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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
- 24
- 25
- 26
A.N. Sorry this took so long, guys! I kind of hit a block. I hope you all enjoy this chapter... I must warn you, there is darkness and character death ahead, along with recreational drug use. If you don't want to read it, just let me know, and I'll make sure you're up to speed so you're not missing anything important in the future.
This chapter was beta'd by n3rd2u and Sytherea Orianthe. Thanks guys!
R&R!
Chapter 24: Crutches
Sukai sat brooding in her room, Sephiroth staring at her from the desk in the corner. She had received word not twenty minutes before that her parents would be meeting them in Nibelheim in one week. That news overjoyed her, but it also bothered her. Yesterday, she had received an anonymous text message. The phone used was a disposable model, impossible to track, and made it impossible to know if the tip could be trusted.
Whoever it was knew her situation, and what she would need to do to survive. He or she had sent the message telling her to make her way to Mideel and contact Fayne Kobayashi.
Relation to Yazoo Kobayashi: paternal.
The message also stated something that had Sukai horribly concerned, and was the reason that the middle Remnant knew nothing of her plans to go to Mideel.
Fayne Kobayashi was a Mako addict. A user, a seller and a transporter.
She knew that Yazoo would be devastated to hear that. Even though the Remnant had spoken of his bitter feelings toward his sire, feeling betrayed that the man had not even tried to find or help him after he was taken, this would still hurt him.
"Tell me what you're thinking about?" Sephiroth said quietly, interrupting her thoughts.
"I'm thinking about how to go about this. I do not want Yazoo to be hurt by finding out what his father has become, even though he claims not to care about the man." Sukai said, not looking away from the spot on the wall that had captured her gaze.
"But if he has the Mako you need-"
"I know!" Sukai snapped, then calmed. "I know. I think... I think what we have to do is get to him, take what we need... whether he is willing or not... and come back. I... don't even want to tell Yazoo where it came from."
"And if he finds out later?"
"I will deal with the consequences, then. He took me in and gave me safe haven when he didn't have to. I can't let him be hurt like this." Sukai whispered the last part, finally looking at Sephiroth with pleading eyes. The General sighed.
"Alright. Put a team together. I'm going with you. We're about the same distance from Mideel as we are from Nibelheim. You and I, and two others will take the Tiny Bronco II and go to Mideel. We'll meet the others in Nibelheim."
!#$%^&*()
Blazing orange-red eyes scanned the forest surrounding them, Vincent's extraordinary hearing having picked up just the slightest snapping of a twig just ahead of them. Sytherea hung back, Vincent's Hydra resting between her bent knees from her perch in the tree just behind him, ready to offer support should her lover need it.
The two were hastily and silently making their way through the wilds to Edge, dearly hoping that Reeve had been able to get out of the ShinRa Tower.
Vincent froze when he heard a soft groan of pain, followed by a hushed whisper, so quiet that he couldn't make out what was said. Signaling for Sytherea to follow through the treetops, he carefully stalked through the foliage to get a better view.
The first thing he saw was dulled auburn hair, kept short and almost as unmanageable as Zack and Cloud's. The closer he crept, the better he could hear what was spoken.
"Just breath, Father. Let it pass, we're so close..." The soft and almost monotone voice whispered.
"Shelke?" Vincent said aloud as he recognized the voice, standing from his crouched position.
The girl gasped and whirled around, her energy sabers buzzing to life and poised threateningly.
"Vincent Valentine!" She said, almost sounding relieved.
"What are you doing here? Where is Reeve? Who were you talking to?" Vincent demanded.
Shelke let a shadow of pain cross her features, stepping aside and letting Vincent see the person whom she had been talking to.
"V-Vincent." Reeve coughed, a small trickle of blood flowing from the corner of his mouth.
"Oh Gods... what happened?" Sytherea gasped, dropping down from her perch and startling Shelke.
"Rufus ShinRa." Shelke said. "When Father discovered what Rufus had done, he made an attempt to kill him, but without his robots... Father is not much of a fighter." Shelke said. "I did not know... if I had, perhaps I could have helped him."
Neither Vincent nor Sytherea had ever heard Shelke sound more human than she did at that moment, gazing sadly at the man she thought of as her father.
"V-Vincent." Reeve said again. Vincent dropped to his knees and moved over the man, letting him know that he was there as Sytherea worked with Shelke to remove the bandages at his side and chest, the newcomers gasping at the multiple torn, peeling, and infected gunshot wounds they found there.
Sytherea pulled out her mastered cure, wishing dearly that Sukai had come along. Her mastery over materia would have been a great help.
She pressed the Cure to Reeve's chest, focusing the power inside the orb and holding her breath as the green light passed over their friend.
The light faded, and a deep, terrified frown settled over the woman's face.
"I have already attempted to use a Cure, and multiple potions. I do not know what Rufus ShinRa put inside of those bullets, but I cannot heal him." Shelke whispered.
"Will he make it if we hurry back to the airship?" Sytherea asked Vincent.
"Don't!" Reeve gasped weakly. He'd been trying to find the strength to speak, but drawing breath was becoming more difficult.
"Reeve-" Vincent started, his voice cracking and betraying the helplessness, anger, and grief that the gunman was feeling.
"N-no. I'm... I'm not going to make it to Sassi or Aerith. Don't g-give me f-false hope."
Vincent frowned and lay his hand on Reeve's trembling shoulder for a moment, before standing up and motioning for Sytherea and Shelke to follow.
"He's not going to make it." Vincent stated, keeping his voice level. "Whatever Rufus used is blocking any healing attempt, and the infection is so far spread that I'm shocked he's alive even now."
Sytherea let out a quiet sob, clutching at Vincent and burying her face in his cloak. "There's nothing we can do?" She sniffled.
"There is not." Shelke answered. "I had hoped that we would make it in time... but I am afraid that today, in this place, my Father will rejoin the Lifestream."
Vincent nodded, swallowing around the lump in his throat. Of all of his friends, he considered Reeve to be his brother. Reeve had always been there, pushing him to accept his friendship, drawing him out of his darkness and helping him to move ahead through the painful memories that still sometimes haunted him.
And now, he would lose him.
"W-what should we do?" Sytherea asked, glancing to Reeve worriedly as he coughed again, clutching at his chest and gasping in pain.
Vincent pulled his bag from behind him, reaching inside with trembling hands.
"Is that a Dazer?" Sytherea asked.
"Yes... It might hurt a bit at first, but the paralyzing effects will take over immediately." He said gravely. "At this moment, the best we can do is make him comfortable."
Shelke and Sytherea nodded their agreement, flinching when Vincent raised his arm, bringing his hand down and slamming the item into Reeve's chest, the man in turn letting out another ragged, rattling cough, before falling back to the ground, limp.
"T-thank you." He said, a small smile playing at his bloody lips.
"Are you still feeling any pain?" Sytherea asked, gently.
"No. No... I just feel... cold." Reeve whispered, his eyes slowly drifting closed.
"Yes, Father." Shelke said, her breath hitching suspiciously. "You just rest for a while."
With that, Vincent handed the Cerberus to Sytherea, kneeling down and lifting the dying man. His brother would not be left to rot in the Godforsaken wastelands of the Midgar Plains.
!#$%^&*()
"Do you think Vincent and Sytherea will be able to find their friend?" Harmony asked, pulling the clean bandage tight around Kadaj's ribcage.
He hissed in pain before answering. "I honestly don't know. The probability that he's even still alive is slim."
Harmony nodded solemnly. Though she'd never met Reeve Tuesti, she knew that he was a close friend to the rest of them, and a key member in AVALANCHE; A hero of the Jenova War. She tugged one last time on the bandage before tying it off, wincing when Kadaj grit his teeth at the tight pain.
"What can I do to help the pain?" She asked.
Kadaj looked like he was pondering something, but appeared to change his mind.
"Nothing. I'll deal with it until I can get my hands on a few potions." He said.
Harmony sighed. These last few days had been a worst nightmare than she ever could have imagined. "I need a smoke." She lamented, not caring if Kadaj wanted to chastise her or not.
Again, her lover seemed to ponder something, but this time rather than let it go, he turned to his night table, trying to open the drawer before cringing and curling up in pain.
"Get into that drawer." He said.
Harmony raised an eyebrow, doing as he asked and gasping at the sight of a pristine pack of cigarettes nestled into the back.
She retrieved the pack and opened it, snorting when she found four rolled cigarettes.
"You smoke? And you roll your own?" She asked, preparing to complain about him being angry at her for smoking.
"I can help you, if you promise not to become angry at me." Kadaj said, feigning sweetness.
Harmony narrowed her eyes. "Speak." She said.
"It isn't tobacco." Kadaj cringed, preparing for the screaming match that was bound to ensue.
He opened one eye, glancing at Harmony and relaxing when he saw the perplexed look on her face. He watched as that look slowly faded to understanding, and then she shocked him by letting out a loud bark of laughter.
She brought the pack to her face, sniffing the contents. "Marijuana?" She said, giggling. "Kadaj! You stoner! When did you start doing this?"
Kadaj shrugged. "When you didn't come back. I wanted something that could make me forget for a while... something that wouldn't be harmful to my health like other things."
"So it is marijuana!" Harmony cackled.
"Well, I don't know what you'd call it in your world, here we call it 'Dreamweed'."
Harmony then shocked him again by taking one of the rolled items out of the pack, reaching into her pocket and retrieving her lighter. She lit the tip, inhaling and holding her breath with an understanding smile on her face before passing it to her lover.
"I'd imagine that this will make those ribs stop hurting for a while, too." She chuckled. "You know, Sassi and I used to do this, occasionally. We even talked about getting you guys good and stoned before you left our world."
Kadaj answered her chuckle with one of his own, taking a hit and sighing in anticipation at the sweet relief he knew would soon follow.
"So you're not mad?" He asked.
Harmony smiled and shook her head. "No. Well... maybe a bit... but only because you've been holding out on me." She teased.
Kadaj snorted. "Figures. Crazy bitch."
"Shut up, stoner."
"You shut up, and pass that back over here. Quit hogging my product."
!#$%^&*()
"So this man in Kalm has the Mako we need... and you don't want me going with you... why?" Yazoo asked as Sukai typed out her text message to Vincent.
"Your strengths will be better utilized in Nibelheim... and you might find something out about the experiments... I thought that would be something you'd want to see for yourself." Sukai answered, already feeling the guilt of her lie eating away at her insides.
Yazoo looked like he didn't quite believe her, but let it drop when her phone beeped and she flipped it open, sighing in relief at the message she found.
"Vincent and Sytherea found Reeve and Shelke. Shelke and Reeve will meet you in one hour, if you tell Cid to head due west, he'll run into them. Vincent and Sytherea will meet us on the way." She said.
Yazoo sighed. "Oh, fine then. I suppose with Sephiroth, Vincent, and Sytherea, you should be fine."
!#$%^&*()
Sassi sighed, aggravated. She knew that Harmony was only trying to protect her by not letting her take those pills until Sukai had time to test them, but without them, her nerves were shot. She'd already gone without for too long. Over a month, if she was right.
Loz came back into the mess hall, his head bowed as he glanced meekly in her direction. She sighed. He was only trying to help, and she had chased him from the room. If she had been in a better mood, the sight of him covering his head and speeding from the mess hall would have been hilarious. She frowned slightly, guilt making its appearance in her mind.
"I'm sorry I snapped at you." She said, looking away from his hopeful eyes.
"Aw... its okay. I know what's wrong, so..." He trailed off. "I was thinking... maybe if you hung out with Harmony for a while, you'd feel better?" He offered.
Sassi hummed over that suggestion for a moment, deciding that she could at least give it a try, if for nothing else than to ease her Big Chief's worry.
"Okay. I think she's still in Kadaj's room. Lead the way."
Loz smiled and took her hand, pulling her up and behind him as he navigated the hallways to his youngest brother's room. As they rounded the corner, his supernatural sense of smell picked up on something that could prove to be a big problem.
Loz and Yazoo both knew of their little brother's habit. Though they weren't happy with it, they knew that it really wasn't their place to chastise him about it... but from the smell wafting from Kadaj's room, and the loud cackling sound of Harmony's laughter... this was probably not a good time to bring Sassi up to speed.
He opened his mouth to speak, and silently cursed when Sassi cut him off.
"What is that smell? It smells like..." Her eyes widened and she rushed past Loz, flinging Kadaj's door open and gasping at the sight that greeted her.
Harmony and Kadaj both sat perched on the massive bed, the open window doing nothing to disperse the bitter and sour smoke that filled the room.
Harmony glanced over her shoulder and grinned.
"Sassi! Oh my God, you'll never believe this! Kadaj is a stoner!"
Kadaj comically shushed her, throwing his hand over her mouth. "Shut up! She might not have noticed!"
Sassi stood frozen in shock, blinking rapidly before lifting her arm and pinching herself. She then glanced at Loz.
"Did you know about this?" She asked. Loz didn't answer, his face resembling that of a chocobo cornered by a pack of rabid Guard Hounds, and she rolled her eyes. "Your stunned silence is very reassuring." She drawled, walking to the edge of the bed and scowling at Harmony.
"Aw, don't be mad!" Harmony whined, seeing the look on her Cetra's face.
"Oh, I'm furious!" Sassi said, pointing her finger in Harmony's face and snatching the joint out of her hand.
Then she grinned, qualifying her statement. "Furious that I didn't get an invitation. Move over, Freako. Make room for two more."
!#$%^&*()
"Okay Sassi! Loz is the chocobo, Kadaj is the horse. First one to the mess hall wins!" Harmony said from her perch on Kadaj's back. If she had been thinking straight, she would have realized just how much pain her love would be in as soon as the 'Dreamweed' left his system, but the fact remained that they were all quite stoned... and there was no way she was backing down from that challenge.
Question: Which animal would win in a race, a chocobo, or a horse?
Sassi seemed to think a chocobo would be faster. Harmony disagreed.
Loz smirked. Being the only one that had not partaken of the drug, he knew how much his brother would be hurting in a few hours, and it served him right.
"Deal." He heard Sassi say. He jumped a bit and turned his head to stare incredulously at his Squaw when he felt a sharp smack to his rear. She stared right back.
"What are you waiting for?" She said. "Giddyap!"
Loz chuckled and off they went.
"Oh no you don't!" Harmony growled. She dug her heels into Kadaj's thighs, grabbing at his silver hair and flipping it up and down like it was reigns. "Ha! Ha! Giddyup!" She said, tightening her hold when Kadaj laughed loudly and bolted after his brother.
- 24
- 25
- 26
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Legacy of the Lifestream