Chapter 3



Kimahri flanked Auron, the two inspecting the bloodied landscape. Obviously, someone had died here… or been horribly injured. The rain pelted them both, thunder roaring angrily across the sky, adding to the two guardian's sudden unease. Auron was so engrossed in the bloody grasses that he tripped over a heavy mass upon the ground. Grunting, he righted himself, and glanced downwards… to find a bloody corpse.

"Kimahri!" Auron hissed, kneeling to better see the mass of flesh. It was most… disturbing. Kimahri looked over Auron's shoulder as the swordsman gently turned the body over, to face the roaring sky. They inhaled sharply.

In a grotesque mockery of Yevon, the body had been… carved, cruel scarring running over the man's naked form. The scars were… symbols. Some Auron's didn't know… but there, upon the man's torn right breast, was the eye of Yevon, the wings of the design running over his crushed sternum. Nauseated, Auron stood and clenched his jaw, his back colliding with Kimahri's furry chest. This man had been mauled to death, his skin and flesh torn and ripped into a pulp.

"What kind of fiend would do this?" Auron asked quietly, suddenly feeling uneasy being alone out here, so far from his summoner. He needed to be at her side, to protect her and Tidus from… whatever had done this.

"Kimahri not know. Kimahri never see something like this, not even by Ronso."

"Let's go back," Auron said, but stopped when Kimahri's sensitive ears suddenly perked up. Whipping around, he surged forward into the wet grass. Auron followed without a word, hoping they didn't find another body like the previous. Kimahri pulled back the wall of grass to reveal another prone form sprawled out upon the damp ground. Wincing, Auron turned away, not wanting to see-

"Alive," the cat beast murmured, kneeling carefully and gathering the battered form in his arms. He rose, and Auron came closer to inspect the person. Dear Yevon, it was but a girl, looking to be in her mid-twenties. Her eyes were clamped shut, a blood was flowing freely down her side from some wound. "Hurt," Kimahri confirmed, his wet nose filled with the scent of pain and blood.

Auron tensed, unsure of what to do. Bringing the stranger back with them could be risky… What would Braska have done? Braska… would have done all he could to help.

"Bring her. Let's get back to Yuna, I don't like this at all," Auron ordered, his eye still scanning the plains for some sign of the powerful fiend that did this. The whole ordeal was making him sick to his stomach.

"What of others? Take girl, Kimahri scan area," The Ronso suggested. Auron didn't really want to, he rather enjoyed having the constant of his blade at the ready… but obliged, and Kimahri placed the limp girl into his arms. She was surprisingly heavy as her damp head came to rest upon his shoulder. Auron 'hmphed', and waited for the blue cat to make a brief sweep of the area. The storm raged on, and Auron winced at the loud crashes of thunder. Kimahri apparently had enough as well, and after a time, he shook his head. No others.

Slightly lost in all lightning and grass, the Ronso led the way back to the Miihen Highroad, taking care to wait for the swordsman and his package. The stranger moaned softly against Auron's red cloak, but did not waken. Auron questioned himself, wondering if this was such a good idea… But the painful breaths of the girl convinced him otherwise and he tightened his grip. He sighed in relief when the ruins and shelter came into view.

"Auron! Kimahri!" Yuna called, her own relief obvious upon her face as her two guardians returned. Her smile became a frown of confusion when she saw the prone form Auron carried.

"Inside," he commanded, his dripping hair fanned out upon his brow. Gently, he knelt, and placed the shivering young woman near the fire to warm her. She twitched slightly, then lay still.

"What happened?" Lulu asked, her dark eye examining the stranger.

"Something… I, I don't know." Auron shook his head as he removed his damp robe, and also setting it near the fire to dry. "We expected fiends… but found only blood. Lots of blood… and a strange corpse. Freshly killed. And… her." He motioned towards the girl. "She's hurt, Yuna. Can you help her?"

The young summoner swallowed, but nodded. Auron joined her and the two rolled the young woman onto her back. The stranger moaned slightly, her dark eyebrows coming together in pain. Auron gently lifted the soaked black vest from her abdomen, revealing a series of deep gashes in her side. Yuna winced, recognizing a rib that showed through the gore. Yevon, Yuna prayed, and gently probed the area, drawing a stifled groan from deep within the girl's chest. Seeing no other major wounds, other than the dark bruise forming upon her forehead, Yuna cast Cure, the most powerful spell she knew.

Both stared in shock when the spell had absolutely no affect upon the stranger.

"Try again," Auron asked, confused. Yuna did, and again nothing happened. Nothing at all. Blood was clotting, but the wound was still wide open.

"I, I don't understand!" Yuna gasped, looking to the others. Auron's eye narrowed. The whole ordeal was just getting odder by the minute…

"Something is strange, Yuna. I don't like it. The battle, and then whoever did this disappeared. She won't heal. I will stay awake tonight, with Kimahri-" the cat nodded, "And we will be extra careful. Something is not right here." Kimahri nodded in agreement; his feline senses were on full alert.

"You're sure, Sir Auron? Wakka and I can take watch, you can-"

"No. I would much prefer it be me," Auron stated, his tone one of no- nonsense. He stood, and moved close to the edge of the shelter with Kimahri. Yuna nodded solemnly, and sat close to the fire, examining the young woman before her. The stranger wore a pair of long tan shorts that stopped below her knees, embroidered in black along the edges with strange symbols she didn't understand. The black vest she wore was leather, and it overlapped what appeared to be a simple white tank top. The strange symbols ran the length of the seams along the side of the vest. Odd… vest itself was unharmed, yet the skin below was torn and ripped…

A simple bead necklace with a claw held in center ran the circle of her neck. The same beads were wrapped tightly around her upper arms and ankles. Two leather sneakers held her feet. A pair of simple silver earrings, and that was all there was to the woman. At least on the outside. She carried no weapons, at least not that had been found with her. She didn't look all that threatening, well, she was also unconscious. Yuna shook her head, wondering why on Spira the woman was immune to her magics. The stranger moaned softly in pain, swallowing thickly before knitting her eyebrows again. Yuna sighed. She wished there were something she could do…

Reaching into her pack, she removed a roll of gauze, one of the mandatory medical supplies she always carried in case of emergencies. Lulu acknowledged Yuna, and lifted the woman's back, drawing a grunt from her. With tender hands, Yuna quickly wrapped the ribs and wound, blood soaking into the bindings. The woman moaned softly, hear head falling to it's side.

At least satisfied, the young summoner and mage lay the prone form back to the earth, close to the fire for warmth. Somewhat content, Yuna lay upon her own blanket and slept. Outside, Auron and Kimahri kept close watch over the party as the storm raged on.





Funness. Regardless… I like this story. Eee.