Beneath the Stars

By Chibi-Sorrow

I silently stared at the night, keeping watch as the only sounds surrounding me were the sleeping sounds of my companions and the natural sounds of the night. It was my turn to keep watch for the night, but I did not mind. Sleeping did not come easily to the dead and it was never particularly pleasant when it did find its way.

The stars shined overhead brightly, basking a warm glow, along with the moon, among the plains of the Calm Lands. Walking for hours with no end, it was decided by my Lady Summoner, Yuna, that it was time for a much needed rest. I could not go against the wishes of my Summoner, I being her Guardian, so I obliged to her wish, nodding as we set out a bit longer in search for a safe haven to rest at for the night. After what seemed to me to be only a short distance, though the youngest members of the group were complaining, we made camp. After deciding it was I who would take watch, a fire was put to life and slowly, everyone began to settle down, Kimahri being the last to slumber, though he was more likely to be aware of his surroundings, even in rest. He would be the next to take over the shift after I was through.

I went a small distance from the fire, staying close enough so that I could keep an eye on Yuna, whilst staying far enough away to watch out for the fiends that would no doubtingly be out there. Sitting on a soft patch of grass, crossing my legs beneath me and keeping my Katana over my shoulder, I looked up to the sky, listening for fiends and keeping my ears trained for any unnatural sounds.

I remember the peaceful nights I had had while traveling with my Lord Braska. Well, mostly peaceful if you ignored Jecht's constant loud snoring. But none the less, those nights were peaceful. Not that these nights now were not, but those past nights, they were… different, in a manner of speaking.

Traveling now with Braska's daughter had brought back so many memories… Memories that I do not wish to recall. But it was out of my control as I remembered all those wasted years…

I've always wondered what would have happened had I thought of another way to rid the world of Sin without sacrificing my lord. What would have happened if he and Jecht were saved? Would Jecht stay here or return to Spira? Would Tidus be different if his father was around and his mother didn't die?

As I questioned these matters, I thought back to myself. I became angered and had great hatred towards the Final Summon and the sacrifice of summoners… and in my anger, I fought Lady Yunalesca and because of my anger, I was injured greatly. I later died on Mt. Gagazet and was found by Kimahri. When I woke up, I felt little pain from my wounds, but it felt like my soul was taken from my body, and it was not a pleasant experience. Kimahri explained to me that he had found my on the mountain, half dead, and that when he brought me to his village, I was already gone. That was when it was confirmed that I was unsent.

I know I have always told the younger Guardians of our pilgrimage that dwelling on the past was futile, but I could not help but do so on such a quiet night when we are almost at Zanarkand. What would have happened if I had not attacked Yunalesca? Would I still be alive right now?

I was broken out of my thoughts as I heard a slight rustling coming from behind me. I needed not to look behind, for I knew it was one within our small entourage. From what I could hear, they were trying ever so hard to be quiet. To everyone else, they were silent. To me, they were as loud as a fiend. That was how I was trained.

I had studied each individual in our group throughout this strange journey. Just by the sounds of them moving about, I could distinctly tell who they were. And this one who had awoken was none other than the youngest in the group, the Al-Bhed child, Rikku.

I truly felt sorry for the girl. Losing the only home she had probably ever known, many of her own people, family… I knew what it felt like. And soon she would lose her dear cousin. It was tragic. But she never seemed to allow it to get to her… She always smiled cheerfully, bouncing around as if she were a spring of some sort. I admired her for that.

I was taken out of my thoughts as the girl sat next to me delicately, surprising me slightly at her silence, though I did not say this to her, of course. She sat within a foot distance of me on my left, her knees drawn to her chest and her small arms wrapped around them. She, as I was doing, looked up to the night sky, seeing the stars twinkle over head. And as normal, she was the first to break the silence.

"Hey, stranger. What are you thinking about?" She murmured quietly. I knew that she kept a hushed tone in order not to wake the others and I was grateful for that, for they needed rest, even though she needed it as much as they did.

"Child, what are you doing awake? Go back and rest." I tilted my head a bit in her direction, looking at her with my one eye. She just continued looking up to the sky, smiling slightly, and I knew she would not heed my order. Instead, she just parted her lips and spoke to me once again.

"You never answered my question, you know. You seemed so deep in thought… You must be thinking of a lot of things…" Strangely enough, I decided to answer her, which is not a common thing. I believe this night is making me nostalgic.

"Yes… I was thinking… though my thoughts are not pleasant. They are more like… memories. Coming to haunt me…" I whispered before mentally scolding myself for granting her so much knowledge of myself. I knew full well that she would likely to question those memories that I did not wish to resurface and that she would continually pester me of them until I either told her or annihilated her with my Katana, neither of them being an option that wouldn't cause some damage. But she surprised me, as well as herself, I believe.

"Yeah… I get those, sometimes. It really sucks, huh? Remembering things that are so horrible… That you want to erase them completely from your mind, even though we know it's impossible." Rikku spoke in a light tone, seeming as melancholy as I was feeling. I looked over to her, seeing her still looking to the sky, her eyes narrowed slightly as she recalled her own haunting memories. I knew how painful it was and I did not wish for a girl such as herself to be ridden with such pain.

"Rikku-"I started but she cut me off before I could finish.

"Auron, have you ever thought of what would happen if you could change the past?" She questioned, turning towards me, her swirling emerald eyes staring intensely into my solitary russet. I must have had a surprised look on my face, for she stared laughing quietly, shaking her head and giving me a small smile. I guess I was just shocked that she questioned what I was thinking earlier.

"It's okay, Auron. You don't have to answer it. I was just being silly." She sighed lightly, looking back up to the sky above. I shook my head, pushing my black sunglasses back up my nose. Silence ensued after that for what must've been at least ten minutes. We just sat there, silently, gazing at the stars. It wasn't an uncomfortable silence, but it wasn't comfortable. It was just there. I continued to look to the sky when I spoke up, startling Rikku into jumping slightly, looking to me.

"Yes, Rikku… Sometimes I do think of that. It cannot be helped by most, even guardians such as us…" I spoke to her, listening for her reaction and still looking up to the dark sky above. I heard her let out a small laugh, before she did a surprising thing and leaned her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes gently, letting her small amount of weight be settled against me. I turned my head down, looking to her in shock as she still smiled, just leaning there.

"But it's like what I said outside the Farplane. 'Memories are nice, but that's all they really are'…Things that happened in the past are memories now and they can't be changed. It's like you said about not dwelling on the past. You were right about that. You're normally right about everything…" she said this softly, still leaning against me, her head a comfortable weight against my shoulder. I didn't do what most would do in this situation and wrap my arm around, but I didn't push her away from me, either. I just let her rest there, knowing full well that she was falling asleep against me.

"Rikku, go back and rest. You are falling asleep." I muttered to her quietly. She needed sleep, but it seemed she'd rather just sit here against me.

"I will in a bit, Auron…Just let me stay here a little longer, 'Kay?" she whispered lightly, drifting off as she was talking. I shook my head a bit in wonder, questioning myself as to why I let her stay there, but really paid no mind to it. I looked back up to the sky once more, seeing that stars still above there and never changing. I looked out of the corner of my eye back to my companion, seeing her finally getting the rest she needed, even if it was against me. I sighed a bit and looked back to the sky once more, before speaking to the sleeping child against me.

"I am not always right… But in order to guide you and to make sure you do not make the same mistakes I did, I will try to be…" And for the last time that night, I looked to the sky, seeing a shooting star pass my vision and I now knew for certain that she, along with the younger members of our group, would be the hope for Spira…

Well, here you all go. I was bored and having a block on Project Spira, so I wrote this. Hope you all like it!

Chibi