Chapter 11: Unity, the illusion
Yunalesca walked over to Trista and checked to see if she was all right. Seeing that I had left a nice big red hand-imprint on her neck brought me some satisfaction, but her much anger. Her eyes trailed the ground until it came upon my fallen form. She glared at me. How dare she? I was just assaulted by a summoner and her entire list of Aeons for no reason other than to watch me die. I glared back. The anger I had for Trista expanded and included this one, as well. I got to my feet.
"Look, this doesn't concern you. That summoner and I are involved with this, not you. Do me a favor and buzz off, NOW!" I growled at Yunalesca.
She looked at me still however, a look of disgust. Proud summoners, curse them all. I began to walk towards her. The wound across my chest was still fresh and hurting me with each passing second. I didn't care. I had enough anger in me to carry me on. "Look, I don't have the patience to deal with two bitches so if you wouldn't mind." I sneered. "I don't care if you mind or not. You harmed a summoner and therefore you will be punished!" She hissed back. This was getting on my nerves. I had said more than what I should have had to say. Besides, actions speak louder than words.
I unsheathed my sword yet again and swung it at her. Her eyes grew wide, unsuspecting of my hasty assault. Fortunately for her, another blade caught mine before it could do any damage. "And you are?" I said, glaring at a man in golden armor and a cloak. "Blitzer, my name is Lord Zaon. I'd suggest you remember it well." He mused. "Oh, of course, my lord. I'll embed your name deep within my mind... after I kill you." I said, mocking his title.
He had enough and I was already waiting for a fight. He broke up our lock and tried to swipe my middle. I expected that and backed away plainly, dodging the attack with ease. Then it was my turn. I pulled up my sword and whipped it around my front in a diagonal slash. He quickly held up this blade and blocked it, kneeling on one knee to brace the impact. "How does it feel, my lord, to be kneeling in front of a commoner?" I mocked yet again. "How DARE you!" He fumed, moving away and getting back into his stance. I charged him, jumping at the last second and flipping while having my sword out. Unable to block, the lord had to roll out of the way.
"Shuyin! Stop this!" Lenne cried. "You need to keep your blitzer in line! You are a summoner! Act like it!" Yunalesca instructed her. I noticed Lenne getting a bit ticked off herself. "I'm sick of you summoners acting like 'the miracle of Spira!' You aren't! All people are equal and you need to learn that! Shuyin isn't my slave. I don't give him orders. He and I cooperate. Maybe your husband needs to realize he isn't your lap dog!" Lenne argued. "You get her Lenne!" Kirin added, sticking her tongue out at Yunalesca. That sent her over the top. And it was then that Trista chimed in. "Butt out bimbo." "Who are you calling a bimbo? I'll show you bimbo!" Kirin challenged. Now this fight had gotten out of hand. I was fine when it was just me and this idiot, but now Lenne and Kirin were involved and I didn't want them to get hurt. "Lenne, Kirin, stay out of this!" I ordered, parrying another strike by Zaon. The two ignored me and I couldn't do anything about it from my opponent's constant assaults.
At this point, Lenne was ready to face off against Yunalesca and Kirin had her daggers out, ready to face Trista. Meanwhile, I dodged a swing at my throat and winced at the pain of stretching my wounded chest to that extent. I managed a back tumble, grabbing my chest when I finished and was crouched on the ground. "Off your game, blitzer?" He jeered. I got back up in an instant, causing my wound to reopen and send a stinging pain at me. I winced again, but I ignored it and lunged at Zaon. He sidestepped, but I swung my sword horizontally and hit him across the chest, cutting his armor and letting his blood seep out onto it and my sword. He stumbled back, touching the new color of red on his outfit. Glaring at me, he recklessly charged me and my face beamed with a nice big smirk. I got him right where I wanted him. As he got in range, I ducked his strike, extending my leg and tripping him. When he fell to the floor, I was already standing with my sword pressed to the back of his neck. "You shouldn't have tried to stop me." I stated coldly.
Suddenly, I heard a yell of pain from behind me. I turned and noticed that Lenne had just taken a Thunder spell from Yunalesca and was now totally unable to even attempt to avoid the Firaga spell that would be coming for her next. "LENNE!" I cried, running towards her. As I did, I also noticed that Kirin wasn't doing so well, either. Trista had her pinned to the ground with a couple of Blizzard spells, freezing her legs and arms. She wasn't able to use her daggers and Trista gloated as she cast Cura on herself from a previous stab injury.
While I was noticing these things, Zaon took advantage. I was distracted and he had the perfect opportunity to take me out. He swept my legs from under me and I fell on my side. Before anything else, he had stood up and was pressing his sword against my neck. "Never ever turn your back to me. I can promise you, you won't like what happens." He gloated. I lost. Zaon used my distraction to get the better of me. I didn't care about that, though. "Yunalesca, STOP! Don't you dare hurt Lenne!" I cried. She wasn't impressed. After all, how much of a threat was a guy who was on the floor with a sword on his neck? She laughed a little before saying, "You foolish little athlete. Never ever challenge a summoner. Never harm a summoner. I will leave you to your business if you can remember that." Lenne had enough. Taking her chance when Yunalesca wasn't paying attention, she quickly cast Thundaga. The spell hit the woman hard and she went down quickly, slightly shocked by the assault.
I also took advantage of that, while Zaon had his focus on his wife. He didn't notice, but I slid my neck away from his sword and began to move mine. "Fool, die for your insolence!" He said, stabbing down with the sword after realizing my movement. The sword hit the ground and I quickly tripped his legs while rolling back to my feet. By the time he had regained his balance, I was on top of him, my blade bearing down in a vertical slash. He blocked it just in time. I quickly moved our joined swords near his chin. One wrong move and he'd be finished while I could make all the bad moves in the world. The weapon was poised at his throat, not mine. I could've sneezed right there and it would've been his head, literally.
"Foul rapscallion!" He sneered. "Aw, did the infamous Lord Zaon hurt his pride? I feel so terrible." I mocked. He wasn't a match for me, as much as he believed he was. The thing is, I was trained by Takuma, an unsent. Who knows how many years or even decades he could've been around, teaching himself new tricks. And he taught all of his tricks to me. Exactly how was I to lose? I had the fighting technique of someone who has been around longer than any living warrior. "How dare you mock me?" He growled. "Hey, I only do it because you look so cute when you're pissed off." I mused, extremely satisfied by his fuming expression. Meanwhile, as I looked around, Lenne had Yunalesca practically cornered. I could tell she was enjoying her fight, too. After all, she was just as sick and tired of that woman as I was. Also, Trista was losing to Kirin. While she gloated, the spell faded and Kirin was able to attack again, I suppose. In any case, she was on top of Trista, one dagger pinned tightly on her chest while mocking her with funny faces.
"I have had it with you!" Yunalesca screamed. I looked back over and saw her summon an Aeon I'd never seen before. "It is time to end this! If you will not comply, I will relinquish you from this world!" She continued. The summoned beast looked strange. It looked like some sort of iron gladiator that wielded an axe. "What is that?" Lenne gasped, staring up at the creature with terrified eyes. "Efface her from this world, Foricon!" Yunalesca commanded.
"LENNE!" I cried, removing my sword to help her. Zaon seemed to let me go. I guess even he thought Yunalesca had gone too far. When the beast swung its axe, Lenne cowered. Why wouldn't she? I'm the one with the sword. All she had were spells and at this speed, she'd never be able to cast one in time. I rushed over to her and at the last minute, blocked the swipe. However, the Aeon was immensely powerful. The axe slammed into my sword and plunged me into the ground. I held my sword there, trying my best to keep the opposing weapon from reaching me. My strength was giving. I was going on adrenaline this whole time and now, with it used up, I was fading fast. "Stop this! Please!" I heard from two locations. Both Kirin and Lenne screamed for the madwoman to stop her Aeon. Would she listen?
"Yuna, please." Zaon spoke up. He knew this was going too far. Hey, even that fight was going too far. I was injured. The only reason I beat Zaon was because I wanted to wipe that smirk off his face, and I had. Now, struggling against this creature, while at the same time losing a lot of blood, I was totally done for. If the Aeon didn't stop in a few seconds, the axe would be imbedded into my skull.
"Stop Foricon!" Yunalesca finally commanded, calling the Aeon back. Afterwards, she walked up to my fallen form and smiled. It wasn't a friendly smile. It was a smile that said that I lost and she won. I tried to lift myself off the ground and smack that smile off her face, but I couldn't. She decided to gloat some more and put her heel into my wound, making it sting further. "Little blitz rat, do not upset me. Otherwise, I will have to squash you like all the other disobedient rodents!" She snarled, pushing her heel into my wound more, before stepping off and leaving with Trista and her husband.
"Shuyin! Are you okay?" Lenne and Kirin both yelled, coming to my aid. "I'm fine. Just my pride that hurts the most." I sighed, allowing my two female companions to help me to my feet. "You shouldn't have tried to hurt Trista like that." Lenne said, while taking a look at my wound. "Lenne, she was totally out of line! What was Shuyin supposed to do? Are you okay? She was kinda rough of you." Kirin asked me sympathetically. "I'm fine. Just fine. Don't worry about me. I just need to get this wound cleaned up and I'll be peachy." I said, groaning a little from moving. The blood was hardening. It made the slightest stretching of skin cause pain.
We headed back inside to Lenne's house. The two of them helped me to the kitchen where Lenne got me a few pieces of gauze and some rubbing alcohol. I took one of the pieces and put some water on it. I wanted to rub off the dried blood before cleaning the wound with the alcohol. Carefully, I wiped away all of the stains on my chest. When I finished, I saw the three claw marks. Thank you Bahamut. Next, I took a couple of pieces and filled it with the alcohol. It would sting horribly, but what choice did I have? I had to clean out the wound. I didn't want to get sick and I wanted to prevent a scar. Slowly and very cautiously, I pressed the gauze onto my wound. The pain was enormous and excruciating, but nothing compared to actually getting the wound, so I could handle it. Kirin bit her bottom lip while I did this and bit down harder each time I winced from the pain. "Stop that. You're gonna end up chewing your lip right off if you don't stop." I joked. "Funny, Shuyin, but I'm just worried about ya. You know that." She replied. "I know... Thanks." I told her, smiling afterwards. I continued to clean off my wound and Lenne found some cloth for me to use as a bandage. I placed the cloth across my chest and taped the edges to my skin. Almost immediately, the cloth showed three smears of red. I washed my hands and went to look for my shirt. Kirin jumped up in front of me then, handing me the article of clothing. "Thanks."
"Why do Yunalesca and those other summoners have to be such self-righteous asses?" Kirin asked, not being able to rid herself of those unpleasant thoughts, like I hadn't. "That's just the way people are. If you can do something that someone else can't, you want to rub that into people's faces." I answered her. "I don't know. I mean she's nice to the other summoners. She just seems to have a problem with me and you." Lenne inputted. I guessed the reason for Yunalesca not liking her was because Lenne was first, a songstress and second, a summoner. In her mind, being a summoner allowed you to be better than everybody else. Well, I have to admit that Aeons are a force to be reckoned with, but that still doesn't make you any better than anyone else. I'm a star blitzer but I don't act all high and mighty because of it. I just win my games and keep up the Tidus persona. "Ya know, I think they are stuck up. That's all really. They just make themselves the big shots of Zanarkand and we are all the little people who have to praise them." Kirin stated, her distaste for summoners showing with each word. "I don't know. I still think that it's just because of human nature." I returned, trying to calm my friend. "Shuyin, you know as well as I do that you're the best blitzer on all of Spira. Do you act like they do? If they're right, you should be out there making people sing your praises, too." Kirin retorted. She was right. I was an extremely talented blitzer and I never let it go to my head. However, that has to do with my father and how he always rubbed it in my face that he was the best. I mean cocky is alright, but downright conceited, that's another thing. "Kirin, you know that I'm not stuck up only because of Jecht." I said. "Sure, you had your self-righteous father, but what about them? I'm sure someone in their lives could've shown them not to act like they're a gift from the Farplane." Kirin argued still. "Kirin... I agree with Shuyin. He was lucky to have his father as an example of someone he didn't want to be. Perhaps Yunalesca and those others just didn't." Lenne suggested. "Oh yeah? Then what about you? What makes you not a snotty summoner like them? You are after all a summoner, too." Kirin wouldn't let up. "Well, I'm just not that kind of person. My parents taught me never to speak too highly of myself. They didn't want me to get a big head." Lenne explained. Yes, Lenne had her parents to show her that pride was a stupid concept. I had my horrible excuse of a father. I'll bet that having Yu Yevon for a father didn't really teach Yunalesca the meaning of the word humble. She grew up thinking that summoners run our home and well that's only because Yu Yevon was a capable leader. It's not because he's a summoner, but because he knew how to keep Zanarkand from going belly up.
"You know what? I don't really care. As long as you're not like that, I'll get over it. Although I was very glad to make that little worm, Trista, plead for my mercy." Kirin told Lenne, smirking at the thought of defeating that summoner earlier. "Heh, yeah. She deserved it." I said, recalling how Trista had sent her entire wave of Aeons against me. "Ya know, you're the one who really put her in her place. You beat six Aeons before. That's rather impressive, don't you think? And when you lifted her by her scrawny little neck, I thought you were actually going to snap it." Kirin reveled. "Well, Kirin, I was. I was definitely angry enough. She was just gonna waltz outta there right after trying to kill me. I wasn't about to let her leave without a scratch." I corrected, once again smiling from that handprint I had left. And why shouldn't I have been smiling? I had every right. She thought she could just walk up, disrupt our original plans, attempt homicide, and leave like nothing happened? I saw to it that that didn't happen.
"Well, what do we do now? I'm a little too exhausted to start dancing." I said, giving a big yawn. Kirin smiled at me and said, "Well, that's expected. You lost how much blood? I mean you were bleeding every second after that Bahamut thing slashed you." "Yes, are you alright? That strike was powerful and those gashes were deep." Lenne asked, still worried. She didn't say anything before, but from her look up until then, she was extremely flustered over it, as usual. "Don't act like I'm gonna die. You see me now, right? I'm perfectly healthy. I'm just a little tired and that's from losing a lot of blood earlier, but if I could live for a half an hour without needing a transfusion, I think I'll live." I replied to her, trying to rid her of all those thoughts. I would live. The wound was harsh, yes, but it wasn't bad enough. Besides, I'm strong and I can handle three gashes and bleeding for about two hours.
Finally, Kirin decided to get up from her seat and put on some music. It just happened to be one of Lenne's albums. "You have my albums?" Lenne asked. That was a rather dumb question. Just about all the girls and a lot of the guys in Zanarkand had her albums. They were like gold, especially when signed. Much like my signed blitz balls. "Of course she has your albums. Even I got your albums, after I heard you sing. I mean, besides that, you are Zanarkand's best songstress." I responded. "Yeah, before he met you, he used to just listen to that horribly loud rock music." Kirin mused, putting the DP into her player. "Well, I know I have fans. I just never knew you guys were some." She said, coming over and sitting in my lap. "You should know I'm a fan. I've been to every one of your concerts since that day so many months back. And Kirin here has been a fan since you debuted." I explained, kissing Lenne on the cheek.
"Ugh, this dumb thing won't work." Kirin groaned, smacking the DP-player. Lenne got up and went over. "You know, I don't think hitting it was in the troubleshooting part of the manual." She giggled, putting a hand on Kirin's back. "Stupid machina!" Kirin growled, getting up and kicking it. "Hey, take it easy! Don't get mad at a machina that you let Kion borrow. You know how irresponsible he can be." I offered, getting out of my seat and stopping Kirin from kicking her player anymore. "Ooh, why did I let that idiot borrow my player!?" Kirin complained. "Hey, that's your problem. You figure it out. Not even I could tell you what possessed you to lend it to him of all people." I laughed. "Shuyin!" Kirin grumbled, kicking me in the leg. It was the leg I had injured during that blitz game so long ago. By now, it was healed, but still sore, and with that kick, my leg told me it wasn't pleased. I winced a little, just enough for Kirin to realize what she did. "Oh, sorry! I forgot about that thing. You know, I haven't said anything yet, but that was impressive how you stopped your own move and scored the last goal." Kirin said. "Yes, wasn't that something. I asked him about it before. He told me that shot was unblockable, and then he did it. He told me it was due to the fact that I was watching him." Lenne added. "Aw, that's so sweet. I didn't know you were so romantic Shuyin." Kirin said to me, clasping her hands together and placing them to one side of her face. "Well, it's the truth. If she wasn't out there, I'd let it go into overtime and score when it was our ball. But Lenne was there and she deserved to see something that she's never seen before. Blocking the Jecht shot seemed like something that fit into that category." I shrugged. Kirin punched me in the chest. "You aren't kiddin' that fits. That's what I call charismatic! You put your body on the line so that people would have a show." I smiled and put a hand on the back of my head. It wasn't really that impressive.
"So, what are we gonna do now?" Kirin asked the two of us. "Um, I haven't a clue. Lenne?" I replied, looking over to Lenne for any suggestions. "Well, it is late. Maybe we should just settle in for the night. Just look at the time. It's past midnight." Lenne noted. Kirin and I looked up at the clock. It was way past midnight and I was still exhausted from losing that blood. "Yeah, we probably should turn in." I added.
Therefore, we each went upstairs and went to bed. I was to sleep in one of Kirin's guest rooms and I made sure to take a shower. First of all, I smelled like a dead shoopuff. Second, I wanted to make sure my wound was as clean as can be. I cleaned up and plopped down on the guest bed thinking about the day's events.
I fell asleep and had yet another dream. This time, I found myself in the darkness. The atmosphere was foggy and I could barely see anything. Finally I began to make out a few shadows. As I got closer, I realized they were the silhouettes of Trista and Zaon. I approached those two and they stared at me. "What's going on?" I asked them. Neither replied, however, the fog became lighter and I noticed more silhouettes. They were still covered in darkness and stood behind Zaon and Trista. I hadn't a clue as to what was going on. Why were they here? What were they doing in my dream? Why was I dreaming about these two of all people? Then I saw something that really surprised me. A large figure was hovering over all of them. It had its arms out as if it was a puppeteer manipulating live puppets. "Who are you?" I called up at the shadow. It didn't reply. Slowly though, the fog got even less dense and I saw who it was. Yunalesca was up there, a large overseer. "Yunalesca?" I shouted, "What are you doing?" She just stared like the others. I couldn't even really tell if it was me they were staring at. It was almost as if they were just waiting for something.
I decided that perhaps I should go the other way. I turned around and started walking, but saw more people. This time it was Lenne and Kirin. Behind those two were Rothel, Kion, and Vena. All I could think about was what was going on? Why were they there? Why was Yunalesca huge? Why did it seem like everyone was waiting for something? What did they expect was coming? "Lenne, Kirin? What are you guys doing? Rothel? Kion? C'mon! Somebody answer me! Vena, what's going on?" I asked, pleading with them to talk. None of them answered. Lenne gave me a desperate smile, but that was all. Why was she upset? This was incredibly confusing.
I turned to my left to take a look. Again, more shadows and people were there. I saw Areth. Behind him was the heaviest part of the darkness. However, deep within that darkness was something that brought out a sense of dread. Something was in that dark shroud. It was almost as if it would cause strife one day. Then I got a small glimpse at it. All I could see was a pair of glowing, emotionless, blue eyes. The stare from those cold eyes sent a shiver down my spine. Was that how I appeared when I was angry? I knew my eyes gave away my emotion, but if I looked anything like this beast that I was seeing, I'd swear I was evil.
Again I turned around. If three sides had people, there must be a fourth. How right I was. There was a fourth side to this. I saw Takuma. His was the side that had no darkness. I saw a wondrous garden behind him. It was littered with pyreflies. By my guess, it was the Farplane. If it was, it was magnificent. Purple and pink flowers everywhere and all in full bloom. There was a waterfall with crystal waters flowing constantly down a lush purple hillside. How majestic. But something was wrong. Takuma also had a look to him. It was the same look that he had given me that time when Lenne was in trouble in Macalania. "Takuma!" I breathed, wondering what was wrong. "I fear your future." He said, those words sounding very familiar. It was what he had told me earlier, during that same event. I didn't know what he meant. Was he talking about my fight with Trista? Was that the problem? "Takuma, don't worry. I beat her. I even beat Zaon. You have nothing to fear. I'm perfectly fine." I told him, displaying my form for him to review. He didn't. Instead, he shook his head and repeated his words. I didn't understand. Perhaps I should have paid better attention, but I just didn't.
I looked all around me. I looked back at Yunalesca's corner. They were all just standing there, stiff as statues. Someone else appeared behind Yunalesca. It was a man. He was cloaked in shadow, but I knew it was a man just by his stature. I couldn't see beyond that. I turned back to Takuma's area and it was gone. The Farplane had vanished. What replaced it was a white space. That gave me a strange feeling. I shrugged it off, though, and went to my side. Lenne was solemn. A tear slid down her face. Was she crying? But what was the reason for that? I tried to walk up to her to comfort her, but Areth stopped me in my tracks. He restrained me and for some reason, I couldn't make myself punch him. I couldn't make him get out of my way; he was too strong. I looked at him and he looked back at me. For a while, we just stared into each other's eyes, but then he gave me a look I never wanted to see again. It was that same look he gave me from after the blitz game. It was the look he gave me in my first dream. His smirk proved to be even more frightening than those blue eyes that still glared at me from the distance. "Areth, what's going on?" I questioned, my voice exemplifying my frustration. He did nothing but stare and smirk. "What..." I tried to ask again, but couldn't. A shot was fired. I looked at my chest and it was bleeding. I had been shot. My heart, I felt it go limp. I was dying. My body collapsed onto Areth and he alone supported me, picking my chin up so that he could still smile at me with that hideous smirk. His mouth grew wider and his teeth were bared. Slowly, with mock sympathy, Areth said something. Although I saw his mouth move, I couldn't hear what he was telling me before my vision completely blurred out and the place went dark. Why was this happening to me? What did this all mean? I wanted to know. No, I had to know.
Yunalesca walked over to Trista and checked to see if she was all right. Seeing that I had left a nice big red hand-imprint on her neck brought me some satisfaction, but her much anger. Her eyes trailed the ground until it came upon my fallen form. She glared at me. How dare she? I was just assaulted by a summoner and her entire list of Aeons for no reason other than to watch me die. I glared back. The anger I had for Trista expanded and included this one, as well. I got to my feet.
"Look, this doesn't concern you. That summoner and I are involved with this, not you. Do me a favor and buzz off, NOW!" I growled at Yunalesca.
She looked at me still however, a look of disgust. Proud summoners, curse them all. I began to walk towards her. The wound across my chest was still fresh and hurting me with each passing second. I didn't care. I had enough anger in me to carry me on. "Look, I don't have the patience to deal with two bitches so if you wouldn't mind." I sneered. "I don't care if you mind or not. You harmed a summoner and therefore you will be punished!" She hissed back. This was getting on my nerves. I had said more than what I should have had to say. Besides, actions speak louder than words.
I unsheathed my sword yet again and swung it at her. Her eyes grew wide, unsuspecting of my hasty assault. Fortunately for her, another blade caught mine before it could do any damage. "And you are?" I said, glaring at a man in golden armor and a cloak. "Blitzer, my name is Lord Zaon. I'd suggest you remember it well." He mused. "Oh, of course, my lord. I'll embed your name deep within my mind... after I kill you." I said, mocking his title.
He had enough and I was already waiting for a fight. He broke up our lock and tried to swipe my middle. I expected that and backed away plainly, dodging the attack with ease. Then it was my turn. I pulled up my sword and whipped it around my front in a diagonal slash. He quickly held up this blade and blocked it, kneeling on one knee to brace the impact. "How does it feel, my lord, to be kneeling in front of a commoner?" I mocked yet again. "How DARE you!" He fumed, moving away and getting back into his stance. I charged him, jumping at the last second and flipping while having my sword out. Unable to block, the lord had to roll out of the way.
"Shuyin! Stop this!" Lenne cried. "You need to keep your blitzer in line! You are a summoner! Act like it!" Yunalesca instructed her. I noticed Lenne getting a bit ticked off herself. "I'm sick of you summoners acting like 'the miracle of Spira!' You aren't! All people are equal and you need to learn that! Shuyin isn't my slave. I don't give him orders. He and I cooperate. Maybe your husband needs to realize he isn't your lap dog!" Lenne argued. "You get her Lenne!" Kirin added, sticking her tongue out at Yunalesca. That sent her over the top. And it was then that Trista chimed in. "Butt out bimbo." "Who are you calling a bimbo? I'll show you bimbo!" Kirin challenged. Now this fight had gotten out of hand. I was fine when it was just me and this idiot, but now Lenne and Kirin were involved and I didn't want them to get hurt. "Lenne, Kirin, stay out of this!" I ordered, parrying another strike by Zaon. The two ignored me and I couldn't do anything about it from my opponent's constant assaults.
At this point, Lenne was ready to face off against Yunalesca and Kirin had her daggers out, ready to face Trista. Meanwhile, I dodged a swing at my throat and winced at the pain of stretching my wounded chest to that extent. I managed a back tumble, grabbing my chest when I finished and was crouched on the ground. "Off your game, blitzer?" He jeered. I got back up in an instant, causing my wound to reopen and send a stinging pain at me. I winced again, but I ignored it and lunged at Zaon. He sidestepped, but I swung my sword horizontally and hit him across the chest, cutting his armor and letting his blood seep out onto it and my sword. He stumbled back, touching the new color of red on his outfit. Glaring at me, he recklessly charged me and my face beamed with a nice big smirk. I got him right where I wanted him. As he got in range, I ducked his strike, extending my leg and tripping him. When he fell to the floor, I was already standing with my sword pressed to the back of his neck. "You shouldn't have tried to stop me." I stated coldly.
Suddenly, I heard a yell of pain from behind me. I turned and noticed that Lenne had just taken a Thunder spell from Yunalesca and was now totally unable to even attempt to avoid the Firaga spell that would be coming for her next. "LENNE!" I cried, running towards her. As I did, I also noticed that Kirin wasn't doing so well, either. Trista had her pinned to the ground with a couple of Blizzard spells, freezing her legs and arms. She wasn't able to use her daggers and Trista gloated as she cast Cura on herself from a previous stab injury.
While I was noticing these things, Zaon took advantage. I was distracted and he had the perfect opportunity to take me out. He swept my legs from under me and I fell on my side. Before anything else, he had stood up and was pressing his sword against my neck. "Never ever turn your back to me. I can promise you, you won't like what happens." He gloated. I lost. Zaon used my distraction to get the better of me. I didn't care about that, though. "Yunalesca, STOP! Don't you dare hurt Lenne!" I cried. She wasn't impressed. After all, how much of a threat was a guy who was on the floor with a sword on his neck? She laughed a little before saying, "You foolish little athlete. Never ever challenge a summoner. Never harm a summoner. I will leave you to your business if you can remember that." Lenne had enough. Taking her chance when Yunalesca wasn't paying attention, she quickly cast Thundaga. The spell hit the woman hard and she went down quickly, slightly shocked by the assault.
I also took advantage of that, while Zaon had his focus on his wife. He didn't notice, but I slid my neck away from his sword and began to move mine. "Fool, die for your insolence!" He said, stabbing down with the sword after realizing my movement. The sword hit the ground and I quickly tripped his legs while rolling back to my feet. By the time he had regained his balance, I was on top of him, my blade bearing down in a vertical slash. He blocked it just in time. I quickly moved our joined swords near his chin. One wrong move and he'd be finished while I could make all the bad moves in the world. The weapon was poised at his throat, not mine. I could've sneezed right there and it would've been his head, literally.
"Foul rapscallion!" He sneered. "Aw, did the infamous Lord Zaon hurt his pride? I feel so terrible." I mocked. He wasn't a match for me, as much as he believed he was. The thing is, I was trained by Takuma, an unsent. Who knows how many years or even decades he could've been around, teaching himself new tricks. And he taught all of his tricks to me. Exactly how was I to lose? I had the fighting technique of someone who has been around longer than any living warrior. "How dare you mock me?" He growled. "Hey, I only do it because you look so cute when you're pissed off." I mused, extremely satisfied by his fuming expression. Meanwhile, as I looked around, Lenne had Yunalesca practically cornered. I could tell she was enjoying her fight, too. After all, she was just as sick and tired of that woman as I was. Also, Trista was losing to Kirin. While she gloated, the spell faded and Kirin was able to attack again, I suppose. In any case, she was on top of Trista, one dagger pinned tightly on her chest while mocking her with funny faces.
"I have had it with you!" Yunalesca screamed. I looked back over and saw her summon an Aeon I'd never seen before. "It is time to end this! If you will not comply, I will relinquish you from this world!" She continued. The summoned beast looked strange. It looked like some sort of iron gladiator that wielded an axe. "What is that?" Lenne gasped, staring up at the creature with terrified eyes. "Efface her from this world, Foricon!" Yunalesca commanded.
"LENNE!" I cried, removing my sword to help her. Zaon seemed to let me go. I guess even he thought Yunalesca had gone too far. When the beast swung its axe, Lenne cowered. Why wouldn't she? I'm the one with the sword. All she had were spells and at this speed, she'd never be able to cast one in time. I rushed over to her and at the last minute, blocked the swipe. However, the Aeon was immensely powerful. The axe slammed into my sword and plunged me into the ground. I held my sword there, trying my best to keep the opposing weapon from reaching me. My strength was giving. I was going on adrenaline this whole time and now, with it used up, I was fading fast. "Stop this! Please!" I heard from two locations. Both Kirin and Lenne screamed for the madwoman to stop her Aeon. Would she listen?
"Yuna, please." Zaon spoke up. He knew this was going too far. Hey, even that fight was going too far. I was injured. The only reason I beat Zaon was because I wanted to wipe that smirk off his face, and I had. Now, struggling against this creature, while at the same time losing a lot of blood, I was totally done for. If the Aeon didn't stop in a few seconds, the axe would be imbedded into my skull.
"Stop Foricon!" Yunalesca finally commanded, calling the Aeon back. Afterwards, she walked up to my fallen form and smiled. It wasn't a friendly smile. It was a smile that said that I lost and she won. I tried to lift myself off the ground and smack that smile off her face, but I couldn't. She decided to gloat some more and put her heel into my wound, making it sting further. "Little blitz rat, do not upset me. Otherwise, I will have to squash you like all the other disobedient rodents!" She snarled, pushing her heel into my wound more, before stepping off and leaving with Trista and her husband.
"Shuyin! Are you okay?" Lenne and Kirin both yelled, coming to my aid. "I'm fine. Just my pride that hurts the most." I sighed, allowing my two female companions to help me to my feet. "You shouldn't have tried to hurt Trista like that." Lenne said, while taking a look at my wound. "Lenne, she was totally out of line! What was Shuyin supposed to do? Are you okay? She was kinda rough of you." Kirin asked me sympathetically. "I'm fine. Just fine. Don't worry about me. I just need to get this wound cleaned up and I'll be peachy." I said, groaning a little from moving. The blood was hardening. It made the slightest stretching of skin cause pain.
We headed back inside to Lenne's house. The two of them helped me to the kitchen where Lenne got me a few pieces of gauze and some rubbing alcohol. I took one of the pieces and put some water on it. I wanted to rub off the dried blood before cleaning the wound with the alcohol. Carefully, I wiped away all of the stains on my chest. When I finished, I saw the three claw marks. Thank you Bahamut. Next, I took a couple of pieces and filled it with the alcohol. It would sting horribly, but what choice did I have? I had to clean out the wound. I didn't want to get sick and I wanted to prevent a scar. Slowly and very cautiously, I pressed the gauze onto my wound. The pain was enormous and excruciating, but nothing compared to actually getting the wound, so I could handle it. Kirin bit her bottom lip while I did this and bit down harder each time I winced from the pain. "Stop that. You're gonna end up chewing your lip right off if you don't stop." I joked. "Funny, Shuyin, but I'm just worried about ya. You know that." She replied. "I know... Thanks." I told her, smiling afterwards. I continued to clean off my wound and Lenne found some cloth for me to use as a bandage. I placed the cloth across my chest and taped the edges to my skin. Almost immediately, the cloth showed three smears of red. I washed my hands and went to look for my shirt. Kirin jumped up in front of me then, handing me the article of clothing. "Thanks."
"Why do Yunalesca and those other summoners have to be such self-righteous asses?" Kirin asked, not being able to rid herself of those unpleasant thoughts, like I hadn't. "That's just the way people are. If you can do something that someone else can't, you want to rub that into people's faces." I answered her. "I don't know. I mean she's nice to the other summoners. She just seems to have a problem with me and you." Lenne inputted. I guessed the reason for Yunalesca not liking her was because Lenne was first, a songstress and second, a summoner. In her mind, being a summoner allowed you to be better than everybody else. Well, I have to admit that Aeons are a force to be reckoned with, but that still doesn't make you any better than anyone else. I'm a star blitzer but I don't act all high and mighty because of it. I just win my games and keep up the Tidus persona. "Ya know, I think they are stuck up. That's all really. They just make themselves the big shots of Zanarkand and we are all the little people who have to praise them." Kirin stated, her distaste for summoners showing with each word. "I don't know. I still think that it's just because of human nature." I returned, trying to calm my friend. "Shuyin, you know as well as I do that you're the best blitzer on all of Spira. Do you act like they do? If they're right, you should be out there making people sing your praises, too." Kirin retorted. She was right. I was an extremely talented blitzer and I never let it go to my head. However, that has to do with my father and how he always rubbed it in my face that he was the best. I mean cocky is alright, but downright conceited, that's another thing. "Kirin, you know that I'm not stuck up only because of Jecht." I said. "Sure, you had your self-righteous father, but what about them? I'm sure someone in their lives could've shown them not to act like they're a gift from the Farplane." Kirin argued still. "Kirin... I agree with Shuyin. He was lucky to have his father as an example of someone he didn't want to be. Perhaps Yunalesca and those others just didn't." Lenne suggested. "Oh yeah? Then what about you? What makes you not a snotty summoner like them? You are after all a summoner, too." Kirin wouldn't let up. "Well, I'm just not that kind of person. My parents taught me never to speak too highly of myself. They didn't want me to get a big head." Lenne explained. Yes, Lenne had her parents to show her that pride was a stupid concept. I had my horrible excuse of a father. I'll bet that having Yu Yevon for a father didn't really teach Yunalesca the meaning of the word humble. She grew up thinking that summoners run our home and well that's only because Yu Yevon was a capable leader. It's not because he's a summoner, but because he knew how to keep Zanarkand from going belly up.
"You know what? I don't really care. As long as you're not like that, I'll get over it. Although I was very glad to make that little worm, Trista, plead for my mercy." Kirin told Lenne, smirking at the thought of defeating that summoner earlier. "Heh, yeah. She deserved it." I said, recalling how Trista had sent her entire wave of Aeons against me. "Ya know, you're the one who really put her in her place. You beat six Aeons before. That's rather impressive, don't you think? And when you lifted her by her scrawny little neck, I thought you were actually going to snap it." Kirin reveled. "Well, Kirin, I was. I was definitely angry enough. She was just gonna waltz outta there right after trying to kill me. I wasn't about to let her leave without a scratch." I corrected, once again smiling from that handprint I had left. And why shouldn't I have been smiling? I had every right. She thought she could just walk up, disrupt our original plans, attempt homicide, and leave like nothing happened? I saw to it that that didn't happen.
"Well, what do we do now? I'm a little too exhausted to start dancing." I said, giving a big yawn. Kirin smiled at me and said, "Well, that's expected. You lost how much blood? I mean you were bleeding every second after that Bahamut thing slashed you." "Yes, are you alright? That strike was powerful and those gashes were deep." Lenne asked, still worried. She didn't say anything before, but from her look up until then, she was extremely flustered over it, as usual. "Don't act like I'm gonna die. You see me now, right? I'm perfectly healthy. I'm just a little tired and that's from losing a lot of blood earlier, but if I could live for a half an hour without needing a transfusion, I think I'll live." I replied to her, trying to rid her of all those thoughts. I would live. The wound was harsh, yes, but it wasn't bad enough. Besides, I'm strong and I can handle three gashes and bleeding for about two hours.
Finally, Kirin decided to get up from her seat and put on some music. It just happened to be one of Lenne's albums. "You have my albums?" Lenne asked. That was a rather dumb question. Just about all the girls and a lot of the guys in Zanarkand had her albums. They were like gold, especially when signed. Much like my signed blitz balls. "Of course she has your albums. Even I got your albums, after I heard you sing. I mean, besides that, you are Zanarkand's best songstress." I responded. "Yeah, before he met you, he used to just listen to that horribly loud rock music." Kirin mused, putting the DP into her player. "Well, I know I have fans. I just never knew you guys were some." She said, coming over and sitting in my lap. "You should know I'm a fan. I've been to every one of your concerts since that day so many months back. And Kirin here has been a fan since you debuted." I explained, kissing Lenne on the cheek.
"Ugh, this dumb thing won't work." Kirin groaned, smacking the DP-player. Lenne got up and went over. "You know, I don't think hitting it was in the troubleshooting part of the manual." She giggled, putting a hand on Kirin's back. "Stupid machina!" Kirin growled, getting up and kicking it. "Hey, take it easy! Don't get mad at a machina that you let Kion borrow. You know how irresponsible he can be." I offered, getting out of my seat and stopping Kirin from kicking her player anymore. "Ooh, why did I let that idiot borrow my player!?" Kirin complained. "Hey, that's your problem. You figure it out. Not even I could tell you what possessed you to lend it to him of all people." I laughed. "Shuyin!" Kirin grumbled, kicking me in the leg. It was the leg I had injured during that blitz game so long ago. By now, it was healed, but still sore, and with that kick, my leg told me it wasn't pleased. I winced a little, just enough for Kirin to realize what she did. "Oh, sorry! I forgot about that thing. You know, I haven't said anything yet, but that was impressive how you stopped your own move and scored the last goal." Kirin said. "Yes, wasn't that something. I asked him about it before. He told me that shot was unblockable, and then he did it. He told me it was due to the fact that I was watching him." Lenne added. "Aw, that's so sweet. I didn't know you were so romantic Shuyin." Kirin said to me, clasping her hands together and placing them to one side of her face. "Well, it's the truth. If she wasn't out there, I'd let it go into overtime and score when it was our ball. But Lenne was there and she deserved to see something that she's never seen before. Blocking the Jecht shot seemed like something that fit into that category." I shrugged. Kirin punched me in the chest. "You aren't kiddin' that fits. That's what I call charismatic! You put your body on the line so that people would have a show." I smiled and put a hand on the back of my head. It wasn't really that impressive.
"So, what are we gonna do now?" Kirin asked the two of us. "Um, I haven't a clue. Lenne?" I replied, looking over to Lenne for any suggestions. "Well, it is late. Maybe we should just settle in for the night. Just look at the time. It's past midnight." Lenne noted. Kirin and I looked up at the clock. It was way past midnight and I was still exhausted from losing that blood. "Yeah, we probably should turn in." I added.
Therefore, we each went upstairs and went to bed. I was to sleep in one of Kirin's guest rooms and I made sure to take a shower. First of all, I smelled like a dead shoopuff. Second, I wanted to make sure my wound was as clean as can be. I cleaned up and plopped down on the guest bed thinking about the day's events.
I fell asleep and had yet another dream. This time, I found myself in the darkness. The atmosphere was foggy and I could barely see anything. Finally I began to make out a few shadows. As I got closer, I realized they were the silhouettes of Trista and Zaon. I approached those two and they stared at me. "What's going on?" I asked them. Neither replied, however, the fog became lighter and I noticed more silhouettes. They were still covered in darkness and stood behind Zaon and Trista. I hadn't a clue as to what was going on. Why were they here? What were they doing in my dream? Why was I dreaming about these two of all people? Then I saw something that really surprised me. A large figure was hovering over all of them. It had its arms out as if it was a puppeteer manipulating live puppets. "Who are you?" I called up at the shadow. It didn't reply. Slowly though, the fog got even less dense and I saw who it was. Yunalesca was up there, a large overseer. "Yunalesca?" I shouted, "What are you doing?" She just stared like the others. I couldn't even really tell if it was me they were staring at. It was almost as if they were just waiting for something.
I decided that perhaps I should go the other way. I turned around and started walking, but saw more people. This time it was Lenne and Kirin. Behind those two were Rothel, Kion, and Vena. All I could think about was what was going on? Why were they there? Why was Yunalesca huge? Why did it seem like everyone was waiting for something? What did they expect was coming? "Lenne, Kirin? What are you guys doing? Rothel? Kion? C'mon! Somebody answer me! Vena, what's going on?" I asked, pleading with them to talk. None of them answered. Lenne gave me a desperate smile, but that was all. Why was she upset? This was incredibly confusing.
I turned to my left to take a look. Again, more shadows and people were there. I saw Areth. Behind him was the heaviest part of the darkness. However, deep within that darkness was something that brought out a sense of dread. Something was in that dark shroud. It was almost as if it would cause strife one day. Then I got a small glimpse at it. All I could see was a pair of glowing, emotionless, blue eyes. The stare from those cold eyes sent a shiver down my spine. Was that how I appeared when I was angry? I knew my eyes gave away my emotion, but if I looked anything like this beast that I was seeing, I'd swear I was evil.
Again I turned around. If three sides had people, there must be a fourth. How right I was. There was a fourth side to this. I saw Takuma. His was the side that had no darkness. I saw a wondrous garden behind him. It was littered with pyreflies. By my guess, it was the Farplane. If it was, it was magnificent. Purple and pink flowers everywhere and all in full bloom. There was a waterfall with crystal waters flowing constantly down a lush purple hillside. How majestic. But something was wrong. Takuma also had a look to him. It was the same look that he had given me that time when Lenne was in trouble in Macalania. "Takuma!" I breathed, wondering what was wrong. "I fear your future." He said, those words sounding very familiar. It was what he had told me earlier, during that same event. I didn't know what he meant. Was he talking about my fight with Trista? Was that the problem? "Takuma, don't worry. I beat her. I even beat Zaon. You have nothing to fear. I'm perfectly fine." I told him, displaying my form for him to review. He didn't. Instead, he shook his head and repeated his words. I didn't understand. Perhaps I should have paid better attention, but I just didn't.
I looked all around me. I looked back at Yunalesca's corner. They were all just standing there, stiff as statues. Someone else appeared behind Yunalesca. It was a man. He was cloaked in shadow, but I knew it was a man just by his stature. I couldn't see beyond that. I turned back to Takuma's area and it was gone. The Farplane had vanished. What replaced it was a white space. That gave me a strange feeling. I shrugged it off, though, and went to my side. Lenne was solemn. A tear slid down her face. Was she crying? But what was the reason for that? I tried to walk up to her to comfort her, but Areth stopped me in my tracks. He restrained me and for some reason, I couldn't make myself punch him. I couldn't make him get out of my way; he was too strong. I looked at him and he looked back at me. For a while, we just stared into each other's eyes, but then he gave me a look I never wanted to see again. It was that same look he gave me from after the blitz game. It was the look he gave me in my first dream. His smirk proved to be even more frightening than those blue eyes that still glared at me from the distance. "Areth, what's going on?" I questioned, my voice exemplifying my frustration. He did nothing but stare and smirk. "What..." I tried to ask again, but couldn't. A shot was fired. I looked at my chest and it was bleeding. I had been shot. My heart, I felt it go limp. I was dying. My body collapsed onto Areth and he alone supported me, picking my chin up so that he could still smile at me with that hideous smirk. His mouth grew wider and his teeth were bared. Slowly, with mock sympathy, Areth said something. Although I saw his mouth move, I couldn't hear what he was telling me before my vision completely blurred out and the place went dark. Why was this happening to me? What did this all mean? I wanted to know. No, I had to know.