Author's Note: Years ago, any kid I knew that played Final Fantasy games told me I had to play the tenth game in the franchise. It was no secret that my all-time favourite Final Fantasy was FFVIII, and they were certain that if I ever played FFX, that would change. …so, ten years after the game's initial release, I decided to go out and buy a PS2 for the sole purpose of playing this game. And now I only wish that I had asked for a PS2 that one Christmas instead of the Xbox that now collects dust in the corner of my room unless I decide to pull out Fable. I loved this game that much; words couldn't even begin to describe how quickly obsession set in, my mind was constantly thinking about this game and its characters and I couldn't focus on anything else no matter how hard I tried. Every night felt like trying to fall asleep on Christmas Eve. And then the desire to write a fanfiction about the FFX world and characters set in, and, well, here I am – in all my geeky glory.
Summary: More than a thousand years ago, the necromancer Yunalesca was sealed away for summoning the souls of the dead into empty living vessels and for murdering the leader of Spira, Yu Yevon. Her actions and abuse of her abilities sent the world into chaos and paranoia, and the Maester's of Spira ordered the death of all necromancers to prevent a similar event from ever happening again. From that day forth, the art of necromancy was lost forever. Over a millennium later, Yuna was born. She does not know why her father keeps her hidden away from the world; she does not understand why someone would kill him, or why she must flee from the only home she's ever known. It isn't until they are on the run that she learns the truth: Yuna is a necromancer – the enemy of Spira.
Disclaimer: This will be my one and only disclaimer, and will apply to all future chapters. The Final Fantasy Franchise – in this case, Final Fantasy X – does not belong to me. If it did, the music would still be composed by Nobou Uematsu, Yuna and Rikku would have worn clothes that left far more to the imagination in X-2, and I probably would have made a remake of FFVIII by now.
THE NECROMANCER
A Girl Named Blessed
- Prologue -
Peering out from behind the curtains of her room, the illegitimate daughter of Lord Braska stared curiously at the people wandering through the streets below. It was the eve of the Odin Festival, a thousand year old event that the city of Bevelle held in the month of October to commemorate the abolishment of necromancy. Acrobats juggled flame-lit torches while colourfully dressed dancers flew through the air to the beat of the ceremonial drums.
"Yuna."
The young girl let out a surprised 'oh,' stepping away from the window and turning to face her visitor guiltily. In the doorway stood a raven haired woman, arms crossed over the front of her elegant black dress. There was a gentleness in her eyes that betrayed the stern expression on her face.
"I'm sorry, Lulu," Yuna breathed, bowing her head. "I know that I must never be seen, but I was… curious."
Lulu sighed, lowering her arms to her sides as she strode over to Yuna and guided her further from the window. "When aren't you curious?" There was no malice in her voice, only barely veiled amusement.
Yuna looked longingly at the curtain covered window before sitting down on the edge of her bed. "The festival… it looks so pretty tonight, wouldn't you agree?"
"I suppose," Lulu allowed, "though it's no different from previous years."
"I… wouldn't know." Though she was careful to keep her voice normal, Yuna knew that her effort was wasted. Lulu always knew when she was feeling sad. Changing the subject, Yuna asked, "Do you think my father will ever let me go to the festival?"
"Perhaps."
Yuna looked down at her hands in her lap, hair shielding her face. Lulu was only trying to be nice, she knew. For as long as she could remember, her world had only been as large as the estate she lived on. She had long since stopped questioning her isolation from the outside world – the only answers she'd ever been granted were fading smiles and pensive looks.
"I've grown to hate it here," Yuna said suddenly, voice barely a whisper. "The more I learn in my lessons about Spira's history and all the different cultures, the more I wish to see it for myself. I would give anything – anything – to be able to leave."
"That day will come," Lulu promised, cupping Yuna's face in her hands. "When or how, I don't know, but it will come."
"Will you come with me? And Wakka as well?"
Lulu jerked her hands back, pursing her lips. "You're family – to both of us," she added, somewhat reluctantly. "We will stay with you as long as you want us to."
"Forever, then," Yuna declared, clasping her hands in front of her chest.
Lulu smiled. "Forever," she agreed.
Content, Yuna lied back on her bed, slipping beneath the covers. The rhythmic beat of the festival drums was faint in the distance as the procession moved past the estate. She closed her eyes and imagined herself following behind them, laughing and twirling, the autumn breeze dancing against her skin. She would drink sweet cider and lie in the grass watching the fireworks as they went off one after another, a spiral of colours exploding against the night sky…
"Good night, Yuna," Lulu whispered, brushing the younger girl's hair out of her face. Quietly she let herself out of the room, closing the door gently behind her. Sensing another presence nearby, she promptly turned around until she was face to face with Yuna's father.
"She hates me," Lord Braska stated matter-of-factly.
Lulu shook her head. "She feels trapped," she corrected, "with a desire to see the world that she fears will never be fulfilled. With each passing year, that yearning only grows stronger."
Lord Braska smiled tightly. "She's like both her parents that way." His eyes grew distant as they often did whenever Yuna's mother was mentioned.
"Maybe the time has come for her to know the truth."
"And what truth might that be? That the world would consider her existence a sin? That if the Maester's knew what she was, she'd be put to death?"
Lulu walked over to an unlit candle sitting on an end table in the hallway. She picked it up, holding it in her right hand as her left glided over it. A small flame shot out of her hand until the wick caught fire. "You will tell her the power she possesses, as you once did for me. You will trust that her kind heart pushes her to do what is right, despite what others may try to tell her. And you will have faith that she is strong enough to endure what lies ahead." She set the candle back down, watching the flame sway for several minutes before Lord Braska snuffed it out with his fingers.
"Innocence, once taken away, can never be returned. I will let her hold on to it a while longer."
Lulu bowed her head as Lord Braska turned to walk away. "If that's what you feel is right."
The older man paused for a moment before continuing down the hall. Lulu pressed her back against the door to Yuna's room, staring off in the distance. She owed Yuna's father her life, for without him she would have become a pawn of Yevon, her own parent's deaths to protect her meaningless. She had been much younger than Yuna was now when she'd learned that she was a sorceress, a rare being in Spira. If she were Yuna, she'd want to know the truth sooner than later. She would want to know that, somehow, she was the first necromancer to be born in over a thousand years – even if that knowledge would only lead to sorrow.
But it was not her choice to make.
The city lights of Zanarkand turned on one by one as the night sky grew steadily darker. Children scurried through the streets, following the crowd of spectators as they made their way to the stadium that lay at the center of the city.
The two finalist teams, the Zanarkand Abes from A-East and the Zanarkand Duggles from C-South, were waiting anxiously in the locker rooms. Tonight's game would determine which of the two local teams would be representing Zanarkand in the international blitzball tournament.
Several blocks away from the stadium, a blonde haired teen stood in the street, staring up at a large television screen hanging off one of the tall buildings. The video playing was an old interview – a rugged man with dark shoulder length hair and a red bandana across his forehead smirked at the camera, promising that he would be performing that shot: the 'Sublimely Magnificent Jecht Shot Mark III.'
"Tch," the teen scoffed. "What… a stupid name." He averted his gaze before continuing to the stadium.
The Zanarkand Abes would need their star player tonight.
Author's Note: I spent a surprising amount of time on this chapter, just because it's my first Final Fantasy X story and I wanted to do it justice – also, every first chapter I think I've ever done for any fanfiction, on this account or my old one, has been horrendous. I think I did pretty decently, by my usual standards, and I'm actually quite happy with the end result. Hopefully you guys enjoyed it as well. It'll mainly be told through Yuna's perspective, but I'll mix it up every now and then if it seems necessary. Also, this chapter is shorter because it's a prologue, and it's building the setting and background a little before diving into the story. Future chapters will be longer. ^^ I know it's not a lot to go on so far, but please review and let me know what you think!