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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
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Chapter 39: Information Gathering
“I still don't think it was a good idea to split up. What if something happens and the airship is taken?” Sassi said, pouting in Harmony's direction.
“Sass, relax. Please. We need to do this, you're the only one that can open the path, and like hell if I was going to let you come without me.” Harmony answered, gazing around at the white trees of the Sleeping Forest.
“Why are we going back to the Capitol?” Sassi asked.
“Because everyone can agree that Cid's idea was a good one. We're going to need a safe place to set up a decent base of operations. Flying around in the airship is too conspicuous. Its only a matter of time before the GR spot us, and there are too many precious people on that ship to risk it going down.” Kadaj piped in from his place next to Harmony.
The small group was trudging through the Sleeping Forest, sticking tightly together so no one got separated and lost. Harmony was rather excited to see the Forgotten Capitol, though she could share Sassi's concerns about spreading the group so thin.
“I'd feel a lot better if we had the Harp.” Genesis said from behind them. “You all know how dangerous this is. No one that comes in here without it is seen again, and Vincent gave it back to Rufus after he came back with Hari!”
Kadaj snorted. “Afraid, Gen? Go back then. We can finish this mission without you.”
Harmony turned around, glaring at them both. “Stop it!” She snapped, pushing her palm against her brow. “I've had a splitting headache for the past hour we've been wandering through here! I don't want to deal with it!”
Kadaj turned her to face him with a worried look. “Why didn't you say anything? Are you okay?” He glanced at Sassi. “What about you, are you alright?”
Sassi nodded, edging closer to Harmony. “I have some painkillers?” She offered.
Harmony shook her head. “No, I don't think that will help. This is... different. The air is all... wave-y.”
Sassi tilted her head. “Wave-y? Do you mean the lights?”
The Guardian shook her head again. “No! Its different. Its heavy and dense and powerful here and it feels like a glamour but-...” She paused, looking around. “...Hey Gen, you say that people need a special item to come through here without getting lost in the forest?”
Genesis nodded. “Yes, the Lunar Harp. It 'Wakes the Forest' so that travelers can pass safely. Why?”
Harmony hummed in thought for a moment, looking at Sassi and then around at their surroundings. “Sass, I think its a glamour.”
Sassi narrowed her eyes, blinking. “But I haven't felt anything like that, and we've been through here many, many times!” She reasoned.
“Yeah but Sassi, you never were the best with glamours, or recognizing them. That's my forte.” Harmony murmured, walking ahead of the group and gazing around intently. “I really, really think this is a glamour... and I think that if I focus on it, and have a bit of time, I can release it.”
Kadaj stepped forward and placed his hand on her shoulder. “Don't do anything to wear yourself out. We have no idea who or what, if anything, will be waiting for us outside the Capitol. You need to have as much energy as you can spare.”
Harmony sighed and nodded, resigned. Taking Kadaj's hand and motioning for the others to follow, she began moving through the forest again, smiling softly. She would leave the dispelling for now, but would still test her suspicions. So far there had been something nagging at all of them, pulling them in different directions and so far, they had followed the pull, thinking perhaps it was meant to lead the Cetra to the Capitol. If this was a glamour, it would be the exact opposite.
So every time one of her friends would complain, giving in to the pull trying to sway Harmony from her course, she pushed on, completely ignoring the arguments and growls of disapproval. Every time that pull would nag at her senses, she pushed on, fighting against the feeling that she was going in the extreme wrong direction.
She could admit that the side effects of resisting the force were negative, she could feel that everyone around her, including her Cetra, were becoming nearly unbearably agitated.
“Harmony! Damnit woman, you're going to get us all killed!” Kadaj snarled, trying to pull his hand from hers.
She held fast. “Trust me!” She raced forward, the feeling that she should turn around so strong that her chest ached and sweat trickled from her brow. She was allowed her victory, suspicions validated when she pushed through the bushes, the others close behind as they stumbled into the massive clearing by the crystalline waters of the Cetran Pool.
But they were not alone.
!@#$%^&*()
Yazoo's breath left him with a shudder as he, Angeal, Sytherea, and Vincent closed in silently on the charred remains of what was once Fayne Kobayashi's dilapidated shack. It was apparent that the GR had destroyed the structure, an attempt to hide any evidence of Rufus' quest for power. He still refused to read the letters from his father, but had allowed Cissnei to do so; the woman telling him that there was a bunker beneath the house that not even ShinRa knew about.
“You okay?” Angeal's voice startled him out of his thoughts.
“Mm? Oh...yeah. I just... haven't been to this place in a very long time.”
Angeal nodded. “Then lets just get this over with.”
Angeal, Yazoo, and Sytherea stood back as Vincent poked and prodded around the ruined house, checking the information Cissnei had written for them and finally letting out a victorious chuckle as he lifted a large, charred metal door.
“Found it. Lets go.” He said, jumping down without another word.
Yazoo took one more cleansing breath and followed, sneezing as his landing stirred the thick layer of dust on everything surrounding them.
“We don't have time to stick around and go through everything. Lets just take what we can back to the airship.” Sytherea whispered, already gathering piles of folders and files, stuffing them in her bag.
“I agree.” Angeal and Vincent whispered at the same time, following the Wutaian woman's lead.
Yazoo only nodded, feeling strangely exposed. He turned in a circle, gazing about the room, stopping when a decent-sized white box caught his eye. Slowly, he wandered over, lifting the lid and rifling through what looked like old newspaper clippings. He felt his heart shudder to a stop as the bold lettering caught his eye. Each clipping showed pictures of his face, his eyes deeper, hair darker. The writing was nothing more than desperate pleading for anyone that had information on his disappearance to please come forward.
He swallowed the lump in his throat, pushing more clippings aside and drawing a weathered book from the bottom of the box. With shaking hands he opened it, barely cutting off a gasping sob when he was met with pictures of himself. He was happy, in all of them. Some of them teaching, some of his masters, most of him in his youth, bright eyed and in obvious concentration at the stilled form of him working his katas. There were pictures of him with his father, a proud look on the older man's face as his son held up trophies and ribbons from various competitions.
He realized he was shaking when a few smaller pictures fluttered to the floor, slipping from the back of the book and twirling to the dust. The sound caught Vincent's attention and he made his way to Yazoo, kneeling and picking up the scattered pictures and flipping them over, freezing in shock at the face staring back at him.
“Yazoo... who is this?” He asked.
Yazoo blinked, eyes stinging slightly as he glanced at the photo. “That's my mother. I never knew her.”
Vincent's eyes narrowed, glaring at the picture. “Not possible. She looks no different!”
In his hand, Vincent Valentine held a picture of a smiling, happy, pregnant Rosso the Crimson.
!@#$%^&*()
“How is she?” Aerith asked quietly as she entered the medical bay. Sephiroth looked up from his place at Sukai's bedside.
“Stable, but she has yet to regain consciousness. Shelke said that Cloud had similar bouts and we should not worry that she'll remain this way... but...” He answered, looking back to his lover's deathly pale form.
Aerith made a soft sound of comfort, placing her hand on Sephiroth's shoulder and giving it a squeeze as she looked at her friend. She could clearly see the dark green-blue-and-purple bruise-like mass spreading across her abdomen. The Cetra bit her lip, kneeling beside Sephiroth and cupping his jaw, forcing him to look at her.
“Are you sure you don't want me to use the Gospel?” She asked. She knew that it would kill the child... but if it meant saving her friend's life, she had to admit she thought it worth the sacrifice.
Sephiroth frowned. “As much as I want to beg you to help her... she would never forgive me. You, either. You... you don't know how much I've begged her to reconsider... But she wants this child to live so badly... badly enough that she is willing to die to give it life. I cannot shame her by taking that from her.”
Aerith's face fell to a deep, sympathetic frown. “I know you hurt, Sephiroth... I can feel your despair just as strongly as you can feel my emotions... You need to talk to us. We're here for you.”
Sephiroth cleared his throat. “Thank you... maybe I will... but not now.”
Aerith nodded. “Alight...” She thought a moment. In the years that he had been her Guardian, she had not had much physical contact with him... but she couldn't help herself this time. He looked so scared, so broken even as his pride demanded that he be nothing but strong and emotionless. She leaned up and wrapped her arms around him, embracing him tightly.
He tensed in shock for a moment, and then his features fell, arms encircling her as he buried his face at the nape of her neck.
!@#$%^&*()
Kadaj and Genesis rushed to the head of the small group, standing threatening and protectively in front of the women as they stared at the other occupant of the clearing. He didn't appear to be in good condition, his skin was pale, he was thin and very obviously injured and dehydrated, but both men knew that those things meant nothing. The man glanced at them with icy eyes that were sunken in, deep purple bruise-like discoloration beneath.
“Who are you?” He rasped, struggling to his feet and reaching weakly for an odd-looking sword.
Kadaj rapidly unsheathed Souba, stepping forward in warning. “Don't even try it! You first!” He snapped.
The man appeared lost in thought for a moment, searching and confused before answering with a whisper.
“Weiss... I think. Weiss the Immaculate.”
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- 41
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Legacy of the Lifestream