And all confessions not yet stated
Our next sin is contemplated
Never did we know
That we'd be bought and sold
When we were innocent, innocent
We were innocent
Innocent by Fuel
Chapter 17 finale
He was losing blood faster than he had thought. Yazoo leaned against the wall as another wave of dizziness passed. He had finally made it to the labs in the old Shinra building. It was the only floor where the power was kind of working. He flicked on a console of computers and smiled faintly at the hum and buzz of them coming to life. He knew enough about computers to be able to destroy any data they contained. There had been no paper documentation that he could find and he didn't have anything left to set the building ablaze.
/My Son…………../
Yazoo's blood ran cold at the voice in his head. It seemed like it had been forever since he had heard it. Mother. Jenova. He shook his head. It had to be the blood loss.
/Come here Yazoo………./
He turned from the monitors. It was unmistakable, it had to be her. He followed the pull of the voice down the empty corridors. He paused outside of a high security door. He had no way to get in and was pondering going to find the chemicals to make a small explosive when the door whisked open. It was dark but for the faint glow of monitors and in the back towards the center of the room, a tank.
Yazoo felt a burst of happiness. He had found her! After so long……..Mother.
No, traitor…murderer. Lies and deceit.
Yazoo put his hands to his head. His thoughts and feelings were at war with each other. He had come here to destroy Jenova. Kadaj and Loz……………. She had led them to believe in the lie that had set them on the journey that had gotten them killed. She couldn't care for them, they were just her tools. Right?
But they had always thought they would finally be a family. No more sterile labs with painful and torturous experiments. No more endless journeys. Just a home, and someone to care for them………………….. Mother.
Yazoo looked up and lowered his hands to his sides. Inside the tank there was a torso and a leg. It almost made him sick yet he could still hear her voice in his head. Calling to him and telling him she would make all his dreams come true.
How can a corpse love? How can a rotting piece of flesh comfort and care?
Yazoo lifted Velvet Nightmare and shot at the tank. It shattered and the viscous liquid spilled over the floor. Alarms went off and lights flashed. The pieces of Jenova were on the floor lying in the mess. The smell of formaldehyde filled the air and Yazoo smiled, glad there were so many things in this world that were flammable. Before he could try and spark another fire with a bullet the liquid seeped into the electrical equipment and crackled to a blaze on its own. The smell of burned wire and chemicals forced him out of the room.
Yazoo turned back to head to the room where he still needed to destroy the files on the Jenova project when he saw the bald headed Turk.
Cursing the Turk under his breath he watched as the man began advancing towards him. This floor would burn and Yazoo had yet to finish his job. The fire raged unabated since the building was already so far gone that the sprinklers and fire retardants probably wouldn't work. The lights in the hallway behind him were already blinking off.
Yazoo darted down another hallway and hoped to find an alternate route to his destination. He was about to round another corner when he almost caught the Turks fist with his jaw. Yazoo spun out of his range and fell into a fighting stance.
They traded blows and Yazoo realized that the larger man had him outdone in raw power. While Yazoo was faster and not exactly a weak, he was wounded and was losing energy quickly. He missed a dodge and caught a kick square in the chest that sent him to the floor. He coughed as he tried to get his breath back and blackness swept over his vision for a second. He heard the sound of a gun cock and quickly drew Velvet Nightmare. The two aimed at each other at the same time and were suddenly stalemated.
Yazoo shot over the Turks shoulder and then rushed passed him in his moment of confusion. Rude recovered quickly and fired but Yazoo was able to make it into the room. He quickly shut the door and locked it. It was steel so it would hold for a bit but he didn't have much time. He went to the computer console and began breaking passwords and deleting and erasing hard drives and files. There was already a self termination program installed. He would run that as well just for good measure when he was through. He was just about to activate it when the door was thrown off its hinges.
Yazoo aimed Velvet Nightmare again. He let his fingers launch the self termination program. Rude aimed at him as well. Yazoo sighed. He was in a bind with this one. He didn't want to kill the Turk but he didn't want to die either.
Rapid footsteps and Reno's voice calling Rude's name set Yazoo into action. There was no way he could survive a fight against the two of them. He fired. Rude did as well but his shot missed as Yazoo shot him three times in the chest. Rude fell to his knees then slumped to the floor on his side.
Reno appeared in the doorway.
Redflame
Reno ran towards the sound of the gunshots and called to his partner. There was the sound of metal tearing against metal and then he rounded the corner to hear more gunshots coming from a room to his left. What he saw made his heart stop.
Rude fell to the floor with three bullets in his chest. Yazoo was still holding his smoking gun.
Time seemed to stop for just a second. There was blood on the floor. Rude was lying so still. Yazoo was staring at him with this blank look on his face. Reno could smell smoke.
Rude, the only person in the world that understood him. His partner. His best friend. The man who had been there with him through everything. More than a brother…
Reno had thought he knew rage. People had always told him that he had a temper. This was beyond any anger Reno had ever felt. It was like burning ice in his veins. Before he knew what was happening he had run into the room and knelt by Rude side taken his gun and was firing.
He didn't really know what was happening. He just kept hearing the report of the gun until he was out of rounds and it was just clicks. Then there was a hand on his taking the gun away. There were tears streaming down his cheeks and his throat was raw. Had he been screaming?
Rude. Rude was taking the gun away. But Rude was dead. That was why Reno was so mad. Yazoo had killed Rude. Then it dawned on Reno. The blood was all Yazoo's. Rude was wearing the bulletproof vest that was standard Turk uniform. Reno never wore it. He had almost thrown it out along with all the ties.
Reno looked towards Yazoo. He had fallen back against the console and was sliding to the floor. His blood was streaming down the black leather from the multiple bullet wounds and the slash in his side. Yazoo had a look of shock on his face that quickly turned to a kind of whistful sadness. He dropped Velvet Nightmare and laid down onto the floor. He was always so graceful. Even in death he was graceful.
Reno came to his side. Yazoo didn't seem to see him at first, then the jewel green eyes met his crystal blue. "I told you that I would scare the hell out of you someday" he said softly. Reno wanted to laugh but instead he choked on tears. Gods this had gone wrong. So horribly fucking wrong.
He felt another presence behind him and looked up. Kadaj was standing there looking down at his brother. Loz came and knelt beside him.
Yazoo smiled at them. A true peaceful and content smile that sent a piercing pang through Reno's heart. He looked so young and so beautiful.
"Come on Yazoo. We've come to get you" said Loz.
Kadaj stood over them protectively "Yes, hurry up Yazoo, lets go"
Yazoo turned his eyes back to Reno. "Tell everyone….."
Reno took Yazoo's hand and cut him off. "Don't worry. I know what to tell them. I…. I'm sorry."
A tear fell from Reno's cheek to mix with Yazoo's blood that was pooling on the floor.
"Its okay……. I would have done the same." The words were a whisper but Reno heard them clear as day. Then the green eyes closed.
Loz picked up Yazoo, cradling him in his arms and stood. Kadaj came beside him and smirked at Reno.
There was a burst of green light and they were gone.
Authors Note- don't be mad, just go to the epilogue. Oh and if you are wondering when Yazoo told Reno he would scare the hell out of him please refer to 'In the Hands of the Enemy' at the end of chapter 6. He he he.
