Birth of a Summoner.

A Final Fantasy X fanfic by K E F Holden (Darth Mongoose)

Okay, Because I need a break from 'Little Lioness' (My FF8 fic) because having read it after a long time without writing I've decided it's horrendously slushy and not very good (good for a fanfic of course, but we all know that fanfics are pretty rubbish by nature, which is often why they're so much fun) This is a prequal to FFX about Yuna's childhood in Besaid village. It's going to be lighthearted for the most part. You might be suprised by Yuna's personality in this, because the fic is partially about how she ended up as the person she is in FFX, The young Yuna is really quite mischeivous and bubbly. Wakka, Lulu and Chappu feature heavily, along with Kimhari and the future members of the Aurochs. I hope you enjoy this. Not much happens in this chapter because it's all backstory and introductions, sorry about that.

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Chapter 1: Prologue

Kimhari sat awake on the ship listening to the gentle creak of the timbers. He felt rather sad, tomorrow he would have to leave his charge and travel away to...He wasn't sure where. He couldn't go home to the mountains, he knew that much. It had been almost good fortune that when he had left Gagazet an begun to walk across the Calm Lands that he had found that dying man.

Please, Ronso. I have a request of you. Somebody must go to Bevelle, and take the daughter of Lord Braska as far away from the capital as is possible. Will you fulfil this? The girl is called Yuna.

The young Ronso had seen that the man was mortally wounded, it was a wonder he was still alive, he handsome face was pale, one of his arms hung limp, broken, the other clutching a huge blade while Al Bhed healers swamed around him. The red coat he wore was dark and damp in patches where red blood seeped out of dozens of wounds. Kimhari had nodded.

Kimhari will find Summoner Braska's daughter.

He had replied, then set off at a run towards the city.

It had been the perfect thing to keep his mind off the troubles at home and the shame of his broken horn. He checked Yuna again, she was still sleeping. She was a small and delicate child, with such an angellic face, though her mismatched eyes were a little unusual. But she was a handful, that was for sure, adventurous and sometimes a little too exhuberant for anybody put in charge of her to cope with, but when she was quiet she was so sweet natured and honest that it was impossible not to warm to her. Kimhari was going to miss her when he left her in Besaid.

His thoughts were suddenly disturbed as a stocky boy crashed into the room. He was dressed in a yellow and blue Blitzball uniform, the colours of the rather unfortunate Besaid Aurochs. He was obviously in his early teens and had a shock of wiry hair that was violently orange in colour tied with a blue bandanna so that it stuck up at odd angles.

"Yah! There's somebody in here!" He cried, "Ah, sorry Mister Ronso, but could I hide in here? I'm playing with my brudda ya?"

Kimhari made a slightly annoyed growling noise, the boy had woken Yuna. She sighed and sat up blinking. She regarded the Auroch boy curiously.

"Who are you?" She asked sleepily.

"Ah, uh, I'm Wakka, of the Besaid Aurochs. I'm new to the team ya know, today was my first match, kinda a shame we lost in the first round."

"Against the Luca Goers? We saw the match on the sphere." She paused, then exclaimed, "Oh! You were the boy who kept getting fouled!"

Wakka shifted uncomfortably.

"Yah, that was me."

"Are you alright?" She asked, though she was aware that the boy certainly looked fine.

"I'm okay, coach says I'm tougher than I look, ya? So where are you from? And why you traveling with a Ronso?"

"Bevelle, my parents are both...you know." The boy made a small nod, he obviously knew what she meant." Kimhari just turned up one day and said he was taking me to Besaid."

"You gonna be staying on the island?" He asked.

"Yes. Probably for quite a while."

The door suddenly opened again and in burst another red haired boy. He was smaller and sligher than Wakka and had a fine, rather feminine face, he was older than Yuna, but not into his teens yet. And though he was obviously not yet old enough to be a blitzer, his shorts and tunic were in the yellow and blue of the Aurochs.

"Found ya! Hey Wakka! That's not much of a good hiding place, you could at least try to hide somewhere good!" He chided.

"You always beat me anyway brudda, besides, I was talking, ya?" Wakka indicated Yuna with a hand, "This is Yuna, From Bevelle. Yuna, this is my little brudda, Chappu."

"Hey, nice to meet you." Said the boy, he smiled and did a quick Yevon bow.

"Nice to meet you too." Yuna stood up and habitually made a Yevon prayer with her hands.

"Oh well, just as well I don't have to find you bro, we're almost home."

"Pity we got no cup this year...again." Moaned Wakka.

" Never mind Bro, you can see the island now! We're going up on deck, you wanna come along Yuna?"

"Okay. Kimhari?" Yuna's small hand gripped on of the Ronso's massive blue furred fingers.

Kimhari stood up and nodded to Yuna, then the odd looking little party proceeded outside onto the deck.

The morning sun was already quite warm, but the air on the sea was still cool. Yuna shaded her eyes like a sailor and watched the island of Besaid draw closer. There was a crowd on the beach waiting for the return of the Blitzers. As the ship drew in they gave a slight cheer.

"Hey! Better luck next time ya?"

"Well done Katto, you got a goal in against the Goers dis time!"

"-Pity 'bout the five they got in against us."

"Hey Wakka man! Heard you took a beating, you okay?"

The teams spirits seemed to lift a little as they filtered onto the sand.

"Hey, where's Lulu?" Chappu was looking around for somebody.

"You know what she's like, I never see Lulu outside these days, she's been inside learning magic so long now she's probably allergic to sunlight ya?" Wakka laughed aloud.

"That's not very nice!" Muttered Chappu.

"Well, let's go see her after we have brekfast, I'm starving. Hey Yuna, you wanna come see the village?"

"Kimhari, you're coming too aren't you?" She asked quietly. It had just occured to her that this was the end of her journey.

Kimhari nodded. He'd have to leave her sometime, but he decided to make sure she settled in first. He nodded.

"Kimhari will follow Yuna."

The path to the village was long, but it was a beautiful walk, the path passed under several impressive waterfalls and some ancient, half buried ruins. On the top of a high ridge next to a piece of ruined sculpture, Yuna caught her first glimpse of the village.

"Is that the temple? It's very big for such a small village!"

"Yah, that's our Temple, or 'Lulu's house' as Chappu calls it. The village used to be much bigger afew hundred years ago when the temple got built, but you know, Sin." He suddenly brightened, "But who cares about Sin! This is the Calm, we don't need to worry now do we? Never know, this time it might be permenant!"

Yuna smiled hopefully. Wakka spoke with such conviction that it almost sounded possible.

"Come on! Let's get some food! Chappu, it's your turn to cook man!"

The path sloped down steeply into the village. A small dark boy met them on the way down.

"Hey Gatta!" Chappu waved.

"Morning Chappu, Wakka, who are these two?"

"This is Yuna and Kimhari Ronso, we met them on the boat on the way home. Yuna's gonna be living here a while."

"Oh, then I'm pleased to meet you, I'm Gatta."

"Hello." Yuna wondered how she would learn all these new names and faces, everything was so strange here. She looked up at Kimhari. He was going to stay, wasn't he? He couldn't be planning to just leave her here on her own...could he?

She walked through the gateway into the main street, if it could be called a street, it was just a flat, partially paved area between the round huts that made up the village.

Kimhari released Yuna's hand. He couldn't look her in the eye. He bowed and made a full Yevon prayer with his brawny arms.

"Kimhari has fulfilled dying man's wish, has taken the Daughter of Lord Braska far from Bevelle." He announced softly, "Kimhari will go now."

"NO!"

"Goodbye Yuna."

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no!" Yuna clamped her arms and legs around Kimhari's right shin and hung on tightly.

"Yuna should let go of Kimhari."

"No! Kimhari! Don't leave me alone! Where do you need to go!?"

"Kimhari needs to go nowhere..."

"Then stay here! Please Kimhari!" She pleaded.

"Yuna will not let go of Kimhari's leg?"

"Never! Not until you say you're staying!" Tears had sprung up at Yuna's eyes.

"If Yuna is on Kimhari's leg, Kimhari cannot move. Kimhari will have to stay in village." The Ronso's expression has never easy to read, but her looked at Yuna gently. "Kimhari will stay here until Yuna is ready for Kimhari to go."

"Thankyou Kimhari!"

"Yuna should stop crying. Yuna should smile." Said the Ronso uncomfortably. He hated it when Yuna looked sad.

Yuna laughed and sniffed, wiping her cheeks with a forearm.

"Yuna can let go of Kimhari's leg now."

"Okay." She dropped off his leg. As she stood up she brushed the dust off her roughly cropped trousers.

"Woah, woah! Can I just ask a question?" Said Wakka.

"Hmm?"

"Dat Ronso, he said you're the daughter of Lord Braska!"

"Yes, I am." She admitted awkwardly. She had loved her father, but was less keen on the fame that she had inherited from him.

"Woah! Really!?" Wakka slowly noticed that Chappu was nudging him in the ribs. He blushed and grimaced at his lack of tact "Ohh, not a good subject huh? Sorry."

"It's okay." Yuna was becoming used to people's reactions, she guessed that she would become less famous once all the fuss died down.

"Anyway, brekfast. C'mon Chappu, Yuna, I guess Kimhari wants to eat too ya?"

Kimhari grunted. Gatta suddenly seemed to remember something.

"Oh! I need to go meet Datto and Letty! I'll seeya later ok?" He tore off before anybody could say anything.

The food was simple, Wakka and Chappu didn't have parents and looked after themselves, but food was plentiful in Besaid, and much of it didn't need much cooking. Brekfast was a bowl of rice and some sliced fruit that Yuna hadn't tried before, but it was juicy and refreshing.

"Me and Chappu normally take turns to cook, our parents died before I can remember." Explained Wakka.

"Wakka's a better cook than me." Said Chappu, "But I'm getting better."

"You finished?"

"Bro gimmie a sec!"

"Now?"

"Mmf!"

"Okay? C'mon, let's go see Lulu!"

The temple was a tall building, the outside of which was a vibrant azure blue. The children walked between the columns and filed into the temple. Kimhari decided to stay outside, he was too hot and wanted to go back to the lagoon he had seen on the way to the village.

The sudden relative darkness after all the sunshine of the village made it hard to see for a moment. Yuna blinked, it was rather smoky inside due to the fire burning in the centre of the room. She noticed with some suprise that the fire wasn't on the floor. It was suspended in air. Behind it stood a girl with a look of almost painful concentration on her face.

"Hey Lu!" Called Wakka. The girl suddenly gave a sharp sound of suprise and her eyes flicked open, her concentration lost. The fire suddenly unraveled in air and went out in a puff of smoke and pyreflies.

"Wakka!" The girl cried angrily. She made a fierce noise in her throat and scowled.

Lulu was a strange contrast to Wakka. She was young about twelve, but already developing adult features giving her a slightly awkward look. She had harsh reddish brown eyes and almost unnaturally pale skin, especially compared to Wakka's bronzed tone. Her thick jet black hair hung in a long plait down her back and she was swamped by a long black robe with the symbols of Yevon and Besaid embroidered in grey.

She continued to scowl at Wakka.

"Oops. Uh, Sorry Lu."

"Do you know how long it took for me to get that fire spell to grow that big!?"

"Um, look Lu. I didn't realise it took so much concentration. I'm sorry."

"I've been working on that all morning!" She paused suddenly as her eyes fell on Yuna. "Who is this?"

"Oh, this is Yuna."

"Hello." Said Yuna nervously.

"New to the village? I'm afraid I haven't had time to get out of the temple much lately."

"I only arrived today, just an hour ago."

"I see. I'm pleased to meet you Yuna." Lulu's eyes flickered as she examined the girl in front of her.

Yuna was unsure what Lulu thought of her. The young mage's facial expression, though not hostile, didn't seem friendly either. Her small pursed mouth remained closed and emotionless. But a subtle movement in her eyes suggested that she might have been smiling.

"Wakka, have you found a place for Yuna to sleep yet?"

"She could stay at my house, with me and Chappu."

"Wakka." Sighed Lulu, "Yuna can't live at your house."

"Why not? I have spare bedding."

"If you haven't noticed, Yuna is a girl. You and Chappu are both boys. Yuna can't live in a one room house with two boys that she isn't related to."

"Why not?" Asked Wakka stubbornly. Lulu sighed again and shook her head.

"You really are clueless Wakka. Look. Boys and girls are different, and at our age, they start to get very different." She chuckled to herself smugly "You'll understand someday soon."

Wakka looked puzzled, but clearly resigned to Lulu's authority on the matter.

"So where's she gonna stay?"

"She can stay in the temple with me." Said Lulu, "I have an extra bed in my room, and the company would be nice."

Yuna felt a little confused by it all. But the Black mage spoke as if she knew what she was talking about. Of course, Lulu was practically a grown up.

"Thankyou!" She squeaked and then bowed low.

"You can go now Wakka. And you Chappu, I'll make sure Yuna settles in."

"Okay Lu. Bye then."

"Bye Lulu!" It was the only thing that Chappu had said in the whole time he had been in the temple. He had been totally silent, looking at Lulu in the way that most people would look at a statue of a high summoner.

"You don't need to be so formal Yuna. Come, this way to your new room. Do you have any belongings with you?"

"Oh, they're outside with Kimhari."

"Who is Kimhari?"

"Oh, he's a Ronso. He brought me here from Bevelle."

"Bevelle? That's a long journey to have made. Why have you come to Besaid?"

"Kimhari just turned up one day. He said he was taking me as far from Bevelle as he could because a dying man had asked him to."

"Strange, surely during the calm there is no need to move to a place like this."

"I think it's because of my father. He must have thought it would be hard for me to live alone in Bevelle with all those people after he made me famous."

"Famous?"

"My father was Summoner Braska." Yuna shifter uncomfortably as Lulu's face made a small sharp movement.

"I see." There was a note of suprise in Lulu's soft, measured voice. "I think I understand now."