Chapter Text
Live as a puppet, die as a puppet. Yazoo never once questioned his existence. He was born from his brother, simply to revive Mother’s favorite child.
Kadaj told him they would be happy once their brother was reborn. Once he died he realized it was a lie. He thought once their family was whole they would be together.
It was simply a dream.
Kadaj had done it, he found Mother and brought brother forward. In that moment he learned Sephiroth never intended to be family with them, that Mother simply wanted Sephiroth to be strong.
Yazoo and his brothers were only remnants. On some level he knew, he had always known. He was simply a piece of his brother. He must have been flawed, he gained his own feelings, he was becoming a person, even without Mother’s cells. He liked being alive, he didn't want to die alone.
At least he hoped for his family to be whole even in death, but even that was too much to ask for. Kadaj was gone, Loz lacked enough substance and vanished so quickly. Mother and Sephiroth turned away from him, deeming him useless. He even failed to kill Cloud, his big brother didn't stay with him either.
He was alone, floating in the nothing, no brothers, no Mother. No one to stay with something like him, something less than a person. He didn't want to die, he didn't want to be alone. It hurt, it hurt so much. Was his short life so meaningless?
While he was floating in the nothing he heard a voice. It was a sweet, beautiful voice. She sounded so kind, the way he truly imagined a Mother. He knew she felt sorry for him, he could hear it in her soft voice. She told him she could help him, that he could save his big brothers before they became corrupt and hurt.
She told him he had the power to stop his Mother from ever hurting Sephiroth, Yazoo had not known she hurt him as well. The voice told him that his body was special, that he could help anyone made sick by Mother, like how he and his brothers had used Geostigma, he could heal the corruption and degradation.
He liked the sound of helping his brothers and other people.
He wanted to learn more about the people that lived in the world, he wanted to meet Cloud and Sephiroth, and that red head named Reno. More than anything though he wanted to find a family and be loved.
She told him if he helped the Planet and his brothers then he would find love. He knew he wouldn't refuse this offer, the only downside would be he would not find Kadaj and Loz again. The two had passed on and become part of the Lifestream. It made him sad, so sad, but he was glad they could rest, not be stuck in this white nothing like him.
The moment he agreed he felt a soft kiss on his brow, he finally saw the owner of the voice. A beautiful girl in a pink dress, with soft brown hair and green eyes. She looked at him with a kind smile that seemed so sad. He didn't want this beautiful girl to be sad. She gently cupped his face and touched her forehead to his. In the next moment the world spun and turned a multitude of colors. He felt like he was standing in the middle of a vicious storm.
As suddenly as it began, it ended.
Yazoo found himself standing outside, in the same wasteland he and his brothers had pursued Cloud. He felt the same and yet changed. His body felt lighter and his mind was clear, no voices from Sephiroth and Mother. He could feel his connection to the Lifestream, as strong as it was before. It felt very different, he could tell now that it was no longer tainted by Mother.
He felt the Shadow Creepers as he always did, but even they felt less dark, more whole. His clothes were exactly as they were when he died, and his body was unchanged.
In the distance he could see Midgar, but it was drastically different. No rubble to be seen, ShinRa was whole, and he knew it was something called the Plate. A tower that blocked out the sun itself. Along with the city being different, he could feel that he had more siblings. It was like looking at the stars, some so bright and many just distant twinkles.
He had no idea so many people had his Mothers cells, something even he lacked in purity. It was unsettling, he didn't like it.
His Mother would never love any of them, her children would die and rot away, or simply be used to fuel Sephiroth. He wondered if they even knew what they were, it seemed even Cloud had not known, and his big brother was brighter than many of these lives.
Even from this distance he could feel four very bright connections. One he knew without a doubt was Sephiroth, but he did not know the other three. One felt a bit like Cloud, but it was very different. It worried him that he could not feel Cloud, how would he find his big brother if he did not yet have Mothers cells?
He would simply need to go to Midgar and find him. He would seek Sephiroth and he would study these other lights. Both those above the ground and those underground. It was his job to heal them after all. He hoped he would find Reno as well, he quite liked fighting him.
Along with the lights he could feel other things. Far in the distance he could feel Mother, she felt whole and alive, a dark pulse he couldn't ignore. Beside her was another being, one he had felt when fighting Cloud. He had only seen a man with a red cloak. He had ignored his feelings at the time, but he could feel a part of the Planet inside him.
He would need to get the man away from Mother before she could corrupt him. He would find them after he checked on the lights of his siblings.
He did not have a motorcycle, so he would improvise. He swiftly summoned a Shadow Creeper, only to pause in shock.
It looked different.
Gone was its skeletal body and faceless mask, in its place was flesh and shadowy fur. He could not name what he saw, it was like a wolf, and yet not. Standing before him was a giant black hound, atop its head was sharp black horns, it had wicked claws and gleaming white teeth. Glowing green eyes stared at him as he touched its fuzzy snout gently.
It was a Shadow Creeper for sure, but it was so different. Yazoo could only assume his changed connection with the Lifestream had also changed the Creepers. Given them flesh and intelligence.
Not wanting to waste more thoughts on something he would likely never understand, he smoothly mounted the Creeper, as he would his motorcycle, and started off toward the city.
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It took him two days to reach Midgar, along the way he had procured a bike. The man would not miss the motorcycle, and he made sure he wasn't seen while he took it. It was much better than the Shadow Creeper, the ride calm and familiar.
The city was far too different for him to easily navigate. He found that under the Plate was as dirty and poor as he remembered it being, but it was like a complicated maze, and it was split into things called Sectors. He had no idea why humans made things so complicated.
Deciding that he would find one of the bright connections, he navigated as best he could, getting closer and closer to the connection. He parked his bike when he was close enough and simply walked forward, blending into the shadows as he went.
It was not long before he saw his brother, a man in a bright red coat with red hair. The man was leaning on a building and reading a book. It looked like he was waiting for something. Yazoo frowned as he watched him, the man felt sick, similar to Geostigma but not quite.
He would need to heal him before anything else, he had promised the beautiful girl after all. However, he had no desire to be seen. His body became shaky and cold at the very thought. He wasn't a person, he couldn't be seen by his new brothers, they would hate him. He had to heal the man without being caught.
He would have to talk if he was caught. He would have to engage outside of battle. He didn't want that.
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Genesis was miserable. The injury he got from the last sparring session had yet to heal, he could feel the infection and rot. He had yet to tell anyone about it, not even Hollander. He would rather not tell Angeal or Sephiroth, they would worry to no end and Sephiroth would blame himself. The last thing he wanted was the two of them being distracted right before a war.
He knew eventually he would have to seek assistance, and barring that he would look for the Gift of the Goddess. He knew it was out there. Waiting to be found.
For now he would keep it to himself, if it got worse he would ask Hollander if he could help, then he would make his own way.
As it stood he was out running errands. It turns out Angeal’s student had the world's most potent puppy dog eyes. Zack wanted food from this one shop he knew, but couldn't take a break from training. Instead he wheedled away at Genesis until the man gave in.
So here he was, waiting for his order at a shop under the Plate, just to please a puppy. By the Goddess he felt so used.
Everything was fine, right until his well honed instincts went on high alert.
Someone was staring at him.
He tried to glance around as nonchalantly as he could. The stare didn't feel malicious, but he couldn't help but seek it out. Many people stared at him, he was a First after all, but this felt different, this stare had intent.
Nothing immediately looked out of place, no one suspicious could be seen. While he was searching for his stalker his order was called, he grabbed the bag and slowly started walking. He felt the eyes following him but he still couldn't see the culprit. Deciding to find them before it got more annoying he turned down an abandoned alleyway.
He was halfway down the alley when he heard it. Soft steps from above him, so soft he would not have heard them if he wasn't enhanced, hell if he wasn't a First he likely wouldn't have noticed.
Changing his hold on the food in preparation to drop it and grab Rapier, he was almost completely unprepared for his stalker to jump behind him. He felt the slight breeze and heard the soft thud as they hit the ground.
He dropped the food as gently as he could and grabbed his sword, turning around swiftly, only to blink when he saw no one there.
He heard a soft click behind him and before he could turn something hit him in the shoulder, right over his wound. The hit was strong, at least on the level of a Second, but it was precise enough to stun him with pain. It hurt so much his vision went white for a moment.
He couldn't even catch himself as he fell, but right before he hit the ground he was gently grabbed from behind. He could hear a soft male voice speaking behind him, young enough to not be an adult but definitely past puberty.
“I’m sorry for hurting you, but I promise it will be better soon. You don't need to worry, Mother’s sickness won’t be able to harm you anymore.”
In one smooth motion the boy had divested him of his coat and laid him out on the ground. They were kind with his coat but simply tore his shirt over his shoulder. For the first time in a long time Genesis felt fear. This boy could do with him as he pleased and he would be in too much pain to stop him.
Blinking a few times he tried to see as much as he could. He could see black pants and a long black coat. He couldn't pinpoint what they were made of, just that it was similar to leather. At this angle he could see the boy kneeling by him, but he couldn't see above his waist.
He watched as this boy took off one black glove, exposing very pale skin as the glove dissolved into black mist.
He couldn't help but notice how small and thin this boy was, despite the obvious muscles he could see.
He saw him pull out a strange silver gun with a blade along the top and swiftly cut his own palm open. He couldn't help but flinch, he could see how deep the cut was, that it wasn't superficial at all. The boy before him didn't seem to notice, bending forward enough for him to see long silver hair.
It was shorter than Sephiroth's hair, but it was the same shade, though it looked like it was simply cut with a sword in a hack job and not the pristine style of his friend’s hair.
The strange boy placed his bloody hand over the wound in his shoulder. It burned like fire the moment he made contact, he had to bite his tongue to keep from screaming. The burning sensation moved from the wound and into his whole body.
It was a slow fiery torture.
He felt like his blood was being burned from his body, the fire was eating his flesh and bones.
After what felt like hours but could only have been a few minutes he felt something cool and soothing from his shoulder. He knew the boy hadn't moved, that he was still bleeding over his wound. The cool sensation started to spread faster than the fire, soothing his scorching body.
“There. Mother can no longer hurt you. I am sorry it hurt, but you should be better now.”
The soft voice sounded more fatigued than it did before, and as his mind cleared from pain he could see the boy was shaking slightly. Before he could move to get up the boy stood and turned away, running up the nearest building.
Genesis slowly sat up, noticing his shoulder did not hurt at all and his body no longer felt weak. Taking off his own glove he slowly felt the area. He could feel slick blood but there was no longer a wound. It was completely gone.
Glancing around he saw the bag of food sitting a few feet away, unharmed with steam still rising from the top.
He could not understand what just happened.
He couldn't let this go.
Glancing towards the building the boy ran up, Genesis quickly stood and followed. He needed to catch him and find out what he had done.
His body felt good as new, he honestly didn't know what to think. The fire he felt was like a distant memory. He didn't know if he should be thankful or concerned.
Standing atop the building he couldn't see anyone, but he could hear the soft, distant footfalls he heard before. He quickly began running towards them, noticing a trail of blood droplets in his path. The boy really had cut his hand deeply, and it seemed he hadn't bothered to even bandage it.
Picking up the pace it wasn't long before he found his target. He nearly stumbled over his own feet in shock.
He didn't think Sephiroth had a younger brother, but the sight before him made him seriously consider the prospect.
A boy of about seventeen was standing in the alley below him next to a run down bike. His outfit was all black and the coat looked more like a dress. It was also similar to Sephiroth's uniform, if he wore something that covered every inch of his skin.
He was right about the hair, it was just like Sephiroth’s hair, just a bit shorter. This boy was also smaller than his friend, he was tall and very thin, more slender than even Sephiroth had been as a teen.
The kid was just standing there and staring at his bleeding hand, his head tilted slightly, he hadn't even noticed Genesis watching him. Moving as stealthily as he could he tried to get an angle where he could see the boy’s face.
He shouldn't have been surprised by the green mako eyes, but he was. No one had cat slit eyes like his friend, but this strange boy did. His hair obscured his face, but he would never not recognize those eyes.
His first thought was Hojo, that the man had done something. What if this boy really was related to Sephiroth? What was he doing out here alone, and how did he know about Genesis' injury?
Before he could think more on it, green eyes suddenly met his own.
The boy froze. There was no other way to describe it. He stared at Genesis and just stopped moving, his eyes were wide and his face was pale.
He was already ten times more expressive than Sephiroth.
He couldn't help but notice the boy's hand was still bleeding, blood dripping steadily to the ground.
It looked like normal blood, dark red a stark contrast to the boy's long pale fingers. Somehow that very same blood had healed him from a wound he didn't even understand.
He took a small hesitant step closer to the little Sephiroth, the boy didn't even twitch, his eyes staying glued on his every move. It was as unsettling in its own right, even his friend didn't stand still like a statue frozen in time.
“Hey there, I had a question for you, I'm glad I was able to catch up to you.”
The boy’s only reaction was the slow tilt of his head. Genesis had the small, disturbing, epiphany that this stranger had not yet blinked a single time he had been watching him.
“A question?”
The voice was as soft as it had been before, barely above a whisper. He took a few more steps closer to the little Sephiroth.
“Yes. You said your mother caused my sickness, can you explain? I do not think I have met your mother.”
Eerie green eyes, more blank than even Sephiroth’s, stared at him for a long moment. Blood continued to drip from his hand, the pace not slowing.
“Mother has not yet revealed herself to this world. All her children are infected by her sickness.”
Genesis was getting the impression this ‘mother’ was more like a cult leader or being than an actual physical mother. He couldn't deny however that this boy had healed him from something, and that he felt better than he had even as a child.
“Her children? Am I one of her children?”
“Everyone here with Mako is her child. I do not know how and whom, but Mother’s body is being given to our brothers. It is a sickness. Mother wants to be free and she needs her children to do so.”
Our brothers, everyone with Mako. He was talking about Soldier, but he seemed to have no idea what he was speaking about. Were Hojo and Hollander doing more than they claimed to have been?
“How did you find me? Why did you heal me?”
His head slowly tilted to the other side and he finally blinked, a confused furrow between his brow.
“I felt your light. You have a part of Mother inside of you, it is very bright. I could see the dark sickness filling your veins, it was breaking down everything that was not Mother. The pretty girl asked me to heal my brothers and I found you.”
Many half thought ideas filled his mind as he stepped even closer at a slow pace. He had no idea what he was saying, but he knew he didn't like it. Something was going on, something this boy both did and didn't know.
“Do you know General Sephiroth?”
“What is a General?” He looked honestly confused. “I know Sephiroth but I have never met him. He is Mothers favorite. He is the only one left.”
There was genuine sorrow in his voice as he said that, and Genesis really needed to get this boy back to ShinRa. If not for his sake, then for Sephiroth.
“The only one left? What do you mean?”
The boy blinked again, only the second time he had in the entire conversation.
“Kadaj and Loz are dead, part of the Lifestream. Only Sephiroth and I are left. He is the last true child of Mother’s.”
Oh. That was not good, had he really found someone related to Sephiroth?
His eyes were again drawn to the blood dripping to the ground. Now that he was close enough he could see the torn flesh and the white bone peeking through his palm.
“Why is it not healing? Do you not have Mako?”
The boy lifted his hand and stared at it for a moment.
“I do not have Mako. I do not think it is healing quickly because I absorbed Mother’s sickness. It hurts.”
His voice wavered slightly, like he himself was unsure. Despite his admission of pain he had yet to physically react to whatever pain he was in.
Deciding to take things into his own hands he got within arms reach of the boy and swiftly hit him in the side of the neck. Startled green eyes met his own before they rolled back and the boy fell forward.
He caught him with one arm, marveling at how light he was. Unbidden a single thought filled his mind.
The Gift of the Goddess.
He needed to call Angeal and tell him of their guest.