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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 43: Redemption in Retrograde

Michael stood before Godo in the lavish throne room, listening to Yuffie's rage. He felt it too; the anger and disbelief that the old man would refuse to offer aide to the people that had saved not only his daughter or his empire, but the entire world that both resided in.
“What do you mean 'no'?!” Yuffie shouted, “Why in Gaia would you just sit back and watch them die?! Why would you make me do it?!” She paced before the throne. From the corner of her eye, she saw the members of the Wu Sheng nodding slightly; seemingly in agreement.
“Calm yourself, daughter! I have already explained, though I should not have to explain myself to you. We cannot afford to have Gaia's Retaliation beating at our doors. Do you want a war, girl? Are you prepared to lead your people into battle against most of this world's population?” Godo tried to reason. His arms were crossed over his chest as he reclined in the throne. His daughter had rushed in not twenty minutes before, panicked and rash and arrogant.
Apparently Michael had been unable to reach the devices of their friends, getting message after message of services unavailable. Finally a call had gone through; a child grown far-too-fast into a woman, passing on information that the Remnants, Guardians, and Cetra were wandering the forests of his domain, looking for a fight. Why should he help them when they brought war upon themselves, and then let it spill into his land?!
“But Fùqīn, if they see that our friends have the backing of an entire empire, they may back off! We might at least be able to help them! And Sukai... she's sick, Fùqīn. Are you willing to let an innocent child die when you know we can help them?!” Yuffie pleaded. Her mind had been working in overdrive throughout the argument. Her father seemed all-too-willing to lounge in the safety of the palace and allow the brutal massacre that they all knew was coming.
She made her choice; One question. His answer would show her if she was wrong and should grovel at her father's feet begging for forgiveness, or if she was right and it was time for her to take the step she still was not sure she was ready to take.
As Godo watched her with a hard glare, willing her to see reason, she spoke.
“...Tell me, Fùqīn. How long have you been in the GR's pocket?”
Silence fell over those in the throne room at the whispered accusation. Wu Sheng guards clenched their hands on their spears and their eyes darted between the two royals.
Godo's face was red. Like bubbling lava pouring from the eyes of Da Chao itself. He sputtered in his fury, arms uncrossing and hands balling into fists as he quickly stood from his chair and took a step forward.
“I am no-one's puppet, you arrogant child!” He screeched. “What I do, I do to protect my people from the evils of the outside world, and those people you call your friends bring it with them! Every major catastrophe in our history has happened because of the creature they are host to! Most of them have been responsible for irreparable damage to the people and places in the Lifestream's care. They have used and abused it for their own purposes until the very planet was so tired and weak it almost died, taking all life with it! Why offer sanctuary and aide to them when we have only a few meager words to hope that they could possibly offer us any different?!”
Yuffie staggered back from the volume and anger in her father's voice. Against her better judgment, she let her eyes water as tears threatened to fall. She had so hoped that she was wrong.
“So you have been working with them all along! All these times that I've gone to meet with them, every secret that I've given you for safe-keeping and the trust that you would help me protect those I love... all this time it was a lie! Even Wutai recognizes these terrorists for what they are! You yourself wrote into law that any Wutaian found to be in confidence with Gaia's Retaliation would be brought to justice! You have lied, Fùqīn! Lied to me and to all of the Wutaian people!” She screamed back. She took a step toward him, uncaring that many Wu Sheng hesitantly moved to protect Godo.
“I am Emperor!” He argued. “I do not answer to a silly girl thinking herself wiser than others!”
Yuffie let out an inelegant snort. “You're right. You are Emperor. But you seem to have conveniently forgotten one little fact.”
“And what is that, my daughter? And choose your words wisely!”
Yuffie took another calculated step toward him. Her hand sneaked behind her to grasp the hilt of the jeweled kunai at her back, thumb caressing the royal insignia nervously.
“Wutai is, has always been, and will always be a matriarchal culture. You have power because Muqin died, and I was not yet ready to take the throne.” Her hand flashed in front of her, throwing the kunai to lodge into the wooden steps before the throne. “But I am. I am ready. And so I call you now, Godo Kisaragi! Kneel and pledge your loyalty to your Empress, or fight me for the throne of Wutai!”

!@#$%^&*()

Bright, glowing eyes darted ever diligent to their surroundings. A black-gloved hand tightened on the hilt of a long, menacing sword. If one listened closely, one would be able to hear the dull ringing of the blade singing within the sheath, begging for battle; for blood. As it was, the only sound to be heard was that of his companion's quiet breathing as she too surveyed the area.
Sephiroth was just as much Guardian as Harmony was, and she was not the only one able to feel the dark foreboding settling over their group. He remained calm, always, though it was simply a mask. He was good at building those. Masking his emotions, masking his thoughts. Once, he even masked his memories from even those closest to him. His first and only lie to his friends, upon waking in a strange new world. The falsehood that he remembered less than he did.
A mask to hide the fear and guilt... and the anger and pain that one he considered his friend would leave him as he did, and tear the other away.
He could remember that pain with biting clarity.
You left me behind in hell. He remembered thinking. You left me behind.
True, he had made his peace with Angeal and Genesis. He knew now why they had done as they did, and his only aching regret toward them was that he didn't know at the time. He could still hear the hurt in his own voice when he finally let that mask break away.
“I would have helped you, Genesis. If I had known what you needed... how could you think that I would not do anything you needed me to, to save your life? Why could you not just ask?”
That had been what was needed. The shattering of the wall he hid behind had freed him from much of the guilt, and sadness.
And now, those memories only stood to solidify his resolve.
Once, long ago, he lost everything he had that was worth living for. His friends, his honor, and himself. Now, he had more than those to fight for. People that were more than just friends. They were his family.
As the deep chill of a Guardian's warning senses washed over him with more urgency, he took a deep breath and glared at the forest around himself and his fellow Guardian.
Nothing in Hell, Heaven, or the blessedly damned in-between would ever take anything from him ever again.

!@#$%^&*()

Harmony's breath was growing heavy. She and Sephiroth had separated from the group only minutes before, forging ahead to scout the trail with their gifted senses. She would not allow him to go far, it was much to important to be able to get back to their Cetra as quickly as possible, but they were far enough ahead that she was still nervous.
Sephiroth's gaze faltered as she watched him and her heart skipped a beat at the feral glare he directed at the foliage. In that moment the foreboding slammed into her, a vivid picture of danger and death.
“Sephiroth!” She gasped out, grasping his arm with a shaking hand.
He glanced at her, anxiety mirrored in his gaze though his face remained passive.
“...I know.”
Both turned back quickly, Sephiroth taking to the trees as they raced to their comrades, dearly hoping they made it back in time to warn them of the danger.
The danger of over three-hundred angry and contemptuous hearts closing in around them, cutting off any hope of escape.
Sephiroth reached the group first, leaping from the trees and landing in a crouch. In a tone that proved the seriousness of the situation he began hissing orders.
“Loz, take Sassi as high into the canopy as you can. Sassi, when you've found a defend-able perch, I want you to summon your crossbow and take out as many as you can while remaining hidden. If you think a shot will give away your position, do not take it.”
Loz and Sassi both nodded, the Cetra feeling a wave of dread wash over her. Nothing rattled Sephiroth unless Aerith or Sukai was in danger, so this had to be bad. She shook her head to clear her mind of the melancholy thoughts that plagued her, standing on her toes and wrapping her arm around Loz's neck to make it easier for him to sweep her up and take to the trees.
“Come on, Big Chief. You heard the man.”
As Loz lifted Sassi and disappeared into the leaves above them, he turned to Zack. “I want you and Angeal to take positions at opposite ends of the path. If you have Barrier materia on you, cast a low level barrier. We don't want to run out of stamina before we're ready. There are a lot of them.”
Both men nodded their understanding and raced in opposite directions, Zack drawing his sword and Angeal keeping his hand closed around the hilt of the Buster.
“What can I do, Sephiroth?” Cloud asked, stepping forward as he snapped the blades of the First Tsurugi together.
“...I want you to take Aerith into the trees as Loz did Sassi. If their place is large enough for all four of you, that is even better. Keep her safe for me, Cloud.” Sephiroth said, his eyes boring into the blonde's. “Can you do that?”
Cloud snorted and turned to Aerith, sweeping her into his arms and glancing at the General. “I beat you... twice. I think I can handle a few poorly trained grunts with glorified kitchen knives.”
Sephiroth smirked as Cloud leaped into the trees. He then turned to face the rest of the group.
“Those of you with long range weapons should also take to the trees, though do not venture high into the canopy. The goal is to keep them on the ground, as far away from Sassi and Aerith as possible. Conserve ammunition, we won't have the chance to find more unless we take it from them. I would like a materia count.”
Harmony watched in awe as Sephiroth masterfully took command of the situation. She stepped forward and held her bag out to him, though did not mention the two materia that she had equipped at her thigh.
“I have Stop, Thundaga, a couple of Speed Plus, and lots of Magic Plus... Sukai felt it was a clever idea to enhance my magic, just in case.”
Sephiroth nodded. “Keep the speed and the magic, though if you don't mind I would like you to give the Stop and Thundaga to someone with more experience with Materia.”
She nodded back and tossed the two to him. “Good plan.”
Genesis cleared his throat, patting the sword at his side. “I have a few summons... Odin, Shiva, and Neo Bahamut, along with one of each elemental Materia, high leveled.”
Sephiroth hummed in thought. “You are better with materia casting than anyone I've seen, save perhaps Sukai. Hold on to what you've got.”
When everyone had stepped forward and piled their materia together in the center of the circle, he looked over it and tapped his chin.
Transform, Double Cut, Destruct, Ultima, Deathblow, Kjata, Hades, Ifrit, Restore, and Shield, plus various Independent and Support materia.
“Alright.” He said, motioning for the group to quickly gather around. “Kadaj, I want you to take one of the Restore, and two Speed Plus, if you think you can maintain your accuracy when moving that fast. Tifa, you take Destruct and Ultima. Yazoo, equip Elemental and Transform to your gun. Give them a nasty little surprise if they survive the shot. ...Tseng, take another Restore and a Shield. Reno, I'm trusting you with Hades, please mind your aim. Genesis, take the rest to Cloud, Aerith, Loz, and Sassi. Make sure Sassi has the last Restore, and give Kjata to Aerith. Cloud should have the Double Cut and Loz should have the Deathblow. Vincent and Sytherea, you take my materia.” He handed over a glowing red materia, followed by a green one.
Sytherea gasped as she cradled them. “These are Master Materia!”
“What about you?” Harmony asked, cutting in.
Sephiroth smirked, a dark look. “Why Harmony, I'm hurt. You honestly think I need materia?”
Just as she was about to retort, a stab of instinctive fear shot through her abdomen and she hunched over. “Nngh! They're close! We have to hurry!”
The stab had caused Sephiroth to grit his teeth and flinch. “She's right. Quickly! Long range fighters to the trees, everyone else fan out! Do not make it easy for them to find us!”
The others rushed to find suitable places to stealthily attack from, Harmony stopping when Sephiroth's hand landed on her shoulder.
“You stay with me. Back to back, right here in the open. Draw their attention.”
She opened her mouth to voice her hesitation, not wanting to be expected to take any lives. He cut her off.
“You do not have to kill... so long as you can incapacitate. But I expect you to keep your head because I will not be so courteous.”
She caught one final glimpse of his eyes as she turned to press her back to his, and shivered.
If that was the violence and threatening aura that the others remembered, she could not possibly blame the rest of the world for being afraid of him.
Sephiroth looked as though he was ready to burn the entire world down and roast marshmallows over its ashes.

!@#$%^&*()

“Kneel and pledge your loyalty to your Empress, or fight me for the throne of Wutai!”
Godo barked out a mocking laugh at his daughter's bravado.
“You honestly think you have the strength of heart to lead a people?! You have let emotion cloud your judgment and it has made you willing to sacrifice hundreds of lives to save but a few that ought be dead anyway!” His arms arced out, heavy robes slipping from his shoulders to reveal the many scars and tears that decorated his skin from a lifetime of battles. His hands rested at his sides, hovering over the pouches that housed his many weapons.
“I beat you once before, Old Man, and I can do it again!” Yuffie growled back. She shoved Michael away from her and turned in a slow circle, glaring at the Wu Sheng members present.
“This is a legitimate challenge issued as the Princess of Wutai for my right to assume the throne! Not a single one of you may interfere in the name of either party!” She turned back to Michael, whispering, pleading. “I know I am not Empress yet... but please, take any Wu Sheng that will go and find them. Help them if you can, but send word of their location... I want to be ready.”
Michael nodded, his eyes glowing with loyalty not to a princess or an empress, but to a lover and companion. “Don't worry, Yuff. I'll find them and we'll do what we can. You... you just win.” He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it softly and then quickly turned and headed for the doors, grabbing the shirts of two Wu Sheng stationed outside and dragging them off behind him.
Yuffie watched him go and then turned to face her father again. He was glaring hard in Michael's direction.
“Hey, Old Man! Pay attention to the real threat, hm?”
He growled and leveled his gaze at her. “Very well. I accept your challenge and accept that should I lose, if I survive I will hand over the rule of Wutai to Princess Yuffie.” He called loudly.
Yuffie took a breath as Wu Sheng and other observers of the court began frantically backing away at his declaration. She took many steps back, giving herself enough room to move and placing her hand on her shuriken at her back.
Godo did not give her time to form a plan of attack. He instead ducked low, dashing forward before stopping suddenly and digging his heels into the ground. With a mighty roar from his chest, the entire pagoda began to shake and swirling light and colors covered his body. When the light retreated, Yuffie grit her teeth. She could clearly remember fighting her father in this form before.
The creature before her had a giant head with four faces. If she remembered correctly then each face was a warning for which attack he would throw at her and dammit, she only had a few materia on her! She also recalled that in this form, physical attacks against him were next to nothing.
It appeared, however, that she would not be able to use her previous battle against him to her advantage. As she watched and plotted, the four faces of Godo began spinning, seeming to morph into one big, twisted image. The wind stirring from the speed of the spinning pulled at her and she let out a cry of shock as that massive blade was pointed in her direction, counting on the wind to bring her to its point.
She grit her teeth and yanked the shuriken from her back, slamming one point hard into the stone and diving behind it, bracing her feet against the pull of the cyclone-like wind. She reached into her pouch, taking a breath as her fingers closed around a Fire Veil. Her arm whipped back and shot forward, flinging the item at her father's form only to join her other arm in covering her face as the cyclone simply caught the item and returned it.
With a heave and a cry of determination, Yuffie dove to the side and twirled behind a pillar, planting her back to it and growling through her teeth as she looked helplessly at the Conformer where it stood stuck in the stone. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
Her father may have had some new tricks, but so did she.
With a smirk of her own she darted around the side of the pillar, throwing a flash bomb and dashing around Godo in a circle. Each time he caught a glimpse of her and turned in her direction, she threw another bomb and twirled away.
She alternated between flash bombs and Spider Webs, hoping to slow his movement and she whooped and grinned when slow he did.
Godo snarled at her as the massive head stopped spinning. The ground shook again as he lifted a foot and took one step, then another. Once his balance was gained he began thundering toward her, swinging the vicious sword in wide arcs that she had to duck beneath or roll to the side to avoid.
She wanted to roll her eyes at the heavens in irritation when he began casting materia spells at her. The Ribbon tied around her waist only did so much to negate ill effects, and Demi-3 hurt, Godsdammit!
She reached into her pouch again, retrieving another Fire Veil and flinging it behind her back at Godo. Now that he'd stopped spinning, she shouldn't have had to worry about it coming back at her.
She was right. Godo narrowed his eyes as the canister flew at him, raising his sword to cut it in half and then flying backwards when all the action did was cause it to literally blow up in his face. He bounced off of one of the stone pillars, taking half of the rock with him when he hit the floor.
Yuffie was not unscathed, though her attack was successful. The shrapnel from the explosion flew back at her as she dived away, slicing into her right calf and causing her to let out a squeal of pain as she hit the ground. She could feel her body reacting to the pain, a haze beginning to cover her senses and a plan began to form in her mind.
Michael was going to kill her when he found out.

!@#$%^&*()

Weiss stared at the ceiling as he listened to Shelke speak in her strange monotone. The comm buzzed every now and again, the annoying voice of Cid Highwind setting his nerves on edge.
He wanted out of the bed. He wanted the chains and straps removed from his person. He wanted to fight. He needed to bleed and to force others to. The yearning for battle grew stronger as he heard the woman-child relay information to the captain of the airship.
“They have scattered. The heat signatures closing in on them are many, and there has been no reply from Yuffie or Emperor Godo.” She said. The woman in the bed across from him – Sukai, he recalled – made a soft sound of panic.
Weiss heard Cid reply, but the comm was shoddy, static keeping him from making out the words. He took a chance and addressed his once-subordinate.
“...Shelke.”
She paused and turned, her eyes narrowing. “What?”
“...If you release me, I will aid them.”
Shelke scoffed. “You will not. You only wish to be free of us. If I release you, you will attack us and then go on your way... you always have your own agenda.”
His lips curled in a sneer. “My agenda is to find my brother. You are also searching. According to the report from your Wu Sheng friend, those you seek have been found. It is my right to locate my own missing person. ...I will agree not to harm any of you, if you agree to help me find my brother.”
Sukai cut in before Shelke could reply, seeing the furious look on the girl's face.
“How do we know we can trust you? Your brother is precious to you... but those people down there are precious to us.”
Weiss paused. How could he prove it? Did he really even want to? Not really... these people would always be just the means to an end for him... but they had proven efficient in tracking down what was lost.
“... Can you afford not to?”
His question forced both women to pause, unsure. Neither had an answer for him, he, and he didn't need one. He knew as well as they did.
A few moments later he stood in the docking bay with a malicious grin splitting his face. His gunblades felt wonderful in his palms and the adrenaline of the impending battle hit him like a drug.
“...I do not trust you, Weiss...” Shelke said behind him, “...but you are right. We have no choice. And... perhaps... if I could see the truth of the world and those in it, then you can, too. Maybe it is your destiny to lead life on through the cosmos, when the time comes. But just remember one thing.” She stepped around him, craning her neck to look up at him as she spoke in a threatening whisper.
“If you take one step backward, one foot out of line, give me one reason to think that you might harm those I have grown to love, you won't have to worry about your destiny anymore. Because I will make sure it ends. Right there. Permanently.*”
He gave a soft chuckle, placing his hand on her arm and gently yet forcefully pushing her to the side. “Destiny, hm? My destiny is decided by my own hand. But you are more than welcome to test me.”
With that, he dove forward, flinging himself from the airship and plunging toward the trees.

!@#$%^&*()
Another snarled exclamation of pain echoed through the pagoda as Yuffie 'failed' to dodge another of Godo's attacks. She plotted her course and allowed hits to fall with careful precision, letting her Limit build and build until she was sure that with the next hit, she could reach Conformer.
Her movements had slowed, of course. The gashes on her calf and the dark purple bruise forming around her opposite ankle made moving very painful and difficult, but she could not ignore the training ingrained into her to ignore her pain and focus on the task at hand. A spurt of poison spewed from Godo's mouth and she twirled to the side to avoid it, inching that much closer to the shuriken still embedded in the ground. She turned her back to it and positioned herself just right, facing Godo and flipping him off, taunting.
“Come on, Old Man! Finish it!” She cried.
“You give in too easily, Daughter!” Godo retorted, too lost in his assumed victory to notice the slight change in her position as she prepared herself for his attack. “You will never have the chance to dishonor the throne of Wutai!”
With those words he lashed out, swinging his sword in a horizontal arc meant to draw across her abdomen.
Yuffie jumped and rolled backwards, allowing the blade to graze her skin with just enough depth to push her Gaian-gifted Limit over the edge. Energy renewed, she gripped the Conformer as she rolled passed it, tearing it from the stone and rolling to her feet in one fluid movement. Red, orange, and yellow light began seeping from her pores, filling the area with warmth and crackling electric energy as she brought her weapon level with her face. Godo screeched in anger and desperation when he realized her intent and dove forward, attempting to interrupt her Limit Break.
With a sad gaze and a whispered apology she murmured her command, and her regret.
“Wǒ ài nǐ, bàba**. … All Creation!”
There was a split second of agonizing silence before the high-pitched hum of energy being brought together shot through the space. Swirls of blue, white, and black energy pulled together into one glowing, intense beam right before shooting from the dome of power.
Not even a scream could be issued from Godo's throat as the energy connected with his body.
As the light faded and Yuffie felt exhaustion take her, she spared a final glance at the man that had taught and pushed and raised her all by himself for so many years.
Godo's face was twisted in shock and acceptance as he looked down at his body to the perfectly shaped cylinder that had burrowed straight through his abdomen. The mighty sword clattered to the ground as he hit his knees, transforming back to the appearance of a withered old man.
His voice was raspy and pained as he spoke, his body seeming to fall in slow motion.
“Wǒ xiǎng...... Wǒ wèi nǐ gǎndào jiāo'ào...... Wǒ de nǚ'ér... Guīzé yǔ róngyù.***”
Yuffie gave a ragged sob as she hit the ground, her shoulders shaking as the soft 'thud' that echoed told her that Godo had rejoined their ancestors.
“Lì wéi tǎn gěi tā de hépíng hé bǎohù tā tōngguò tā de lǚtú.****”
She wiped her eyes and spared not another moment before calling out, “Someone get me an elixir and a hyper... NOW! Feng! You gather the Wu Sheng and wait at the gates, be ready for battle!”

*Tell me what its from and I'll give you a treat!
**I love you, Father.
***I think I am proud of you, my daughter. Rule with honor.
****Leviathan give him peace, and protect him on his journey.
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Legacy of the Lifestream