Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or places mentioned in this one shot. They all rightly belong to Square Enix.
Hi, guys! It's been a while haha. I've been busy with school, so why not start summer vacation with a one shot? No OCs in this one ^^ Let me know what you guys think! It's just a little something to write while I have the time for it. Hope y'all enjoy!
"Yuna, eat," Kimahri softly commanded Yuna as he approached her in Inn room. Yuna's back was slightly hunched over as she faced away from Kimahri, fiddling with something unseen by Kimahri. Kimahri tried to peer over to see what she was doing, but Yuna hid the item under her bed and faced her guardian.
Yuna exclaimed, "Okay! Let's go!" as she grabbed Kimahri's hand and bounced down the stairs of the Kilika Inn and outside to where there was an abundance of food carts. Yuna's brown hair bounced and shone in the bright afternoon. The day before, Yuna asked Kimahri if they could visit Kilika, to which Kimahri hesitantly said yes. After all, he had only been taking care of the little girl for five months and had just barely gotten accustomed to her curious, hyperactive ways. "Kimahri, I feel like eating sweet bread. Is that okay with you?" Yuna asked, looking up at Kimahri's tall frame. Kimahri gave a simple nod as the two of them walked over to the bread cart. Kimahri handed Yuna gil to pay for the bread, and she walked back to him with two large, round pieces of bread. Handing one to Kimahri, Yuna looked up at her protector. Kimahri stared at the blue and green eyes of the little girl Auron entrusted him with.
Kimahri didn't know what to think of Yuna; upon first glance, he wouldn't have noticed that High Summoner Braska was her father due to her outgoing and spunky nature. A sudden crash broke Kimahri's thoughts, and he jerked his head to the left to see an elderly woman's cart broken and two teenagers running away from the scene. Kimahri shook his head and walked over to help. When he saw Yuna walking beside him, he stopped her and pointed at an area under a canopy. "Yuna might get hurt. Broken wood," Kimahri stated. Yuna pouted and stood at the area Kimahri pointed to, silently eating her bread; however, a green butterfly caught Yuna's attention. Mesmerized by the insect, Yuna stood up and chased it all the way to the forest.
"Come on, butterfly! Wait for me!" Yuna exclaimed as she entered the Kilika Forest and followed one of the paths she saw the butterfly take. Yuna became too tired to keep up with the butterfly and had to stop to catch her breath, losing sight of the butterfly. Yuna looked around and saw no one in the forest. Her breathing began to quicken as she heard something rustling in a bush a few feet away from her. Once Yuna turned around to see what it was, a Ragora appeared from behind the bush. Its intimidating body seemed to glare at Yuna menacingly. Yuna's eyes widened, and she froze. She darted her eyes, looking around for someone or something to help. The Ragora readied its Seed Cannon, and Yuna tried to run away but tripped on a vine in the process. Yuna's eyes started watering, and she began to wail. The Ragora shot its Seed Cannon, and Yuna shielded herself, waiting for the pain.
However, the pain never came. Yuna slowly unshielded herself and opened her eyes, seeing Kimahri standing in front of her in a defensive stance with his spear in front of him. Yuna's eyes landed on the huge seed on the ground near them; Kimahri deflected the attack with his spear. In a flash, Kimahri ran up to the Ragora and slashed it once, twice, before it exploded into pyreflies. By this time, Yuna stopped crying but still felt the salty tears on her cheeks. Kimahri walked back to Yuna and kneeled down to her level. "Yuna hurt?" Kimahri asked with a mix of concern and anger in his voice. Yuna shook her head and rubbed off the remaining tear streaks on her face. Kimahri gave Yuna a stare, silently communicating with her and telling her not to do that again. The past five months have been a learning process for the both of them, and Yuna learned to communicate with Kimahri silently, knowing what he asked of her.
"Yes, Kimahri. I understand. I'm sorry, I won't do it again. I promise," Yuna apologized and hugged Kimahri. Kimahri stood up and carried Yuna. They started for the town, but Yuna stopped him. She pointed up at a particular tree, one that Kimahri knows she often likes to go up on because the branches and leaves are laid out perfectly flat so people can sit on the top of the tree. Kimahri let out a small, unnoticeable sigh as he swiftly climbed up the tree and sat Yuna down next to him. A small monkey appeared and jumped into Yuna's lap. She yelped out of surprise but started laughing as the monkey began to play with her. Kimahri silently observed the High Summoner's daughter, wondering how she can stay so cheerful. "Kimahri?" Yuna called. Kimahri looked directly at her face. "How old are you again?"
"Fifteen," Kimahri replied. His voice sounded like it was nearing the masculine and deep voice many of the men Ronso have, but he was not quite there yet. Ronso were known for having towering statures and fearsome voices, but Kimahri was always regarded as a weak Ronso for his short stature compared to even the females of the tribe.
Satisfied with his answer, Yuna smiled and continued to play with the monkey. "You seem older than that, Kimahri," Yuna commented. Kimahri stayed silent as Yuna continued to mess around with the monkey. Kimahri looked off into the distance and remembered when he first met the young girl.
Walking down the path of Bevelle to the buildings, Kimahri took in the holy site. He looked around and saw priests bustling about. Near the end of the path to Bevelle, a priestess and a little girl stood waiting for Kimahri. Kimahri took a step towards the little girl, and she cowered behind the priestess. "It's all right, m'lady. He's going to be your guardian from now on and take you to Besaid," the priestess assured. Yuna shook her head and began to wail.
"Daddy said he would come back! I'm waiting for him! I can't…"
Kimahri moved forward and knelt down, extending a hand towards Yuna. Yuna stopped crying and gripped the clothes of the priestess. Kimahri made firm eye contact with Yuna, determined for the girl to come towards him. Kimahri breathed deeply and stated, "Kimahri." Something clicked inside Yuna when she heard him speak. She looked over his blue fur and yellow eyes. Her eyes moved up to his broken horn, and Kimahri slightly twitched when he noticed her staring at his broken horn. Yuna could see Kimahri's struggles through his eyes, and she knew what she had to do. Slowly, Yuna moved from behind the priestess to in front of Kimahri. There were a few moments of silence, and then she took his hand and gave a small smile.
"My name is Yuna!"
When Kimahri snapped out of his flashback, he turned and saw Yuna leaning against his arm, silently asleep. Showing a ghost of a smile, Kimahri picked Yuna up and slowly climbed down the tree. With Yuna in his arms, Kimahri walked back to the Inn and placed Yuna onto her bed. "Hrm…" Yuna grumbled as she pulled the covers over herself. Kimahri was about to go to his own room in the Inn, but… "Kimahri?" Kimahri turned around to find Yuna sitting up and rubbing her eyes. "I was working on something this morning for you and forgot to give it to you…" Yuna explained as she sleepily reached under her bed and grabbed something. She cupped it in her hands, but the object was so big that Kimahri knew instantly what it was. "I tried to carve it out of a huge seashell I found. Sorry if it doesn't fit…" Yuna placed the object in Kimahri's hand.
Kimahri looked at the makeshift horn tip Yuna tried to create. He stared at it for the longest time before returning his stare at Yuna, who was back on her bed and fast asleep. Kimahri held up the horn tip to his horn and shook his head. The horn tip was about half the size of his actual horn. *Yuna try…* Kimahri thought before looking down at his garments and then looking around the room. He found a small string on the nightstand and used it to secure the horn tip to one of the leather straps on his arm. Kimahri approached Yuna's bed and lightly patted Yuna's head.
"Kimahri thank Yuna," Kimahri softly muttered, and he walked out of the room.