Disclaimers- Non con, violence, character death and angst (wow, those just give it all away don't they?)

Chapter 16

Rude walked into his apartment to find Reno sitting on the couch flipping through channels and several empty beer bottles next to him. When his partner heard the door open and close he turned and waved a greeting. Rude looked at his watch.

"Weren't you supposed to be with Yazoo?"

Reno shrugged, "He's not feeling up to it. Hey get this, he said something about Loz having Elena over for dinner."

Rude shrugged, no big deal, they ate over at each others places all the time, but, wait… Reno was watching him expectantly with a devilish grin on his face. Realization dawned on Rude.

"You have got to be kidding."

Reno shook his head. "Not this time partner. I'm talking candles and wine and the whole shebang man."

Rude took a second to swallow that, Elena, the woman who he had seen grow into a full fledged and particularly brutal Turk, was being romanced by a Sephiroth clone who apparently could cook, with wine and candles. Rude decided to not ever really think things like that over again anytime soon.

"You saw this yourself?"

"Naw, you think I would let her live that down? Yazoo called earlier. Guess Rufus wore him out." Something flickered across Reno's face that Rude couldn't really identify. He didn't press though, what went on between those two was definitely not his business.

But man, Elena and Loz, who would have thought?


Loz was smiling and practically whistling to himself from the second he woke up the next morning. The night with Elena had been great, fun in a way that was very new to him. They had been up most of the night talking about almost any subject that had come up until they were both yawning and Elena said she had to able to work the next day. When he walked her to the door she had smiled up at him in a way that made something in his chest flip. They hadn't kissed, it just didn't feel right yet, but Loz was pretty sure that she wouldn't have protested if he had.

As he began sorting through the dishes getting ready to wash them. When one slipped from his hands and clattered against the table he glanced at Yazoo's door wondering when his brother would wake up. It was late afternoon now and he hadn't seen any sign of him. Loz sighed and wondered if maybe he had left to see Reno some time during the night. Yeah, that was probably it. Yazoo just wasn't really the kind of person to lay in bed all day unless he was sick. Loz finished up the dishes with another smile on his face thinking about blonde hair and big blue eyes.

Yazoo had locked the door, turned off all the lights and tried to be as silent as possible. Hopefully Loz would think he was sleeping and leave him alone. Reno would be heading to work soon so he wouldn't have to worry, at least not until tonight when he would relieve him and take his place back with Rufus. Yazoo tried not to think about it. The more he did the more he thought about running, as far as he could for as long as he could.

But that was an unrealistic fantasy at best. He couldn't leave Loz and wouldn't leave Reno so he had basically caged himself here and Rufus knew it. Yazoo uncurled slowly from where he was lying on the bed. Muscles protested but he felt better than yesterday, looking down at his skin he could see that the marks and welts from yesterday had mostly faded. He had taken the rings through his nipples out and flushed the hated pieces of metal down the toilet.

Very slowly he got up and stretched gently. He would not walk into that office tonight limping or seeming hurt in any way. He would act like nothing had ever happened and hope that Rufus didn't plan on making this a regular event every time he was on guard duty. His cell phone rang, Reno's number on the screen. Yazoo picked it up and a sharp pang went through his chest, he didn't answer the phone.


"Reno said that you and Elena had dinner last night."

Loz almost missed blocking the punch Rude threw at him at the statement. He hadn't expected word to get around so fast. He felt himself blush a little and counter attacked Rude.

"Yeah"

What more was there to say? Would Rude have a problem with it? Loz suddenly realized that he wasn't sure how any of the other Turks would feel if they knew how he felt about Elena. He stopped the spar and took a step back.

"I don't mean to cause problems or anything… I just.. I mean-" Loz wasn't sure he knew how to say what he wanted to. Every way he phrased it seemed off.

Rude lowered his shades to look him I the eye. "Its not a problem. But if you break her heart or anything I would watch your back. Not from any of us, but she can be mean if you piss her off."

Loz laughed. He and Yazoo had already felt a bit of just how mean Elena could be and he had to admit, he didn't really enjoy being on her bad side. Rude fell back into a fighting stance and Loz joined him. He was glad that he had gotten that out in the open. But there was still something tugging at the back of his mind that had been overshadowed by this new thing with Elena.

He couldn't quite put his finger on exactly what it was but the thought was swept away in the fight as he returned his attention to Rude.


Reno knocked on the brothers apartment door. No answer, trying the door he found it unlocked and went in. The place seemed empty and he glimpsed a hastily scribbled schedule on the kitchen counter giving the times when the brothers would be on guard duty with Rufus and various other small little missions that all of them were sent on every week or so.

Apparently Yazoo was with Rufus again tonight. A bit of inspiration hit the redhead and he went to his lover bedroom. It was empty but something odd caught his eye. A set of Yazoo's leather pants was lying on the bathroom sink a pink stained towel lying next to it and folded to hide the stain. Reno knew that color, he had seen it a million times on his own towels after a hard mission or fight. Picking up the pants he searched for tears or any place that would indicate Yazoo had been wounded.

The pants were in fine shape but for the small remaining traces of blood he could see on them. Reno frowned. That was odd. On a whim he checked the first aid kit that was standard issue to every bathroom in their quarters. The anti-biotic and potion were missing. Reno found the remnants in the trash. So Yazoo had been hurt enough o use a potion and some elementary first aid and had been bleeding, no obvious signs of injury that he could see….

Rufus hadn't said anything during his shift that would hint that anything unexpected had happened the night before, in fact the President had been in an abnormally good mood. Reno decided to wait for Yazoo until he got home, even if it was just to get some logical explanation he had missed Yazoo the past two days and decided it would be worth it.

With that decided Reno flopped onto his lovers bed and turned into Yazoo's scent still clinging to the sheets. It was when he felt the damp pillow that he knew something was wrong. This was something familiar too, and he knew that Yazoo was not the type of person to cry himself to sleep for no reason.


Yazoo had been wrong in his thinking that Rufus would be satisfied and not ask anything of him tonight. He had also been wrong when he had thought he had healed. Tonight was making the last one feel like a warm up. Rufus seemed to love the remaining marks on his skin and attacked them with teeth and nails as if he couldn't get enough of seeing the small involuntary flinches he got from Yazoo. He was tied again, this time face down on the bed, his arms above his head and his legs spread. Rufus had toyed with him for hours, finding new ways to make him look away in embarrassment or wince in pain.

But in the end it was the same, Rufus slammed into him hard. No more preparation than last time and Yazoo wondered if there was even a possibility he would ever just be numb to something that hurt so much. Biting the sheets below him to keep from crying out Yazoo tried to put his mind somewhere else, when he felt something that made him freeze and tense.


Reno dialed Yazoo's number over and over with no answer. Something was really fucking wrong, he didn't know what but that didn't make it any less true. He was racing through the hallway to the place Rude and Loz sparred when he ran into Tseng.

"Reno, what are you doing?"

Reno stopped and thought for a second, if he was wrong Tseng would be pissed, but no, he wasn't wrong. "I have to find Yazoo, he's not answering his phone and I just, well, I cant explain it all but I'm sure on this one."

Tseng nodded and motioned for him to continue, following Reno with his calm, measured tread. Reno burst out the door, Rude and Loz stopped what they were doing.

"Loz! Find Yazoo, use that trick you do, or something but just do it now!" Reno stopped next to him. Urgency flickered around him and Loz looked up to see Tseng with him. Now he too had the sense that something was very wrong.

Closing his eyes and blocking off the world he reached out for his brother. It wasn't hard to find him this time.

Pain, it hurts so much….. don't scream, don't let him hear you scream. Fucking bastard, I hate you I hate I hate you…. Reno…. Loz….gods it hurts……

A flash of blonde hair and a white room and sheets stained with blood, Yazoo's blood. Loz broke the connection as anger washed through him. Without a word he took of running for Rufus's rooms, Reno and the other two Turks on his heels.

When he got to the door to Rufus's quarters Tseng stepped in front of him. "What is going on?"

Loz growled and moved to push the man out of his way. Tseng had his gun drawn and aimed at him before he had the chance. "He's hurting my brother now stand aside!" Ignoring the gun Loz pushed past Tseng, Reno helping him and slammed open the door to the room. Like a beacon in the completely white room, Yazoo's clothes and his Velvet Nightmare were draped over the couch. Loz strode through the room to the door where he could hear voices. Nothing could have prepared him for what he saw when he opened it.


Yazoo felt Loz's mind brush his and couldn't help screaming his brothers name in something like horror. Rufus froze and yanked his head up and back. "Don't you know he cant hear you? No one can hear you."

Yazoo pulled his head away and struggled against the bonds. He snapped both legs free but was having more trouble with the ones on his arms. Rufus tried to restrain him, Yazoo kicked him away roughly, Loz was on his way and there was nothing he could do to hide what had happened because Loz KNEW. Yazoo was caught between shame and relief. Loz was coming, but what would happen? What would Rufus do to them now?

Yazoo turned himself to lay on his back and continued to struggle. A sharp blow across his face from Rufus was the last straw he needed. He felt skin tear on his wrists as he broke through the rope that bound them, but the first thing he did was ball a hand into a fist and slam into the side of the President face. Rufus fell against the headboard, anger blazing in his eyes as he recovered to try for Yazoo again. Yazoo grabbed the sheet and wrapped it around himself, it was probably silly but it made him feel better. Rufus lunged for him and Yazoo brought up and elbow into his ribs. In response Rufus grabbed the flail he had been using earlier and pulled his hand back to swing it.

He never got the chance as Loz caught his arm and promptly broke it. Yazoo practically sobbed in relief and relaxed back onto the bed. Tseng had a gun trained on Loz so the clone tossed the wounded President aside to go to his brother. Reno stood by the door in shock. Tseng was kneeling by Rufus and Loz was gathering Yazoo into his arms, the later clone was naked but for a bloodstained sheet. The torn ropes hanging from his limbs and their counter parts attached to the posters of the bed made everything that had been taking place very clear. Reno went to help Yazoo and Loz.

Rufus was yelling orders to contain the clones. Tseng wasn't responding, just watching him with a kind of deadly cold coming over his eyes. Rude had his gun drawn but wasn't sure who to shoot or who to help. Loz was trying to leave the room, his brother cradled in his arms and Reno was holding him back trying to get a look at his lover. In general, it was havoc. But Rude heard the soft whisper that cut through the room like a knife. And he saw the look on Rufus's face as he heard them.

You had me…

The gun shot rang out and brought complete silence to the room. At first Rufus didn't move, just looked up at Tseng with a kind of disbelief in his eyes. But the bullet hole in his chest and through his heart won out and the President of Shinra slumped to the floor, dead.

Tseng holstered his gun, face blank, and walked out of the room without looking back. No one tried to stop him.