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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
- 21
- 22
- 23
A.N. ... Okay. So I was going to be mean and make you guys wait for the next chapter... but I'm just not merciless enough to do it. I act tough... but I can't be mean to you guys! So here it is! Though there IS ... nah, I'll let you figure it out yourselves. I AM mean enough for that! :)
Kadaj and Harmony's conversation at the end was role-played between myself and riverseithr. I took the part of Harmony, and she played Kadaj.
Both this chapter and the previous one were beta'd by Sytherea Orianthe. R&R Loves!
Chapter 21: Greatest Threat
Harmony's mind was in a haze as she fought for control of her limbs. She could hear the whirl-wind of activity that she assumed was centered around Sukai. Her mind was instantly clear, the force of her shock hitting her like a wall of icy water when the doctor spoke.
"I want this clean. The fetus must be perfectly preserved, or it will die. In this early stage, we have to get it into the stasis chamber immediately or it will not survive!"
'F...Fetus?' Harmony thought. Sukai was pregnant? How was it even possible to know this early? She'd only started sleeping with Sephiroth a little under two weeks ago!
She was not given time to consider the situation further, as a sharp yank on her senses forced her to focus on her charge one room over.
'Sassi's in trouble!' She chanted over and over again, wishing dearly that she had listened to her instincts earlier, when they whispered of danger. Her mind could clearly envision her friends being surrounded by oddly dressed soldiers, Loz's large body barely managing to hide Sassi from sight as the group closed in on them.
"Noooooooo!" The scream started internally, and pushed past the effects of the debilitating serum to pour from her lips. She felt her strength returning as the picture in her head became more terrifying, shots finally being fired and blocked, and Sassi trying to hone in on her weakened power to create her crossbow.
Harmony's body began thrashing against the straps that held her down, a feral snarl being torn from deep inside her as the sound of straining metal echoed through the room.
"Stop her!" She heard one of the nurses cry, "Rufus will kill us all if she escapes!"
She hissed in anger, her muscles straining and nearly bulging as she pulled at her restraints with all of her strength. Her thoughts were becoming hazy, unclear as the power within her struggled to the surface, and she knew that Guardian Mode would soon overpower her senses.
She could only pray that she didn't kill anyone as cognitive thought left her and her eyes bled to a blazing green, her pupils disappearing in the wake of the all-encompassing light.
Faintly, she heard screams of terror as the surge of power flowed through her muscles and the straps detaining her snapped. She was on her feet in a millisecond, electricity crackling across her body as her feet rose from the floor. She levitated in place, raising her hand and shooting a blazing ball of fire at the machine that her body was connected to, her luminous eyes narrowing as she spotted Sukai on the table a few feet away.
Suddenly, a feeling of intense menace overtook her senses, dark and terrible power pushing at her and forcing her already-frantic mind into overdrive. Her sight focused on the woman's abdomen, the malicious shadow seeming to stem from there. Her palms lifted, a great ball of lightening crackling to life in her powerful hands as she prepared to destroy the greatest threat to her Cetra.
!#$%^&*()
Sassi gasped for breath, her back pressed to her lover's as she fired bolt after bolt of her power at the enemies surrounding her. Loz was snarling ferociously, keeping Sassi between himself and the corner, the only movement he allowed her was to step from behind him only long enough to fire one of her magical bolts from her crossbow. This wasn't looking good. They were doing well so far, but it was clear that they wouldn't hold out for long as more and more of the soldiers poured in from every possibly entrance, cutting off any hope for escape, and they still had to get Harmony and Sukai out of the lab!
As Sassi's thoughts centered on her Guardian, she felt an immense power overcome her, and unbelievable rage. In her mind, she saw the gruesome image of Harmony shooting fire and lightening at the men and women in the room with her, before focusing one of her strongest attack at Sukai, herself.
"Kadaj!" She screamed to the Remnant, "Harmony's in trouble! You have to get in there! She's in Guardian Mode and she's attacking Sukai!"
"What?" Sephiroth roared. He turned to break down the doors behind him, but the bond he shared with his own Cetra nagged at him, forcing his feet to halt.
Aerith looked at him, her expression full of understanding and guilt. She knew he wanted to go to his lover.
"Go!" She said, slipping behind Zack and folding her fingers together. "I can take care of myself for a few minutes! I'll cast the spell that Sassi taught me! Go!"
Sephiroth let a look of pure love and gratitude light up his face for only a moment, and then turned, joining the frantic Kadaj at the door and offering his own sword to break it down.
The two hacked and sliced at the doors, but it was apparent that Rufus had been ready for this, and had reinforced the doors.
"Wait!" Cloud called, slicing through another soldier and making his way to the two. "Stand back." He said in his 'I'm-serious' voice. Kadaj and Sephiroth backed away quickly, knowing what was coming as Cloud raised his sword above his head, a blue light flickering around his body as he loosed his Bladebeam on the doors, the explosion of power blowing them off of the hinges.
"Thanks!" Kadaj said, rushing past him and into the room.
He gasped and stopped in his tracks when he saw Harmony's floating form lift her hands high above her head, ready to hurl the ball of electricity at one of her best friends.
"Harmony, no!" He cried, but his panic was proven inconsequential. Sephiroth had rushed inside so quickly that it looked as though he'd teleported to Harmony's side, throwing himself at the witch and knocking her to the floor. She leaped to her feet and rounded on the General, hissing and snarling in fury.
Sephiroth bared his teeth and snarled right back, crouching protectively over Sukai's prone form. "Snap out of it!" He shouted.
"Jenova!" The foreign voice echoed from Harmony's lips, the Guardian within her able to sense only the Jenova cells in the forms facing her, and the threat they harbored to her Cetra. She clawed her fingertips and rushed Sephiroth, slipping past him as he smoothly stepped to the side.
Kadaj snapped out of his stupor. "Get Sukai out of here, Sephiroth! And get Sassi in here now! I'll hold her off until then!" He said, gripping his sword tighter and falling into stance.
'Great Bahamut, what am I going to do?' he thought. 'I can't hurt her! She's not herself right now!'
Sephiroth shot Kadaj a grateful glance, gathering Sukai in his arms and whisking her out of harms way.
"Sassi!" Kadaj heard his voice cry, "You have to get in there! She's completely lost to her power!"
Kadaj's attention was forced into place as he caught movement out of the corner of his eye, rolling to the left just in time to avoid a savage kick aimed at his head. It was unbelievable, how much his lover's skills improved when she went full-out Guardian.
"Hari! Stop this! Its me! You know me! I'm not going to Hurt Sassi, and Jenova is dead!" He hollered, blocking another vicious blow.
"Filth!" She screamed, "You have no right to even speak her name!"
"Shit!" Kadaj cursed as he was forced to block an attack that had him sliding back across the tiled floor. He lashed out, using the blunt side of his sword to try to force her back. She took the attack, not even trying to block it, and kept coming. Kadaj found himself flying backwards and bouncing off of the operating table from the force of her attack, his jaw throbbing, and teeth clenched. He tried to open his mouth to rotate the aching bone, but found it impossible. Her blow had broken his jaw. He looked up a split second too late, receiving another hit for his hesitance.
Her foot landed against his ribcage with an audible 'CRACK!' and he gasped in pain as he felt at least one of his ribs shatter under the brutal force.
"Don't do this!" He pleaded, "Don't make me fight you!"
"Do not speak!" She hissed, pulling her fist back and aiming for his head.
With a grunt, followed by a sharp cry of pain, Kadaj rolled to the side just in time, the movement aggravating his injured ribs. Instinctively he lashed out with the razor-sharp edges of his sword, the blades slicing and dragging down Harmony's arm. She screamed in pain and threw another punch at him, causing him to lose his grip on his weapon. It clattered noisily to the ground and was retrieved by the furious Guardian standing over him.
"Harmony!" He cried again, a last attempt to bring her back to her senses. His jaw throbbed at the action. He had been holding back before, not wanting to cause her any pain, but now he knew how wrong that was. He knew... that the only way to stop her from killing him... would be to kill her.
'I can't do it!' He sobbed internally. 'I... I'd rather her kill me!"
And with that thought, the Remnant at her feet lowered his head, waiting and resigned to die at the hand of the woman he loved.
!#$%^&*()
Sassi screamed in rage as the bolt she fired shot straight through the last man standing between her and her Guardian. She rushed into the room, desperate to get to her cousin's side and screaming in terror at the sight she found.
Harmony stood over the kneeling Kadaj, the Remnant's own sword raised to her side and muscles flexing, preparing to deliver the blow that would end his existence. Kadaj had his head bowed in clear acceptance of his fate, and his right hand clutched at his ribs.
"Harmony!" She screamed as the woman brought her hand down.
Hearing her Cetra's voice, the Guardian froze, thought returning as she fought for control of her body. Sassi... Sassi was calling to her, she was safe! Harmony looked at the ground in front of her, seeing Kadaj kneeling at her feet, his eyes now gazing hopefully into hers. Catching a glimpse of gleaming metal in her peripheral vision, she glanced to the side, gasping and dropping the Souba to the ground as she realized what she was about to do.
Instantly, the glow in her eyes flashed brightly before disappearing completely, and a wave of fatigue claimed her. She fell to her knees before her lover, fighting to keep her eyes open, as she could hear the sound of fighting still ringing from the waiting area through the destroyed door.
"Looooz!" Sassi screamed, almost immediately finding herself locked in her Remnant's embrace, before she'd even finished her cry.
Loz pushed her away, frantically checking her body for injuries.
"I'm fine!" She whimpered, "But Harmony's out, and Kadaj is hurt! We have everyone together now, so let's get them and get out of here!" She said. Loz nodded.
"Hey! We need some help in here!" He called.
Angeal appeared in the doorway. "What's going on?" He said. He didn't even sound winded.
"Carry Harmony. We're getting out of here!" Loz said, lifting his injured brother to his feet and flinching when Kadaj hissed in pain.
"My... My ribs and jaw are broken." Kadaj ground out through clenched teeth. Loz nodded in understanding, softening his grip on his brother and forcing Sassi ahead of him.
"Let's get out of here!" He roared to his comrades. They looked to him and nodded, Yazoo shooting a worried gaze at their brother, and then at Harmony before letting a malicious, angry look cover his features.
And they stopped holding back.
!#$%^&*()
"Shit-motherfucker-that-hurts!" Kadaj groaned as Sytherea tightly wrapped the bandages around his ribs.
"Sorry." Sytherea said with a wince. She was able to use a Cure spell on his fractured jaw, but three of his ribs were so badly broken that even a mastered Cure wouldn't have worked. "She... she wants to see you." She whispered.
Kadaj froze, and then nodded. He wanted to see her, too. "Send her in when you're finished. And Sephiroth and Sukai, too. I'm sure that she'll want to talk to them."
Sytherea nodded, wrapping the bandage around him a few more times, and then standing.
When she was gone, Kadaj sighed. He only hoped that Harmony wasn't feeling guilty about what had happened, and that Sephiroth and Sukai weren't angry at her for a power that she was never meant to control.
!#$%^&*()
"What the hell were you thinking? Did you even think about how I would feel if I came to and realized that I'd killed you? I'd never forgive myself! Our daughter would never forgive me for killing her father!" Harmony screamed at Kadaj.
Well, this certainly wasn't going how he planned.
"You wanted me to change, to prove to you that your beliefs are worth something! Now that I have tried to show you, all you can do is yell at me and chastise me? I am sick of this Hari...what do you want me to do...I can't kill you..you know that...If giving my life up to save yours and our daughter's I would do it a thousand times!" He shot back.
"And you think that's saving us? Do you have any idea how I would feel... if I killed you? YOU? You're so selfish! Or maybe I'm being selfish... I don't know and I don't care! Don't you ever do anything like that again!"
Kadaj sighed. "You're right. I wasn't thinking. All I could think about is you killing your friends! I know how you would feel about that! I know I couldn't stop you but I could try and keep you from doing something stupid. I know how far you're willing to go to save Sassi... How far you're going to save Kiku... If I wasn't there, who was going to stop you? Sephiroth? You wouldn't survive if he stopped you and you attacked Sukai... a normal human... If you think you would be torn up for doing the GR a favor by ridding the world of us, how would you feel if you killed someone who was rendered defenseless?"
"I was never going after Sukai! I was going after YOU and SEPHIROTH! Gods, Kadaj... All I could feel, all I could sense were the Jenova cells in your body! And then when Sephiroth touched Sukai and I could feel that Jenova was inside of her body... I couldn't see you. I couldn't see him. All I could see was Jenova! And DAMMIT, Kadaj! You should know by now that I would never want to hurt ANY of you! Even in Guardian Mode when I can't stop myself... If you have to kill me to stop me... God damnit, I expect you to do it! How are you going to stop me from hurting them if you're dead?"
Kadaj lashed out with a hiss and slapped Harmony across the face.
"Stop it... Harmony. I know it wasn't your fault. I've experienced it before... we all have. When this is over you can start learning to control it. Hari, I love you but the way you're doing things... You're going to get yourself killed. If you enter Guardian Mode while on a mission, how will we protect you, the children, and the Cetra along with ourselves? I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry I was selfish, childish, and too stubborn to see that you are risking life and limb for something you believe in-"
Kadaj was cut off when Sukai stepped forward, tired of herself and Sephiroth being treated as though they weren't even there.
"Kadaj, I may taste purple but I can still kick your fluffy ass... and Jenova Cells in... me? Seph, are you contagious or was I injected with something while being examined?"
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Legacy of the Lifestream