Author: Okay, even though no one's read my story yet, I'm in too much of a writing mood to not write…er, yeah, I think that's right.
Setsuna: …..Shouldn't you be doing French homework or something so you don't miss another assignment?
Author: Shut up…this is college.
Setsuna: And to think you've been a nerd since middle school.
Author: I can erase you anytime I want…
Setsuna: This isn't The World Ends With You…
Author: Hmm…great idea. I'll just stick you in a fanfic for that game and erase you there.
Setsuna: That's it, I quit! **Walks out.**
I do not own Final Fantasy X, the characters, the storyline, or anything of that nature! This alternate universe where the history is a little different is…mine? I 'unno, but don't take it! Also, do NOT take my Original Character!! without my permission…I mean, whatever, we'll talk about it.
Setsuna: Are you going to say that for every chapter?
Author: I thought you left!!
Setsuna: Fine, be a bitch.
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It's been a while, hasn't it? I know that this isn't my real life. I'm still not quite sure what happened, but whatever happened, I'm thankful for it. I just hope that she got away safely.
The man sitting at the table was lost deep in thought. He was having dreams about a memory that happened many years ago. It still made him wonder why he was still alive. He knew that blast hit him dead on as he was trying to protect his Summoner, who, quite frankly he was a little steamed that she did not move out of the way, even though he did feel sad about her losing her fiancé. He shook his head and smoothed back his long raven hair. It was boring just sitting here at this table in Luca, dwelling on his past that happened one-thousand years ago, but he did not feel like leaving town tonight. His friend, the up and coming Summoner Braska, said that it was not too urgent that he arrive in Bevelle the very next day. Plus, the man was getting a bit weary. Sure, he was twenty-five years old but he was an ex-monk. His muscles have endured more than one could imagine. A long red coat lay slung over the back of the chair he was sitting on and a large jug was sitting on the floor.
It was getting a bit late, so the man stood up and paid for his bill. He retrieved his coat and jug from their respective places and left the café he was sitting in. A group of children ran by him, laughing and playing, like children were supposed to do. It caused the man to smile a bit, remembering his late charge. She used to play and be happy, but that was before she grew up. In the group of children, one little girl caught his eye. She was rather tall for a girl who seemed to be about eight years old. Her hair was midnight black, and her bangs were short and symmetrical, and there were long strands that were styled in front of her ears. However, it was not her hair that grabbed the man's attention. It was her golden eyes. No one else in Spira besides his charge and her mother had golden eyes. And there, in her right eye, was a black spiral instead of the normal Spiran round pupil. It made the man's heart sink. There was only one reason that there was a little girl her age that looked like his charge. She had not gotten away from Sin. He had failed to protect his Summoner.
The young girl with the golden eyes stopped running with the other children and looked at the man who was staring at her. Something about the red coat he was carrying gave her pause. She really liked the way he was dressed, but was far too afraid to tell him so. The man walked over to her, slowly, as not to scare her. She stepped back a bit, almost tripping on her long black tattered skirt. The man noticed that her clothes looked like they could have been rags at one point. Then the thought struck him: she must be an orphan. Once again, his heart sank as he thought about how much pain she had been put through in this lifetime as she had in her old one. The man stepped a bit closer to her and kneeled down, placing the red coat on the ground. "Young one," he said as gently as he could in his gruff voice, "please, your name. Tell me your name." He took note of how confused the little girl looked. She must not remember who she was like he remembered. "Please, do not be afraid of me. I'm not going to hurt you."
"I…" the little girl began, her golden eyes darting around for possible help should this strange man in fact cause her harm. "My name is Setsuna. At least…that is what they call me at the orphanage." The man's face fell. So she was an orphan. Was that because her original parents passed away one-thousand years ago? That could not be. The parents he had one-thousand years ago died when he was very young. That was when he had met his charge's mother and the rest is history…literally.
"Setsuna," the man began, just as gently as earlier when he first spoke to her, "I do not know if you remember me, but I used to take care of you a long time ago." He picked up the coat next to him and held it in front of her so she could grab it and examine it, which she did. "My name is Auron. I was your Guardian, my young charge." Setsuna examined the coat inside and out, running her small hands over every detail of the adornments on the coat.
"I…" she began again, a bit quieter than before, "I remember this coat from a dream I had a few weeks ago." Setsuna slowly handed the coat back to Auron, almost reluctant to let it go. "I'm sorry, but I don't know who you are." Auron nodded slightly. Perhaps she would remember later on in her life. His old responsibilities came back to him and he was afraid of leaving her alone. Even though she did not remember him, Setsuna was still his charge and she would always be. Summoner or not, he was still her Guardian, albeit he was a failure. He stood up slowly and held out his large hand.
"I know you do not understand why I am doing this, but I am going to get you out of that orphanage." Setsuna's eyes lit up. She gently placed her small, dirt covered hand in his calloused one, and held on for dear life. It made Auron smile in remembrance.
"You're right," she grinned, "I don't understand, but my dreams said I should trust a man in a red coat. Are you my daddy?" she asked innocently, those golden eyes shining with hope. Auron reeled back a bit. He was not her father, Zaon was, but considering the circumstances, both past and present, he might as well be, but it was not true, and no matter how much it would lift her spirits, he could not lie to the little girl standing at his side. To Setsuna's dismay, her new friend shook his head slowly.
"I am truly sorry, Setsuna," he spoke in a grim tone. He watched as her eyes fell to the concrete ground under their feet, the shine slowly dimming. "I am only your Guardian and only your friend. I may have taken care of you as a father would, and I will from this point on again, but I can never replace your real father." He began to lead her down the crowded streets of Luca, knowing exactly where the one and only orphanage was in the city, despite it being so large.
"Then, can I ask you two questions?" Setsuna asked quietly, having to take large strides to keep up with him. Auron nodded and looked down at her. She had a strand of her long hair in her mouth and she was chewing on it. She may not remember herself, but she certainly remembers her habits, he thought to himself. The girl looked up to him, her golden eyes piercing him as she released the hair from her mouth. "Since you know a lot about me…can you tell me who I am?" The older man was taken aback by her question. He was not sure if he should tell her at this age, there was no way she could understand. The only reason he would tell her is because these dreams told her about him, so possibly after telling her the truth, future dreams could perhaps jog her memory of her past and the truth as well.
"In the orphanage, did they ever tell you the story of the First Summoning?" he asked as they turned onto a new street. The girl holding his hand nodded. "You are originally from one-thousand years ago. You knew who I was because I was your Guardian from when you were eight years old until…" he trailed off, unable to tell her the whole truth, but Setsuna was not going to let him get away with it. She tugged heavily on his arm, glaring up at him with fire in those golden eyes. Auron recognized that trait as well, and he smiled again. That trait she received from her father. "I'm truly sorry, Setsuna. I cannot tell you your past. That is something I would like you to figure out for yourself." His charge looked at him sadly, but despite her young age, she nodded in understanding. "Now what was your other question?"
"Since you're going to be taking care of me, Auron," she said, her voice wavering, "can I…can I call you 'Daddy'?" Once again, a shocked look was planted on Auron's face. On one hand, he basically acted like her father, but on the other hand, should she call anybody but Zaon her father? Well, a long time ago, she did refer to Auron as a "father figure." Maybe it would not hurt to allow the little girl some bit of hope until she remembered who she was.
"Yes, Setsuna," Auron said with a large grin on his face. "If it is going to make you more comfortable to call me 'Daddy,' then you have my permission to do so." The young girl at his side smiled so large he thought her head was going to pop off. Setsuna let go of Auron's hand and hugged his leg tightly. He just stared down at her before wrapping his large arms around her. "Now, come on, we do not have much time to waste because we have somewhere to go tomorrow, and I must adopt you from the orphanage so you can come along with me." He looked over Setsuna and realized that after they took care of business at the orphanage he should take her clothes shopping. If she was her old self, Setsuna would never allow herself to look like that, well, when she was this age, this was how she always looked. Auron thought it a bit strange to be staring at a younger version of his charge after it had been so long. Setsuna was only eighteen when she died, her fiancé was nineteen. He shook his head and took Setsuna's hand in his again and they began their walk to the orphanage.
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Adopting Setsuna from the orphanage did not take long. It almost seemed as if the caretaker was glad to get rid of her. Auron kept hearing her mumble about the strange girl who woke her up at night with weird prophetic dreams was finally getting out of her hair. If it was one-thousand years ago, he probably would have drawn his sword on the woman and demand her to apologize to the granddaughter of her savior. Unfortunately, he knew better, seeing as how the Teachings were changed considerably after that fateful night. With Setsuna at his side, they left the orphanage and walked onto the street. Even though Setsuna questioned about where they were going, Auron refused to tell her. He did not want to say anything that might offend her about the way she looked. While she did not remember who she was, to Auron, she had to look the part of her past.
The shop was simple enough. It had many different varieties of clothes and different colors. It seemed almost as soon as they walked through the door, Setsuna was already off and gone, checking out everything she could see. Auron had to smile, seeing as how the last time Setsuna ever dragged him shopping was at this age. He allowed her to pick several outfits, explaining that they will be traveling a lot, and there will be different shops to browse along the journey. Strangely, at the sound of journey, Setsuna turned those golden eyes on him. "It's not a journey, Daddy," she said as if he was dense. "You're going on a Pilgrimage with somebody." So, the dreams must have told her that as well. Whoever is talking to her needs to stop telling her these things, Auron thought to himself.
"All right, Setsuna, yes, it is a Pilgrimage," he said, carrying the clothing she chose up to where there was a woman waiting at the counter. "It is for someone named Braska, a good friend of mine, and family to you, technically." Setsuna mulled over the word 'family' as they waited for the woman to stop picking at her nails and ring them up.
"My uncle," was all she whispered. This time, Auron was not as surprised. Those dreams really are trying to remind her of herself, and for that he was thankful. It was strange seeing Setsuna as someone who did not know herself and being an almost up-beat type of girl. She was always quiet, spoke with actions and words at the same time. Where was that girl? She was hidden somewhere in that small reincarnation of Setsuna, and he would get her back. Setsuna just was not Setsuna without a gun in one hand and a blitzball in the other. By the time Auron had completed his thoughts, the woman behind the counter was holding her hand in front of him, waiting for the gil to be dropped in her waiting palm. He glanced to the price, nodded, and pulled the exact amount from the pocket of his red coat. She grinned, held their bags out, and as soon as Auron took them from her, she went back to leaning against the wall and picking at her nails.
Auron led Setsuna to a small inn he was staying at for the evening, and explained that they would be going to Mi'ihen Highroad first thing in the morning. The young girl made several attempts at the protest, saying that as a growing girl should get more sleep. As cute and true as she was, he had to refuse all her suggestions. He already felt himself a bit late at getting to Braska as it was. Auron set up the single bed in the room and told Setsuna that it was hers to sleep in. She gratefully took him up on his offer, settling herself down onto the soft mattress and wrapped herself up in the clean sheets. Before Auron could sit down and place a blanket on the couch for him, Setsuna looked at him with those golden eyes, basically begging him to tuck her in. Considering her past experiences in this lifetime, Auron obliged and walked over to the bed. He tucked her in as gently as he could and watched as heavy eyelids shut him off from those golden eyes. One thing he was happy about: Setsuna did not have that scar over her right eye anymore.
