Hello! I once had a very nice reviewer ask me to not do that fanfiction thing where you update slower and slower until you give up on the story all together...Well, I definitely fell into the trap, but luckily I have also fallen back into FFX abyss and want to do my best to finish this story no matter what readers might or might not be out there!
I do hope ya'll who were interested in this story return, and maybe some new readers hop on as well, either way, I'm gonna do my best to see this story through to the end. Hope anyone out there enjoys this update 5 years in the making!
"They've found Lumina," Eva informed Vidina after ending the commlink from the Celsius. "She seems to have found her way to New Zanarkand."
Vidina leapt up from the pilot's seat, nearly knocking his head on the airship's low ceiling. "What is she doing in New Zanarkand?!"
"Apparently trying to start a Blitzball team," Eva replied, crossing her arms over her chest. "She didn't like the answer I gave her in Besaid so she decided to elope and start a team of her own, I suppose."
Vidina groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose, "Damn it…Why does she always have to—Wait!" In three long strides, Vidina crossed the airship's bridge and gripped Eva's arms. "But you can do something about this, right?! You're a Qualifier! You just have to go down to Zanarkand and shut down the team before they even have a chance to make it into the league!"
"I don't have that amount of power," Eva replied, removing herself from Vidina's grasp and straightening her sleeves. "I can authorize decisions on which players to take to tournaments and I can ban members from playing on the grounds of illegal conduct or substance abuse but—,"
"Well then do that," Vidina demanded, his tone darkening. "Ban her…Or ban someone on her team. If they don't have enough members, they can't compete."
Eva blinked in confusion. "On what grounds would I ban them? To my knowledge they've done nothing wrong."
"Then make something up."
Eva frowned. "Frame them?"
"Yes!"
"You'd ask me to put my reputation as a Qualifier on the line just so Lumina doesn't get a few bruises playing in the big leagues?"
"You and I both know that the stakes are a lot higher than that!" Vidina argued, his normally patient demeanor quickly falling away. "Eva, her old man died playing the game! What am I supposed to do if the same thing happens to her?"
"This was her decision!" Eva shouted. "If you ask me, she's been coddled by you and the rest of her family her entire life. She's made her choice and she has to deal with the consequences of her actions. I won't jeopardize my position with the league to bail your precious little Lumina out of a mess she made herself!"
Vidina was shaking with rage, his large fists balled at his sides. "I thought I could depend on you to help me…"
Eva turned away, pursing her lips and fighting the tears that gathered in her eyes. "You can…I am helping you. I'm helping all of you."
Forgoing a response, Vidina returned to the navigation controls, swiftly tapping the interface and activating the landing sequence.
"What are you doing?" Eva asked as Vidina swept past her, gathering his pack as he went. "We're nowhere near Besaid. Why are you landing now?"
"I'll walk."
Eva could do nothing but watch, mouth agape, as Vidina stepped down the landing strip and marched away without a backwards glance. Biting her lip to keep from screaming in frustration, Eva input the liftoff sequence and charted a course for Luca. Lumina was young and unassuming enough to pass for innocent, but anger towards the girl grew within Eva nonetheless the more she pondered their current situation. Whether she'd intended to or not, Lumina's selfishness had set off a domino effect of disastrous events and Eva was sure that this was only the beginning.
Training began immediately. Lumina knew they didn't have long until the deadline to apply to compete in Nationals. If they didn't have the funds they needed within a week, they would miss their chance to join.
Lumina was the most knowledgeable when it came to Blitzball training routines, however it was Danika who took it upon herself to whip the team into shape. She woke them early each morning and sent them out into the chilly air to complete sprints, squats and other exhausting exercises. Only Ambri and Calli were exempt from her ruthless training regime. They spent their time indoors, taking advantage of Ambri's artistic affinity to create posters advertising their undertaking.
When Danika gave them a moment to rest, they began choreographing a routine that would impress the masses in Sector A. Lumina quickly learned that the team had a few very particular skill sets. Kole was fast and his tosses where powerful. Kitt on the other hand should have been nicknamed butterfingers; he tended to react a little too eagerly anytime the ball came towards him and fumbled it more often than he caught it. After a few terrible misses, Danika began insisting that he simply try to use the ball's momentum to his advantage and keep it going instead of catching it completely. Soon enough they discovered that Kitt was able to redirect the ball quite easily and they began using his odd technique to create some unique pass-and-catch performances. Duncan, of course, had impressive power and so he began tossing the ball to the others forcing them to increase their level in order to meet his throws. And Pax, for his part, while normally subdued, played like a lupine fiend on the field.
Playing with them brought Lumina an odd sense of hope. Their techniques were unorthodox, but perhaps that would give them the edge they needed to win the Nationals.
Paine returned to the house almost every day to check up on their progress. She had managed to grant Lumina's request, promising that they would be allowed onto Sector A's main plaza as long as the Enforcers were there to monitor the performance. As the day of their show came closer and closer, Lumina's anxieties only grew. This was their only chance to impress the people as well as President Sigurd. If they failed, then Lumina's dream was gone for good. There would be no more chances after this. The team's routine seemed impressive in her eyes, but would the people of Zanarkand care?
Perhaps Sigurd had been right; would they even want to support a Blitzball team anymore? The worries gathered in her mind and sat deep within her psyche like a hidden fiend waiting to pounce.
The night before the performance was set to take place in Sector A, the team had gathered in the living room, finalizing the details of their plan and trying on the home-sewn uniforms Ambri had made for them. To call them uniforms may have been a bit generous, Lumina decided. They were really only form-fitting yellow shirts made of a few yards of synthetic fabric that Danika had snagged from the marketplace. But Ambri had taken great care in stitching each of their names in beautiful Spiran script on the backs of the jerseys. Kitt was more than ecstatic; leaping around the room, posing and stretching on top of the couch, nearly toppling into Duncan as he did.
"Look at us!" he shouted after Danika had ordered him to sit down or receive a pounding. "We look like an actual team!"
"We are an actual team," Kole reminded him, flicking his forehead. "We got this far together and we'll go all the way."
He looked at Lumina, sending her an encouraging smile that she only managed to return half-heartedly.
Danika caught the exchange. "Hey, what's the big deal? This is what you wanted, right? Why the long face?"
"It's nothing!" Lumina stuttered hastily. "Just pre-game jitters I guess."
Danika looked unconvinced, but Duncan interrupted before she could further interrogate the girl. "Everything's gonna be fine. Besides, what's the worst that could happen? If we don't win the crowds over tomorrow, then we try another day. Fall down and get back up, that's what I always say."
Lumina nodded, forcing an enthusiastic grin. Duncan's spirit was admirable, but the truth was that if they failed tomorrow, there would be no second chance to impress the citizens or President Sigurd.
There was no more time.
"Alright kiddos," Danika clapped her hands to draw everyone's scattered attention. "It's late. Time for bed, we get up bright and early tomorrow!"
The following morning, Paine gathered the crew into an Enforcer airship and shuttled them towards Sector A. The team fell silent as they traveled over the city. Nerves were high and it seemed to finally be setting in that this entire performance could end in utter failure. Lumina looked around at each of her friends in turn; each one of them wore the bright yellow jerseys that Ambri had made. Calli and Ambri sat next to one another, their heads tipped close together as they examined the posters they had designed and rehearsed tag lines to shout in the square. Kitt was tinkering with a few large, blue spheres in his lap. Lumina wasn't sure what was on them, but according to Kitt, it would push their performance to the next level—his impish grin made her suspect that it was some sort of elaborate light show. Either that or they were timed to blow up.
Pax sat next to Duncan, his normally apathetic expression suddenly much more alive as he listened to Duncan reiterate their part of the routine. Kole and Dani were looking at Lumina, as if expecting her to give some sort of motivating speech before they arrived in the square, but she was too nervous to meet their expectations. This was their only chance to make it into the leagues—it had to be enough.
The airship landed just outside the main plaza of Sector A. Lumina and the others were shuffled out like prisoners in a single file line flanked by Enforcers. Commander Paine led the crew, ordering her men to form a perimeter and allowing the team to set up for their performance.
Kitt immediately gathered his spheres and began making his way around the plaza, planting one every few feet. He tapped something into each one's surface before moving onto the next.
Calli and Ambri were skittering around the plaza as well, hanging their posters on light posts and setting the ones they'd decorated with the ancient Abes symbol aside to wave around during the performance. Watching them almost made Lumina reach for her necklace, until she remembered she'd given it back to her mother.
She'd never really considered it a good luck charm, but it would have felt nice to have a piece of him here while they tried to pull off a miracle.
"Lumina!"
Duncan's call drew her out of her thoughts and she shook her head, scurrying over to join him, Pax, Kole and Danika in the little huddle they'd formed at the center of the plaza.
"Get your head in the game, little miss," Duncan whispered as she approached them. "This was your idea. We need you to lead us today."
Yeah, keep rubbing it in, Lumina thought to herself, as if the pressure wasn't eating her up enough as it was.
"So, we all good?" Danika asked, her golden eyes flickinering to each of them in turn. "We all remember the routine?"
Kole and Pax nodded grimly, while Duncan offered an enormous smile and thumbs up.
"Lumina," Dani continued. "We're counting on the fancy move of yours. You said your old man used it all the time, right?"
Lumina nodded, her mouth too dry to respond.
"And he was as famous as they come?" Dani arched a brow, challenging Lumina to deny the claim that had made her sound so pig headed in the first place.
Again, she nodded.
"Then people will see that and we'll practically be rolling in their gil. So don't screw it up."
Dani's eyes bored into hers so fiercely that Lumina could only resort to a single nod again. As the huddle broke, however, Duncan ruffled her hair and then patted her shoulder reassuringly. "You got this. We're all behind you."
Lumina took in a deep breath, inspired by Duncan's words, but still intimidated by Danika's. It wasn't just her own dream riding on their performance today. Now Danika and her crew, their future, it rode on their success as a Blitzball team as well. So did all of Sector D.
Looking up at the bright blue sky, unmarred by a single cloud, Lumina closed her eyes and hoped with all her heart that he was watching today. That he'd help her fly.
"Your audience is here."
Paine's voice jolted Lumina back to reality. Eyes snapping open, she looked around the Plaza to see a small crowd of all shapes and sizes beginning to form around the Enforcer's barrier, probably she assumed, out of curiosity. It was growing by the minute. People stopping to see why the Zanarkand Enforcers were guarding a group of rag tag kids dressed in uniform.
Someone pointed at the symbols on Ambri's posters and shouted, "Hey, it's the Zanarkand Abes!"
Others began murmuring amongst themselves and shuffling closer to the Enforcer's circle to get a better look.
"Here." Paine handed Lumina a league sanctioned Blitzball. Where she'd gotten one, Lumina had no idea, but holding the official tournament ball in her hands filled her with a newfound sense of determination.
She rolled the bubbled surface around in her hands for a moment before looking up at Paine. "Thank you."
Paine didn't say anything else, but there was something close to pride in her expression before she jerked her chin, signaling for Lumina to gather the others and begin.
Lumina raised her arm, waving for the others to join her as she jogged to the center of the plaza. Kitt was the first at her side and he was holding a small device, finger poised over a button in the center.
"Show's ready to go when you are, Cap'n!" he saluted with his free hand, a goofy grin lighting up his face.
Kole placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "We're all ready."
Lumina looked to him and smiled, before passing the ball over to Danika who would start off their routine. "Kitt."
Kitt's finger trembled over the button on his remote.
"Light her up, let's go team."
A moment after Kitt slammed the button, the spheres around the plaza lit up. Two of them projected goal zones at the opposite ends of the plaza, the others were, as Lumina had suspected, an impressive light show. Somehow, Kitt had even managed to accompany their performance with a fast techno beat.
If they weren't impressive players, they were at least impressive street performers, Lumina mused to herself.
Kitt and Pax then took up their positions as goal keepers while Duncan and Danika faced off with Lumina and Kole.
Dani leapt into the air, spiking the ball hard down at Kole who dove for it in a dramatized slide, just as they'd rehearsed. It bounced off his forearms and up into the air, where Lumina spun and kicked it towards Duncan. Using the momentum, Duncan lifted it into the air and shot it towards Pax with just enough force to make the quiet boy's block look impressive.
So far the routine was going exactly according to plan and the audience was eating it up. They were helped of course, by Calli and Ambri who were circling the playing field with signs and an empty pouch.
"That's right folks," Calli's high pitched shout Lumina could hear over the music. "The Zanarkand Abes are back after 1000 years! See 'em like you've never seen 'em before. All new players. Same old team!"
"Any and all donations go to reestablishing that Abes as Spira's number one Blitz team!" Ambri followed up, lifting the pouch towards anyone who would look at her. "Let Spira know just what the people of Zanarkand can do!"
Gil began to fly as Dani, Duncan, Pax, Kitt, Kole and Lumina continued with their routine. There was a near miss when Kitt almost allowed one of Kole's serves to make it past the goal. But, true to his odd technique, he let the ball flow through his arms and back out to Duncan, who improvised and tossed it to Dani instead of making a serve to Kole.
Danika, for her part, seemed to think that the cheering crowd was riled up enough, because one look from her bright golden eyes told Lumina it was time.
Having been prepared for at least another round of passes before having the pull off her father's signature shot, Lumina almost balked, but then Dani was throwing the ball high into the air and time slowed to a crawl.
Lumina could hear the roar of her own blood in her ears; feel the pounding of her heart against her ribs as she ran towards Duncan as fast as her legs would carry her.
The large man lowered himself, bracing his hands against his thigh, preparing to launch Lumina into the air for extra impressive flair. Focusing all her energy on the ball, Lumina leapt off of Duncan's hands swinging her body up and around in a large twist, and then another, and another. One final corkscrew and she swung her leg out, eyes trained on the ball as it fell towards her.
She was off by a hair, but the kick landed well enough for the ball to go flying towards Kitt at top speed. The young Al Bhed didn't even try to block it, merely dodging out of the way as it flew through the projected goal.
A moment later, a loud buzzer that Kitt must as programmed went off and the crowd fell silent. Lumina landed clumsily, nearly toppling over. She threw out her arms to balance herself and only when she stood did the crowd erupt in roars and cheers.
"That's how you do it!"
"Did you see that?"
"Was that the Magnificent Mark III Shot?"
Danika and Kole were the first to her side, slapping her on the back and cheering with the crowd.
"You did it!" Kole cried, grabbing her in a hug and lifting her a good foot into the air.
Kitt came flying towards them next, throwing himself into the embrace as well. "That almost killed me!"
"Sorry," Lumina chuckled, wheezing for air.
Calli and Ambri were busy dashing around collecting gil that people offered up. What they didn't collect was thrown directly at the team's feet.
The Enforcers were struggling to hold the crowd back and through everything, Lumina found a moment to look up at the brilliant blue sky.
Thank you.
"I've got to admit, that was pretty fantastic," Commander Paine said as she pulled Lumina away from the others once they'd been shuttled back to Sector D. "I think that would've made your parents quite proud."
Lumina almost snorted. "Thanks, but I doubt this is how they'd like me to be presenting myself—causing riots, getting arrested, becoming a street performer—not sure mom would be too crazy about that."
Paine smirked, knowingly, "You'd be surprised to learn the kind of antics your mother got into when she was younger."
Lumina gave her a puzzled look until Paine withdrew a small, round sphere from a pocket on her vest, "Here. A reward for winning over Sector A. Watch this when you can. It was a hassle to get my hands on that thing. The Luca Theater doesn't sell out their movie spheres cheap, and this is still a popular one. But I knew you'd get a kick out of this, so I pulled some strings."
Lumina stared in awe at the tiny blue sphere, endless possibilities of its contents running through her mind. "What's on it?"
"Watch it and find out," Paine replied, a playful smirk still on her face. "I've got to get back to the station now. Good work today, I'll make sure Sigurd gets word of what happened. With luck, he'll approve your application and send it to the NBBL by tomorrow morning. From then on, it will be up to you."
Lumina nodded, "Thank you."
Paine waved nonchalantly, bidding the others farewell before slipping out the door and taking her officers with her. Lumina rejoined the group, all of whom were still celebrating their achievement. By the time they had tired themselves out, it was late and Danika ordered them to their beds to prepare for tomorrows new training regime. If they were going to compete nationally, they would need to double their efforts.
Lumina took her place on the couch, but even after the lights had been turned out and the house had fallen silent, she found herself too restless to fall asleep. Remembering the sphere that Paine had given her, she turned over and set it on the end table, clicking its surface to activate the recording.
The sphere started off in darkness and for a moment, Lumina thought that maybe it was broken. However, a bright flash suddenly lit up the surface, revealing a well-lit stage surrounded by hundreds of screaming people. She was confused as to why Paine had given her this sphere until the camera zoomed in to focus on the figure dancing on the middle of the stage.
"No….way—," Lumina could hardly process what she was seeing in the sphere, but the longer it played, the clearer it became that it was indeed her mother dancing upon the stage. Lumina's shock turned into amusement and before long she was stifling snorts and giggles to avoid waking the others. As the sphere ended and left the room in absolute darkness once again, Lumina was left to stare at the halo of light it left behind on her eyelids.
She could hear the faint hum of crickets chirping outside the thin walls and suddenly a sickening pang twisted in her chest as she thought of nights back on Besaid. There she could hear the waves too, crashing against the shore. The rhythmic pounding put her to sleep most nights.
Hearing the same sounds here, coupled with seeing her mother again for the first time in almost two weeks—even if just on a sphere recording—made her heart ache.
She was homesick and stuck in a city she didn't even know. Danika and her crew were all welcoming; now at least, after the initial animosity had passed, and Lumina appreciated her new friends.
But with the pressure to perform setting in, she found herself desperately wishing she was back in her cabin on the beach, listening to the waves crash as they lulled her to sleep.
"Tidus!"
Tidus looked up, momentarily distracted from wrestling the ball away from Keepa, who snatched it and dashed down the field as fast as his stubby legs would carry him.
"Yuna?"
He was surprised to see her standing near the cove, waving him over. She came to watch his practices with the Aurochs occasionally, but today he was almost certain she said she'd be shopping in Luca with Lulu all day.
As he hurried down the beach towards her, he could see her expression more clearly. She was practically glowing, an enormous smile lighting up her face.
She threw her arms around his neck when he reached her, nearly knocking him off his feet.
"Is everything alright?" he asked, tentatively returning her embrace; until he felt her tears trickling onto his neck and he jerked away. "What's wrong?"
She shook her head, her hands sliding away from his shoulders and down his chest. When she looked up at him again, her smile had seemed to grow somehow brighter.
"Nothing's wrong."
"Then why are you crying?" he asked, trying not to panic. "Why are you here? Weren't you supposed to be with Lulu?"
"I was! And we were talking and…Oh, Tidus, it's the most wonderful thing." She reached up to cup his face and he quickly placed his hand over hers.
"What? What is it? How much longer you gonna keep me in the dark?"
"I'm pregnant."
It took a moment for the words to sink in, but in the meantime, he stared at Yuna dumbly.
"Pregnant?"
His first question was how. He knew how, of course. But, for a long time, it had been an unspoken concern between them that part of him was still ethereal. That one day, he'd disappear again without warning. But if Yuna was pregnant—If they'd actually managed to create another being, together….
Before Yuna could grow despondent in his silence, he lifted her into the air, spinning her around with a shout of joy. Her laughter rang in his ears, and any fear or anxiety he knew he might feel later floated away as he basked in her happiness. In his own.
"You know what this means?" he asked, setting her down and pulling her flush against him in another embrace.
"Rikku's going to throw a fit?" she tried, her voice muffled against his shoulder.
Tidus laughed, pulling away to look her in the eye, brushing her cheek softly with the tips of his fingers. "Yes, but…I'm here. I'm real. And we—are going to raise a baby together."
Yuna's smile softened, but before she could launch herself at him again, the other Aurochs approached, led by Datto.
"Eh, what's goin' on over here?"
Tidus whirled to face them, one arm still wrapped snuggly around Yuna. "You guys won't believe it—,"
Tidus appeared in front of Yuna in a cloud of pyreflies, staring at her…staring through her. His eyes were empty and lifeless, not the vibrant blue she remembered. He was nothing more than an apparition now. A cloud of pyreflies reacting to her memories.
For a moment, she wanted to lash out, to strike the ghost of her soul mate and make him disappear again. But she couldn't move. She stood frozen, staring at his likeness again for the first time in years.
She'd refused to come here after he died, afraid of seeing him, of accepting that he was gone. The years since his passing had done nothing to dull the pain. It ripped through her chest as she looked at him, and a dull ache began to form in the pit of her stomach.
Finally finding her voice, Yuna looked into the apparitions lifeless eyes as she spoke. "I need your help. Please. I—I don't know what to do anymore. I don't know what you'd do. If you were here…She wouldn't have run off in this first place."
She looked down at her feet, fists clenching at her sides. "I wouldn't be worried sick about losing her. If you were here…Why aren't you here?"
The tears began to fall, burning a path down her cheeks. "You promised me always. And you broke it twice. Now I lost her and I lost you. What do I have left?"
She looked up again, but the apparition offered her no answers.
"Tell me what to do," she whispered, even as the pyreflies began to fade. They grew in brightness, sparkling in response to her question and then he was gone, and she was alone.
Again.
Raising a hand to her face, she brushed away the tears, pausing only a moment more before turning on her heel and leaving the Farplane.
Rikku stood outside, waiting for her, shuffling nervously from foot to foot. She took a step forward when Yuna emerged, looking torn between comforting her cousin and giving her space. In the end, the latter won out and she kept her distance.
"Are…you okay?" Rikku asked, tucking her hands in her short pockets to keep from reaching out.
Yuna shook her head. "I don't know why I went in there. He can't help me anymore."
"Oh Yuna," Rikku whimpered, finally ignoring her better judgment and pulling her cousin into a tight hug. "It's going to be okay, you'll see. Lumina will be fine. She takes after you two. She knows how to take care of herself."
Yuna felt the tears coming again, and although she did not return Rikku's embrace, she did not push her away either. Sensing her tears, however, Rikku pulled back and wiped them from her cheeks gently.
"What can I do?"
"Take me home," Yuna answered, taking a step away from Rikku and heading in the direction of the airship.
Rikku followed cautiously, glancing back once at the Farplane entrance, and there was silence between them for awhile as they walked.
"Yuna?" she asked after awhile. "Have you ever thought about…I dunno…Finding someone else? Just so you're not alone anymore. I hate to see you like this. And it's been six years, y'know? I'm sure anyone would be happy to be with the High Summoner."
Anger at Rikku's suggestion quickly dissipated into pain and Yuna shook her head. "That's just it, Rikku. To him, I wasn't the High Summoner. I wasn't anyone. Just Yuna. And he loved me for it. Anyone else—They would use that."
"You can't know that," Rikku tried as they approached the airship. "There are nice people out there, Yuna. People who would appreciate you."
"It's not that simple," Yuna replied, stepping up the loading dock. "I have Lumina to think of as well. She loves him so much, even now. Replacing him would break her heart."
"I know, it's just—,"
"I couldn't love anyone else like I loved him."
Nodding quietly, Rikku didn't offer a retort and made her way to the bridge as the loading dock closed behind them.
She charted a course for Besaid at the NaviSphere and then turned to face Yuna again, who was already heading for the cabin.
"Yuna?"
She paused, glancing over her shoulder.
"Just…Be strong, okay? Have faith. Believe in her. Everything will be fine."
Opting not to respond, Yuna left the bridge, leaving a sullen Rikku to watch her cousin leave in despair.
Plopping down in the pilot's seat, she looked to the sky, as if she'd see him there. "You made a big mess, y'know? They don't know what to do without you. If you're out there somewhere, help your family. You big dummy."
Of course there was no response, no flash of lightning, no miracle. And with a heavy sigh, Rikku started the engine.
"Alright," she muttered to herself. "Back to Besaid."
It was nearly dawn now, but Lumina still lay awake, her mind beginning to swirl once again with thoughts of their results in Sector A.
If anything, the victory had only served to make her more agitated. Not only did they need to continue to impress Sigurd, but also an entire city full of people who believed they would once again bring fame and fortune to Zanarkand. It finally struck her that she may have undertaken a mission much larger than she was capable of carrying out.
Suddenly, there was a loud creak as one of the doors in the hallway swung open and then Kole appeared in the living room, rubbing his neck tiredly as he switched on the lights. He looked startled to see her lying on the couch and for a few uncomfortable moments they just stared wide eyed at one another.
"Hey," he said finally. "Why are you still awake?"
"Couldn't sleep. What about you?"
Kole's lips twitched into an embarrassed smile. "Sometimes I like to get up before dawn and head to the beach to watch the sunrise. Calms me down…." He paused, tapping his fingers on his thigh thoughtfully before continuing. "Do you…wanna come with me this time?"
Lumina felt her face flushing and turned away quickly before he could see. "I dunno…What about the Enforcers? Aren't they still on watch?"
Kole snorted. "Please. I've spent enough time in this city to know how to dodge a few dozen officers. Why don't you come? The sunrise is really beautiful, you'll like it!"
Lumina looked up at him. His face was hopefully, his eyes shining like that of an excited child. She sighed; it wouldn't be fair to turn him down again, especially without an explanation.
"Ok, I'll go."
Kole had been right about getting past the Enforcers. Most of them were on their second watch and practically asleep on their feet. Kole led her through a few dozen alleyways silently, before Lumina could begin to hear the faint crash of the ocean in the distance.
They rounded a corner and suddenly it was not concrete but sand beneath their feet. This part of the beach was not as pristine as the area in Sector A. There were more rocky outcroppings and the sand was duller and more grainy, but the ocean beyond was as gorgeous as ever. It was still dark and only the faintest hint of orange on the horizon signaled the approach of the sun; seeing it made Lumina feel sick.
Kole took her hand and led her to one of the large boulders, helping her scramble up its slippery surface and sitting next to her once they were both on top. The morning air was chilly, but it wasn't the cause for Lumina's shivers. Kole glanced at her, concern on his face, "Hey, you ok?"
She nodded wordlessly, finding it too difficult to speak past the lump in her throat.
"You're not afraid are you?" he asked genuinely. "You didn't want to come to the ocean the first day you were here either, I remember."
She shook her head. "No. I'm not afraid. It's just—I made a promise to see this sunrise with someone a long time ago."
"This sunrise?" Kole looked confused, his dark brows drawn low over his eyes.
Lumina took a steadying breath. There was no point in hiding her past from Kole anymore. He'd been the one to save her upon her arrival and support her ambitions when no one else would.
"My father was born in Zanarkand. Don't ask, long story," she stopped him when Kole opened his mouth to comment. He shut it quickly. "When they decided to rebuild the city, I remember how excited he was to share it with me and my mom. He promised us that one day he'd bring us here and show us the sunrise that he'd always loved."
"But he never did?" Kole prodded when Lumina fell silent.
"He…He died before he could. He was injured in a game against the Luca Goers and never woke up. It was an accident, I guess. But—,"
"But he's gone now and it still hurts?" Kole finished for her. She looked up at him, recalling the fact that Kole had also lost his family when he was younger.
"Exactly," she murmured. "I wanted to come here and live out his dream…I guess I thought that would somehow make up for what happened." She chuckled bitterly. "But it's hardly how I imaged it would be and I feel like being here without him is…wrong."
Kole nodded, looking out at the ocean where a rosy glow was beginning to spread through the clouds. "Do you think that he'd be ok with you enjoying the sunrise, even if you don't feel that it's right?"
"Of course he would," she replied, eyes following the steady spread of color in the clouds. "He always wanted me to be happy."
"Then why don't you try?" Kole smiled. "Try to enjoy it with me. He may not be here anymore, but I am and I care about your happiness too."
Lumina felt her cheeks beginning to burn. She struggled to find a reply but eventually settled for a shy smile that made Kole grin from ear to ear. They sat in amiable silence as the sun climbed higher into the sky, spreading waves of pink and orange into the clouds and the city beyond. They watched until every star had faded and a light blue streak colored the distant horizon.
"You've already done a lot for us, y'know, Lumina? Even if we don't make it all the way, the hope you've inspired in a kid like Kitt and even Dani. It means a lot to us. To them. You should know that." Kole looked over at her, his eyes wide and genuine. "But I believe we're gonna make it. With you leading us. We can do it."
Touched, Lumina almost forgot the question she'd been meaning to ask him. But she figured now was as good a time as any.
"Kole?" she said finally. "Can I ask what happened to your dad? You told me that you and he moved after your mom and brother died. But if that's true, then why do you live with Dani and the others?"
Kole didn't seem bothered by the questions, but he did take a moment to respond.
"My old man and I never really got along, even when I was young. After my mom died, he changed and we completely lost whatever tenuous relationship we had. I ran away from home because I couldn't stand to be around him anymore. He's got a twisted view of the world," he explained, peaceful expression turning bitter.
"Does he still live in Zanarkand?" Lumina asked, cautious to avoid pushing Kole past his limit.
He nodded, mouth tightening into a grim line. "He sure does."
Kole rounded on her suddenly, his eyes pleading as he asked, "Lumina, if I tell you about my old man I need you to promise that you'll keep it a secret from the others. Nobody, not even Dani, knows who my old man is….If they found out…I don't know what they would do."
Lumina felt cold dread beginning to spread through her; whoever Kole's father was, it obviously wasn't something he was proud of. Was he really so awful that it would make the other turn their back on Kole? Realizing that he was still waiting for her reply, she nodded quickly.
"I promise."
Kole sat back, brows drawn down as he met her apprehensive gaze. "My father is President Sigurd."
Hope ya'll enjoyed. Reviews and critiques are more than welcome. More to come soon!
