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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
- 27
- 28
- 29
A.N. Here ya go, folks! Sorry it took so long... I had an amazing weekend last week... and because of that, I had a really hard time writing angst. (Stupid awesomeness. Go away. I need to be emo for a minute!)
So thank you VERY much to riverseithr for helping me out with some of the flashback! You're a frickin' genius! And to Sytherea Orianthe for being my awesome beta! Hope you enjoy, Loves! R&R!
Chapter 27: Fall to Indifference
Harmony's cheeks were wet with the tears that refused to stop falling. Of all of the things... horrible, twisted, inhumane things that exist in the world, her Remnants had been exposed to.
She clung to Kadaj for support as Yazoo relayed just a few of the torments he was forced to endure, and to force upon others.
"The very last time that they came for us, before Hojo released his experiments and unleashed our taint upon the world, was for Hojo's sick method of choosing between the strongest of us. It was the first time I had seen Kadaj or Loz in almost a year, having been separated after our escape attempt." Yazoo said.
Harmony felt Kadaj's arms shudder as he held her, and she knew that he was dreading her reaction. She glanced at his face, and saw him shoot a pleading gaze to Yazoo, the middle Remnant in turn nodding. Harmony opened her mouth to ask what that was all about, but Yazoo beat her to it.
"I won't tell you the specifics. None of us want to remember that part of our lives at all, let alone remember the gory details." He said, hoping that it wouldn't spark an argument.
Harmony only glanced at her lover's face once more, and then nodded.
The Remnant's shared a look, and then the man holding her spoke. "There were originally forty-seven Remnants, though Loz, Yazoo, and I were the most successful of the group. There were other experiments, others injected with Jenova cells, but only those nearly-fifty of us had retained our memories and ability to function. The others had very obviously gone insane; Jenova's power is devastating to the mind. Hojo released the lower subjects, knowing that they would go straight to Sephiroth, if his theory was correct, but for the rest of us... those that were still capable of rational and intelligent thought... he..."
Yazoo cut his younger brother off, knowing that he was struggling to force himself to tell the story.
"He put us in ShinRa's training room, and told us that only five of us were allowed to live. We were to kill each other, down to the last five, and those surviving would be set free." He made to continue, but Harmony cut him off.
"Wait, there are two more?"
Yazoo gave a tired smirk. "Technically, Angeal, Genesis, Zack, Cloud, and Vincent could be counted among the ranks as Remnants... though we don't really count them as such. May I finish?"
Harmony nodded.
"Alright. Well, I'm sure I don't need to remind you, but the three of us, Loz, Kadaj, and myself, were the strongest... but not by a whole lot. There were many that were very close in strength and power. It was over seventy-two hours in that training room, killing each other. I remember trying desperately to stay alive, and hoping to every God and Deity that I could imagine, that Kadaj and Loz were still alive, as well."
{Flashback}
The twenty-three-year-old ex-Dojo master huddled into the broken tree trunk that he'd managed to find. He was sure that the other scientists were watching everything, could see every survivor from the safety of their little room, were smiling and finding enjoyment as the only group that survived the horrible tests and mutations forced on them, were now being forced to kill each other.
The worst part, was that the young Kobayashi didn't even care. There were only two other lives that he even felt a twinge of anxiety for. The young one, the youngest survivor, and the closest to General Sephiroth's power since the General, himself: Kadaj Nakamura. And the older one, so naive and emotionally unstable... but his speed and physical strength could not be matched by any other: Rozzu Miyake, or as he preferred to be called, Loz.
At this moment, however, it was kill, or be killed... literally.
His attention was stolen when a black mass flashed across his line of sight as another Remnant used his own supernatural speed to nearly teleport from one spot to the next, trying to find a safe place to hide and plan a strategy, most likely.
Yazoo kept himself still and quiet, he knew that the man would come to him. His hiding place was perfect... thus being the reason it was chosen.
The man did not disappoint, though the only thing Yazoo registered was the shock that painted his enemy's face as the tanto Yazoo carried slashed across his unguarded throat, the man having not even seen inside the trunk completely before his breath left him in its final death rattle.
Yazoo peeked out of his hole, peering into the fake foliage around him before stepping out and dragging the body away. It just wouldn't do to leave him there and run the risk of being discovered by more than one enemy.
Not that it mattered, he never made it back. He could hear the sounds of others crashing toward him, only a few of the large group having ever learned the finer points of stealth.
He silently cursed as he rushed through the holographic (but so much more) forest as quickly as he could while remaining silent, the sounds only growing louder as it was apparent that he had been spotted.
He gave a desperate lunge, darting to the left when he felt the intense foreboding intuition that told him that someone was right on top of him, but he wasn't fast enough. He hit the ground with a feral snarl, rounding on his assailant with his tanto poised to kill.
One second later is was knocked from his hand, though his opponent didn't seem to be expecting the heel to the face as Yazoo quickly rebounded.
Kadaj growled as he hit the ground, but the sound cut off when he finally stopped to assess his prey.
"Its you!" The younger voice stated, sword dropping just a bit.
"Nakamura! You're alive?" Yazoo returned. He was glad... but wasn't sure if he should drop his guard.
"Hey, Loz! Come out here! Its Yazoo!" Kadaj hollered.
The large, imposing form of Miyake fell from the tree above Yazoo, making the man stagger back a bit.
"We've been looking for you! We thought you might be dead! We were worried!" Loz said, struggling not to cry.
"Really?" Yazoo said, dumbly.
Kadaj snorted. "He's been worried sick. I didn't waste my time." He said, turning away from the two of them. He spoke over his shoulder. "We think that the three of us should team up. Individually, we're stronger than each of them, but not all together... but if the three of us work together, I think that we have a better chance of surviving this."
Yazoo took a moment to weigh his options. While he'd done well on his own so far, Kadaj did have a point. Perhaps it would be a better idea to work with the temperamental and unstable boy.
"Alright. What did you have in mind?"
Kadaj motioned behind him, turning and calling out for Yazoo to follow.
He did, albeit cautiously. He knew that he was happy that the boy was still alive, but still unsure as to whether or not it was safe to trust him. He'd known the boy for years, and never had he seen such unhinged insanity in his eyes.
They ran through the foliage for what felt like hours but, Yazoo knew, couldn't have been more than a few minutes, and the young Remnant ahead of him finally slowed to a trot, stopping and pulling aside the boughs of a massive tree.
Yazoo entered the dark place when Kadaj motioned for him to pass, his eyes widening when he found two others already inside. One was a young boy, he couldn't have been much older than eleven. Maybe twelve, if he pushed it, and the other was a man that looked to be around his own age, tall, lanky, and scarred.
"So what do you have in mind?" Yazoo said as they hid in the darkened corner of the training room.
"I can get us out of here, but I can't fight very well." Said the child, reaching into his pockets. "Look at this!"
In his hands was a small ball, no larger than his hands. All of them looked puzzled before the kid laughed.
"What does it do?" Loz asked.
"It is a projection screen. It will make us invisible to all the security cameras, though if the others find us..." He frowned.
"Don't worry." Kadaj smirked. "We can handle any of the others..We just need weapons."
"There are some in the middle of the room, I didn't check if they were all taken. They- We." Stuttered a second one, fear plainly seen on his face. "Blood is everywhere."
"Well if we don't move it now," Kadaj hissed, "We might as well be the others. Check and see if the cost is clear, then we all move together and get out of here for good."
"What if they catch us?" Loz asked innocently. "Those bad men hurt us with the sticks."
"We are faster, stronger, and more clever." Yazoo said with mild hope. "Otherwise they wouldn't have us killing one another, they would have done it long ago."
"Kid, what do you see?" Asked Kadaj.
"They are gone, for now." Kid said, peeking around the corner of their hiding spot. "If we go now, we can make it. The others are elsewhere hunting."
"This is all a stupid game to them." Kadaj grimaced. "I swear when I get out of here. I will kill them all."
"One step at a time, brother." Yazoo said calmly. "We can't get ahead of ourselves."
Five of them were left out of the dozens, as far as they knew. It was unsettling that Shinra had stolen all the lives of the experimented 'Remnants' in hopes of re-creating a now dead Jenova Project. When 'Kid' motioned to them, they quietly left the small space and gathered around him. With a few presses of a button, a shimmering field surrounded them. Kid explained that they had to stay close or the field would not work, and together they explored the bloody carnage surrounding them of what was left of the weaker, 'failures'. Within minutes they all had rudimentary weapons, gloves, blades, and grenades were all they could find; carrying only what they needed, lest they have to travel far. Running down the projected ruins hidden in some jungle, they kept close to the false foliage of whatever program the scientist had running. They could hear the screams of the soon to be dead all around them as they focused on getting to the center of the room. Kid and Yazoo once stumbled across a small vent or pipe that lead out of the locked room. It was used to drain the blood of 'accidental death' when the rooms were washed down after training sessions.
It didn't take them long to reach the center, and no one had found them yet. As they closed the distance, they were unfortunate; one of the older experiments dropped down from the 'canopy' and landed above the grate that held their freedom.
"I thought I smelled rats." He said. "All I have to do is kill you five, and I am free. They promised...promised."
"Get out of our way you trash!" Kadaj screamed. "You were never meant to leave here, and you won't. Now get out of my way before I tear you to pieces!"
The elder experiment attacked, lunging at them with the sword he carried. Kadaj stepped ahead of the group and blocked the swing, aimed at Yazoo. With little effort, Kadaj arced his blade and deflected his blow, opening a counter, which he took. Kadaj's blade buried itself deep into the abdomen of the last known living experiment, other than themselves, and watched as the man's blood spewed everywhere, bathing them in crimson. The last few moments of his life, the man coughed and choked on his own blood as Kadaj stared down at him. Kadaj kicked the man off his weapon and moved aside, bringing Loz forward. Yazoo was the only one who didn't look shocked or sick, the two volunteers of the Jenova Projects looked on in fear; Loz however, stood there stunned. He realized the grate was too narrow for him to fit through, the others could go free, but he had to stay behind. Refusing to give up, Kadaj hatched a plan in his mind.
"Come on Loz, remember the game we used to play in our cell?" Kadaj said as he moved closer to Loz. "Who is the strongest. Remember, you beat us every time. Now we need you to play that one last time. Break open the escape. We can't do it..I know you can Loz."
Loz sat there for a moment and blinked. "If I play this game...can we go outside and play?"
"Yes Loz, outside. We can play in the fields like you always dreamed of." Yazoo encouraged.
"Alright." Loz said as he gripped the bars that were embedded in layers of concrete and metal. Tugging, Loz strained against the barriers, and long moments passed before tearing metal and shattering stone pierced the silence. Loz lifted the now broken free grate over his head and tossed it aside as the hole was now large enough for him to fit through. Within moments the experiments were sliding down the muck and grime of the pipeline that lead to the old sewer systems and out to freedom. As they hit the sewers, the darkness kept them safe until they reached an old cave system that lead outside to the surface, close to what would become Edge. Within three days, they were out of Midgar and well into the Plains, racing to freedom.
They spent the night outside in a small forest. Yazoo went hunting, not bothered by the caked on blood and grime that covered them. Loz volunteered to retrieve firewood, and Kadaj, Kid, and Trigger; one named for his age, the other because of his personality, agreed they should find shelter. It wasn't long before they reached an abandoned shack, hidden away beneath the vines and shrubs devouring it, and keeping it out of sight for the most part. If trigger had not had fallen off the branches above, they would not have found it. It was perfect cover, and with that knowledge, they found Yazoo and Loz. Yazoo found a few rabbits and some sort of bird to eat, while Loz found enough dry wood to start a fire and keep it going for a while. Pleased with their findings, they settled in for the night.
While waiting for the food to cook, Yazoo watched as Kadaj sat in the corner glaring at Kid and Trigger. Kid was sick before he became an experiment, and trigger volunteered to keep himself out of jail, ShinRa accepted all, and took what they wanted. Kadaj never agreed with them, hated they chose this life. He was never given a choice, while those two willingly gave up their freedom. While Yazoo could not understand it either, he could see that Shinra was very coercive and could sound like joining them was the best and/or the correct choice. Yazoo pittied the other two, but he worried for them. During the years living in hell, they were shoved into the cell next to he and his brother's.
Turning around to work, he reigned his thoughts in. "We need water. We must clean ourselves, check for wounds, and I am sure this filth is unhealthy for us to consume. I would also like something to drink, we have had a long day, and there were some leaves I found that will revitalize us.'
"I will get it." Kid said, jumping up.
"Yeah, I will go with him. Can't be careless and if I don't do something soon, I will go nuts." Trigger said, following Kid.
Yazoo shrugged. "Stay out of sight."
"Please, Zoo-zoo, we can handle it." Kid laughed. "We have defended ourselves before."
"They aren't trying to capture us now. This time they want us dead." Yazoo reminded them.
"That is why I am going." Trigger said smoothly. "Kid won't have to kill them. I will do it for him."
Yazoo let them be and returned to cooking. As he finished testing the last bit of rabbit meat, he realized quite a bit of time had passed and they were not back. Turning around, Yazoo realized Kadaj was missing as well. Sighing, he asked Loz to keep the food warm. Though thoughts had crossed his mind of their capture, he knew that wasn't the dark feeling that nagged the back of his mind. Creeping along the canopy, Yazoo avoided making noise as his ears picked up a struggle nearby. Reaching the area, he saw Kadaj, Trigger, and Kid struggle. At first he thought Kadaj was in danger, being small for his age, but upon closer inspection, he realized Kadaj was the danger.
With the knife in his hand, Kadaj hoisted it and brought it down upon Kid's leg. Trigger was cut, bruised, and nearly unconscious. Focusing on Kadaj, he watched as the Remnant tormented the child.
" You had it all! A family, freedom, safety!" Kadaj shrieked. "You fools gave it up, for what? To be Shinra lapdogs?"
Kid could not stop the tears from fear and pain, " I was sick! They- there's no cure...I can live now!"
" Live? You call this living?" Kadaj said as he brought down his foot upon Kid's leg, snapping the bone. Kid cried out, Yazoo forced his breath and froze, knowing if Kadaj found him out, he may join them. "They beat us, they starved us, they used us! 'Oh aren't you pretty, aren't you sweet! I bet he screams like a dream!' Days and nights, hot metal, cold spray, laughter and no remorse! That is the life you chose! I bet you would turn us in if they found us. You liked them...they treated you different...you were special. Weren't you? They played nice with the sick rich kid...the one who would return...sell us out will you?"
Kid crawled as fast as he could, backing away from the insane boy who spent the better part of the hour torturing him and Trigger. When his back rested against the scratchy bark, he whimpered. Kadaj picked the boy up by his throat.Leaning in close, Kadaj smiled.
" Please..." Kid begged.
"Promise you wont sell us out?" Kadaj smiled before thrusting his hand through Kid's chest, pulling out his heart. " I would like to believe you, but we will never know now, will we?"
Dropping Kid's body, Kadaj stepped over him and broke Trigger's neck before walking off, laughing.
{End Flashback}
Yazoo's tale came to a screeching halt when the middle Remnant heard Harmony's choked whimper. He blinked his eyes to rid himself of the memory, and immediately wished he hadn't looked her way.
Harmony's expression was one of horror as she stared at her lover, the youngest Remnant looking ashamed and almost afraid as he stared right back.
"Hari..." Kadaj trailed off, reaching out for her and wincing when she shook her head frantically and backed away. "Please... It was so long ago... we were different people... you can't imagine the fear and the hatred and the-" He said, his voice cracking suspiciously at the thought that she may hate him, now.
"Stop!" the witch choked out. "I'm not... I'm not angry." She let out a sob. "All of the things that you all went through... And you must have been so... broken... all of you..." She sniffled and looked at Yazoo. "Why didn't you try to find your father after that?"
Yazoo sighed, his shoulder sagging. "I did. Loz stayed with Kadaj... he just... didn't know what to do, and Kadaj could already hear the faint whispers from Jenova. I took a detour and went home... fully intending to stay there. Then I saw him... living like a pauper and moving on with his life. There wasn't a picture of me in the whole house... it was like he just completely forgot about me. So I went back to Kadaj and Loz. We were all so weak by the time that we reached the Northern Cave, and I didn't even care. I thought we were all going to die, and I didn't care. After that, when Jenova really started speaking to Kadaj... I went along with it. At first, I thought it was vengeance for what the world had done to me... and then I realized that even that wasn't right. I just didn't care. Kadaj and Loz were my family. What Kadaj wanted, we wanted. We followed blindly."
He paused when he heard Kadaj's shaky exhalation. "I'm sorry." The youngest said. "I... I should have fought her. I didn't even try. She told me that she knew how I felt, and that if I'd let her in, let her use my body to take what she felt was rightfully hers, that I could see Kiku again, my parents, she said she could give me the life that was denied me... and Kiku, too... and that's all I cared about. If I made her happy, she'd give me my family back. I didn't realize what she meant by that, nor did I realize that I did have a family. And the Kid... I don't-"
"Stop." Harmony said, not wanting the reminder. "We'll talk about this by ourselves, later. For now... we need to focus on the problem at hand."
Bless her, Yazoo thought, she was trying so hard to be strong and not panic with the knowledge she'd just been given about her lover.
"Are you at least going to give Sukai a chance to explain herself?" Harmony asked. Yazoo's features hardened.
"Oh, you'd better believe she's going to explain this to me."
Harmony sighed. "And are you going to talk to your father?"
"Absolutely not!" Yazoo nearly screamed.
Harmony blanched at the volume. "Yazoo, you-"
"Had better get your ass out here, right now!" Came the enraged voice of Cissnei. The trio turned to find her staring through the broken glass at her own lover, the aura of fury surrounding her nearly suffocating.
Yazoo's eyes widened. In seven years, he'd never seen his love this angry. Mutely, he left the room, allowing her to grab his jacket and drag him through the airship.
"He is in such deep shit." Kadaj said, glancing at Harmony. He froze and swallowed thickly at the look on her face.
Not angry... but determined.
"Yeah. He is. And you're not done yet, either. You wanted me to know you. Okay. You talk. I'll listen. Everything, Kadaj Nakamura! Do you understand me? Everything!"
!#$%^&*()
"Seven years. Seven. Fucking. Years... And you never told me any of this. And all this time... That you've told me that you love me... and you didn't trust me enough to tell me!" Cissnei half-screamed-half-sobbed.
Yazoo flinched and tried to speak. "I do love you, CIssnei! I just-"
"No Yazoo. You think you do. You can't, though. Without trust, there can be no love. You don't trust me... so you can't love me. Not completely." With that, Cissnei let out a wail of anguish. "Seven years. I've given it all... for seven years... and you-"
Yazoo cut her off with a snarl, pressing his lips to hers, violently, and forcing her to still when she struggled. He finally pulled away. "Don't you dare tell me that I don't love you! I didn't tell you because I didn't even want to remember! Not because I didn't trust you! I know that I did horrible, things that I have yet to be punished for, things that can never be forgiven... I just. Wanted. To forget. Can't you understand that?"
Cissnei's breath caught at the utter devastation and shame in her Remnant's voice.
'So that's why he lets me...'
- 27
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Legacy of the Lifestream