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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
- 31
- 32
- 33
Chapter 32
Harmony was jostled awake by the bouncing of the van as Yazoo pulled into the drive at the Lunar Ranch behind Sassi's SUV and the van carrying the other coven members.
"Sleep well?" Zack snickered from beside her.
"Great, thanks." She answered flippantly. As the groups exited their vehicles, Jodee and Melissa began directing people to their temporary quarters. Harmony fliched, but said nothing as she was assigned a room with Kadaj in the empty wranglers housing.
She tried valiantly to pay attention to the group surrounding her, but found herself lost in her mind. Everything had happened in just one day, and her attempt to remain strong and ignore the need to panic was close to overwhelming her as her exhaustion grew more persistent.
'Focus.' She told herself. 'Just get your stuff squared away, go have some dinner, and go to bed. It'll be all be back to normal in the morning.' She snorted internally. Back to normal? What the hell had ever been normal in her life? Even so, before her 'friends' came along, she at least had some semblance of normalcy. She sighed. 'I have to stop feeling sorry for myself. I'll never have that again.'
Her thoughts remained just as dark throughout dinner, but then again, she was sure she was not the only one who's life would be irrevocably changed by the appearance of these visitors.
!#$%^&*()
Sassi sat quietly at the large table on the back deck of the main house. They had searched the entire Ranch -every store room, shed, and closet- to find enough folding tables that there would be enough room for everyone to sit.
She could feel Loz's stare from a few places down and she sighed to herself. With everything that had happened, she could now understand Harmony's reluctance to get too close to the youngest Remnant. First of all, it wouldn't end well. They were leaving. Even if it took them years to find a way to send them back, eventually... they would all leave. Second -and more important, in Sassi's opinion- was the fact that she was just not able of sustaining a lasting relationship. Loz was the first lover she was ever able to enjoy being with, as she didn't have to worry about what she would see. Though most of her coven members thought that being able to see into your partners mind was a great gift, Sassi could only hate it. Yeah, it was real great being able to see that one boyfriend was cheating on her, or that another was only interested in showing his friends that he could score with the Hottie Lawyer.
Speaking of which... obviously -with Hojo on the run and probably spilling his guts to the authorities at this very moment- her career was over. They'd be hunting her just as much as Harmony, now. And who knew what would happen to the personal lives of the other coven members? The only ones that Hojo had not personally met were Jodee and Melissa.
"Sassi?" Elena said, carefully prodding her clothed shoulder.
"Sorry, I was spacing," Sassi shook her head. "Did you need something?"
"I asked how you planned on getting us all to this Ireland place. According to the research I've done we'll need what you call 'Passports' to get out of the country." Elena answered. Looking around, Sassi could see that the other visitors were interested in her answer, as well.
"I'm a lawyer. I have connections." Sassi answered simply.
"I see." Rufus said from across the table. "That will prove to be very advantagous."
!#$%^&*()
Kadaj watched Harmony all throughout the night. He was overjoyed, and at the same time drowning in anxiety, when Melissa had decided that he and Harmony would room together. He saw the flinch when it was announced, and was confused and grateful that she didn't speak against it.
Harbor no illusions, he still was not happy with the dynamic between Harmony and Sassi, but after what happened at the waterfall, even he had to admit that discussing it may not be such a good idea. He'd come out with it, admitted that Sassi was his problem, and Harmony had also said her piece. Now all that he had to do was somehow fix what they broke.
The problem being, Kadaj couldn't fix things the way he used to. Before, if something was wrong, he used threats and violence to fix it. And people jumped to do as he said. But he couldn't do that with Harmony, because even though at times she appeared timid and submissive, she was far from it. Hell, she was almost as strong-willed and stubborned as he was!
As he watched her at the dinner table, he could see the utter exhaustion in her eyes, and, if he didn't know any better, he'd think the first signs of delirium. She was holding something in. Something that was slowly eating away at her. He had to get her into bed. He had to make her rest, or she'd wear herself down to nothing.
It was strange to him, caring. Maybe Harmony was right. The last person he really cared about at all had been Kiku. And ShinRa took her away from him. Even when he met his brothers, there had been a certain amount of comraderie between them, but Kadaj had never really cared. They were a means to an end. The ultimate end. Hell, did he even really care about Jenova? Or was she also just a way to exact revenge on those that wronged him?
Unbeknownst to the Remnant, a dim blue light began whisping into existance, flickering weakly as his thoughts continued.
Yes, it was true. He had cared nothing, for anyone, until coming to this world. Even Harmony, at first, was a conquest. It wasn't until he kissed her in the forest that day, and she broke down in a post-traumatic-stress induced panic, that he started to see her for who she really was. That he started to care about her problems, her happiness. He could even say now that he cared about his brothers, even Cloud. He knew he had a lot to make up for if they ever went home, and he had already resolved that he would do whatever it took to protect the very world he had tried to destroy. He just hoped that no one he cared about was hurt in the process.
At that moment, when the blue light shined the brightest, blinding those sitting at the table letting loose sounds of concern and awe, he realized probably his most important discovery yet.
Caring is fucking scary!
!#$%^&*()
As Kadaj watched Harmony, Loz watched Sassi. He knew she knew he was watching her. Its not like he was really trying to hide it.
He knew that everyone saw him as 'The Big Dumb One', but he wasn't. Yeah, sure, he was locked up in a lab for most of his life. He could admit that because of that, he found it difficult to socialize. He may act confident, but it was only a cover, hiding those pesky insecurities.
He felt badly about forcing her to relive what were obviously extremely painful memories, but he still couldn't understand why she had acted that way with him. Maybe he shouldn't have forced her? No. That's not right. Sassi had acted skittish since the first time he met her. Like she was afraid of him.
Then, in a moment of pure clarity, it hit him hard enough that he almost flew backwards out of his chair.
No, no, she wasn't afraid of him. She was afraid for him. He was smart enough to put two and two together and see that if Sassi ever lost control of her projections, the effects could be fatal to whomever she touched.
But hadn't it already been established -three times, now- that her powers were less effective against Jenova cells?
There was also the Cetran topic to approach. No one had really addressed this new development. It just kind of got swept under the rug.
Loz found that odd. Finding out that Sassi was a Cetra, and Harmony was a Guardian ought to have been a big thing, but the both of them -along with everyone else, it seemed- just blew it off.
Maybe they were waiting to discuss it until they were in a safer place. Maybe they hadn't come to terms with it, themselves. Maybe they were unable (or unwilling) to accept it. He couldn't even begin to guess.
But he did know one thing: Sassi Flint was running from him, and she was absolutely insane if she thought she'd get away.
No one got away from Loz. He's very fast, after all.
!#$%^&*()
Harmony sobbed into Sassi's shoulder, grateful that for the moment, Kadaj had not followed her into their room.
Her 'Angst Checklist' as she had dubbed it, was indeed a long one, and rather that pick at any one of her concerns at a time, she gave in to all of them, sobbing hard and clutching the salty-wet fabric of her blanket to her chest.
'All this time my parents knew... they tortured me because of my blood...their blood!'
'Kadaj could have killed me today, and it was my own fault for using his sister as a weapon against him.'
'Sassi's an Ancient, and when the time comes, she might leave with them...' The last thought only made the her shuddering body heave even harder.
"Talk to me, Hari. I can't stand seeing you like this!" Sassi said, her own voice wavering.
"Its just... everything that's happened today. My parents, Kadaj, finding out about our... gifts..."
Sassi nodded. "I feel that. Pretty crazy, isn't it? I tell you what, if I had any inkling as to what I was, the name Flint would be feared by the man who bestowed in on me." Harmony let out a sad chuckle.
"What are we going to do? Our careers are ruined, we can never go home. Are we supposed to just stay in Ireland forever? And you..." Harmony paused, selfishly not wanting to broach the subject and spur Sassi on if she hadn't already considered it. "Do you... do you want to try to go with them? You know as well as I do that there would be no one to learn from here... and I think... I think I know the real reason they were sent here." She let out another heart-wrenching sob. "While I still think they were sent here to learn a lesson and earn their second chances, I think there's more to it than that. Sassi I... I think that their lifestream decided it was time, and sent them here to find you and bring you home."
Sassi was silent, thinking on what Harmony had said. Was that true? Was she expected to go with them, now that her origins had been discovered? Did she even want to go? And what about Harmony? Could she really just leave her here to fend for herself, never able to stay in the same place, always looking over her shoulder, expecting the miliraty to nab her and stick her in a lab as nothing more than a guinea pig? And then, out of the festering darkness an idea made itself known. Serenity as she had never experienced washed over her, and the answer was oh so clear.
"Well then, don't you see? Its obvious. We both go with them."
Harmony's head jerked up and she stared incredulously at Sassi. Her friend smiled. "Like I would ever leave you here. You're a part of this package deal, mo chara."
Harmony continued to stare in shock before shaking herself out of it. "Are you insane? That's it, today has been too much. You're delirious. Go to bed. Now."
Sassi let out a quiet laugh and stood from the bed. "Okay, okay. You have a point. We'll talk about it later, when we're more rested. But please don't brush it off. Think about it. Just not tonight. I'm going to go see if the other's need some help before I head off to bed."
Harmony nodded, sniffling and trying to hold in the sobs that once again threatened to spill from her throat.
"Good night, Sass."
"Night, freako."
Sassi then made her exit, however, upon rounding the corner, she nearly ran headlong into the youngest Remnant. She stood still, blocking his path and staring him down. Harmony had told her everything that happened at the waterfall, and she was pissed. However, she could kind of see where he was coming from. She was pretty protective of her loved ones, too. Protective enough, that she risked killing Kadaj when she projected on him. She made up her mind and took a deep breath.
"I understand where you're coming from, and that you feel neglected. I'm sorry that you feel that way, but you have to understand something, too." She paused to make sure he was listening to her. At his gesture to continue, she spoke again.
"I will always be a part of Harmony's life."
!#$%^&*()
Try as Harmony might, after Sassi left, she couldn't hold the tears back any longer.
A noise from the doorway had her jerking around to face it.
Glowing green cat eyes stared at her from the darkness of the hallway, the moonlight revealing Kadaj as he stepped into the room.
She turned away from him. "Please, not tonight, Kadaj. I can't." Her voice broke, "I can't do it tonight!"
"Harmony..." He said, not moving from his spot.
"Its all just gone to hell. My career, my life, everything I thought I knew about myself, about my family, about you-" Her sobs cut off with a gasp as she suddenly found herself wrapped in the secure embrace of the youngest Remnant.
"I'm sorry." He whispered. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry."
She had never heard such warmth in his voice before, and it only made the tears even harder to suppress. So she stopped trying. Burying her face in the crook of Kadaj's neck, she cried. She cried, and cried, and cried.
The others passing the room each stopped to spare a concerned glance at the sight they found, before leaving the two alone to their business.
Even Sassi found it hard to be angry at the Remnant when she saw how much Harmony's pain upset him.
In the cold moonlight that bathed the room, Harmony's sobs faded to light, even breaths as she finally gave in to exhaustion and fell asleep, wrapped tightly in the arms of one very confused, very lost Remnant.
- 31
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- 33
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Prophecy's Refrain