Chapter four! Wow, it's up…here goes nothing!
Disclaimer: Don't own it. (cries)
I've heard there was a secret chord
That David played and it pleased the lord
But you don't really care for music, do you?
It goes like this
The fourth, the fifth
The minor fall, the major lift
The baffled king composing hallelujah…
"Sometimes Yuna would just stare off into the distance. I finally understood why. She was saying goodbye to the places she'd never see again."
Braska, I remember, would assume the same dead gaze occasionally. Staring off into the distance just like Yuna does, memorizing every blade of grass, every grain of sand. As we have progressed, I began to realize that time was repeating itself right before my eyes—but it's eye now, isn't it? The other day, when we first came to the Calm Lands, I watched Yuna stand on the cliff and give that same gaze, and suddenly she looked exactly like her father. Suddenly, it hurt to look at her. And suddenly…that was when I knew that I was breaking.
Rikku…my discussion with her last night made me realize that she had already endured the suffering that came with Sin-filled adulthood. When her mother died, she did the only thing that she could do at the time; she wept. Jecht and Braska… I could have done more than that. And I did. I only wish that I had cried, instead…
How am I supposed to hold the others together when I myself am falling apart?
The climate changed very quickly at the party ascended the mountain. Abruptly the sky turned grey over their heads, and mild snow began to fall. Rikku was absolutely infatuated with the white puffs falling from the sky.
"What is this stuff?" she asked everyone at once.
"Well…it's snow," Tidus replied, giving her a funny look. "You've never seen it before?"
"I'd heard of it, but I didn't believe it was real!"
Tidus blinked. "Wait, didn't you see snow at Macarena?"
"Macalania," everyone corrected.
"Oh, yeah!" Rikku said, remembering the white stuff. "I guess I was so busy protecting Yunie that I didn't really notice."
She proceeded to skip around the area, twirling happily in the snow as everyone watched with interest and amusement. Yuna giggled.
"Watch this," she said, falling to the ground on her back and waving her arms and legs back and forth. When she got up, a shape was present where she had flailed.
"Hey, snow angel!" Tidus said.
"Cool! Does it always snow here?" Rikku asked.
"Sacred Mountain Gagazet," Kimahri said, "Not change for a thousand years."
"Oh, that reminds me." Rikku perked up. "Hey Auron, how old are you anyway?"
The legendary guardian raised an eyebrow, stepping forward. "You really wish to know?"
He was actually going to tell her! That caught everyone's attention.
Auron chuckled and began to walk ahead of everyone.
"I will be turning thirty-six very soon."
Everyone's jaws dropped as they were rendered speechless. Auron stopped and turned back to them, giving them an expectant look. "Are you coming or not?"
They followed, still dumbstruck.
Auron managed to fall to the back of the group as they went higher and higher, remaining silent --though his amused look said everything for him.
"How old did you think I was?" he asked. The others shook their heads.
"You do not want to know."
That earned a short grunt of a laugh from him, and they all fell silent, their thoughts returning to the morbid reality.
The path soon opened up into a clearing in the mountain, and the group stopped.
Two massive pillars loomed on the other side where the path narrowed again, decorated with tribal paintings.
"Are we here?" Tidus asked.
"In essence," Auron answered. It was his word of wisdom as a guardian that counted most now. Even though Lulu and Wakka had been on more pilgrimages than he, both of their summoners had quit at the Calm Lands. In other words, Auron was the only one who had been this far before. "Let's move."
Kimahri stepped forward, but suddenly there was a beastly roar from somewhere overhead. A Ronso was lunging toward him. He dodged to the side as the other landed on the ground with a smooth thud, hissing. The party noticed more of his kind emerging from the path ahead, and looked around to see even more on the cliffsides. None looked too happy to see them, either. Nearly the whole party took to a half fighting stance, that excluding Auron, Yuna, and Lulu.
"Summoner Yuna and guardians, leave here at once!" a large, older Ronso in the middle commanded. It was Kelk Ronso, the Ronso Elder. "Gagazet is Ronso land, sacred mountain of Yevon. The mountain will not bear the footsteps of infidels!"
The Ronso that had attacked Kimahri stood. "Enemy of Yevon is enemy of Ronso! Leave, traitors!" It was Biran, Auron and Tidus realized, and Yenke abruptly appeared next to him. Yuna spoke up.
"I have cast aside Yevon!" she told them, earning bewildered growls. "I follow the temple no more!"
Kelk gave the loudest growl of "blasphemy" of all. "Then you will die by those words!"
"So be it. Yevon has warped the teachings and betrayed us all!"
"Nothing but a bunch of low-down tricksters, eh?" Wakka cut in.
"Yeah, yeah!" Tidus and Rikku cheered, punching the air for emphasis. Yuna nodded to herself.
"We have no regrets."
"Blasphemers!" Yenke cried.
"A summoner and her guardians…" Kelk appeared lost in thought, then. Lulu cleared her throat.
"Lord Kelk Ronso, if I may. Have you not also turned your back on Bevelle?"
Auron saw where she was going. "But still, you guard Gagazet as a Ronso, not a maester. Yuna is much the same."
Biran ignored his words. "Elder Kelk! Let Biran rend them asunder!"
"No escape!" Yenke said, "Not one!"
Yuna didn't even flinch. "No, we will not flee. We will fight, and continue on."
Kelk seemed to be shaken out of his trance then, and he drew himself up to speak. "You have been branded a traitor, but still you would fight Sin? Lost to the temple, hated by the people, yet you continue your pilgrimage? Everything lost! What do you fight for?"
"I fight for Spira," Yuna readily replied. "The people long for the Calm…I can give it to them. It's all I can give. Defeating Sin, ending pain…this I can do."
"Even sacrificing yourself?" The elderly Ronso sank into thought again before taking another course of action. "Ronso, let them pass!"
The party blinked. What?
"Summoner Yuna, your will is stronger than steel. Tempered steel that even the mightiest Ronso could not hope to bend," Kelk praised. "Yuna, we bow to your will!"
Before Yuna could bow in acceptance, he motioned toward the path behind him. "Now go! The sacred heights of Gagazet welcome you."
Now she bowed. "We thank you."
They had barely traveled five steps past the gate when Biran and Yenke ambushed Kimahri yet again.
"Halt!" Biran commanded. They had no choice but to do so.
"Haven't you bothered us enough?" Tidus asked, and the two Ronso ignored him.
"Summoner may pass. Guardians may pass. Kimahri not pass!" Biran spat Kimahri's name as if it were poison. "Kimahri shame Ronso brothers. Kimahri forget his birth."
"Forget his people, forget his mountain. Little Ronso! Weakling Ronso!" Yenke taunted.
"Mountain hate the weak, hate the small. If you will climb..."
"Then I must prove my strength!" Kimahri finished, stepping forward. Biran laughed at his bravery.
"Think you will win? You not forget who took your horn! Never forget!"
"Kimahri never beat brother Biran! Never win!"
Kimahri growled. "This time, I win. I will win!"
Tidus came to his side ready to fight, but the Ronso held out an arm meant to stop him. The blonde looked up at him curiously.
"This some kind of Ronso thing?" he asked. Kimahri nodded, drawing his lance.
"Kimahri problem."
Tidus nodded and stepped back just as the three Ronso leapt into battle. They launched themselves at Kimahri, teeth bared and claws at the ready. Kimahri dodged and struck Biran in the side with the broad of his heavy lance, knocking him over and off balance and giving Yenke a chance to follow up. He did, slashing at Kimahri's eyes. But he dodged yet again, turning to land a punch to the side of the other's tiger-like face. It connected with a sickening crunch, but Yenke was too strong to let it bother him enough to get off balance. He mimicked Kimahri, his fist having a painful meeting with Kimahri's cheek. Unfortunately, Kimahri wasn't strong enough for his body to just ignore that like Yenke's had; he flew to the side, recovering only half as smoothly as he would have liked.
An Al Bhed potion would cure that along with a wound Yuna had sustained earlier, Rikku thought. She reached into her pocket and began to walk forward, but a strong hand gripped her shoulder, stopping her short.
"Rikku."
"Whadaya want, Auron?" she asked, turning around. The guardian gave her a stern look.
"This is Kimahri's fight. Best not to get involved. Besides," Auron said, nodding his head toward the battle, "He's already healed himself."
It was true; their comrade had already drained a potion, and the bleeding from his mouth had stopped. She relaxed, and Auron removed his hand from her shoulder. Suddenly she missed the warmth, so she backed up to stand next to him. The man was a freakin' furnace! She could only imagine how warm she would feel if he wrapped her arm around her…
She shook her head to drive away those unhealthily pleasant thoughts and turned her attention back to the fight, thankful that she was already blushing due to the cold. At least her face was warm now.
The three Ronso were at it again, with Kimahri counterattacking smoothly as his assailants charged. And for a moment the battle stopped, with Biran and Yenke backed away and panting. Of course, Kimahri looked out of breath, too, but he also looked like he had more strength to spare than the other two. He was winning, they realized. The duo then grew desperate, charging at him whenever possible. But they were tired, so they always missed.
And then the battle froze again in the same situation, but they realized that Biran and Yenke were not going to attack again. The guardians relaxed, but Kimahri kept his stance, ready for anything that they might throw at him. But when they did not continue their assault and instead drew themselves up proudly, Kimahri knew that they would not fight anymore. He stood down.
"Strong is Kimahri. Biran is happy," Biran said. He raised his arms to the sky and began to call to the mountain itself. "Sacred Mount Gagazet! I honor the name of the warrior who defeats Biran. Remember always, Gagazet! That name is Kimahri!"
Yenke growled in approval. "Mountain knows Kimahri strong. Kimahri may pass."
"Summoner!" Biran said, "We Ronso will stop pursuers from temple."
Yuna smiled. "Truly?"
"Penance for breaking Kimahri's horn, long ago."
"We crush enemies following behind," Yenke said. Kimahri pounded his fist against his chest in a Ronso custom that Auron recognized as a more formal signal that a vow had been made.
"Kimahri crush enemies standing before," Kimahri promised.
"You are most fortunate summoner." Biran nodded to Kimahri in praise. Yuna bowed.
"I thank you."
"Ronso will shine your statue brightest," Yenke said. A sad look entered Yuna's expression.
"Thank you. But I fear that no one will make a statue for a traitor such as I am."
"Then Ronso will make!"
"With grand horn on head!"
Yuna beamed sincerely. "That…would be wonderful."
Rikku giggled as she tried to picture Yuna with a horn on her head and heard a grunt from Auron, who was undoubtedly trying to picture the same thing. Biran and Yenke parted for them, giving another salute that meant something along the lines of "may the mountain grant you strength." They walked forward as the two launched themselves up and out of sight.
Just as they reached a cliffy area, the two appeared again, perched high above them.
"Summoner Yuna!" Biran called. Tidus sighed.
"What is it this time?"
They raised their hands to the sky, and began to…sing. It was the Hymn of the Fayth, they realized. As they sang, more and more Ronso appeared on the cliffsides, joining in the spiritual song. And soon the group began to hear singing from outside the clearing, from the other parts of the mountain.
"News travels fast, here," Auron said to Rikku. She scanned all of the Ronso with interest, skipping off to see the ones higher up. She soon missed the warmth that continued to emanate from the legendary guardian, returning to his side as soon as she had gotten her fill of the excitement. The low voices echoed around the mountain, making sure every voice reached their ears. It was as if the mountain itself was trying to sing.
"Truly…" Auron stopped, unable to find the right word. Holy? That could work. Rikku looked up at him curiously.
"Holy?"
He blinked. "Yes." And unchanged for a thousand years.
The Ronso finished their chorus and departed, leaving the mountain unbearably quiet except for the howling of the wind against the rocks. They journeyed on.
Fiends were easy here, thankfully. The cold wore everyone down eventually—excluding, of course Kimahri, who despite his ten-year absence found that he was still used to the weather. Auron pushed his sunglasses higher on his nose to protect his eye against the ever falling snow, aware that Rikku was staring at them once again.
"You have your goggles," Auron pointed out. She seemed to just then notice that they were there resting around her neck, and she let a hand rest on them for a moment before letting it fall.
"I can deal," she said. Auron nodded. As long as they didn't have a repeat of yesterday.
They made their way over the winding, snowed over paths of Mount Gagazet, fighting fiends along the way. They relied on Auron's memories of the place when they came to an intersection, and his memories served them well; they never met a dead end. Just as they were, according to Auron, close to the other side of the mountain, Rikku suddenly rushed ahead to pull Tidus off to the side. "We'll catch up in a second," she assured everyone. When she was sure that everyone was out of sight, she sighed heavily.
"Zanarkand is on the other side, you know?"
Tidus paused. "I know."
"Yunie is gonna get the Final Aeon, you know?"
"I know."
"I still haven't thought of anything."
"Me neither."
"What are we gonna do?" Rikku asked, putting her hands on her hips.
"We'll do something! We just don't know enough yet. Until we do, we really can't help Yuna." Tidus raised his fist to the air. "Let's go to Zanarkand. We'll find something there. It'll all come together! I know it!"
Rikku grinned, leaning forward. "Hey... Just now you sounded like a leader, you know?"
Tidus pointed a thumb to his chest. "Star of the Zanarkand Abes! Didn't anyone tell you?" She laughed as they began to walk off to catch up with the others.
But the hair on the back of her neck raised, and the air behind them stirred. Instantly she knew something was wrong. She turned around to look back, and immediately screamed at the sight that stood behind them.
"Ah, the son of Jecht."
Tidus leapt into a fighting stance, drawing his sword. "Rikku, run ahead and tell Auron!" he commanded, holding the weapon in front of him protectively.
"You are not fighting him alone!" Rikku protested, fumbling for her own weapon. Tidus shook his head and pushed her in the direction of the others.
"Just go! Go!!"
And she turned and ran.
You like?
I'm sorry that this chapter didn't have much of the featured pairing in it, but trust me. When they get to Zanarkand…well, need I say more?
And I'm sorry to say that the next chapter will be realitively short; all I can tell you is that it has to do with the poem at the beginning of this chapter which, by the way, I do not own.
-Ari Elisianete