AN- Okay, so anyone who read my previous stuff on AC, well lets just forget about it for the time being involving this fic. In case it isn't painfully obvious Yazoo has crawled into my brain, shifted aside any grey matter that may have been there and plugged himself into the neurons and synapses. He himself was bad enough but now Reno has really found his way in as well so this will be a Reno/Yazoo slash Yazoo/Reno piece. Got a problem with that? Go somewhere else.
Ummm there are similarities in this to In The Hands of the Enemy but not so many as to be incredibly repetitive I hope, after the first chapter the similarities end. Oh, and unlike Hands of the Enemy and Rock and a Hard Place, NO ONE DIES! YAY Ahhhemm Anyways, ON TO THE FIC!
It was the first time that Yazoo found himself really appreciating his smaller frame. He pushed at the rubble and debris surrounding him, trapping him inside the small hollow created by the remaining pieces of a still standing ceiling of some unknown part of the Shinra building. It had been an incredibly lucky place to fall after the blast that had sent he and Loz flying over the edge along with Cloud. Yazoo felt a stab of panic when he thought of Loz. Not knowing whether his brother was alright or not was almost as bad as being stuck in this place. He had to get out of here and find him. Uncurling as much as he could in the crammed space he gasped as pain lanced through him. It was almost like a blinding white light that tore into his skull and traveled up his leg to writhe around with what was already in his brain.
So he was injured, not really that surprising since he had just fallen off a building. He tried his best to forget about that pain and pushed against a piece of concrete that seemed like it was inclined to move. Other smaller pieces gave way along with the one he focused on and soon there was a small opening in the otherwise impenetrable wall. Yazoo gritted his teeth against the pain and crept through.
Blessed night had fallen and it was almost enough to give him a small measure of hope. Maybe he would be able to find Loz and get out of Midgar before morning and the chance of them being discovered increased. The thought was almost dashed as he stood and his right leg almost gave way. He had injured his knee in the fall and now he could feel the sticky presence of blood on the back of his skull, matting his hair and making him dizzy. This could be harder than he thought.
Loz would head back to Ajit, if he wasn't injured. Falls weren't a big deal for them but Yazoo could vaguely remember being struck in the head by debris and knocked unconscious mid fall. The odds of that happening to Loz as well were slim so there was a good chance he was alright. The Cure materia was at Ajit as well. So Ajit it was, but getting there would be a problem without some type of transportation. Yazoo steadying himself and started walking as best he could. He would get/steal transportation in Midgar and head to Ajit.
It was all he could do to make it back to Midgar. His leg felt like it was on fire and his vision kept wavering with double images and a kind of pounding ache. He leaned against a cool wall in an alley. He wasn't completely sure of where he was. Vaguely he could hear voices in some building nearby and the stale scent of alcohol. Yazoo tried to clear his mind and think. It would be better to find a place to rest before continuing on, but where? He didn't think he could make it much farther and he wanted to avoid any citizens of Midgar who would recognize him from he and Loz's stint in Midgar Square.
He heard a door slam open nearby and the sound of stumbling footsteps. Loud drunken voices sounded and he tried to lean back into the shadows hoping the group of men would just leave. He almost cursed as he heard them coming down the alley. Knowing that in the dark he was hard to see if not for his hair there was a good chance they would pass him by so he pressed himself against a wall and waited, quiet and still.
"Mark! Look what we got here! You lost boy?"
So much for that thought Yazoo. He raised his head to try and see the speaker. It was just a tall, burly dark shape with two similar friends approaching from behind.
"Well damn you found yourself a pretty one Tom."
Footsteps approached Yazoo and a rough hand grabbed his chin forcing him to look up. Yazoo tried not to let the careless handling throw him off balance but he couldn't help the anger at being manhandled like some whore. His eyes must have shown his displeasure but it only provoked a laugh from the man.
"He's a feisty one. But you sure it's a boy Tom? Awfully thin and pretty to be a boy."
"Well there's a way to find out"
Yazoo's blood ran cold at the words as the possibility behind them sunk in. He struck fast with his fist and caught the man holding his chin unawares. It took all he had left in him though and as the man fell back his friends came and someone pulled his arms behind him and held him there. Yazoo was sure his legs would have given out anyway.
"That was stupid little bitch. Now you're really gonna get it."
Yazoo struggled but it was a vain effort and he knew it. He was held fast and soon he could smell dank breath in front of him. He could barely make out his assailants as his vision began to cloud and waver even more.
"I'll teach you some respect for your elders boy" said the voice behind the bad breath. Yazoo spat at him. There was silence then a low gruff chuckle.
"Show him what happens when he's not compliant Mark"
There was pressure and then a loud snap as Yazoo's wrist was broken. He couldn't help the cry of pain that forced its way past his lips. Then hands around his throat cut off any sound and any chance of taking a breath.
"You make another sound or act up again and we'll just keep breaking bones."
The hand tightened on his slim throat and Yazoo winced as he felt a sharp pain as his windpipe was partially crushed.
Yazoo thought he would pass out as his world seemed to tilt and he felt hands searching for a way inside his leather coat. Frantically trying to come up with a way out if this mess he didn't hear the next set of footsteps approach.
"Whatcha boys got there?"
A new voice. Someone familiar. A flash of red hair and a black suit.
"None of your business Turk. Just move along."
Turk. The one with the EMR. The one who had set the bomb on the bridge.
"Sorry, Can't do that, you see, I got dibs on this one already. He's caused me some grief."
Fuck. How the hell did Yazoo get himself in this position?
"Tough, Turk, Finders keepers."
"I thought you would want it the hard way."
There was a flash and spark as one man fell under the current of the EMR and the sound of someone hitting a wall hard.
Yazoo's arms were released and he fell to the ground. He didn't have any fight left and he just wished the ground would swallow him. There were more sounds of sizzling electricity and of bodies hitting hard surfaces. When it was over he heard soft footsteps approach.
"You're one tough son of a bitch you know that?"
It was the redheaded Turk. What was his name? Reno? Yazoo tried to push himself up with his good arm but only made it a small way before the spinning in his head made him freeze.
He heard someone kneel beside him. "Shit, got yourself pretty messed up. Ne, Rude! We got orders about these guys?"
There were sounds of what sounded like someone lighting a cigarette. In the flash of light from the lighter Yazoo finally got a semi-decent look at the redhead. He wasn't as drunk as he sounded and he was looking at Yazoo with something like faint amusement.
Rude was on his cell phone with someone, talking in low tones. He hung up with a stoic "Yes sir"
Reno took a drag of his cigarette before turning back to Rude with a raised eyebrow.
"We are to take him back Healin Lodge under heavy guard." Rude informed while pocketing his phone.
Reno snorted. "Great. Hey pretty-boy? Can you walk?"
As idiotic as it was Yazoo was seriously contemplating biting Reno's ankle. It was probably the most threatening thing he could manage at the moment and the man was getting on his nerves. In favor of his already ragged dignity he held back. He tried to push himself up again and was just about to fall as suddenly his vision blacked out on him. He felt someone under his good arm lifting him to his feet.
Reno gave him a moment to get his balance when they were standing but it just made the pounding in his head worse. He was about to try and tell Reno that he didn't want to go anywhere when he realized that whatever the drunken brute from before had done had made speaking very hard, not to mention breathing.
Yazoo didn't have time to think about an alternate means of communicating as white light seared into his brain and pushed him roughly into unconsciousness.
Rufus looked over the still form of the silver haired youth that Reno had found and Rude had carried in. Despite the blood in his hair, the dirt on his skin and the obvious injuries he was still just as fey and deadly beautiful as he remembered.
"Do we get rid of him boss?"
Rufus looked at Reno. His Ace Turk had his EMR resting on his shoulder in his usual casual pose with an indifferent look on his face. Rude stood at attention near the door. Rufus returned his attention to the vision on the bed. He looked like Sephiroth, of course, but Sephiroth had the kind of beauty that was cold and unreachable and seemed trivial beside his utter insanity. This boy, Yazoo, was more like the white tigers Rufus had seen in a zoo when he had been younger, untamed and aloof, yet in some way curiously intimate. Such a thing should not be tossed away. Besides, the company had lost a great investment when Sephiroth had gone mad, perhaps this was time to reclaim that.
"Not yet. Get someone to treat his injuries. I want one Turk with him at all times, when he recovers I may assign two."
Rufus thought for a second and the memory of Kadaj throwing Elena and Tsengs blood splattered ID cards to him surfaced. "Actually, it may also be a good idea if you and Reno were the main people to watch him. Considering what he and his brothers did to Elena and Tseng."
Both Turks nodded in acceptance. Rufus headed back to his office. It was good to finally be rid of the wheelchair he had needed due to the Geostigma. Although still recovering his strength he was feeling more and more like his old self. Tseng appeared at his side as an escort and he smiled as he continued on his way, thinking of HIS new future for Shinra Co.
Warmth, voices, a soft surface and pain poked and prodded Yazoo until he wearily rose to something resembling awake. It took a moment for him to get his bearings. Then the voices started to make sense.
"Look man, I say we just cut through the leather. Who wants to explain to a guy who was almost raped in an alley that you're stripping him? Even if it is to check for injuries? We know his knees hurt so lets just go with that and- Oh you're awake"
Reno interrupted himself and stared at Yazoo for a moment before sitting down in a chair beside the bed he was in. "How ya feelin?" he drawled. Rude began sorting through medical supplies.
Yazoo didn't see a reason not to reply but then remembered the damage done to his throat. Reno however must have taken it for something else because he leaned forward giving Yazoo a harsh look. "Hey, we haven't killed ya and of you don't mind me saying, we kinda saved your ass back there. Literally. So a little cooperation would be nice, ya know?
Yazoo let out a sigh. It made an odd sound in his throat and Rude's head came up.
"Reno, he probably cant talk, listen, his throats damaged." Rude pushed the med kit away and came over to the side of the bed. Yazoo didn't like this situation. Two Turks and himself unable to fight wasn't really high on his list of ways he wanted to wake up. When Rude reached for his throat he flinched away only to have Reno pin his shoulders to the mattress.
"Just chill man, He's trying to help."
Rude pulled on the zipper of Yazoo coat, bringing it halfway down his chest and black undershirt. Yazoo could see the dark bruises around his neck in the reflection of himself in Rude's sunglasses. Rude ran a hand over them, pressing lightly as if searching for something. Yazoo winced and lowered his head protectively but Rude just pushed on his jaw to tilt his head back with his thumb and continued. After a moment of this examination he positioned his fingers and shot a look at Reno who tightened his grip on Yazoo.
A few quick movements of his fingers and a sharp pain and a sense of released pressure and he was done. Reno let go of him and Yazoo put a hand to his throat and sat up as much as he could, which entailed leaning on the headboard to stay upright.
"Better?" enquired Rude with a raised eyebrow. Yazoo took a moment then nodded.
"Good. Because your knee is next"
Yazoo sighed. He had a million questions he wanted to ask. Mainly why the Turks hadn't just killed him and instead were treating his injuries. There was a moment of silence until Yazoo snapped back to reality through his currently fuzzy brain. Rude was waiting patiently and Reno gave him a significant look, first to him then to his leather pants.
Oh right, the knee.
"You know, he almost looks sane when he sleeps" remarked Reno between drags of his cigarette. He and Rude were sitting in the room that they guessed was now Yazoo's. There were four chairs, two of which they were occupying, surrounding a small round table, the bed containing Yazoo and a large window overlooking the forest and a small bathroom of to the side. Rude just gave a small grunt in response.
They had set Yazoo's broken wrist and bandaged his wrenched knee along various other cuts from the fall and bomb they themselves had set. The injury that had troubled them the most was the one to the back of his head. Blood had soaked his hair through from a deep gash that cut the bone. Rude was sure he had a concussion, Yazoo had passed out again while they had stitched it shut. They knew that you should keep someone with a head injury awake but that also applied to regular humans, not Sephiroth clones. Reno had thought he had murmured something about healing in his sleep so they had left it alone.
It was obvious that the clone wasn't himself. Reno remembered well the cold and predatory eyes he usually had instead of the dazed confused ones they had seen today. Reno knew that when he was better he wouldn't be half as cooperative as he had been.
"What do you think Rude? You're good at reading people, what do you think about this guy?"
Rude shrugged "He isn't used to being touched, at all, or maybe just by anyone but his brothers. I don't think that his current goals involve Jenova anymore. He was probably looking for the other brother when we found him. He seemed cold and distant before but that's not all that's there, its almost like that was imposed on him and he accepted it as his own. It would be interesting to see the lab reports on them."
"Damn, but they aren't like the other clones, were they just a success or something different?"
Rude rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I over heard Rufus and Tseng talking, something about them being raised in a lab"
"Fuck, raised as in since they were kids? No wonder they're all bat shit crazy." Reno shook his head to clear it. It kind of made him see the small guy in a knew light. He had seen the labs plenty of times and what happened to the experiments there. To have some of those things done to kids, to have to grow up in those cold, sterile rooms…. Fuck.
AN- Ahha you all thought I had finally shut up didn't ya? Just kiddin. Anyways, I had mentioned trying a piece that follows the SHM throughout my impressions of their twisted little childhoods and after trying to make it a full fledged story...well there are only so many ways to torture kids and pass it off in the name of science so instead of a story its going to be a series of one shots which may be posted together or seperate depending on how it goes. The first one "Almost Content" will be up soon hopefully.
ps- this fic is NOT betta'd. sorry for any errors that I didn't catch.