Written for the Free! Kink Meme
Prompt: FFX AU
Makoto is a summoner, and the rest of the Iwatobi swim team are his guardians.
The sight of Sin rising out of the ocean was something no one could ever forget. It had appeared, destroyed the fleet of fishing boats that had gone out far enough to be palm-sized near the horizon in one fell swoop and disappeared again. Long enough to be burned into memory forever, but not long enough to react to. Makoto had seen it all from where he had been facing the open water, playing catch with the blitzball with Haru, who had been facing him. By the time Haru had realised something was wrong and turned around, only the wreckage remained.
The summoner had come two weeks after the attack. Makoto had huddled into Haru's back as they watched the mournful procession around the summoner and his guardians boarding the small boat that was going to be sent out to perform the Sending. The families of the dead all gathered around the docks, many of them wailing in their grief – distressed parents, spouses and children who had lost someone in the fishing fleet destroyed by Sin. Many of them approached the Summoner, beseeching his service and he in turn had tried to listen to as many of their pleas as he could before he got on the boat.
Rin had been there too. He had been standing surly and red-eyed, clutching the hand of a slightly younger girl – his sister Gou – watching the procession pass. They had been the only ones to stay at the dock after everyone else had filtered away, four children huddled together against the chill of the ocean breeze.
Haru had lost both his parents, leaving him in the care of his grandmother now. Makoto had lost his grandfather and would have lost his father too if sickness hadn't laid him too low to leave with the fleet that day. Rin had lost his father, a former blitzball player turned fisherman and the only parent he'd ever known.
"My mum's coming to take me and Gou," he spoke into the silence. "Dad said she's an Al Bhed. She's going to take us away to where they live. We've never met her before and now we have to live with her."
They'd known each other forever, the four of them and Nagisa – all of their families had been part of the fishing fleet, except for Nagisa's, whose parents were traders who sold the fish and other Kilikan produce on to travellers' inns along the pilgrimage route. They'd grown up together, swimming in the water around Kilika and had always been on the same junior blitzball team.
Now, all of their lives had been changed by Sin and Rin leaving was another thing they would have to get used to when Rin's mother came. It would be strange, not swimming with Rin anymore.
"Wh-when are you leaving?" Makoto asked, voice hoarse from crying and still clutching Haru's hand. Haru stood dry-eyed next to him – Makoto had cried for both of them – clutching back just as tightly, a frown on his normally placid face and leaning a little closer than he usually would.
"Tomorrow. She'll be here tomorrow." Gou whispered – the first words she'd said in a long time.
Haru's mouth turned almost imperceptibly more downward than it had been before.
"You'll keep in touch, won't you? We'll write to you. All the time." Makoto lurched forward to put both arms around Rin and Gou and pulled Haru with him, because they still hadn't let go of each other's hands. It resulted in banged heads and watery giggles which died quickly. "Stay with us tonight. Haru's staying too."
They felt Rin nod his head against them – it would be one last night of familiarity before going to live with a stranger in a strange land. They heard the sound of running footsteps, but paid them no mind until another pair of small arms wound around them.
"I'm sorry. I just heard what happened – we only came back today. I'm so sorry." Nagisa's voice was wavering with shock and a little out of breath from running. They stayed like that for a while, arms around in each other, in silence, taking comfort from each other's presence. When they finally separated, Nagisa could no longer hold his questions in.
"Is it true that you and Gou are leaving, Rin? To live with the Al Bhed? Will you come back and visit us sometimes? Can we come and visit you? You won't forget us, will you? You won't think the machine are way more interesting, right? Wah! I can't believe you're leaving us!"
Rin rolled his eyes against the barrage of questions. "Yeah, and I dunno. But...I think we'll meet again anyway, no matter what. We're friends so, our fates are entwined now, right?" At some point, Rin had raised his hand to his chest earnestly as he spoke. They all looked at him in wide eyed silence for a moment, until Nagisa broke it with his gift for ruining the mood.
"Uwah, RinRin, you're a real romantic, huh?"
Rin had scowled immediately, a self-conscious flush on his cheeks. But the words had elicited a giggle from both Gou and Makoto and eased Haru's frown slightly.
That was the last night the five of them spent together and in the morning Rin and Gou left with a tall, blond woman who came for them in an Al Bhed ship, to the disapproving glances of the other villagers.
For a while, life went on almost the same as it had before, with everyone learning to adapt to the missing presence of the lost ones. Haru swam more than he ever had before, if that was possible, and was being hailed as a blitzball prodigy, watched by the coach of the Kilika Beasts. Makoto, on the other hand, had begun to fear the water, the image of Sin rising from the waves forever branded into his mind, and swam only in Haru's presence.
Things had started to feel normal again a few months later, when Makoto announced his intention to enter the temple to train to be a summoner to Haru and Nagisa as they sat watching the sun set from the beach. They turned to him, searching his face.
"I want...to stop being afraid. If...If I can make Sin go away, even just for a while, then everyone can stop being afraid, right? I've thought about it, for a while now, and...this is what I decided." He nodded his conviction.
Haru was still frowning at him, but Nagisa must have seen something in his face, because his face was uncharacteristically serious when he looked back at both of them to say, "Well, then we're going to be your guardians then, aren't we Haru?"
The intense blue gaze didn't waver when he nodded his response and Nagisa carried on, "Orec Ronso – he's one of the bodyguards for our caravan - he's going to show me how to fight with a spear, like him. And I'll try and pick up all sorts of things when we travel. Who knows, it might be useful."
Makoto felt a flood of warmth in his heart, easing it. He would gain courage and strength from the presence of his friends by his side.
"Thank you. It means a lot that you'll support me." He smiled to show his gratitude, but Nagisa still looked solemn.
"Of course I would. But I wish you hadn't chosen this. I don't want you to do it at all." He took a deep breath and blew it out in frustration. "But I know there's nothing I can do to change your mind right now, so I'll just have to go with you and sabotage you then!" he added with a bright smile.
Makoto couldn't help but chuckle at that. Nagisa got up, stretched and dusted himself off.
"Well, the caravan's leaving at sunrise tomorrow, so I have to go to sleep soon. Mako-chan, Haru-chan, take care – I'll see you in a few weeks! Bye!" he jogged away, leaving them in silence.
Haru, who had been quiet since Makoto had made his announcement, didn't say anything until Nagisa was out of sight. Makoto almost didn't think he was going to say anything at all, until he heard a quiet, "You're sure?"
When Makoto responded without hesitation, he sighed, long and deep, and nodded, more to himself than anything else. He started sword lessons with the Crusaders the next day.
A/N: My imagination kind of ran away with me on this one and I got kind of excited about it - I kind of wish I was better at drawing because I even designed their outfits and everything! I'm such a dork. Feedback would be great and, as always, concrit is very much appreciated. So please, please review?