To Love an Ancient 3: The Last Seven Days: An Aeris and Sephiroth Finale.
Words 10,003
Pages 27
Chapter 7: The Blood Thirsty Child
Disclaimer
Nope, I don't own Final Fantasy 7...but I sometimes adopt their kawaii bishounens! (Most specifically the silvered haired kind.)
Author's Notes
Hey guys! Hope you are all doing well. Whew, I finally found time to write and edit this fic. It's pretty strange if I must admit. I tried to structure this chapter out, but in the end this chapter decided to pretty much write itself. My main focus in this chapter is a certain little Mamma's Boy Remnant. Must admit if I was Aeris, I would have ran for the hills a long, long time ago if I ever had someone I barely knew call me 'Mother-Mother' all the time. Nevertheless, there is something creepily cute about Kadaj, so as the title kinda suggests, you guys will be reading about a less fuzzy approach to Kad's feelings for his Mother.
Warnings For This Chappy
Just a lil warning, as I'm listening to some pretty dark yet powerful music, expect some pretty twisted writing from yours truly. It's M rated so I'll warn you guys that violence will be a prevalent theme in this chapter. After all, my intention is to expand on Kadaj's role in this fic. For it is clear that Kadaj loves his dear Mother to bits…however my intention is to play on the more disturbed side of his nature. After all, one must admit that someone who can carry a sword around with them all day isn't obviously carrying it around just for show right?
Favourite Musical Muses:
Thomas Bergersen: Femme Fatale
Lisa Gerrard: Dead can Dance: Redemption/Persephone
Lisa Gerrard: Man on Fire Ending Theme
Hans Zimmer: Angels And Demons: Air
Blood - : Diva's Song
Shadow of the Colossus: Those Who Remain
Hans Zimmer: The Ring: The Well
Clint Mansell: The Fountain: Stay with Me
Anywho….
Now that my ramblings are out of the way…
On with the fic!
0o0
Within the anxious breath of night, beneath the top of the tallest spire, a lone bell-ringer tolled the town's church bells three weary times. Far down on the icy streets below, alarm sirens yelled and the cold wind howled viciously. Snow continued to billow out from the heavens above in an angry torrent, spraying the city with a harsh yet ethereal icy mist. It seemed everything was marked with the same colour. Everywhere had been tainted by the white vicious downpour of Gaia's might.
"…."
Sheltered below in the dark, and hidden away from the nightmare of snow and ice, stood a male gazing beyond the chaotic white. His deep phosphorous eyes revealed no emotion other than an inner melancholy, visible to no man except the pane of glass separating his body from the harsh cruelty of the world beyond.
'Kadaj…'
Yazoo leant his pale face against the window frame and sighed deeply. Four hours had passed since he had left the restaurant with Aeris…and yet, Kadaj was nowhere to be seen.
'Where are you little Brother?
Have you gotten lost within the dark?'
The gunman exhaled a slow, disquieted breath. Kadaj should have been able to track their location by now. After all, Yazoo's chosen location to conceal Aeris was a place they had all visited before. 'If only I can get in contact with him.' Reaching into his pocket, Yazoo calmly glared at the blank face of his uncharged PHS, before carelessly tossing the useless item across the room.
As an old grandfather clock ominously ticked away the precious seconds of the night, the lean gunman slowly curled long, gloved fingers around the frame of the windowsill.
"….."
The gunman grimly frowned.
There was so little time left….
And yet he was trapped here, waiting….
Always waiting…..
0o0
Three hours previous-
Icicle Inn- Gast's Home
0o0
0o0
Yazoo had finally found it.
This had to be the place.
Yazoo knew it was here. His photographic memory had immediately recognised the large wooden frame of the door, and the poor dishevelled tree perched on the left hand side of the porch from his last visit. From an outsider's point of view, the building looked abandoned, and Yazoo only hoped it still was. For the last thing the weary gunman wanted to do, was engage in yet another unnecessary fight, whilst having a certain unconscious Cetra lying uselessly in his arms.
Looking behind him warily, Yazoo checked the ground and skies for any sign of potential danger lurking from within the dark. Finding none, the gunman turned back to the closed wooden door. Unlocking the door with a simple kick was enough to get him and the unconscious Aeris inside to safely. Shutting the door behind him, Yazoo strode through the familiar house, his snow-covered boots making wet, snowy prints across the grey stone floor and cobalt printed rug.
Like the first time Yazoo had entered the house, the strange, unfamiliar contraptions in the room held little interest to him. The only thing, which drew his interest however, was the sight of a small, spindled chair pushed up against one wall of the room. Yazoo did not hesitate in moving himself towards it, to carefully plant the unconscious brunette down on the wooden seat. Then slowly, Yazoo stepped back to properly assess her.
"…"
The gunman's glowing eyes needed no light of a candle flame to catch the glint of wet crimson lazily sliding down the flower girl's wounded face, catching the sharp edge of her chin, and dripping rather ominously on the wooden chair arm beneath her head.
"…"
The warrior's face grew grim.
Yazoo knew it was Kadaj who had kept all their advanced curative items stocked within his inventory bag, the same bag he had left behind at the restaurant. 'Just typical…' The warrior mused to himself. It seemed unfortunate that the gunman had no materia equipped on his person, other than 'Sense', 'Gravity', 'Quake' and 'Heal', and while Yazoo's mastered 'Heal' materia could nullify and build up a resistance to most toxic impurities within the body, the green orb did not possess the ability to heal any open wounds.
"..."
And so the gunman's stern mako eyes searched the room around him.
'Hn, there must be some suitable gauze to use in this house.'
And so the gunman made a conscious effort to look around for some bandages. As the gunman went from dark room to dark room, from the small kitchen to the large bedroom upstairs, Yazoo's frown began to deepen even further. 'This is pure folly,' the warrior inevitably realised, when his search surmounted to nothing.
When Yazoo trudged back to Aeris, his warrior eyes momentarily paused on the large window in the dark living room, or more precisely, the old worn curtains, and for one moment, the pale warrior contemplated cutting the dusty fabric into suitable strips of cloth.
"Ugnn…"
Calm mako orbs flickered back towards the weak, moaning female.
'?'
And it was then that Yazoo truly stared.
It was clear to the pale warrior that Aeris was still nestled in the realm of sleep, with the way her face contorted only for a moment in pain, before clearing back into a sad, yet peaceful air.
And then the gunman's gaze moved downwards.
The brunette's body, albeit small seemed crooked on the tiny, spindled chair. Her legs were severely bent, and both her arms were drooped to one side, one gloved hand just shy of touching the cold, stone floor below.
'…'
An anxious, yet awkward feeling, which Yazoo could not seem to recognise nor register, awoke itself within his left breast. '?' And so the gunman's body acted before his mind could even begin to fathom the strange workings occurring within his body. Picking up the unconscious, bleeding female in both his arms, the gunman turned himself towards the stairs and ascended up the steps, taking care not to jostle the sleeping burden. When Yazoo found a bedroom where one king sized bed lay as the central focus in the room, the gunman made his way towards it and gently deposited the unconscious female on top of the worn, mauve tinted covers, before lazily shrugging off her boots, and thudding them down to the floor beside the large bed.
When the pale warrior pulled himself away again, to stare once more at her slight figure, the gunman was surprised to note that Aeris seemed even smaller on the large bed, than when she was lying on the tiny chair downstairs. Yazoo inhaled and exhaled slowly. He could not explain it.
Aeris just looked so tiny.
So defenceless.
And so very, very alone.
'No…
Not just alone…'
Yazoo shyly shook his head.
'She is alone with me…'
The strange unsettling feeling from earlier was expanding across the gunman's left breast, moving like a disease through his body. It was gripping and clenching down on his mind and loins, making him feel so nervously overwhelmed by the need to retreat. Startled and disturbed by this deep, unexpected sensation, the gunman quickly averted his eyes from the unconscious maiden, to instead droop his haunted gaze towards the frayed lilac curtains near the bedroom window. For even standing in the pitch dark, the gunman could see the dainty damasked print on the fabric with such an unfathomable clarity, that any form of artificial light would only serve as an unnecessary hindrance to him.
"…"
The gunman's gaze wavered slowly on the withered fabric.
Yazoo knew his attention to detail was impeccable...
His self-discipline was strong and absolute…
'And yet….'
Even when his eyes were not on her…
Yazoo could still feel the pull of her presence behind him.
'Damn her.'
The gunman cursed quietly, running a weary gloved hand down his face, and closing his glowing eyes beneath long, gloved fingers. But even as he did so, Yazoo's ears listened to each slow inhalation and exhalation of 'her' breath. "…." The gunman knew this was getting ridiculous, and he knew he was no fool. Yazoo briefly had an idea what this strange, unsettling feeling in his chest was, and yet the stern and disciplined warrior refused to give a name for it. He refused to think such a thought, let alone speak it out loud.
'..Damn me…'
Yazoo cursed to the walls of his own mind.
For even in the cold, dismal darkness of the room, the temperature of the gunman's body began to uncomfortably rise…
And despite the gunman's heavy reluctance…
And utter shame…
It was not long before Yazoo slipped his fingers from his face, and his eyes unconsciously strayed back towards the temptation of the forbidden, lying within the stillness of the dark.
'She is still bleeding,' the gunman noticed quite gloomily to himself, as his eyes burned with a nervous intensity at the sight of crimson life staining the pillow beneath her head.
'…and without Kadaj's materia here, Aeris' face will be marred forever.'
Pale brows furrowed deeply at the uneasy progression of his thoughts.
'And why… why should such a superficial thing bother me?
For in the end,
Does it really matter if Aeris greets death whole…
….or with half her body missing?
After all…
I will have to kill her all the same….'
Yazoo sighed bitterly when he realised his thoughts had taken on a more disturbing turn for the worse. The gunman raised his eyes heavenward, staring up at the grim ceiling above his head.
'So why should I help her now?' The warrior repeated wearily, as the resentment of his duty for her began to weigh heavily against his breast.
'For I owe her nothing…
And she wants nothing from me…
And what use am I to Aeris…
Other than a ticket for an easy death…?'
The gunman did not know when he raised his hands to cover his eyes. Although rather inappropriate, Yazoo suddenly felt the urge to laugh. However, the small, quiet sound which escaped his lips was bereft of all joy. Instead the sound was broken. Twisted. Tortured…
'Gods I'm such a fool to think like this.
Someone tell me why?
Why must I protect that which I must soon destroy?
Why even try?'
The gunman's shoulders shook with half reigned emotion.
'I know there is no redemption to be found in any of this madness.
And no matter what I may do to aid her now…
It will not change her fate nor mine…
…
For Kadaj will have no mercy for me in the end…
So why should I try to aid her..?'
Soon the tired gunman lost the will to laugh at his own mental folly.
'Why should I even care?'
Eventually, Yazoo withdrew his long gloved fingers from his face, to return back to his sides.
'Gods… I hate this…
...
I hate her…
…
And I hate myself…'
As time continued to tick on within the silence of the room, eventually Yazoo found himself sitting against the edge of her bed. Listening to her breathe. Listening to her life… life that very soon, would end by his hand.
"Hn... Maybe we should all just die Aeris…" Yazoo concluded thoughtfully, as the haunting glow of his eyes began to mellow down at her sleeping figure. "Hn…maybe, just maybe Aeris… we should all go together…"
0o0
More time passed slowly in the dark.
And the gunman sighed wearily to himself.
Eventually, the pale warrior stood and began to pace the room.
For Yazoo could not rest.
He would not rest.
Kadaj had not returned.
And danger was still lurking outside.
Danger was lying on the bed.
And the more he watched her…
"….."
Yazoo had never felt more trapped.
Soon Yazoo strode towards the lone window in the room. His narrowed eyes observed the snow covered streets. For even in the early twilight, there were clear signs of human activity. Officers patrolled with their brightly lit torches. Sniffer beasts scurried beside them on all fours. Police cars kept moving down the long icy roads. It was clear they were looking for someone…
"Kadaj…." The gunman exhaled slowly.
'Where are you little Brother?'
0o0
Meanwhile…Outside in the frosty dark…
0o0
Running ragged on the icy streets alone, vicious eyes pulsed a scorching green, as they searched the sky and ground for any kind of movement; any kind of danger. The figure quickly tore around a corner, his black form less than a flickering blur amongst all the falling white. The warrior's pulse was pumping, his heart was burning, and even though the snow was lashing at his exposed white skin, the dark figure did not stop moving. He would never stop running. For an all-consuming rage was fuelling the fires of his blood with…
Wrath…
Death…
Retribution…
Kadaj knew his mind was corrupted by it.
His soul was desperately begging for it.
And all because he had seen it…
His Mother's crimson life…
Staining her face…
'M-Mother...'
That one traumatising memory had been branded within the young teen's mind forever.
Because to Kadaj, the sight of Aeris' blood was a frightening flash of her mortality…
And the thought he had almost lost her this very night…
It had nearly taken the very life out of his body…
'If Yazoo had not been there to save you Mother...
Y-you might have…
Y-you m-might have…'
Hot tears blurred the teen's vision, dribbling down his pale cheeks, but Kadaj kept on running. He had to keep on moving. For his fears of death…'Her' death were snapping violently at his heels.
"!"
When an inhuman howl erupted from behind the running youth, the pale warrior snapped his head to one side, to glare fiercely at the face of a beastly cur currently bounding across the snowy path towards him.
'So I'm your target, am I?'
The creature's maw was wide and salivating. It seemed ready to feast, ready to kill.
"I bet you'd want to hurt her too, wouldn't you!" The young swordsman snapped out beyond the cry of the icy winds.
A gnashing of vicious teeth was the foul beast's answer.
"So be it! You will die too!" The lone warrior lashed back at the large, dark creature, as he angled Souba towards his enemy, who was catching up to him from behind.
The moment the beast pounced, a glint of metal caught the darkness of night.
"Hyah!"
The dog howled out a long, loud, death cry.
And childlike lips curled upwards with a gleeful intent.
"That was for you Mother…." Kadaj breathed out gently, as wide, glowing orbs ingested the violent scene of death that was impaled on his bloody dual blade. When an explosion of crimson blood began to spew out from the beast's open torso, the metallic shimmer of Souba suddenly turned, twisted, then darted upwards into a fateful bloody arc. It was then in that one foul moment, that the dog's body separated in two. One piece flew past the small warrior to thud pathetically against the walls of an abandoned factory, while the other skidded helplessly across the snow, leaving a bloody trail of death and terror in its wake.
'Humph. Now there's one less creature in this world that can hurt you Mother…' Kadaj mused to himself, as mako eyes feasted on the sight of wet, bloodied fur. However when the blinding beam of a police car emerged from around the same corner, the teen's glowing eyes widened, then consciously narrowed down on his next target.
"HALT! POLICE! Put down your weapon and put your hands above your head!" One officer cried out, using a loud speaker from within the vehicle.
"OH FUCK OFF!" Kadaj retaliated back at his enemy, as he calmly adjusted his grip on Souba, the dual-blade still dripping red from his last victim. The warrior quickly assessed the two men in the vehicle. It was clear both officers had weapons, yet Kadaj knew neither human was a threat to him. The swordsman knew that he could block their bullets easily, and even if a couple managed to pass through his defences, they would never have the power to kill him…
'But…'
The teen's gaze grew shadowed.
'…if Mother was here….
These men had the power to hurt her…'
The warrior's vision darkened.
'And if I missed just one bullet that was aimed at her…
These bastards even had the power to k-k-i-…'
Kadaj forcefully swallowed down the vile bile, which had suddenly risen into his mouth. By the Gods! The thought of Mother d-d-…!
To even think….that these weak degenerative humans had the power to destroy the most precious thing in his whole world…
The teen's entire body quaked with the terrifying truth.
No!
Kadaj could not let it happen. He would never ever let it happen! For as long as he lived, Kadaj would always live to protect her. He would always keep his Mothers safe from all harm! He would not allow anyone to touch her … and if they dared to try…
The teen's inhuman eyes narrowed down on the moving car.
They would DIE!
The closer his enemy moved towards him, the greater Kadaj's flare to protect 'her' grew. The glint of his enemies' weapons in their car only strengthened the teen's ire to fight. Kadaj's mako glare intensified with hate, and his grip on his blade became stronger, as the vehicle began to slow down towards him.
'Humph, as if I will allow such putrid scum like you to live on the same Planet as Mother!' The teen hissed out to the night, as he pointed his crimson soaked blade in the direction of the vehicle, which had now grinded to a halt, less than fifteen paces away.
"I repeat! You are under arrest!" a young officer cried out from his speaker. "So put the sword down and-"
"I heard you the first time you dumb fuck!" Kadaj interrupted him quite irritably, as he intentionally shifted Souba's point towards the officer who had just offended him.
"This is your last warning. Put down your weapon or we will shoot!"
The young warrior adjusted his stance, yet made no action to comply with the male humans. A small arrogant smile began to morph across the young teen's lips when the doors of the police car opened and two officers began to step out. "Oh bring it on." Kadaj taunted quite wickedly, as he playfully swung Souba in the air, while his enemies pointed their guns at him. Ready to shoot. Ready to kill.
"!"
When the first shot rang out, the pale swordsman made his move. From sprinting to leaping, then to hacking and slashing; screams of genuine anguish and visual terror filled the streets…..until silence reigned in the cold winter night once more.
Slowly, the swordsman calmly lowered his blade back down to the side.
And Kadaj sighed deeply.
"…"
'I so do not want to be here…' The teen groaned internally.
'I do not want to be standing here…
Out in the bloody, freezing cold.'
"…"
The young teen raised his eyes to the snowy heavens, and as the snow continued to fall over the bloody madness Kadaj had just created in the street, bright mako eyes fell shut in peaceful repose.
In that one moment, Kadaj wanted nothing more than to find his Mother, and spend the rest of this foul, dark night cocooned within her loving warmth. Kadaj desperately wanted to feel the touch of her fingers brushing away his pale bangs from his vision. He wanted to be comforted by her gentle eyes, and listen to her gentle words of love and beauty; of flowers and peace, while they waited together for the snowy storm to pass.
But…
The teen's eyes snapped open.
"There are still too many men out here who have the power to hurt you Mother," the pale swordsman murmured softly to the night, as the chilly breeze whipped his pale, crimson streaked locks.
'There are just too many…'
Suddenly, Kadaj's mako orbs hardened dramatically, and the skin around his eyes tightened almost painfully.
Kadaj's mind was made up.
Now was not the time to rest.
Now was the time to act.
'So do not fear Mother…
Even though I am not with you now.
It will not be for long.
For soon, you will rejoice in the peace that I can offer you…
And even if I have to kill every man in this town to protect you.
I will do it…..
Because Mother…
I love you…
And only you…
And until my last breath leaves this body,
I will always be here, keeping you safe from all harm.'
"Always," the young swordsman promised himself aloud.
And then Kadaj ran some more.
0o0
Back to Present Time…
0o0
#FLASH#
0o0
A fierce light appeared from outside the window, striking the side of the dark building, followed by the agonised cries of both men and beasts being butchered down below. Instinctively, Yazoo's body snapped downwards beneath the window frame to withdraw his gun. 'Have we been spotted?' Yazoo listened with bated breath, as a bright flashlight gleamed across the window above his head, once, twice, three times.
The gunman's eyes narrowed, and the muscles in his thighs bunched, shifted, ready to rise, ready to fight. As the pale warrior's right thumb quietly unlocked the safety catch of Velvet Nightmare, he fleetingly looked towards the bed, towards the young woman who had caused him and his Brother so much strife over such a short period of time.
'To protect that which I must kill.
Hn…Such a sick, twisted irony…'
The boom of a violent explosion hitting a nearby house immediately awoke the gunman from his dark, turbulent thoughts. With the ground and bed shaking, Yazoo watched as Aeris groaned and rolled over, beginning to show early signs of waking.
A crack of emerald green slowly emerged from the covers.
"W-where am I?" Aeris warbled weakly, as her unfocused eyes gazed around the dark, unable to pick up the anxious glimmer of mako gazing at her from beneath the large window frame.
An ear shattering cry sounded from outside. Both Aeris and Yazoo visibly flinched.
"W-what was that?" Aeris called out weakly in the dark as she grasped her fingers over her wounded face.
The cry was barely human. The gunman was not sure, but it sounded like someone's spine had been ripped straight from their torso. One glimpse out the window confirmed to Yazoo what he had thought to be so.
"!"
It was a massacre that chilled even the most hardest of hearts.
There was so much blood. Too much blood. Dismembered bodies of men and beasts now littered the street. Two cars had crashed into neighbouring houses. Their remains were still burning. Lights of the nearby houses had all been switched on. Many occupants were like he, gazing in shock outside their windows. Only the most foolish opened their doors to brave the bloodied streets.
And then Yazoo saw it.
His eyes widened, sharpened, and then consciously narrowed down on a dark form with acute, deadly precision. When Yazoo caught sight of a familiar black blur moving erratically within the dark, darting between his enemies with a flash of silver, decimating all who had the misfortune to stand in his bloody path, the gunman had to hold back a breath.
"Kadaj…" Yazoo exhaled slowly. In all his life, the gunman had never seen his younger sibling so thirsty for blood.
When another agonised wail assaulted the air, Yazoo watched silently, as a decapitated head sailed through the air, landing crudely on top of an open doorstep, where a blonde, a little girl no older than four stared transfixed at the horrific bloody mess spilt out before her, before being pushed back by an older woman, the door slamming shut behind them both in terror.
Another body hit the ground in his peripheral vision, and Yazoo immediately averted his eyes back to the one sided fight. Soon there were only three men left standing before his younger Brother.
'But not for long.' Yazoo silently mused. For from his vantage point, the gunman could only see the back of his Brother's head and the crimson angle of Souba pointed in the direction of the teen's final three enemies.
"Yazoo? What's happening outside?" A small voice whimpered beyond the covers.
Even though the gunman could hear rustling behind him, Yazoo did not turn to face her.
"Aeris, stay in the bed. You do not need to see this," Yazoo stated automatically, eyeing the bloodied horror on the streets.
"Yazoo?" Aeris whispered weakly, recognising the calm, stoic voice in the room. "Where are we? What is happening? I can't see anything"
"Close your eyes and cover your ears Aeris," Yazoo commanded once more in the dark. There was a disturbed weight to the gunman's voice. "There is nothing out here that you would like to see."
"B-but w-where is Kadaj?" Aeris asked with genuine worry, as she tearfully raised her hands towards her ears. "Is he here? Is he alright?"
"He will be here…eventually," the gunman answered slowly, as he continued to stare out of the violent window with desensitised eyes. "So for now…just… go back to sleep Aeris. Pretend you cannot hear anything."
Aeris frowned uneasily at the gunman's words, 'Pretend?'
Refusing to follow the gunman's words, the brunette attempted to struggle out of the bed, before covering her ears with a strangled yelp when she heard the rough crack of what might have been a human skull smashing against brick. Aeris desperately hid herself under the covers. With her cheek bleeding, eyes shaking, and body trembling, Aeris clasped her fingers over her ears and clenched her eyes shut in terror. If only she could mute out all the sounds with her hands. All she could hear outside was screaming.
What new nightmare had she fallen into now?
"Y-Yazoo..?" Aeris voiced out tearfully.
But the quiet gunman did not answer her.
All the while, Yazoo's stared transfixed out the window, as Kadaj finished off the last of the Icicle's human defence with a vicious upward slash to the poor guard's throat, cleaving off half his victim's face in the process. The vicious warrior watched silently, as the Icicle guard slumped lifelessly down onto the blood drenched snow.
Then there was a pause….
And the blood bath ended.
Yazoo watched as Kadaj slowly lowered his crimson covered Souba down to his side.
The gunman exhaled a breath.
Suddenly, Kadaj twisted his head around at a peculiar angle, as if sensing something in the air. Then suddenly, crazed mako orbs were suddenly glaring up at the window from where Yazoo currently stood.
Hateful mako eyes glared up at him.
"!"
And in that instance, Yazoo knew something was wrong… There was something distorted and dark emanating within his Brother's phosphorus eyes. Before Yazoo had a time to ponder, the gunman was instinctively moving away from the windowsill, and Kadaj was flying through the air, straight towards him, smashing through the closed window and landing on one knee surrounded by shards of broken glass.
"…"
And then there was silence.
The cold, snowy night wind billowed into the room, jostling the curtains and the gunman's long pale hair.
And yet Yazoo stared transfixed at the knelt figure before him.
For even in the dark, Yazoo's eyes gazed silently at the crimson life dripping all over his Brother's hair, his face; his entire body. The gunman inhaled for a moment, smelling the odious copper tang surrounding the teen's small form like a demonic cloak. If Yazoo did not know any better, the warrior would have believed that Kadaj had been bathing in human blood.
"Kadaj..." Yazoo murmured quietly, addressing his younger sibling with a downward turn of his lips. "You are covered in blood."
From the gunman's simple words, crazed mako eyes snapped up in his direction.
"Just shut up!" Kadaj yelled out at the gunman angrily, his face still marred with hate. In that instance, Kadaj stood up to his feet and sheathed Souba, before turning his head side to side, looking around the dark room with bright inhuman eyes. "Where is she?" The young warrior spat out, glaring at the taller male quite heinously.
'Those eyes…I don't like the look of those eyes…'
Yazoo made no sound. Instead he stoically gestured a single hand behind him towards the bed. Kadaj roughly pushed past him, striding swiftly across the room.
All the while, the gunman watched his younger Brother warily, while his finger played with the trigger of his Velvet Nightmare, considering the possibilities….the frightening possibilities…
"Kadaj?" Yazoo called out again.
But the younger teen ignored him.
The gunman's face tensed, as he watched the pale swordsman pull back the comforter, to peer down at the sleeping demi-Cetra?
'No not sleeping…' Yazoo realised immediately. It was clear to Yazoo that the brunette was pretending to sleep. He could tell by the awkward stutter of her eyelashes and the erratic pace of her heart. 'Hm. Maybe she senses something amiss with Kadaj as well…'
But it seemed Kadaj was blind to the signs of the brunette's fake slumbering, due to his shock and fear in seeing his Mother's lifeblood staining the pillow beneath her head.
"N-no…"
Yazoo watched the way the young male slowly eased himself on the edge of the mattress. He observed how Kadaj moved a bloodied hand towards the brunette's wild, dark hair, running crimson stained fingers through loose, untamed curls.
"Why?" a small voice spoke in the dark, as his bloodied pale fingers slipped from the brunette's hair, to stare in broken horror at the crimson mess of her face.
Yazoo did not know whether Kadaj had addressed the question at him or Aeris, and so he remained silent.
"Why?" The swordsman whimpered ever so softly, as if afraid his voice could add further harm to his Mother's wounded person.
Yazoo took one tentative step forward, keeping Velvet Nightmare's safety catch unlocked.
"Kadaj?" Yazoo repeated once more, as he slowly raised his weapon towards the bed.
"WHY??" The swordsman suddenly exclaimed in a sharp, unstable tone, as he reached out to grab the brunette's nearest hand within his own, nuzzling his wet and bloodied face amongst the smooth, black leather. "Why would anyone wish to hurt you Mother?" The teen's voice was lost and shaky, and ever so impossibly afraid. His childlike face was contorted with both suffering and fear.
And in that moment, all the tension that had built up in the room dissipated. At the sight of his Brother's impossibly wide eyes tearing up before him, Yazoo felt his shoulders visibly sag in relief. He even noticed the way the brunette's body slackened, and how a tiny slip of green emerged from previously closed lashes. 'Hn. For a moment there, I think we both thought Sephiroth was here with us and not Kadaj.' The gunman lowered Velvet Nightmare and holstered it to his side, before taking a step forward towards the bed.
"Yazoo!" Kadaj cried out anxiously.
"Kadaj," Yazoo answered quietly, as the swordsman's wide, distraught orbs met his own.
"Brother! You have my bag right? Give me my bag Yazoo! Give me all the potions and materia we have to aid her!" the teen commanded, as he moved off the bed and strode towards the stoic gunman, unaware that the brunette was now silently observing him. "I need to heal Mother before she wakes up Brother. I need to heal her right now!"
The gunman shook his head slowly. "I do not have your bag Kadaj. It was left at the restaurant," Yazoo admitted calmly, discreetly watching how Aeris stared at them both.
"!" The teen's eyes widened to horrific volumes. "No," Kadaj breathed out slowly.
The gunman's gaze flickered back towards his Brother, and his face briefly softened at the rising look of fear growing in his younger sibling's eyes. 'So much melodrama...' "Do not worry Kadaj. We can always go and get your bag back now if you so wish."
The young teen unlocked his gaze from his Brother, and weakly shook his head. "No…no we can't Yazoo…" Tears were already welling up in the teen's eyes.
The gunman frowned. What a strange reaction. "Why not Kadaj?"
"Because I…" Kadaj swallowed down the urge to cry. "I-I burned the whole place down," the teen admitted quietly, as he raised both his bloody hands over his face, shakily gripping the skin above his cheekbones.
The gunman blinked in haste confusion. 'What the h-?'
"I burned it... For M-M-other…" Kadaj continued brokenly, as he clenched his blunt nails deep into his face. Then like a broken ragdoll, Kadaj suddenly dropped down to his knees, and began rocking backwards and forwards in fright.
Yazoo stared down in mute shock. Never had he seen Kadaj break down in such a way. In truth….the intensity of his Brother's feelings for this woman, frightened him.
"Kadaj calm down. Aeris is not dead," Yazoo stated calmly, as he took a step forward towards his distraught brother, who was babbling crazed nonsense into his hands. "We can look for more materia or potions in this town. I'm sure Aeris will live to see another day."
But Kadaj ignored him.
It was clear Kadaj was no longer listening to him
The gunman frowned deeply, as his eyes once more caught the tortured expression of Aeris gazing at Kadaj from the bed..
"Mother! I'm so sorry Mother. I'm so, very very sorry!" Kadaj bawled brokenly into his hands. "Please, please forgive me. I know I have the power to protect you… b-but I failed you. Please, p-please forgive me Mother for I love you so very much. A loyal son would have protected you. A loyal son would have taken the knife for you! How could I betray my love for you by letting you get hurt! AGHHH!"
Before Yazoo realised what his crazed sibling was doing, Kadaj violently shifted his body weight towards the nearest wall, and repeatedly smashed his head against it.
"!"
When Yazoo's mental faculties overcame the surprise of his distraught sibling's actions, the pale gunman moved on instinct.
"Kadaj stop this madness!" Yazoo called out to him, as he dropped down to his knees and tried to pry Kadaj's head away from the wall. But Kadaj was paying him no heed. As Yazoo was too lost in his mental worry for his younger sibling, he missed the moment Aeris slipped off the bed and blindly made her way towards them.
0o0
Aeris' P.O.V
0o0
In the pitch black, the sudden sound of shattered glass had surprised her. But it was the sound of a familiar vengeful voice, which had the power to emotionally cripple her thoughts. 'S-s-eph?' Instinctively, the brunette's tired and wounded body curled away from the possibility that he had finally found her, and was now standing here in the same room. The brunette did not dare to peek beyond the bed. Fear had taken over all her faculties. Injured and weak as she was now, Aeris knew she was completely powerless against a threat such as Sephiroth.
But then Yazoo's earlier words popped into her mind.
'…just… go back to sleep Aeris. Pretend you cannot hear anything.'
'Yes … If I pretend to sleep…If I pretend he is not there...then I might be able to survive this. If I don't move, he may not find me in here.' Aeris thought fearfully. In truth, the brunette knew she was being completely delusional, but Aeris had no other hope to cling to.
When Aeris heard footsteps move towards the bed, the brunette felt her limbs lock together in fear. 'No. Not now. Not here. I can't face him again. I do not have the strength to see him,' The brunette immediately clenched her eyes shut and turned her head to the side just before the cover above her head was removed, and her body was suddenly exposed to the cold winter night.
"N-no…" A voice above her murmured
It took nearly all her effort to remain still when cold, wet fingers moved across her form.
And then she listened to 'Him' speak.
"Why? Why? WHY? Why would anyone wish to hurt you Mother?"
And then brunette's heart nearly gave out in relief.
'Kadaj?'
Her green eyes cracked open, and Aeris discreetly watched, as the teen she once believed to be Him, began to nuzzle his face across her gloved hand.
Eventually, when Kadaj moved away from her side to approach Yazoo, Aeris moved herself up into a sitting position and struggled to see the two Brother's converse in the weak moonlight. Then before the brunette realised what was happening, Aeris watched as the faint silhouette of Kadaj dramatically dropped down to his knees. She watched in open horror as he rocked backwards and forwards with unconcealed madness, before violently smashing his head repeatedly against the nearest brick wall!
'Kadaj!'
The Cetra acted on instinct. Using the moonlight outside as her only source of light, Aeris slipped off the bed, Before the brunette realised what she was doing, the flower girl found herself on her knees on the right side of the bawling teen while Yazoo knelt beside him on the left.
"Kadaj…" Aeris spoke forthrightly, as her eyes struggled to see the teen's small form in the dark.
"Kadaj calm down."
The teen did not hear her.
And so the brunette boldly grabbed for the teen's cold, quivering shoulders in the dark and slightly shook him for good measure.
"Kadaj you better listen to me right now! Calm down, okay!"
And just like magic. The teen's erratic screaming stopped. Nevertheless his tearful snivelling did not end.
The brunette sighed briefly. In the dark, Aeris blindly groped her hands towards the back of the teen's neck, before bringing him toward her body. However, as the brunette leant forward to embrace the chilled swordsman to her breast, Aeris soon felt a sticky wetness in the teen's hair, brushing against her throat.
"?"
"Kadaj? Are you ok?" the brunette asked softly, unable to see anything in the pitch dark. She instinctively dipped her head down in an attempt to look closer. But as she did so, the flower girl gasped in pain, as her small neck action jostled her facial injury.
"M-m-" The teen made a small sound in his throat, before shakily raising his lean arms around the brunette, before crushing his face deep into the brunette's chest. "-other.." It was not long before Kadaj's body began to wrack with genuine sobs, and the demi-Cetra instinctively slid her hand down the teen's spine, making small circles against his lower back in an attempt to calm him.
"Kadaj sssh," Aeris breathed into his ear. "Everything is alright now. You are safe," the brunette tried to reassure him, even as her face contorted with worry. 'Was Kadaj hurt outside? Is he bleeding?' In the darkness of the room, the flower girl could not make out anything. His body felt so cold and wet, but Aeris was unsure whether that was from the snow or from something else entirely…
"Yazoo?" Aeris called out to the dark. "Could you turn the light on please?"
Aeris listened to the sound of faint footsteps crunching across broken glass followed by the faint click of a switch being turned on.
But nothing happened.
"Hn. The power is out," Yazoo answered quietly, as he turned his mako orbs back towards the two knelt figures in the dark. As the gunman visually assessed the form of his crying Brother, Yazoo almost believed the lack of light in the room was indeed a blessing. For Yazoo was quite positive that Aeris would have not liked to have seen the true extent of his Brother's bloody condition wrapped around her person.
"Oh," the brunette sighed weakly, before turning her attention back towards the 'wet' teen in her arms. "Are you alright Kadaj?"
"I'm ok," the teen weakly mumbled into her neck, naturally clinging to the warmth she offered him in the dark. "But are you ok Mother?" Kadaj voiced softly, as his eyes wavered with genuine fear. "You were bleeding earlier."
Aeris nodded feebly against him. "I'm ok," the brunette admitted back, even though her jaw stung of something terrible.
The tension in the teen's body relaxed ever so slightly. "I-I'm so g-glad.." Kadaj admitted breathlessly.
Aeris felt the teen shudder deeply against her body. "…It was just that…when I saw that knife…and I was too far away to reach you…I-I…I thought I had truly lost you Mother." Kadaj admitted tearfully, as his grip on his Mother tightened. "But I'm fine now," Aeris repeated automatically, as her face brushed the top of the teen's face, her eyes visibly cringing at the sensation of wet hair, sliding across her brow.
"I thought you had been taken away from me forever," Kadaj continued on, clutching Aeris even tighter, as if afraid she would disappear from his grasp.
"But I'm fine now Kadaj," Aeris repeated once more.
But Kadaj was not listening to her. The brunette felt the moment the teen tensed in her arms. In the dark, Aeris was unable to see the way the teen's youthful face began to contort with hate.
"I just don't understand why… They just came out of nowhere. They attacked us both with no warning."
"I don't know," Aeris admitted quietly, as she continued to stroke the teen's head with her small, gloved fingers. "I don't know why they attacked us either Kadaj…"
"Rio."
Aeris' and Kadaj's eyes flitted towards the silhouette that had silently crept towards the shattered window, exposing the white night outside. Although Aeris was unable to properly see his profile in the dim moonlight, Kadaj observed how Yazoo had his face was turned away to the side, eyeing a broken shard of glass near his feet.
"Rio was the one who ordered the attack on us," Yazoo explained calmly, as he eyed his distorted reflection within the damaged glass.
'?' Kadaj pulled himself partly away from the brunette's embrace, to watch his elder Brother. 'Rio?' The name held no meaning for him. "Who the hell is Rio?" Kadaj snapped angrily.
0o0
'!'
0o0
"The waitress…" Aeris murmured slowly to herself, as earlier memories of the night began to flash back through her memory.
"What waitress?"
Kadaj could only vaguely remember being served by a female at the bar. But as his attention was all on his Mother, he could not even remember the colour of this strangers eyes let alone the unimportance of her name. Nevertheless the teen was incredibly confused. "But I don't understand…? Why would this female stranger want to cause harm to Mother?" Kadaj fisted a hand to his side, unable to comprehend such an abhorrent notion. The young warrior turned imploring eyes on Yazoo. "You spoke to her Brother? Why would a female human wish to hurt Mother?"
"…." Yazoo did not know what to say. Whatever words he could say would not change the current situation that had passed between. So Yazoo decided to say the only thought that was currently on his mind. "Because that female is scum Kadaj. That's why," Yazoo muttered softly to the air. "Trash."
Aeris, who all the while who was listening to Yazoo, could not think of anything to rebuke the gunman's words, so she remained silent.
"Trash…" Kadaj repeated quietly, as he turned away from his Brother, to stare back at the wounded brunette's in his arms. As Kadaj continued to look at his Mother's damaged face, his earlier feelings of guilt and fear were shifting back into a much deeper, more unforgiving hate. "No Yazoo….that bitch is neither scum nor trash," the swordsman replied with a venomous hiss, as his fingers, which still clung to Aeris tightened with heightened emotion. "She is so much worse than vomit, piss or shit…And I hate her…By the Gods on every Planet I hate her so much! I hate how this bitch was the reason why Mother got hurt...The reason why Mother a-almost….almost…" The teen broke off his words, as his face crumpled further. A desperate trickle of emotion dripped down the swordsman's cheek. "Fucking disgusting bitch. I want her DEAD! She deserves to die just like the rest of them did!"
The demi-Cetra blinked twice, her eyes wide, her lips parted, yet her mind was frozen in surprise. "Kadaj?" Never had Aeris heard nor experienced such an immense feeling of hate coming from the young swordsman's mouth. In truth, Kadaj's words were scaring her quite deeply. For in the dark… it was not hard for Aeris to imagine another man speaking similar vile words with the same breath of vengeance.
"I hate her. I hate them all," Kadaj continued out angrily, talking more to himself, than to his Brother or even Aeris. "How dare they wish you harm Mother! How dare they!" The teen tightened his grip on his Mother that Aeris was struggling to find room to breathe.
The teen's heated eyes suddenly found the brunette's in the dark. Despite the lack of light, Aeris could see the phosphorous intensity gleaming deep into her soul.
And then the warrior passionately spoke.
"Mother I promise you here and now, that any man who dare hurts you in any way, I will kill them without any mercy. And for every foul female who dares to speak ill of you, I will find them all. I will gouge out their eyes and slice off their tongues!"
Aeris felt her entire body become brittle with shock.
Even Yazoo felt a rather unexpected twinge of nervousness creep up his spine.
The brunette really did not know what to say.
And then the young warrior's voice shifted. "I just want you safe Mother…" the teen said in a much more vulnerable tone. "For I don't know what I'd do if I lost you," Kadaj admitted through his new shed tears.
"K-Kadaj…" Aeris breathed weakly, as she felt her own eyes grow damp.
"At least I know you are safe now," the teen sighed with genuine relief in his eyes.
And then the teen's voice mellowed down to a more soothing tenor. His heavy breathing abated and his lean body relaxed within her arms. "And I feel safe knowing there is no one near us who can hurt you now Mother. ..."
Aeris had finally managed to find her voice
"What do you mean Kadaj?" Aeris voiced weakly.
The young teen pleasantly beamed at her, even though Aeris was unable to see his thousand watt smile, she could imagine it from her previous memories. "Do not worry Mother. You are safe now with me," Kadaj repeated quite fondly, as he nuzzled her shoulder with his cheek. "There is no man or beast out there that can hurt you now." The teen paused as the words filled the silence of the room. "No one who breathes at least," he added with a cute, vicious smile.
Aeris' gaze went wide. "Y-you mean…" The brunette could not bear to finish the sentence. Her arms slipped from the teen's sides. She wanted to pull away, but her body was completely frozen in place.
Kadaj nodded eagerly into her shoulder. "Yes Mother," The teen's mako eyes flashed with an overwhelming sense of achievement. In that one moment, Kadaj would never know how much he looked like Sephiroth that night.
"K-Kadaj…" Aeris murmured helplessly. "Then outside…the screaming…y-you caused it?"
She suddenly felt the urge to be sick.
Kadaj nodded enthusiastically into her shoulder. "Yes Mother I did! I did! You know everything I do is for you Mother. I live for you. I'd die for you. Even if I have to kill every man on this world to keep you safe Mother, I would do so gladly. Just tell me what to do Mother and I will always be here with you. Guide me with your love."
Aeris choked on a frightened breath. This very moment… It could not be real. She did not want to believe let alone imagine…..
'Kadaj….kills…..for me?"
And then the young warrior continued on.
"If you just gave me the order Mother, I would do it now. Just tell me who to kill and I will kill more for you. Because I love you Mother and only you. And only a loyal son would do this for you. Only a loyal son would wish to protect you so." Kadaj finished with grave finality.
Aeris turned her head away from the teen. She had lost the strength to speak. How could she find the will to fight against this new nightmare? Why was it that everywhere she turned, the dark was always there to chase her? She did not want any more madness. She did not want to see nor inflict any violence on anyone.
Kadaj's words. They were just too much for her.
Aeris did not realise how she had become so blind to reality.
"Mother are you alright?" Kadaj asked Aeris eventually when he realised his Mother had been quiet for more than a few minutes. He loosened his grip around her, before pulling back to assess her face in the dark. The task was made even more difficult since the brunette had her features dipped half down, allowing her hair to hide her face, much like his own.
"I… "Aeris rose a trembling hand up in the air to bring a small amount of distance between them. Kadaj was staring at her with so much twisted warmth. She couldn't… she couldn't believe it.
"I…" She couldn't hold it in any more.
Aeris was going to be sick.
Her body lurched to the side of the teen suddenly, and both Kadaj and Yazoo watched as the brunette dry vomited on the carpet.
"Oh Mother! You're sick!" Kadaj exclaimed in genuine concern, as he reached over to draw the brunette's dark hair away from her face.
Aeris shuddered and tried to curl away from the young teen's wet touch. Now she had an idea what the 'wetness' was, the traumatised flower girl did not want those fingers touching her so gently. 'Kadaj just stop it…just go away and leave me here….I…I can't deal with any more madness in my life. Please go…please just go before I crumble…'
"Go…" Aeris voiced weakly, as she pulled her hair from the swordsman's fingers and shuffled even further away from the young teen's prying hands. "Just go Kadaj. Leave me alone," Aeris said a bit more forcefully. 'Please…just go away…'
"Go?" The teen's eyes widened to impossible depths. "What? But why would you want me to go Mother?" Kadaj protested in shock. "I can't leave you if you are sick! I need to help you get better! So what would you like from me Mother? Tell me what you need and I will do it. Are you hungry or thirsty Mother? Would you like some water or tea? Or perhaps a crumpet?"
"I would like you to G-go away," Aeris answered in a slightly stronger voice, as she curled in on herself, as if trying to hide from the darkness surrounding her from all sides.
Kadaj's back jerked backwards, as if he had been visibly struck by a thunder spell. "Mother…?" he breathed weakly. "W-why? Why would you want me to go away?"
All the while, Yazoo who had been playing the role of the silent spectator to this tragic play began to intervene. The gunman silently moved towards Kadaj and tapped him on the shoulder with a gloved hand. "Go and bathe Kadaj. You reek of human blood." Yazoo stated calmly, as he looked between his confused little Brother and the distraught flower girl.
Kadaj turned to blink slowly at his elder Brother, before looking down at his person in mild confusion.
"Blood?"
The cogs were slowly turning in the teen's head, and then Kadaj turned back to face his Mother then back at his elder sibling.
"Is that why Mother is upset with me Brother? Because of the blood?' His eyes seemed to call out to Yazoo.
Yazoo did possess the will to answer Kadaj honestly, and so he broke his gaze from his smaller Brother.
And so Kadaj turned to Aeris. Since she remained mute of all sound, the young warrior reached his own conclusion on the matter.
The teen's brows lilted apologetically. "Oh Mother. I'm so very sorry Mother. I should've realised this so much sooner," the young male stated with much regret in his tone, as he ran a bloodied hand through his long, wet hair, laughing nervously all the while. "I was just so happy to see you here alive, that I completely forgot about the state of my person. Will you ever forgive me Mother?"
"…."
The brunette did not answer him.
The teen's brows furrowed weakly, as his warrior gaze wandered over the flower girl's slight form. Kadaj now noticed that every place he had touched her Aeris, had been smeared by the same crimson filth that was currently covering his person.
The young warrior expelled a rush of air from his chest.
No wonder why Mother was so angry with him. "Mother. I'm so very sorry," Kadaj repeated once more. "I didn't mean to get all this blood on you. Do you want me to run a hot bath for the both of us? Then I'll gladly wash all this disgusting filth off you."
Yazoo's eyes jerked momentarily towards Kadaj, and Aeris shuddered visibly. Her hands were now covering her nose and mouth, while her hair was concealing her wide, tortured eyes from view.
"Bathe with me Mother," Kadaj offered softly in a form of a childlike apology, as he tried to reach out for his Mother's delicate form, with one hand, only to be blocked by the black gloved hand of Yazoo, grasping his wrist.
"I am sure Aeris would prefer to bathe alone Kadaj," Yazoo stated quietly.
"Bathe…. alone?" the teen replied slowly, looking momentarily deflated and a little saddened by such a strange idea. "Oh…" the teen sighed with genuine disappointment, as he slowly removed his wrist from his Brother's loose hold. Nevertheless, the light receded only slightly in the teen's eyes for a moment, only to return just as brightly. "Alright then Mother. I will see if there's any hot water to use for a bath here, and then I will try and get the lighting sorted in this place since there's no electricity. Hm…if worse comes to worst, I will try and light some candles, or we could use some materia to make you comfortable here. Is that alright Mother?"
Aeris could not will herself to reply.
"Oh and Mother," the teen continued on eagerly. "If you want, I can bathe first, and then run you one straight after, or would you rather bathe first?" the young warrior offered with a warm grin as he raised his arms over his head. "It's really up to you…I really don't mind," the teen admitted with a small, innocent shrug.
"….." Aeris did not deign him with a verbal reply. Despite her earlier attempts to fight it, the flower girl's mind became ensnarled in the image of Kadaj's earlier offer of cascading blood and water, and of flesh and silver enmeshed in a forbidden dance. Aeris paled. She held a hand over her mouth and shook her head. She felt like she was going to vomit!
"You are still dripping blood all over the place Kadaj," Yazoo spoke in the dark, drawing his sibling's attention from the brunette and back onto him.. "Wouldn't it be more prudent for you Kadaj, to get back into your 'Mother's' good graces by getting yourself clean first?"
The teen sent an odd look towards his elder Brother. "Only if that is what Mother wishes," the teen responded simply, before turning his attention back towards the petite female. "So what will it be Mother? Bathe now or bathe later?"
The only thing Aeris wanted at that moment was true escape from the madness. A moment where she could channel her thoughts. Kneeling on the floor as she was, the brunette's legs felt like jelly and she did not trust herself to move just yet. In truth, all the terrified brunette wanted to do was hide under the covers and cry.
"Later…" Aeris murmured eventually, as she rubbed her hands over her stomach feeling queasy at the stickiness she found there…And knowing what it was…almost made her re-decide. "You...you have a bath first Kadaj."
The teen smiled fondly at the brunette's answer, feeling warmth well up in his insides. His Mother was always so loving to him. "If that is what you wish. I will bathe first," the teen said quite sweetly. In a flash, the young bloodied teen darted towards Aeris. Yazoo instinctively tried to grab his Brother away from the teen's target, but Kadaj danced past his sibling to press a soft, bloodied kiss on the crown of his Mother's head. 'I love you,' Kadaj mouthed across her forehead before swiftly dancing away.
Other than a weak inhalation of breath.
And an instinctive flex of her fingers.
Aeris made no motion or sound.
When the teen calmly turned to make his way towards the exit of the room, Yazoo observed the wide, devilish smile stretched across his sibling's face with a deep, grim frown.
"And I promise I won't take too long in the bath Mother," Kadaj stated softly, before slipping through the portal and closing the door behind him. "I'll be back before you know it."
0o0
"…."
And then the room became silent once more…
"…."
The two remaining occupants watched the broken window, and listened to the whistling winds of the dark night outside, which only made the room feel as cold, as they both felt emotionally. Instinctively, Aeris began to move towards the only source of warmth in the room. Yazoo's silhouette.
"Don't come any closer to me Aeris," the gunman commanded her bluntly, causing the brunette to freeze mid-step.
The force of Yazoo's voice was enough to make Aeris tear up then and there. "B-but w-why?" The brunette voiced quite timidly.
"There is broken glass on the floor near me," the gunman explained in a passive tone, as he gestured down to the twinkling shards that the brunette could not see.
Aeris stared down at the soles of her own bare feet, then towards the strong booted feet of Yazoo. When the brunette's gaze locked the gunman's once more, the flower girl's quite literally begged him with her eyes to move towards her.
"Y-Yazoo?"
But the gunman calmly turned his detached gaze away from the brunette's person, and instead pivoted his attention towards beyond the window, to the cold snowy night outside.
Realising that the gunman had no intention in comforting her, Aeris made a sound half way between a sigh and a sob, before wearily turning back towards the bed, crawling into it, and hiding herself away from the cold and cruelty of the world beyond.
0o0
A small moment afterwards, a small voice called out from beneath the covers.
"Yazoo?"
But Aeris received no reply.
And so she called out to the gunman once more
"….."
Still nothing.
When Aeris peeked towards the large, broken window, Aeris allowed a tear to drip sullenly down her face.
It was obvious why Yazoo could no longer answer her.
For he was no longer there…
Aeris felt her body curl in on itself, realising that the gunman had escaped out the window. A cold, emotional shudder juddered up the young female's spine.
She felt so alone right now.
And sheknew there was no one who she could turn to.
Aeris knew there was no one around her who cared enough to understand her plight.
Kadaj's mind was lost in his own warped, misplaced loyalty to her.
And Yazoo did not even share the emotional capacity to care.
And then there was Sephiroth…
The young female sniffled pitifully into her knees.
Everything seemed so hopeless…
And yet the Planet expected her to remain strong.
To stand up and fight against the dark!
But Aeris felt so trapped by her duty…by her cursed Cetra blood, which ran through her veins.
"I just want this to end…
I just want all this madness to end," Aeris whispered to herself.
Soon the silence of the room and whistling of the cold wind outside was interrupted by the sound of running water. Aeris wasn't sure if she imagining it, but eventually she swore she could hear the sound of what sounded like Kadaj happily humming 'The Chocobo Theme' from the bathroom beyond the wall.
That was the last straw.
This pain was just too much to bear
'Kwee-Kwee…'
Aeris promptly burst into tears.
0o0
Well. I, as going to write more but I think you guys have waited too long. Hmm…I really don't know what to say. It seems every time I write Kadaj's character, he seems to turn more deviant than I expect. As for Yazoo, poor guy. I'm surprised he did not leave the room earlier. It must be heart wrenching listening to your sibling talking about what he would do if someone hurt Aeris…especially with the sick job Aeris has given him to do.
Anywho guys, let me know what you think of this chapter and what you might think will happen when Kadaj, Aeris and Yazoo reach the forgotten city.
Anywho don't forget to review x Would love to read what you guys think of this updatex
Have a nice day!
Aer_seph4eva
