Summary: Grief becomes self-loathing. Self-loathing becomes hate. Hate becomes madness... It's a race against time as Zack and Co. work to find Akalara before it's too late, and an ex-girlfriend has her revenge. Set in MysticSpiritus' AU. Formerly known as "Meet the Parents."
Disclaimer: Akalara, Yvette, Dagger, Zack's parents' names, and the baby are the only things I own. Got it?
Queen's Quornor: This chapter gets really, REALLY graphic towards the end. Not in a sexual way, but in a bloody-violence-Hostel-reminiscent way. I apologize for the delay in posting this chapter; I had it written, but I've been busy with my latest fic, "What Might Have Been." You know, plot points, exerpts that'll show up in future chapters, what happens where and when, the usual. Oh, and I tried to do a little more with materia here, since I got inspired by Crisis Core. I prefer the Thundaga and Assault Twister materia, but these two are pretty amusing as well.
For Those We Love
He found him sitting in their favorite spot on the hill overlooking the decrepit old power plant outside of Gongaga, occupying the sunken tree trunk with his back to him, lost in thought. Zack merely watched him for a moment, unable to think of him, his childhood friend as the sort of sick monster that would force himself on unwilling, helpless women. Especially his old friend's fiance.
But the evidence was too damning. As plain as the marks on Akalara's tortured body.
"Dag," he called emotionlessly.
The other didn't flinch. "Zack," he replied tonelessly, still facing the plant. "So I guess this means you know."
"How could you do that, man? Rape a helpless woman, my woman, just to hurt me? I thought we were best friends."
"People grow, people change. Best friends drift apart." Dagger shrugged, still gazing at the abandoned structure. "As for Akalara..."
"Don't even say her name," Zack warned. "I'm serious, Dag."
"Have it your way. As for your bitch, I just wanted to get laid. She was convenient. And I liked it. She was so tight around me, and she never stopped screaming."
"Stop it," the SOLDIER gritted out, balling his fists at his sides.
"Did you know blood is really slippery? She was as dry as a bone at first, but after a few thrusts she was so slick it felt like she was enjoying herself. When I finally pulled out I almost wondered if she had bled that much when she lost her virginity. Did she, Zack? Did you like seeing her blood on your cock as much as I did on mine?"
"I said stop it!" Zack quickly put some distance between himself and Dagger, afraid that if he remained in arm's reach, he'd snap his old friend's neck. "That was my woman you raped! My fiance! My pregnant fiance! How could you have done this to her? Why?"
"I already told you, I wanted to get off. And your woman is one hot little piece of ass." Dagger pulled one of the knives out of the bandoleer he wore across his chest and played with it, picking dirt from beneath his nails. "But more that that, you hurt the woman I love. So I decided to get back at you by doing the same."
"What, Yvette?" Zack crossed his arms and leveled a very cold glare at the seated man. "I had nothing to do with her abortion. You were the first guy I told when I found out, remember? I was fucking crying when we came out here and I told you she'd killed my baby."
"But she wouldn't have needed an abortion if you hadn't gotten her pregnant, Zack."
"It's not like I just up and decided to knock her up, Dag. That was my first time; I didn't know anything about birth control. I was still under the impression that you couldn't get pregnant or get a girl pregnant if it was your first time."
"But she still got pregnant because you couldn't control yourself. So she got an abortion. But the surgeon didn't do the job right, and Yvette got sick. That sickness resulted in her infertility, which led to the breakup of her marriage." Dagger contemplated the knife, still avoiding his old friend's gaze. "I comforted her as best I could, but it wasn't enough. Do you know how hard it was, watching her slip further into insanity every day? I wanted to help her get better, but she just kept getting worse. Yvette fixated on you as the reason her life was in shambles, even convinced herself thta you forced her into the abortion."
"And you went along with that bullshit?" Zack asked quietly, trembling with anger.
"I love her," Dagger confessed, staring down at the power plant with tired eyes. "I'll never be able to tell her, because I'm not a brave man. But I thought that if I helped her get revenge on you, then she'd realize how much I care about her. And before you ask, I stopped thinking of you as my best friend when I saw how you had affected Yvette's mind. You hurt her badly, even though you didn't intend to." He twirled the knife between his fingers idly. "You hurt my woman, so I hurt yours. Simple as that."
"Dag, I didn't make her get that abortion. I wanted that baby, even though I wasn't ready for marriage yet. It killed me when she murdered it." Zack noticed the tension in Dagger's shoulders, and prepared himself for a quick reaction.
"That may be true. But you're still the one who drove her insane!"
Dagger whipped around, and the knife came flying for Zack's throat. The SOLDIER sidestepped it, and the blade buried itself hilt-deep in a nearby tree. He drew his Buster Sword just as his former friend rose to his feet, one knife held reversed in his hand.
"I don't want to kill you, Dag. But I am going to make you answer for your crimes. Rape and kidnap and child endangerment, as well as accomplice to attempted murder."
"You still don't get it, do you?" Dagger chuckled, settling into a ready stance. "Akalara only got hurt because she was the vessel. Yvette wasn't after her, specifically. She was after the baby!"
He charged Zack then, swinging the knife in an attempt at slashing his neck open. The Buster Sword snapped up and redirected the smaller blade harmlessly away with a metallic ringing noise. Dagger skidded to a stop well away from the SOLDIER, out of his immediate reach.
"How did she know Ak was pregnant?" Zack demanded. "She wasn't showing when we came here, and I never told anyone!"
"Lucky guess. Or maybe I told her. Who knows?" Dagger snatched another knife out of his bandoleer and held it ready between his fingers. "But in her mind, you killed her baby and stole her ability to create and carry more. So, she gets revenge by killing yours."
"I had nothing to do with that abortion!" Zack shouted, violet eyes glowing fiercely.
"You were the father of the baby! To Yvette, that makes you as good as guilty!" Dagger threw one knife at Zack and rushed him again, intending to stab him while the SOLDIER was distracted by the missile.
But he pulled up short as a materia in Zack's armlet shone for a second and the black-haired man sprang high into the air, far out of reach. Dagger yanked out another knife, fully prepared to test his throwing skills against his former friend's luck.
Another materia glowed, and a sudden movement of Zack's arm caused a massive block of ice to form directly above Dagger's head. The vengeful brunette threw himself to the side in a roll, a move Zack had taught him when they were kids, avoiding the heavy crystalline chunk with ease. He came back up ready for whatever trick the other man was ready to play, knives in hand.
"Pathetic, Zack!" he sneered. "You know my reflexes are - !"
Zack's true intentions became clear then, when the SOLDIER plummeted back to the earth blade-first, sending a massive shockwave of energy tearing through the ground. Dagger was thrown off his feet, landing face-first in the dirt close to the edge of the overlook. He started to get up, but found himself frozen in place before he could do more than raise his upper body, unable to even twitch.
Zack's footsteps shook the ground beneath his prostrate form, the weight of his rage preceding his approach with the effectiveness of heralding trumpets. Dagger merely stared at a clump of grass. "You won't be able to move for awhile. You're stuck in time, so to speak."
The steps halted at his side. "A man who forces an unwilling woman is not truly a man at all. As far as I'm concerned that means you don't deserve this." A steel-toed boot nudged at the underside of Dagger's hip, at the very edge of his groin, sending a wave of panic through his brain. "But I just don't hate you enough to castrate you, Dag, despite what you've done. You get to keep that."
Dagger would have sighed in relief, but his ordeal wasn't over yet. He felt the icy, merciless tip of Zack's enormous sword against the small of his back, right in the middle of his spine. The thin triangle of steel traced down his vertebrae, scratching along the skin with the merest of stinging pains, before settling lightly between two of the rounded bones.
"You always loved running through these hills, didn't you, Dag?"
Dagger couldn't scream, writhe, or even clutch at the dirt for support. He was totally at the mercy of his nerves as a sickening, burning agony shot through his entire body. Then his waist and legs went chillingly numb, blissfully free of the pain, and the brunette realized what Zack had done.
He'd severed his spinal cord from the waist down.
"You stole my fiance's security, and may have trained her mind to associate the physical act of love with your disgusting, despicable crime. You could have killed our baby, even without Yvette's help. Ak's probably never going to be able to set foot in Gongaga without remembering what you and Yvette did to her. The least I can do is prevent you from harming her, or any other woman, ever again. Your days of skirt-chasing are finished." Through the awful agony that yet held his upper body in its grasp, Dagger heard Zack settling his sword on his back. "My dad'll be here soon. He's going to take you back to town, where you'll receive a wheelchair and a visit from some nice officers. They, Dad, and Father Sebastian all agree with this method of punishment, since I told them what you did to Akalara."
The footsteps trailed away a short distance, then stopped. "Consider yourself lucky, Dag. I could have killed you or left you here to die, unshriven. At the very least, you have your life."
As Zack disappeared into a wormhole, Dagger's scream of pain, betrayal, and loss echoed throughout the countryside to the uncaring heavens above.
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"Well gents, Ak finally woke up." Kandi strolled back inside the cell, flipping her cell phone shut and putting it back in her pocket.
"What did she say?" Gwen asked, staring hard at the bruised, maddened blond thrashing against the wall. Sephiroth had jammed a long, sturdy rod of steel into the wall about six feet in the air and curved the end into a sort of makeshift hook. Reno had locked a pair of handcuffs around Yvette's wrists and tied a gag around her mouth, then connected a short length of chain to the buckle; right now, the blond hung helplessly from the hook, her head forced into an upright position by the links wound through the gag. The most anybody had done to her since putting her up there was slapping and spitting on her.
The red-streaked woman flashed her attentive comrades a truly evil smile. "She says this bitch is the one that nearly killed her and the baby."
"That so?" Reno smirked, aqua eyes flashing. "Kuja, gimme something hot, willya?"
"With pleasure." Kuja cast a spell, transforming their surroundings into a true torture chamber. Smokey braziers of fiery coals squatted in the corners of the cell, racks and shelves of ominous instruments and tools hung from the walls, and an old-fashioned wooden rack preoccupied the center of the room, empty and awaiting its terrified victim. Against the far wall, a stone sarcophogus stood partially ajar, flickering firelight illuminating the razor-sharp needles filling the interior. Ironically, the lid of the sarcophogus was painted to resemble a weeping angel.
Vergil took in the new appearance of the cell with obvious approval, cerulean eyes steady on the filleting knives resting on a stainless steel table. "You have good taste in pain, Kuja."
The Silver Wizard nodded, watching Reno drag a flat, empty pan beneath Yvette's feet. They had drawn straws before coming to the Castle that Never Was, and the redheaded Turk had gotten the short one. He got first crack at the bitch that had hurt their friends.
Reno grabbed a small shovel from its place near one of the braziers and began scooping coals into the pan, tight-lipped and silent. Yvette, unable to move her head, could no more than listen to the rough scrape of the shovel and the hiss of the briquettes as they tumbled into the pan. The heat was almost unbearable; she instinctively curled her legs high, raising her tender, naked feet away from the danger. Reno laughed cruelly and threw the shovel aside, drawing his EMR and setting the ampage to 'Shock'. "You got a real dilemma here, bitch," he snarled. "That's a shitload of red-hot coals under your feet, and they can melt your skin off in an instant. Cook 'em in under a minute. So you wanna keep 'em out of those coals, you see? But as long as you do, my baby here bites your tootsies." He flicked the switch on, making the EMR thrum with electricity. "How long you think you can hold out, bitch? Hm?" Reno touched the tip of his weapon to the big toe on her right foot, making her jerk and tuck her foot beneath her body, a little closer to the coals. The same treatment was applied to the left foot, accompanied by a symphony of muffled squeals and shrieks from Yvette. Smirking, the redhead applied his EMR to her knees and feet and toes, slowly forcing the digits closer to the pan until the soles of her feet were only inches away from the coals.
"Looks like I'm gonna win, bitch," he snarled lowly, still wearing that creepy smirk. "You wanna keep your feet, doncha? You wanna be able to walk out of here someday?" Yvette nodded vigorously, tears streaming from her leaf-green eyes. "I see." Reno retracted his EMR and upped the setting, increasing the juice until the weapon literally ran with lightning, lines of sparks crawling up the length of steel. "That's just too bad. Because I'm afraid that after today, walking is going to be damn near impossible."
The EMR was touched to the small of her back. Yvette stiffened reflexively at the shock, her entire body going ramrod straight. This reflex buried her feet deeply into the coals, and the fiery heat engulfed the limbs to the ankle. Even the gag couldn't silence the agonized scream that erupted from her throat a split-second later. She struggled to raise her legs, get her feet out of the makeshift brazier, but Reno had already switched off his EMR and now used his empty hands to hold her in place, one pressing down on her knees, the other firm against her back. The burning continued for some time, with the redhead jiggling his victim a little whenever her screams tapered off, causing her feet to drag against the coals once more and excruciating pain to accompany the movement. At last, the Turk kicked the pan out from under her and moved back, after pressing a mocking kiss to Yvette's cheek. "Kiss it and make it better," he whispered, aqua eyes smoldering with hate.
The next in line was Gwen, who had been watching with eager green eyes. She had already picked her weapons of choice, a pair of pliers and a long, thin knife. The onna-bugeisha stepped forward and peered down at Reno's handiwork with satisfied cruelty; Yvette's feet were little more than blackened lumps of flesh and bone, the flesh splitting open in painful-looking cracks and crevasses. "I'd definitely say you won't be using those any time soon," she commented casually, waving at the ruined feet with her knife. "But you know what? I think there's more to be done there." Gwen raised one of the blond's legs and straddled it backwards, facing the foot and trapping the calf between her thighs in the manner of a farrier shoeing a horse. Yvette couldn't see what she was doing, but the others had a perfect view. "Didn't Zexion say that it looked like needles had been jammed under Ak's toes, Seth?"
"Not only the toenails, but also the fingernails," Sephiroth agreed.
"Let's take that concept a step further, what's say? I wonder if there's any nerves left in here at all..." Gwen sheathed the knife in favor of the pliers, tenderly cradling Yvette's burned foot in her left hand. She paid no heed to the pleading whimpers keened from above. The pliers latched onto the nail of the big toe and tugged experimentally, eliciting another, louder cry from the blond.
A piercing shriek rang out as the nail was completely ripped out and thrown aside. The cries did not cease as the treatment was repeated, nine more times. "Guess you didn't completely destroy her nerves down here," Gwen commented to Reno, reaching for her knife. "Which means I can do this now." The knife's needle-like tip dug into the exposed nailbeds, carving deeply into the sticky, raw flesh. Over the course of the next few minutes, ten little X's were sliced where Yvette's toenails had once been. The entire process was then repeated on the blond's fingernails, making her really scream. At last, Gwen set her pliers and knife aside, joining Reno against the far wall after slapping her victim hard.
Kandi stepped forth, her hands empty. She made a show of examining the weapons and tools, rubbing her chin thoughtfully and casting appraising glances at the hanging woman. "Can you guys put her on the rack for me?" she asked in an overly-sweet voice. "I'd imagine it's really hard to breathe, hanging from her hands like that. I'd like to hear her scream."
"Of course, my little canary." Kuja recited something arcane, and Yvette rose limply off the hook to float over to the rack. Unseen hands unlocked her cuffs and threaded her wrists and ankles through the ropes at the top and bottom of the table, cinching the bindings tight as Kandi selected something and turned back to the helpless woman.
"So you can't have children anymore, huh?" The red-streaked woman hid her tool of choice behind her back, a teasing smile playing about her lips. "I guess that means you don't need certain bits anymore. You don't strike me as the type who knows what actually feels good and how to make herself feel good, anyway." She walked around to the bottom of the rack, studying Yvette's legs with a studied air of nonchalance. This was a special type of rack, one that left the hapless victim spreadeagled so one leg could be stretched out separately from the rest of the body. Now, however, it would serve another purpose. Kandi had already told her fiance and friends about what she planned to do, and had their full approval. Vergil, in fact, was the one who had put the idea in her head by telling her about a certain barbaric surgery done to some women on Earth.
Kandi took her hands out from behind her back, revealing the chosen instruments: a rusty, sharp straight-razor, a string of fishing line, a thick needle, and a bottle of rubbing alcohol. "Did you know that in some cultures on this one world, young girls have to have a type of surgery before they are considered women? It's a rite of passage, thought to have basis in religion. But in truth it's unnecessary, cruel, and dangerous; there are no religious commands or passages or verses or whatever that says it has to be done. In particular, it severely affects a woman's ability to deliver a baby and totally destroys any chance of pleasure during sex. The theory is that it's a way for men to control their wives and daughters, and prevent them from having children by other men." She carefully lifted Yvette's skirt and cut away her panties with the knife Gwen had left behind. "Normally, I'd say such a thing should never be done to a woman, no matter who she is. But in your case, since you had somebody rape one of my best friends and you can't have kids anyway, I think this is justified."
Gwen and Kuja flinched and looked away as Kandi reached for the razor. Vergil merely leaned against the wall, pondering what he would do to Yvette when his turn came up. Reno and Sephiroth looked on coldly as the rust-pitted blade was raised high, then brought down swiftly. Yvette, for her part, arched against the binding ropes on a scream of unprecedented strength. Kandi ignored them all, continuing her cutting and slicing methodically. After a minute or two, the razor was laid aside and the needle threaded with fishing line. The screams continued as the needle repeatedly dipped and resurfaced, then went up another decibel when the red-streaked woman dumped the entire bottle of rubbing alcohol over the cinched, sealed area. "It's called female castration, bitch. And you just received the full treatment." Kandi coolly left the rack, taking her instruments with her. After replacing them on their shelf, she went to Kuja and wrapped her arms around him, burying her face against his neck. The Silver Wizard held her and whispered soothing words into her ear, knowing how difficult that had been for her, while Vergil approached their victim.
He stalked in a circle around the blond, cerulean eyes raking over her bloody, trembling form. "Akalara is my only friend," he commented idly. "She accepted me without reservation, despite her knowledge of what I am and what I've done. I have come to think of her almost as a sister. In fact, she has asked me if I would like to be an uncle to her baby." The white-haired man came to a halt at the foot of the rack, a foot away from where Kandi had been standing a minute ago. "I haven't been able to give her my answer yet. But in truth, I am going to accept. She has become a member of my family in a way, because she is somebody I care about and would give my life to protect. And now she is hurting. She and her baby are both in pain, because of you," Vergil hissed. "You've sensed that there is something different about me, haven't you? I know you have, Yvette. I have that effect on humans. Every human in every division can sense the blood of their ancient enemies, those who would destroy them and dance across the ruins of their lives while their world burned." He leaned closer. "Do you want to see what you have been picking up on?"
Yvette, leaf-green eyes wide, shook her head wildly.
Vergil smirked and tightened his grip on Yamato. "You don't have a choice. You see, the choices you make in life can lead you in one of two directions at the end of your existence. Heaven or Hell, one might say. And I'm afraid the decisions you have made will result in a very unpleasent situation. The location you will inhabit for the remainder of eternity is filled with beings even more unsettling than one such as I." He shrugged. "I think it's best that you receive a warning of that which awaits you now, so that you may prepare for Hell."
There was a bright flash of azure light, and suddenly Vergil's human form was replaced with something entirely new and decidedly inhuman. Horns curled from his brow, leathery wings fanned upon his back, and hooked claws flexed as glowing blue eyes stared into Yvette's horrified face. Lethal fangs flashed as he smirked evilly. "The sad truth is that I am one of the more human-like devils in Hell, Yvette. And there are very few of my species. Just think about that for a moment; if I am terrifying, what could the others possibly look like?"
The green eyes squeezed shut, and a high-pitched whining trickled past the gag. Vergil merely laughed, his resonant voice echoing throughout the cell and sending chills down everyone's spines. "It's no use trying to forget what you have just seen, Yvette." The blond jerked helplessly as he reached out to touch her cheek, a mockery of a lover's tenderness. "Humans cannot forget their nightmares, even when the images are shoved to the back of their minds. I will stalk you in your sleep, an eternal reminder of that which awaits you at the end of your life." He dug his claws into her cheek, ripping the flesh casually away. "Although, I am unsure how long that life might be. For all I know, you might be introduced to my distant kin before the night is over." Vergil removed his hand and flicked the stubborn pieces of flesh and blood yet clinging to his claws away, then ended his Devil Trigger and resumed his human form. Nodding to Sephiroth, he returned to his place against the wall, ignoring the somewhat frightened and awed looks given him by the others.
The silver-haired general approached the rack now, Masamune in hand. Yvette didn't even realize her hellish antagonizer had tagged out until the flat of the legendary katana was laid atop her naked thighs. Leaf-green eyes flew open to stare at the length of steel, and quickly traveled to meet Sephiroth's peridot eyes.
"What is the old rule? 'An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth'?" he queried. "Zexion offered us a complete description of the torments suffered by our friend at your hand. If memory serves, the report stated that several areas on her body are currently devoid of skin, and will have to receive grafts in the near future." He adjusted the blade slightly, until the very edge was cutting into the skin layer and no deeper. "I think it's fitting that you suffer just as Akalara did, don't you?"
With that, Masamune was swept smoothly downward. The razored edge of the blade performed the service of a carpenter's plane, removing the top layer of flesh and exposing the slick muscle beneath as Yvette cried out anew. The skin was flicked to the floor and soon joined by more, as Sephiroth continued to skin her legs and arms and stomach. Once he was finished, he spat into her face and joined Gwen against the far wall.
Kuja released Kandi from his arms and glided forward, already whispering a spell. His hands began to glow with energy, bright enough to attract the nearly-comatose Yvette's attention. "You surrendered your child to death," he accused. "Zack told us the truth of things some time ago, while we were still praying for the lives of our comrade and her unborn child. As a result of your decision, you lost your ability to procreate. And so you tried to impress your pain on another, as vengeance for a crime never committed. Now, you shall know what it is like to be a mother anew."
He pressed his palms against Yvette's lower belly, and before her astonished eyes, her belly began to swell. Within seconds, she was in the final stages of the gestation period, only days away from delivery. Gratitude shone in her face as she directed her gaze towards the silver-crowned man who had given her this unparalleled gift.
He stopped her with one upraised finger. "Remember the surgery performed earlier? The consequences of such a deed? Vaginal delivery is quite impossible now, since there is too much trauma to the area. So, a ceasarean must be performed." Another spell, and an unseen knife ripped across her belly. Her engorged womb was lifted high in the air, and cut free before the incision was closed. "But the child is stillborn. The life was lost before it even exited your body. And this was not because of an abortion, oh no. This baby died because there was no life to sustain it."
Her uterus immediately shrank, shrivelled, and fell to her belly in a stream of dust. Kuja glared coldly at her, watching her mind attempt to process what had just happened. "There is no room for anybody save you in your heart and soul. You were too selfish to carry your child before, too wrapped up in your own materialistic desires. You could have carried the baby and given it to another, somebody who would cherish it for the precious gift that it was. But instead you murdered it, and immediately returned to the behavior which resulted in your pregnancy in the first place as if nothing had occurred. And so you have been punished for your sins. No child will ever be born to one such as you."
Kuja started to turn away, but then stopped and looked at her once more. Yvette was shaking now, tears streaming from the corners of her eyes, on the very brink of sanity.
"You should know, Yvette, that a simple Regeneration spell would have cured your condition. Had you thought to ask for that spell, or found a materia that held it, your ability to conceive and carry a child would have returned in full measure."
He walked back to Kandi just as the broken woman's sobs began.
They exited the cell to find Xemnas, the castle's Superior, waiting outside. "So is she to receive the same treatment as the other?" he inquired, nodding at Yvette.
"No," Sephiroth replied, interrupting Kandi's question before she could ask it. "She is to remain here until further notice, but is not a permanent guest."
"What is your estimation of her time here?" the whiskey-eyed Nobody asked.
Sephiroth shrugged. "My guess is that her time here will end once our friend's superior and fiance arrive. One will be somewhat merciful, but I know for a fact that the other will not spare her life. Isn't that right, Reno?"
The Turk nodded grimly. "You fuck with one of us, you fuck with all of us," he recited, folding his arms. "Me and Kandi have both had our turns, and Ak's too injured to get her revenge. So it's Bossman's turn now, and he won't skimp on the pain, if I know him." A wicked smile flitted about his lips, making his eyes flash. "For her sake, I hope he does it quick. Some of those Wutaian torture techniques... Whew!"
"She doesn't deserve 'quick'," Gwen snapped.
Reno continued to smirk. "I never said she did. I'm just saying she'll wish it was quick."