The Aeon's return

The sun shone down on the small town of Besaid. People were busy shopping and cooking, rushing to get everything ready for the return of ex-High Summoner Yuna and her friends. Up on the hill looking down at Besaid, three lone figures were travelling towards the town. They were all young women, around the ages of 19 or 20. The young brunette was wearing he hair in a long braid down her back. She had a white v-neck top on, that laced up just below her neck, and a pair of small denim shorts. Over the shorts she wore a half skirt of blue and white and a pair of knee length blue boots. She was pulling another girl behind her, who was wearing all black, and had spiky grey hair, although she could be no more than 20. Behind them there was a young blond girl. She was wearing a yellow bikini top, a pair of yellowy-brown shorts and cream coloured arm warmers with bows down them. She had a scarf round her neck that extended to her toes. It was yellow at the ends, but faded into orange and red in the middle. And boots that were mainly the same sort of colour as her shorts.

Yuna laughed, pulling Paine towards the small village of Besaid. She could see smoke rising out of the familiar tents, the tents where her childhood memories lay.

"Come on Rikku!" She shouted back at her cousin, looking impatient. She couldn't wait to see Lulu again, and visit the temple where she had first become a Summoner. That had been years ago, when Tidius had been with her... she stopped that thought. He had been gone too long for her to be thinking of now. Sighing, Yuna looked down at the village, remembering the tents all too well. There were two lines of tents, both facing each other, making a kind of avenue leading to the Temple of the Faythe. The tents were all a pale shade of either green or a lilac-y colour. There was the apothecary, owned and kept by LeBlanc and her two brothers Ormi and Logos. The armoury manned by Nooj and Gippal, Lulu and Wakka's home. After that came the Item's store, owned by Shuyin. Opposite that was the store for everything else, food ect, owned and manned by Lenne, her aunt, and a hospital/doctors surgery, where Baralai and Tiffa worked.

Meanwhile, in the village itself, Lulu strolled out of the village apothecary towards her home. She smiled as she looked up to the hill and saw the three girls approaching. It'd been so long since she'd seen them; They'd get to the village in about 10 minutes. Looking around her, she stopped dead, unable to move. There was a Youth League soldier walking towards her, and the look on his face was enough to tell her that the peace would stay no longer. She sped up, not wanting to be the one who was given the news, but her attempts were in vain. The soldier easily caught up with her, and thrust a letter into her hands before marching off towards the docks. Lulu gasped at the letter. It wasn't the ultimatum they had been expecting. It was an order to leave or die. They had thought the Youth League had only wanted the temple, not the whole village! She ran to the warning bell as fast as she could, ringing it as loud as possible as the sound spread through the village.

Back up on the hill, Yuna Rikku and Paine were messing around, trying to sneak up on the other person. Yuna was stood, gasping down at the village, still remembering the past, unaware of her cousin sneaking up on her from behind. Silently laughing at the fact that she'd caught her cousin in her reminiscing, Rikku tackled Yuna, pinning her to the ground, but Yuna still ended up pinning her cousin to the floor. They both laughed, but stopped instantly as they heard the warning bell of Besaid. A bell that hadn't been sounded for almost 3 years. The Youth League had finally decided to attack the village. The trio sprinted down the hill, heading for Lulu's home. Yuna froze as they entered the village, remembering something a friend had once said to her. All you need to do is whistle, and I'll come running. No matter what's happening to me or where I am. She span round and ran off in the opposite direction towards the Temple, and the chamber of the Faythe, where she could find help.

"Go and find Lulu!" She shouted, before sprinting off into the temple, Rikku at her heels.

"What's your Idea!?" she asked, struggling to keep up. Yuna just shook her head and sped into the temple. Rikku hadn't heard anything that Yuna had said, she had been concentrating too much on running, except she was sure she had heard one word that almost stopped her in her tracks. Aeons.

Yuna ran straight into the temple and up the steps, completely ignoring the guard that stood there. She wasn't about to let a single person stop her. Seeing who she was, the guard to the passage to the chamber of the Faythe let her rush past him, towards the Chamber of the Faythe. She ran as fast as she could, not noticing her surroundings. She didn't need to stop and make sure she was going the right way; she knew these passages better than she knew the Celsius, her home. She sprinted down the hallways and down the steps to the one room she would never forget. The Chamber of the Faythe. She looked round the all-too-familiar room: The lovely chocolate brown walls, the glowing yellow mound in the floor. The nook in the wall where the Summoners' robes were, the ever-burning wall torches. She shuffled nervously over to the nook where the Summoners' robes were, pulling hers out and changing into it. She caressed the soft, faintly pink sleeves, and smiled. Wearing this, she would always feel wanted. She sighed, taking a deep breath, before slowly walking over to the glowing yellow mound. It wasn't that big –it couldn't be any more than 6ft wide- but she hadn't been here in years, and it seemed intimidating. She knelt by the side of it and started singing. It was her way of speaking to the Faythe, asking it to appear. She sang of the beauty of the world, and of the temple. She sang of Aeons, and people she had known that had died for her. She sang about her hurt and her comfort, her love and her hate. As she finished her song, something happened that gave her hope. Her Summoner's rod appeared in front of her, and a voice said her name.

"Yuna" the voice said, and Yuna gasped. She hadn't really believed the Faythe would listen to her after all the time that had passed, and the things she had done, so she was amazed to see the Faythe appear in the signature guise of a young boy. She bowed, and made the official Summoners greeting.

"Merry meet, Faythe" she said, smiling "I wasn't expecting you to come." The Faythe shook its head and smiled lovingly.

"Shame on you Yuna. We would never abandon you, after all you have done. The Aeons were never completely destroyed, but they could never contact you after you gave up your work as a Summoner. They will be glad to serve you again to save this beautiful town. They are with you Yuna, now go and save your home!" with that, the Faythe disappeared, its work done. Yuna smiled, jumping up and racing back out to her friends.

Rikku sighed. She was miserable! The Youth League were actually going to attack a village of un-armed people! The defences were old, and wouldn't help much, but no one had mentioned it yet. Lulu was still in the village, helping the people take refuge in the Temple until the battle was over. She looked up and gasped as she saw Yuna run out of the passage of the fallen in her Summoners Robes. As Yuna ran past, she pointed towards the walls of the village, and Yuna nodded, rushing past. She ran straight to her friends, who were too busy to notice her, and seemed to have run out of hope.

"Paine, there is no way we can win this! The defences won't hold for a minute, and Yuna ran off saying something about Aeons!" Rikku cried, before seeing Yuna and gasping.

"Yunie, what are you wearing? They won't come back, it's impossible. If they could, why didn't they?" Rikku asked, but she froze as she heard the sound of marching feet. Yuna pushed her towards the village, yelling at her to get everybody inside.

"Rikku, GO! I'll hold them off here." She shouted, moving to the only way into the village. She gripped her rod tightly, and prayed that her plan worked.

"Euberus, Nix please hear me. Help me defend my home and friends!" she shouted, and she laughed with joy as the two ethereal creatures appeared next to her.

"Nix, hide us. Make only Euberus visible. Let's see how they react to that!" she said, before asking "If I change, will you stay?" Nix nodded, so Yuna changed into her original outfit, pulling out the dual pistols out of their holsters and pointing them at the advancing troops.

"Nix, go and help the people in the village. Give them the strength to fight, and defend the port!" she said, stepping directly into the path of the advancing soldiers. They stopped as they saw Euberus, but quickly decided that it was an illusion and carried on walking. Yuna smirked, holding her guns tightly as she prepared to fire at the advancing soldiers. They were looking nervous now, and most of the front six lines ran into the woods as Euberus roared, but the rest carried on. Sighing, she started shooting the advancing soldiers, happy for her good accuracy. none of them suffered, she made sure of that. She kept shooting as Euberus started attacking. He clawed through the first column, leaving no survivors, but Yuna froze as the troops stopped and parted, showing Yu Yevon pulling someone behind her. No, it can't be! He's dead! Yuna thought, as Yu tossed an unconscious Tidius -Her first love, who she thought was dead- at her feet.

"You have one hour to pack up and leave, Yuna, them we bring the siege weapons." Yu said, before retreating into the troops. Yuna screamed as she almost threw herself onto Tidius. She poured a little of a Phoenix Down potion into his mouth, waking him. He gasped, flailing his arms. Yuna held onto his arms, waiting for him to calm down and orientate himself, before smiling at him.

"Tidius..." she said, helping him sit up, and handing him some food.

"What happened?" Tidius sighed, sitting up.

"I'm not completely sure Yuna. I thought I was going to get back home when I faded, but I didn't. I woke up in the middle of the sea, and I almost drowned, trying to get back to the surface. Yu was on a boat coming towards me, and they helped me. They offered to employ me, and I needed the money so i said yes." Tidius said, sounding almost... Proud. Yuna gasped

"But Tidius... Why? There are better places to make money!" she asked, shocked that he'd decided to work for the league.

"Because I wanted to find you" he replied, smiling. But Yuna wasn't sure... his smile didn't reach his eyes, which looked dark and kinda sad.

"What was it like, when you disappeared? You couldn't have come back straight away" Yuna asked, questions rushing round her head like a city during the Rush Hour. Tidius shook his head, not wanting to talk about it. Yuna smiled and nodded, hoping he'd understand that he didn't have to say anything. She got up quickly as Rikku and Paine came running down the road. Rikku stopped dead when she saw Tidius, amazed.

"Yunie, is it really him?" she asked, amazed. Yuna nodded and motioned for her to be quiet.

"Rikku, did Nix get to you in time?" she asked, looking worried. Rikku nodded

"Yeah, not a minute too soon. We were surrounded when she turned up, we would've lost if she hadn't got there when she did." Rikku admitted. Yuna sighed, knowing that this was not going to be an easy battle. She stood, helped Tidius to his feet and sprinted towards the village, her friends and Euberus at her heels. She gasped as she reached the little village. The Youth League soldiers had burned it, and were trying to burn the temple.

"NO!" Yuna screamed in fury, charging at the soldiers, but not even getting half way as Tidius drew his sword and stabbed her through the stomach. Yuna gasped as she fell to the ground and curled herself up into the foetal position, hugging her wounded belly. Rikku charged forwards, grabbing Tidius by the hair and putting her dagger to his throat, snarling into his ear

"What was that for? All she ever did was love you and help you, and you just killed her!" Tidius sneered.

"I gave up on the Summoner a long time ago. When the League found me, I was almost dead. They told me about what you're little group of 'Sphere-Hunters' had done. You defiled the Temple in Bevelle and destroyed the one weapon that could be used if sin ever returned. You ruined everything!" he said, "And I'm not sorry for one moment of my work with the League." he said, before Rikku killed him, slitting his throat quickly. She stepped forward, and shouted at the attackers.

"Why are we doing this? Why are we fighting? Villagers, soldiers, why don't you just share? Let the League build a Headquarters here, but let the villagers stay. That way no one else has to die. High Summoner, Lady Yuna was just killed. Is that any way to keep the calm? We have to work together, not fight amongst each other!" She shouted, meaning every word. She hadn't wanted any of this, especially not Yuna's death, but she had to put up with it. She smiled as everyone started laying down their weapons, watching the Aeons -Nix and Euberus- disaparate into hundreds of Pyre-Flies that slowly drifted into the clear blue sky. She nodded at Paine who started collecting the weapons put down. It would be hard to keep the peace now Yuna was dead, but they would. The calm would stay, and no one would fight. A memorial would be placed where she died, dedicated to peace, in her name.

THE END

English 9Y2 Miss Stacy

Rhiannon McKenna 9SBY