Helpless

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Bevelle. I watched the city that we were swiftly approaching out of the corner of my eye as I dodged Evrae's claws swiping at me. The city was still a long way off, and I only hoped we would get there before Yuna was forced to marry that scum, Seymour. At that thought, I became very angry, and I swiped blindly at the Guardian of Bevelle. I missed, and she swiped a claw at me. She would have knocked me off the edge of the airship, and to my death below, except that Kimahri blocked her with his spear, right before I was hit. There was a second of silence between us, and I nodded at him and said breathlessly, "Thanks." He nodded at me and said, "For Yuna." With that, I jumped, swung my sword as hard as I could, and sliced off her head. Her whole body burst into pyreflies. I then turned my attention to the city. We were now very close, and I could see Yuna and Seymour walking up the steps towards the altar. Kinoc noticed the pyreflies, and ordered the guards to shoot at our ship. 'Wait! Shoot? Why is Yevon using guns?' They hit the ship, and it began to shake. I was so shocked at their use of guns that I almost fell off the airship. I crouched on my knees, and then lay on the ship, gripping its rough surface, trying desperately not to fall. We kept getting hit by more gunfire. The ship rocked violently when we were struck by a cannon ball. I glanced behind me, and saw that all the other guardians where in similar positions to my own, and all of us where staring intently at the wedding procession going on below us. Cid shouted, "Go! GO!" though the intercom as he shot two harpoons into the bridge below. I was the first to get to them. I jumped on, sliding down it towards the ground below. I felt the wire jerk as the others guardians followed suit. Then, the wire whipped violently, and nearly knocked me off, but I refused to fall. I flipped over onto the other one, and grinned, thinking, 'There is NO WAY I'm gonna let that slime Seymour touch her!' I leapt off of the line onto the ground, dodging gunfire, and leaping back and forth as I struck down guard after guard. I felt terrible; I had never actually attacked a living person, except for Seymour before. I knew if I didn't fight, I would be killed, so I tried not to kill them, just disarm them. Within seconds, the other guardians had joined me. I got shot in my right arm, and I could hardly swing my sword anymore. I kept dodging, and I looked up towards Seymour and Yuna, who were now standing at the altar. Yuna was standing with her eyes closed, and her hands slightly extended towards me. She opened her eyes, and suddenly, the pain in my arm was gone, and my strength returned. She had healed me. I smiled grimly at her, and continued to fight towards her. I fought back to back with Rikku. She threw small grenades one way, and I slashed and sliced on the other side. "Stop shooting!" Came Seymour's voice. The soldiers ceased their firing, but still kept their weapons trained on us. I looked up, and shouted, "Yuna!" I ran towards her, pushing through the guards, but then Kinoc shot his rifle several times at me feet, and shouted, "Stop! That is enough!" I stood and stared at Yuna, knowing that I would not be able to save her when I was dead, so I stayed put. She smiled at me slightly, and reached out her hands. Her staff materialized in them, and then she turned to Seymour. He laughed, and said, "You would play at marriage just for a chance to send me?" He paused for a second, and pyreflies start to flow from him as she prepared to begin her dance. "Your resolve is admirable. All the more fitting to be my lovely wife." 'Not if I can help it!' I was furious at the idea of Yuna having to marry him, but my fury was ebbing, as hope rose in me that in mere moments, Seymour would be gone forever. Mica shouted at her, "Stop! Do you not value your friends' lives?" She paused, and I had no idea what to do. Mica was threatening her with our deaths, so she would marry Seymour. You can't get any lower than that. I knew that she just couldn't marry Seymour, but…I can't protect her if I'm dead. "Your actions determine their fate. Protect them…or throw them away." I was staring at her, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw Seymour smile in an evil way. "The choice is yours." Mica said. She looked down in defeat, and dropped her staff. I couldn't believe what was happening. I came here to save her, and now, I could do nothing. Yuna Looked at me, and our eyes locked. She was scared. Seymour grinned, and said. "You are wise." Yuna tore her gaze from me, and turned to Seymour. I was nearly shaking in my fury. Mica hastily spoke Seymour's vows, but he did not even bother speak Yuna's. "Do you, Lord Seymour, take Lady Yuna to be your wife?" Seymour shot an evil smirk my way as he said, "I do." I felt like my blood was about to boil. The worst part about it was that I was completely helpless. Even though she was only ten feet away from me, I could do nothing to save her. Mica nodded his head and said "You may kiss your bride."Nausea boiled in my stomach. 'This is not right! This is wrong!' As Seymour leaned towards Yuna, I let out a growl that I couldn't hold back any longer, as I stepped forward. Kinoc shoved his rifle at my neck, pointing it up towards my brain. I knew that if I tried to save her, I would do no good, because I would be dead in less than a second. Yuna squeezed her eyes shut as Seymour pulled her towards him by her shoulders, his sharp claws digging into her skin. Then, their lips met, and wedding bells rang throughout the city. Yuna twitched, and then her limp hand grew into an angry fist. I got another wave of nausea. 'Poor Yuna!' Anger flared through me, and I hated Seymour. I hated him more than I had ever hated anyone else. How could he do this to Yuna? When he finally pulled away, he pulled Yuna against his chest, his actions saying, "Haha! She's mine!" Yuna's eyes met mine, and then she turned her head away, ashamed. "Kill them!" Seymour shouted, with a sadistic grin. "No!" Yuna and I screamed in unison. Yuna jerked away from Seymour, and he let her go, too interested in what was about to happen to bother with her. Kinoc cocked his rifle, still shoved at my neck. I swallowed hard. "I'm sorry, but it is for Yevon." He didn't sound sorry at all. Auron was standing near me, and he took a small step forward. "Aren't those weapons forbidden by Yevon?"Kinoc swung the rifle away from my neck towards Aaron's head, and I spun away as fast as I could, trying to form a plan in my head. I saw Yuna, and she was standing a few feet from the edge of the balcony. "No!" She shouted. Seymour turned towards her, and so did the head of everyone nearby. "Throw down your weapons! Let them go, or else…" She stepped backwards, closer to the edge of the balcony. I stepped towards her and then she said desperately, "Leave now! Please" 'NO! I won't leave her!' "You're coming with us!" I shouted. "Don't worry! Go!" She said, taking another step towards the edge. "This is foolish. If you fall, you'll die." Seymour growled. Yuna wiped her arm across her mouth, and Seymour smirked. She looked me in the eyes and said, "Don't worry. I can fly." I shook my head at her, not knowing what she was talking about. "Believe."I nodded at her. I believe her, even if I don't understand. She smiled at me, clasped her hands over her heart, and fell backwards to her death. Before I knew what I was doing, ran towards the edge, screaming, "Yuna!" I was too late, she was gone. We were about a mile above the city. There was not way she could survive that fall. Seymour, Kinoc, and Mica stared over the edge. There was a bright flash, and I realized what she had done. She'd summoned Valefor. She was safe.

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When Sin attacked us from above, we all got separated. I was alone, and I felt very vulnerable. I was in some kind of desert, the sand was rough and hot, and my vision started to get blurry from the granules blowing into my eyes, and from the heat. I stood there, remembering our rule that I would stay in one place if we got separated. I whistled over and over, but Tidus was no where to be found. About an hour passed, and I felt dizzy from dehydration. I had never been in such at hot place in my life. I was thankful that so far I had not encountered any fiends, but I knew that I would eventually get attacked. I forced my eyes to stay open regardless of the stinging sand, hoping that I would be able to summon if I saw one, before it got to me. I spun very slowly, careful to stay in the same place, trying to get a view of everything around me. Suddenly, there was a powerful wind, the sand whipped up around me, and I could hardly see anything. I fell to my knees, squeezing my eyes and mouth shut, covering my face with my hands, trying to keep the sand from going into my nose. Suddenly, I felt ruff arms come around me, and I screamed, getting a mouthful of sand, and then breathing in in shock, I got some in my lungs. I coughed, gasping in more sand with every breath. I felt panic rising in my chest. I couldn't breath, I couldn't see, and I was being roughly dragged off to Yevon knows where. The sandstorm died down as suddenly as it had started. I still had sand in my lungs, mouth, and eyes. I was gasping and coughing, trying to clear the sand from my lungs, when I was dropped on a hard surface. I felt water dumped over my head, and some of it went into my mouth, and I breathed it in, and then coughed it out. This same thing happened over and over again, until the sand was almost gone from my lungs, but the burning sensation was still in my chest. I lay down, still unable to open my eyes. I felt wind whipping around me, but this time, there was no sand with it. I was unable to think, unable to imagine what was happening. I finally passed out from my stress and lack of oxygen.

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I was coughing. I blinked my eyes open. Water was dumped on me, and it washed the last remaining sand from my eyes. When I had finished blinking the water away, several female guado where looking at me, slightly concerned looks on their faces. I coughed and coughed and coughed, until I was able to gasp an entire breath in. I lay there, silent, not knowing what to think. When I had spent several minutes just breathing in the precious air, and having them stare at me, one of them finally spoke. "Lady Yuna. When you are ready, we will help you get into your wedding gown." I was truly shocked. 'Wedding gown? Where am I?' I stared at them blankly, clueless on what to do. I was afraid, seeing that they where guado, and so was Seymour, maybe he had somehow survived, and now he was going to take me up on my acceptance of his proposal. I didn't actually want to marry him; I was just trying to get him to turn himself into Yevon's judgment. I wasn't actually planning on marrying him! 'No! I can't marry him! He's evil! I can feel it whenever I am with him! He's hiding something even more than his father's murder!' Then, I had a thought. 'Maybe if I go to the wedding ceremony, I can not actually marry him, and I can send him! He must be an unsent!' I realized that I was still staring at them. "O-Oh! Y-yes! I am ready." "Good. We'll first help you take a bath." One of them began to try to remove my filthy, sand-filled, soaked clothes, but I stuttered, "I c-can take my own bath!" They both looked confused, but left, much to my relief. I took a bath in the warm water, trying to calm myself down. I couldn't fight my doubts. 'What if he didn't actually die? What if I try to send him, and then he's still alive? What if I actually have to marry him? Where are my friends? Are they safe? Are they even alive? Is Tidus okay?' I finished my bath, and then dried myself off on a white towel that was hanging by the wooden tub. I looked around the room, seeing there was a silk slip, along with a wedding gown hanging on the wall across the room. I slid the slip over my head, and proceeded to try to get the wedding gown on, but it didn't seem to go on right. So, seeing that I was fully covered by this slip, I called cautiously through the door. "Are you still there?" I heard a woman guado's voice. "Yes, my lady, can we come in?" "Yes." I called through the door. It opened, and the same two women walked in, and they proceeded to help me into the dress, and then pin up my hair. The whole process took about half an hour, the whole time, all three of us where completely silent. When they finished, one of them said, "Lord Seymour is waiting. We will begin now." My heart was pounding wildly. 'Was this a good plan after all? What if it goes wrong?' I was escorted out to a long bridge, which was high above the city, about a mile. There were monks everywhere, and on a bridge that was parallel to the one I was on, stood Seymour. Just seeing him sent shivers of fear down my spine. The doubts continued to swirl around in my mind, but I struggled to shut them out. As the guado women left me, one of them said, "Just follow the monks, and when you get to that flight of stairs," She pointed towards at small flight of stairs which led to an altar, where Lord Mica was standing. "Walk alongside Lord Seymour, and then Lord Mica will guide you through rest. I nodded, and then as they left, the monks gathered around me, with a total of six surrounding me. I looked over at Seymour, following his moves, and then letting myself be led by the monks. Bells where slowly ringing, and I felt doom pressing in on me, I was doubting myself more and more every second. We walked, and when we reached the flight of stairs, we started to walk up it, and I was just two feet away from the man I'd tried to kill, just a few hours before…at least, I thought that it was a few hours…how many hours had passed? Suddenly, there was a very loud sound from above, and then thousands of pyreflies started to fall from the sky. The strangest thing I'd ever seen was flying towards us through the sky. It looked like a giant, metal boat, except it was flying! Tidus and my other guardians where standing on top of it! I was amazed! I almost shouted out their names, but then, Kinoc shouted, "Fire!" Fear engulfed me. Would I have to send my friend's dead bodies, along with Seymour's? The ship shook as it was hit repeatedly with gunfire. My guardians crouched on the ship, clinging to it as it bucked wildly as it was hit with a cannon ball. I was more shocked than I had ever been in my life! 'Guns? Canons? What is Yevon doing?' Seymour grabbed my arm, and pulled me towards the altar. I watched the ship in the sky with horror, waiting for them to fall from it, to their deaths below. Suddenly, two harpoons shot into the bridge that I had been walking on, only a moment before. Tidus leapt onto the thick wire between the ship and the bridge, and slid down it towards us. The others followed. I screamed when the wire that Tidus was on nearly flung him to the ground below, but he flipped onto the other wire. He soon reached the bridge, and jumped off the line. Without missing a beat, he began to dodge bullets and slice at the guards who where attacking. I could tell though, he was trying not to kill them, only make it so they could no longer attack. I watched, and the other guardians jumped off the lines and followed him. Then, a bullet hit him in his right arm. I immediately began praying, but suddenly I realized that I was praying to Yevon. I pushed aside my anger and concentrated hard, forcing my energy towards him. I felt his own pain in my arm as I prayed, and then it left, signifying that it had also left him. He smiled at me, though it was not a happy smile, it said "Don't worry, I'm gonna get you out of this mess." He and the others kept fighting towards me, and Seymour still help my arm with a death grip. Tidus fought back to back with Rikku, She threw her Al Bhed grenades one way, and he slashed and sliced on the other side. "Stop shooting!" Seymour shouted. The soldiers stopped, but still pointed their guns at their targets. Tidus looked at me and shouted, "Yuna!" He ran towards me, pushing through the guards, but then Kinoc shot the rifle he was holding at Tidus' feet, shouting, "Stop! That is enough!" He stopped moving, and stared at me. I smiled a little at him, and decided that I couldn't wait any longer. I reached out my hands, and my staff materialized in them, and then I turned to Seymour. He laughed, and said, "You would play at marriage just for a chance to send me?" He paused for a second, and pyreflies start to flow from him as I prepared to begin the sending. "Your resolve is admirable. All the more fitting to be my lovely wife." I was horrified, just thinking about marrying him. Mica shouted, "Stop! Do you not value your friends' lives?" I stopped, shock flooding through me. 'No! No! This cannot be happening! They can't use my friends against me!' "Your actions determine their fate. Protect them…or throw them away." I still had my eyes glued on my target, Seymour, and he grinned at me, almost hungrily. I shivered in disgust. "The choice is yours." Mica said. 'I can't let them die.' I dropped my staff, letting it fall down the stairs, landing at Tidus' feet. I looked at him, and our eyes locked. I could see both sympathy and anger in his eyes. Fear streamed through me, and I just wanted to run to him and have him take me away to safety, away from this world of horror. I was still shocked from the revelation that Yevon betrayed their own teachings. Seymour said, "You are wise." I tore my gaze away from Tidus, coming back to reality. I wasn't going anywhere. Mica hastily spoke Seymour's vows, but he did not even bother speak mine, and I was glad, knowing that I wouldn't have been able to choke out the words "I do." "Do you, Lord Seymour, take Lady Yuna to be your wife?" Seymour smirked at Tidus as he said, "I do." Mica nodded his head and said "You may kiss your bride." Seymour leaned forward towards me, dragging me towards him by my shoulders. His long, sharp claws dug into my skin, hurting me. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to close out what was about to happen. His lips pressed against mine, not all that gently. I felt sick, I wanted to jerk away, but he held onto me by my shoulders, keeping me still. I balled my hands into fists, trying not to throw up. When he finally leaned away from me, he pulled me against his body, his hands sliding up and down my bear arms. I looked at Tidus. Kinoc had his gun shoved towards his throat, and Tidus' fists were clenched, and he looked furious. I turned my head away from my guardians, unable to look at them, I felt ashamed, even though I had done nothing wrong. "Kill them!" Seymour shouted. "No!" Tidus and I screamed at the same time. I jerked out of his grasp, but he didn't bother to try to keep me there, he just watched as the guards prepared to shoot my friends. My mind scrambled for how to save them as I locked my eyes on Tidus. I backed to the edge of the balcony, a plan forming in my mind. Auron said something, and Kinoc swung his rifle away from Tidus, and pointed it at Auron. Tidus spun away, and then looked up at me. I screamed. "No!" Everyone looked at me. "Throw down your weapons, or else." I threatened. I stepped further towards the edge of the balcony, and I actually saw some uncertainty in Seymour's eyes. Tidus stepped towards me; I could see that he was angry and scared, at the same time. I realized that it wouldn't be easy to get him to leave me here. I hoped that he would just trust me. "Leave now! Please!" He shook his head stubbornly, and said, "You're coming with us!" I stepped even further towards the edge and told him, "Don't worry! Go!" Seymour was frozen in place, and he growled through his clenched teeth. "This is foolish. If you fall, you'll die!" I looked at him, and when our eyes met, a shiver of disgust ran down my spine and my hair stood on end as I remembered his kiss. I wiped my arm across my mouth, trying to remove the still-lingering feeling from my lips. Seymour smirked at me, and I gagged. He was having fun! I looked Tidus in the eyes, begging him to understand with my gaze. "Don't worry. I can fly." He shook his head at me, fear evident in his expression. "Believe." I whispered, knowing that time was running short. His shaking head slowly changed directions from "no" to "yes." I forced a peaceful smile onto my face, but in my heart, I was really scared. Then, I closed my eyes, gathering my concentration, hoping I could do this, and then I let myself fall backwards off the balcony. I heard him scream my name, but I shut out the screams and prayed as hard as I could. I was praying this time not to Yevon, but just begging the aeon to hear my call. She did. Light flashed all around me, and then Valefor flew from above, and came underneath me, catching me. I only hoped my friends had made it out alive.

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TidusxYuna Always