Title: Spiral of Love
Pairings: Kimiko/Rikku, Auron/Tidus, Yuna/Tidus, Wakka/Lulu, Kimiko/Yuna
Summary: Kimiko is the daughter or Sir Auron and a guardian of Lady Yuna…love is not that hard to come by in a group of eccentric people, but is the one she loves going to respond to her advances?
Warnings: Actual wedding crashing, more introspective moments from OC, actual fayth summoning, religious propaganda, shaken faiths, a lot of undead folk, and general catastrophe as per FFX's plotline.
Disclaimer: If I owned them do you really think I would be writing about them?
Notes: Whoa we're still going strong and things are really getting crazy. Truthfully, this part of the plot is my favorite and everything beforehand was just a really long prologue. Maybe I'll have an intermission chapter one of these days…about what I don't know. Uh, I'm rambling. Enjoy!
Thanks to: My original beta reader: Exxal! And to all of you lovely readers!
Chapter Eight
My breath caught in my throat as I watched Evrae sail through the sky and come straight for us. It collided with the airship at first; which made some of us lose our footing and so I lashed out a hand to grab at anyone who might have fell around me. Clasping the hand that found its way to mine, I pulled the person up beside me and looked at who it was. Rikku and I stared at each other for a few seconds as a rose tint colored her cheeks and then I heard Tidus shout at me.
"The two of you can look at each other all you want later!" Rikku let go like I burned her and then ran to where the rest of our group was fighting Evrae.
I also ran toward our little group, pulling out my twin pistols and taking the safety off. Evrae roared and tilted its head back—clearly ready to attack us but Wakka and Lulu were the first to make a direct hit. His blitzball hit it on its nose which made the wyrm roar at us all over again, but Lulu's Thundaga spell caught it right in the throes of hitting the airship once again.
"Good shot you two!" They each smirked at me before swapping their positions with my father and Tidus. Each of them hacked away at Evrae, ducking and dodging its claws that tried to rip into them. I never knew how much Tidus had grown with his swordplay as I watched him fight alongside my father—their styles complementing each other in an intriguing way. They were fighting with their backs towards one another—seemingly holding each other up and making sure that Evrae didn't hit either of them.
"Kimi, bullets won't do good. Summon." I blinked at Kimahri as he made his way toward me and then my gaze drifted down to my pistols. I had a feeling that my bullets wouldn't pierce through Evrae's scaly skin, but I still wanted to try. As the airship moved closer to the beast, I moved as close as I could get without its claws tearing at me and shot two perfectly good bullets at it. All I got in return was my bullets bouncing off of it and Evrae's thunderous cry as it stared straight at me!
"(1)Vydran! Cu van!" I heard Rikku say as the wyrm snarled at me for even daring to try and kill it with my pathetic weapon.
"(2)Fyed y susahd!" Cid's voice rang out through the intercom before Evrae took in a huge breath of air. "Don't be falling now!" The ship lurched backward and we all had to keep our footing this time, lest we fall off the airship and possibly down onto the streets of Bevelle. Kimahri held me and shook his head as if to say "I told you so" and I smiled sheepishly at him. I really did try to do things without having to use my summon; I didn't feel like it was my job—it was Yuna's.
Lulu and Wakka continued to pelt Evrae with their attacks as they were the only ones who could because the rest of us were out of range. I realized that it was a good thing we had those two on our team because if we didn't, this whole fight would have been much more difficult. As their attacks continued to make contact, Evrae let out the breath it was holding and I could see the air turn green and slightly black and purple with noxious gas. If that had touched any of us we would have been poisoned, and although we have some potions and antidotes, we weren't all spectacular healers.
"That looks like some pretty nasty stuff!" I looked over at Tidus who was staring at Evrae's poisonous gas and I couldn't help but laugh. Even in the middle of battle, he made ridiculous comments to lift everyone's mood. Rikku giggled at him and punched his shoulder while my father shook his head and grunted. I could tell he was enjoying himself, even if it was a little bit. Perhaps it was because of all of us kids around him.
"Heads up!" I heard Cid's voice again on the intercom and Evrae was once again charging for us. We all ducked just in time as he tried to claw at us, avoiding more scratches and cuts against our skin.
Tidus and my father went back to their original position that seemed t work best for them while Kimahri joined them. Lulu and Wakka hung out back by me and Rikku who was now preparing something in her hands. I stared at her trying to figure out what it was before she grinned at me. "Kimahri said something about you being able to summon right?" I nodded at her. "Can it fly?"
I tilted my head and thought about Valefor. When I had first stepped into the Chamber of the Fayth, she had smiled at me and told me how much I desired freedom and that flight would be a perfect kind of power for someone like me. When I asked her if she was someone who once craved the same thing, she merely smiled and flew straight into my chest without hesitation. I had no idea what to expect when it came to something like that, but having her mingle inside of my soul wasn't as unpleasant as the initial contact.
I was about to answer Rikku that yes, she can fly, until I heard a voice from inside of myself. "Is flight the power you seek, Kimiko?" I recognized the same low and maternal voice as the one that belonged to Valefor's fayth. I smiled and touched my chest; it was pleasantly warm and glowing with a light that I hadn't noticed I held within me.
"Yes…" The light exploded out of my chest and engulfed me. I couldn't see anything but the bright light as I took a hold of all of my senses. That last for less than a second in real time, but for me things abruptly stopped and I saw Valefor's fayth before me, smiling at me like a mother would at her child.
"Then I will grant you with the power you seek." The woman faded from view and another beacon of light shone down from the sky. I looked up as did everyone else and immediately a large avian creature flew about until its gaze locked onto mine. With a cry it flew down and hovered above me with its beak extended so that I could touch it. Hesitantly I pressed my hand to its beak and patted it. In my mind I could hear, "You are welcome…"
I smiled and said, "thank you." Turning to look over at Rikku, she gaped at me and I giggled. "Yeah, we can fly. Got a plan?"
She didn't have a chance to answer me as Cid cut in again. "This is it! I'll give it all we've got!" Our group looked around confused by what he could mean as we felt the airship rumble and the platform underneath us shake. Just as I was about to ask what was going on, a mass amount missiles erupted from the platform underneath us and hit Evrae directly. One after the other, missiles kept on attacking it and Rikku moved close to me and tugged me arm.
"What?"
She held up something akin to a grenade and looked at Valefor. Easily, I instructed the summon to let us both on her back so that we could ride her. She granted us permission and we flew straight for Evrae.
"Be careful!" I heard Lulu shout at us as we crossed the distance between the airship and the guardian wyrm.
"Go team!" I heard from Tidus and I giggled alongside Rikku as the missiles subsided. Cid really did put everything he had into those missiles as I looked back to see the ship suddenly teetering.
"We've got to be quick Rikku!" She nodded and as we approached Evrae, it's mouth was still hung open in shock. There were gashes covering the whole of its body and I yelled to Valefor. "Take us a little bit closer!" Listening to my command, she did as was told and Rikku threw the grenade right into its gaping maw. "Pull back!" I shouted.
"Aah!" Rikku grabbed onto me as Valefor flew faster and higher than before as the grenade made its way down into the depths of Evrae's body. In a flash, its body began to contort and I could see that the grenade exploded faster than either of us had expected it to. Covering Rikku's body with my own, I held onto her tightly as we flew back onto the ship. Valefor let us go and I dismissed her.
I could smell the sick odor of sulfur as Evrae's body blew up in flames before exploding itself. Pyreflies erupted from its body and drifted through the skies like beautiful colors and lights. Everyone covered their eyes and mouths just as the ship began its descent onto Bevelle. "Hold on!" Cid yelled and everyone grabbed onto a portion of the deck—clinging onto it for dear life.
We were crashing fast and hard. The highbridge was suddenly in my view and I shouted, "what are we gonna do?!"
"(3) Bimm ib! Bimm ib!" I heard Cid shout through the intercom and suddenly the ship lurched up again. We barely hit the Highbridge thanks to Brother's reckless piloting and I rolled my eyes. I could see Yuna and Seymour from where we were and her veil flew up and caught onto the airship. I had no time to dwell on how pretty she looked or anything about her appearance as two wires flew out of the airship and crashed right into the part of the bridge where the wedding was being held. "Go save my niece!" Was the last thing we heard from Cid as we jumped onto the two cables.
I'm not overly fond of heights, but I'm not super scared of them either. Which was why as much as I hated sliding down those cables from the airship above the city of Bevelle where I could have fallen down to my doom, I was also terribly excited because of the adrenaline rush coursing through my body. It also helped that as I was sliding down, Rikku was right in front of me and I got the best view of her little backside also sliding down the cables. She jumped off ahead me alongside Tidus, while I jumped down next to my father. Kimahri was holding Lulu and the two of them jumped off with Wakka. When the last of our group was onto the bridge, the cables snapped behind us and the airship flew off to goodness knows where.
I thanked Cid in my mind, and I hoped we would see him again safe and sound. Rikku looked behind to where the ship was taking off and smiled. If she could see them off with that kind of expression, then I figured I should have no doubts in my mind about meeting Cid and Brother all over again. Pressing my hand onto her shoulder, I smiled and she nodded. It was time to go get Yuna.
Speaking of our summoner, I turned to look up through the bridge and up the staircase. She was standing there alongside Seymour who held her arm. I growled as Tidus shouted her name and then our entire group took off running. There were many soldiers and infantrymen poised with their weaponry but we took them down in an instant.
"Cut through! Take down the ones who matter!" There was a cheer that went through all of us as we heard my father's words. We took them to heart as we did as he said; only taking down the ones who were in front of us so that we could get to the staircase quicker. We didn't stop as we count down the men and machines, shedding blood onto the floors of the sacred city of Bevelle and staining the carpets so that people down below were shrieking at the sudden violence tearing through their beloved city. I rolled my eyes as I wondered if people living here ever bothered to find out anything about the ones who ruled over them.
I had no time to ponder it for long as we had to halt. Our group was surrounded by Maester Kinoc and another faction of soldiers. Tidus, my father, and I were right in the front and guns were poised in our faces, ready to blow us to bits. Rikku was behind me and I could feel her hand at the small of my back as I struggled to move past the guards, but she willed me to stop just as my father held out his arm in front of Tidus for him to stop as well.
Glaring at the top of the steps, my eyes caught Seymour's and he smiled; that bastard. I turned my gaze to Yuna beside him and I saw that she was moving slowly as to not rouse his suspicions; my father was right about what she was doing. In one fluid motion, she brought her staff from behind her to her front, and got out of Seymour's hold so that she could hold it between them. The look of surprise on his face was enough to make me smile, but what happened afterward only made me seethe with anger once again.
Yuna began to send him as is a summoner's duty, however Maester Mika stopped her before Seymour could fully travel to the Farplane."Stop! Do you not value your friends' lives? Your actions determine their fate. Protect them…or throw them away. The choice is yours." Yuna's hands fumbled with the staff as she stopped the sending. Maester Mika looked at each and every one of us in our gang before turning back to Yuna. I could tell that it was with a heavy heart that she stopped the sending and let go of her staff. It slowly fell to the floor and rolled down the staircase at Tidus' feet with a soft thud. My hand balled into my fist and I wondered what the hell Maester Mika thought he was doing.
I read Seymour's lips as Yuna tried to look away from us. "You are wise…" He said to her, and I tried to rebel again. This time Rikku grabbed at my elbow and squeezed. I turned to look at her but she only shook her head sadly at me. She knew that we were helpless in this situation but we had to do something.
Turning back to look at Seymour and Yuna, the wedding began again. Approaching Yuna slowly, Seymour took hold of her shoulders and leaned in. My stomach turned into knots as I realized what he was doing and I wanted to lash out again. With Rikku's hold on my elbow and Tidus being held by my father, neither one of us could save Yuna. Seymour's lips touched hers gently at first, signaling the bells to ring throughout the city and I could hear the cheers of the citizens down below; they ahd no idea what was truly happening.
I could see Yuna's hand balling into a fist and that Seymour's lips had started to press into hers with a lot more force than before. She would let him kiss her lips but she would be damned if he thought he would get any tongue. My anger was bubbling over and I could feel my whole body tingling with it. I was going to kill him again if I could help it, and this time I was planning on him staying dead. The clamor of the crowds below became background noise as Seymour finally released his lips on Yuna's and looked straight into my eyes with a smile.
"Kill them." The soldier's guns clicked as the safety was taken off.
"I am sorry, but it is for Yevon." I didn't take my eyes off of Seymour's for a second, but I could tell that it was Kinoc who was speaking to us.
"Aren't those weapons forbidden by Yevon?" My father…I could hear his angry tone.
Another click and Tidus moved into me as Rikku withdrew her hand from my elbow. Kinoc was speaking again, but my eyes were still locked onto Seymour."There are exceptions."
Another voice rang out, signaling everyone to stop what they were doing and look. "No!" Even I was surprised at the outburst, only to see Yuna upon a railing and poised to fall backward. "Throw down your weapons. Let them go…or else…" I sucked in a breath as she moved backward some more and I shook my head. I didn't want her to die!
The soldiers began to stand down and after staring at them for another minute, our group ran up to Yuna and bypassed Seymour. I was ready to sock him one, but I realized that if I retaliated right this very moment, then we would all die alongside Yuna. I would have to wait for the most appropriate moment in order to kick his ass. When I passed him, he had muttered something or other and chuckled, but I was not able to catch it in the slightest. I was preoccupied with getting my summoner, and getting the hell out of there.
Once we reached Yuna, she was giving us strict instructions to go. Tidus and I explained that we weren't just about to leave her like this, but she smiled and said that she could fly. I grabbed Tidus' hand as he reached out to grab her, but I fully understood what she was intending to do. The first Aeon that the two of us achieved was going to save her just as she had saved me and the rest of our group. I nodded at Yuna, realizing that our promise to each other at the start of everything was finally giving us the boost of confidence that we needed in order to carry through.
She clasped her hands to her chest and smiled.
"I believe you Yuna. We'll see you soon." She fell backward, her body sailing down through the city and just before she made contact with anything, a bright light filled the sky and I saw an avian creature fly down at the speed of light. Valefor caught her in her arms, and was floating down gently into the streets of Bevelle with Yuna in her embrace.
There was a moment of peace as no one moved after Yuna's stunt, but then Rikku broke through the silence and shouted, "Cover your eyes!" Immediately our group followed her instructions, and latched onto one another. Once the smoke cleared somewhat, we took off running down the bridge as guards were still coughing and shouting commands at one another. In the middle of the chaos, I saw Kimahri pick up Tidus and start running after us. My father was leading us all through the crowds.
"What was that?!" I heard Wakka call out.
"An Al Bhed flashbomb!" Rikku answered him.
Tidus was vocalizing both of our thoughts on wanting to murder Seymour over and over again as Kimahri continued to hold him. Lulu tried to answer him calmly that we had to meet up with Yuna first before any of us could achieve that kind of mission. We had to fight several more guards before we reached another entryway, and realized that it would lead us down into the Cloister. I laughed at our stroke of luck for being able to find it easily in this kind of frenzied state, but when we realized how machinated the place was it became no laughing matter.
"They betray their own teachings." Wakka sighed at my father's comment. After all the years of faithfully following the strict edict and doctrines of Yevon, I could tell that Wakka was getting tired of all of the blasphemous acts of the high priests of Yevon. His faith was probably in shambles and I patted his shoulder. There was nothing I could do for him as I barely cared about the teachings because I chose to live my own life without any real faith. It was another reason why I had not wanted to become but a summoner but a guardian instead.
I thought back on the promise I made with Yuna and when I acquired Valefor.
Yuna had dedicated her whole life to Yevon; she wanted to follow in her father's footsteps and become a High Summoner like him. I admired her for her strong will, but I most definitely did not like the whole pilgrimage and summoning business. I would always laugh and mock her dream of wanting to tour Spira and acquire the Aeons to defeat Sin. She would always give me a small smile, touch my hand and then tell me, "One day you'll understand how much this will mean to me. I want the people of Spira to be free from Sin and to live in a world where they won't have to be afraid anymore."
It never clicked until the day she was told that she might make it as a summoner. At that point, we had already learned what it was that a summoner must do in order to defeat Sin. I argued with her nonstop, telling her that it was just a passing dream and that to forfeit her life to a bunch of people who didn't even know of her existence would make no difference. I yelled at her, telling her that no matter what, Sin always came back and that it wouldn't be worth it. I made her cry, and hated myself for doing so, but I didn't want Yuna to die.
A few days after that, I found myself in front of Yuna's bed. I was kneeling on the floor after an entire night of tossing and turning in some girl's bed and knowing damn well that she was not the one I wanted to hold in my arms. I slept with that girl and paid her no mind after I was finished and seemingly exhausted. I pretended to fall asleep but then throughout the night my guilt left an ache in my heart and I realized that I had to apologize. When I found myself in Yuna's hut the next morning, her back was turned to me and I said every kind of apology I could think of. I didn't even have the heart to look at her back, just kept my eyes cast to the floor.
The bed creaked and I knew she was looking at me, and before I knew it her feet touched the floor. "Kimiko." She called to me and urged me to look at her. Hesitantly, I gazed up at her and she smiled though her eyes were filled with tears. It had been a few days since our fight, and the second I really looked at her, I rushed up from my knees and took her into my arms. I suppose that was when I realized I felt strange around Yuna; wanting to protect her, care for her, and then kiss her all the same. My feelings for Yuna were so strong that at that point I knew that if she was going to go through with this pilgrimage, then I would be there for her a hundred percent.
Months later, Lulu and Wakka had tried the same approach that I did. They argued and tried to goad her away from what she believed she wanted but to no avail. They came up to me and we all tried to work this thing out, finally coming to the realization that we would have to be her guardians.
Lulu shook her head and sighed. "No matter what we do…she just follows her heart."
Wakka nodded before holding his head in his hands. "This would be your third, Lu. Maybe she'll stop when she figures out its too much?"
The three of us were in Lulu's hut, sitting around and trying to hope for the best. Kimahri was out with Yuna as she was attending prayers with a few of the Yevon priests in the temple. They wouldn't be back for another few hours, and in another few weeks she would try to acquire her first Aeon, even if none of us thought she was strong enough for that yet.
"You know she would stop at nothing to do what she wants. If she believes in herself, in this whole pilgrimage thing, and in Spira…you know she's going to do it. She's going the full Monty, Wakka." He looked at me before putting his head in hands again and we all sighed collectively. We would have chats like that almost every other day until the week prior to her becoming a full-fledged summoner.
Yuna and I were sitting on the docks with our feet in the water, and splashed each other every so often for fun. We were truly enjoying ourselves and I still tried to wrap my head around all of the complicated feelings she gave me, but figured it was best to let them die down. She smiled at me before leaning on my shoulder and saying, "Hey…soon I'll be a summoner you know? A real one. Then we can all journey on the pilgrimage together…" There was this wistful tone in her voice, and I tilted my head so that it would lay on top of hers.
"Yeah…" It hurt, thinking about what her pilgrimage would mean, but if she wanted to do it there was no way any one of us could stop her.
"You should acquire a summon too." She blurted out.
I stared at her incredulously, moving away from her so that she had to sit up again. "What?! Yuna, you know me and the priests don't exactly see eye to eye, not to mention the fact that I do not like the whole Yevon thing, and I haven't been praying like a devout Yevonite like you. So, no. No thanks."
She laughed at me, and it was the most beautiful sound I had ever heard in my life. "All of that is true, but I don't think it matters. I think it's all about what's in here—" She poked my chest; right where my heart was located and grinned. "That really matters if you'll acquire an Aeon or not, and I really do believe that you could get one. And it would be nice! You could still protect me and probably do a better job than myself." Then she leaned back, her hands pressed behind her on the dock and looked up into the sky. "Actually, Kimiko…I'm scared. I don't want to go through this alone, and so I just asked you because…well, I'm not really sure why I asked you."
I reached out and pulled her head to my chest. Hugging her closely, I knew that my heart was beating rapidly but I couldn't help myself. There were so many things that I wanted to do to her but I wasn't about to let my desires rule over me. As she wrapped her arms around my waist, I told her, "Alright. I'll see if I can get one, but I'd rather just be your guardian and protect you. This is my first and my only Aeon. I'll protect you with it; I'll give my life to protect you always, Yuna. You'll never be alone."
Neither of us said anything else that day, after all there was nothing left to say. I had let my feelings come across in the best way I knew how and that was it. Days later, I went into the Cloister of Trials with Wakka at my side only. It was his only free day and he stared at me like I was nuts when I told him what I was going to do. Neither one of us had expected that I would make my way into the Chamber of the Fayth, speak with Valefor's fayth, nor acquire the summon. My body was flushed afterwards, completely exhausted from merging my soul with that of Valefor's fayth, but I did feel like I accomplished something spectacular. And then days after that was Yuna's trial, and then…this pilgrimage.
I was brought back to reality once we had found ourselves in the Cloister, easily navigating through the trials, but incredibly confused as to why there were so many machinas in a place of faith. Wakka continued looking gloomy and muttering under his breath about the way we were treated and how the people who were the traitors were those running the show. If I were an asshole, I probably would have moved over to him and said "I told you so" but I didn't have the heart to do something like that to him. Instead, everyone let him be as we maneuvered through the trials and ever closer towards the Chamber of the Fayth.
Rikku played with many of the control panels that would open the doors to some of the rooms in the Cloister. When I asked her about it, she explained that these panels were kind of like the same ones that ran through the airship. They didn't require a lot of thought, and could easily be hacked into if left in someone's capable hands. She winked at me and I just shook my head and laughed at her. Despite being a bit younger than me, Tidus, and Yuna, Rikku was well educated and well-versed when it came to all technology due to her Al Bhed lineage.
We all made it to the Chamber of the Fayth quick and efficiently, and then Tidus ran to the door that we all hoped our summoner was behind. He tried to lift it even though he didn't possess the strength and Wakka yelled at him. "Stuff your taboos!" Tidus' retorted and Kimahri gave him a helping hand when it came to opening the door. Lifting it somewhat, the blond was able to scramble through it and he gave me a thumb up before heading in. I suppose he was reassuring me that he was going to get her out safe and sound, and then my father followed in after him.
"He's still weird…" I heard Rikku mutter from behind me and I only smiled at her.
"Mm. My dad and Tidus are both weird. Guess that's why they're family."
She giggled and put her hands behind her back, easily mirroring her cousin whenever she saw feeling a little mischievous. "But Wakka, Lulu, and Kimahri are a little weird too…so does that make them family?" I looked over at the three people she mentioned and laughed again, nodding because I couldn't answer due to my amusement. "What about me? I'm not all that weird, am I?" I stopped laughing and wondered what would be an appropriate answer until I could hear the thunderous footsteps of soldiers approaching; my father took that time to appear as well.
I stared at the entryway as the Lulu, Wakka, and Kimahri came to stand with the three of us. Tidus and Yuna hadn't come out of the Chamber yet and we were hoping it would take a while before they did. Each of us outside of the Chamber made a move to take out our weapons and fight, even though we knew it would be futile. Maester Kinoc was the first to enter followed by an entourage of guards. Each of them caring a gun—more machina to add insult to injury.
He was about to say something until the Chamber door began to open and Rikku yelled out, "Wait! Don't come out!" But she was too little too late. Tidus stepped out with Yuna passed out in his arms and Kinoc laughed.
"You are to stand trial."
I stepped up, glaring at him. "Highly doubt it'll be fair, fatty."
His eyes narrowed at me as my father chuckled behind me. "Of course it will. Take them away."
We were already expecting the worst when it came down to the High Court of Yevon, but I don't think any of us could have truly been prepared for what awaited us at our trial. I had to continually bite back the urge to scream, kick, or cry out at the soldiers who tugged us into the court room after Yuna awoke again. I badly wanted to stand next to her and try and console her, but there was a barrier between us guardians and our summoner. I knew they had done this on purpose, and before we knew it the trial began.
Key of Al Bhed phrases:
(1)Father! Go far!
(2)Wait a moment!
(3)Pull up! Pull up!
