So far, he did. For the first time Reno considered the possibility to admire the silver haired man. But he put it in the column he named 'maybe'.

"I won't tell anyone, don't worry." He said, when Yazoo stopped the bike. He'd ordered him to stop two streets from the hospital. He reasoned, if he hadn't told Tseng about the race, and didn't intend to tell anyone about the three brothers, then it was only natural that he wouldn't go to the hospital with Yazoo. There would be witnesses and all, he mused. "I can barely handle you. I can't handle your two copies." He offered him a smile.

"Why are you doing this?" Yazoo asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Because if there is the slightest chance you're normal, then I'll gladly help you." Reno replied with all honesty. "I'll even forgive you this dislocated shoulder. It could've been worse." He didn't expect any apologies, and he didn't get any. Yazoo didn't say anything in reply; he just turned his head and started the engine, disappearing in the direction of Midgar.

Yazoo, surely, wasn't the one who went for good communication, Reno realized. But somehow, despite all the pain his nervous system was informing him of, he was optimistic about his new companion. He knew he couldn't change him drastically; he could just shape his points of view, perhaps.

TBC…?

AN: I know this is a bit rushed and whatnot. But I hope it was enjoyable. And it will be more from Yazoo's POV. I revised this once, so I hope there aren't any mistakes. If there are, I apologize.