Hello, dearest readers! I am here to present with you Chapter 18 of The Search for Avonej! I hope you are enjoying this! Only two chapters to go, I am pretty sure! Please read and review, as always. It is very much appreciated and is very helpful!

Disclaimer: I do not own anything of Final Fantasy or PlayStation.

Chapter 18: Revenge

It has been two weeks since Kadaj left. Wanting to forget the pain and continue, Cloud dropped Loz and Yazoo off at an indoor pool to relax and have some fun.

"The water feels so nice . . . it's been a long time since we've gone swimming," Yazoo says quietly, sitting in the pool with his back leaned against the pool wall and his eyes shut in relaxation.

"Yeah. This was a good idea," Loz agrees, pausing from his swimming for a moment. "It's good to just forget about everything for a little while and just take it easy."

As Yazoo sighs dreamily, he hears his cell phone ring from lying on his towel outside of the water. He now sighs in frustration and climbs out of the pool with help from the ladder, revealing his soaking wet light green muscle shirt and matching swimming trucks. He quickly dries his hands on his towel and picks up the phone. Kadaj's cell phone number is showing.

"Loz, it's Kadaj," Yazoo informs, unsure what to do.

Loz looks at him in surprise. "Kadaj?" He thinks for a quick moment. "Answer it. Just in case . . . "

Yazoo answers. "Hmm? . . . . . . . . . . . . Oh, really? . . . . . . . . . . Riiiiight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . How stupid do you think I am? . . . . . . Of coarse I don't believe you!" Yazoo hangs up the phone.

"What was that all about?" Loz questions.

"Hmph. He says he was kidnapped and needs up to rescue him. Like I'm dumb enough to fall for a trick like that!" He sets the phone back down. "If he's in so much trouble, why doesn't his 'beloved, ultra-powerful Sephiroth' come to save him?"

"Yeah. What an idiot." Loz thinks about Kadaj for a moment. Beginning to feel sad, he decides to change the subject. "Hey, while you're out, how about we go get some drinks? I'm thirsty."

"Sure."

Loz steps out of the pool. "Hey, how about you stay here and I go get them? You can make sure no one gets our stuff."

"Okay."

Loz leaves the pool room, so Yazoo sits on his towl to wait. He lifts his cell phone and looks at Kadaj's number, thinking about the call. Not wanting to worry any more, he finds a game on his cell phone and begins playing it.

Fifteen minutes pass and Loz has still not returned. Yazoo turns off his game, closes his phone, and gets up. He glances around the pool room, hoping that Loz walked by him without him knowing. No Loz. Worried, Yazoo wraps his towel around himself and carries his phone with him to go look for Loz.

Yazoo strolls into the concession area, hoping to find his brother waiting in a horribly long, slow line, but sees no sign of him. He quickly leaves the room and heads for the restrooms. He walks inside and does not see him. "Loz, are you in here?" he calls, hoping he is using a stall. No answer. Frightened, Yazoo runs out of the restroom and goes back into the pool room. He stands next to Loz's towel to keep an eye on it and dials Cloud's number. After several rings, no one has picked up yet. "Oh, come on! Please pick up!" he pleads.

"Hello?" Cloud finally answers on the other side of the phone.

"Big Brother!" Yazoo exclaims slightly. "I'm sorry to bother you, but . . . . Loz went to get us some drinks and I can't find him anywhere! He's been gone for over fifteen minutes!"

"He's gone? Have you looked for him?"

"Yes. I can't find him anywhere. I checked the food place and the restroom!"

"Did you try calling him?"

". . . . No."

"Try that. Call me back after you do."

Cloud hangs up the phone, so Yazoo dials Loz's number, having been too worried to think to try that before. He puts the phone to his ear and waits. No one picks up, but the message telling him to leave a message comes on. "Loz, it's me, Yazoo. Where are you? I've been waiting for you for a long time now. This isn't funny. I've already called Big Brother. Now get back here right now!" Yazoo hangs up and calls Cloud again.

"Yazoo?"

"I called him and he didn't answer. I left a message, though."

" . . . I'll be right over in a few minutes. Just stay where you are."

"Okay."

Cloud and Yazoo hang up, so Yazoo sits down on his towel and waits anxiously.

"Hey! Ugh! Let go of me!" Loz shouts. Shinra police are holding onto both of his muscular arms, transporting him from the vehicle to Healin Lodge. Loz struggles and threatens, and finally breaks free. As he attacks two of the police, knocking them unconscious, another policeman shoots him in the back with a knock-out dart. Slowly, Loz's world goes black and he collapses on the concrete ground.

Yazoo looks over his shoulder from gazing at the pool and spots Cloud enter the room. Yazoo gets to his feet and awaits Cloud's instructions.

"He still hasn't come back?" Cloud questions.

"No," Yazoo replies.

"Let's go look around. Just to make sure you didn't over-look him."

Cloud grabs Loz's things and, with Yazoo, searches the entire building, and still finds no sign of Loz. When finished, they exit and get into Tifa's van.

"Where are we going now?" Yazoo asks, getting into the passenger's seat.

"We're going to drive around town for any signs of him. If we still don't find him . . . we'll just have to go home."

"But . . . ! Can't we do something? Like, posters?"

"If he's not back by morning."

Cloud starts up the van and they drive through the town. Yazoo observes the town through his window thoroughly, but sees Loz nowhere.

"I'm sorry, Yazoo. I really am. I know how much you love him, and how much you need him, with Kadaj gone and everything," Cloud says to him sadly. "Maybe he'll show up in the morning."

". . . Yes."

"We can go put out posters and look some more after your doctor's appointment. We won't give up."

Cloud drives the two of them home, where they find Tifa and Denzel playing Hang Man in the living room. They look up and smile, happy to see Cloud and Yazoo home.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Tifa apologizes. "I don't have dinner ready yet. I wasn't expecting you this early."

"Hey, where's Loz?" Denzel interrupts.

"He's . . . something happened." Cloud informs.

"What?" Tifa asks, sensing something bad.

"We can't find Loz anywhere. He just disappeared. We searched all over town."

Yazoo looks downcast for a moment and turns his face away. As Cloud explains the situation to Tifa, Yazoo slips out of the room and up the stairs. He enters his room and flops down on his bed to relax, but it is futile; he cannot stop thinking and worrying about Loz. As he suffers from his loneliness, he eventually falls asleep.

"Yazoo, are you still asleep?!" a sweet voice calls, awakening Yazoo from his peaceful slumber. He looks towards the doorway and sees Marlene standing there, her hands on her hips in a bossy manner. "You have to get ready! You overslept and you have to go to the doctor in less than an hour!"

Yazoo looks over at the window and sees that it is morning. He sits up and also notices that he had slept in yesterday's clothing. Hastily, he picks an outfit and runs to the bathroom to get ready.

Yazoo manages to wash his hair in five minutes, allowing him to get ready in enough time to eat something. He rushes down the stairs and into the kitchen, where Tifa hands him a plate with an egg, a hash brown, and sausage links. He brings it over to the table and gets it down his throat as soon as possible.

"Hey, slow down! You'll make yourself sick!" Tifa tells him.

"Are you about ready?" Cloud asks Yazoo as he walks into the room.

"Mm hm," Yazoo replies, as he finishes his egg.

"Alright. Finish that and we'll go."

In the waiting room of the doctor's office, Yazoo is sitting next to Cloud in a chair, staring downward to the hard floor while picking at his fingernails nervously. Cloud, however, is occupying himself by reading a magazine about men's fitness. As Cloud turns to the next page, he glances up from his reading and notices Yazoo. He lowers the magazine to his lap and clears his throat.

"Yazoo, I'm sorry I didn't have the time to look for Loz before we left," Cloud apologizes. "As soon as we get out of here, we'll search for him some more and put posters around the city, alright?"

"Alright," Yazoo sighs quietly, still staring at the floor. "I'm just . . . . worried about him."

"I'm sure he's fine. He's strong and can take care of himself."

"I suppose so . . . " Yazoo leans his head back and slouches in his seat, his mind worried and bored. As he sighs, a nurse steps into the room and calls his name. He rises from his seat and follows Cloud to the room to which the nurse leads them. Once inside, they await the doctor.

"Why, hello, Yazoo," the doctor says in a friendly manner as he enters the room and shuts the door behind him. "How have you been?"

"Alright, I suppose."

"Well, that's good." The doctor now turns his attention to his clipboard to write some information. "So . . . how is your condition? Are you doing better . . . ? Worse? The same?"

"Better."

"That's good." He writes a line of information on a page on his clipboard. "Well, I want to run some tests on you to be sure that you are healing, and to make sure that you are not currently in any danger of getting worse." The doctor stands and gestures to Yazoo. "Come with me." He now turns to Cloud. "Would you please wait in here?" Cloud nods, and the doctor and Yazoo exit the room.

The doctor leads Yazoo down the hall and into a room filled with machines. "Please lie down there," the doctor instructs, pointing to a small, black bed. Yazoo does as the doctor says, but dreads what may be about to happen.

"You looks awfully nervous," the doctor observes. "Why don't you just shut your eyes for a moment, hmm? That should relax you."

Yazoo shuts his eyes, hoping that the doctor is correct. After about four seconds, he feels something cover his mouth, so he immediately opens his eyes and to see that the doctor has covered his mouth with duct tape. Although surprised, he kicks the doctor, sending him falling backwards on the floor. Yazoo tries to remove the duct tape, but before he can do so, some Shinra police appear from the back door of the room and grab his arms. Yazoo fights as hard as he can and manages to rise to a sitting position, so the police pull his arms behind his back and handcuff him. Before he can react, his ankles are tied together with a rope. He stares angrily ahead at his doctor.

"Aw, poor Yazoo! What's he going to do now? Call for his brothers for help?" the doctor teases. "Oh, that's right! I've already kidnapped his brothers! There goes that plan!" He laughs and Yazoo looks at him in shock, realizing now what had happened to Loz and Kadaj. "Well, then, I guess you'll just have to come with me! I'll be gentle. Don't worry. I wouldn't want to hurt such a wonderful specimen!" The doctor pulls off his disguise, revealing Professor Hojo. "That's right! It's me, Hojo! Sephiroth's father!"

Yazoo stares at him, horrified. He has heard many stories and rumors about this man since he started living with Cloud. Stories about his experiments and twisted wrong-doings. He fears that he may be his next victim. Unfortunately, Yazoo feels defenseless, tied up and surrounded, so all he can do is accept what is going to happen.

"Well, then, I guess we'd better get going," Hojo says. "Let's go." A Shinra policeman picks up Yazoo and throws him over his right shoulder and follows Hojo out the back door, along with the other police.

Half an hour later, Yazoo is transported by the Shinra police into the same building they escorted Loz. Yazoo struggles, but is still easily lead inside and through hallways until they reach a room with prison-like cells inside. One of the policemen following takes a key and opens the cell, allowing the others to throw Yazoo inside. Immediately, the policeman locks the cell again and all the police leave. Angry, Yazoo begins kicking the cell door, hoping it will open.

"It's no use," a familiar voice from behind him informs. "I've tried that already."

Yazoo gets on his knees and turns toward the voice, and sees that its owner is Kadaj. Kadaj is sitting in the left corner of the cell, leaning back against the tan-colored rock wall. He smiles at Yazoo, so Yazoo scowls. As he looks away from him, he notices Loz lying prostrate on the floor on the right side of the cell, his wrists tied behind his back and his ankles tied together, just like Kadaj's and Yazoo's.

"Loz?" Yazoo asks, crawling up to his side. He gets no response, so he turns Loz's face towards him. "Loz?"

"He's unconscious. He was like that when they brought him in here," Kadaj tells him.

"H-how long ago was that?"

"About a couple of hours." Kadaj sighs and averts his gaze to the ceiling. "It must have been some powerful stuff."

Yazoo makes himself as comfortable as he can manage next to his older brother, away from Kadaj. After a few moments of silence, Yazoo asks, "Kadaj, this is why you called me, isn't it? Because you got brought here?"

"Hmph. That's right," he answers smoothly.

". . . . How . . . did you get here?"

"Well, I was playing Final Fantasy VIII on Seph's PlayStation, some Shinra police suddenly kicked the door down. Seph was at the laundry mat, so I was left alone. I got up to defend myself, but my sword was in the other room and I couldn't take all of them at once. So . . . "

". . . . You don't know why we're here?" Yazoo questions.

"No. Not exactly. But . . . Sephiroth will come save me! I called him on my phone!"

"What? They took my phone!" Yazoo complains.

"Well, you should have hidden it better."

"Hmph. The time has finally come." Kadaj and Yazoo look to the outside of the cell and see Tseng walk into the room, and now Elena. They walk up to their cell and smile evilly at the three as they stop in front of the door.

"Huh? Whazz eh, Teddy?!" Loz yells as he awakens and rolls until he gets on his knees.

Elena burst with laughter upon hearing Loz, so Tseng glares at her.

"I'm s-sorry!" she continues laughing. "Whazz eh . . . Teddy?! Ahahahaahaaaaaa!!!!"

"Elena! This is serious!" Tseng shouts, angry. "This is time for us to get our revenge!"

"Reven . . . who ga?" Loz mumbles again.

Elena laughs again, so Tseng grits his teeth. "Revenge! For torturing us in Northern Crater, remember?!"

"That's right, so . . . ahahahahaaaaaaa!!!" Elena chuckles, unable to stop thinking about what Loz had been saying.

"But that was our revenge against you! For stealing our mother!" Kadaj argues, getting to his feet angrily.

"Oh, is the little remnant upset about getting punished? Perhaps your mother should have taught you violence is not an answer!" Tseng taunts. "You tortured us, so now we're going to torture you!"

Kadaj glares at Tseng through the steel bars of his cell. Tseng smiles at Kadaj, knowing he cannot win against him while tied up. He turns his gaze to Elena, who is still smiling.

"Elena, be serious for a moment," Tseng requests. "Now, to whom do you think we should teach a lesson first?"

"How about the funny one?" Elena suggests.

"Agreed." Tseng opens the cell door and pushes Kadaj onto the floor, making him no longer in his way. He grabs Loz by the shoulder and begins dragging him out of the cell as Yazoo and Kadaj stare in anger.

"Uraga! . . . Huh?" Loz looks up to see Tseng dragging him out of the cell, his mind now clear. "Hey! You're not Teddy!" Loz yells, irritated.

Tseng finishes getting Loz out of the cell and locks the door again. He roughly slings Loz onto the floor on his side and kicks him in the stomach, causing him to grunt in pain. As he kicks him in the ribs, Elena joins in by kicking him in the back of his legs with her high-heels. Loz manages to kick Elena as she attempts to kick him and throws himself on his knees. Before he can get to his feet, Tseng punches him in the face, knocking him back onto the floor.

"Loz!" Yazoo yells, unable to bear watching his brother get beaten so badly and unfairly. He turns his face away as the two Turks continue to attack him. After a few more moments of hitting, Tseng kicks Loz aside and stops.

"Let's not spend all of our energy on him. We have two more to make pay," Tseng tells Elena.

"And then later, we can beat them some more?" Elena asks.

"Of coarse."

Tseng opens the cell again and grabs Yazoo by his hair. Yazoo squeals as he is drug by his hair out of the cell, and Kadaj, once again, can only watch in horror. Tseng locks the cell again and beats Yazoo alongside Elena. As they hurt him, he moans in pain and keeps his face turned away, hoping his face will not be damaged. As he wimpers and his eyes water, Elena kicks him aside.

"Time for the short one!" Elena cheers.

Tseng, once again, enters the cell and grabs Kadaj by the ankle and drags him out. They beat him for a few minutes and laugh as they tease and taunt him, trying to make him feel the pain they felt when he tortured them, which was worse than the torture his brothers gave them. As he is kicked in the stomach for the fifth time, Tseng suddenly crashes onto the floor. Kadaj notices this and no longer feels Elena's annoying high-heels, so he looks up through his tears and sees Sephiroth standing beside of him.

"Se . . . S . . . Seph --," Kadaj wheezes.

"I'm sorry I'm late, Kadaj," Sephiroth apologizes. He turns to look at Tseng and Elena, who are slowly rising from the floor. They look at him with horror in their eyes, and now run down the hall as quickly as possible.

Sephiroth unties Kadaj's bindings and helps him to his feet, and now hugs him. Yazoo watches in fear and sadness, afraid of what Sephiroth might do next, and still hurt that his brother loves him over himself. Loz notices Yazoo's reaction and also watches the two, angry, but too injured to attack.

"Are you alright?" a voice asks from behind Loz and Yazoo. They turn to look and see that Cloud is standing there with his sword in his hand. He looks past Loz and Yazoo and spots Sephiroth embraces Kadaj. "You . . . "

"We were both late," Sephiroth tells him, Kadaj's face buried in his chest. " . . . but at least we came before they were hurt any worse . . . or killed."

"W-we could ha-have won if . . . if we were wh-whole!" Kadaj sobs, his voice so muffled that only Sephiroth can understand him.

"I know, Kadaj." Sephiroth comforts, patting him on the back gently.

Cloud unties Loz and Yazoo, trying to block out the conversation, it sickening him. He first helps Loz up, and now Yazoo.

"Thank you, Big Brother," Yazoo tells him weakly.

"Yeah," Loz adds.

"Kadaj, you really want to become whole . . . right?" Sephiroth questions.

"Yes," he answers.

"Then . . . I want you to go back to your brothers."

Kadaj looks up at Sephiroth in shock. "What?"

Cloud, Loz, and Yazoo look back over at the two curiously. Sephiroth places one of his hands on the right side of Kadaj's face gently. "You wouldn't want to become whole by yourself . . . would you?"

"Well, not really, but . . . ! Sephiroth, I don't want to leave you! Why can't you just come with us?!" Kadaj pleads.

"I'm sorry, Kadaj. I wasn't meant to lead you to becoming whole."

"But . . . !"

"But maybe after you become whole, I'll come see you sometimes, okay?"

"Sephiroth!" Kadaj wraps his arms around him and squeezes him tightly. "I love you! This isn't fair!"

"Kadaj . . . "

"I don't want to leave you!"

" . . . Kadaj, surprise me." Kadaj listens closely, wondering what he means. "I want to see you after you become whole."

" . . . okay." Kadaj lets go, but does not walk away.

"Go on now. Go with your brothers." Sephiroth smiles at him, and puts something in Kadaj's pocket. "I love you."

Kadaj lowers his head so that his eyes are covered by his hair, and walks down the hall to where Loz, Yazoo, and Cloud are standing. Sephiroth leaves.

"Hmph. Do you actually think we'll let you come back?!" Loz snaps.

". . . I'm sorry," Kadaj sniffs.

"'I'm sorry'?!" Yazoo scoffs. "It's going to take more than that to-"

Yazoo stops as Kadaj pulls something out of his pocket and holds it up so that he can see it. A vial of Jenova Cells.

"Jenova Cells . . . ?" Cloud asks, surprised.

"That's right. Sephiroth gave them to me so that we can be whole again!" Kadaj explains. "And you can't have them unless you forgive me!"

"That's good enough for me!" Loz cheers.

"What?" Yazoo asks, unbelieving. "You think a small apology and a vial of Mother's Cells are enough to make me forgive you?! After you betrayed me like that?!"

"What do you want me to do, kiss you?!" Kadaj complains.

"Of coarse not!"

"Then it's settled. I'm back in the family."

"But you're only doing this for yourself and Sephiroth," Cloud butts-in.

Kadaj looks at him in surprise. "No . . . that's not all. I really am sorry. And . . . I've really missed everybody."

"Kadaj . . . are you really sorry?" Yazoo asks.

"Yes! Yes, I'm sorry! How many times do I have to say it?!"

". . . Sephiroth . . . it seems like Sephiroth was good to you . . . and . . . so . . . it makes me happy that he was good to you . . . "

Kadaj hugs Yazoo. "Yazoo, I really am sorry."

Yazoo snaps out of his shock from being hugged by Kadaj, and returns the embrace. "I forgive you."

After a moment, the two let go of one another, and Kadaj wipes his few tears away.

"That's better," Cloud says. "Let's go home. All of us."

Whew! Only two chapters to go! This has been a long story . . . I hope you have enjoyed it!

Thank you so much for reading! Please leave a review if possible. It would be very much appreciated.

Next chapter: Kadaj, Loz, Yazoo, and Cloud search for Avonej! Will they find this child? And will he make them whole? Or is all of this too good to be true?

I'm having some writer's block right now on chapter 19. I'll get it done ASAP.