Summoners Struggle
By spikestrife

Posted - 04/15/2005

Welcome back to Totally Different Final Fantasy X, now called Summoners Struggle. This story is re-written, back and better than ever. Writer's blocks affected my work last time, but it will be different. I hope you guys enjoy this as much as I will enjoy writing it.

Change… I'd lived my life expecting it, but never being totally prepared. It was one of those things everyone had in common, even if they were told to, the never expect the unexpected. I certainly didn't expect most of these events to happen. Everything has gone in the wrong direction… everything has turned out differently, sometimes resulting in fatal consequences. This journey hasn't been easy… for any of us.

We're all silent, thinking things through, and hoping for some silent comfort. Seven of the group, including myself, are surrounding a dying fire, trying to ignore the chill of the air whipping by. The two couples of the group are cuddling together, just silently comforting and holding each other, oblivious to everything but each other. Yet, I sat alone, feeling half complete, waiting anxiously for the empty space next to me to be filled. I sat there, twiddling my thumbs, growing nervous as I started thinking of our plans for tomorrow. I glanced over at the lone member of the group as he stood on a small cliff, hanging over the ocean surrounding the nearby ruins. I watched him, as his gaze was totally focused on the horizon, the sun sinking slowly from the sky. I couldn't help but wonder what it was that he was thinking. Was he thinking of our fate tomorrow, about the future he may miss… or about his family?

I pitied him, finally understanding how much he suffered. He had always been alone, fending for himself… and he still was. It was hard for me to watch him go through it all alone when he had supportive friends nearby.

With one last glance to the rest of my friends, I stood and started to walk to him. His keen senses noticed my presence, and he turned to face me as I neared him. He smiled at me. It was barely there, but it was a huge relief to see it, no matter how small. I smiled back, but it was half-hearted at best. I think he noticed, because his expression turned into one of sympathy. I climbed up beside him and he pulled me close, wrapping his arm around my shoulders. I cuddled into him, warmed by his body heat. I followed his gaze to the sunset, watching the golden sky as it slowly darkened.

This journey had indeed been difficult, and I have a gut feeling that it is not over.

But every story eventually has an ending. This is ours… so far…

Zanarkand… the Machina city, expanding for miles over a shining ocean, away from the mainland. The city was lit by the millions of lamps throughout the city, illuminating the paths for the citizens as they ran in droves to the centre of the city. Tonight was a night they had been waiting for, for some time. It was the Blitzball Tournament Finals. The two teams competing were the favourites of most Zanarkand's population. Banners were held high in the air as fans swarmed into the Blitzball Stadium, screaming and cheering as their anticipation reached new heights.

The teams were in their changing rooms, preparing for the upcoming match. Outside the room of the Zanarkand Amnis, two figures stood with each other outside the room. It was a man and a woman, holding each other close as the man leaned against the wall. The two whispered to each other, their faces inches apart, sapphire staring into ruby, and the female quietly started laughing.

The man was barely over five and a half feet tall, with golden blonde hair that spiked up in various directions, defying gravity. His navy top and matching pants both carried an insignia of two red swords, crossing and piercing a violet Blitzball. The woman was several inches smaller, with long, thick, brown locks that grew all the way down to her hips She was dressed in an short, elegant, silk dress that clung to her curves, showing off her model-like figure.

The man kissed his girlfriend softly, holding her close with his arms wrapped around her waist. His girlfriend's arms hung around his neck, but one hand snaked up the side of his head as she ran her fingers through his spiky hair. The two broke apart and the woman smiled kindly.

"I hope you win today, Ziodan." She whispered.

Ziodan smiled back and stroked her cheek. "I'll try my best."

With a quick, final kiss, the woman walked away. Ziodan watched her as she headed to the stairs, which led to the spectator's stands.

"Listeria!" he shouted, to get her attention.

Listeria turned to face him just as she set foot on the first step.

"Cheer for me, okay?"

She smiled. "Always." And she continued her climb up the stairs.

Ziodan walked into his teams changing room, feeling his nerves starting to rise. He laid his head in his hands as he sat on a bench, trying to focus. This was the match they had been working for throughout the whole tournament. He watched the rest of the team as they stretched and prepared themselves. As the final member of the team sat down, Ziodan stood and walked to the door that led to the sphere pool. He turned to his team, preparing for the before match speech.

"This is it everyone. The final match… the one we've been working towards. We finally have a chance to seize the cup, and I'm sure every one of you wants to win. And I, personally, have one more reason to win. As you all know, due to recent circumstances, this will probably be my last tournament... heck... my last Blitzball game altogether." The faces of his team suddenly held looks of pity for their captain, showing him that they weren't happy that he wouldn't be playing with them again. "So I want you all to go out there and give it your all. Let's win"

A chorus of cheers sounded throughout the room and the team stood. Ziodan smiled at their enthusiasm and proudly led them to the sphere pool. They walked along a long platform that hung above the sphere pool, a huge computerised sphere that managed to contain huge amounts of water. Ziodan inserted a small device into his mouth, which allowed him to breath and talk underwater. The rest of the team did the same and all dived into the pool. The opposing team was already inside.

Ziodan's team swam to the centre of the sphere and got into position, each crouching on a separate computer generated platform. Ziodan was situated as Midfielder, directly beside the path were the Blitzball was fired into the air at the start of every game. The opposing team's Midfielder scowled at him, trying to unnerve him. Ziodan's face held a look of pure determination, and he readied himself for the game to begin.

Suddenly, a loud whistle blared through the stadium and Ziodan saw the blitzball shoot into the air in front of him. He pushed himself off his platform as his opponent did the same. Both players shot toward the ball, almost oblivious to the water resistance. Ziodan grabbed the ball and instantly threw it to one of his teammates, the opposing player knocking into him from his jump.

Ziodan's teammates passed forward to a player some distance away but before it could be caught it was intercepted. The opposing team player threw with all his might across half the playing area. His teammate caught it, only to have Ziodan ram into him and steal it, swimming as fast as he could towards the goal. Before he reached halfway, Ziodan felt two strong arms wrap around his chest and pin his arms to his sides, almost making him lose his grip on the ball. Ziodan tried to get out of his captors grip but his efforts were futile. He dropped the ball to his feet and kicked it above him, allowing a fellow teammate to catch it. His captor let him go and attempted to steal the ball, but Ziodan grabbed his foot and swung him round with all his might, throwing him through the water and making him collide with a member from the opposition.

Ziodan turned to face his target goal area as a siren blared and the stadium filled with cheers. The player he had passed to had just scored and he was swimming into position with a large grin on his face, giving Ziodan a thumbs up. He happily returned it and swam near the bottom of the pool, ready to stop any player from getting past him.

The stadium suddenly echoed with screams as the top of the stadium exploded, the structure crumbling. Pieces of the roof fell, destroying everything it hit on the way to the stadium floor, including the sphere computer. Ziodan watched with wide eyes, as the computerised pool disappeared. The water fell a great distance, bringing the Blitzball players with it. Ziodan landed heavily on the ground, and he was knocked unconscious before he could even feel the tons of water landing on him.

Listeria sprinted to the centre of the stadium, a panicking expression on her face. As she reached the centre she jumped into the water that reached up to her knees. His eyes darted back and forth, looking for Ziodan. She noticed the lifeless bodies of his team and couldn't help but worry.

She suddenly noticed somehow slowly getting up onto their knees. She could see their face from such a distance but their spiky hair was unmistakeable. She walked to Ziodan as quickly as she could through the water and helped to his feet. She held him as he steadied himself, obviously suffering from the effects of his fall.

"Ziodan, are you all right?" she asked him.

"Yeah… I think so… just dizzy." he replied quickly, grabbing the left side of his head. When he drew his hand away it was stained with blood. Listeria dragged him away from the wreckage, supporting him as the dizziness wore off.

As the two exited the stadium, they gasped at the sight of the city. There were hundreds of collapsed buildings, and lifeless bodies lay everywhere. Screams issued from the citizens who were running for safety but one person stood out. A tall, darkly clothed man was standing by a broken statue, patiently waiting for something or someone.

Ziodan's eyes widened when he realised who it was.

"Zanuca?" he spoke aloud. Listeria looked at him, bewildered. "It is! It's Zanuca." He continued. "C'mon."

Ziodan grabbed Listeria's arm and they both ran towards the person, who looked up at them as they approached.

"Zanuca, what are you doing here?" Ziodan asked him. "I thought you were travelling around Spira."

Zanuca looked directly at Ziodan and Listeria finally got a good view of his face. His face was darkly toned from a deep tan, and a scar ran from left his cheek to his forehead, barely missing his eye, both were dark brown. He wore a long, black trench coat, which stopped just short of his shins, and a blood rest vest underneath. A thick belt that was accompanied by two holsters, which carried a pair of pistols, supported his black trousers. At his feet were a small duffel bag and a long metallic case next to it.

Ziodan smirked and knelt down. "I came back for you two."

"What?" Ziodan asked, as Zanuca opened the metal case. He pulled out a sword that looked to be made from steel. The sword was about four feet long and a foot wide, and looked quite heavy. He held it out to Ziodan, who graciously took it and held it in his hands. "Where… how did you get this?"

Zanuca smirked. "I was given it after your little escapade at Bevelle."

Ziodan looked away shamefully, and Listeria put a comforting hand on his shoulder. Zanuca then opened the duffel bag and threw a pair of fighting gloves to Listeria. She caught them, surprised.

"You're going to need them." Zanuca said simply, while pulling out another pair of back-up pistols. He left his bag and case where they were and walked away. Ziodan and Listeria looked at each other, with puzzled expressions before following.

The couple followed Zanuca to the main road that stretched through the centre of the city. Looking at either side of the road, the two noticed that most of the streets were flooded with water. Ziodan instantly knew what this meant. They water barriers around the city limits had been broken. If they weren't repaired, Zanarkand would be almost completely underwater in less than a day.

Ziodan saw Zanuca standing still on the road, looking across the ocean. He followed his gaze and gasped. His gasp caught Listeria's attention and she soon echoed it. Instead of a flat, calm ocean, and a barely visible piece of land from central Spira, there was a huge creature at the edge of the western side of Zanarkand. It looked to be roughly the same size as the Blitzball stadium, with large, scale-covered wings producing from its back. A long, thick tail swung back and forth, almost totally hidden under the water, and was thrashing at the city, destroying all the buildings in its path.

"That… is the reason I came back to Zanarkand. To warn you… and to ask for your help." Zanuca told the young couple as they stared at the creature. "I hoped to have got here before it arrived… but I was slightly late.

"Zanuca…" Ziodan said uncertainly, "What is that?"

Zanuca looked back to the creature, narrowing his eyes at it.

"Vice…" he said simply, "It's called Vice."

Listeria looked at him, fear shown on her face. "Vice? What is it doing here? What does it want?"

Zanuca shook his head. "I'm not sure what it wants or why it's here, but it has been moving, by ocean, from one city to the next, destroying everything in its wake."

Vice suddenly lifted its head up from the water and gazed into the city, as if it was looking directly at the immobile trio. They heard it shriek. It sent a shot of pain through their heads and left their ears ringing… like someone running their nails down a board.

A loud crash was heard through the shriek and they felt the road shake under their feet. Looking round, they saw a large shell-like fragment from the creature land some distance away. The shell cracked open, and out of it poured dozens of small monsters. Their long claws dug into the ground as they walked, leaving the road cracked and pierced. They looked similar to Vice, wings coming out of their backs and long tails, though theirs were armed with spikes near the tip.

Ziodan raised his sword and pushed Listeria behind him as one of them neared. The monster lashed out, leaping up to Ziodan. His sword whistled through the air, slicing through the monster's body and cutting it in two. This caused more of them to charge. Listeria came from behind Ziodan and grabbed one as it tried to jump onto her. She grabbed its claws and threw it over the roadside, before smashing her foot down onto another's back as it came closer, cracking its spine.

Zanuca stayed some distance away from the two fighters, using his pistols to shoot oncoming enemies, making Ziodan and Listeria's work easier. When the last creature had fallen to Ziodan's blade, the three continued to travel down the road, this time at a run.

It wasn't long before the trio realised that these creatures had been scattered throughout the city, and were killing everyone in their path. When they reached a normally busy area of the city, dozens of lifeless bodies littered the road. Listeria put her hands up to her mouth and gasped, her eyes wide with horror. Ziodan struggled to take the scene in, knowing that his home was destroyed.

Listeria looked to him to see his reaction, but saw him with his head down. Several of his spikes were blocking his eyes, but Listeria managed to see that his teeth were gritted together in anger. Seconds later, several sparks surrounded his blade and it started to shine blue, before fading. Listeria knew that Ziodan's anger was going to take control of him. But several growls attracted her attention. More of the Vice creatures entered the area in droves. She knew that if they didn't move they would be helplessly outnumbered.

"Zanuca… we need to move." She told him.

"I believe you are correct. Ziodan…" Zanuca paused, seeing Ziodan's rage. Listeria looked to him again, his blade now glowing a vivid blue.

"Ziodan…" she whispered. She got no reaction but heard him mutter something.

"Those bastards… they've… destroyed everything." He finally raised his head, rage embedded into his features, "Everything!" he screamed, running forward, his sword raised.

"Don't!" Listeria cried, running forward to stop him, but Zanuca's tight grip held his wrist firmly.

Ziodan rushed forward to the monsters as each of them charged to surround him. He skidded to a halt and used the momentum to swung his sword round. As it arced in front of him, a blue beam shot out from the blade, slashing through all the monsters in front of Ziodan, before exploding inside each of them. Listeria and Zanuca felt the rush of air from the blasts and had to cover their mouths and eyes from the smoke.

When it cleared, Listeria ran to Ziodan's side, who was kneeling on the ground, his hands supporting him as he panted heavily.

"Are you okay?" she asked. He looked at her and nodded.

"Yeah… I just feel weak after that attack."

Listeria helped him to his feet, and both of them jumped as they heard a gunshot behind them. More and more of the creatures were heading towards Zanuca, who had both his pistols out, firing furiously. He was keeping them at bay but that wouldn't last. Ziodan walked towards him but a shout from Zanuca stopped him.

"Just go without me… you both need to get as far from Zanarkand as possible. You have to defeat the monster. Get going!"

"No! We can't leave you here!" Listeria shouted to him, not understanding why he didn't want to leave with them.

"There's no sense in all three of us dying here. There's still hope. You have to keep that hope alive. Leaving me is the only way." He turned to face them, not hearing any sounds of retreat. "Go!"

Ziodan instantly grabbed Listeria and ran, neither of them looking back. They ran down the road that lead straight to the only exit from the city. It was a road that led into the mountains, where the creature wouldn't be able to reach them. Their confidence grew, as they were finally able to visibly see the exit, about a mile away. Someone bright suddenly shot past them, and the couple could feel the intense heat coming from it for a split second before it exploded onto a nearby building, causing it to collapse. It was so close, that Ziodan and Listeria had to leap out the way to ensure they were a safe distance away as it landed on the road in front of them. The two raised their heads to see the road to the exit destroyed and crushed, blocking their path.

They both wheeled round in hopes of finding another path, but found their way blocked by the Vice creatures. But the monsters didn't advance; instead they just stood their, waiting.

Ziodan began to feel anxious, and he felt Listeria grab his hand. He squeezed her hand, to reassure her that he was with her. Both looked towards Vice and stepped back in horror. The creature was surrounded by a bright aura that seemed to be getting brighter. It was then blasted from Vice, covering the entire city. As they passed over the young couple, they felt a great pain inside themselves, as if their very souls were being torn from their bodies. When the aura disappeared, both collapsed to the ground lifeless, their hands still intertwined.

And that's when she awoke, screaming from her nightmare.