Lullaby
Author's note: Inspired by A Perfect Circle's song with the same title…. Lyrics will appear somewhere in the fic. It's a nice song… though a bit twisted. I thought it would fit Yazoo perfectly. So here we go…
oOoOo
"Yazoo?"
Yazoo looked down at her curious mahogany eyes, but he did not say anything. He saw the pain in them and for a reason he could not comprehend, he felt pain deep inside him.
He hated feeling pain, especially if it was something emotional… and most especially if it was inflicted by another person upon him… and especially if it was unintentional. Because it simply felt bad.
He has conditioned himself not to feel any pain in all those years that he had been living alone with his brothers, Loz and Kadaj. Being the middle child, he was like the one keeping the balance among themselves… but still, Kadaj managed to gain control over them even though he was the youngest. He knew his brothers too well because they had always been close ever since childhood. Yazoo is just in his early 20's, Loz was in his mid-20's while Kadaj is still a young teenager. When Yazoo would feel that his brothers were suffering inside, he would just keep quiet, ignore and think of other things.
But when it comes to her…
He stiffened as he tried to keep a straight face. She smiled slightly at him, and he could not help but notice that everytime she smiled, she was still feeling pain.
The cold evening air blew against her long blonde hair from behind, causing it to frame her gentle pale face.
"Are you coming back?" she asked softly.
Yazoo did not answer. He just stared at her.
oOoOo
"Hey, Yazoo." Loz said, interrupting his brother's thoughts.
Yazoo instantly turned his gaze to his older brother, blinking twice and trying to look casual. He realized that his brothers were staring at him with curious gazes. "I was just… trying to device a plan to… kidnap the President…" he fibbed; although the distant look in his green eyes gave him away.
Kadaj, having used to Yazoo's brain shutting off into his own reverie, just dismissed his not paying attention and looked away. "No need to, Yazoo. I'll do it myself. Come now." He said as he started the engine of his motorbike and sped away to the direction where the Healin Lodge is.
Taking a shuddering breath, Yazoo started his engine too. Loz followed.
"Still thinking about the past?" Loz asked.
Yazoo just kept quiet as he kept his gaze on the handles of his motorbike.
Loz looked away as he prepared to follow Kadaj. "Don't worry. I won't say anything to Kadaj." He said reassuringly.
Yazoo frowned but just sat still as he sped off ahead of Loz.
Loz frowned. "Ingrate…" he muttered frustratingly to himself before speeding off after Yazoo.
oOoOo
"Everything's gonna be alright…"
"Don't fret, precious, I'm here…"
His own words echoed through his mind as he parked the truck in the middle of two intersections. Loz hopped down from the truck and made his way to the children playing in the streets. It was Kadaj's idea to have Loz and Yazoo gather the children infected with Geostigma and take all of them to the Forgotten Capital while he's busy with the President.
Yazoo switched off the engine and sat still for a moment, thinking about what he should do next. He knew he should help his older brother in gathering the children and convincing them that they could heal them if they come along, but he had other things in mind. He looked at the side mirror of the truck, scanning Loz and the group of children to whom he was talking to. He began to look at the children.
He frowned and bowed down his head. "What am I thinking? She's not here…" he thought to himself in silence as he opened the door and got off the truck. "Must do my part…" he muttered to himself as he approached another group of children and flashed a friendly smile at them so that they would not run off. "Hello, children." He greeted.
The kids stopped playing and they looked up at him in wonder and awe.
He stooped down and scanned the looks on their faces. They had bandages in various parts of their bodies and he knew at once that these children are infected with Geostigma because he could also feel it…
"Do you want to get rid of the pain?" he asked gently.
"Pain?" one of the children asked.
Yazoo pointed at one of the children with a bandage around his head. "I know how to heal that." He said convincingly.
The children smiled. "Really?"
"How?"
"Mister, tell us! Please!"
Yazoo smiled victoriously. "I'm such a persuasive person…" he thought proudly as he straightened up. "Well, you all have to come with me first," he stepped aside. "Get into that truck over there and I'll take all of you to a very special place where my brothers and I will tell you what to do so that you'll get healed. Our mother will help you." He told them.
The children cheered.
"Ah, but first, you must spread the word to other children who are also sick. Make sure not to tell your parents or any adult, alright?" he said, wagging his pointer at them with a playful smile on his face.
"Why, Mister?" asked one of the little girls.
Yazoo turned to her and smiled calmly. "Because adults think they know everything. They will try to stop us children from becoming better people. You don't want adults running everything for you, do you?" he asked.
The little girl shook her head happily. "Nah-uh." She said proudly.
"Well then, get going and spread the word. We'll expect all of you to be back here in a jiffy. Alright?" he asked.
"Roger!" the children all spread out.
Yazoo scanned the crowds of other children walking around the area, trying to look for a particular child; a child he once knew but had to leave because he had to go with his brothers to look for their mother. That child had long blonde hair framing her pale pretty face. Her eyes were strange to look at, for nobody could ever tell whether they're almost red, mahogany or just brown. She looked very fragile as she is weak and sickly, and her skin was very pale, almost like porcelain, so smooth but soft to the touch. Everytime he would see her, she would be dressed in her usual white silk dress with light pink ruffles and laces, white stockings to keep her feet warm and white shoes. She was the daughter of one of the richest people in Midgar, but because of Meteor, her family lost all their riches and they had to live in the slums. And she was only 11 years old.
Yazoo had met her the first time he stepped into the city, in an attempt to explore it… but it was unknown to his younger brother, Kadaj, that he had been there before. It was late in the evening and it was dark because the lamp posts were all busted. Yazoo accidentally ran over the little girl crossing the street with his motorcycle.
He could remember seeing the look of pain in her face as she was lying on the ground with her eyes closed in pain and blood coming out from her mouth, and when he saw that she had bandages around her right arm with black stains on them, he knew the girl was infected with Geostigma. He was about to leave her dying in the streets of Sector 5, but she opened her eyes… and when he saw the look in her eyes, he just stopped himself. And he decided to help her.
"Pardon me," he called the attention of one of the kids running around.
A little redhead boy stopped running and turned to him. "Yessir?" the boy asked.
Yazoo kept a straight face as he asked, "You live around here?" he asked.
"Yessir." The boy answered.
Yazoo raised his eyebrows. "Oh… alright… do you know a girl named… Vinnie?"
The boy thought for a while. "Nah-uh." He replied.
Yazoo felt an air of disappointment around him. "Oh… thank you anyway." He said with a slight choke. With that, the boy ran off.
Turning around, he began to examine all the children around the area, hoping that somehow, one of them was the girl whom he had been looking for. "If I find her, I'll just… say hello… and hopefully she's alright… and I'll make sure she'll be alright…" he thought to himself as he scanned the faces of the children.
But there was no sign of her.
"Yazoo!"
He snapped out of his trance upon hearing Loz calling his name. He turned to his brother. "Yes?" and approached, trying to focus his attention on the children getting on the truck. Maybe he could look for her later on when they have fulfilled their mission.
oOoOo
The blonde little girl opened her eyes and she saw that she was lying on the ground of an old building. It was still night time, and she wondered where she was. She slowly sat up, using her right hand as leverage to push herself up, but she felt intense pain that surged all throughout her right arm so she just collapsed on the ground again. "Ah…" she winced in pain as tears filled her reddish-brown eyes.
A big dark shadow loomed over her. "You should lie down still." A low masculine voice commanded firmly but gently.
She forgot how painful her right arm felt when she heard him speak. She looked up at him with a curious look on her face. "Who are you? What did you do to me?" she demanded rather fiercely.
Yazoo was amazed by her bravery and feistiness.
She forced herself to sit up again, trying hard not to mind the pain. And she was successful this time. "I'm warning you! If you're planning to do something bad to me, I'm going to call on… call on…" she stammered, her eyes filled with tears.
He knelt down before her and eyed her with a stern look on his face. "On who?" he asked challengingly.
She sniffed. "…no one… I forgot that there's nobody… nobody…" she burst into tears.
For some reason, Yazoo felt his heart sinking upon seeing and hearing her cry. But he did not do anything to comfort her or to ease her crying. He just watched and listened until she was the one who sought for comfort from him. She moved closer to him and hugged him tightly as she continued to sob.
But he would not touch her. He hated the fact that someone was crying on his clothes. It was worse than seeing his older brother Loz crying.
A few moments later, she stopped. She fell asleep.
Yazoo settled her down on the ground again but he did not leave. He just sat down beside her and observed her while she was sleeping.
When she woke up again around late afternoon the next day, she gazed around her surroundings, and she was able to guess that they were in one of the floors of the old ShinRa tower.
"Why did you bring me here?" she asked weakly.
He shrugged and looked at the orangey skies. "I don't know. Because you were injured?" he answered, but he was unsure.
She lay down still, looking up at the destroyed ceiling above her. "You're too kind." She said softly.
He did not answer even though he was curious.
"Usually, people couldn't care less about people like me… they would rather have us dead, I guess…" she mentioned.
Yazoo was quiet for a while, wondering what was making her say such things. "Maybe she suffered from some serious head injury… like a concussion…I should've taken her to a hospital… but I don't want to pay for her bills. I couldn't just leave her there alone. Damn. Why did I even bother to take care of her here?" he shook his head in confusion as he stopped his mental debate and got up. "You're just hungry. You haven't eaten for a day, I guess. I'll just get you some food." He began to walk away.
She blinked and struggled to sit up. "Wait." She called out.
He stopped in his tracks but he did not turn back to face her.
"My name is… Vinnie. What's yours?" she asked.
He raised his eyebrows upon hearing the name. "Weird name for a girl." He remarked. "But I'm sure it's just a nickname?" he asked, wanting to be sure.
She smiled and giggled but did not say anything.
He smiled upon hearing her giggle. It sounded like music to his ears. "Yazoo. My name is Yazoo." And walked away.
She had a gentle smile on her face as she watched him walk away. "Yazoo…" she repeated softly.
oOoOo
Yazoo stayed with her for seven days, and in those seven days, he had been amazed by her. She was very graceful and gentle, yet had this spoiled attitude, but that did not stop him from liking her. He loved hearing stories from her about her favorite toys and her favorite places to visit.
"I love to go to Junon because my half brother lives there. I don't know where he is right now, though."
"Where were you born anyway?" he asked.
"Hmm… Junon. Just like my half-brother. What about you?" she asked.
Yazoo was quiet for a while, thinking about her question. "I… don't know…" he responded with a blank look on his face.
However, the child had trouble sleeping at night, so he would have to sing her to sleep. She would suffer from night terrors and paranoia that somebody was out to get her.
"Don't fret, precious, I'm here. Step away from the window and go back to sleep... pay no mind to what other voices say; they don't care about you like I do. Safe from pain and truth and choice…"
She would lay her head on his lap and try her best to fall asleep while he would sit still and stroke her long blonde hair. "…Lay your head down, child, I won't let the boogeyman come. Count the bodies like sheep to the rhythm of the war drums. Pay no mind to the rabble… Head down, go to sleep to the rhythm of the war drums..."
And she would close her eyes and a gentle smile would play upon her lips.
"Stay with me; safe and ignorant…Just stay with me… I'll hold you and protect you from the other ones… the evil ones…"
"Can I stay with you forever, Yazoo?" she asked gently as sleep was slowly taking over her.
"…go back to sleep…" he finished the song.
oOoOo
Yazoo, followed after Kadaj and Loz as they wheeled the President by the edge of the 13th floor of the building where they planned to put him on hostage.
"I want the two of you to go to the city proper. I'm sure Mother is there." Kadaj commanded his brothers.
"Silly…" Rufus ShinRa remarked, laughing under his breath.
Kadaj glared at him angrily. "Anything to say, Mister President?" he asked mockingly.
Rufus had a sly look on his face as he looked up at Kadaj from underneath his covers. "Nothing, Kadaj. I was just wondering what gave you the idea that your mother is in the city proper…" he fibbed, rolling his eyes.
Kadaj sneered at him and turned to his brothers. He noticed the distant look in Yazoo's face. "What's on your mind, Yazoo?" he instantly asked.
Yazoo was not able to respond immediately, so Loz had to nudge him to warn him. Yazoo instantly snapped back to his senses and turned to Kadaj in attention. "Y…yes, Kadaj?" he asked rather weakly.
Kadaj approached him with a suspicious look on his face. "What's on your mind?" he probed.
Yazoo just eyed him with a straight face. "Nothing. I was just… reflecting…" he answered vaguely.
"You're lying." Kadaj pointed out as he turned away from him. "Did you know that whenever you're telling a lie, you're squinting slightly?" he asked.
Rufus observed the three, amused with the situation.
"Tell me what's on your mind, Yazoo. I won't get angry." Kadaj said with a playful tone.
Yazoo was quite for a few moments. He knew Kadaj would not let him go unless he told him the truth. So he said, "I… was just thinking of… the girl I was telling you about two years ago…"
Kadaj narrowed his eyes as he turned back to his brother. "I told you to forget her." He approached him again. "Do you seriously think that remembering her every now and then would bring us any good? Do you think she could tell us where Mother is?" he demanded in rage.
"You promised you wouldn't get angry…" Yazoo stammered rather uncomfortably.
Loz just stepped away, pretending not to care.
"Who wouldn't get angry if their brother wasn't even concentrating on their plans because he's too busy thinking about a little girl?" Kadaj snapped angrily.
Yazoo just kept quiet for a few moments, avoiding Kadaj's look. "I don't even know where she is right now…"
"Oh? But I could've sworn you were looking for her." Kadaj eyed him seriously. "She has Geostigma, hasn't she? Why wasn't she in the group of children that you had gathered from the city? Don't tell me you let her go just to keep her safe?" he demanded with a sneer.
"I… wouldn't do that, Kadaj. Of course I would follow your orders. Every single child with Geostigma… right?" Yazoo asked, trying to keep calm despite the situation.
"But you could easily disobey just like what you've done." Kadaj pointed out.
"I did not disobey!" Yazoo answered back with an annoyed tone. "Maybe she… left. For Junon. She said she has a half brother living in Junon… maybe she went there so that he could take care of her…" he answered.
Rufus ShinRa, upon hearing that, frowned slightly. "If you don't mind me butting in, gentlemen, who, may I ask, is the little girl you have been arguing about?" he asked.
"I don't know about my brother over here but he calls her Vinnie. It does not even sound like a name for little girl." Kadaj answered as he moved away from Yazoo. "Get out of here and do your task. I'll take care of the President." He commanded his brothers.
Yazoo did not move for a moment, but as he was about to turn away and leave with Loz, Rufus spoke up, "It's just a nickname. Her name is Lavinia."
Yazoo stopped in his tracks as his eyes widened.
"I have a… half-sister…She is ten years younger than me. We have the same father but different mothers. She just died a year ago." Rufus pointed out half-heartedly.
Yazoo slowly turned his gaze to Rufus ShinRa.
Rufus smiled slyly at him. "My Turks recognized who she is. She was dying in the slums. They brought her to the Healin Lodge where I was… but her Geostigma was not the one that killed her. There was something wrong with her brain. Turns out that she had an accident one night in the slums when somebody ran over her…" he stated with a cold tone.
"And guess what. Before she died, she mentioned a name… I thought she was speaking of nonsense… but then I met you." Rufus shrugged. "I guess Lavinia is telling the truth." He stated flatly.
Kadaj stepped forward to him. "Alright, that's enough." He turned back to his brothers. "Go now." He snapped.
Yazoo was quiet. There was a look of mixed grief and disbelief in his eyes as he turned away from Rufus and Kadaj and began to walk down the long flight of stairs with his older brother Loz.
"Don't fret, precious, I'm here…"
"Are you coming back?"
He could still hear her voice echoing in his head.
He was stuck in a moment wherein he could not think nor react. He just walked like he had nowhere to go although he was following Loz's lead.
And from the back of his head, he heard another person's voice telling him, "You'll get even, Yazoo. Just find Mother first… I'll take care of the rest. If all goes well, you'll meet her again."
Yazoo wondered who it was, but he felt closely-linked to that other person talking to him. "Who are you?" he thought silently as his soul was suddenly filled with determination.
…
"My name is Sephiroth…"
oOoOo
Go back to sleep.
oOoOo
-The end.-