Chapter 16: Peaceful Alliance

The camping trip was sacrificed again following Yevon's declaration that Zanarkand would be governed independently from the rest of Spira. With the sudden flurry of activity in the temple, Lenne felt it was necessary to expedite Shuyin's guardian training, and he agreed. Shuyin spent his days training at the pool for blitzball games, as usual. But his evenings were spent training on the beach with Lenne's aeons, at the gym with Luperis, or at home experimenting with blitzball and martial arts combinations. With such intensive, frequent practices, he was forced to improve his sword-handling skills quickly or face brutal consequences. Eventually, Shuyin was using martial techniques to evade, tackle, and shoot during his games, and slamming blitzballs into aeons with enough force to disorient them, if not knock them out. His inventive moves locked the Abes into the top-ranked position. And his notoriety in the sport skyrocketed.

As Shuyin's skills increased, Lenne summoned increasingly powerful aeons to challenge him. Many days ended with the summoner healing the multiple wounds her aeons inflicted upon her guardian, and then holding him in her arms while he recovered from his discomfort and discouragement. But some days ended with inviting Bahamut along to grill freshly caught fish over a campfire, surfing on the incoming evening tide, and building sandcastles in the dark, before heading back to the pier. Game days and concert days were the exceptions. Those days had enough activity of their own, so they always ended with dinner at the Waterwall sports bar or a quiet, homecooked meal on the boat.

As Lenne's guardian, Shuyin began attending temple meetings with her. And as the gravity of Zanarkand's open rebellion against Bevelle became more concerning, he began to share her worry for Spira on a deeper level. Missions to keep Zanarkand on friendly relations with the other cities and villages became a priority for Yevon and his summoners when not dealing directly with spirits of the dead or constitutional issues. Lenne finally got her wish to travel when she was given the task of visiting settlements that did not have temples, and it was Shuyin's duty to protect her on those journeys.

For her first assignment, Lenne was to take her brother to their closest neighbors, the ronso tribe of Mt. Gagazet. Finally, the opportunity to combine business and pleasure had come their way, and the camping trip was assured.

))((

Tall, thin, and full of energy, Lenne's mother, Meri, was a clothes horse with a personality a lot like Lenne's and a taste for the spice of life. When Shuyin first met her, she ragged him about his boastful notes and incident with the drunk, but even then, she treated him as if he had always been family. So, when Shuyin and Lenne arrived to pick up Bahamut for their trip, he was not surprised when Meri's visiting sister, Liv, welcomed him with open arms, literally locking him in a bear hug.

"Shuyin! I'm so glad to finally meet you! Goodness, I've heard so much about you, media and otherwise." Liv nodded to Meri. "I'm not much of a sports fan, to be honest, but anytime I come across an advertisement for Abes tickets or merchandise, it's your face and those fancy flips that I see." Liv released him but held onto his hands with a pause before looking back to her sister. "You're right. He does have nice hands."

"Doesn't he?" Meri laughed with her sister as if some private joke passed between them.

Shuyin looked down at his hands and then warily looked to Lenne for an explanation.

"Don't ask," Lenne advised. "They're both divorced now, and they've probably already had a couple of spiked teas. If their humor gets too obnoxious for you, don't be afraid to run."

"Oh, stop." Meri chuckled and lightly smacked her daughter's shoulder for that remark. "I was just telling Liv about an article I read explaining what our hands say about our personalities, and Shuyin came into the conversation because his skin and hands always look so flawless in spite of such rough treatment in those games. I think it's because he's in that pool all the time. Do they add anything special to that water?"

He thought that answer would have been obvious. "Um, … chlorine?"

Meri laughed. "See? He tolerates my humor better than you do. Isn't that right, Shu?" She gave him a light hug and patted his back. "Did I tell you he's also Lenne's guardian?" she added to her sister. "That's why they're leaving this weekend for the mountains. They're speaking with the ronso on official business for High Summoner Yevon."

"Oh my. That sounds serious." Lenne's aunt was impressed. "Is that why you're carrying that big sword? And yet you're taking Bahamut with you? Is that safe?"

"Bahamut was assigned to go with me as part of his apprenticeship," Lenne answered. "We'll take good care of him."

The boy dragged his camping gear into the living room and deposited it in a large mound at Shuyin's boots. "Okay, I'm ready. I studied how to camp this week, and I think I've got everything. First aid kit, cooking kit, compass, maps, water purifying tablets, fiend field guides ..."

Shuyin crouched in front of the bag and gave the strained zipper a poke. "You couldn't even drag this across the floor. How are you going to carry it on your back?"

"I'm just doing what the books said."

"Well, this time you're going by Shuyin's Book of Because I Said So. That backpack will turn you into a runaway snowball at the first steep incline. We're just going for a weekend, so we can travel light. All you need is your sleeping bag, a blanket, your toothbrush, something to entertain yourself, and layers. I've got everything else."

"Layers?"

"You are wearing layers, right?" Shuyin lifted the boy's shirt to check but poked bare ribs. "Where's your underwear?"

"I'm wearing it," Bahamut insisted with a defensive frown.

"Long underwear—thermal underwear. Gagazet has snow year-round. Go get two more layers of everything, especially socks." He sent the boy back to his room, dumped the backpack, and began repacking only the necessities. "He studied camping? Who does that? Camping is one of those things that you never learn how to do right until you do something wrong." He tightly rolled the blanket and bag together, then tied them. "Temperatures are going to be the main problem, so we've got to have layers. At night, we can build a fire, sleep in the hot springs, or huddle for warmth, but the hike up and back can get very cold very quickly."

"Huddling for warmth with a blitzball player? Lenne, are you sure you don't want to leave Bahamut here?" Meri asked. But then she and her sister laughed again.

"Mother!" Lenne slapped a hand to her forehead as her cheeks flushed.

Shuyin wasn't sure which was more amusing, Lenne's mother's and aunt's jokes, or her reaction to them. "Wow. They really need to start dating again. I should bring the other guys from the team next time. They'd have loads of fun with this."

Lenne chuckled, glad he was so easy-going about it. "Don't encourage them."

"What about you? Where's your underwear?" he asked with a mock sultry tone as he straightened back to his full height.

She lifted the bottom of her shirt to display a thick, waffle-weave underneath it. "These hideous things cover me from my neck to my ankles, and I'm wearing two pairs of socks. Happy?"

He grinned with approval. "Don't tease me. You know I can't handle the sexy of that many layers."

Laughing, she readjusted her shirts. "Just wait until you see my fur-lined boots."

A few minutes later, Bahamut returned and lifted his shirt to show that he was now wearing thermal layers, too. When the boy passed inspection and threw some more clothing into his backpack, Shuyin helped him try on the adjusted weight. "How's that?"

Bahamut shifted the backpack on his shoulders and nodded. "It's good."

"Not too heavy?" Behind him, Shuyin pressed down between the straps. "You sure?"

"It's … okay." The boy struggled to maintain balance as the weight on the pack steadily, mysteriously increased. When he nearly fell over, he looked over his shoulder at Shuyin. "You're doing it!"

Pleased with himself at having outwitted the little genius for a few seconds, the blitzball player chuckled and gave the boy a back slap that nearly sent him sprawling.

"Well, you kids have fun. Be careful. Contact us immediately if you get snowed under or something, so we can send help, okay?" Meri gave Bahamut's cheek a kiss. And when he flushed with embarrassment about it, she pulled him back for two more like the first.

The trio said their goodbyes and left the apartment to take the lift to the ground floor. Bahamut shook his head at his lot in life. "Thanks for getting me out of there. Whenever Aunt Liv visits, Mom gets a little crazy."

"Shake it off, little man. It's rustic male-bonding time." Shuyin dropped a hand onto the boy's hooded head. "We'll build a fire the old fashioned way, hunt our dinner, keep our territory free of fiends, throw snowballs at your sister, and write our names in the snow." He flipped his own hood over his head to match Bahamut's preferred look, which made the boy giggle.

"Oh, Yevon, help me." Lenne walked behind them. "I may need a day at the spa with a couple of girlfriends after this."

))((

Lenne enjoyed the hike to the mountains more than she thought she would. After a few hours uphill with her backpack, it became tolerable. A few hours later, when they entered the snow zone, she endured it. But when they came to the dizzying heights of crisscrossing, narrow, snow-covered paths, she came to a stop. Hugging a large rock, she stopped to rest and refused to go any further. "I can't do it." She shook her head.

For most of the upper portion of the hike, Shuyin stayed several paces ahead, making an easier path for her and her brother through the snow. When they stopped following, he returned to her side, wondering what was wrong.

"She's afraid of heights," Bahamut informed their guardian.

"That … would have been helpful to know before planning a trip through the mountains."

"There's high, and then there's freaky high," Lenne complained.

Shuyin looked around at the rocks and snow and cast an eye toward the distant city below. He wasn't angry or frustrated with her. Instead, he seemed amused. "It is a mountain."

"Big heights should have big passes!" Lenne looked beyond the wall to where their path led next, fear written all over her face. "What if I fall on a patch of ice? There's nothing to hold onto!"

Shuyin smiled and held out his hand. "Then hold onto me."

With disbelief, Lenne stared at his extended glove. This was why she chose him as her guardian. She trusted him. But he trusted in his own ability to always find a way … somehow. Steadying her nerves, she tried not to think of the risks for both of them. Then, releasing the rock, she clasped his hand with both of hers.

"Keep your eyes on me. Don't look down. I won't let you fall. Promise." Looking past her shoulder, he checked on the boy. "How about you? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Bahamut's voice didn't sound as confident as it did before. Reading about the high path was one thing. Crossing it was another.

"Good." Shuyin played along. "Stay behind your sister, but not too close. Keep your eyes on her or the path, and stay in the center, okay?" Once they both looked ready to cross the thin, stone bridges, Shuyin gave Lenne an assuring smile, squeezed her hand lightly, and led the way through the treacherous maze.

As they trudged through blustery winds and deep snowdrifts, Lenne numbed herself to everything except Shuyin's presence. Only when they were out of the crossroads and on a much wider path did she turn her eyes toward the part of the mountain where the ronso village lay tucked just inside the entrance to the mountain pass, off the trail in a hollow full of caves set between Gagazet's ridges. They encountered no wild animals or fiends, for which she was grateful. And by the time they reached the village, Lenne had taken the party lead.

Bowing with respect then straightening after she was met at the village outskirts, she scanned the stern faces of the large, primitive, lion-like people, searching for signs as to which might be their leader. "Greetings. My name is Lenne. Forgive us for entering ronso territory without permission," the small, human summoner told the growing gathering. "I would like to speak with Elder Kinan, if I may … please. I'm from the Temple of Yevon in Zanarkand. And I've come to speak with him on behalf of my city."

"Elder Kinan welcomes Zanarkand summoner." A large blue ronso with a black mane stepped forward. At his side, he held a long, magical lance wrapped with various talismans. "Come. We talk." Turning away, he led them to his cavern.

Lenne licked her chapped lips, gave Shuyin a nervous glance, and took her brother's hand as they followed. Ducking under the patched-coeurl skin door flap over the entrance, she was disappointed to see that interior was about as bleak as the mountain itself. Though he was the ronso clan's elder, Kinan had little in the means of food, storage, and blankets. But there was a fire pit in the middle of the cavern floor. And right now, warmth was what mattered most to her.

"Sit." Elder Kinan pointed to the fire pit, knowing the thin-skinned humans would be cold from their journey.

Lenne sat close to the flames but kept her coat on. Her two companions sat down to either side of her. "Thank you." She shuddered as her fingers and toes began the slow, painful process of thawing.

"What does Zanarkand ask of ronso?" Kinan asked, suspicious and still standing.

"Are you aware that Zanarkand has broken away from the Founders' rule over Spira?"

"Ronso live between Bevelle and Zanarkand. It is ronsos' duty to be aware. Bevelle and Zanarkand very quiet. Prepare for coming storm. Ronso want no part in human conflict."

"Of course not," Lenne agreed with his concerns. "But, unfortunately, there might not be a way for you to avoid it. High Summoner Yevon has refused the Founders' attempts to restrict our use of magic because he believes their ultimate goal is to take us back to the planet where the colony ship originally came from. He believes the Founders want to destroy all magic and non-human life forms on Spira. That includes the ronso. If that happens, we could all die."

"How does Lord Yevon know this?"

"He found ancient documents that attest to it."

"Why does Yevon not share documents with Spira to prove it?"

Lenne had no answer for that. "Maybe he's afraid the Founders will try to destroy the evidence if they know he has it."

"Have you seen documents?"

Lenne reluctantly shook her head. "No. I'm … I'm just a summoner."

"Why do you trust Yevon's word?"

"Because High Summoner Yevon has done so much to protect us from the fiends that plague our city. Not just our city, but all of Spira. Now, he wants to protect non-human inhabitants of Spira from being destroyed by the Founders."

"Ronso believe Spira belongs to Spirans, not other world."

Lenne smiled at his agreement. It was a step in the right direction for negotiations, at least.

"But, Bevelle right to fear strong magic," Elder Kinan continued with a frown.

Well, so much for perfect negotiations. She tried not to fret. "High Summoner Yevon wants the ronso to know he will do everything he can to protect all of Spira's living inhabitants if the Founders and their allies attempt to destroy non-humans and their magic," Lenne assured the tribal elder. "But he's worried that Bevelle will try to shut down the mountain pass leading into Zanarkand to cut off trade or pre-empt a military strike. Isolating Zanarkand in this way might also cut off ronso from the rest of Spira. But it will definitely harm trade and Zanarkand's ability to aid any non-human Spirans Bevelle targets. High Summoner Yevon would like to know what the ronso position is on keeping the pass open. For everyone, not just Zanarkand."

"Zanarkand has always been peaceful neighbor. Ronso have no quarrel with Zanarkand. If Bevelle tries to close pass, ronso will have quarrel with Bevelle." His lips curled back from his fangs to emphasize it was a promise he intended to keep, should Bevelle interfere with ronso territory.

"May I make a suggestion for one way to keep the pass open?"

"Summoner Lenne may speak."

"These mountains have one uber nasty network of rock roads and bridges." She exhaled and shook her head, then paused to give Shuyin a side glance of gratitude for getting her through it before turning her attention back to the ronso elder. "Zanarkand has teleporters that would make travel through this region much easier."

Elder Kinan snarled. "Ronso will not have machina on crossroads."

"Teleporters aren't ordinary machina. They work on magic, so they're very reliable. Magic can last thousands of years if cast properly. And they work flawlessly between short distances. We could help you build teleportation gates along the paths in the pass to make travel safer and quicker for everyone, including the ronso."

"Teleportation gates … Ronso have many hidden caverns that could use teleport gates." Elder Kinan considered the idea and gave a firm nod. "Accepted. Kinan will send someone with Summoner Lenne to Zanarkand to learn this magic. Gates, however, must be ronso design so we can maintain ourselves."

"Very wise." Lenne smiled and removed her gloves, now that her hands were warm.

"In exchange for teleportation gates, roads of Gagazet and ronso caverns will stay open to Zanarkand. Good faith for good neighbors."

"Thank you, Elder Kinan." She bowed deeply in her seated position.

"Summoner Lenne and guardians will stay for sunset meal."

Mildly insulted, Bahamut sat up a little straighter. "I'm an apprentice summoner. He's the guardian." He pointed to Shuyin.

"Two summoners? One cub very young. Easy to sympathize with Bevelle's fear if young summoners gain strong magic like Yevon."

Lenne didn't know what to say to that. She looked to her little brother and worried for a moment about his future, but then faced the elder once more. "We would love to stay, but I don't want to go back through those crossroads in the dark. Actually, I don't want to go back across them at all," she added under her breath.

"Wait here." Elder Kinan left the cavern without any further explanation.

As the fire snapped and crackled with soothing heat, Lenne chewed her lip. "I wonder how long the ronso will remain friends with Zanarkand if Bevelle does anything to their mountain home because of us."

Shuyin picked up a pebble from the dirt floor near the woven mat he sat on. "What still gets me is Zanarkand never did anything to Bevelle to deserve the bad vibes in the first place, you know?"

Bahamut gazed into the fire, almost in a trance. "It doesn't matter that we've never harmed Bevelle. They don't like who we are or how we live. They don't understand us. Sometimes that is all it takes to make people hate."

Lenne leaned against Shuyin's shoulder, wrapping her arms around his arm, curling her knees toward his lap. "They hate us because they can't control us. And they don't trust us to control ourselves." The breeze that invaded the warmth of their little circle from the barely-covered doorway made her shiver. "That's why they keep upgrading their machina weapons. That's why they want to strip us of our magic. It's all about who is in control."

"There must be a balance between individual freedom and responsibility toward others," Bahamut spoke again. "Zanarkand and Bevelle should have tried harder to find a middle way through their negotiations. Without compromise, no regulations and too many regulations will hurt us all."

Shuyin sighed at the boy's morose mutterings. Then, casting the pebble into the fire, he removed his gloves and held his hands close to the flames. "Well, I may not have gotten anything else out of my history and science classes, but Bevelle wouldn't even be here if the machina on Spira wasn't supported with the magic of the Farplane, right?"

Lenne blew on her fingers. "That doesn't matter to the Founders. They're safe on the homeworld, watching us from a distance. Only their governors in that tower on Mushroom Rock Road are brave enough to supervise us—make sure we're behaving. To them, we are nothing more than an experiment gone awry. They just want to reclaim what is rightfully theirs and cut their losses. But they can't drag us back home while we're tainted with alien magic. We'd be a threat to the homeworld if they did that." Lifting her chin, she took note of the shadows playing across on Shuyin's face. He used to be so carefree. Sometimes, she wondered if she did the right thing asking him to be her guardian, drawing him into her worries.

With another sigh, Shuyin lifted her hand to his jaw, pressed his cheek into her hand, and closed his eyes. "Maybe someone should just go to the Founders Headquarters and smack them around until they leave us alone." Then, taking note of how cold her hand felt, he tucked it into his coat pocket with his own hand to warm it.

Lenne folded her fingers between his but chuckled at his suggestion. "No, that would only make things worse. Then they'd really want to do something to us. High Summoner Yevon is focused on winning allies rather than fighting enemies. But I agree with Bahamut that it was unwise to withdraw from negotiations and resist regulations altogether. Yevon will need to step up measures to guard his temple in Bevelle now."

Elder Kinan entered the cavern, bringing a younger ronso with him. The ronso youth had a long white mane that he wore loose without the typical ronso braids and beads, and his eyes shone like pale green gems against the smoke-blue fur on his lion-like face. His cat-like ears bore multiple piercings, and the bracers on his muscular arms glowed with magic. But despite the frigid temperatures and snow, he wore only a purple and white loincloth. The small shaman pouch on his hip and talismans on the sturdy lance he carried also glowed with magic. "Nephew, Zen," the older, larger ronso introduced him to the human trio. "Zen go with you to Zanarkand. Learn teleport magic. Bring back to ronso."

Lenne removed her hand from Shuyin's coat pocket, stood, and bowed in greeting to the youth assigned to join their return trip home. "Nice to meet you, Zen. It will be an honor to escort you back to Zanarkand with us."

The young ronso bowed to his escorts. The party said their final goodbyes to the ronso elder and his village. Then, with Bahamut and Zen in tow, Lenne followed Shuyin back to the dreaded mountain maze.

))((

As dusk settled in, the winds picked up, and the temperature dropped to a very uncomfortable low. Considering they were losing light, and the weather was getting harsh, Lenne seemed more afraid of the dangerous crossroads than before. But this time when they drew near, she didn't argue. With silent determination, she grasped onto Shuyin's arm and tried not to look down, willing to trust his careful pace and sense of direction to guide them safely to the other side.

As before, Shuyin checked behind him to see how her brother was doing first. This time Zen had Bahamut's coat shoulder clutched firmly in his large fist, and his long, sharp toenails dug into the snow and ice like spiked cleats. The small, human boy wasn't going to be blown off of the mountain if the ronso had anything to say about it.

Shuyin was more careful choosing his footing and pace as he led the way back across the natural bridges. Midway through their crossing, however, a couple of large monsters with horns blocked their path. "What the—"

"Behemoths," Zen identified them.

"Whatever they are, they're not alone." Lenne pointed to the pyreflies swarming around them. "They're possessed by fiends. I should summon an aeon."

Shuyin drew his sword. "This path is too narrow for an aeon. Shield your brother," he added, passing his backpack to the boy.

Bahamut cast a protective shell around himself and looked to his sister, apprehensive.

The ronso didn't wait for orders. Zen charged, slashing his lance across one of the monsters' arms. The behemoth raked a clawed hand across the ronso's chest, knocking him back. But, digging his toenails into the ice and snow to stop his skid, Zen lunged forward again, draining some of the monster's energy to heal himself.

Lenne cast a shell over the ronso to aid him.

While one behemoth tackled the ronso, the other came down on the blitzball player with a blast of lightning. Shuyin cursed at the unexpected magic, evaded, spun around, and immediately hopped back within range to strike from behind. He delivered a crippling cut to the behemoth's ribs, but it wasn't enough to take him out. The bi-pedal creature dropped into a quadruped stance and head-butted Shuyin, attempting to gore him.

"NO!" Fearing she had already lost him, Lenne ran after them. "Shuyin!"

He hit the ground, rolled, and slid, but thrust his longsword into the tightly packed snow just in time to anchor himself from slipping over the edge of the stone bridge.

The summoner cast a shield around her guardian and grabbed his arm to pull him away from the ledge, but left her back exposed. The behemoth's powerful charge took away Lenne's breath and plowed her into the snow.

"Lenne!" Shuyin's eyes darkened as he scrambled to his feet and jerked his sword free. Throwing himself at the monster, he struck with multiple attacks, forcing it to back away from her with each hit.

The summoner clenched fist-fulls of snow in her frozen fingers and pushed herself up to see what her guardian was doing. Then, she began casting again.

When Zen's lance pierced the heart of the behemoth he was fighting, Bahamut watched the pyreflies disperse around it, then turned his attention to the blitzball player and also began casting.

A strange sensation swept over Shuyin, but he ignored it to keep up the relentless attacks. He didn't notice his hits were cutting deeper and faster than before, to the point where his opponent had no chance at counterstrikes. Rising on its hind legs, the behemoth towered over him, but it was weakened enough that it stumbled. With a final yell of frustration, Shuyin leaped high above the beast and brought his sword down hard, cleaving the creature from shoulder to chest. After landing, he jerked his sword free and kicked the dissolving body and its pyreflies over the edge of the bridge, sending them into the dark, rocky depths below. A quick check toward the ronso let him know that fight had ended, too, so he thrust his sword back into the snow and crouched before Lenne. Too breathless to speak, he grasped her shoulders and touched his forehead to hers, relieved that she was okay. Footsteps crunched in the snow behind him as Zen and Bahamut drew near.

The ronso knelt by the summoner's side and scanned for injuries. There was no blood, but she was clearly in pain.

"My back …" She winced and reached behind herself to where it hurt.

"Heal yourself. We'll wait." Shuyin was still fighting to catch his breath.

"Not until we're somewhere safe. I don't want to waste my energy in case we're attacked again."

"We'll be camping at the hot spring. You can do it there."

She nodded in agreement but grunted in discomfort when she tried to stand.

Shuyin sheathed his sword and knelt with his back to her. "We've got to make it to the hot springs before it becomes pitch black out here. Close your eyes and let me carry you through this area."

"Zen stronger. Zen carry girl," the ronso offered.

Shuyin stubbornly shook his head. "No. I'm her guardian, but she got hurt because I couldn't get back into fight fast enough." Shuyin looked over his shoulder, waiting. "Lenne ..."

Though she hated to see him so hard on himself, gratitude was more appropriate than arguing. Lenne wrapped her arms around his shoulders and leaned forward against his back. "Thank you, Shuyin."

Hooking his forearms under her knees at his waist, he stood with care and shifted her weight until they were both comfortable enough to continue hiking through the snow. He felt a small kiss on his ear before she rested her cheek against it. Only then did he feel any measure of relief that she had forgiven him. Exhausted from the battle, but thankful everyone was still alive, Shuyin glanced toward Zen and Bahamut, and together they all continued over the high, narrow bridges crisscrossing the mountains into the deepening darkness of night.