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Prophecy's Refrain	By : butabara Category: Final Fantasy VII > General Views: 1023 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not in any way own FFVII or its affiliates. I make no money from writing this story.

Chapter List
- 16
- 17
- 18
Chapter 17

No one paid attention to Harmony as she threw her arms around her best friend. They were all breathless with shock at seeing the faces that they weren't sure they'd ever see again.

"Tifa!" Cloud called, rushing to a tall, dark haired woman and sweeping her into his arms. "Cloud!" She called back.

Cloud wasn't the only one rushing to the truck. However, unlike Cloud, Zack skidded to a halt before he reached a pretty brunette wearing a pink dress.

"Is it really you?" He asked, almost timidly. The woman smiled sweetly and nodded her head, closing the distance between them and placing her hands on his chest.

Harmony was deeply touched by the reverence in Zack's voice when he finally pulled her into his arms and whispered her name.

"Aerith…" At that word, the commotion stopped, Cloud looking up from Tifa, Cid and Vincent looked away from a small, energetic woman, Reno, Rufus, Tseng, and Rude turned away from the blonde woman, and auburn haired woman they were whispering to, and they all stared at the young SOLDIER.

Cloud spared a glance at Tifa, and at her nod of encouragement, he stepped away from her and towards his friend and the smaller woman.

"Aerith." He said, his voice slightly shaking.

"Hello, Cloud." She said. "Its been a long time."

"Uh, guys," Harmony called, softly. "Lets go inside and give these three a moment, shall we?" She turned to the redhead, Sassi. "You can introduce me to your friends, and tell me more about how you found them."

Sassi made her way to the trailer she'd pulled and began unloading the bags, when a large hand tapped her on the shoulder. She flinched, reminding herself that she was wearing a long sleeved shirt, and turned. A large blonde haired man was staring at her, sheepish, it seemed. He was flanked by two other very pretty men.

"Um. Hi. I'm Loz. We can take care of this for you." He said, his cheeks coloring in what look suspiciously like a blush.

"Oh, thank you! That would be great!" Sassi said with a bright smile.

The group made their way into the house, the visiting women eyeing the Remnants warily, especially the blonde woman.

"Guys," Harmony started, "This is Sassi Flint. My coven-sister, and the closest thing to a real sister I have."

Sassi smiled and nodded to the men, her eyes lingering on Loz probably longer than they should have. "Hi guys!" She said. The men noticed a light, barely-there accent, but none of them could place it. "Har, this is Tifa." She said, pulling Tifa closer to Harmony, careful not to touch her skin. She extended her hand and shook Harmony's in a tight grip. Harmony smiled warmly and nodded her head in greeting.

"I'm Yuffie. Yuffie Kisaragi. The greatest ninja of all time, Single White Rose of Wutai!" The smallest woman said loudly, shaking Harmony's hand with enough force to bruise.

"Hello, Yuffie." Harmony said with a wince. This one was going to be a handful, she just knew it. She walked down the line.

"Cissnei Embers." Said the woman with auburn hair. "I'm a Turk." Harmony nodded and glanced at the male turks behind her. "They tell me I've been missing for years, but the last thing I remember is telling Reno and Rude to keep looking for Zack before-" She cut herself off and gazed at Rufus, as if blaming him for his father's transgressions. The blonde woman stepped forward, laying her hand on Cissnei's shoulder and pulling her back, sending her a quick, sympathetic glance. She then looked at Harmony.

"Elena Sazo. I am also a Turk."

"And the woman outside with the two dudes is Aerith." Sassi explained. "I'd like to talk to you about her."

Harmony nodded and turned to introduce each of the men. She pointed them out in a line, naming them off one by one.

At that point, Cloud entered the cabin, followed by Zack and Aerith. Cloud went to Tifa and embraced her from behind, laying his head on her shoulder.

Zack dragged Aerith in, where she waved good naturedly to the other men, including Sephiroth, whom Harmony could tell was fighting not to shy away from her. Harmony vowed to corner him and talk to him about the guilt he seemed to harbor, this being the second time he'd had a negative reaction where the young woman was concerned.

Zack eagerly offered a calloused hand to Sassi in greeting. She stared at his outstretched limb as if it were a poisonous insect. Zack began to feel uncomfortable as this petite woman scrutinized him and he let his hand fall back to his side. Sassi quickly pulled her glove back on and snatched his hand, pumping it hard a few times.

"Uh…okay. Nice to meet you. I'm Zack. Sorry. I forgot." Zack said to Harmony. She rolled her eyes and stepped toward Aerith to introduce herself. The moment their hands touched, Harmony nearly dropped to the floor. The power coursing through the small woman was overwhelming.

"I told you." Sassi said with a smirk as Harmony caught her gaze.

"What are you?" Harmony whispered in awe.

"She's an Ancient." Hojo said from behind the group, his voice full of twisted excitement. "A part of a powerful people from long ag-" His words cut off with a choke as a pale hand wrapped around his throat. His wrinkled hands gripped the arm connected to the hand, but could not remove the appendage from his neck.

The large group watched in awe as the imposing form of Sephiroth dragged the scientist by the throat and all but threw him into the basement. It seemed the Great General had finally run out of patience with the greasy professor.

"Uh… Well. That was…informative. Say Hari, want to help me set up my tent?" Sassi said, trying to smoothly change the subject.

"Tent?" Loz cut in, wanting the pretty redhead to notice him. No tent! He wanted her to be close to him! She was pretty!

"Yes, tent." Sassi said. "I know its strange, its my house, but I don't like sleeping here."

"Your house?" Loz said, shocked, "You own the cabin?" He looked around frantically, spotting an empty soda can on the floor. He subtly nudged it under the sofa with his foot.

Sassi caught the movement and bit her tongue to hide her laughter. "Yes, I own the cabin. My… parents… left it to me. So Hari, how about it?"

"Sure." Harmony agreed, knowing that it would give the two time to talk about Aerith, and Hojo as well. Harmony was also anxious to talk to her best friend about Kadaj.

Sassi would know what to do.

"Toss me your pole." Sassi said. She paused and closed her eyes, silently repeating the line to herself.

"Did you just tell me to toss you my pole?" Harmony said, laughing. "Oh my!"

Sassi smiled and rolled her eyes. "Oh shut up, you know what I meant! The tent rod!"

"Oh, now its my tented rod."

Sassi growled jokingly and snatched the metal piece from Harmony's hand, snapping it into place.

"So what's the deal with the black haired guy. He can't take his eyes off of you." Sassi said, casting a glance at Kadaj as he reclined on the porch swing.

"It would be easier to show you." Harmony said, cringing and preparing to be chastised. The two women lifted the canvas, sliding it over the frame before snapping another pole in place.

"Oh, Har. You know I hate doing that!"

"I know, I'm sorry! But really, there's too much to tell. Just-" she paused and stuck out her hand. "-here. Please."

Sassi sighed, resigned, and pulled her glove off, intertwining her bare fingers with Harmony's.

The scenes flashed before Sassi's eyes like a film in fast forward, from the moment Kadaj took Harmony from the beach, until the first night that he came to her ro- "Eeeew, Har, too much! Pay attention to what you want me to see!"

"Oops," Harmony said sheepishly, "Sorry."

"Well, at least most of my questions are answered. Hojo seems like a real Mad Scientist, if you catch the pun." Harmony was already laughing by the end of the sentence. "What?" Sassi asked, confused. "What did I say that was funny?"

"That's what I call him. To his face!" Sassi snickered at that.

"Doesn't surprise me. Great minds and all. So. Would you like to tell me about Kadaj?"

At the blunt statement, Harmony sobered. "Well… as you can see, we're kind of… something. I'm not sure what we are." Harmony said.

"And tell me- and don't say I already saw it, because I want you to talk it out -why are you against anything happening between you?"

"Well, when all this is over, I'm hoping to be able to send them home. I don't want to get attached and fall in love with a guy that I know will never see again." Harmony looked away, unable to keep eye contact with the woman whom had been more like a mother and a sister to her than her own family.

"Sweetie, have you thought about the possibility that maybe you already have?"

"Yes." Harmony said quietly. Sensing that Harmony really wasn't in the mood to talk about her relationship with Kadaj- if it could even be called a relationship -Sassi changed the subject, trying to cheer her up.

"So what's with the big guy?" She asked. "The one with the blonde hair… Loz? Is that it?"

Harmony glanced up at Sassi and smirked. She had a very interested look on her face. If one can look interested and innocent at the same time, that is.

"Loz, yeah. Well, you saw it all. He's a Remnant of Sephiroth. Hojo's experiments." She explained when Sassi gave her a confused look. "He's actually a big teddy bear- when he's not fighting. That man can move faster than anyone you've ever met, or could ever imagine meeting."

"You sound impressed. Excited, almost. If I didn't know any better, I'd think my gift was wrong, and its Loz you're mackin' on!" Sassi teased.

Harmony laughed. "I've fought him." She said. "Kicked his ass, too, but I think it was just luck. I haven't been able to beat him since. He's a pretty good guy. Sensitive, too."

"And he looks great without a shirt on…" Sassi sighed, remembering what she saw in Harmony's memory.

"Perv." Harmony teased.

"Hey, you're the one who's basically sleeping with the company."

Harmony choked on her tongue. "I have not slept with him!" She squealed. "You know that!" At her distressed voice, Kadaj hopped off of the porch swing and over the porch rail. He sauntered over to the tent and was shocked when angry storm clouds swarmed the sky. Almost immediately, heavy raindrops began falling from the sky and soaking the tent, as the girls had not yet put the tarp over it.

"Damnit, Harmony! Why'd you have to go and do that? I was just joking!" Came Sassi's voice from inside the tent as the poles gave out and the tent collapsed.

Kadaj was fighting a chuckle as he lifted the canvas and reached in, grabbing a hand and yanking who he thought was Harmony out of the pile of fabric.

It wasn't.

Sassi gasped as she was overrun with images of a different world. Images of a young boy and girl playing under large, bowed trees with blue fruits that resembled apples. Images of a fire, and then of a small casket being placed into the ground. The images were different than she was used to seeing. She felt like she couldn't get a good picture. Like watching an old television, where most of what you see and hear is static. She jerked her hand out of his grasp.

'Oh, shit.' Kadaj thought. "I'm sorry… I thought I was grabbing Harmony." Kadaj said, remembering Harmony's warning not to touch her friend, and fearing he had somehow hurt her. If he hurt Sassi, all the work with Harmony would be for nothing and he'd have to start all over again… if she would allow it.

"No… It's okay. I really should have put my gloves back on." She cast a wary glace in his direction, wondering about what she saw. She resolved to ask Harmony about it later. She helped the dark haired woman out of the tent and glared at the cabin, and then at the girl standing next to her.

"I'm sorry!" Harmony said defensively. "I forgot to show you that my magic had been out-of-whack since these guys got here!"

Sassi sighed, deflated. Still, she threw one more glare at Harmony before turning back to the cabin. "I guess I'll sleep on the deck."

"Absolutely not!" Harmony said.

"Well what the hell do you expect me to do?" Sassi's accent became more prominent. "I can't sleep in the cabin. You know that! Not unless I'm-"

"-Drunk." Harmony said with a grin. "We'll celebrate your arrival."

Kadaj watched the conversation, his head swiveling back and forth between the women comically.

"That's… actually a pretty good idea." Sassi admitted. Then, she lifted her head high, threaded her arm through Harmony's, and took a deep breath. "Where's the rum?" She shouted, marching into the house. Harmony barely had enough time to smile at Kadaj and grasp his arm before she was dragged up the stairs.

'Well,' Kadaj mused, 'this could prove to be advantageous…'

His smirk when they crossed the threshold was almost psychotic.

"We're having a party!" Sassi called out like she owned the place.

'Wait…' Loz thought, 'She does.'

"What for?" Reno asked, stupidly.

"Because I said so!" Sassi exclaimed as if he should have already known it.

Harmony laughed. "You heard the lady! Move these couches further apart! We'll need the room. Trust me." She made a show of putting her hand up to hide her mouth from Sassi's view. "She dances." She used her other hand to point at the redhead.

"You're one to talk, Miss Macarena!"

The group of people looked confused.

"Wait… You don't know the Macarena?" Sassi said. They all shook their heads. "Oh! Oh! Un. Acceptable. This will change. Tonight." It sounded much like a threat.

"Reno, shut up! You sound like a dying Nibel Wolf!" Yazoo said, putting the couch pillow over his head.

"No way! We need some tunes in this joint!" The redheaded male shouted, before continuing his horribly off-key singing.

"I got this." Harmony assured him. She went to the coat closet and pulled out a large music player, along with a large book of disks.

"Oh my God, I can't believe that's still here!" Sassi crowed, already well on her way to a good time. Loz sat beside her on the couch and both watched as Harmony went to work setting the music system up and attaching all of the speakers.

Loz looked beside him to stare at the Sassi. From what he had seen of her tonight, her nickname suited her. He had asked for her full name, but she only shot him a dirty look and told him to drop it. Throughout the night, she had loosened up a bit, and Loz was trying his best to flirt with her. He'd seen his brothers do it all the time. Yazoo already had his arm around the other girl Turk, the one he had never seen before. Kadaj was already sharing a room with Harmony. He should be able to do it, too!

He faked a yawn, stretching his arm out to fall across Sassi's shoulders. She glanced at him, but didn't try to shrug his arm off. Or punch him. Good deal. He leaned in a bit closer, resting a bit of his weight on her side. Again, she glanced at him but did nothing. Good deal.

Harmony looked at her friend and smirked. Now she could see what it felt like to fall for one of the deadly beauties. She dropped the heavy book of Cds into Sassi's lap, instructing her to find a good one while she went back to the kitchen to retrieve a few more bottles of liquor.

She went racing back into the den when she heard very familiar music start.

"Baby when the lights… go out… Show you what it's all… about…" The speakers blasted the upbeat music.

"Oh. My. God." Harmony said. "I haven't even thought about these guys in forever!"

"I know." Sassi snarked.

"No, no." Harmony said, grabbing Cissnei's hands. "Its 'One, two, three…" She continued. Sassi was doing the same thing for Loz, trying to teach them all the Macarena.

Sephiroth, Angeal, Genesis, and Vincent were sulking in the corner, unwilling to participate even after being threatened with severe hair loss.

After several minutes of trying to get the group coordinated, Harmony and Sassi gave up. They had exhausted their stereo, the machine now refusing to play any more music.

"Well, someone better sing, or I'm gonna!" Reno threatened.

Kadaj got an almost desperate look on his face. He was already much more intoxicated than he ever remembered being. He placed his hands on Harmony's shoulders dramatically.

"Sing!" he commanded. Harmony thought for a second.

"Well… What should I sing?"

"Sing something about a glorious battle!" Yuffie said. "One about a kick-ass girl ninja!"

"Um…" Harmony started, "I'm not sure I know any-"

"I know a good one!" Sassi said, jumping up off of Loz's lap. She ran across the room, only stumbling once or twice, and grabbed a small hard case from the pile of her things. She opened the case to reveal a dark polished violin. Harmony jumped up from the floor where she had been leaning her back against the couch between Kadaj's knees.

"Alright! Want me to play with you?"

"Sure," Sassi said, "Get the guitar out of the closet. You know 'Gunpowder and Lead', right?"

Harmony scoffed as she was retrieving the instrument. "Of course I do!"

The girls began the song and the group of travelers looked on skeptically, not sure about the music they were hearing- until they reached the chorus.

"I'm goin' home gonna load my shotgun,

wait by the door and light a cigarette.

He wants a fight well now he's got one

and he ain't seen me crazy yet.

Slapped my face and shook me like a rag doll,

don't that sound like a real man?

I'm gonna show him what a little girl's made of:

Gunpowder and Lead!"

"Yeah!" Elena cheered, jumping to her feet. Soon, everyone was clapping along and cheering for their hosts. As soon as they finished, Aerith spoke up. She was the only one who had remained sober in the group, and from the moment she stepped into the cabin, she felt the tension between Sassi's friend, and one of the Remnants. She resolved to help them, and after hearing Harmony and Sassi sing, she knew just the trick.

"I have an idea." She said softly. Everyone turned their attention to her. "Why don't Sassi and Harmony sing songs that remind them of us? It could be fun!"

"Oh, I don't know…" Sassi said.

The chorus of "Oh come on" that hit was deafening.

"Alright! Alright!" And so began their game.

Yazoo was first. He was the easiest for Harmony. She chose "Blaze of Glory" by Bon Jovi. When she finished, he clapped enthusiastically, glad that his friend had chosen such a fine song for him.

Next was Sassi's turn. She chose "Lullaby for a Stormy Night" by Vienna Teng for Aerith, feeling like it would be something Aerith would sing to her children, if she had any.

Harmony chose Vincent next, singing "Going Under" by Evanessence. He glared at her, but she simply ignored him.

Sassi next chose Yuffie. The energetic woman was bouncing up and down excitedly, waiting to hear Sassi's perception of her. It was "Get the Party Started" by Pink. Yuffie was absolutely tickled.

Harmony's next choice was probably not her most brilliant decision. There was only one song she could think of that fit Kadaj. She tried to think of any other, but the nagging feeling that this was the one would just not release her.

She whispered in Sassi's ear and the redhead's eyes widened, but she nodded her consent, putting her violin in position and starting to play as Harmony plucked out chords on her guitar.

"Hush, child

the darkness will rise from the deep, and

carry you down into sleep, child.

Darkness will rise from the deep, and

carry you down into sleep…"
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Prophecy's Refrain