Adult-FanFiction.org : Final Fantasy

Legacy of the Lifestream	By : butabara Category: Final Fantasy VII > General Views: 2387 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not Own FFVII or its affiliates. I make no money from this execise in literary creativity.

Chapter List
- 1
- 2
- 3
A.N. And the first chapter! I'm especially excited about this one... revealing who it was that stayed... among other developments ^-^ I know that it may seem rushed, but please understand that this was done intentionally, and all will be revealed as we get further into the story. R&R!
Chapter 2: Home at Last
"Mommy? Mommy, wake up! I think it worked! I think we're here!"
Harmony groaned and rolled over, wincing in pain at having slept in the... dirt? What? Her eyes flew open only to be met with the bright cat-eyes of her daughter. She forced herself to sit up and drew the six year old into her arms.
"Are you okay?" She asked.
"Yep! You were sleeping for a long time, Mommy." The girl said in an accusing tone. Her face then brightened. "Are we here?"
Harmony looked around. Surrounding the two were the most beautiful trees that she had ever seen. Their etherial white glow saturated the air around them, lighting the forest brilliantly, even though no sunlight breeched the trees. At her feet was a pool of the clearest water she'd ever seen, and beyond that, a great white tree carved into what looked like a tunnel.
"I... I think we are!" Harmony said. She thought back to the tales that her friends had told about the beautiful Forgotten City, and felt her heart rate pick up. Her eyes stung, her chest was tight. She couldn't seem to catch her breath. She was so sure that when the portal didn't open two years ago, that she would never see her sister, or her lover again. She had given up. It took the determination of a small child (and a very manipulative little guilt-trip on said child's part) to convice her to even go to Drombeg again.
All at once, the reality hit her. She was in Gaia. They were in Gaia. She would see her family again.
A choked sob of pure joy left her throat and she fell over her bent knees, her body shaking with the force of her sobs as one thought ran through her mind like a prayer.
'We're home.'
!#$%^&*()
"Haha! Catch!" The little silver haired boy said to his sister. The blue ball soared at an unimaginable speed into the waiting hands of a nearly identical little girl.
"Got it!" She answered.
"You kids need to be a little more quiet. Your mother hasn't been feeling well today. You know how she gets." Yazoo called outside. He sighed when they confirmed his order, knowing that in only a few minutes, he'd have to issue it again. He wished Loz would just hurry up and get back from his races already. Babysitting was not befitting of a Remnant of his stature.
"Sassi will be okay, Yazoo. Today's the anniversary of the day we left their world. Its hard for her." Cissnei said softly from the table behind him.
"I know that. I miss her, too. We all do."
"Well. Not all." Cissnei sneered as Kadaj walked through the yard to the house, a fragile, petite brunette trailing along behind him. "Look. He brought her. Today of all days. Insensitive ass."
Yazoo closed his eyes and sighed again. This would definitely prove to be a trying day. Just as it was every year.
!#$%^&*()
Sassi lay on her bed, curled up in a ball. In her pale, freckled hand was a faded picture. Two teenaged girls making faces at the camera, their fingers entertwined to make the shape of a star. She hoped Loz would be back soon. She knew that his work was important to him- that following in his father's footsteps and becoming one of the greatest chocobo racers in the world made him the happiest man alive -but this day was the hardest day of the year for her, and she craved his comfort. She felt bad that her children were worried about her, but couldn't bring herself to do anything about it. Ever since she and Harmony had been seperated by the walls of time and space itself, she'd felt this way. Like a part of her was missing. It was almost physically painful, and she knew that she could only blame it on the bond they shared as Cetra and Guardian. She'd felt the rush of power that morning, like she felt every year on that day, but unlike the first five years of her new life, she did not rush to get to the Forgotten City. Harmony would not be there. She felt the nagging ache that came along with resisting the power that was meant to draw her to her Guardian, and though she could admit that this time the ache seemed more severe, she refused to allow herself the pain of being disappointed again.
Besides, Vincent was already in the Forgotten City. The gunman made it his mission to go every year, if for nothing more than the memory of their friend. Kadaj had gone with him for the first few years. Sassi cut herself off at the thought of the youngest Remnant. It infuriated her that he was so willing to forget everything that Harmony had done for him and his brothers... everything that she had meant to him. His meek little girlfriend was sweet enough... almost too sweet. It was obvious that she was afraid of him, and that Kadaj hated it.
'Good.' She thought to herself. 'He deserves it.'
No one forgot about her Harmony.
!#$%^&*()
Vincent slowly wandered the paths of the Sleeping Forest, once again making his way to the giant tree that marked the entrance to the Forgotten Capitol. He wasn't sure, really, why he kept coming back every year. He supposed it was because he hoped that one day, Harmony would come. Though they were never really that close, he understood that Sassi was one of the most important, precious people in the world... and he also realized that slowly, this seperation was killing her. He didn't think she knew it, but he had found some scrolls in the basement of ShinRa Manor. Scrolls that Aerith helped him translate. They were filled mostly with riddles, but he thought he understood one of them well enough. Once the bond has been established, it is physically painful to be seperated from eachother, and slowly, time would eat away at the bond. The energies, the power, fed off of eachother. Without Harmony's power to sustain her own, Sassi would eventually die. And from the look of things, it would happen soon. She may only have a few years left. He was horrified and worried that Harmony might be in the same state. Sassi's children would be safe enough, having never created that bond... he hoped.
A soft sound in the distance snapped him out of his thoughts, his hand poised over the grip of the Cerberus. Slowly and cautiously he made his way toward the Cetran Pool*, intent on running off whomever was disrupting the sacred place.
"Mommy? Mommy, why are you crying? Aren't you happy?" Came the soft sound of a child's voice. Female, if he was right.
"Y-yes, baby. I'm sorry... I'm crying because I can't believe it! This is all I've ever hoped, for the past seven years!"
Vincent froze, stopping dead in his tracks at the new voice. It was so familiar... it couldn't be...
"So can we go see Daddy now?" The little voice asked, clearly excited.
"Well... Yes. But first we have to find our way out of here."
Vincent smirked. She always gave them the perfect opportunities. He knew just what to say.
"I think I can help with that." He said, stepping out from behind the trees. "You're late."
Harmony whirled around and nearly fell back to the ground when she saw the One and Only Darkness not twenty feet away.
"Vincent! We did make it!" She cried happily, rushing to the man and throwing her arms around him.
Vincent smiled and silently thanked his persistant lover for forcing him to open up to physical contact. He hugged her back, and then pushed her away, pointedly staring at the little girl who was wringing her hands and looking very nervous. "You've been busy." He said with a nod in the child's direction.
Harmony sobered and leaned in to whisper to him.
"Please don't say anything yet... I'm sure you can guess who..."
"Kadaj, right?"
Harmony nodded. "I found out a couple of weeks after you all left. I swear..." She coughed to loosen her tightening throat, "If I had known... I swear I wouldn't have stayed!"
Vincent nodded. "I understand. But now is not the time for this discussion. It will be night, soon, and this forest gets very cold after dark. I'll lead you to Bone, and we'll stay the night. I know how anxious you probably are, but Cid will be in the village to retrieve me tomorrow."
Harmony gave him a brilliant smile. "Okay. Do you have phones here? Can I call her?"
Vincent smiled and nodded. "Of course. Come on, we don't want to linger too long."
Harmony nodded and turned to face her daughter. "Come on, Kiku**. Let's go meet your Daddy."
!#$%^&*()
"I'm sorry, Vincent, she's still asleep. I don't know what this 'big surprise' is, but you know as well as I do that this is a bad time to try to talk to her." Tifa's voice echoed through the shoddy connection. "I'll tell her you called, though. You'll be in Edge in a few hours, whatever it is, you can tell her then."
"Very well." Vincent said, shooting an amused gaze at the irritated look on Harmony's face. He finished his conversation with Tifa and hung up the phone.
"She's still asleep. This week, yesterday especially, is the hardest time of year for her. We all get together and have dinner... its to... remember you..." Vincent trailed off and thought of the best way he could say it. "She's wasting away. This week is hard for her, yes... but she hasn't been the same since we came here. She rarely eats, she sleeps a lot, her children have been worried sick-"
"Children? As in... more than one?" Harmony choked.
Vincent smiled. Of course she wouldn't know. "Sassi had twins. Her daughter's name is Miriam***. Her son's, Fionn****."
Harmony choked. Twins? As in... two?
Vincent seemed to read her mind. "Yes." He chuckled. "Twins."
At that moment, Vincent's phone interrupted them again. He checked the ID and smiled.
"Its Cid. What say we surprise him?"
Harmony smiled and nodded enthusiastically, reaching over to shake Kiku awake.
"Hm...?" The little girl made a tired sound. "Are we going to see Daddy now?"
"Yes, Sweetheart. Try to wake up, and I'll carry you."
"M'kay." Kiku said, before promptly falling back to sleep. Vincent smiled and shook his head. Like mother, like daughter.
The two walked quietly, Vincent a few paces ahead as they approached the massive airship and climbed up the platform, before one of the hands stopped Harmony.
"Uh. Miss? Captain Highwind doesn't take to strays. Get along now."
Vincent hung back, waiting to see how Harmony would react to this intrusion.
"Well," She started, "You get that chain-smoking, foul-tempered, shit-livered old goat down here, so he can tell me that to my face!"
The crew member she had addressed stared at her with shocked eyes, unable to believe that a woman would have the testicular fortitude to speak of their captain in such a manner. He looked to Vincent.
"Well, go get him. And be sure to repeat exactly what the Lady said." He told him, pointing a thumb over his shoulder.
The man nodded and rushed off, and a few minutes later, the group on the ramp heard the loud roar of "What?" and then the rapid stomping of booted feet.
"Alright, who th' fuck do you think you are t' talk t' me like-Harmony?" Cid started in, only to cut off in shock, his mouth hanging open, trademark cigarette dangling, holding on to nothing but the moisture of his bottom lip.
"Nice to know that you treat damsels in distress with such courteousy, Captain Highwind. Can I persuade you to give us a ride, or do I have to find my own way?" Harmony sassed good-naturedly.
Cid snapped his mouth closed, shaking himself out of his stupor. He turned to his crew.
"Listen up, you shit-heads! This woman is one of the most important people in my life, and an honorary member of AVALANCHE! I don't care what you think, or what my rules say! She wants on board, you fuckin' let her on board and give her the best damn room we got! Got it?" He shouted, waving his arms about.
"Yes, Sir!" Came the chorus from the group.
Cid then turned back to Harmony, calmed a bit. "Shit, its good to see you, girl!" He said. He then noticed the blanket draped around her shoulder. "What's that you're carryin'?"
Harmony smiled. "Not what: Who." She turned her body slightly so that the pilot could see the peaceful face of the slumbering girl. "My daughter, Kiku."
"No shit." Cid said with a small smile. "Well, come on out of the cold. Shera's up top, she'll make ya a nice hot cup 'uh tea and we can get you settled in." He turned to Vincent as Harmony walked ahead of the two. "Does Sassi know?"
"No." Vincent answered. "I tried to call, but Tifa said she was still asleep, and probably will be for a while, yet."
Cid chuckled on a sigh. "Well then, she's in for a shocker!"
* - I'm not sure if the name of the lake in the Forgotten City is ever released, or if it even has a name, but I'm just going to call it the Cetran Pool. Because I'm the author and I say so :p
** - Kiku was Kadaj's twin sister's name.
*** - Miriam was Sassi's Mother's name.
**** - Pronounced 'Fin'. An Irish name, meaning 'Brave'.
- 1
- 2
- 3
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Legacy of the Lifestream