Mutation

I knew something was wrong when he didn’t come home that night 3 months ago.

We had gotten into a fight over something trivial, and I left, slamming the door behind me. I stayed out late, and didn’t return until the morning. He wasn’t waiting for me in out bed, so my tired mind rationalized that he must have returned to his old home for the night.

The headache I had when I awoke hindered my noticing of subtle hints that laid strewn about.

Once it had subsided, I noticed that he still wasn’t back. It must have been a larger fight then I remembered.

He didn’t return that night, nor the next. A week went past, and each day I fell a bit more into depression and self pity. Not even Kadaj’s antics could cheer me up.

Finally Vincent kicked my butt into gear, telling me to go over and talk to him, or get shot in the leg. Having seen him do that to Kadaj on several different occasions, I know he meant business.

So I got all cleaned up and dressed in the cloths Damon loved seeing me in, figuring it couldn’t hurt.

I think I waited about 10 minutes for him to answer the door. Alright, it was more like 30 seconds before I broke into his place.

It smelled stale in there, and it didn’t look as though anybody had bee in the place since I had moved him in with me.

My heart sank, then I remembered that he could also be staying with Smash Cat and Icarus.

I headed over there only to be informed that they have not seen him since the last time they had come over to the bar the night before Damon disappeared.

When I returned, my attitude had shifted from depression to concern and worry. I went to our room and started looking for clues to tell me if he planned on coming back.

I had just about given up hope, when something caught my eye. I pounced on them, his parents wedding bands.

Finding them, I was overwhelmed by this horrible feeling that something was very wrong. Damon never goes anywhere without them. They are the only things he has left of his parents. They mean more to him then I do; all almost.

I shoved them into my pocket, grabbed Velvet Nightmare, and was all ready to storm out of there and go on a manhunt for Damon. Kadaj stepped in my way, but I didn’t hear anything he said. I shoved him aside with a snarl and continued on my way.

I would have put on a good rampage too if Vincent hadn’t stopped me. Fuck him and that gun of his. He took out both my knee caps.

I couldn’t go anywhere while I healed, which wasn’t very fun at all. It wasn’t so bad though, Kadaj helped me out allot, though I was wishing it was Damon here to take care of me instead.

At first I thought it was because he was being all brotherly and supportive, but as the weeks passed, I became suspicious of his motives. It was as though he was hiding something.

I didn’t think much of it at the time. After all, Kadaj isn’t always clear on why he does the things he does.

It was 2 months before they’d let me go out looking for Damon again. He still hadn’t shown up anywhere. was really starting to get worried. Alright, I was beyond the point of worried by then.

Vincent tried to stop me again, but I had anticipated that already. With Velvet Nightmare pressed to his temple, I warned him that if he interfered, I would not hesitate to kill him.

Sure he’s like a father to me, but I love Damon. If Vincent took off for a couple of months, I’d miss him and worry about him a little. The thing is though, Vincent can take care of himself easier then Damon can.

After that first day of searching, I started dreaming about him constantly. Each day I’d look for him, and each night the dreams of him would be more vivid.

Some nights the dreams were not so bad, but others I could see him screaming and fighting something. After a couple of weeks, I could fell the fear he was feeling in those dreams as well, and it scared me. I had no clue where he was, and if he was alright or even alive. These dreams, however, pushed me to find him sooner.

There was one dream that I will never forget, and it turns my stomach even now to think about it. I realized that he had been strapped down to a bed of some sort, and that he couldn’t get free. There were tubes and IV needles stuck into him, and he was hooked up to different machines. Men in white came in and were talking. I couldn’t make out what they were saying, but I could feel Damon’s growing fear of them. Two of them moved to hold him down even more as the third man prepared to inject him with something. Damon struggled and screamed for them to leave him alone, that they were hurting him. He promised to be good if they would just leave him alone, and that he didn’t want them touching him. It didn’t matter though, they were able to inject him with whatever it was.

At that point I must have been screaming, for when the dreams of Damon faded off at that moment, Kadaj was right next to me trying to wake me up. I lashed out at him before I realized that he wasn’t one of the men in white from the dream.

The sound of him crashing into the wall snapped me to my sense, and I apologized. I explained to him my dreams, me tears coming too easily. I don’t think I’ve ever cried before that. Actually yes, I did when Loz died, but that was different then now.

Kadaj paled as I told him of my dreams of Damon. I figures that I needed to tell somebody else about them, For a moment it almost looked as though he felt guilty about the whole thing, that he was the one to blame for Damon’s disappearance.

I shrugged it off again, distracted more the dream then what Kadaj was doing.

I was such a fool then. I should have realized that Kadaj was all to blame for this. He was always threatening to kill Damon. I guess I never really took him seriously enough about it.

I awoke this morning and was calm. There was something different, something in the air that was calling me. It was like, hope, to something like that.

It wasn’t until midday when it hit me. What I was feeling was not some random thing, it was Damon. I suddenly knew where he was. I must have dropped the plate I was drying because there was a shatter and Kadaj and Vincent came rushing in. You see, I don’t drop things unless there is a damned good reason.

Vincent looked questioningly at me, but is was Kadaj who voiced the question they both wanted to know.

“I know where he is. I have to get him... now!” I blinked, then moved to go get ready to leave so I could bring Damon home.

Kadaj followed me to my room, still with more questions. I ignored him for the most part, though answered that he was in a hospital. I turned to head out of my room, but Kadaj was in the door way, asking me if Damon was alright.

I stopped dead in my tracks. Kadaj never once asked if Damon was alright, or if he could help to find him. Then it all made sense, why Kadaj was being so supportive and everything these past 3 months.

“You’re the one responsible for him being gone all this time,” I took a step towards him and pulled out Velvet. He paled when I aimed it at him. “Aren’t you? You are the reason why he’s gone, why he’s locked up in that place and being held like a captive animal.”

He tried to sputter some excuse, about Damon being weak, or not good for me. I didn’t want to hear it. So I shut him up by taking out both of his knee caps. I stepped over him, kicking his hands away as he tried to stop me.

I glared down at him and murmured, “Just be grateful that I don’t kill you....” He paled and shrunk away.

Vincent was about to stop me, when I gave him the death glare. He paused, then stepped out of my way. I think he realized what was going on, he was always perspective. That or he had damned good hearing.

The closer I got to the hospital, the stronger I could feel Damon. My mind begged him to just hold on a bit longer. I don’t know why though, but I did.

I’m entering the hospital now, and I can feel him stronger then ever. He knows I’m here, and he’s frightened. Not of me though, of the men in white. They’re going to sedate him again. Yes, that’s it! That’s what they’ve been doing to him this while time. It makes sense now, Those dreams, there were actually his memories of what was happening to him here.

I move quicker to find him, feeling him fighting them as hard as he can. I’m not sure exactly where he is, but I know I have to go up.

I pass a group of medical staff, and I over hear them talking about some rape victim in the mental ward. Poor guy, lost most of his memories. Then they mention his hair color, and I slow my pace just enough to not move out of ear shot too fast.

“...Yeah, he doesn’t even remember his own name, but he remembers somebody. He keeps calling out for this person in his sleep. I think his name’s Yazuu. But it could just be a figment....”

I don’t need to hear anymore. I move even quicker to find Damon. At least I’m on the right floor, now I just need to find the room.

A nurse hurried out of a room down the hall a bit, she might know where Damon is. I’m almost to the room, when I feel him so much stronger, and the fear is overwhelming. I look into the room that the nurse came out of, and I see him. Laying there sobbing, begging for them to let him go, to stop this and leave him alone.

I see the doctor about ready to inject Damon with the needle, and I just react. Not even a second and Velvet it out, and I have shot the needle from his hand.

The doctor and orderly look at me in surprise, and a bit of fear. Damon hasn’t looked up yet, his eyes still closed and head turned away. Tears streaming down his face, and I can smell his blood. He must have hurt himself trying to fight them. This infuriates me, and as the orderly rushed me to try and take me out, I grab him, breaking his arm, then toss him into the hallway.

The doctor is at least smart enough to high tail it out of there without pissing me off further.

I could and lock the door, not wanting anybody else to get in here right now. I need to determine for myself that Damon is alright.

Suddenly I’m nervous, and I don’t know why. I think I’m afraid of how he’ll react to me. I have not been afraid of much in my life, but right now I am the most scared I have ever been. What if he blames me for what happened to him. What if he wishes he had never met me. What if he doesn’t remember me.

“Damon?” I ask hesitantly, stopping right next to him. He looks to me with tear filled eyes, and it breaks my heart. He’s confused for a moment, then his eyes lighten up with remembrance. It’s as though I have triggered all his memories.

“Yazuu?...” he asks. Yes he does remember. I see all his walls break down and he lets all his emotions out. But he is not angry at me, nor does he blame me.

He tries to reach out to touch me, but his wrists are still strapped down. He screams at this and tries to fight against them. That is why I can smell his blood. He’s fought the bindings so hard he has cut himself open.

Seeing him like this, it makes him look small and weak, and I am scared for him. But on closer inspection, he has bent the steel bars of the bed frame from fighting so hard, and I know that his is much stronger then I give him credit for.

I place my hands over his, and he calms down instantly. You have no idea how that warms my heart. That I have such an effect over him, and I know that he is completely mine.

“Allow me...” I whisper, then undo the straps. I rub his wrists gently once the straps are off, slightly sickened at how damaged they are. A part of me is also proud that my Damon has put up such a fight.

I carefully take out the tubes and needles, which are obviously there to help keep him sedated, and I would just how much crap they are pumping into him.

The moment it’s all off, he throws his arms around me, tighter then I remember him doing in the past. Maybe I’m just grateful to see him alive and have him in my arms again.

“Please, don’t lave me here. Don’t make me stay. Yazuu, please!” he sobs into my neck. I cringe at how this place has effected him.

I must have hesitated a moment, because I feel him tense a little. I wrap my arms around him and murmur in his ear. “I won’t leave you. Not now, not ever. You’re mine, Damon, and mine alone. Nobody else can have you, no matter what they do.”

He calms instantly, as though I am his saving grace. I know at that moment, I am hopelessly his as well, and Sephiros help the person who tries to take him from me again.

I pick him up to take him home, and I notice that he is lighter then he was. We’ll have to fix that in a hurry. Maybe I can talk Vincent into cooking for him, he always makes the yummiest meals.

Only now do I truly look into his eyes, and I stop. With a closer look I can see something that I had not expected. Along the outside edge of his irises and pupils are rings of bright green.

I doubt he realizes this, but it makes sense now. The reason for strapping down to solid steel, keeping him full of sedatives. He’s becoming one of us. His genes must be mutating, and I can not help but wonder if this time is what he needed in order to survive the process.

Granted, this is not the ideal circumstances for it, and Kadaj is going to pay dearly for all of this. But a part of me is grateful as well. Just wait until he hears that what he did ended up in helping survive the initial stages of the mutations. That might just be punishment enough. He’s not going to be able to push Damon around for very much longer now.

I think I’ll let Smash Cat deal with Kadaj. He won’t kill him, but he’ll make sure that Kadaj is more then sorry for what he did.

I’m broken from my thoughts as Damon yawns and murmurs, “I love you Yazuu....” He closes his eyes and drifts to sleep with a little smile no his lips.

If I haven’t mentioned this before, I’ll say it again, I’m hopelessly his. But don’t tell him that, it’ll go straight to his head.

“I love you too Damon.” He’s so sweet when he sleeps. I softly kiss his lips, then gather him closer to me.

I turn to leave the same time the door is broken down. The nurse must have called security when I saw her leave the room. No doubt they called the big guns when she heard the gun shot, then the orderly being thrown out like a rag doll. I wonder what pathetic person they sent to try and stop me.

It’s only a few seconds before there are 4 different guns locked onto me, no doubt rent-a-cops. My arms are full of Damon, so I can’t pull out Velvet. I know it’s kind of low, but in a way I am using Damon as a shield at this moment. I know they won’t shoot as long as I have him.

They all look nervous, and they should be. I’m deadly even without Velvet. They stand there a moment, watching me, and another comes in. Obviously the on in charge of these pathetic fools.

I nearly drop Damon when I see who it is. Of all the Turks in the world, it figures that Rude would be the one sent to deal with me. As soon as he sees me, he shakes his head, undoubtedly amused by this. He motions the guards to stand down and leave, which they
do so hesitantly.

Once they’re out of the room and gone he laughs, “You know, I should arrest you for discharging a firearm in a hospital... but I’ll just give you a warning this time.” What on earth does Tifa see in him?

Besides, it’s not as if he’d actually arrest me, Tifa would kick him to the dog house if he did. She’s one of those that have had to listen to me go on and on about not being able to go out and find Damon. I think I’ve admitted more to her then I have to the others, about how I really feel about Damon. Kind of scary, isn’t it? I think I get what Cloud was so fond of her while he was still alive.

I must have been distracted by my thoughts a little too long, since he continues on. “So what are you doing here?”

Now I roll my eyes and motion to Damon in my arms. “I’m taking my boyfriend out of this hell hole.”

“Oh, and back to that ninth layer of hell instead?” I know he’s joking around, but I can’t help to pester him.

“I’ll make sure to tell Tifa that when I see her next,” I purr as I would past him and out of the room. I can practically hear Rude’s jaw hit the floor, then stuttering as I head down the hall to the stairwell. I call back for him to make sure that he picks up Damon’s things from the front desk before he comes back, adding in that if he does, then I’ll keep my mouth shut.

I take Damon home to our room, and he manages to sleep the whole time in my arms. As I undress him to wash him up and put him into some clothing of his own, I can see the remnants of wounds that were inflicted on him. Some of them will becomes scars, and I curse Kadaj for every mark and faded bruise that is on Damon’s body.

I can tell it’s going to take time for Damon to get over this ordeal, even in his sleep he whimpers now. No doubt with the memories that are bleeding into his dreams. He seems worse the further I am away from him.

I slip his parents wedding rings onto his thumbs and crawl into bed next to him, just holding him close. He snuggles right up to me, and I can feel his body stop trembling. Tears come to my eyes again, and I can’t help but kiss the top of his head, and run a hand through his hair, caressing him lovingly.

I hear somebody pause at the door, and I look up, knowing that I see Kadaj in it. He stops outside the door, looking in to see me and Damon. Through everything, he must be able to see how furious I am with him. I wouldn’t be surprised if my eyes were cold to him right now.

He chokes back a sob, but his own tears do fall. He looks away quickly before moving on down the hall. I hate seeing him so upset, but I can’t forgive him so easily. Sure he is my brother, and no matter what I will always love him, and try to protect him. He’s the only family I have left.

I know he can sense my emotions, so I know that he knows I still love him. I just need time. I can’t say the same thing for Damon though.

Gods damnit it Kadaj, you have done alot of horrible things over the years, including trying to destroy the world, and I’ve gone along with most of it. But this, what you did to Damon, is by far the worst.

You want to know the difference between this and all the others? This time, you did it to somebody that I love more then my own life.

Even though I want you to suffer for this, I just hope you never have to go through what you have put me and Damon through.