This one's for the Braska fans, especially Silver Wolf. :-)
This started out as chapter 5 for my Reflections series, but I got a bigger idea. Please let me know if it sucks. Also let me know if it rocks, because I like that feeling especially. *grin*
Disclaimer: I don't own FFX. That honor goes to the geniuses at Square. I do own this here story, though, since I'm the one who wrote it. =^_^=
The Final Summoning,
Chapter 1: Farewell
"Hey, Braska! The party's starting soon. What are you waiting for?"
I looked over my shoulder, amused. My guardians, Jecht and Auron, were waiting a short distance away. Jecht was bouncing his blitzball off his knee, looking distinctly impatient. Auron frowned at him over his glasses.
"He's going to talk to his daughter first," he said sternly. "Let him be."
"Oh." Jecht scratched his head, looking slightly embarrassed. "Eh…sorry. I'll wait over here, okay?"
He sprinted down the trail, spinning his blitzball on his middle finger and tossing friendly insults back at Auron. The swordsman peered at me, a slight frown on his face.
"Are you sure you want to bring him along?"
"I have to, don't I? It would be rude to uninvite him." Besides, I had told Jecht I would help him find his way home. Auron was aware of that, so he didn't argue. He simply sighed and followed Jecht down the trail, muttering something about obnoxious drunks and pilgrimages and how the two didn't mix.
Smiling to myself, I walked toward the beach. Yuna was crouching near the water, trying to arrange a pile of sand into a sand castle, but with little success. Her friends Lulu and Wakka sat nearby, Lulu frowning thoughtfully, Wakka tossing a blitzball up and down in the air.
"It's too watery," Wakka was saying. "Maybe you can do some kind of . . . un-Water spell or something, Lu, ya?"
"Well, no . . . but I can do Fire." Lulu stood up and stretched her hand out toward the lump of mud. "Burn—"
"Lulu, no!" Yuna quickly clapped her hand over Lulu's mouth. "Remember this morning in class? You set Lord Ohalland's statue on fire!"
I laughed out loud, and the three children looked up, startled. Yuna ran up to me and threw her arms around my waist, while Lulu and Wakka brushed themselves off and tried to look dignified.
"Come on, Wakka," Lulu said, grabbing Wakka by the arm. "I think he wants to talk to Yuna alone."
"Ow—not so tight, Lu!" He waved with his free arm while Lulu pulled him back toward the village. "Good luck on your pilgrimage! See you soon, ya?"
I waved back, then looked down at Yuna. Her mismatched eyes were wide with sudden anxiety.
"I guess you're leaving then?" she said softly.
"Yes," I replied, nodding. "Our ship leaves in the morning."
"Oh." She hopped up and down on her toes, her eyes even wider than before. "Daddy, are you sure you don't need another guardian? I'm not very good at fighting, but I'm learning white magic in school—I could heal you and Sir Jecht and Sir Auron when you get hurt and—"
"Yuna," I said gently, "there's nothing I'd like more than to take you with me, but this is a very dangerous trip. There are lots of fiends roaming around, and Sin could attack at any time, and Yuna, I don't want you to get hurt. We talked about that, remember?"
"Yes . . ." She rested her head on my belly for a moment; then she looked back up at me. "Then . . . when you come home, will you teach me to be a summoner?"
"I'd be glad to—" I stopped as her request sank in. "You want to become a summoner?"
Yuna nodded almost casually. "I want to be able to protect Spira, too. I mean, I know you can defeat Sin and bring the Calm and all that, but won't they still need summoners to do sendings and things like that?"
"Of course."
"Besides, we could always use an extra summoner, right?" She gave a me a big, mischievous grin. "You know, just in case."
Laughing, I reached down and tickled her on the ribs. She squealed and wiggled out of my grip. "Daddy, I'm serious! When you come back, will you teach me?"
I looked into her eyes. She was so young, so innocent . . . She was only seven years old. She had known only the Calm. She knew that the summoners were the ones who defeated Sin and allowed the people of Spira to live in peace, but she didn't know the whole truth, not yet. She didn't know that the summoners gave their lives to bring that peace. She didn't know that the Final Summoning would end my life. I was painfully aware that this was the last time my daughter and I would be together in this world, but how could I tell her that? How could I tell her that the pilgrimage was my death sentence, the Final Summoning would be my executioner—assuming I even made it that far?
I couldn't tell her that. She needed to believe that her daddy would bring the Calm and return home. She needed to hope. So I looked into her eyes and said simply, "I'll try."
Yuna's eyes narrowed slightly, as if she knew there was something I wasn't telling her. For one heart-stopping moment I thought she was going to ask what I was hiding, but to my relief, she smiled brightly and said, "Thank you, Daddy! I promise I'll be a good student."
"Of course you will," I said softly as she scampered off toward the village. "Of course you will."
* * * *
That night, the people of Besaid held an impromptu party to celebrate my becoming a summoner. I joked to Auron and Jecht that I wasn't sure whether I should be flattered or frightened—a party to wish me well on a journey that would cost me my life!
"You're bringing them hope," Auron explained philosophically. "They're celebrating their renewed hope, not your death."
Jecht was more practical.
"Hey, it's a party!" he shouted joyously as he jogged toward the center of town. "Live it up, boys!"
And so we went to the party in fairly good spirits. The entire populace had shown up, many bearing gifts; before long, we were loaded with potions, a bit of spending money, and other supplies. By nightfall, our bellies were full (the innkeeper was an excellent cook) and our hearts were filled with the villagers' well-wishes. As a thank-you, I decided to provide a bit of entertainment.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Jecht bellowed, loudly enough for everyone to hear, "here for your viewing pleasure, Summoner Braska, performing his, uh . . . summoning thing! Braska, come on up!"
An expectant silence fell over the crowd as I stepped into a large open space near the fire. I took a deep breath and faced my audience, gripping my staff firmly in my hands.
"I'm not terribly good at speeches," I began, "but I want to thank all of you for being here tonight. I won't let you down—Yevon willing, I will defeat Sin and bring the Calm once again. I will do everything I can to bring peace to Spira." I paused, cleared my throat. I hate speeches. "For now, as a token of my thanks, I'd like to introduce you to a new friend of mine, the aeon Valefor."
I raised my staff vertically in front of my face, my head bowed, my eyes closed in concentration. I focused on the new bond between the aeon and myself, calling silently to the aeon. Valefor . . .
And a soft voice in my head said, I'm coming.
Satisfied, I opened my eyes and lifted the staff over my head. A series of glyphs glowed on the ground, encircling me, and the dark sky was now filled with a thick cover of wispy clouds. Then there was a great swooshing of wings, and a rainbow of colors dropped out of the sky, landing gracefully beside me.
I reached out to stroke the great bird's neck. The feathers were soft and silky, the eyes fearsome yet gentle. I motioned to Yuna, whose eyes were round and gleaming with nervous excitement.
"You can touch him," I said quietly. "He won't hurt you."
Slowly and cautiously, Yuna stepped forward and rested her hand next to mine. Valefor nipped playfully at her hair, and she buried her face in the crook of his wings. The villagers applauded softly, and Yuna hurried back to her spot between Lulu and Wakka, grinning ear to ear. I looked back at Valefor, who was waiting patiently for my next command.
Thank you. You may go now.
And with a mighty swoosh, the aeon leaped back into the clouds and disappeared.The villagers applauded again, more vigorously now. I thanked them once again, and as the crowd started to disperse, I caught up with my daughter again.
"Oh, Daddy," she exclaimed, "that was amazing! Thank you so much!"
"You're welcome," I replied with a smile. "I have one more thing for you, too."
"What is it?"
I pulled the box out of my pouch and handed it to her. She opened it carefully, gasping when she saw the delicate silver pendant inside.
"It was your mother's. I think it's time for you to have it." I took the pendant out of the box and motioned for her to turn around so I could put it around her neck. She fingered it gently for a moment; then she threw her arms around me in a tight embrace.
"I'll miss you, Daddy," she whispered.
"I'll miss you, too." I returned the embrace, gave her a kiss on the head. "Run along, now. It's late, and you've got school tomorrow."
She kissed me on the cheek and raced back toward the temple. I took a deep breath, fighting to hold back tears. It's not too late, I told myself. You can change your mind, you can stay here, no one will think the less of you—
"Lord Braska," Auron's voice came from behind me.
"Yes, Auron?"
"Our things are already on the ship. The captain said we could go ahead and board whenever we're ready."
I nodded. Yes, that was a good idea. That way I would be gone before she woke up, and we wouldn't have to face another goodbye. I turned to Auron and nodded once.
"That's an excellent idea. Let's go."
@}------
I actually cried when I wrote this. *wipes away tears* The next chapter won't be nearly as sad, I promise—because I just can't handle more of that! *runs away with Kleenex in hand*
I hope Braska's not too far out of character—it's been a long time since I've actually played the game, heh. Please R&R, this is my first attempt at a long story, and I intend to finish it! Also, let me know if the guys start sounding too girly. I'm not quite used to writing men, as I'm a girl in real life. ^_^ '
