CHAPTER 20:

YUNALESCA

Harry stared as the figure sashayed out of the doorway. They had just made it to the inner sanctum of Zanarkand. Along the way, they had fought powerful Fiends, beheld the ruins of Zanarkand (what a beautiful city it must've been), and, through the masses of Pyreflies in the Zanarkand Dome that was once their stadium, beheld memories from the past. They saw a young Seymour begging his mother not to become an Aeon, as well as a younger Auron and Jecht protesting against Braska intending to sacrifice himself.

And now, here they were, in the presence of Yunalesca, who was emerging from a doorway in the hall they had arrived in. Harry had to admit, she was impressive in person. Though dressed in what looked like a thong bikini with a few accoutrements, she nonetheless had an air of authority and gravitas. Her long silver hair framed beautiful features, her golden eyes looking at them all with welcome in them. And the power rolled off her in waves. She was certainly more powerful than Seymour, even after the last time they had encountered him.

Harry listened to her little spiel, and then, as Yunalesca walked back through the doorway, apparently to leave them to discuss things, Harry looked at Rikku. "I'm going to go talk with her. I'll send a Patronus if I need to."

"I'm going with you," Rikku said.

"Take care, Harry," Auron cautioned. "Remember her power. Don't do anything rash."

"I'm a Gryffindor. That means I rush in where angels fear to tread," Harry said with a nervous grin, before he and Rikku went through the doorway Yunalesca left through.

The chamber beyond was strange beyond belief, a ruin that seemed to float in a starry void. The Hymn of the Fayth, warped and distorted, echoed around them. Yunalesca was standing there, waiting, though she seemed bemused. "And why have you come? Have you opted to become the Final Aeons?"

"We know the truth about them," Rikku said.

Yunalesca raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And what is that?"

"Your father stays alive in the end, doesn't he?" Harry said. "Yu Yevon…the core of Sin. Is it worth it?"

"Is what worth it?" Yunalesca asked, seemingly genuinely puzzled.

"All that death, those killed by Sin, by the Final Aeon…all to keep your father and Dream Zanarkand alive. Is that really worth it? Or is it revenge for Zanarkand being destroyed?" Harry asked.

"Sin is the punishment for the hubris of all Spira," Yunalesca said, frowning.

"You mean your father's revenge for Zanarkand falling. Am I right?" Harry asked. "Punishing people for a thousand years, over a war that ended long ago? Turning people like Rikku, who dare to use machina to try and better themselves into pariahs and outcasts? I can understand wanting to create Dream Zanarkand, to try and save your people, even in a weird way. But is it worth it? How many people will die because of Sin before Yu Yevon is sated?"

Anger flashed in Yunalesca's eyes. But even as Harry tensed, ready to fight what would probably be a losing battle, the Unsent woman eventually looked at him with eyes glistening with tears. "He never will be."

"What do you mean?" Rikku asked.

"Though it saddens me to admit it, my father is no longer sane. He is little more than a creature of instinct, a parasite."

"A parasite that infests the Final Aeon, turns it into Sin," Rikku said.

"So you know. I wonder how. Then again, I saw Auron, the one who was once Guardian to Lord Braska. It seems he has uncovered certain truths." Yunalesca turned from them, and walked across the ruins, looking at the starry void around them. "My father gave himself and Zanarkand immortality, but at an appalling cost to himself."

"…Can someone else take control of Sin from him? Or become the next Sin, deliberately?" Harry asked.

After a moment, Yunalesca said, "It would be madness to consider such a thing. It is a remote possibility, but…"

"A man, well, an Unsent called Seymour Guado intends such a thing," Rikku said. "He's obsessed with saving Spira through killing everyone."

"Seymour Guado…yes, I remember him," Yunalesca said. "A damaged halfling child, crying for his dying mother, a mother I turned into an Aeon at her request. And yet, he never used her against Sin. He faltered. Many do."

"Can you blame them?" Harry asked.

"Of course not. To falter before committing one's self to death is perfectly understandable," Yunalesca said, turning back to face them. "You two are rather curious. An Al Bhed…and an unconventional mage. I saw through the eyes of the Sanctuary Keeper, that four of you used a magic I am unaware of. And you hold yourself very differently to anyone of Spira, even to that of the Al Bhed whose clothes you wear. Not what I would consider part of a Summoner's party."

"I'm surprised you're even talking to us about this," Rikku pointed out.

Yunalesca actually chuckled. It wasn't the laughter of a deranged monster or a lunatic, or a megalomaniac set to conquer the world. It was the rueful chuckle of a woman who, despite appearances, was centuries old. It made her seem more human, despite her being an Unsent. "The Fiends around Zanarkand are powerful, and few beyond the Summoners who survive the journey dare to come here. I will admit…even I can suffer from boredom. From a lack of human contact. It is only my duty that has me stay here. My duty to the Summoners who are to defeat Sin."

"By sending them to their deaths against daddy?" Harry replied a little snarkily.

"There is no other way," Yunalesca said sadly.

"How do you know?" Rikku asked. "Have you ever looked for another way?"

"I'm sure your people have made many attempts over the years, but they have never succeeded."

"…What if every Aeon was destroyed?" Harry asked. "Assuming you manage to damage Sin enough that it is disabled…and you destroyed every Aeon…every Fayth…what would your father have to latch onto?"

Yunalesca gaped at him. "Have you taken leave of your senses?"

"It has been claimed before," Rikku said, rolling her eyes.

"But without the Aeons…there is no defence against Sin!"

"Without the Aeons, there's nothing for your father to possess," Harry retorted. "Do you want to hear the kicker? The Fayth agree. They want a rest. The Fayth are sick of this, the people of Spira are sick of this…and I'm sure that if your father was capable of human feelings, if he became Sin purely to safeguard Dream Zanarkand, than to take revenge on Spira…then he'd want it to end too."

Yunalesca scoffed sadly. "I'm not sure that's the case. Do you know why I took up the Final Summoning? I saw the beast my father turned into. Dream Zanarkand had already been created, and Sin was destroying the real city. It was out of desperation that I turned to the man I loved, Lord Zaon, to become the ultimate Aeon. I vanquished Sin…but at a cost. Zaon turned on me."

"Auron said you founded the Yevon religion."

"Not quite. I set an example with the Final Aeon. Yevon sprung up on its own. I only encouraged it, because it was, I thought, the best way to appease my father."

"Oh yeah, appease the giant genocidal monster," Harry snarked. "You know as well as I do that Sin's not a god. It's a massive Fiend. It can die. We want to make sure it dies for good."

"There is no other way," Yunalesca insisted.

"How will you know if you never try to?" Harry asked. "We've got the beginnings of a plan. We know about Yu Yevon. We've got the Fayth on our side."

"You're deluded. It is better to live in hope, even if it is vain, than to die in despair."

Rikku snapped, "It's better to live, period! My cousin, Yuna, she wanted to sacrifice herself to ensure an eternal Calm! She wanted to make sure that people could sleep in their beds without fear of Sin, forever! That is worth dying for, but this? We knew there was something fishy about the Final Aeon. Yunalesca, I wanna ask you something. If you're letting people die on this vain hope, then doesn't that mean you have their blood on your hands?"

Yunalesca recoiled as if physically struck. Eventually, she said, "Few have dared question me in such a manner. Sorrow cannot be abolished. It is futile to try."

"It's not sorrow we're trying to abolish, but Sin!" Harry snapped. "Sorrow, pain, fear, hatred, that's all part of life. But so's joy and love and compassion! They cannot be abolished, but surely Sin can! What would Lord Zaon say if he saw you perpetuating this? Would he want you to appease your father, or put an end to him for good?"

Yunalesca stared at them, dumbfounded, until she saw the others walking in, Auron, Yuna, and Tidus at the front. "Auron…it has been some time. You look well, for a dead man," she remarked, seemingly glad for the distraction.

"And you look well for a dead woman," Auron retorted dryly.

"Indeed."

"I'm surprised you three hadn't started fighting," Tidus said.

"We've been negotiating," Rikku said.

"I have heard that you have told them the truth about the Final Aeon, and of my father, Auron," Yunalesca observed mildly.

"They found out my secret," Auron said simply. "I told Rikku and Harry first, and they eventually pestered me to tell the others. Harry comes from a world without Sin, a world where magic is hidden. He has a perspective on Spira that is refreshing. So too does Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Nymphadora Tonks."

Tonks swatted him on the back of his head. "Call me Nymphadora again, and I'll shove your sword so far up your arse, you can use the pointy end as a toothpick," she hissed at Auron. "Incidentally, are you compensating for something with it?"

"When I was alive, I could have been," Auron said with a slight smirk, half-hidden by his collar.

Yunalesca stared at them, before remarking, "You are a somewhat motley crew. You think you truly can beat Sin? Destroy my father?"

"Yes," Yuna said. "It is the duty of all Summoners to defeat Sin. By extension, that means your father. I'm sorry."

Yunalesca looked at them incredulously, before laughing, her peals of laughter echoing eerily through the void surrounding them. She laughed hard and long, the tone of the laughter having either the air of madness, or catharsis.

Eventually, she stopped. She looked at them, her expression unreadable. "You are all mad. You speak madness. I should cut you down where you stand before your insanity spreads, and leaves despair in its wake."

Auron frowned when he realised something. "But you're not."

"These two are more persuasive than I thought," Yunalesca said. She looked up at the starry void. "Even the Fayth now wish for it to end? And…you're right. Lord Zaon…he would want Spira's sorrow, that caused by Sin anyway, to end." She looked at Harry with a rather sad smile. "You remind me a little of him, actually. He was the spirited one, the one to sally forth into danger, leaving me shaking my head at his impulsiveness."

"Oh, so Gryffindor, then?" Harry asked.

The way Yunalesca tilted her head quizzically was actually quite funny, especially considering she was an undead woman who was over a thousand years old. But it seemed that they had obtained an unexpected ally…

"I'm not sure whether to consider this a brilliant coup, or your worst mistake," Auron observed as they walked through the Zanarkand Dome.

"Well, better than fighting her, isn't it?" Harry asked.

"As long as she doesn't stab us in the back," Auron said.

"Are you still bitter at her for killing you?" Rikku asked.

"Of course. I would be lying if I claimed otherwise. But I also recognise that, if she is genuine…then we may have a truly potent ally on our side."

A sharp crack echoed through the dome, and they turned to find Yunalesca striding away from Sirius, who was rubbing his now-bruised cheek rather ruefully. "Padfoot," Remus said. "Remember, she's undead."

"But she's hot!" Sirius lamented.

"I'm also taken," Yunalesca shot back as she moved away from Sirius. "Lord Zaon might be dead, but I vowed to join him in the Farplane when I was ready."

"Maybe if you didn't dress like a lingerie model…" Sirius muttered sullenly.

"I choose to dress this way," Yunalesca said. "I enjoy watching fools get distracted."

They emerged from the Zanarkand Dome, and stopped. And stared. There, waiting for them, watching them, was Sin. It made no move to attack. It just stared at them.

"Merlin's saggy testicles," Sirius breathed.

"Dad…" Tidus murmured.

Yunalesca looked at him sharply, before her eyes widened in recognition. "You…you are the child of that bearded braggart Jecht?"

Tidus chuckled weakly. "Yeah."

After a moment, she looked at Sin. "You have my condolences. For having him as a sire, I mean. Though you do not resemble him. You remind me of someone else, actually."

Sin looked down at them all, before it seemed to come to a conclusion. It then turned and left. Yunalesca stared as it moved away in astonishment. "It's not like Sin to merely turn away. More of your father must exist within it still than I would have thought possible."

"You should get out more," Rikku said cheekily.

"Indeed," Yunalesca conceded dryly. She then watched as the Fahrenheit appeared. Her eyes widened. "That is…I know that airship. That used to be Lord Zaon's."

"A good omen, or a bad one?" Yuna asked.

"We shall see…" Yunalesca said.

CHAPTER 20 ANNOTATIONS:

Yes, we will see, won't we? Yes, believe it or not, they've managed to snag Yunalesca as an ally. This was something I thought of while writing the last couple of chapters. Having made Jenova an ally in my Final Fantasy VII fics, and humanising Ultimecia in my Final Fantasy VIII fics, as well as having a heroic Seymour in Vincit Qui Patitur, I thought I'd continue that tradition.

Now, why did Yunalesca choose to join Yuna and company to destroy Sin? It's complicated. The first thing is, reading into her character, Yunalesca thinks she is doing the right thing. Unlike Seymour, who is malevolent, or the Maesters (excepting Kelk Ronso), who are more concerned with hanging onto their own power and appeasing Sin, Yunalesca truly believes there is no other way to destroy Sin than by the Final Aeon. I think she actually feels her father should die, but is unable to, and so, the Final Aeon is basically the best chance they have. But when Harry and Rikku come along, and basically tell her what they intend to do, and what's more, have the Fayth on their side, Yunalesca is understandably thrown for a loop. I think the key point is when Harry points out that while sorrow is very much a part of life, Sin doesn't have to be. That, and bringing Zaon into this.

Unlike Tidus and Yuna, who basically barge in and say 'screw fate', Harry and Rikku surprise Yunalesca by showing their knowledge, as well as informing her about the Fayth. Harry also reminds Yunalesca of Zaon, in temperament rather than appearance (we don't know much about his actual personality), and that, plus the potential threat of Seymour, is what prompts Yunalesca to change slightly. That, and her realisation, something she has kept even from herself, that she is almost as culpable of the deaths caused by Sin because of her endorsement of the Final Summoning. In a way, Harry and Rikku help Yunalesca regain her dwindled humanity. Oh, she will turn on them if she thinks their plan won't work. But unlike the game, she is actually getting a hint of hope herself.

It's worth point out that, since writing the chapter where Auron claims that Yunalesca helped found Yevon, I learned through the Final Fantasy Wiki that Yunalesca had nothing to do with it. She played along with the teachings, but it was Bevelle itself that founded the Yevon religion. I thus added the line about Auron being mistaken.

Sorry if this plot twist sounds contrived. It probably is, but hopefully, the cracks aren't showing too much. Though I'm sure many of you will view this as the shark-jumping point of the story.

Review-answering time! Reishin Amara: Well, on your suggestion, I did something similar. Enjoy. :P

Knightowl 4183: I consider it non-canon, as I do with Final Fantasy IV: The After Years. Even official works are not necessarily canon. People, of course, are up in arms about the recent canon shake-up of the Star Wars universe, and there's the tangled mess that is the Whoniverse (my personal fanon: only the TV series and the Big Finish audios can be considered canon, despite some excellent novels and such). That being said, I think audio as a medium is underrated. If you're a Doctor Who fan, Knightowl 4183, check out what Big Finish has done in the way of audio dramas: quite a bit of it is far better than anything that's been on TV.

No numbered annotations this time.