Disclaimer: Characters in this story are copyrights of Square Enix. They are by no means mine. Only the storyline belongs to me. If by any chance I have used any ideas similar to those of existing authors, please inform me so that I may change the details. If there is no notice, I will take it that usage of the idea is permitted. Thank you.

Legend

"…" conversation

'…' thoughts

break

Second Chances

Chapter Eight: Fault

He could never understand the things he did or why he did them. Yazoo refused to acknowledge the one possible notion that might link that person's strange deeds to his own even stranger reactions, so he settled for the easiest thought that came to him. Reno was an absolute moron.

The redhead came back two nights later after that incident outside the restroom. He had said nothing to Yazoo, didn't even bother explaining the plaster on his cheek. Obviously, he had forgotten all about it! For some reason, Yazoo was really put out with that. Of course, it did not make much sense to the silver-haired youth. Why was he feeling so upset?

This was all Reno's fault! Yes, it's all his fault. It's only justified that he felt angry with Reno. He should just forget about what happened and ignore him. That's right, just ignore him.

Young Kadaj was facing perhaps a similar problem to that of his elder brother. However, unlike Yazoo, he was not stubborn to the extent of overlooking all possibilities. Since he did not really understand the nature of this odd little problem, the best thing to do, he reasoned, was to ask someone who might know. And who better to bring your queries to if not your eldest brother?

Kadaj reckoned that the best time to ask was when they were alone, so he picked a particular evening when they were supposed to do the shopping together. Loz suggested that they stop by a small café for a drink, so he agreed.

"So…" The short-haired man leaned forward. "What's the problem?"

"Huh? How did you guess? I haven't even said anything."

"It's written all over your face, Kadaj. Is there something you want to talk to me about?" Loz looked at him intently over his cup of coffee.

"Well…" Kadaj hesitated. How should he put this?

"When you start to pay a lot of attention to someone, what does it mean?"

Loz rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Can you be more specific? In what way do you mean, pay attention?"

"You find that you're always looking at that person. You're always thinking about the person, and you can't help but worry sometimes." Kadaj looked absently at his caramel latte.

"And then, strange things happen to you when the person is around. When that person looks at you, you find that you can't breathe, and your heart seems to beat faster."

"You notice the things they say and the things they do in greater detail. You want to be close to them but you can't…because every time, it hurts here…" Kadaj laid a hand on his heart.

"That's love."

Kadaj looked at his brother. The man had a small, understanding smile on his face.

"What's…love?"

"It's when you care deeply for someone, you want them to be safe and you want to protect them so that they can be happy. You don't only think about them, but also for them, for their happiness, their well-being. It's not something I can put in words." Loz shrugged.

"But…can we…love?" After all, Kadaj couldn't forget the fact that they were born of Jenova's thoughts.

"Everybody can love, and everybody deserves to be loved," Loz said confidently, then added softly. "That's what she taught me."

"She?" The younger boy stared at his brother incredulously. Loz, apparently not intending for him to hear that, laughed nervously and shook his head.

"No, no, nothing at all!"

Kadaj narrowed his eyes.

"Loz…" he started. Loz chose not to meet his gaze, further elevating his suspicion.

"Are you hiding something from me? Who're you talking about?"

"Uh…"

"You're not telling me…" Kadaj's emerald eyes dilated in shock. "Are you in love with someone?"

Loz blushed and nodded somewhat sheepishly.

"Who is it? Is it someone we know?" Again, the man nodded.

"Someone we know…" Something clicked in his mind. Kadaj took on an expression of disbelief and stared at Loz.

"You're what?" Both Kadaj and Loz winced as Yazoo's voice went several octaves higher. "Tifa? The Tifa?"

Yazoo had gone pale with shock and some form of silent outrage.

"Why her, of all the women in the world? Why her?"

"He's taking it rather badly, isn't he?" Kadaj whispered to Loz, a small grin tugging at his lips.

"Well, we know that he isn't overly fond of Tifa, but he'll get over it."

"How long…how far gone are…" spluttered Yazoo.

"We're going out, you can say." Loz rubbed the bridge of his nose, slightly embarrassed.

Yazoo choked, and then he threw his hands up into the air and uttered a string of very creative curses. Kadaj tried to calm his brother.

"Come on, Yazoo. It's not that bad."

"Of course it's not! Wait till she's our sister-in-law!" lamented the long-haired youth.

Kadaj was slightly stunned at the prospect of marriage between the two.

"H-Hey! We're not taking it that far yet!" Loz was blushing to the roots of his hair.

Suddenly, a low chuckle issued from the door. All three turned to find Cloud leaning on the doorframe, amusement twinkling in his blue eyes. Kadaj felt his breath catch in his chest. He had never seen the blond smile before.

"What's so funny?" snapped Yazoo.

"It's like Kadaj said," The boy felt his heart skip a beat at the mention of his name. "It's not that bad."

"Easy for you to say… You're not the one she has a grudge against, and if they ever planned to get together permanently…" Yazoo shuddered.

"Don't worry, Tifa won't eat you alive." Cloud assured him. "The two of you get along fine, actually."

"Then why does she like to pick fights with me?" demanded Yazoo.

Cloud shrugged. "She's enjoys it, I guess."

"Agh! Why me?"

Cloud couldn't remember the last time he had actually displayed his mirth. It was just…the reaction of the three brothers had looked so hilarious! And he was feeling oddly relaxed at that time. Why? When did that happen? He had been worrying about the Lifestream before that, until Tifa sent him up to call the three down for dinner. Then when he arrived at their room, he opened the door a crack and saw Kadaj. The youngest boy had been chuckling at Yazoo's dramatic antics. Immediately, the sight filled him with an odd satisfaction, pushing his worries away as the sound of his laughter filled his ears.

Cloud looked up from his plate, blue orbs darting to the left before settling back on his meal. The table rang with laughter as Kadaj and Yuffie teased Loz and Tifa continuously while Yazoo mumbled darkly under his breath. He was watching him again, he knew that. But Cloud couldn't help himself, mesmerised by the way his eyes crinkled in delight, the tinkling laughter flowing from those parted lips, the way he pushed those delicate silver strands out of his eyes.

And then, Kadaj was looking at him in the eye, a small, sweet smile gracing his face. The eye contact was brief, like a brushing of their conscience, but Cloud could feel the profound effect of that fleeting moment. He quickly removed his gaze from the silver-haired boy, wondering why his chest hurt.

All these little movements went unnoticed by most, but they did not escape the observant eye of a particular martial artist. A small suspicion nudged at the back of her mind but she decided not to pursue it now.

Rude was worried. Something was wrong with his partner, but he didn't know what the problem was. The usually carefree and buoyant redhead had been significantly subdued lately. Reno still joked around, but Rude was his partner, and he could tell that he did it half-heartedly. Sometimes, he caught Reno staring distantly at nothing in particular. He did not mention anything however, so Rude did not enquire the matter. It was not proper to poke into someone else's business, especially when that person did not want to talk about it. It didn't stop him from worrying though.

"Thank you very much!" called Loz after the drunken customer.

"Whew! That's the last one. Let's clean up."

Kadaj grabbed a rag and proceeded to wipe the tables while Yazoo disposed the empty bottles and cans into black plastic bags. Loz submerged the glasses in water, leaving the washing for tomorrow. After they had swept the place clean and rearranged the chairs, Loz and Kadaj stretched tiredly.

"Why don't you two head to bed? I'll take out the garbage." Yazoo offered.

"'Kay then. G'night…" mumbled Loz as he climbed the stairs.

"Good night, Yazoo. Remember to lock up," reminded Kadaj.

"Okay. Good night."

Yazoo carried the plastic bags and deposited them neatly into the garbage bin outside. Turning around, he received a slight shock to see Reno emerging from the shadows.

"Oh, it's you. The bar's closed already so – hey!"

Reno had crossed the distance between them in three long strides and pushed Yazoo against the wall.

"What the hell are you doing, you idiot?" yelled the silver-haired youth. Reno was clutching his shoulders tightly.

"Just what is wrong with…" he trailed off as Reno raised his eyes level with his.

The intensity in the Turk's gaze was so unnatural, it frightened him slightly. He wondered if Reno had been drinking but dismissed the thought quickly. His eyes were clear and penetrating, not a trace of drunkenness in them. Yazoo suppressed a shudder.

Reno jerked him close and crushed his lips against his. It was happening all over again, just like the time in the hallway. He couldn't move; it was as if his willpower was robbed from him. Then, regaining his breath, Yazoo struggled in Reno's hold. But the redhead bit his lower lip and he gasped from the sudden sting. Wrong move. Reno's tongue intruded the cavern of his mouth as he kissed him almost forcefully. In spite of himself, Yazoo moaned into the kiss, feeling the strength leave his body. His legs felt as though they might give out on him; impulsively, he grabbed the front of Reno's shirt to hold himself up.

With a great deal of effort, though a part of him protested, Yazoo pulled away from the kiss. He gasped for the cold night air, and heard the heavy breathing of the redhead. He said nothing, not trusting his voice after the breathless moment.

"This is all your fault."

Reno was staring at him again with those intense eyes. Suddenly, Yazoo felt a surge of anger.

"My fault? You started this!" growled the silver-haired youth.

"Me? You seduced me!" retorted Reno. Yazoo fumed. Now he was being plain ridiculous!

"Before you came along, I was just fine! I didn't have all these troubles, this – this feeling! And then, you had to pull that stunt back at the hallway!"

"What? As I recall it, you were the one who kissed me!" Yazoo tried to push him away but Reno held him in place. Frustrated, he burst out. "Just what is your problem?"

"You, dammit! You don't know yourself, do you? You're too damn beautiful for your own good."

Yazoo stared at Reno, dumbfounded.

"At first I thought it was just a passing fancy, but I couldn't get rid of this feeling. I can't stop thinking about you," Reno's grip on his shoulder tightened, a pained expression on his face. "I can't bear to see other people being close to you. Every time I'm near you, it's like you're tempting me and I feel like I'm going to lose control."

"God, I want you! I want you so badly it hurts! I – I think, I love you." confessed the redhead. Reno bit his lower lip, the pain he was feeling almost too much to bear.

He had to drown out the pain, or he might die. He kissed Yazoo again, embracing him desperately. He didn't care if the youth might kill him later, didn't care that he might reject him. All he wanted now was for the pain to go away, to taste Yazoo, to feel him in his arms.

Yazoo's mind was reeling from the strong emotions emanating from the Turk. The kiss and the embrace aroused an equally strong emotion in him and it was telling him to give in to the warmth. Wrapping his arms around Reno's waist, Yazoo returned the kiss just as passionately.

The pain was disappearing, and the warmth was growing. When they parted for oxygen, cheeks flushed, Reno could feel a tentative spark of hope flicker inside him. For a long time they merely stared at each other.

"So…does this mean…" asked the redhead. Yazoo averted his eyes and mumbled something inaudible.

"What was that?"

"I said yes, idiot! I admit I like you as well!" Yazoo felt the heat crawl up his cheeks.

Reno broke into a grin. Ignoring Yazoo's protests, he hugged him, burying his face in the soft hair.

"You know, you're absolutely cute when you blush." Reno commented cheekily.

"Oh, shut up!"

A/N: Finally! I think we've all been waiting for Yazoo and Reno to get over their denial and smooch already! Personally, I had a lot of fun writing this chapter. I was considering whether to make Reno his usual clowning self, but I thought it might be more appealing to make him a little more serious and aggressive. Mind you, I think it worked better at getting his feelings through to Yazoo! Some of you might think Tifa x Loz came as an absolute surprise, but this is exactly how the other characters feel. I hope I've managed to express it well.

Ah, I apologise to those who are waiting for the Cloud x Kadaj, their relationship is more complex, so I'll need it to develop it further before I can write a scene like this for them. Sorry…T.T On the other hand, I hope that I am able to make you appreciate their emotional struggles. Please review, as I welcome critiques and opinions! Thank you!