Loz felt himself drowsing off. He forced himself awake again. "I can't sleep. Not until I know Yazoo is okay... not until..." Loz yawned. "I can see him..." His eyes closed and he drifted into oblivion. A memory that had been locked away in his subconcious slowly took form...
"LOZ! RUN!" Yazoo screamed. "TAKE KADAJ AND RUN!!!" Loz looked around. Kadaj lay motionless on the floor a few feet away. Loz scooped him up and started to the door. Gunshots pierced the air. He looked back at Yazoo standing with his back pressing the door closed. His guns were out and he had a fearful look on his face. "RUN!"
"I won't leave you Yazoo!!!" Loz screamed over the blasts that shattered the night. " I can't leave you here!" Smoke stung his eyes and the scent of gunpowder made his throat burn. Kadaj moaned softly in his arms.
"I'LL BE FINE! JUST TAKE KADAJ AND RUN!" Yazoo had a look in his eyes. The look he got when he knew a situation was hopeless. Loz ran towards the door. He looked back at Yazoo and saw his brother's distressed face streaked with tears. His pale lips trembled. "I'LL SEE YOU SOON NII-SAN! I PROMISE!"
Loz had never known Yazoo to break a promise. He looked back at Yazoo and screamed, " BE CAREFUL!" He ran to the other door and kicked it down. Once more, he looked over his shoulder. He did this just in time to see Yazoo's lips form the words, "I love you."
Loz woke up, suddenly in need of water. He could feel the memory of smoke and gunpowder burning in his throat. He walked to the water fountain and took a drink. He felt eyes staring at him. He looked over his shoulder and saw a female nurse staring at him. When he met her eyes she blushed and looked away. He walked back to his seat and sighed. It was going to be a long night.
Loz sat for awhile in the waiting room. Soon, he got fidgety and stood up, stretching his muscles. He walked a few steps and then jumped up and down a few times to wake his legs up. He was still worried, but he had a new hope. He turned to sit down again and noticed a pair of black gloves. The pair that Yazoo had given him. He picked them up and sat down. They felt heavier than they should've and there was something inside of one of them. He shook it out.
Loz gasped softly. In his hand laid a silver mirror. Kadaj's silver mirror. Loz felt tears in his eyes. He looked at the gloves and noticed they were smaller than his or Yazoo's. Kadaj's gloves... Loz stroked the mirror's surface gently, like it would shatter if he put a fraction of pressure on it. Carefully, he opened it. He was greeted by his own reflection. Looking inside, like he remembered, only one mirror was intact. The other side had a small picture of the three brothers in it. Loz raised his eyebrows. This picture was glossy. A print of a picture from a camera. With a steady finger, he pulled it out gently. Underneath it was another, and another, and another. He took out about six photos until he saw the one Kadaj had drawn with charred wood so many years ago.
"So Kadaj was keeping pictures of the three of us in here..." Loz smiled through his tears. Oh Kadaj... Loz smiled and tucked the pictures back into the mirror. He noticed one had dropped to the floor. He leaned over to pick it up. When he did, he examined it. It was a photo of the three of them, but it had writing on the back. Loz had to squint to read Kadaj's small, messy manuscript.
Together, Forever and For Always. Loz, Yazoo, and Kadaj.
Loz took a breath and wiped his eyes on his sleeve. He had been crying a lot lately. Loz chuckled. "Heh... Kadaj would be pretty happy with all the jokes he could make... then again, if Kadaj was here, none of this would've happened..." Loz looked up to see the doctor he had been speaking to a few hours earlier. "Oh, hey. How's...?" Loz trailed off. The doctor had a somber look on his face. Loz prepared himself for the worst. The doctor looked at him silently. Loz realized he had stopped breathing and inhaled deeply.
"Your brother... he's..." The doctor sat down next to Loz. Loz looked at his somber face. "Your brother... it was a miracle..."
"What?" Loz looked at him. He had heard about 'miracles' before, from Jenova. "A... a what?"
"A miracle... the bullet was lodged in so deep, we thought we were going to fracture the spinal cord if we took it out. But it came out." The doctor paused. "You see, the thing with miracles is... there's always good and bad news..." The doctor trailed off, staring into space.
"What's the bad news?" Loz felt himself choking up.
"We didn't fracture the spine... not majorly. The thing is..." The doctor looked at Loz. " Your brother... he... he may never be able to use his legs again..."
Oooh sweet suspense!! Stay tuned!