A/N: Once again, apologies for the late update. Full details are on my profile if you're interested. For now, please enjoy. As a recap, Yazoo's been persuaded to join ShinRa in their rebuilding, under the assumption that he will find help for Loz and himself.

Gigantic thanks to the crazy amount of people who have this fic on alert, and even bigger thanks to the people who reviewed in my long absence. Special mention to Cedarville for reviewing every chapter –throws cookies- Thanks, everyone!

Disclaimer: Characters are all copyright to Square-Enix.

Kuro to Gin

Black and Silver

Chapter 27: Life

Before Yazoo left, he scribbled a quick note to his brother – complete with spelling errors and messy writing – and pinned it to the latter's pillow.

Loz – Am out with Reno and co. Will tell you about it if intrested.

He had showered, changed and packed his bag in less than an hour, and was out of the door by 5.00 am. He did consider quickly saying goodbye to Tifa, but that would mean passing Cloud's room, and Yazoo wouldn't put it past the blonde to wake up instantly from the sound of Yazoo-footsteps. Instead, Yazoo kept his assigned mission a secret, deciding that it was better – and a lot easier – to just go now and face the music later.

Reno had told him to meet up at Healin Lodge. The Turk seemed convinced that Yazoo would remember his way there, and offered no alternative meeting point. Yazoo had thought this was rather rude, since he was doing Reno a favour with this mission, but when he arrived, he could understand why the choice of location was necessary.

"...So, are you going to tell me how your virtually-bust company can whip out a helicopter?"

Reno laughed, looking back at the white aircraft with what could have been fondness. "Those things? We get them cheap from a manufacturer who goes a long way back with ShinRa. Besides, we're not bust," he added, sounding hurt by the remark.

Yazoo was more surprised to see who was in the helicopter. He ducked his head a little to fit through the doorway, ignoring the ShinRa logo emblazoned on the right hand of the door. He came face to face with Tseng and to his left was Rude, who sat in the cockpit and was currently adjusting a headset. Reno loaded a wheelchair into the aircraft. Sure enough, when Yazoo looked towards the back of the helicopter, he saw Rufus in a comfy leather chair. The President stared out of a small window almost longingly.

"Are we all here?" Reno said. "Well, then I guess we're all ready for takeoff then! Hit the controls, Rude!"

But to Yazoo's confusion, Tseng and Rude stared deadpan at Reno, who seemed to cower beneath their gazes. Then, like a dog scorned by its master, Reno sighed and stepped back out of the helicopter.

"I remember now – duty's back that way." He gestured to the long path out of Healin Lodge and smiled briefly at Yazoo, although his shoulders still sagged. "Bring back good news, clone boy."

It was one of the rare occasions where Reno sounded completely serious. Yazoo had the uncomfortable feeling that Deanes was more crucial than he had anticipated, for reasons he couldn't fathom.

"Reno is not coming with us," Tseng explained as the door slid shut. "We need him here in case we need to contact Loz, and vice versa. Please take a seat opposite the President. Can I get you a drink – tea, perhaps?" he asked, already pouring in a glass of water for Rufus.

"I'm all right."

"Very well. Here are some sleeping pills and water if you would like to take them for this journey. We heard you cannot tolerate motion. The flight to Junon is approximately three hours."

Tseng passed over a small metal tin, and made sure Yazoo took his designated seat before settling into his own – across the aisle from his boss, in a place where he was only in peripheral vision. When Yazoo glanced out of the window, Reno was in plain view. The Turk waved enthusiastically, as though he was sending Yazoo off on his first day of school. His aquamarine eyes were alight with pride, and his shouts were drowned out by the whirrs of the helicopter's blades.

"He bought me Balmorals," Rufus remarked lightly, "but I can't wear them."

Yazoo was yet to understand how Rufus worked and how he let his conversations unfold. Heavily influenced by warnings of the President, Yazoo was constantly trying to catch double meanings in Rufus' words. So far, however, he was just at a loss for even the single meaning – what were Balmorals?

According to Yuffie, Rufus Shinra was a schemer and a two-faced bastard. Cloud said that Rufus would do anything to accomplish his goals, no matter how many were hurt. It was weird, thinking that this terrible personality lived in the man opposite him, for Rufus was still staring out of the window as though he wished for nothing more than to leap out of it. Yazoo would have dismissed these warnings, if it wasn't for the fact that Rufus had played a prominent role in Kadaj's death.

A few seconds later, Rufus straightened, exhaled and finally met Yazoo's eyes. He smiled crookedly, steeped his fingers and leaned forwards. Yazoo couldn't ignore the shadows under his eyes.

"Yazoo," he sighed, greeting him as if he hadn't spoken yet. He sounded like he was saying hello to an old friend. "I have so much to discuss with you."

The helicopter began to take off, and Yazoo considered taking the sleeping pills so that he could escape from both nausea and Rufus. He was in no mood to negotiate with him; in all honesty, he wanted to sort out Deanes, turn the chopper around and go straight home. He glanced at the metal tin, and Rufus noticed.

"In a moment, I promise," he said. "A three hour flight with only me for company will surely have you clawing at these windows like there's no hope for tomorrow, so I will condense it and let you sleep for the journey. Five minutes is all I ask."

Yazoo was quite pleased with himself for sussing out Rufus already. Rufus wasn't asking for time, he was asking for Yazoo's trust. Sure enough, when Yazoo gave the go ahead with a small nod, Rufus sank back in his chair like he had all the time in the world. He reached for his glass of water, inching towards it with a frail hand.

"First and foremost, I'd like to apologise for the administration of your termination drug. My plan – as Reno will probably have revealed – was to use your reformed selves to promote ShinRa, and dispose of you afterwards. However, I am now going to tell you everything."

Rufus smiled, and Yazoo scoffed at it. His sudden annoyance made him forget he was flying. "You've told me all I need to know. I know I need ShinRa's help if I'm ever to find a cure, and you're using that for your own benefits. Without your help, I'll die."

"Oh, the irony," said Rufus. He rubbed the side of his head and again, offered a calculating smile. Yazoo couldn't understand the man opposite him and to his horror, his own betrayal. He was willing to bargain with the people who ruined him, his brothers and Vincent. So was it a mark of devotion to save Loz, or was it his selfish desperation to live that was coming through?

They fell into silence, and it was then that Yazoo was aware of how much noise the blades of the helicopter made. Their steady whirring prompted him to look out the window, and Midgar rolled underneath them.

Rufus sank back in his chair, massaging a temple with two long fingers. In the moment of quiet, Yazoo vaguely tried to guess Rufus' age (settling for twenty-six) and pretended he was pondering the President's recent words. Really, Yazoo couldn't care less about 'everything' Rufus had to tell. All that mattered was Loz, and saving him.

"So..." Yazoo began, realising that Rufus was in no hurry to talk, and prompting was needed. "Why are you accompanying me? Surely the whole crew isn't needed for this trivial mission. From your perspective, it's just to save two failed experiments."

"I need to leave Midgar for a while," said Rufus. "A day trip to Junon sounds rather appealing and I want to hear your accomplishments as soon as possible. No, I'm lying."

He laughed jovially, but it morphed into a wheezy cough and Rufus covered his mouth. Yazoo watched as Rufus' eyes watered and he fumbled for his glass of water.

"Nasty cold," Rufus managed, and still he scrabbled for the glass. He was only millimetres away, yet he didn't seem to notice. By the time Yazoo had worked out in his head what to do, Tseng was already doing it. The Turk leapt to his feet, passed the water and Rufus practically seized it. When he had recovered, he surprised Yazoo by laughing all over again. Tseng seemed oblivious to the uncharacteristic reaction.

"Why am I accompanying him to see Deanes?" he repeated, addressing the Turk. "What do you think? Shall I tell him now? Or can Yazoo work it out on his own?"

The more Yazoo stared, the thinner the clouds of confusion became. It was so obvious, Rufus' plan, his need to use Yazoo, his desperation in doing so.

"You're ill," he said.

Rufus flashed a smile at Tseng, satisfied. Then, he turned back to Yazoo. "Very good. I have been ill for two years, with a disease that stumps doctors far and wide. I am always so tired, so weak and brittle. My eyesight is going at such a rapid rate, one day I will wake up and find the world has left me behind."

Part of Tseng's aloof demeanour seemed to break at this. He inhaled deeply, although he barely moved. Yazoo just registered the sound and could empathise with him.

"So I will explain everything, Yazoo, every detail to the situation you are in, every detail of mine, in the hopes that that will never happen."

Slowly, Yazoo nodded. Rufus sank further into his chair, staring through the edge table in front of him in deep thought.

"We foiled your plans for Mother, and Kadaj and Sephiroth died. I sent Reno to check the scene, and he retrieved two people – namely, you and your brother Loz. Considering the size of the explosion, it's impressive you both survived. Loz suffered the most damage." Here, Rufus' voice dropped a notch and he added, "I can only assume he shielded you in the last second."

He wanted to die on that day, Yazoo remembered. He had watched Kadaj leave and all reason to live was dashed in that tiny second. Why did Loz save him? He only needed to think for a moment before knowing the answer – Loz had wanted to live just when he was so close to dying.

"Reno and Elena took care of you on my instructions, despite their obvious desire to finish you both off. You see, I kept you alive because I knew that some time later, you would prove invaluable to the rebuilding of my company. I planned to have you as a walking advertisement with a timer above his head. After your effect wore off, I'd quietly have you killed. You were saved for that reason alone."

Rufus exhaled and looked up. Yazoo's face was burning, but his glower had no effect. Yazoo wondered how Rufus could come up with such a terrible plan and never bat an eyelid at the cruelty of it, and then, with a sickening blow to his guts, he remembered how Kadaj had been just the same.

"Up until now, Reno's been your main point of call," continued Rufus. "Once again, on my orders, he informed you of the termination. At that point, I had discovered my illness, perhaps prompted by Geostigma, was steadily growing worse. It's been two long years, and doctors still do not know what I have. They say I am alive when I shouldn't be. And it was then that I realised that I need a scientist, not a doctor. Someone who has the expertise to go beyond what's already known, venture into the unknown. You seem to know where I'm heading."

"Deanes."

"Precisely. Tseng informed me that you had gone to Nibelheim to retrieve your files – ones which you hid so long ago, and I could hardly contain myself. I wanted to get my hands on it straight away, and even thought of asking Rude to thieve them from you. But, of course, you forgot it and it landed with Reno. Tseng read your file on my behalf and pinpointed Deanes as the one who played a prominent role in your creation and development. Deanes enhanced your vision and boosted your immune system. Tseng dropped hints to Reno about this particular scientist. Reno – quite oblivious to how I used him, I'm afraid – relayed this to you. And here you are."

Rufus had the audacity to gesture with his left hand, showing his open palm in a welcoming way. "If you recruit Deanes to work for ShinRa again and persuade him to save me, I will fund and provide all the equipment and aides he needs to save you and your brother."

"That's fair," Yazoo replied, but he cut off Rufus' mechanical smile with a smirk of his own, "but I have something to add to our deal – save Vincent as well, and I'll get Deanes for you."

"I'll include Vincent," Rufus said warmly, and all hatred for him vanished until he continued, "at the price of Loz, that is."

Yazoo glowered straight away, but it went amiss as Rufus closed his eyes and rested his head back.

"I'll let you think it over, Yazoo, but let me tell you this: it's not a scientist Vincent needs to save him. Now, let us sleep. Fatigue has caught up with me again."

And Tseng, the well behaved Turk whose obedience Yazoo was growing to hate, stepped forwards to help Rufus make himself more comfortable, sleeping pills in hand. Dully, Yazoo watched the only Turk who seemed immune to Rufus' tendency to treat people like puppets. Tseng loosened the seatbelt, eased the armchair's back lower and covered him with a light grey blanket. Rufus muttered some thanks before drifting into sleep, and Yazoo realised that it was the first time he had seen any humanity in the President.

Yazoo floated in and out of consciousness during the flight, courtesy to the torrent of thoughts that plagued his mind. By the time they reached Junon's heliport, Yazoo was desperate to escape from the aircraft and taste fresh air.

As soon as he stepped out, a warm gust of wind greeted him, clearing his nostrils and if possible, lightening the burden of lives on his shoulders. After a few seconds, though, the strong wind irritated him, whipping his hair into his eyes. Yazoo swore that Rude had the tiniest trait of a smirk, clearly having an advantage with a bald head.

He was in a silent crowd, something he wasn't quite used to, now that he was part of 7th Heaven. Rude had very little to contribute to the conversation, Rufus was still sleeping and Tseng would only talk business. So, deciding that there was a first time for everything, Yazoo was extremely glad to see Elena running over to greet them.

"Finally," she huffed. "Cookie doesn't listen to a word I say and Deanes has barricaded himself. Again."

She shook a brown bundle in her arms and Yazoo noticed it was not a cuddly doll as he assumed, but a real life puppy, scrabbling for its master. He watched the animal, aware that this was the pet Rufus and selected Turks had gone to the trouble of buying and training.

"Cookie?" Yazoo repeated, and Elena treated him to a scathing look.

"She already came with a name," she replied matter-of-factly. She thrust the puppy into Tseng's arms, dusted her suit free from dog hair and took out her gun, whirling it round an index finger. "Come on then, Yazoo. You know your mission."

Tseng, somehow managing to look respectable with a puppy chewing on his collar, coughed lightly for attention. "Yazoo, Elena is going to take you to Deanes' residence. She has been keeping an eye on him since we made ourselves known. Rude will go with you, in case there's a need of intervention."

Yazoo laughed bitterly. Rufus had planned this very well, anticipating a fight on Yazoo's part. After all, he was seeing his creator again in so many years. What if Yazoo's fury got the better of his mission to rescue himself and the President? Rufus would use Rude to break up the fight and pull Yazoo back to his senses. Flawless, really. Yazoo had to hand it to the man.

"I will be on the seafront with the President and...Cookie," Tseng said. "Please meet us back there when you are done." He turned, rigid as ever, and pushed the wheelchair.

"He's not coming with us?" Yazoo asked.

"Deanes won't listen to a word the President says until you convince him otherwise." She sniffed rather haughtily, and Yazoo assumed she was annoyed with how important a role a clone like him had. "Things would have been so much easier if Deanes agreed to help when I held him at gunpoint."

"He didn't?"

"No, he preferred to be shot." She gestured to a small off road. "This way. Rude, I might need you break down the door if Deanes refuses to take down his fortress of furniture."

Rude merely nodded and they took another turn. Yazoo couldn't ignore the daunting company he was in: Elena was loading extra bullets into her gun as she walked, Rude was flexing his hands as though anticipating a brawl.

"Something you might want to know about Deanes, Yazoo," she said sharply. "He's chosen the wrong time to feel remorse for the things he did. He's a coward, locking himself away, shouting empty threats of suicide. He's also the only person who can save the President's life. It goes without saying that if you fail your mission, you'll leave Deanes' house with new enemies."

Yazoo always had Reno down as the passionate Turk, but he was now reconsidering. Elena's cheeks were pink, her eyes ablaze, and her hands kept fidgeting with her gun.

"He's trained you very well," he replied, implying Rufus. "You're his lackeys through and through. He's used every one of you, used me to save his own skin and has planned it so I can't refuse."

"Exactly," Elena snapped. "The President left you with the goodie goodies in 7th Heaven, so that you have people you care about, and people who care in return. You previously had no reason to live, and the President merely changed that to bring you here."

"It's the only way people will save him," retorted Yazoo. "If he traps them in a corner and makes them. No one in their right mind would lend a hand if he simply asked."

"Wrong. You're very wrong, Yazoo." Her voice wobbled, brimming with aggressive defensiveness. "You don't know the first thing about the President. Criticise him any more and I'll lay down a thousand insults for your own master."

"What?" Yazoo said without thinking. Then, he remembered who he was talking to. Elena laughed, and it was far from kind.

"Your little brother Kadaj," she said derisively. "I might follow ShinRa like a lap dog, but its President doesn't peel off my fingernails. Do you know what I mean?"

"I--" Yazoo started.

"Our President doesn't carve pictures into Tseng's back with two blades; he doesn't lick blood from his fingers! He doesn't laugh when Tseng cries, he doesn't--"

"Elena," Rude said, his voice rising a tad. "Deanes' house?"

She stopped both her steps and her words. Still looking rather heated, she glanced at her surroundings and her lips tightened.

"...We've gone past it. It's back here."

Elena marched ahead, ignoring Yazoo and brushing past him like he was just another streetlight. Deanes' house was overlooking a small alleyway, facing away from the harbour. Elena tried the door and sighed with impatience.

"Deanes!" she shouted, banging on the heavy wood with a fist. "Open up, or I'll shoot the lock again."

There was no reply, so Elena did just this, pushing against the door with her face contorted.

"Hello? Rude?" she snapped. He went forward, opening the door and pushing back the pile of furniture with ease. Yazoo saw a dining chair fall off a coffee table and crash onto the emerald floor inside. The strong smell of dust reached his nostrils, and Yazoo realised that on ShinRa's re-entrance into his life, Deanes was afraid to go beyond his home. Still furious with Elena, Yazoo actually thought about failing to recruit Deanes, just to spite her, but Rude took him to one side before they followed after Elena.

"Our President's life is in your hands. Elena made that clear." Rude made a gesture, as if he was going to take off his sunglasses. However, he rubbed the side of his head instead. "If he dies, he dies five deaths."

Anyway, comments and feedback are appreciated! I'm hoping to update soon with this fic and Ameagari, so stay tuned! Thanks for reading! :)