Prompt: You're sitting by a window watching the flakes slowly and silently fall. Suddenly, you see something outside that snaps you out of your reverie.
*This is another prompt-based story; they're really fun, to be honest! Anyway, this will be a small fluffy one-shot to shed light on the "gruff" old guardian, Auron, from Final Fantasy X before he was defeated by Yunalesca. All FFX characters and settings belong to Square Enix, not me. I only do this for fun! Also, I apologize if Auron is a bit OoC.*
Auron One-shot: Girl in the Snow
Jecht, Braska, and Auron were at the rest center on Mt. Gagazet, recovering from their most recent battle. The fiend was huge and dished out heavy damage. It took until the sun started to set to defeat it, but when they finished the battle, Jecht fell to the ground, clenching his arm wound tightly.
The red-clad guardian was sitting by the window, looking out at the falling snow. He was ready for Braska's pilgrimage to be over; after this, the Calm would come and there would be peace. As he imagined the peaceful future that awaited Spira, he noticed something odd outside.
Looking closer, he saw that there was a little girl out in the snow. She was walking by, crossing her arms over her chest in an attempt to stay warm. She took one wrong step and fell down, her body landing roughly on the rocky, snow-covered ground.
Auron's eyes went wide and, without a second thought, ran out of the rest center to collect the girl. When he was by her side, she looked up at him, revealing her eyes. One was blue and the other was a charcoal gray. Before he could ask her anything, she passed out. Slowly, to make sure he had a good hold on her, Auron picked the girl up and brought her inside. Braska and Jecht were in the lobby, waiting for Auron.
"Where is-" Braska was cut off when Auron walked in, the girl out cold in his arms.
Braska was on his feet in an instant, placing his hand on the girl's forehead to check her. "Where did you find this girl, Auron?"
"She passed out in the snow." Was all he said. With a nod, Braska gingerly took the girl from Auron and brought her to his room. Jecht moved to sit on the floor next to Auron, who had resumed staring out the window.
"Y'know, that girl looked kinda like Braska's girl," he muttered to himself, crossing his legs. "Why did you save her? You don't seem like someone that would just save a random girl from frostbite."
Auron let out a "hmph" and turned to face Jecht. "Mind your own business." Jecht raised his hands in defense, lowering them with an eye roll. Auron turned back to the window, now thinking about the girl.
That girl… She's- His thought stopped when he heard a door open. He rose from his seat and made his way to Braska's room. Inside, the girl was laying on his bed, sleeping peacefully. Braska himself was rummaging through his bag. He noticed that Auron was there and welcomed him in.
He approached the girl, reaching out and holding her tiny hand in his. She really is… Braska came beside him, looking at the girl thoughtfully.
"Is this her?" he asked. Auron nodded, squeezing the girl's hand subconsciously.
She stirred in her sleep, turning to face her body towards them. The older guardian let go of her hand and placed it on her forehead. A small smile appeared on her face as she tried to snuggle closer to his hand.
"How is she?"
"I checked her over and all she had was a fever and a few small cuts. What surprised me was that she has a mark on her right shoulder blade that looks like a crescent moon with a blade crossing over it," Braska explained. Auron nodded again, ruffling the girl's hair before walking out of the room.
After another hour, Braska walked into the lobby. "She's awake and feeling fine. We should question her to see what she's doing up here." Auron and Jecht nodded, following Braska to his room. Just as he said, the girl was on her feet. When she saw Auron, she grinned and ran to him, embracing his leg tightly.
By second nature, he gave her a pat on the head. She looked at Jecht and Braska and hid behind the red-clad guardian.
"Apologies, young one. My name is Braska. This man next to me is Jecht. What's your name?" She hesitated for a moment before holding her hands up, signing at them her name.
Jecht raised an eyebrow, but before he could ask, Auron interjected. "She said her name is Lilah." Jecht nodded, slightly confused but not pushing for answers.
"I'm guessing she's mute?" Braska asked. Auron and Lilah nodded at the same time. "Well, that means you'll help to translate what she says, Auron?" He nodded again. Lilah hugged his leg tighter, making him use even more effort to restrain himself from picking her up in his arms.
She began signing again, telling the men why she was up on Mt. Gagazet. "I came up here to look for my father. From what mommy told me, daddy went on a really important journey to-" She was cut off when Auron signed something to her. A frown came on her face before she nodded. "He left to meet with a business partner on this mountain. It's been at least two years since he left, so I left home to search for him." She let her hands fall to her sides, tears forming in her eyes.
Jecht was watching Auron intently, trying to read his mind; he was acting… strange. He had to know this girl! Braska coughed lightly, catching everyone's attention. He knelt in front of the girl, slowly holding his hand out to her.
"Here. If you want, we can-" She shook her head in denial, glancing up at Auron with a smile before looking at Braska again.
"It's okay," she signed. "I don't need to find him anymore. He'll come home, I know it. For now, I want to return to mommy so she doesn't worry anymore." Braska's eyes widened but he smiled and nodded, rising to stand up straight. Taking her hand, Auron led her out of the rest center.
Outside, a Ronso was waiting, his arms crossed. Auron let go of Lilah's hand and knelt down to her level. He embraced her fully, knowing the only one who could see this interaction was the Ronso.
"Lilah… my little starlight," he muttered, close to tears. "That was reckless of you to do and Taliah must be worried sick." Lilah nodded, letting her tears of joy fall. He let her go, his hands remaining on her cheeks.
She wiped her eyes. "I knew I could make it to you because I'm just as strong as you, daddy." His eyes widened before a tender smile rose to his lips.
"You are, Lilah. You truly are. I love you, my darling daughter," he said, pulling her into his arms again. She returned the gesture, planting a peck to his cheek.
She signed "I love you, too" to him before he handed her off to the Ronso. "Take care of her until she gets home, Kimahri," he instructed. Kimahri nodded, picking Lilah up into his protective hold.
Just as Kimahri was walking away, Braska and Jecht came to Auron's side. They watched as the Ronso walked away with the girl in his arms. The older guardian clutched his upper arm tightly, trying to keep his emotions in control.
"Auron? Are you alright?" Braska asked. Auron nodded, moving towards the path leading to Zanarkand.
"Now is the time to shape your story, Braska. Your fate is in your hands." He walked over to the cliffside, staring out at the sunset. I hope Lilah and Taliah can wait for me just a little bit longer… Walking down the path, Auron reflected he had done on his journey with Braska and Jecht, with the two men trailing behind him.
*I know this story sounds a little random in concept, but I wanted Auron to have two sides to him: the duty-driven guardian he's known as and the caring, gentle father he never shows he is. Anyway, please review with any constructive criticism you have!*