A/N: More details about this story can be found on my profile. Questions can be asked in either the forum I've set up (Sandstone Quarry), or in reviews. Please note that this will be Yuna/OC, so if you do not like this pairing, or believe in Tidus/Yuna forever, you have been warned. Flames will be ignored, because if you don't like it, stop reading it, I'm not forcing you to read it.

Leaving Home:

Spira possesses many legends, rumors, and fables. One of which happens to be about a series of powerful magical weapons, forged by a great mage-smith of the ancient past, long before even Zanarkand was founded. The seven weapons were each different – they possessed the ability to chose their wielder, and even change their shapes to suit their chosen master. Two were designed for mages, three for warriors, one for a thief friend of the smith, and the final weapon was crafted as a reward to a water-ball player, who had done the smith a great favor. The weapons, for a period of time, remained active in Spira, but slowly, began to choose less and less often, as machina rose in popularity. The last recorded existence of the weapons was the Spirit Lance, which was supposedly held by one of Zanarkand's Grand Summoners before he died. The weapons never resurfaced for hundreds of years afterwards.

Ancient lore states that much. However, what lore does not say is that the smith created one last weapon. His son, who had become a merchant, had married, and was unfortunately killed by fiends, even as his father was forging a powerful weapon to protect his son. In his grief, he changed the route he took, and instead of a powerful defensive weapon, he crafted a weapon that ran upon borderline evil principles. His daughter-in-law gladly took up the weapon (then, a rapier), and spent many years hunting down fiends, slaying them with little mercy, and decreasing the fiend population by so much, that Spira had a long time of reduced fiend numbers.

The official stance of ancient lore holds that the weaponmaster gave his daughter-in-law a blade, and that it was her own fury that made it such a terrible weapon to behold, though in fact, it was the weapon itself, drawing on her rage. The final weapon did chose other wielders, but unlike the other weapons, which did so obviously, the 'mind' of the weapon chose to not draw attention, and was 'obtained' by it's chosen master oftentimes from treasure troves of defeated fiends. And unlike the other seven, even during Sin's time, the weapon surfaced upon occasion. For a short while, it resided with a man named Jecht, from an otherworld crafted by the madman who had become the core of Sin. Though Spira nor Yevon know of it, each Grand Summoner has had the aid of the weapon in one form or another, excepting Yunalesca. The Grand Summoner from Kilika wielded the blade himself, while the final Grand Summoner's guardian (who was a specialist in ranged combat, fusing her martial bow skills with magic) used the weapon, which granted her infinite ammunition without needing to ever draw an arrow. Several other summoners have been aided by the weapon, though their pilgrimages have failed, for one reason or another.

This is not their tale, however. Rather, this is the tale of the single time the weapon was known as the eighth legendary weapon, before it faded back into obscurity again.

&&&&&

&&&&&

Besaid: the birthplace of many a summoner. Young apprentice summoners travel to the island to train, since it is sheltered, and the fiend population is not that high, nor very dangerous.

I'd know, actually. I had been sent here to keep an eye on one of those apprentices, and if possible, kidnap her, and take her to Home. Not that I agreed with Cid on that issue… actually, it's not like I agreed on Cid with most issues. He might be the leader of the Al Bhed, but that doesn't mean I won't call him an asshole to his face, in both Spiran, and Al Bhed. There's little he can do about it, anyway. I'm one of the best fiend-hunters and fighters in Spira. There are a few others who are a bit better than me, but they have the age advantage. I'm only seventeen frigging years old. True, I learned fighting at a very young age (five, I think), but even so, roughly twelve years of experience doesn't match somewhere around double that.

Now that I think about it, if Cid knew exactly what I was doing, he'd probably blow a gasket. Rikku might as well, though I'm not exactly sure. She's far too bubbly to actually explode in rage unless something really bad happens.

Yuna is, and isn't, like what Rikku described. Cid's description of her was off by a mile, at least. On the surface, she's milk-meek, and almost always apologetic, and a general 'easily taken advantage of' person. But ever since I befriended her… maybe two years ago… she's started to show her inner character to me more often. She has a lot of steel in her spine when need be, and though she is kind… she's also learning how to say no. I have to admire her at times – she's worshiped because of her father, and yet, she stays strong in spite of it. She doesn't have a bloated head… far from it, she's humble. And the fact that she'd so willingly turn aside her religion's views on my race, because I had become her friend. She didn't even care that I used machina, instead, she just turned a blind eye, occasionally commenting that a few devices might be quite useful. Not that I had any 'forbidden machina' anyway, just a few lights, a generator system from a few scrapped machina-bots, and a basic security system. I did have a com system to keep in contact with Home, and a boat, but really, none of them were weapons. I couldn't use a rifle at all anyway, so there was no point.

Wakka's characteristic footsteps sounded to my ears, trained by fighting fiends for years, and I slowly turned to look at him. The Blitzball player was clueless about my ancestry, and Yuna had explained once that he disliked us more than Yevon did. She didn't say why (it wasn't her place to say, according to her), but I guessed that it was just Yevon's beliefs were held deeply by the man. Wakka didn't look surprised; he was somewhat used to the fact that even though I looked 'spaced out', I would have a weapon in my hands at the slight provocation. My nearly slitting his throat three times with a kukri or katana might have something to do with his caution about not provoking me anymore. No one likes a curved knife / sword at their neck.

Wakka said slowly, "Hey, Yuna's been asking for you."

I nodded slightly, and said, "I'll meet her at my house in an hour."

Wakka perked up somewhat at the mention of that. My house was unlike all the others at Besaid – it was underground, and though it was well lit (it had plenty of windows), only a select few actually knew what was inside. Before he could get his hopes up much higher, I added, "If Kimahri wants to escort her, that's fine. But forget getting in Wakka, I'm a private person for a reason."

Wakka nodded, and walked toward Besaid. He must have been training, because he had a few wounds on him, and his Blitzball was showing signs of wear and tear. I flicked my wrist, and sent a Cure spell at him, to which he turned, and gave me a slight salute, before turning around, and walking away.

A wonderful thing, all the training I've had. I can utilize both black and white magic regularly. My 'tactician' skills (inflicting status or the like) were not as good, because I'd chosen to mix magic and fighting. The Sphere Grid I chose from Home reflected that – primarily, the skills I gained were related to dealing damage, lowering armor / magic defense, and casting spells. Not that Wakka or anyone around here used the things – for all that they were dead useful, Yevon frowned on them, because we Al Bhed have a role in their manufacture. It pisses them off that they've yet to steal the secret to making them, and they won't ever be able to.

I'm frankly amazed at the stupidity of Yevon. Sphere Grids are one of the most useful things for travelers – they help absorb the energy (experience) that fiends grant their defeater, accelerate the learning curve of spells, and grant overdrives more often. So what if Al Bhed make them? Their summoners wouldn't die as often…

I shook myself out of my thoughts, and stood. Most the villagers probably thought I was crazy, staring off into the distance while sitting on the hill like that. But because they tend to avoid walking down the path, it makes for a peaceful setting with a good view, and it helps me think. The occasional fiend doesn't bother me, they all end up dead with either my glaive, one of my katanas, or two kukris buried in them. My reflexes are too well honed for them to sneak up on me, and I've refused to let my skills atrophy.

With my thoughts still going at a mile a minute, I headed down toward my house. Knowing Yuna, she would probably want to use the room that I'd given to her to decorate in whatever style she wanted.

My house… well, that was something that puzzled most of the villagers. And of course, they were curious, probably because of the fact that I blasted a hole in the ground using some explosives, though I claimed they were bomb-fiends.

After I punched in the combo into the electronic lock, and used my key to open the door, I smiled at the feeling of cool air gently blowing out, even as I moved inside, and shut the door. I might as well enjoy it, Yuna's final test will be soon, and with it, changes. I think she's due to designate her guardians soon, too.

I'll have to remember to slip her a Sphere Grid…

&&&&&

Yuna did exactly what I predicted – she made for her room (which was in essence a living room), a pensive look on her face. She took her usual seat, and I sat across the small table from her, waiting patiently. Finally, Yuna said, "Cabranes… the temple priest told me that I will be starting my trial next month."

I nodded slightly – that was something I expected. The old bastard liked to scare apprentices by letting them work themselves into a nervous frenzy. Old coot. If I had my way, they'd find out when I gathered their close friends, took 'em to the door, and told them to get in and become a summoner. Of course, that's strictly against Yevon's rules. Resisting the urge to smirk at the mental vision of the old man's face twisted in utter shock, I asked quietly, "Nervous?"

Yuna nodded, looking down. "Yes… I'm sorr…"

Before she could complete herself, I interrupted, "Don't apologize. I was the same way the first time I left home for an extended period. Your uncle is a slave driver, I swear. Glad I got out from under his thumb."

Yuna slowly looked up, and then gave me a weak smile, telling me that she knew I was trying to cheer her up, but it hadn't worked. I looked away, toward the toys that Yuna had thought were interesting (nothing technological, just simple 'infinite motion' toys), thinking. I had to find some way to distract her from her trial; otherwise she'd have a nervous breakdown. Finally, an idea hit me – Cid had been after me recently to at least take Yuna on a trip to Bikanel, to visit Rikku, who had been driving him insane. He'd scheduled her for a salvage mission, but they didn't leave for another two weeks. My boat only needed four days to get there, and Yuna had rarely been able to meet Rikku, Cid was too overprotective to let her go into dangerous territory controlled by Yevon bastards. I didn't blame him on that, not after what they did, but it did cost him…

I softly said, "Yuna, I've got an idea. How about you go on a… oh… nineteen day trip to Bikanel? Rikku's been asking for you."

Yuna, who had been staring off into space, nervously fidgeting, started and asked, "Really?"

I nodded, and Yuna smiled. "I'd like to go…" her face fell, and she continued, "But I don't think Lulu or Wakka will allow me to go to Bikanel."

I frowned, then sighed. She had a point. Lulu was alright – she probably knew I was Al Bhed, but didn't care, but Wakka… if we went to Home, there would be hell to pay. Kimahri was another matter – the Ronso frankly didn't care. So long as Yuna was happy, and not in danger, he would not care, nor speak about anything unless he felt it was justified… and he was more demanding than Yuna. He knew I was an Al Bhed, with machina in my home, yet didn't say a word, since it was obvious that Yuna considered my home a place where she could relax. Ever since that 'lesson' two years ago that made her break down and cry, she's needed a refuge, one that I provided. She has a key, and knew the combination to get inside, just in case I wasn't around, and needed a place to be alone. Wakka, while well meaning, was the type to crowd her, and never know that she wanted to be alone. Lulu, on the other hand… Yuna sometimes had a hard time exposing her weakness to Lulu, according to her. I didn't get it myself, but it could just be a girl thing.

I finally ventured, "Well, we could just bring Kimahri. He might not like the heat, but I've modified a Blizzard spell to cool down things, he should be able to manage then."

Yuna stared at me for a moment, then said in amusement, "That should be handy."

I nodded with a smile, and then asked, "Well?"

Yuna's smile faded, and she looked thoughtful again. After nearly a minute's time, where she spoke quietly to herself for a few moments, she finally said, "I think I can manage it. Lulu might be suspicious, though."

I sighed. Lulu was Yuna's big sister for a reason, she always gave me a suspicious glare whenever I was too close for her. What she didn't realize was that Yuna, when she chose to become a summoner, also chose to not leave a widow or lover behind when she died. She'd sworn off love, even though I know she likes to read romance stories. I don't agree with her decision on the matter, but… it's not my place to tell her that. I can hardly judge her, when I've done the same. "Maybe if you explain that we're only platonic friends, no possible romance?"

Yuna shook her head. "No, I tried that, she didn't believe it. You know Lulu, she's stubborn."

I nodded, then rubbed my temples. Lulu was going to be the problem. I voiced aloud, "Maybe we should bring her with?"

Yuna gasped, and said quickly, "NO!"

I looked at Yuna quizzically, as she blushed. She didn't apologize, which was better – we've been working on the things that Yevon has been hammering into her. She elaborated after fighting off her blush successfully, "Please… she can't come."

I nodded slowly, and said quietly, "Well, we can always sneak off. You have that recording sphere, right? Leave it in your temple room, with a message that you're going to visit relatives, and that Kimahri is with you. Lulu trusts him to keep things straight."

Yuna frowned at the suggestion, and I could tell she was looking for another option, but there really weren't any. She liked the idea too much to give it up (I think she wanted to say goodbye to Rikku properly, the two were cousins, and friends, albeit distant ones), but at the same time, I could tell she didn't like the option I gave her, probably because of how Lulu would react.

Finally, she said quietly, "Tomorrow. Where is your boat docked at?"

I said with a smile, "Just meet me here. Pack somewhat light, ok? My boat can't carry a ton of luggage, and I need to haul some gear from Home on the way back. I'm running low on spare parts for the lighting system, and the power cores need some repairs with tools I don't have."

Just like they were agreeing, the lights flickered, before going back on. I sighed, and shook my head morosely as Yuna giggled, "Looks like it agrees."

I gave her a faked glare, and muttered, "Remind me to take a hammer to the lights if they keep behaving like that."

Yuna rose from her seat, and said, "I'll be here. We'd best stay apart for the rest of the day."

I nodded, and walked off to the core electronics room. Maybe it was just faulty wiring…