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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
- 35
- 36
- 37
Here we go, the first half of the Tournament! Place your bets, Kiddies! (But don't be too hard on the girls, they HAVE been training very hard!) R&R!
Chapter 35: The Tournament Part I
Tifa groaned as she hit the floor. She could almost hear the smug grin that her opponent wore. Damn! After seeing how Sytherea had defeated them, she was certain that she could, as well!
"Are we finished playing then? How about the next one? I'm fighting Sassi next, right?" Genesis teased.
Tifa huffed. "Fine! But you and I are fighting again, and next time I'm going to beat you!" She said.
Genesis bowed with a flourish. "Any time. If you can beat me, I'll buy you your favorite dinner any time you want it for a year."
Sassi jumped in with a scoff. "You sound so sure of yourself. A year? What if I beat you?"
Genesis thought for a moment. "I'll... babysit... any time that you want me to." He tried not to shudder. He hated babysitting. Not that the twins were horrible, far from it... but hell, he was a First Class SOLDIER. Babysitting was such a... civilian thing.
Sassi thought about his offer before grinning. Oh yes, she'd take that. No one other than Loz knew how hard she had been training, and not even Loz knew that since infusing her magic into her combat rather than using it to extend it, she was able to beat Yazoo's master program. "Deal." She said. "But before we can fight, Hari's fighting Zack. This'll be too good to miss! And then its Sy and V... I don't want to miss that, either."
! #$%^&*()
"I don't know why you're even trying." Zack provoked. "None of you could even put a scratch on the badassery that is Zack Fair!"
Harmony rolled her eyes. "Arrogant much?"
"I prefer the term 'Confident'." Zack smirked.
Harmony echoed his expression, muscles flexing as she lowered into her stance. At first, she had wanted to downright beat him to a pulp, but now she had a different idea. To make it work though, she would have to be quick and light on her feet. The key now would not be to beat him down with strong attacks, but rather use her superior agility to avoid his.
"Bring it on, Puppy. Let's see if that bite matches that bark."
Zack sprung into action, leaping forward with a diagonal slice of his sword. Harmony ducked, rolling to the side to avoid the blade. She threw Hogo-sha no Kokoro in front of her, her arms shaking from the pain that lanced through her as she blocked his brute strength. No blocking, then. Just like with Angeal.
She'd fought Zack before, and even came to what they called a 'tie', but she knew that this was different. He wasn't holding back to keep from hurting her. He knew now, that though she could never match him in speed or strength or even stamina, she could take what he dished out. She noticed the way he moved. Now that he was not holding back with her, it was obvious that his fighting style closely mirrored Angeal's. Good deal. She'd trained with the SOLDIER so often that she knew what she was facing.
She thought back to her training. Angeal's weakness seemed to be that she was much more agile than he was. The closest she had ever come to beating Angeal (which really wasn't that close, she would admit) it was because he couldn't catch her. In and out, quick hits. She'd bet her life that Zack would be the same way. Angeal was a thinker. Zack relied more on instinct.
That would be his downfall. She was not losing this time.
! #$%^&*()
Harmony could not silence the laughter that had bubbled in her chest. Zack just looked so pitiful, sitting there nursing his wounds and glaring at Harmony.
"You were saying about scratches?" Harmony teased, motioning to the dozens and dozens of tiny scratches that covered every inch of exposed skin.
"Shut up! You're not supposed to be so sneaky!" Zack barked.
"Guardian!" Harmony said, pointing to herself. Amusement was fading. It was starting to piss her off, being underestimated all the time. "There is only one person in the whole world that I would never lie to or manipulate- not that I make a habit of it, nor do I intend to... But still! Stop underestimating me! Do not mistake my kindness for weakness! I can-and will-leave you crying on the floor!" With that Harmony stomped from the training room, leaving a confused Puppy behind her. She knew that her fight with Angeal would be after Sassi fought Genesis, but she needed a minute to center herself. She had not trained so hard for nothing! This wasn't even about proving that she was better or even as good as the men, this was about proving to herself that she could do it, that she had her own power and could protect her daughter and her loved ones just as well as they could.
After a few moments alone she returned to the training room to watch Vincent fight Sytherea, and Sassi's fight with Genesis. She'd felt something 'off' about her charge for a while now, and maybe witnessing this might give her some ideas as to what it might be.
! #$%^&*()
Harmony had to blink a couple times, but that didn't change the sight in front of her. Was Vincent holding a sword? She walked over to him and posed her question. "Do you even know how to use a sword?" She asked, teasingly.
Vincent smiled, "Of course I do Harmony, Do you even know where I grew up? My father was from Nibelheim... my mother was Wutaian."
"What? Oh hell, later but... why?" She asked in disbelief. Sytherea walked up behind her, sporting an Ao Dai that was as blue as her eyes.
"He thinks to level the playing field." Sytherea stated, looking at Vincent. "Make sure you follow the rules this time, old man."
Harmony almost choked on her laughter, noting the smile on Vincent's face. "Maybe." He replied.
Vincent walked to the center of the Training Room, one of Sytherea's swords in his hand. As she took her place opposite him, he swiftly undid the buckles on his blood red cloak and flung it towards the wall. His muscles were evident under the tight leather covering his body.
Harmany had never seen him, atleast in Gaia, without it on. Sassi leaned towards her and whispered, "Sy likes to use it against him when they fight. He takes it off so she won't ruin it. Those are his words, but, I still don't see what there is to ruin." The two shared a laugh, then turned to watch Sytherea.
She stood posed, looking at her lover, knives in hand. Vincent had borrowed one of her broadswords. They exchanged nods and Vincent bowed low to her.
"Don't you dare play the gentleman, Valentine." She said, getting her gaurd up.
Vincent simply smiled, he loved dualing with Sytherea. "Begin." He said darkly.
After ten minutes of back and forth between herself and Vincent, Sytherea was thoroughly upset. This was going nowhere. After one particularly bad move on her part, she was left with a deep gash on her upper right arm. Her eyes began to glow. Vincent saw this as an oppurtunity. "Do it!" He yelled.
Sytherea violently shook her head. "No!"
Sassi jumped in with encouragement. "Come on Sy, you can beat him. Just do it!"
Harmony looked confused. Sassi leaned in again and tried to help her understand. "Did Sy ever tell you about her family?" When Harmony nodded, she continued. "I've been working with her, trying to help her control it." Harmony was back to looking confused again, "She has, um, powers." With that she nodded towards Sytherea, who was clearly warring with herself.
After another blow from the broadsword, Sytherea had finally had enough. Everyone but Vincent, looked on in awe as her body began to shudder. Slowly Harmony saw Sytherea's skin turn from a light alabaster, to a stunning shade of blue. She was gritting her teeth and her arms were clenched at her sides. It happened all at once, she relaxed her stance and...
"What the FUCK?" Harmony heard herself say in a near shout. Right in front of her, where Sytherea used to be, was a bright blue dragon.
Vincent transformed into Hellmasker with a smile on his face, ignoring Harmony's -yet again- shocked cry. "Atta girl, Sy!" Sassi shouted.
Harmony was going to ask Sassi what was going on, but the renewed fighting held her attention. Weapons disgarded, Sytherea lunged at Hellmasker. Who needs weapons when you have claws.
Vincent, as Hellmasker, was forced against the wall, in order to block the deadly blows coming from his transformed lover.
Her anger was getting the best of her. Vincent took advantage of the fact that Sytherea wasn't used to her transformed self. He blocked a blow from her arm with the sword and used his strength to launch her from him. It was time to end this. He lunged at her full force and slashed his sword across her already injured arm. The force of the blow made Sytherea's focus waver. As she hit the floor she transformed back into herself, gasping.
"I win." Vincent stated happily, as he walked over to Sytherea. Once again himself he bent down and examined her arm. "I'm very proud of you, Sy." He said warmly. Sytherea started to smile at him, but the throbbing in her now very bloody arm, made her wince. That, and she was exhausted. Transforming always left her so, she could barely keep her eyes open.
"Vince? Take me to our room before I-" And with that, her eyes slammed closed.
Oh yes, he was very proud.
! #$%^&*()
Sassi flew through the air, body tensing in preparation for an unseen landing. Genesis fell toward her, rocketing from their rapid blows. His hand began glowing with budding magic. 'Game on,' She thought, her own energy coalescing into her long range weapon. With some minor alterations, she formed a mini cross bow. One she could fire one-handed as she dared not sheath or drop her blade. Sassi raised her left arm, sighting down the bolt and fired. The shaft buried itself deep into a far off cliff. In quick succession she fired three more bolts, seemingly at random; all within the time it took Genesis to prepare his spell. Sassi felt the looming presence of the ground, as bright orange energy came flying at her. She landed, and skid as the barrage of lights burst upon her blade. Her arm smacked the projectiles into oblivion, sparks glittering in the air around her.
Sassi's right arm swung up across her chest catching the advance of crimson rapier. She sucked solidity out of the earth beneath her and slammed into Genesis, sending him backward. Her left hand completed an arc above her head, a light barrier against further magical attacks. Long blade poised, Genesis again took the offensive, intending the send the witch flying. She anticipated the move and released the catch on the hilt of her blade. Her short sword spit in two.
Up until now she had been fighting with a single whole blade with no apparent seems; when whole the weapon seemed a complete shaft of metal, separated though it displayed a different characteristic. Each piece was forked. Two single edge blades rose from each hilt. Her left arm batted the oncoming rapier to the side as her right came up underneath and caught the attacking weapon neatly in the space between her blades. Right wrist tilted down and drove the tip of Genesis's rapier into the ground. She whirled and caught the sneaky magical attack with her left. As she shattered the magic, her elbow rose to collide with an aristocratic nose. Sassi felt more then heard a satisfying crack as hot liquid spurted. Her body completed its three-sixty, right arm positioned for a fatal blow. Genesis cursed and flung himself back, wrenching his weapon free of the earth. He deflected her attack, white sparks bursting from the impact. Sassi was still drawing energy into herself from the earth, lending her limbs a solidness and force. Her right blade sliced into red fabric, the two prongs easily poking themselves through and narrowly missed flesh. Instead of pulling it out, she twisted her wrist effectively snaring his clothing. In this close range the Crimson Death could not maneuver fluidly.
Sassi motioned as if to chop a leg off, as expected Genesis leaped over the blade. Sassi gathered in a great huff of air and enhanced the pressure with her energy. A gust of wind caught Genesis and carried him to the cliff, his cloak ripping free of her blades. His back slammed into the rock and Sassi stretched her arms out in an imitation of a cross. Tendrils of energy stretched from the cliff face, her arrows lengthening but not dislodging. Bending her elbows, she drew her arms together and crossed her wrists. Her arrows, now coils of magical rope, elongated themselves and with her motions trapped Genesis is a searing clasp.
It wouldn't take much to increase the heat . . . a little borrowed from the light source should do nicely. Sassi stalked toward her captive, eyes focused on his tight tendons. How would those tendons react if severed? She thought. Would the slippery things retreat into his flesh or dangle limp from a stump? Sassi wanted to find out, badly. She wanted to feel his magic boiling inside him, building without release. Genesis struggled, one hand still holding Crimson Death, but pinned so tightly he could not utilize it. Sassi had anticipated his strength; after all, she had been living with the strongest Remnant for years and had an intimate knowledge of those limitations. Sassi locked eyes with Genesis. He thought a glimpse of . . .Vincent?. . .passed flittingly over her features. The image made his heart race. Sassi never took the role of predator. Protector, defender even, but the intensity of her gaze as she all but ran the last few yards unnerved the soldier. Sassi saw her arm raise, pointing the sharp blades at an exposed wrist and tensed her muscles in preparation for a severing blow. The blood would paint gorgeous patterns around her feet, she knew without a doubt that she could suck the magic right out of him through his blood. Her chance to become as powerful, or more, as Sephiroth.
Suddenly Sassi dropped her blade, her fingers being the only thing she could convince to let go. Her head felt dizzy with unusual thoughts. Bleeding magic…? It wasn't unheard of in ages long past, but to a friend and ally? She could feel the thrill of the urge. Power, to hold a part of this world's magic. She closed her eyes and inhaled. I am of this world, she repeated in her head. Of this world, Cetra, important dammit! The fight was over. She refused to go on. In bewilderment her left hand settled a forked blade next to Genesis's cheek; teasing his flesh, as if promising a rematch. Abruptly she spun on her heel, realizing the coils holding her opponent against the wall.
"I am not advancing. Take your victory," she growled over her shoulder as she left the room, Harmony chasing after her with a panicked look on her face.
"I'm out." Genesis said. "Take me off the boards."
! #$%^&*()
"Go back." Sassi snapped at Harmony as the Guardian placed her hand on her shoulder. "You still have fighting to do, and I want to be alone."
"Sassi, we need to talk about this! What was that?" Harmony argued.
"What, are you surprised that you're not the only one that is powerful? 'Oh no, Sassi could never! She's not powerful enough! She let herself become weak and now we all have to protect her because she can't fight for herself!'" Sassi raged, yanking herself away from Harmony.
Harmony's eyes were wide with shock and confusion. "Sassi... none of us think of you that way! You know that I can't help it when it comes to your protection! You know that I try to back off as much as I am able so that you can fight for yourself, too! I'm not stupid, I know that constant protection makes a person weak. What will happen if I spend my life protecting you, and you never learn to truly protect yourself, and then I die? What then? I don't think you're weak!" Harmony tried to reason.
Sassi was fuming, the residual energy from her fight still racing through her veins. "You're lying! You don't ask for my help unless it isn't 'dangerous'. You spend all of your time with Kadaj and Sukai! So just go back to them and leave me alone!" Sassi screeched.
Harmony felt her eyes tearing. "Sassi-"
"Fág liom, Caomhnóir! Ordaímse é!*" Sassi cut her off. Harmony gasped as she felt magic flow through her, and the irresistable force of those words beating into her consciousness.
"What did you do?" Harmony whimpered, trying to keep her legs from moving.
"I gave you a Cetran command – no Guardian can deny a direct order from their Cetra. Maybe you should talk to Aerith about it. You seem to be spending more time with Sephiroth, too! Now go!"
Harmony cried out as her legs began to move,the magic only releasing her when she was outside the door and she heard it lock behind her. With a shaking sob, she made her way back to the training room as anger started to fill her mind.
Someone was definately going to get hurt.
! #$%^&*()
Sassi let out a sob of frustration when she felt Harmony's anger and saddness through their bond. All at once, the dark feeling that had taken her seemed to release, fear and confusion taking its place as she realized what she had just done.
"Oh God... I'm sorry." She said, her voice echoing through her empty bedroom.
**Leave me, Guardian! I command it!
- 35
- 36
- 37
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Legacy of the Lifestream