Hello, wonderful readers! Today is your lucky day! You get to read chapter 11 of "The Search for Avonej!" Does that make you feel happy? I hope so! This is one massive story! So far, I have written 16 chapters! And they are going to be posted whether you read them or not! Hahahahaaa!! I apologize for the long wait. I have been busy working on concept art for a comic book I have been trying to make now for 3 years, so I have really cut down on typing time. Plus, I seem to have carpal tunnel in both hands and am really struggling at using them. Thank you everyone who has read this story, reviewed it, or favorited it! It is very much appreciated!

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy.

Chapter 11: Coping

Yazoo moans and blinks awake, startled to see that he is lying in the middle of the living room floor on his back. Remembering from the day before that he can no longer walk, he does not even attempt to get up, so he instead glances around for someone.

"Kadaj? Loz?" Yazoo says with sleep in his voice as he looks around while propped up on his elbows on the carpet. There is no sign of anyone. Just the sofa several feet away with the coffee table in front of it and the television set on his other side, far away as well. Feeling uncomfortable and vulnerable in the middle of the floor, he looks around for another option. He spots his wheelchair residing a few feet away from him, so he lies back down flat, outstretches his right arm, and reaches for it. Unfortunately, he is unable to reach it and cannot strain further without the use of below his waist.

"What's the matter, Yazoo? Need some help?" a familiar chuckle rings from Yazoo's left side. Horrified, Yazoo turns his head away from the wheelchair and spots Sephiroth smiling at him while holding his Masamune in his left hand.

"Please . . . ," Yazoo pleads pitifully.

"I don't think you've felt enough of Mother's pain. I'll do you a favor and let you feel more of it," Sephiroth tells him. Mercilessly, Sephiroth walks up to Yazoo and begins slashing him where he is immobilized, causing Yazoo to cry out.

"Yazoo! Yazoo!!" Kadaj and Loz yell. Yazoo cannot look for them for squinting his eyes shut in pain. "Yazoo!!"

Suddenly, Yazoo jumps up awake in his bed, but is feeling the same pain as before. It had all been a nightmare except for the pain. His body is tense while he bites his lower lip and squints his eyes shut in an attempt to fight the antagonizing pain. He lets out whimpers and grunts as he does so, breaking the hearts of his two brothers next to him.

"Kadaj, what should we do?" Loz asks, teary-eyed at the sight of his brother in such agony, as he stands between his and Yazoo's bed.

"Go get Big Brother!" Kadaj answers. Loz immediately storms out of the room without question. Kadaj scoots to the left side of his bed to be closer to Yazoo and looks over at him pitifully. He sees that Yazoo is trying his hardest to keep from crying, so he frowns and says, "Just let it out, Yazoo." Yazoo hears his younger brother and the sympathy in his voice, weakening him. This causes his teeth to slip on his lip and some tears spill from his eyes. Suddenly, Yazoo begins bawling in pain. "There. That's better. Don't be so hard on yourself, Yazoo."

As Yazoo continues to cry, Cloud and Loz come into the room carrying bags of medical supplies and shut the door behind them. Loz stays back, out of the way, while Cloud goes to Yazoo's bed side to help him.

"I'm going to give you your shot, Yazoo," Cloud informs seriously, looking down into Yazoo's tearful, purple face. "I'm going to have to turn you over, okay?" Yazoo makes a small nod as he whimpers, understanding. Cloud gently takes a hold of Yazoo's frail, weak body, careful to not bump any of his wounds, and turns him over face-down. As Cloud takes takes a syringe from the bag he carried into the room and begins to take down Yazoo's pants, Kadaj turns away while Loz holds Yazoo down.

"Nnnnnnnn!!" Yazoo cries as he is injected in the bottom.

After reclothing him, Cloud turns him back over and puts the syringe away. "There. You should start feeling better in a few seconds."

"Maybe you should stay in here until then," Loz tells him quietly so that his brothers cannot hear. "I'm afraid Kadaj is going to get hurt trying to take care of him. He's not in good shape, either."

Cloud looks over to Kadaj and his expression saddens. Kadaj is lying in his bed with his cover up to his waist with his arms lying idley at his sides. He is shirtless and below his chest his wrapped in bandages to encase his broken ribs. On his face are a few small bandages and a few small wraps are visible on his arms as well. He is looking over at Yazoo in guilt in worry with a tired and weak expression on his face.

Yazoo looks no better. He has his cover up to his chest, but his left arm was completely wrapped in bandages to cover his rash, which has spread across a small portion of his chest and down to his stomach. On his other arm, There are bangages everywhere, and where there are none, there are bold bruises. His face has minor injuries, but since he is not wearing any make-up at the moment, his rash is visible and his face is also red and swollen from crying. He is wearing a sleeveless yellow shirt with a rounded neck with yellow stretch pants for comfort. He looks over at Cloud at his bedside with sorrow in his despairful, painful eyes.

"Big Brother, I need more!" Yazoo strains through gritted teeth. Tears are still rolling down his face and he is still tense, though his is obviously not nearly in the pain he was previously.

"I can't give you any more for an hour, Yazoo," Cloud explains. "You know that. You'll just have to try to deal with it until then."

"No! It's not fair!!" Yazoo screams immaturely. "It hurts so much!!"

"Yazoo . . . ," Loz says sympathetically, coming over to his other side between him and Kadaj. He sits on the edge of Kadaj's bed, careful not to sit on him, and strokes a hand through Yazoo's long, silky hair for comfort. "He can't give you any more. The doctor said it's unhealthy. You have to be strong for us, okay?"

Yazoo continues crying lightly and slightly whimpering, so Cloud sighs. "I think I'll go see if Tifa needs any help with the kids. If you need anything, just give my phone a ring, okay?"

Just as Cloud approaches the door to leave, Yazoo yells, "This is all Kadaj's fault!!" causing Cloud to stop. "It's all his fault I'm in miserable and crippled for the rest of my life!! If he had just cared about me enough to fight a little harder, I wouldn't be like this!! Some brother he is!!"

Kadaj's heart suddenly feels like it has been struck with something sharp and hot, yet heavy enough to make it sink into his stomach. He feels sick, and a heat sensation rises up into his neck, causing his bottom lip to trimble and for him to choak into tears. He loves Yazoo so much, so dearly. He nearly gave his life to save him from Sephiroth, but failed. Yet, Yazoo blames him? Is this really his fault? Kadaj is deeply hurt by his words, perhaps more than ever in his life.

"Yazoo!!" Loz yells, absolutely furious. He slaps Yazoo on the face, careful not to touch his rash or knock any teeth out. Yazoo puts a hand on his face and looks down and away from Loz in more pain. "How could you say that about Kadaj?! You couldn't ask for better!! Look at him over there!! He has three broken ribs and is beat up from trying to save you!! And you have the nerve to say that about him!! He may not have been strong enough to save you, but he sure as heck tried!! You should be praising him and lovin' on him, not breakin' his heart!!"

"Kadaj?" Cloud asks, crouching to eye level with Kadaj on the bed. Kadaj is turned toward the wall, in Cloud's current direction, with his hair and hands over his face while he grieves and his heart wrenches. Cloud gets on the bed with him and puts an arm around him, and now carefully leans him against him. "Don't cry, Kadaj." Kadaj only continues, so Cloud decides he will continue to try to calm him down, even though he is disconfident in his abilities. "Those were really cruel things for him to say to you. I'd bust his mouth and whip him for it if he wasn't hurt. But that's just it. He's hurt. I don't think he really meant it. He's in a lot of pain right now and I think he's letting it out on you."

Kadaj continues to sob and squeak his breath occassionally, but has removed his hands from his face and is clinging to Cloud closely and tightly. He wipes some tears from his eyes and manages to asks shakily, "Big Brother, do you think it's my . . . my fault? Do you blame me f-for Yazoo being h-hurt?"

Cloud looks down at Kadaj's red face with sorrow, understanding the guilt that Kadaj must feel. "No. You did everything you could. You only have a third of Sephiroth's strength. It's not possible for you to defeat him alone. It was a brave and very nice thing you did by trying to save him. Loz is right by saying those things to him just then."

"B-but! He hates me!" Kadaj cries, clinging to Cloud tighter. "He hates me, Big Brother! We've b-been through so much together! Traveling, s-searching for Mother, a-a-and now this . . . ! I just can't bear it!"

Cloud embraces Kadaj tighter, but not too tight. "I'm sure he doesn't hate you. He's just . . . going through a lot. Just give him some time. I'm sure everything is going to be all right."

"No . . . ," Kadaj says sadly, looking up at Cloud with teary eyes. "You're not gonna leave me, are you?" he asks, noticing how Cloud always ends a conversation similar to that before leaving.

"No," Cloud tells him. "You need me right now. I'm sure Tifa's fine, and Loz seems to be doing a good job with Yazoo, so I think I'll stay right here for a while," he assures, smiling slightly. Kadaj smiles back, feeling loved. He gets in a more comfortable positon against Cloud and they slowly fall into a nice, peaceful, bonding conversation.

Next to them, Yazoo is lying in his bed with a sick, weak look on his pale face. Loz is stroking his face and hair with a hand wearing a thin, soft glove to keep him calm while Yazoo stares up at him with glossy, swollen eyes. Every few seconds, Loz whispers to him things such as, "Everything's fine now," "It's okay, Yazoo," "I'll take good care of you," while smiling gently. As Loz tells him something about loving him, Yazoo glances over to where Kadaj is sitting with his back to him and casts him a bitter scowl.

Two months later, Tifa is cooking some lunch and Cloud is rading The Shinra Times at the kitchen table while drinking some soda. Denzel is sitting next to Cloud boredly.

"Cloud, when are you going to get those Jenova cells?" Tifa asks as the food sizzles. "Don't Kadaj and them need to give them to that child?"

"I don't know," Cloud sighs, turning to the next page. "I know Yazoo would want to come, and I don't know when we'll be going to get them. It may be too dangerous for him."

"Well, you have to do something! I can't imagine not being whole!"

"Watch out!" Loz screams in panic as he puts a hand on top of Yazoo's head, scaring him. Yazoo turns his neck enough to see him and makes an angry face. Loz laughs, and then says, "Wanna play some cards?" He walks around in front of Yazoo to save him the trouble of turning his wheelchair around.

"No," Yazoo sighs, leaning his head in his hand, his elbow propped on his chair's arm. "I'm tired of cards."

"Then . . . do you wanna play a board game?"

"No."

"Um, how about we draw pictures?"

"No."

"Well, what do you wanna do then?"

"I want to go somewhere," Yazoo tells him.

"Go somewhere? You mean . . . out?"

"Yeah. I haven't been since . . . ," he reminds, looking down at his wheelchair.

"But, Yazoo, you . . . ," Loz trails off worriedly.

"I need some letters mailed. Why don't you two run them out to the post office for me?" Cloud butts-in, entering the living room with them.

"But Yazoo can't . . . I mean . . . ," Loz struggles.

"He'll be fine, as long as you stay with him."

"Thank you, Big Brother!" Yazoo cheers excitedly.

Cloud gets some letters off of a shelf in the room and hands them to Yazoo. "Don't lose these, okay? And get out what's already in our box and bring them home."

"Okay," Yazoo says, accepting the letters.

"Just take your time and enjoy it. And make sure you stay with Loz at all times."

"Alright."

Loz pushes Yazoo through the house and outside the door. He then pushes him up on the sidewalk and toward town.

"It's so nice to be out of the house again," Yazoo smiles, admiring the Planet.

A few minutes later, they go inside of the post office and up to the drop box. Yazoo is unable to reach it, so Loz puts the letters in for him. After that, Loz pushes Yazoo over to Cloud's P.O. box and lets him open it. Yazoo gets the mail out excitedly, having never done it before, just watching either Cloud or Tifa do it, and looks through it to see what it is while Loz locks the box back.

"What are these, I wonder?" Yazoo says in ponderation, inspecting the envelopes. "I never thought to ask Big Brother. They have his name and address on them and some weird address."

"I don't know," Loz shrugs.

"Do you think someone breaks into that box and puts his address in it for him in case he forgets?" Yazoo continues, flipping through the envelopes with suspicion. "But why would anyone think him so stupid?"

"I don't know, Yazoo," Loz huffs in annoyance. "Just ask him when we get home."

Yazoo continues to observe the envelopes as Loz pushes him out of the building. "Hmm . . . but Big Brother made us put some like this in a big box . . . and this one has Tifa's name on it . . ."

"Just shut-up about the things!" Loz yells. Yazoo looks down sadly, his feelings hurt. "I mean . . . does it really matter?" Loz says softly, feeling bad for yelling at him.

" . . . . Why are you heading back home?"

"Because that's where we're going," Loz replies simply.

"But . . . I want to look around town!"

"We can't. We have to go home."

"But Big Brother told us to take our time! I'm sure he wouldn't mind if we took a short walk!" Yazoo reminds.

"No! Now we're going home!"

Yazoo puts his hands on his big wheels and tired to stop Loz from pushing him. "No! I don't want to go home yet!" He tries to hold the wheel still with all of his might, but is unsuccessful against Loz's strong push. "Stop it, Loz!" He continues trying to stop it, not ready to give in.

"No! We're going home!" Loz yells, pushing harder.

"But I haven't left the yard in two months! I want to look around!"

"No, Yazoo! You'll just get hurt!"

"No I won't! You're with me!" Loz silently keeps pushing to Yazoo's whimpers as he struggles harder to stop his chair. "Stop pushing me!"

"Hey, there!" a middle-aged man exclaims to Loz. "Don't mistreat that poor girl!"

"Yeah! You bully!" a little girl in a purple dress adds. It seems as if the whole town is surrounding Loz and Yazoo.

"Butt out!" Loz yells, furious. "You don't understand!"

"Is that guy being mean to you, young lady?" a black-haired guy asks Yazoo. Yazoo blushes upon being called a girl again. "You really shouldn't take advantage of handicapped people, jerk!" he yells to Loz.

"Fine!" Loz yells, letting go of the wheelchair handles. "You can push yourself now, Yazoo!"

"Fine!" Yazoo returns. He then pushes himself across the street and Loz follows.

Fifteen minutes later, Loz and Yazoo arrive home and enter the living room. Cloud comes into the room upon hearing them enter.

"Did you send the letters and check the mail?" Cloud inquires.

"Yes," Yazoo answers. He hands the letters to Cloud and watches him curiously, wanting to know what they are.

Cloud glances through the mail and stops upon seein a blue envelope. He freezes, and then opens it. He pulls out the letter and begins reading it. Very quietly and seriously, he sits in his chair and reads it for a few minutes. "Yazoo, it's from the hospital. It seems they have some news for you."

So, was it any good or not? Sorry, I do not know anyone in a wheelchair, so I kind of struggled. I hope I did it okay. It was kind of a two-fold chapter. What do you think about Yazoo feeling so hateful toward Kadaj? I hope that was a good thing. Please send a review! Just write, "I read it" if you want! Please?

Next chapter: What news does the hospital have for Yazoo? Is it a way to allow him to walk again, or could it be that they discovered there is something more wrong with him? You will just have to read chapter 12 to find out!