A/N: Double upload as promised! A short chapter from Yazoo's perspective. Had a lot of fun writing this, hope you like it. :)

SPECIAL CHAPTER

Compassion

Yazoo

"Turn off the radio, will you?"

I was tired of the news, going on and on about our family. Like it wasn't a mess already. I stared out of the window aimlessly, trying to clear my head.

"Are you alright, Master?" The driver called for me. I glanced lazily at him once and said nothing, before returning to watching life outside the cold glass window.

What a stupid world. It continues meaninglessly without end...

"Stop," the limousine came to a pause. I pulled down my sunglasses and rolled down the window slightly. I immediately recognized the streak of long, pink hair flying behind their owner who waved two of her friends away. She took in her surroundings, spotting an old record store and walking inside, hands tucked in the pockets of her oversized biker jacket.

"Bring my car, you'll know where to find me," I commanded, slipping on my black leather gloves and stretching my fingers, feeling the fit. I exited the limousine, following the girl into the store I had never stepped foot into before. She was examining a record, not a care in the world. I walked over to her and her icy eyes shot towards me, narrowing as she set the record back and cracked her knuckles threateningly.

"Yazoo," she said my name with such hostility, but it was the first time a girl had spoken my name.

"I am flattered you remember. We meet again," I greeted her, adjusting my long coat. Her eyes burned a hole through my face, and she was showing no intent of relaxing. "Please, save your energy. I am not Loz," I scoffed and watched as her muscles relaxed a bit. She released a proud 'humph', standing tall in front of me like she would be ready to throw a punch any time.

"What do you want?" Her jaw tightened as she spoke, and I could tell she didn't think much of me.

"I should be asking you that. Do you realize where you are? If Loz or Kadaj see you, you're done," I told her coolly. She growled softly, as if telling me to back off. I obliged, taking a step back.

What a pain, I thought. How did my older brother leave Tifa for this kind of girl? "First of all, do something about that pink hair," I warned her, quickly taking a look around. It seemed clear. "Come with me."

Lightning, I recalled her name, was looking at me like I was the last person she wanted to listen to. Are you armed?" I felt actually annoyed by her stubbornness.

"No," she crossed her arms.

"Well, Kadaj is always armed. So unless you want a bullet through your pretty head, follow me," I insisted and she gave in, keeping a distance as she walked behind me. I found the closest clothing store and bought a beanie, throwing it at her. "Cover your hair."

She caught it, reluctantly pulling it over her hair. It was a waste, beautiful as she was, to be that aggressive. "Now what?" She asked me and I checked my watch.

"My car will be here in a few minutes. I will drive you to the nearest station. Get on any train, and just get out of here," I scanned the area one more time.

She released another 'humph', trying to walk out of the store ahead of me. I grabbed her wrist and yanked her back lightly.

"Don't turn around," I pushed her gently in the direction of some oversized clothes. She turned away like she was browsing through the clothes and stayed there. The bell hanging by the edge of the door jingled, and Loz entered, walking over to me.

"Where have you been? Kadaj is getting fidgety. You know what he's like when he's fidgety," Loz appeared to be exhausted, probably from following Kadaj around all day. Since Mother unleashed the… surprise on us all this morning, he had been making himself and everyone around him miserable.

"I am shopping, can't you see?" I crossed my arms.

"In here?" Loz asked as he took a look around the store.

"Yes, I am in no mood to deal with Kadaj, so tell him I'll be home in the evening and to deal with it on his own until then," I stood my ground and Loz nodded, grumbling.

"Fine, you're always like this," he protested, exiting the store without another word. He knew I only followed Kadaj and his games when I wanted to. When he was gone, I sighed in relief, turning around to find the girl still where I had left her.

"Didn't older brother at least warn you not to casually roam around here?" I felt amazed at Cloud's lack of concern for his girlfriend's life.

"He mentioned it," she spoke in an aloof, disinterested tone not that different from his.

Seriously, what a pain...

"Today's the worst," I complained to no one in particular, putting on my sunglasses. "Come, I'll drive you. My car is here," I checked the silver Porsche that was now parked outside the store.

Lightning followed me. My driver stared at the two of us and I waved my hand. His attention snapped back to me. "Kadaj is annoying and I hate this family, so I need peace for twenty minutes. Make it happen," I snapped my fingers as he bowed in my direction before disappearing into the crowd. I held the door open for the girl and she got in reluctantly. She dialed a number as I slid into the driving seat.

"Zack… hey. Sorry, I ran into… an acquaintance. Can you go back first? I'll take the train," she told him. Her voice was very deep for a girl. It had a special, velvety quality to it.

I turned on the ignition, reversing once before spinning the car into a smooth turn and heading in the opposite direction. As I drove, neither of us spoke to each other for a while.

"Why are you helping me? Aren't you all trying to kill Cloud?" She accused me and I simply adjusted my sunglasses, one hand on the steering wheel.

"Stop making assumptions. I don't care about older brother's shares, if that's what you mean. I am already a major shareholder, and I never have to lift a finger in my lifetime. There's more than enough to my name already. I don't need any more money. It would be nice to have Mother's approval, but that's all I am in it for."

She listened to me, falling silent. "But Loz attacked us when we were in Pulse. You told him we were there," she said as if it was an established fact and not just speculation.

"Loz was there by chance. I got you in because Tifa asked me to. She's a childhood friend. Well, I consider her as one at least. Didn't everyone treat you nicely because of me?" I returned.

She opened her mouth to say something, but then held back. Crossing her arms, she leaned back in the car seat. It was clear she was still unwilling to trust me.

"What's happening to Strife?" She asked, but her voice was different when she said his name. It was soft, with a tenderness that surprised me.

"He's preparing to go to war with our eldest brother, that's all. Mother is the one who guaranteed that blood will be spilled when she decided to give him the shares," I informed her and she nodded, quietly processing the information.

"And you're against him?" This time it was a question.

"I only move when Mother wants something from me. I am the youngest, so I am essentially irrelevant," I answered honestly, keeping my eyes on the road as the Porsche dashed by other cars. Lightning didn't seem to mind the speed and simply nodded again.

I noticed that two cars had been following us for some time. At first, it was just an instinct, but I confirmed it after I made several turns and they turned with us.

"You don't know how to use a gun by any chance, do you?"

"Hah?!" Lightning threw a frustrated look in my direction and I sighed, staring into the rearview mirror.

"We're being followed," I said and she looked at me in disbelief.

"What? By whom?!" Her volume increased slightly and I clicked my tongue.

"Assassins hired by our business rivals, most likely. Now we're all targets. It's fine, I'll call Kada-" I stopped before I dialed, throwing my phone back in my pocket. "I can't because you're with me," I reminded myself out loud and Lightning took a deep breath, closing her eyes.

"Please tell me these are bad guys. I am not shooting at civilians," she said firmly.

"When I say business rivals, I mean the other business," I informed her - I somehow felt like she knew what we actually did. "The kind of people that won't think twice before shooting us. Or civilians," I clarified and she nodded with purpose, taking off her gloves and slipping them in the pockets of her jacket. She cracked her fingers, shaking her hand to loosen the muscles.

"Fine."

"Open the dashboard and take your pick," I told her and she did as I asked. An overwhelming number of guns poured out in her lap.

"What the…'' She groaned, shooting me a nasty look.

"What?" I just shrugged lightly and she looked through the selection, gasping as she picked up a Desert Eagle, her eyes brimming with excitement.

"Wow, I haven't shot with one of these in ages…." She admired the brand new pistol, as the sunlight bounced off the beautiful chrome finish.

"I wouldn't recommend that one, it's dangerous and difficult to use," I cautioned but my voice was drowned by a loud gunshot. We both ducked as I clicked my tongue again, pulling out my Nighthawk from under the seat and readying it as I maneuvered the steering wheel with one hand.

Lightning undid her seat belt, throwing it off her shoulder as she turned, shifting on the seat. Her knees pressed onto the fine leather. She propped herself up, ducking under and readying the pistol quickly. She extended her arms deadly straight - her posture was so beautiful I was having trouble keeping my eyes on the road.

"Bye bye," her voice followed the obnoxiously loud bang of the Deagle. The bullet cut through the front windshield - shattering it instantly - as it flew straight into the hand of one of the assassin's behind us. The bullet pierced it, leaving a burning hole in his skin. He dropped the gun, screaming in pain. Lightning had only slightly tilted back from the recoil, still maintaining her perfect form.

"You're not shooting to kill," I observed as another loud bang erupted, Lightning had barely broken a sweat.

"I don't shoot to kill, unless I have to," the beanie flew off her head, the wind whipping her hair around. It was quite a sight to behold. I relaxed, letting her expertly disarm the assassins who chased us.

"Just get off this road, I don't want civilians caught in the line of fire," she said authoritatively and I obeyed, even though I hadn't particularly cared about my surroundings before. We turned into an alley and I slipped in between the labyrinthine aisles, trying to slip out of their radar. My rash driving made it harder for Lightning to aim, but damn, she was good. I had never seen a woman - not even a man - no one, handle a Deagle with as much prowess as the girl next to me.

She sank back into her seat, reloading the pistol as she took a short breath. We ran out of luck as the car skidded to a stop in front of a dead end.

"You're trying to get me killed, right?" She asked as I frowned, kicking the car door open and getting out, tightening my gloves. Lightning jumped out too, stretching her legs.

"I am a shooter, so I don't fight. They're all yours," I gestured with my hand as the cars that were following us closed in on us.

"Are you serious?" She screamed and I nodded, dusting off my coat.

"It's custom made, just flew in this morning. Brawling will just ruin it," I tried to hold back my laugh as I teased her and she just looked at me incredulously.

"Un-fucking-believable," she growled softly, just turning sideways as the man who had come running at her missed and collided against the wall behind us. I shot the man furthest from us in the leg, as Lightning took down the unarmed men in the front.

Her kicks struck in the likeness of her name, with lethal accuracy. One man grabbed her from behind as she was taking down another, but she broke out of his grip effortlessly, twisting his arms as he cried in pain and threw him over her head, straight into the stone wall. She dodged another man, grabbing his arm as he went stumbling forwards, spinning him once and using the momentum to send him forward, knocking out several others. Catching a punch right between her eyes without blinking, Lightning's hands gripped the elbow of the attacker, pushing it down against her knee as she snapped the bone like it was a twig.

"Hey, do something!" She shouted as I stood there, completely taken by her. More shots followed her voice in our direction and we both hid behind the Porsche. I shot to disarm just like she had, but took it a step further and injured the assassins so they couldn't follow us later. I quickly began reloading my gun. If Lightning used her gun at point blank range, it would blow a hole in their heads easily, but she was just disabling them, instead of fighting to cause - or enjoy - pain like Kadaj and Loz did.

Her fighting style was swift and efficient, and she reigned in her strength. Her movements were dignified, like a well crafted dance. There were elements of street fighting to her style, I realized, when she threw a punch straight in a man's face, breaking his nose. Lightning threw a roundhouse kick, landing on her feet gracefully before and throwing a straight one, kicking the next man in the guts and sending him flying back mercilessly.

The difference between her and Loz's fighting ability was as clear as day and I realized very quickly that even Kadaj would have a hard time against her in hand to hand combat. I shot the remaining men down, reloading my gun as she straightened up, glancing over at me.

"You alright?" She asked me, like one asked a comrade in battle. I nodded, slipping out of my coat and throwing it in the backseat.

"Let's go," I jerked my neck towards the car, getting in. My hand paused on the keys, and she noticed.

"Take your time," she said quietly. I reversed as we began driving back towards the city. "They just attack you like this?" She finally said, leaning back tiredly in her seat.

"Not when I am with Kadaj. They don't dare. But when I am alone, and without guards, yes," I answered and she nodded.

"Why didn't you bring guards?" She followed up with another question.

"Because I saw you. Loz and Kadaj were in the area, and they both know you. Your pink hair sticks out like a sore thumb. I wanted to warn you."

She nodded again, staring out the open window, her elbow resting on the car's door. "Thanks," she mumbled and I smirked, shaking my head.

"You're thanking me? I got you into a fight," I reminded her.

"And a crazy car chase, not to mention you made me do all the fighting," she said sarcastically and I held back a chuckle, staring at the road ahead. Pink streaks reminiscent of her hair boldly struck through blue and orange hues, a beautiful sunset resting on the horizon. "But…" she added after a long pause. "You're a damn good shooter."

I was surprised that she was complimenting me. "You can handle a Deagle," I tried to return her compliment, but she tilted her head sideways, continuing to look away.

"I can handle a lot of things." I didn't doubt that one bit.

We finally stopped in the city. I parked my Porsche in the train station's parking lot, taking out the keys as the car fell silent. Lightning got out of the car swiftly, and I followed her. I wanted to make sure she got on the train without any more accidents.

"Wait here," she instructed and I nodded for some reason, not questioning her order. She disappeared for a few minutes. It started raining, but I stood there, unable to move. The exhaustion from today washed over me, reminding me of all the things I hated about this world. The cold water didn't bother me.

"Stupid rain," I heard her voice as she caught up with me, and I turned to face her. "Here," she handed me a bandaid. "For your face," she explained as I touched my cheek, realizing it had been grazed at some point. I hadn't even noticed.

I realized that her knuckles were raw, bruised from the combat. I wish I had helped out a little more after all.

"Do you want to see big brother?" I found myself asking, wondering why the hell I would even offer that. Big brother was with Mother, and it was a suicide mission. But if it was a glance, I suppose I could -

"No," she said determinedly, cutting my thoughts off. "I'll wait for him, as long as it takes." When she looked away like this, wet pink locks sticking to her face, the posture of a proud fighter, but uttering soft, loving words for Cloud, I understood why he was with her. I came to understand. In a short span of a few hours, she made me understand. I shook away the alien, intense feeling, trying to be cold as usual.

"If you value your life, stay away from here. I won't be so generous next time our paths cross," I tried to threaten her, but her unusually enchanting aqua blue eyes met mine with compassion I had never seen expressed towards me before.

"Don't act like some big villain," she said as I stared at her, confused by her words. "You're just a 19 year old going through a lot, too."

With those words, she turned away and I felt like time stopped for a moment. I couldn't follow her. As I watched her retreating figure in the rain, I started to feel how cold the rain was on my skin and how alone the five of us actually were, forced into a battle we did not choose.

And how nice it'd be to have someone like her by our side.

A/N: I love Yazoo! He's my favorite of the three. Also Lightning is just...precious *calms down fangirl feelings* XD Anyway, more coming up on Cloud's situation in the next chapter. Wishing everyone a nice weekend! :)

Until the next update.