Chapter 2 - The Summoning
A guardian. Cloud could only assume a guardian was a protector. Was Cloud really up for this? After losing Zack and Aerith he couldn't help but doubt whether he could protect anyone anymore. However, he had to except, he needed to help Yuna defeat Sin to stop Sephiroth. "Being a guardian means you will protect Yuna and guide her to the ancient ruins of Zanarkand so she can obtain the final aeon" Lulu explained. There was a moment of silence as Cloud thought to him self. "Hm. I accept." He said although it came out as if he didn't like the idea. "Awight! With bubby on our side Yuna's practically guarenteed to get to Zanarkand!" Wakka exclaimed. "As soon as Kimahri arrives I will go and pray to the fayth to obtain my first aeon" Yuna said although she didn't seem very pleased.
Cloud didn't know what an aeon was. He decided not to ask though so he didn't seem completely clueless, that wouldn't be the best impression as his first day as a guardian. It was almost noon when Kimahri arrived and by then Cloud had figured out that an aeon was kind of like a summon from over hearing the people of the village talking about it. He wondered if any of his summons were aeons. Just thinking about it made his head hurt. He Yuna Lulu and Kimahri entered the temple. Wakka had said he wouldn't be joining them he had to train up the Aurochs for the big cup match in Luca. Getting through the cloister of trials was easy enough for Cloud. Simply touching glyphs and rearranging spheres was child's play, it was a lot less confusing than the time he went to the Temple of the Ancients. Before Yuna entered the chamber he wished her good luck and to his surprise she gave him a crushing hug before quickly entering. The three guardians sat around the antechamber and waited. That's all they could do considering they weren't allowed in.
Lulu joined Cloud who had been sitting on the stairs just a few meters from the entrance for quite a while. "She cares about you a lot,you know that right?" "I kind of guessed from the way she hugged me." Cloud replied "She feels safe around you. She seems to think you're her guardian angel." Lulu said with a small chuckle as she spoke. Hours passed by and Cloud knew it was night. This is something the ex-soldier knew instinctively from his training. Kimahri was silent as always with his eyes shut however it seemed more like he was meditating rather than sleeping. Lulu had begun to experiment with her magic in the corner while Cloud remained on the stairs. Just then Wakka entered with some blonde kid who was gaping. "What are you doing here?" Lulu said in a sharp and aggressive tone. "Didn't think we'd be able to handle it?" "No, it's uh...it's just... See I told you she gets mad easy" He said to the blonde kid.
"Is the summoner alright?" he said in a curious manner. "What are you doing in here?" Cloud asked in an intimidating voice. This clearly shook the kid up and Cloud's presence obviously made him uneasy. The door opened and out came Yuna stumbling. She took another step and fell. If it wasn't for the mako and Cloud's military training Yuna would be on the cold floor however she landed softly into Cloud's arms. "Satisfied?" he said in a soothing voice. She nodded and said "I've done it. I've become a summoner!". After that her eyes closed and she fell asleep. Cloud picked her up easily and carried her like a baby out of the chamber and back to her hut.
When the man in black exited with the summoner he turned to Wakka and said "What's that guys deal?". This seemed to make Wakka laugh. "You gettin' scared of Bubby over there?" Wakka asked still chuckling away, however Lulu's scold soon shut him up. "Let's just go. We'll talk about this later Wakka" Lulu said sharply. The four of them exited the temple. Tidus felt like he just got Wakka in trouble which made him guilty as Wakka had only been helpful ever since he got here. "So who is this 'Bubby' then Wakka?" Tidus asked curiously. "His real name is Cloud and he's only one of the most powerful warriors I ever seen, ya!" Wakka replied with great enthusiasm. "He's like you ya know. He also washed up on the shore of the beach. Yuna found him there and looked after him until he recovered, I guess now he's trying to return the favour, ya.
Tidus saw Yuna and Cloud exit the hut and noticed the entire village was here. "Watch" Yuna said to Cloud gently pushing him in the direction of the other guardians. Tidus looked up at the intimidating man. His eyes glowed which Tidus found suspicious and unearthly. Noticing that Cloud was glancing at him he quickly turned away and put all of his attention on Yuna. The summoner was performing a dance, no maybe a ritual.
As Cloud watched Yuna he saw symbols and glyphs appear. It kind of reminded him of summoning using materia although when using materia a ritual isn't needed to summon the beast, they just simply appear. A regal roar ran across the sky that was heard by all the villagers. A winged beast came from the clouds at a tremendous speed then opened it's winged causing it to slow down and land next to Yuna. Valefore is what she called it, a summon Cloud wasn't familiar with. She then waved it off in a dismissive motion where it then flew up back into the clouds.
Looking up at the night sky Cloud realised that all the stars were out. It took him back to that starry night at the well in Nibelheim with Tifa. He would never forget the promise that they made. Even though he wasn't in the same world as her he would still try to keep that promise, she was like a sister to him and he wasn't going to let anything happen to her especially not after- "Cloud?" the sound of Yuna's voice shook him out of his deep thoughts. "Are you alright?" "I'm fine. I was just admiring the fire the rest of the village had built" he said trying to keep his feelings hidden away. "It is rather impressive. Come sit next to me over here, the kids really want to meet you!". It was strange hearing that. He'd only been here for what a week and he was already a role model for the children. They were eager to see him and he could tell they were fighters by the looks in their eye.
"Um. Hey kids" Cloud said. "Hello Mr. Cloud!" they all replied. It was funny, he never thought he would be called Mr. Cloud. "Will you teach us how to fight!?" one of them said. "Please!" another spoke up and soon enough every single one of them were begging to be taught. "Heh. Alright then. Now before any warrior can fight he or she must have a weapon, so why don't we make our own weapons first!" "Yeah! Ok!" the children were hyper from excitement. Yuna loved the way Cloud could connect so easily with the children. She watched for a bit while Cloud made his own sword from bamboo and helped the others with their bamboo weapons. She was snapped out of her daze by the shouting of the elders and one of the kids. "You heathen!" "Stay away from the summoner" "You're a bad man!". Yuna went over to them and assured them it was alright. She then proceeded to talk to Tidus.
Cloud had just about finished his bamboo sword when he noticed Yuna talking with that blonde kid. Cloud knew the kid didn't belong just like he didn't. He saw this from the way he talked to the way he dressed. While he wore a biltzball uniform like Wakka it was clear his was much older than Wakka's. He decided not to dwell on the thought and returned to helping the kids who were ready to start training. "So tomorrow then" Yuna said to Tidus. "Uh..tomorrow?" was the awkward reply. "We're going on the same boat to Luca aren't we?" "Oh yeah Wakka seems to think I'll find someone I know there but i doubt it." "Lady Yuna come help us defeat Cloud the monster!" a little girl exclaimed with excitement. Yuna nodded and turned to Tidus. "So tomorrow, we can talk more. You can tell me all about Zanarkand.". Yuna looked over at Cloud and sighed with happiness as he blocked in coming bamboo weapons. She ran over to him and jumped on him causing him to fall on the floor and all the kids piled on top. Everyone was laughing apart from Cloud who seemed like he couldn't breathe which made Yuna laugh even more.
Once the kids went to their huts for some sleep Cloud stood and walked towards the Aurochs. They were all chanting a new team slogan. "Victory! Victory! Victory!". "Seems like you guys are in high spirits for the Crystal Cup." Cloud said. "Ya with this blitz wizkid, Tidus, on our team there's no way we'll lose!" "Hm. You speak very highly of him. Let's just hope he can deliver" Cloud responded in that cool way of his. Tidus seemed to conjure up the courage to ask Cloud a question. "Uhh do you play blitz Cloud, uh Mr. Strife, sir" Cloud chuckled to himself for a while before saying "Calm down kid I'm not going to kill you for coming into the chamber of the fayth." This made Tidus relax a little "And to answer your question, yes I play a little." "BAH! A little! Don't make me laugh, ya! Bubby over here can hold his breath for 30 minutes and he could probabaly swim better than all of us combined!" Wakka exclaimed over exagerating just a bit. "Then, you should join us! Yeah you should play in the cup!" Tidus said trying to get Cloud to agree. "Hmph. I'll consider your request." Cloud and the Aurochs joked around for a while until he decided to go to the hut and get some rest.
Cloud stood outside the temple with all the other guardians and Tidus while they waited for Yuna. He looked over at Tidus who was standing with Wakka. He couldn't keep still, it was clear to see he was eager for the blitzball tournament and to start the journey. Yuna walked out of the temple with a suitcase. "You really don't need all that luggage" Lulu said. "They're not really my things so much as gifts for the temples we visit" "This isn't a vacation Yuna" Wakka said suddenly serious which was a bit out of character. Cloud spoke up "This is Yuna's journey. She should have the final say." "Ahh. Awight then but you're carrying it Bubby!" Wakka stated with a grin on his face which caused Tidus to laugh out loud in turn caused Cloud's lips to flicker with the faintest hint of a smirk.
Walking to the docks Yuna was slacking behind however Cloud stayed by her side which she was grateful of. She leaned into him and he put his arm around her protectively. She liked that. They stopped half way up the path where Cloud Wakka and Lulu taught Tidus to fight. Kimahri told her he would test Tidus' abilities out further down the path so he continued on. Before continuing Wakka and Cloud prayed at the small monument followed by Tidus. Cloud stared at it for a while almost as if he recognised it. He often stared into space, probably thinking about his other world. This is something she would have to ask him about on their way to Kilika and Luca. They continued down the path and just like Kimahri said he was going to test Tidus' abilities. The fight was already half way done when they got there however it wouldn't have a victor as Wakka stopped it. "What's that guys problem!?" Tidus asked full of adrenalyne. "Don't feel threatened. Kimahri's just seeing if you can keep up with us. He did the same thing to me, you should feel welcomed." Cloud said. Yuna admired Cloud so much he was always so confident and sure of himself. "Sometimes we don't understand him either. He doesn't talk much but he's protected me ever since i was a child." Yuna explained.
They reached to docks and Cloud took Yuna's luggage and carried it onto the ship with ease. He glanced at Yuna and saw tears in her eyes. Cloud walked over to her and hugged her "Go ahead and cry. I won't tell anyone.". Yuna then buried her head into his chest as she cried. The two of them walked over to the edge. "Goodbye Besaid." Yuna said with a sob as the ship set sail. Next stop Kilika.
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