Chapter Eleven

Pain

Yazoo sank to his knees as the sound and light of the explosion faded away. Fear, pain and grief gripped him heart, body, and soul.

"Raven!" Aelita screamed. She turned away from the forest to face her lover,

"Come on we have to go now!" she yelled, tears spilling down her cheeks.

"Alright, just let me grab Souba." Kadaj replied and he turned to enter their home.

"Don't bother." Yazoo whispered as he stared at the ring on his hand.

"Wha-what?" Aelita stammered, "Why do you say that? Don't you care about her?"

"Yes…I care." He murmured and stroked the ring with his left index finger, "I care very much."

"But?" Loz asked.

"She's gone."

"Oh…God…you don't mean…" Aelita gulped, "…dead, do you?"

"No. She just…transported, or teleported, or whatever it's called." Yazoo didn't know how he knew that, but he was sure she had done just that, "She probably took him with her."

"Why the hell would she do that?" Kadaj snapped.

"To protect us." Aelita answered, her eyes wide. "She told me to…to come back to you guys…but she also said that we should help her. Why would she--"

"She lied, Aelita." Yazoo said softly as he rose to his feet, "She knew all along that she was going to get that creep away from us."

"How do you know?" Loz sneered.

"The ring." Was all he said before he turned and made his way in the direction of Raven's last display of power.

ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ

Raven groaned as she came to. She bit back a cry as pain shot through her when she lifted her head. Just like in one of her visions, she hung from a wall, her arms above her. She cursed and fought against her bindings. And then she realized how…empty she felt. She reached for her power deep in her core and felt…nothing. Hyperventilating, Raven thrashed against her bonds. Tears streamed down her face as she sobbed. Several times in her life she had wondered what it would be like to just be normal. To have no powers. And now that she knew she wanted them back.

As she cried as comforting warmth became present on her left wrist. She glanced up to see her mother's bracelet glowing dully.

"Mother…?" she whispered. She coughed after speaking and realized her throat was raw. 'I must have screamed…' she thought. The door clicked heavily as it was unlocked and she turned to see who was coming. Her previous vision flashed before her eyes.

"Yazoo?" she croaked, wanting nothing more than to see him.

The door opened and Sephiroth entered. Hatred burned through Raven's body as he walked over to stand before her.

"Hello, my darling." He murmured and smiled at her, eyes sparkling. "How are you today?"

"How long have I been out?" she asked softly, her voice dripping with disdain.

"About five days." He smirked. Raven closed her eyes and took a deep breath. If she had been standing she probably would have fallen over. 'Does that mean they aren't going to come for me?' she thought sadly.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

"For what?" she snapped.

"For me." He smiled and spread out his hands. Raven's heart sank and she felt nauseated as Sephiroth waved his hands and she fell from the wall. He caught her easily and walked out the door. She was too weak to resist.

"Get ready for a most pleasurable and…painful experience, my dear." He murmured and leaned down to brush his lips across her brow, avoiding the blue band. Raven closed her eyes again and swallowed, wishing she could be anywhere but in his arms.

ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ

Yazoo stared blankly at the 'battle grounds'. Raven had blown a small clearing in the trees that was in the shape of a perfect circle. Piles of debris stretched across the middle of the clearing. She was nowhere in site.

"He couldn't have walked off with her…" Aelita muttered to herself. She turned to her companions "I would feel them…and I don't. One second they were here and the next they were gone. Ugh…the hatred and fear here is almost tangible. Makes me want to vomit."

Yazoo ignored her as she chattered nervously next to Kadaj. Out of the corner of his eye he saw his little brother swiftly draw her into a hug and kiss her on the forehead. He turned away and studied the debris. They way it laid looked almost…deliberate.

"Hey, Kadaj." He said softly, "Does this not look…like it was done on purpose?"

Kadaj walked over to stand next to his brother. He nodded slowly after staring at the destroyed trees and earth for a while.

"Loz." He said. The older man walked over to hear his youngest brother's command, "Go up in a tree and see how this looks from above."

Loz nodded and ran over to a tree. He used his strange power to leap and run quickly up the glowing white tree, looking like a blue streak. He stood near the top of one of the largest trees around the clearing and frowned down at them. After a while he called to his brothers,

"It spells something!"

"What is it?" Yazoo yelled back, feeling panic grow in his chest.

"Seph-sephiroth." The large man hollered back down.

"Sephiroth…" Kadaj murmured. "Why does that sound so familiar?"

"Unh." Loz grunted as he landed next to them. He stood and brushed himself off, "What's a sephiroth?"

"I don't know…" Yazoo whispered, deep in thought. 'I've heard that before…what is it?' he thought.

"It's not a what, but a who." Aelita announced as she walked over to stand beside Kadaj.

"Huh?" her lover asked, looking at her with a frown.

"The man." She said slowly as it came to her. "The man who came for us. It's his name."

"How do you know?" Kadaj demanded.

"I…am not 100 sure how…I just do." She frowned. "He looked so familiar…and the name sounds familiar too. I swear I know him…but…I don't know."

"Come on…" Kadaj said after a while and took Aelita's hand. He began to lead her and Loz over to the edge of the clearing, "Standing around here won't help her. We need a plan."

"Raven…" Yazoo whispered and kissed the ring, "How will I find you?"

"Hey!" Loz yelled over his shoulder, "Hurry up, brother!"

Yazoo nodded and followed quietly, trying to figure out how to find Raven.

ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ

"Oompf." Raven turned her head to the side so as not to suffocate in the soft pillow. Her fright had peeked when Sephiroth brought her into a dark bedroom and threw her face-first onto a bed with blood-red colored blankets and pillow cases. Fresh tears fell from her eyes and began to soak into the sheets beneath her face.

"Sit up." she heard him command in his honey-rich voice. Raven ignored him. 'I will never do what he wants.' She thought defiantly. His face suddenly appeared in her line of sight when he knelt beside the bed with a sigh,

"Raven. Don't be difficult, please." He reached out and brushed her hair out of her face, "Despite what you may think, I don't want to hurt you."

"Too late." She growled, unable to stop herself, and then leapt at him with a swing of her fist. 'I may not have my powers,' she thought, 'but I sure as hell am a martial artist.' Her plans were quickly foiled when Sephiroth stood swiftly and stepped out of the way, causing the weakened violet-eyed woman to tumble off the bed. She flipped over and landed crouched on her feet. She glared up at him.

"Oh…that's too bad." He murmured while shaking his head. "You're way too weak. And you should never have tried to attack me."

His blue-green eyes flashed with anger and his right hand began to glow. He smiled down at her wickedly. When she sprang forward in another attack Sephiroth narrowed his eyes and clenched his hand into a fist. Pain erupted throughout Raven's body, originating at her wrists, ankles, and forehead. She screamed and crumpled on the cold floor.

Sephiroth waited for her to stop screaming and writhing before squatting down beside her,

"Now. Are you going to listen to me now?" he asked softly.

Raven could only reply with a whimper as the throbbing pain slowly faded away.

"I'll take that as a yes." Her captor decided with a sniff before picking her up and placing her more gently on the bed. She sat up without having to be told.

"Very good!" Sephiroth exclaimed, pleased. "You are learning already."

Raven shot him a dirty look.

"Now…" he continued thoughtfully, ignoring her dirty and hateful looks. He walked around to the foot of the bed, never taking his eyes off of her, "Hm…take off your clothes."

Raven gaped at him for a few seconds, before stammering,

"I most certainly will not." She hissed at him. His hand began to glow and he glared down at her. Raven set her jaw and returned his angry look.

"Too bad." He murmured. She flinched when his glowing hand formed a fist and the silver-haired man grinned at her reaction. She felt pricks of pain, almost like electricity, around the areas of her bonds. She closed her eyes. 'How am I supposed to get through this alive?' she thought wearily. She felt the warmth from her bracelet on her wrist again. And then she felt it. A small flare of her power deep in the core of her chest. She quickly made up her mind, realizing it would be better to take whatever Sephiroth planned without a fight. He would probably like her to scream and fight so he could cause her more pain. She knew what she had to do.

She opened her eyes and looked her silver-haired captor, so similar and yet so different from the man she now knew she loved. Slowly, so she wouldn't fall over, Raven rose to her knees and began to unlace her over-coat. Her hate-filled eyes never left Sephiroth's own intrigued ones. She chucked her coat at him and scowled to let him know she wasn't doing this happily. He caught the coat and threw it to the side in one swift movement. The violet-haired woman couldn't help herself, so she slowly took off her boots, wanting to torture him. She heard him growl in frustration as she set them down beside the bed. She faltered after that, though, not sure if she should take off her shirt or pants next. Sephiroth, however, decided that for her.

"Take off your shirt. Now." He snarled as he took off his odd armor-covered coat and then kicked off his boots. Raven slowly obliged, deftly taking off her necklace as she did so. When she leaned over to put the shirt with her boots she slipped the necklace into one of the boots. When she sat back up and looked at him again his eyes were filled with lust. 'This is not going to end well…' she thought, wishing she would have chosen to fight instead. She grimaced inwardly, 'At least I may have died that way.'

"Very nice." Sephiroth murmured as he looked over her upper body hungrily. He looked her in the eyes again and raised an eyebrow, "I believe you know what's next."

Raven sighed and slipped off the bed, wishing for once in her life that she had her period. She practically ripped off her pants, wanting to be as unattractive as possible. When she was finally in only her undergarments she placed her fists on her hips and glared at him.

"Get in the bed." He whispered huskily as his eyes trailed over her toned, yet voluptuous body. Raven closed her eyes and, with a deep breath, crawled onto the large bed. 'Oh he thinks I'll cooperate.' She thought grimly as he continued to watch her thoughtfully, 'He will rue the day he crossed me.' She sat down in the center of the soft bed and pulled her knees up to her chest. She wrapped her arms around her legs and rested her chin in the small crevice between her knees to watch him.

"Now…" Sephiroth said, clearing his throat after a few more moments of silence, "I think it is time for us to begin."

Raven thanked God that she could hide her fear so well as Sephiroth crawled towards her from the foot of the bed, a wicked grin playing across his mouth.

ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ

Yazoo rolled Raven's ring between his thumb and forefinger as he stared at the light-blue walls of his bedroom. It had been a week since the violet-eyed woman had disappeared, and that had not helped to settle his nerves. He looked down at the ring again to study it, though it was already burned into his memory. He saw it, along with Raven, in all his dreams now. He hated and loved it. A knock at the door pulled him partially from his thoughts,

"Yeah?" he called softly, still staring at the ring between his fingers. 'If something happens to her…' he didn't want to finish the thought.

"Yazoo?" Came Aelita's voice from the door, "Can I come in?"

"Um…yeah…" he said, now completely torn from his thoughts. He watched her enter his room and close the door silently behind her. He had been expecting one of his brothers, since it was a little difficult to find his room. Aelita walked over and settled herself beside him on his bed.

"Do you want to talk about it?" she looked at him curiously.

"About what?" he asked softly. He slowly slipped the ring back onto his finger before looking at her again. She was smiling sadly,

"I know this is tearing you up." she whispered, "Remember? I can sense emotions. Before…this…you hid your love for very well, but now you aren't controlling your emotions at all."

"I…" he trailed off.

"It usually helps to talk. And I won't say anything to Kadaj or Loz." She placed a comforting hand on his knee. He stared at the floor for several minutes before breaking the silence.

"I just…wish I would have accepted it and told her…before she…left." He said softly.

"Accepted what?" she asked, even though she already knew. Yazoo closed his eyes and prepared himself to say it aloud,

"That I'm falling in love with her." He said so softly that she barely heard him. Aelita waited for him to continue. He breathed heavily before speaking again, "I should have told her. When I woke up the other morning after spending the night with her…I just…was so comfortable. She felt so perfect in my arms. When we went to bed we weren't all that close. We were laying on our sides, her back to my chest. And when I woke up…she was almost on top of me and it felt right. She woke up when I was playing with her hair and she said it felt good." He closed his eyes and smiled sadly as he remembered. That morning had been bliss for him,

"And for fifteen or twenty minutes we just laid there together. I gave her a massage on the back of her head and she…stroked my stomach. It felt wonderful. I never wanted it to stop. I think I realized right then that I was…falling in love with her. I should have told her then…I think I would have if that idiot Loz hadn't interrupted us."

"Yazoo." Aelita said and gave him a sisterly hug, "We'll get her back. And when we do you should tell her."

"I will." He whispered, hugging her back. She felt so different than Raven and he didn't like that, "It's painful waiting though…we need to go get her quickly. And I have an idea."

ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ

Raven prepared herself to attack. The entire time Sephiroth had been kissing and nibbling her neck she had been limp and thought only of escape. She felt his hand play with the lining of her underwear and she gritted her teeth. He sat up and looked down at her lustfully as he ran his fingers along her thighs,

"Oh Raven…I want you." He murmured. And then she attacked him.

Sephiroth grunted when her knee connected with the side of his head. He fell towards the side of the bed and was about to sit back up when the heel of her foot slammed into his jaw. He tumbled off the bed and slammed into the wall. Raven didn't wait to see if she had knocked him unconscious, all she cared about was the door. She ran to it and threw it open, not even pausing before sprinting down the cold metal halls.

Raven's breath came short as her feet slapped lightly on the dull metal floor. She was surprised that she had met no guards or people yet. She was grateful for the adrenaline that coursed through her body and gave her the strength and stamina to run on. She wished she had more of her power so she could figure out how to get out of her prison. All she could do, however, was run blindly through the complex and take random turns.

'Oh no.' she thought when the skin around her bonds began to tingle. As she ran faster the tingles slowly faded away. 'Interesting.' She thought. 'Maybe there is a range on these things. If I get far enough away, maybe Sephiroth won't be able to hurt me.' She turned a corner and cursed as the hall ended at a single door. She ran to it and pulled frantically on the handle, swearing loudly when it wouldn't budge. She cried out in fear as the tingling began again and quickly elevated to intense stabs of pain. She released the door-knob and began to claw at the bands on her wrists as the pain began to spread through her body. Suddenly, the pain flared and she crumpled to the floor as tears flowed down her face. 'I will not scream.' She thought defiantly, though it was extremely difficult.

"That was stupid." She heard Sephiroth say as he approached her, "Did you really think you could get away from me?"

Raven's response was a whimper when he lifted her into his arms surprisingly gently. The pain slowly began to leave her weak body and by the time they were back in the bedroom it had completely faded away, though her wrists and ankles were gone and she was getting a migraine.

"I can't have that happening again." Sephiroth muttered to himself and somehow attached each wrist and ankle to a post of the bed after removing the rest of her clothes.

"Sephiroth…" she whispered his name for the first time. He glanced up into her tear-stained face. She gave him her most pleading look, "Please don't do this."

"Sorry, love." He murmured and kissed her breast bone. She bit back a whimper. He looked back up at her and smiled sadly, "This has to be done. I need a child. You will be a good mother."

Raven grimaced when he brushed his lips over hers. She closed her eyes when she felt him at her entrance. 'Thank you mother…' she thought as she released the little bit of power she got from the bracelet and protected herself. 'At least I won't get pregnant.' Sephiroth continued to kiss her neck and chest before entering, causing the violet-haired young woman to start hyperventilating. Being raped had always been a nightmare of hers, and that nightmare was about to come to life. She felt Sephiroth tense up and she braced herself, ready for the pain. She knew he was not going to be gentle with her.

ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ ξ

Muahahaha! So, what do you peoples think? I likes it. Chapter 12 will be up soon. Reviews please!

Kitsune

PS. Sephiroth is 30.