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Final Fantasy VII: Angelic Threnody	By : DarkSeraphim1 Category: Final Fantasy VII > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 1315 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII, Crisis Core, Before Crisis, or Dirge of Cerberus. I do not profit from the writing and/or posting of this fic. I am just a humble fan paying tribute to another's wonderful creations.

Chapter List
- 34
- 35
- 36
Chapter 36
'Infinite in mystery is the gift of the goddess. We seek it thus, and take it to the sky. Ripples form on the water's surface, the wandering soul knows no rest.' –Loveless, ACT I
The Fort Condor Mako Reactor rose up majestically before the party, a strangely attractive amalgamation of nature and man. Only partially obscured by the mountain stronghold at its base, it towered over the surrounding countryside, comprised of linear lines broken only by the occasional supporting catwalk. It was smooth and cylindrical, its shape reminiscent of a bullet, the hated Shinra logo gracing the rounded top. It was a testament to both the ingenuity of man, and the ruthlessness of Shinra Electric Power Company.
The remarkable thing about it, however, was the large golden bird which nested at its pinnacle. Easily the size of Shinra's prize airship, The Highwind, the golden bird embraced the top of the reactor as though it were a child. It was a condor, a rather rare bird, and the only one of its size to ever have been reported.
Upon closer inspection, however, Sephiroth was surprised to realize that the rounded roof was not a roof at all, but an exceptionally large egg. A mother protecting her young, he thought with a touch of longing, ignoring the eerie feminine laugh that trilled through his mind in unwelcome accompaniment. He was surprised that he hadn't noticed the egg right away, considering that he'd been here once before, and that he had seen for himself that this was the only mako reactor to ever have been built with a flat roof.
The slim bundle in his arms began to stir, and his attention was drawn from the mystery as he looked down at the young man in his arms. "Do you see it?" he asked in a quiet voice.
"Yes," Yazoo answered, his voice nearly drowned out by the wheezing sound that accompanied his labored breathing. "It's. . .beautiful."
"Yes, it is," Sephiroth agreed, forcing a smile to his lips for the boy's benefit, although he was sure that Yazoo could sense his apprehension. He always did. "I had never seen the like before first coming here, nor have I anywhere else."
"It is. . .special," the boy said, panting as his breath rattled alarmingly in his chest, "isn't it?"
"Of course, it is," Genesis answered for him, sidling closer and running a hand over the boy's hair. "It's one of the Goddess' gifts. I knew you'd like it," he added just a bit smugly.
Yazoo sent him one of his small, nearly nonexistent smiles, and he returned it warmly. He'd discovered that Yazoo, much like Sephiroth, hadn't received much physical affection in his life. While Genesis' tendency to touch without asking for permission had startled the boy at first, Yazoo had become used to it in the five days they had traveled together. He no longer jumped or moved away; in fact, he almost seemed to welcome it.
Probably because he'd had to help Sephiroth and Loz carry the boy most of the way, Genesis thought grimly. Yazoo's health had taken a turn for the worst after their third day on the road, and the decision had been made to stop here, in hopes that a few days of rest would help him regain his strength. Genesis could only hope that it would work because, as fond as he had already become of Yazoo, losing him would be much harder for Sephiroth, who already loved the boy as though he were truly his son.
"Loz?" Genesis flashed the muscle-bound young man standing behind him a smile. "What do you think of the condor?"
The eldest remnant had a wide-eyed look on his face as he stared up at the condor. "It looks like a summons, Gen."
"Really?" Genesis murmured thoughtfully as he studied the large bird. "I hadn't thought of it that way. I suppose, I can see why you'd think that, though."
"It is pretty big," Angeal allowed as he joined them. Loz smiled in his direction, simple and childlike in his open affection for the trustworthy First, and Angeal returned it freely. It was hard not to like Sephiroth's clones, who were each naïvely endearing in their own unique ways, even Kadaj. And speaking of. . .
He glanced over his shoulder, to where the boy stood between Cloud and Vincent. Kadaj had his arms crossed over his chest and was pointedly ignoring both men as they spoke to one another. His pale emerald eyes—glowing as brightly as any SOLDIER's—sparkled with unshed tears as he gazed not at the condor, but at Sephiroth and his brothers. He didn't like being separated from his siblings—or his 'Father'—and it showed.
Angeal had to admit that it bothered him, too. Cloud had essentially forced Kadaj to spend time with himself and Vincent, despite the boy's loudly voiced protests. Angeal believed that Cloud meant well; he wanted Kadaj to get to know Vincent, whom he considered family. Unfortunately for Cloud, Kadaj had no interest in becoming acquainted with the man who had hurt his brother, and Angeal really couldn't blame him for that. Especially with Yazoo so ill.
The boy was loud, opinionated, and angry at the world, but he was still just a kid, one who had been through hell. He needed to be with his family, to bond with Sephiroth and Genesis as his brothers were doing, and not be kept from them by his well-intentioned but misguided lover.
"Kadaj?" he called out, lifting a hand and making a beckoning gesture. "Why don't you come up here and get a better look at the condor?"
Kadaj shot him a startled glance, obviously surprised by the invitation, and then looked to Cloud. The older man nodded once and returned to his conversation, missing the way the teen's eyes narrowed ominously at the rather careless dismissal. Kadaj sneered once in his lover's direction before pushing his way through the party, his face flushed with what Angeal recognized as embarrassed anger.
The boy slowed as he approached him, wariness creeping into his green eyes, and Angeal was reminded of Sephiroth when they had been young. His friend had also been distrustful of others, wary of everyone he met, and already so cynical at fourteen that he'd had trouble believing that Angeal truly wanted to be his friend. Seeing the same mistrust and suspicion in Kadaj's eyes hurt him, and hoped that he could somehow find a way to help the boy, as he and Genesis had helped Sephiroth so long ago.
He smiled at the boy as warmly as he could, gesturing towards the reactor. "So, what do you think of it?" he asked.
Kadaj studied him for a moment longer before casting his gaze upwards. "It's pretty," he said slowly, then forgot to be cautious as the golden bird sparked his imagination. "Why do you think it chose to make a nest here, of all places? Was it attracted to the mako? And why hasn't it turned into a monster, yet?"
"No one knows for sure," Angeal answered, casually shifting to one side, leaving just enough room for the boy between himself and Sephiroth, "but Seph could probably tell you more than I could."
Sephiroth smiled faintly, pleased as he realized what Angeal was attempting to do. "It's theorized that the condor has some kind of built-in immunity to the mutagenic properties of mako, but no one has ever been able to get close enough to take a sample for verification."
He kept his gaze on the condor as he spoke, but he could sense Kadaj as he drew close, both through his enhanced senses, and the bond created by Jenova's cells. "Shinra sent a scientific team here six years ago, but the natives who were trained to run the facility stopped them."
"Didn't Shinra send any SOLDIERs with them?" Kadaj asked, curious despite his best intentions.
"They did." Sephiroth smirked as he met the boy's gaze. "Unfortunately, I did not feel it necessary to disturb the bird and possibly start a war by doing so. The President wisely followed my recommendation, and left the condor to those best suited to caring for it."
Kadaj matched his smirk with one of his own. "Not quite as stupid as he always seemed, huh?"
"No," Sephiroth answered wryly, adding, "Not then, at any rate."
The boy laughed as he finally stepped forward, filling the gap Angeal had created for him, happier than he had been all week. "He's dead now, right?"
"Yes."
The boy's expression showed fierce satisfaction as he said, "Good."
Angeal hid a wince at that, turning to find both Zack and Aerith watching him with nearly identical expressions of pride. It was disconcerting, and made him slightly uncomfortable, to think that the young girl might find herself attracted to a man his age. Then she sent him a wink, and he found himself blushing like a schoolboy.
Zack merely grinned and trotted over to him, not bothered in the least by the girl's interest in him. "That's my Angeal," he said in the worst stage whisper Angeal had ever heard. "Always the hero."
Angeal grunted at that. "And what do you think, Pup?" he questioned, his voice softening. "Is it still as 'cool' as it was the first time you saw it?"
Zack nodded enthusiastically, making his black spikes sway. "Yeah, it's still pretty awesome, Angeal." He looked back over his shoulder, his baby-blue eyes twinkling flirtatiously. "What about you, Aerith? You've never been out of Midgar, right? What do you think of Fort Condor?"
"The condor is a beautiful, majestic, noble bird," Aerith declared solemnly, then ruined the effect with a giggle. "Even if it's stuck on top of a mako reactor."
Reno snorted as he pushed away from the boulder he was leaning on. "I don't see the big deal," he declared, tilting his bright red head to one side as he studied the bird. "It's just a freakin' bird, even if it is humongous."
Cissnei looked at him with solemn amber eyes as she stood and dusted the seat of her slacks off. "Reno, you have no romance in your soul."
The Turk snorted at that. "What, am I supposed to?"
Yazoo lifted his head just long enough to say, "Reno. . .you are. . .a. . . philistine."
Reno smiled lazily and said, "Bite me, gorgeous."
The middle remnant merely hummed noncommittally and dropped his head back to Sephiroth's shoulder, exhausted by the simple exchange, and Kadaj quickly focused on him. He had spent most of the last five days sandwiched between Cloud and Vincent and he was not happy about it. He should have been up front with Sephiroth and Yazoo, who had gotten so sick that Kadaj was terrified that he'd die if they didn't figure out exactly what those Shinra bastards had done to his lungs.
He should have told Nii-san no, Kadaj fumed, and not let himself be forced to make peace with the man who had broken Yazoo's heart. Vincent might be Nii-san's friend, but he would never be Kadaj's!
Kadaj laid his hand on Yazoo's knee, his cherubic features reflected his worry—and his guilt—as he asked, "Do you want to see it up close, Yazoo?"
Yazoo's bright green eyes, so like his own, were ringed with dark circles as he looked at Kadaj with tired gratitude. "I. . .would like. . .that, tenshi."
Kadaj patted him arm and stepped back, swallowing hard to dispel the knot of emotion that had formed in his throat. "I'll take care of it, brother." He turned and started up the slope that led to the fort's entrance. "I'm going inside," he announced in a loud, sharp voice. "Are you coming, Nii-san?"
Cloud sighed from his place at the back of the group and sent Vincent an apologetic glance. "Yeah, I'm coming," he called out, winding his way through the party. He caught up to his little lover and grasped his hand, pulling him to a halt once they were out of earshot of the others. "You said you'd be a little nicer to Vincent."
Cat-like green eyes narrowed warningly . "He's still alive, isn't he?"
Cloud shot him a dark look. "Damn it, Kadaj—"
"No, it's my turn, now!" Kadaj exploded, ripping his hand out of Cloud's grasp. "I did what you asked," he hissed furiously. "I kept my mouth shut and spent time with you and your friend. And you know what, Nii-san? I still don't like him!"
"Kadaj—"
"I'm not done!" he screamed at the top of his lungs, and Cloud wisely shut his mouth. Kadaj looked absolutely livid as he took a step towards him and jabbed a small, gloved finger into his chest. "That piece of shit hurt Yazoo, and he didn't even have the decency to apologize for it. We're supposed to be your family, now. We are the ones you're supposed to protect. My brother is ill, Nii-san. He needs me. Vincent," he sneered here, "doesn't."
"Gods," Cloud muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose as he prayed for patience. He was as bad as Genesis! "Kadaj, I'm not going to fight with you about this."
"You're damned right you're not!" Kadaj hollered belligerently in return. "I'm through kissing your ass! You keep telling me that you love me, that you want me to be a part of your life, but that I have to accept Vincent too! Well you know what, Cloud?"
He all but spat the name, the first time he had ever used it, and Cloud felt the first stirrings of unease.
"Kadaj, calm down," Cloud said hastily, reaching for the boy's hand once again. "Let's go inside and talk about this—"
"No!" Kadaj batted his hand away, tears of rage filling his eyes. "I came back for you, and this is how you repay me? Well, fuck you! I'm done. You're either a part of my family or you're not. You'd better make up your fucking mind, Nii-san, because I'm not going put up with this shit much longer!"
Kadaj glared at him one last time and stomped away, nearly knocking over the shirtless man who had come out greet them. Probably alarmed by all the yelling, Cloud thought sourly as he moved to follow. He nodded at the man but kept going, following at a much slower pace as he hoped that Kadaj would calm down by the time he got to him. Hopefully, Shinra hadn't yet sent troops to garrison the civilian-run stronghold. The last thing he wanted to do was fight a battle he didn't have the gil for, especially if had to watch his back for a surprise attack from his boyfriend while he did it!
So much for silence, Sephiroth thought with a sigh as he listened to his youngest remnant scream so loudly that the sound threatened to pierce his eardrums. So much like Genesis, he thought with a mixture of fondness, irritation, and concern. Kadaj was trying very hard to please Cloud, going against his very nature to do so, and Sephiroth was not surprised that the boy had finally run out of patience. He could only hope that Cloud would realize just what it was he doing to the boy and back off, before Kadaj forced him into a confrontation that neither would win.
Which was something that Sephiroth could easily imagine his youngest remnant doing, he acknowledged silently. Kadaj shared a great many personality traits with Genesis, not the least of which was his innate arrogance, and a stubborn inability to compromise. Kadaj was a natural-born leader with a dominant persona, despite his myriad of insecurities. Suppressing the dominant side of his psyche to please another obviously went against the grain, and was something that was extremely difficult to do. It had taken Sephiroth death and eight years of imprisonment to learn how to do so. Kadaj had only had one, and he lacked Sephiroth's ironclad restraint. Put simply, Cloud was expecting too much of him too soon.
A scantily clad man approached the party from the top of the path, one that led to a tunnel carved into the mountainside itself, and served as the entrance for the stronghold. Sephiroth raised one silver brow at the man's questionable attire, which consisted of nothing more than snug-fitting pants, hiking boots, and a sword that hung diagonally across his back. He slanted a glance at Genesis, who had stepped forward at the man's advance, and watched with pride as his lover took immediate control of the situation.
"General Genesis Rhapsodos, here to speak with Chief Golan," Genesis announced coolly.
"Welcome back to Fort Condor, General Rhapsodos." The man nodded his dark head and stepped to one side. "Golan is upstairs," he said with sweep of his hand. "Go on up, General. He's expecting you."
Genesis lifted one eyebrow arrogantly. "Is he now?" he questioned, his voice taking on a menacing tone.
The man showed no fear as his eyes flicked from Genesis, to the rest of the party, and back again. "You are among friends, General. That is the message Golan wanted me to give you if you showed up here."
Glowing azure eyes met and held his before Genesis slowly inclined his head. "My thanks to you, then."
With that, he turned on and motioned them forward, leading them into the short tunnel that served as Fort Condor's entrance. He paused at the primitive rope ladder which led to the upper levels, setting one hand on it as he turned back to Sephiroth. "I'll go up first and wait for you, if you'll help Yazoo get up the first few rungs of the ladder."
Sephiroth nodded, watching with deceptively calm eyes as Genesis climbed up the ladder, and then leaned over the opening. "I'm ready," he called down, and Sephiroth nodded.
"Grasp Genesis' hands as tightly as you can," Sephiroth told Yazoo, who nodded his head in understanding but didn't speak. He shifted the boy in his arms, grasping his waist and thrusting him up into the opening. Yazoo immediately clasped Genesis' hands and was pulled up and into Fort Condor itself.
"Are you all right?" Genesis asked, concerned as he lifted the boy and carried him to a scarred wooden table in the center of the room. He set Yazoo in one of the chairs, brushing the boy's hair back from his face when he failed to answer. "Yazoo?"
"I am. . .fine," Yazoo rasped faintly in return, his lips tinged an alarming shade of blue. "Where's. . .Kadaj?"
"I'm coming, Yaz!"
Genesis turned to find Kadaj climbing up from the room that passed as the fort's sleeping quarters. The youngest boy approached him, his vivid green eyes flashing with worry as they landed on his brother. "As soon as Loz gets here, we're going to take you upstairs, Yaz. The old guy," he jerked his thumb towards none other than Chief Golan himself, "has given us permission to go see the condor."
"Thank you," Yazoo's breath caught painfully, "brother."
Kadaj smiled angelically and placed his hands on his brother's chest. "Now, don't bitch," he warned sternly. "I'm going to heal you as best I can before we go up to the roof, so you don't get winded by the trip. Got it?"
Yazoo returned his smile and covered the boy's hands with his own. "I. . . understand," he managed. "Do what. . .you. . .must."
Genesis passed a hand over Yazoo's head before rising to his feet, ignoring the dark look the younger boy sent him. "I need to speak with Chief Golan," he murmured with reluctance. "Mind your brother while I'm gone, Yazoo."
The too-pretty young man smiled up at him with a serenity Genesis didn't understand. "I. . .will, Gen."
He lingered for a moment longer, then sighed as he forced himself to turn away. Yazoo was in a bad way, but he wouldn't die in the few minutes it would take him to barter with Golan. Or so Genesis tried to assure himself as he left Kadaj to try to heal his brother. He wasn't quite sure he believed it.
Sephiroth paused just beyond the entrance, watching Genesis approach the local Chieftain. He listened long enough to ensure that they would not be betrayed, before focusing his attention on Kadaj and Yazoo. Kadaj was attempting to heal his brother's lungs, as he had so often in the past five days, but Sephiroth had little hope left. Whatever was wrong with Yazoo was a degenerative condition, as it reappeared no matter how often Kadaj treated him. Sephiroth was very much afraid that they were going to lose Yazoo before he had a chance to truly know him, or give him the life he so deserved.
The others began to file in behind him, and Sephiroth moved away from the entrance. He approached Yazoo and Kadaj silently, managing a tight, uncomfortable smile as they looked up at him with identical expressions of respect, awe, and unwavering devotion. "How are you feeling?" he asked, crouching beside Yazoo's chair as he spoke.
"Much better." Yazoo's voice still had a little catch in it, but it was much better than the wheezing breaths he had heard most of the five days. "Thank you, for carrying me so far."
Sephiroth only nodded, his silver hair sliding into his face with the motion. "Are you sure you're well enough to climb to the roof?"
Yazoo nodded all too solemnly. "I want to see the condor, Father."
Sephiroth gazed at him for a long moment before carefully reaching out and cupping that heart-shaped face in his hand. "You have many people who care for you, Yazoo. Please, try to remember that."
"I will." Yazoo covered his hand briefly with his own before pulling away. "Loz, if you are done flirting with Cissnei, I would like to see the condor now."
Loz, who had one arm propped on the wall over Cissnei's head as he did just that, jerked away with an embarrassed flush. "Comin', Yaz."
He flashed her an apologetic smile, and Cissnei returned it as she shook her head to show him that she wasn't upset. He grinned hugely and trotted over to his brothers, all puffed up now that he'd found someone new to 'play' with, and she gazed after him fondly. His childlike demeanor housed a surprisingly sharp mind, and it didn't hurt that he was strong and easy on the eyes. She liked that in her men.
"You know, he's gotta be the only straight guy here," Reno commented as he limped over to her. "You definitely lucked out, Ciss."
She only tilted her auburn head to one side and shrugged. "I like him," she returned simply.
"Hey, I never said he wasn't a good guy." Reno spread both hands out before him and leaned against the wall beside her. "So, you like him better than you used to like Fair?"
Cissnei flushed a little at the reminder of the crush she'd once had on Zack Fair. "Yeah, Reno, I do. You got a problem with that?"
"Hell, no." Reno reached up to toy with the goggles that sat on his head. "It's just. . .there's a lot you don't know about them, yo. I don't want you to get hurt or anything. That's all."
She studied him for a long moment. "You mean, like Jenova and Meteor and Sephiroth's Reunion?" she asked calmly.
Reno's jaw dropped at her words. "He told you about that, yo?"
Cissnei smiled faintly at his shocked expression. "Loz has told me a lot in the past week," she said with a shrug. "I thought he was crazy at first, until he told me about Jenova using Sephiroth's form to trick them into triggering a second Reunion. He cried so hard when he described feeling Kadaj's death through their bond that I knew he really believed what he was saying. Then, he told me about he and his brothers being forced out of the Lifestream by something that had destroyed The Planet, and how Aerith had offered to send them here for a second chance, and I began to believe him."
Reno glanced around them, making sure that none of the others were close, before lowering his voice. "Rhapsodos and Hewley can never know about this, Ciss. Ever," he hissed for emphasis.
"I'm not going to say anything, Reno." Cissnei's eyes followed Loz as he and Kadaj each grasped one of Yazoo's arms and guided him towards the yet another rope ladder. "From what Loz told me, Sephiroth's sanity depends on keeping them in the dark. He said that if the general loses Rhapsodos, everybody will die."
She turned her head and met his gaze squarely. "After watching the two of them together this week, I believe him."
"Good," Reno replied with relief, "'cause he's right. Sephiroth's got his whole life tied up in Genesis, yo. He slaughtered an entire town the first time he lost him. I don't even want to think about what he'd do if he lost him a second time."
Her gaze found Sephiroth, who looked supremely uncomfortable as he stood as close to Genesis as he dared in what he probably considered to a public setting. She'd discovered this past week that, although Sephiroth was deeply in love with Genesis, he was a bit of a prude when it came to public displays of affection. He forgot himself every once in a while, but for the most part, he was very discreet in front of the group. Genesis, though, had no such hang-ups. He looped his arms around Sephiroth's neck, stepped into his body, and kissed him as though he'd been doing it for years. Which, now that she thought about, he probably had. Looks like the company scuttlebutt had been true, for once.
As Sephiroth slowly returned the embrace and began to kiss him back, Cissnei smiled to herself and looked away. "I like them, Reno. All of them." She folded her arms over her chest as spoke. "I'd never do anything to hurt them. From everything I've heard, they've been hurt enough already."
Reno tucked his hands into his pant's pockets and rested his head against the wall. "Yeah, I guess they have at that, yo."
"You, too?"
He only shrugged, closing his eyes as the past rose up to haunt him. "Doesn't much matter anymore, Ciss. I'm here to help them now, nothin' more."
Cissnei regarded him with tawny eyes that were full of sisterly concern. "If you ever want to talk about it, I'm here," she offered in a quiet voice.
"I won't," he said sharply, then drew a deep breath and tempered his response. "Thanks, though. I appreciate the offer, yo."
"Anytime." She pushed away from the wall and stretched once. "I'm going to find a place to shower and crash. Call me if I'm needed."
"Will do, Ciss."
Reno watched her walk away with a smile of his own. Who'd of thunk it? Sweet, tough little Cissnei, and the remnant who had thoroughly kicked Rude's ass. Would wonders ever fucking cease?
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"Oh, my." The breathless exclamation escaped Yazoo's lips as he approached the large, magnificent bird that had captured his imagination from his first sight of it. "It's absolutely stunning, isn't it?"
"Yeah, it's real pretty, Yaz," Loz agreed as he hovered protectively at his side. "I still think it looks like a big materia summons, though."
Kadaj rolled his eyes but didn't comment as he tilted his head back to look up at the giant condor. "I like the way the sun looks on its feathers," he said at last. "It makes them shine like real gold."
"Yes, it does," Yazoo agreed absently, not even feeling the pain in his lungs as he smiled up at it. He glided closer to the large bird, wishing he had the courage to reach out and touch it. But, he knew better. Most animals, wild or not, did not respond well to he and his kind.
To monsters, he thought with simple, brutal honestly. Which is what they were, no matter what anyone else might say to the contrary. He knew it, his brothers knew it, and deep down, Sephiroth knew it. It wasn't a pleasant thought, knowing that one wasn't human, but it was something he had long ago learned to live with. Eight years ago, in fact, when he had been mentally joined with Sephiroth during his rampage in a small mountain town called Nibelheim.
He knew that that was the true reason Vincent no longer loved him. Once his dark one had regained his memory and remembered that Yazoo wasn't human, he had wanted nothing more to do with him. Not that Yazoo blamed him. If the symbiotic relationship he and his brothers had shared with Sephiroth-and through him, Genesis-had taught him nothing else, it had taught him that humans weren't capable of loving monsters, not even when they counted themselves among their number. Vincent saw himself as a monster, yes, but he still thought like a human being. Yazoo never had.
As though in response to his dark thoughts, the condor opened its one visible eye and looked directly at him. Startled, Yazoo gasped and forced himself not to back away. The condor might not harm him if he remained still, but fleeing might trigger its predatory instincts, and he didn't think he could bring himself harm such a glorious creature to save his own life, especially since he was already dying.
He continued to gaze up at the bird as his heart hammered with a combination of admiration and fear, and little black spots began to dance before his open eyes. He knew then that his time was close, and a part of him almost welcomed the nothingness that he knew awaited him. No more pain, no more disappointment, no more false hope. He would finally be at peace, and his only regret would be leaving his beloved brothers behind. If nothing else, he could take comfort in the knowledge that his death would add to their strength, as well as Sephiroth's, which they would need for the battle against Mother.
Yazoo sensed Loz's unease as he stirred at his side and wished that he had the breath to reassure him. The condor would not harm his brothers. It was here only for him.
"Uh, Kadaj, what's it doing?"
"How the fuck would I know, Loz?" the baby snapped, impatient as always. "Do I look like an ornithologist to you?"
One massive wing moved, revealing the enormous egg which the bird was obviously protecting. Yazoo watched with fascination as the center of the egg began to glow, its surface rippling much like water did when it was disturbed. As the red glow began to brighten, a fissure appeared in the egg, and something red and spherical was pushed through the tiny opening. Yazoo found himself stepping closer, even though he knew that he could be inviting death, held spellbound by the condor and its child and the magic he sensed coming from them both.
The small round sphere, which sparkled with vivid crimson light, hovered above them, supported by nothing that was visible to his own eyes. It was dropped abruptly, released by whatever force had been holding it in place, and his hand shot out to catch it in automatic reflex.
Yazoo brought the sphere close to his face, his eyes widening as the deep red color intensified, swirling, shimmering, gleaming until all he could think of was Vincent's haunting crimson gaze. "Dark one," he murmured, pressing his lips to the materia's smooth surface, and then everything went black.
"Yazoo!" Loz caught him as he fell, panic filling him as he realized that he couldn't her his brother's heartbeat anymore. "'Daj, he's not breathing!"
"Lay him down," Kadaj ordered urgently. "I've got to revive him before bitch-Gaia decides to steal him from us."
Kadaj quickly removed his gloves and tossed them aside, watching with barely leashed patience as Loz gently laid their brother down. He knelt beside Yazoo and quickly pulled the zipper down on his ruined leather duster. Yazoo wouldn't like that Kadaj had touched his bare skin without permission, but he thought that his brother would understand, just this once. He laid his bare hands on his brother's chest and willed the healing powers that had come with his rebirth forth.
"Come on, brother. Breathe."
For the first time since receiving his awesome gift, if failed him. Yazoo lay still beneath his hands, his eyes closed, his expression showing a peace Kadaj had only seen once, when Yazoo had been ensconced in Vincent Valentine's embrace. "Wake up, Yazoo!" he demanded as his own panic filled him. "If you die, I'll kill him, Yaz! I swear to Gaia, Jenova, and whoever the fuck else is listening, I will kill your dark one if you don't fucking wake up!"
When the threat to Yazoo's 'dark one' failed to elicit any response, Kadaj burst into tears. He lowered his head to his brother's chest, hugging him tightly as he begged him to wake up and come back to them. Loz was sobbing noisily beside him, and for once, Kadaj didn't tease him for it. He was too busy crying his own heart out as he searched for Yazoo in his mind and failed to find him.
"I can't feel him anymore, tenshi," Loz sobbed, and Kadaj couldn't find the words to reassure him. For once, he was the one that was lost.
A bright red light began to emanate from Yazoo's hand, and Kadaj's head came up as he remembered the materia sphere that the condor had given to his brother. "Loz!" he hissed excitedly. "Look!"
Loz lifted his head, sniffling as his wet gaze went to Yazoo's hand. "What's happening?" he asked in a hushed, frightened voice.
"I'm not sure," Kadaj answered, shifting to cover Yazoo's body with his own as the world around began to change. "Keep your head down and stay close to me."
Everything turned red. The sky, the clouds, even the sun, all had been painted blood red. The building beneath them disappeared, and Kadaj yelped before he realized that they weren't plummeting to their deaths. He dragged Yazoo into his arms even as Loz did the same to him, protecting both Yazoo and each other as a bolt of pure fire shot from the sphere still clutched in his Yazoo's lifeless hand.
It didn't burn them as it shot past them and into the crimson sky, quickly followed by several others. The streaks of flame swirled around one another high above their heads, forming an odd sort of matrix that Kadaj felt he should know. The matrix seemed to shrink in on itself, then exploded in a wave of sheer power. Kadaj cringed as the power reached them, but passed through them harmlessly.
Thoroughly bewildered now, he watched as the wave was replaced by a multitude of small, orange-gold shapes that resembled leaves. They floated around himself and Loz almost peacefully before bursting into a wall of flames. He buried his face in Yazoo's hair, hating the reminder of Nibelheim that would have terrified his sensitive brother, when something incredible occurred.
The flames seemed to soar up into the crimson sky, taking on a vague, bird-like shape as they did so. The bird of fire twirled in a tight spiral as it flew even higher above them, then spread its wings in a burst of sheer power. It was a bird, one ten times more beautiful than the one that had so fascinated Yazoo. The tips of its white wings burned with pure flame, as did the top of its feathered head. The bird flapped those fire-tipped wings a few times, threw its head back, let out an ear-piercing shriek, and then exploded in a cascade of fiery feathers and blinding white light.
The world reverted back to what it should have been, leaving he and Loz shaking in the wake of the summon's awesome power. In his arms, Yazoo stirred and drew a deep, sharp breath, then went still once more. "Yaz?"
Kadaj laid him down again, placing his hands on his chest, and nearly wept again when he felt his brother's heart beating steadily beneath him naked palms. "He's alive," he whispered, relief making his voice thready as he lifted his head. "Loz, Yazoo is alive!"
Loz couldn't speak as he began to cry once more. He merely gathered Yazoo up against him and stood, taking a step before he remembered to wait for Kadaj's permission. "Take him inside and put him to bed, Loz," Kadaj commanded as gently as he could. "I'll be down in a few minutes."
His older brother nodded and hurriedly carried Yazoo inside, and Kadaj simply collapsed from relief. He crossed his legs before him, thrust his hands into hair, and began to cry once more. He sensed more than felt Cloud as he knelt beside him, and for the first time since their reunion, he flinched away from his touch.
"What happened?"
"He died," Kadaj whispered thickly. "Yazoo fucking died."
A gloved hand hovered over his shoulder. "Kadaj—"
"Don't!" Kadja shuddered as he realized just how close he had truly come to losing his brother. "Just. . .don't."
Cloud traded an alarmed glance with Vincent, whose passive expression didn't hide the apprehension in his ruby eyes, before turning back to his lover once more. Kadaj didn't appear see to any of them—Genesis and Sephiroth had actually beaten him here—as he rocked back and forth and talked to himself. Cloud realized that his little lover was in shock, and that he had to tread carefully. Any move he made could trigger a negative reaction, and with Kadaj, he didn't doubt that that reaction would be violent.
"It was Phoenix," Kadaj muttered, dim memories of Nii-san using the reviving summons to resuscitate his friends as they'd battled Mother swimming through his confused mind. "I knew it looked familiar, but why did it help us?"
Cloud caught himself reaching out again and forced himself to withdraw his hand. "Kadaj, what do you mean?" he asked in as calm a tone as he could manage. "Did you find the Phoenix materia?"
The beautiful young remnant merely shook his head, lost in his own scattered musings. "Sephiroth will know," he said simply, pushing himself to his feet and walking away without a backwards glance.
He didn't even notice Vincent as he passed him, or Cloud was sure he would have taken the opportunity to at least glare at the dark gunner. He went straight to Sephiroth, who hovered with Genesis just outside of the door to the fort. "Why did it help us, Father?"
Sephiroth reached out and grasped his shoulders in gentle hands, torn between Kadaj's obvious need for him, and Loz's loud weeping, which echoed through the cavernous building. "Why did who help you, little one?" he asked at length, knowing that Angeal and Zack would take care of the other two in his absence. "Can you tell me what happened?"
"It was Phoenix," Kadaj answered in small, childlike voice. He tipped his head back to meet the taller man's gaze, unaware of the tears that continue to stream down his face. "The condor gave the materia to Yazoo, Father. Then Yazoo died, and I couldn't heal him, and the materia cast itself, and then Yazoo was breathing again. Why did it help us?"
Sephiroth's glance flicked to Cloud, who looked both frightened and confused as he shrugged, and then back to the youngest remnant. "I don't know," he said at length, several possible explanations flowing through his mind. He pulled the boy to him, comforting them both, and Kadaj responded by burrowing his wet face into the bare skin of Sephiroth's chest. "Perhaps, we are not quite the monsters we believe ourselves to be," he speculated in a quiet voice, "if an agent of Gaia is willing to go against her to save one us."
"That's bullshit," the boy declared, sounding more like himself as he clung to Sephiroth tightly. "We've always been monsters, Sephiroth. Coming back hasn't changed that."
"None of you are monsters," Genesis stated fiercely, appalled to hear the young boy utter such a horrible thing. "Sephiroth, tell him that he's not a monster, and then explain to me why you think that The Planet would be against you in the first place?"
Sephiroth sighed heavily and hugged Kadaj to him, threading his hands through the boys shimmering cap of silver hair. "Perhaps, Gaia despises us because we are monsters, Genesis," he responded as calmly as he could, ignoring his lover's shocked, rapidly darkening expression. As important as Genesis was to him, this was between he and his remnants and no one else. "Come, little one. I would like you to accompany me while I check on your brother."
Kadaj sniffed and nodded his silver head before reluctantly pulling away. "I told Loz to put him to bed," he said with a flash of his usual fire.
"Then, I'm sure that he did," Sephiroth replied simply. "Come."
Kadaj slipped a hand into Sephiroth's as they entered the wooden structure that led back down into the fort, leaving Genesis to gaze after them with horror. "What the fuck is going on here?" he asked angrily.
Cloud sighed and ran a hand through his blond spikes, making stand up even more than usual. He spied a pair of gloves lying a few feet away and realized that they must be Kadaj's. He picked them up with a with a small frown, rubbing his thumb over the worn leather, absently thinking that they seemed too small to belong to his beautiful baby, even as he recognized that Kadaj's physical size had always paled in comparison to the charisma that made him appear larger than life.
He looked up to find Vincent watching him with vivid crimson eyes and smiled crookedly. "Maybe, this won't be so hard, after all, Vince."
Vincent merely continued to gaze at him as Cloud pushed himself to his feet. "Phoenix is not the most powerful of Gaia's summons," the gunman pointed out tonelessly.
Cloud bobbed his head once in acknowledgement. "Maybe not, but it was powerful enough to bring Yazoo back from the dead." He saw the minute tremor that ran through Vincent's deceptively slender body at his comment and winced. "Sorry, Vincent. My mouth runs away from me sometimes."
One ebony brow shot up at that. "I hadn't noticed," the other man said, deadpan.
He stifled what would have been an tactless chuckle at that. Vincent had a very dry sense of humor, something he shared with his only son, and occasionally used to deal with emotional pain. The thought of Sephiroth was enough to sober him, and to remind him that he and Vincent weren't alone.
He glanced over at Genesis, who still looked angry, although it was tempered with something resembling fear, and sighed once again. The other First was dealing with. . .well, everything pretty well so far, but he had to be confused as hell. Cloud knew that he was, and he actually knew the whole story!
"Come on," he said abruptly, gripping Kadaj's gloves tightly as he strode across the platform. "I want to make sure that Yazoo is all right, and figure out what the hell this means for us."
Vincent only inclined his dark head in a gesture Cloud couldn't see and followed, leaving Genesis alone on the roof, gazing up at the condor with mixed emotions. "Did you really give our boys a summons?" he asked the creature in a soft voice, then shook his head at his own stupidity. It was a bird, nothing more, certainly not an 'agent of Gaia', as Sephiroth had flatly insisted.
He didn't know what the fuck was going on here, but he was damned tired of being left in the dark. He was going to find out exactly what it was that Sephiroth, Cloud, Vincent, and everybody else seemed to be hiding, and he would let nothing stop him.
Genesis turned on his heel and entered the fort, determined to have his answers, no matter what the consequences. He made his way through the unusual fortress, climbing down the simple rope ladders, until he finally found himself in the sleeping quarters. He had every intention of going to straight to Sephiroth and dragging him someplace private, so that they could have it out away from the rest of the party. Those intentions lasted for all of about four seconds, until he realized that now would not be the best time for a confrontation.
Loz was kneeling on the floor beside Yazoo's bed, one hand curled around his brother's, the other around Cissnei's, surprisingly. The pretty little Turk had her free arm around the older boy's waist, while her auburn head rested on his shoulder. Aerith sat with them, her hands folded beneath her chin, her head bowed over them, her lips moving soundlessly. If Genesis hadn't known better, he might have thought she was praying.
Sephiroth was sitting in a chair on the opposite side the bed, Kadaj curled up on his lap like the child Genesis had once believed him to be. Even as he watched, Sephiroth pressed a kiss to the top of the boy's head, and Kadaj responded by closing his eyes and snuggling closer. As Sephiroth smiled down at his youngest clone, Genesis was struck by how content he seemed to be holding the boy, despite the less than ideal circumstances. Sephiroth looked happy, and Genesis couldn't bring himself to ruin that for him, no matter how badly he wanted his questions answered.
And as much as he wanted to join them, he knew that Kadaj wouldn't welcome his presence. The boy would still saw him as an intruder—if not an enemy—and Genesis simply wasn't up to arguing with him right now. He was tired, dirty, confused, and damn it all, he was scared. There was something going on here, something that he couldn't even begin to understand, and he didn't like it.
They had nearly lost Yazoo today. The beautiful, too-solemn boy who reminded him so strongly of Sephiroth had died, and it if it hadn't been for the mysterious materia orb still clutched in the boy's hand, he would have stayed that way. He would have returned to The Lifestream, and the goddess who protected it, and they would have been helpless to prevent it.
But they hadn't had to. Genesis shook his head as he leaned back against the cool stone wall. The Goddess had spared the boy, sacrificing a piece of The Planet—of herself—to do so, showing that Yazoo held her favor in a way only a chosen few ever had. While Genesis wasn't a religious man, he had done enough research into Loveless, and the goddess it spoke of, to know that there was something to the ancient tale of friendship, betrayal, and heroism. And somehow, he had become a part of it.
As was Sephiroth, he thought with a faint frown. When he had first seen Sephiroth's picture in the newspaper, he had looked young and beautiful and disturbingly emotionless, and something in Genesis' mind had inexplicably insisted on connecting the young prodigy with his favorite poem. Yes, he had been turned on enough to keep cut the picture out of the paper and jerk off to it, but there had been more to his fascination than simple adolescent lust.
As a child, he had wandered into a maze of caverns below his hometown of Banora. There he had found an ancient shrine to The Goddess, one whose name he hadn't known, and still didn't. He had never shared his discovery with another; not even Angeal knew of its existence. But, he had no doubt that his goddess was an early representation of Gaia, sculpted by the earliest settlers of Gaia, perhaps even by The Ancients themselves. Shinra's famous young phenomenon had borne an uncanny resemblance to the beautiful, angelically featured statue of The Goddess, and Genesis had noticed it right away.
Not much was known about The Ancients, the first documented inhabitants of Gaia. Very little had survived the extinction of their kind; indeed, no trace had ever been found of any their settlements. Occasionally, ancient relics were found—mostly in Wutai—but most had been proven to be frauds. The original version of Loveless, for example, had turned out to be a stunning reproduction of what the Wutaians claimed was an ancient book. Found in an underground tomb that belonged to one of the country's first emperor's, it had been nearly eighty pages long, mostly due to the beautiful paintings that accompanied the early Wutaian hieroglyphs.
While it obviously hadn't been the original, it was the closest they would ever come to a direct translation of the epic, and it belonged to him. Well, technically it belonged to Sephiroth, because he'd given it to the other man on his twentieth birthday, but Sephiroth really had no interest in poetry. Sephiroth had accepted it and immediately ordered the climate-controlled stand, but he had done it solely to please Genesis. He wasn't a Loveless fan—by any means. No, he'd done it to make Genesis happy, and Genesis had always known it, but it had somehow felt right to give it to him. The book had belonged to Sephiroth, and it always would.
As his gaze lingered on his beautiful lover and the three young boys who resembled him so greatly, Genesis began to wonder if—maybe—it was possible that Sephiroth had Cetra blood. It would certainly explain many of Sephiroth's physical oddities; his vertically slit eyes, his astonishing physical strength, his body's high resistance to magic, the superhuman speed that put even Genesis' to shame. While mako did a lot to enhance the human body, it didn't did nothing to explain his lover's beautiful, unusual eyes. Mako just didn't do that.
Maybe, the 'J cells' that Hojo had used on Sephiroth and the boys had actually been the cells of an Ancient, he mused thoughtfully. How the hell Hojo could have hidden such an important historical find as the body of a Cetra was something he didn't know, but it was possible, wasn't it?
Genesis heaved a quiet sigh. Nearly all the people who could have answered that question were dead. Sephiroth's mother, the sadistic son of bitch who had claimed to be his father, President Shinra. . .Even Professor Gast—the man that Sephiroth had once confessed to seeing as a parental figure-was dead, killed by Shinra for deserting the company twelve years ago. In fact, the only person to survive Sephiroth's appallingly violent childhood was Vincent Valentine.
He quickly focused on Sephiroth's father, who was sitting quietly on the floor at the far end of the room. The deceptively young looking gunner had one knee drawn up before him, his clawed hand resting on it, as he gazed at Yazoo's unconscious form. There was no discernable emotion on his pale, undeniably handsome face, but his blood-red eyes told another story. His eyes fairly shone, now with mako, but with pain. He almost looked as though he were grieving, and if it hadn't been for his total and compete disregard of Yazoo's very existence this past week, Genesis might have believed it possible.
As it was, he was filled with the urge to charge over to the man and punch him right in his pretty face. He wanted to warn Vincent to stay the fuck away from Yazoo, Sephiroth, and the boys, and it pissed him off to no end that he couldn't. Sephiroth wanted to know the man, and as much as Genesis disliked Vincent, he refused to rob his lover of his chance to do so. Vincent might be a cold-blooded bastard, but he was Seph's father, and Sephiroth had the right to know him.
But Genesis didn't have to like it. He crossed his arms over his chest and looked away, his expression softening slightly as he observed Angeal and Zack. They were lying on one of the beds, Zack's slightly smaller frame dwarfed by the older man's, as Angeal held him close. As surprised as Genesis had been when he'd discovered Angeal's involvement with his young student, he was glad that his friend had overcome his scruples and finally given in to the attraction between them. Genesis had never seen Angeal as happy as he had been this last year, and it was all due to the love of his precocious, hyperactive puppy.
As for Zack. . .Genesis grinned to himself. Angeal's puppy had no sense of decorum at all. He was an impulsive boy, one who never thought twice about showing his affection for his stalwart mentor, no matter where they happened to be. Within a day of becoming lovers, Zack's physically affectionate behavior had exposed the change in their relationship to anyone with eyes—and half a brain. Angeal might have been embarrassed, but he had worried more for Zack than himself. Luckily, President Shinra had been smart enough to look the other way, and he had been able to keep the puppy as his apprentice.
Genesis glanced around the windowless room, his smile dying as he saw Reno. The Turk was alone, sprawled out on his back on the next bunk, his hands tucked behind his head as he gazed up at the ceiling. Genesis wondered briefly if he was thinking about Rufus, and then shoved the thought aside. There was nothing he could do to help Reno except be there while he worked through his grief, as he already was. Only time would tell if Reno was able to recover from what had been done to him.
He noted with interest that Cloud was sitting on the floor with his back propped up against the wall not too far away from Sephiroth and Kadaj. The young man's expression was troubled as he watched them, and had Genesis wondered why. Was Cloud worried that Sephiroth would take Kadaj away from him? Was he concerned by Yazoo's aloof attitude towards him? Genesis had seen for himself how much Cloud loved the little shit, and he had no doubt that the feeling was returned. Kadaj wasn't exactly subtle when it came to expressing his feelings, and as angry as the boy had been earlier, Genesis had no doubt that they'd make up eventually. Kadaj was not the type to give up on something he wanted, and he definitely wanted Cloud Strife.
Covering his mouth to hide a yawn to himself, Genesis made his way to one of the unoccupied beds—the one closest to Sephiroth—and quietly laid down. Gods, but he was tired! He grimaced as he felt Rapier's hilt pressing into his side and groped around until he could remove it. He rolled over, set the sword on the floor as quietly as he could, and promptly fell asleep.
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Final Fantasy VII: Angelic Threnody