Year xxx4

In the quiet darkness, firewood crackled under burning orange flames within a shallow pit. Huddled nearby was young twenty-one years old Shuyin, who was watching the fire dance with a listlessness imparted through his aqua blue eyes. A heaviness was weighing on his chest as he mulled over his dreadful day. It had only been two weeks since he enlisted in the Zanarkand armed forces and nothing seemed to be going favourably for him.

He was still having a hard time getting used to the daily foot drills. His subpar levels of endurance and agility made it difficult for him to complete intensive obstacle courses. Out of the fifty rounds of archery required to do on a daily basis, he managed to hit, at his best, only ten onto the target board; his arms were still too stiff to swing a sword or parry an attack properly; and he lacked concentration to cast accurate magic spells. Coming from a long line of successful Zanarkand Warriors – his own father being a respected veteran, his failings felt like a series of unpardonable crimes.

At times he wondered if enlisting was a huge mistake on his part and that he was more suited to become an artist – a pianist. Piano playing was his favourite pastime and in this art, he was not too good to be considered a prodigy but good enough to turn it into a full-time career. He had decided that he was not going home until he thought things through; he was going to spend the entire night alone and in contemplation at his secret hiding place.

Just when he thought he would have all the peace he needed for that night, a commotion caused by a group crowding another nearby firewood was hell-bent on agitating him. He was so close to issuing them a warning… but he had to find out first what the buzz was all about.

At the centre of the commotion was a woman who he assumed to be slightly younger than he was, with long oak brown hair and lilac-tinted lips. Her beauty was unquestionable but it was her expressive eyes that drew him to her most. It was not surprising to hear the crowd requesting for her to sing; he recognized that she was the girl who led the group of singing Summoners during Yaj Yeshe's burial three years ago.

After much back and forth between the woman and the crowd, she finally gave in and started crooning a ballad. The calmness dripping from her voice reached not just her frenetic crowd… but also the deep recess within Shuyin. He could almost feel her hands holding onto his distressed heart, cradling it with the sound of her singing. He tasted her persuasion in his mouth and felt it clearing his chest.

By the end of the night, he was nothing but a sobbing disaster.

Year xx12

At the heart of Zanarkand stood a building with three towers formed out of spiral ramps, serving as the city's largest and most frequented public dining area. Indoor, fragrant steams wafted from food vendors, attracting packs of visitors searching for something to fill their appetite. At night, the structure radiated with rows of light, offering guidance to passing boats and small yachts intending to dock at a nearby port. The zephyr of spring rustled flowers planted in pots lined along the perimeters of the outdoor seating area, bringing fresh fragrant aroma to soar in the air.

Shuyin was standing by the outdoor rails, arms leaning against them and eyes following serene movements on the expansive sea. Anticipating Lenne's imminent arrival, he appeared deceivingly calm and contrary to the drumming in his chest. It would be another one out of a long list of other trysts he already had with her since last autumn but the thrill of meeting again never died down for him… and he hoped it would be the same for her. Hearing the familiar clacking of her boots against the tiled floors, his mouth arched into a smile.

"Sorry I'm late," Lenne apologised, her delicate and sonorous voice never failing to seize him by his heart.

"No, it's fine," he rushed to soothe her. "So! Is there anywhere you would like to go to?" he asked with his customary eagerness. She had spoken before about having no prior experience visiting public dining areas, even after living for twenty-eight years in the city. She never found the time or the necessity to do so. He figured that her setting up their rendezvous here meant that she was finally ready to experience it for the first time with him.

"I'm quite full… actually," she said apologetically. "We were celebrating Malin's engagement… and there's too much food."

"Oh…" The smile he had fell slightly off his face, giving way to a curiosity that lifted one eyebrow up. "So… what would you like to do instead?"

She extended a hand to him, "Let's… take a walk, shall we?" When his reaction seemed a little too slow than expected, she hurried to say, "Unless you're hungry… and you need to grab a bite first?"

"Ah no! I've had my fill too!" he said, shaking his head. He had more than enough of his fill. The Base is incredibly generous in supplying their Warriors, especially vanguards, with three to five meals a day and by no means was there a day when Shuyin would have anything less than what he could have.

With her hand enveloped in his, they strolled side by side, gradually moving away from the outdoor dining area to a drawn-out bridge. At a point where the horizon was finally visible in between two different clusters of skyscrapers positioned a few distance apart, they halted. Lenne's eyes were glued on the passing boats and yachts, and the wobbly reflection of the moon on the sea surface. But Shuyin only had eyes on her.

"It's… beautiful here," she mumbled, tucking a tuft of hair behind her ear as the breeze was blowing.

He gave her hand a light squeeze, "This is… where Lord Yevon declared his eternal love to Lady Uma and promised the city as her safe haven."

Her smile widened, "Yes… I heard about the story once." She looked at him, more mischievously this time, "Are you planning to do the same with me now?"

He let out a mellowed laugh. "It's tempting."

Truth be told, it was beyond tempting for him. He wanted to tell her that he had always been in love with her ever since that night when she stopped singing just to keep him company while he sobbed away. He wanted her to know that she gave him reasons to continue on living and reform himself. It would not be an overstatement if he were to declare that without her, he would not be the Shuyin standing by her side. A single night could never copiously express the affection he was holding for her since eight years ago.

But then, would it be fair to subject her to the heaviness of his affection when they had only been romantically involved for a few months – nine to be exact?

He decided it would be too excessive for her.

Lenne returned her mind to the scenery beyond the bridge. The light in her eyes matched the radiance around her – from the full moon to the glimmering skyscrapers. But it would soon be swallowed by sorrow before Shuyin could foresee it.

The sight of it alarmed him. "What's the matter, Lenne?"

"How unfortunate it must be for all this… splendour to be buried beneath the rubbles of destruction that the war will cause."

"It's a… necessary sacrifice we have to make."

"I know you don't mean that, Shuyin…" she murmured, her tone reflecting the ache in her heart. She leaned her head onto his forearm, "There was a time when I looked up to the Al-Bheds. I would give anything just to understand them better."

"You believe… it's the Al-Bheds we should hold accountable for the war?"

"You don't?"

"I believe they are all at fault – Lord Yevon, Lord Zako of Bevelle and whoever else is involved from both sides, including the Al-Bheds," he said, his free hand curling into a fist, digging nails into his palm. "What good would fighting for preserving our way of living, or for building more Machinas bring when so many innocent lives will be lost?"

What good would it bring if I lost you? He wanted to say.

She cupped one side of his face and guided him to look at her again, her rationality returning, "You're correct but… let's not talk about this any longer." Forcing out a smile, she humoured him, "Maybe… we should think about what we can do in the other Zanarkand."

The other Zanarkand could perhaps be their only hope if they did not make it out of the war alive… but he did not want it. He did not want to exist with her in a dream world, an alternate reality where he would not be able to touch her, hold her, kiss her and talk to her.

He enfolded her in his arms, never wanting to let her go.

Connecting the pathway from Zanarkand to the summit of Mount Gagazet was a plateau which lay barren with no sign of edifice. Here, time stood still, leaving traces of the city's primeval days unharmed. Rocks that formed part of the landscape were subtly marked by handprints left by ancestors to the city's residents. The preservation of their tracks were also evident on the fine soil that was protected from modern evolution. A number of pits had been dug, revealing the site to be a resting place for visitors who came to seek refuge from the all too dazzling city.

A fire was burning in one of the pits where a group of people clad in thick robes and hats was assembled. They were feasting on dices of raw fish served on a large plate that was passed around among them. When a woman with a thick set of arms came carrying open crates of beer bottles, they cheered boisterously as if they had won the lottery.

"Just two bottles per person!" warned the woman as members of the group swarmed the crate to grab a bottle of their own.

A man with pockmarks on his face took a swig from his bottle and let out a satisfied hum. "Food served at the Base may be good but nothing beats having a cold beer with Remora blubbers."

"We're lucky to have the old fisherman at our side for supply," chimed another man with a puffy pair of monolids, bringing the minds of those around him to an elderly man of not younger than eighty years old, who was slicing more fish meat on a chopping board.

The group fell into a cosy hush as they watched flames dancing along the firewood, maintaining just enough heat in the air to keep them all warm. Some chose to lie down on the ground to chase the stars in the sky. Shuyin was among the former. He sat by his companions quietly, absentmindedly watching the fire burning but engrossed in his thoughts on Lenne.

Breaking the meditative silence was a brooding question brought up by a boy not older than sixteen years old, though physical and mental exertion aged him faster in appearance. "What do you all think of… the other Zanarkand?"

"I think it's utter drivel," sneered the man with pockmarks. "But that's because I'm not a man of faith."

A woman marked with three brown birth spots on her left cheek downed her bottle, before severely wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. "I'm a woman of faith and yet, I agree with you, Guohu," she said, placing her empty bottle onto the ground near her foot. "I don't believe it exists… not until I see it with my own eyes."

The man with monolids hoisted one of his legs onto the other. "Finally, Suya. A rare instance of us having differing views," he said, amused.

Suya raised her eyebrows with interest. "Tell us what you have in mind, Bozuan."

"Oh, the other Zanarkand definitely exists. I don't see why Lord Yevon would lie to us," Bozuan returned, casually swirling the last few remaining of his beer with a few shakes of his bottle. "But… I don't know if I'm willing to go as far as forfeiting my life… the lives of my wife and daughters for the sake of it."

Shuyin smiled slightly. Bozuan's remarks mirrored his own thinking. Why must he and Lenne give their lives up for a war that they never asked for, and for a place that they have never stepped foot on?

A sigh was heard from the sixteen year old boy as he fell his back onto the ground, resting the back of his head against his folded arms. "I think Lord Yevon is too preoccupied with the other Zanarkand when he should be doing more for the Zanarkand here."

Shaking his head, Guohu light-heartedly chided the young boy, "You're always thinking the worst about Lord Yevon, Nuan."

"And you're always giving him the benefit of the doubt, Guohu."

The sound of a person running nearby placed them on alert. A figure could soon be seen heading their way. The nearer it got to them, the easier it was for Shuyin to make out from its outlines that it was Jinhai, the leader of their group – the most steadfast of them all in their cause. By the time Jinhai made a stop, he was breathless. His usually neat silver locks were unkempt and his face was flushed from all the running.

"There's great news for all of us," Jinhai announced, panting in between his words.

"Well, what is it?" Shuyin asked, unable to bear the suspense.

"The informant has decided to work with us."

"Why the sudden change of heart?" Nuan thought out loud.

"Who knows," Jinhai shrugged. "Maybe he has little faith in Lord Yevon bringing victory to Zanarkand even with all the work he has done."

"Will this informant guarantee us a passage into Bevelle?" Shuyin quizzed again.

"I trust that he will."

A/N: Lenne and Shuyin started going out on dates during last year's early spring. Only began seriously dating 3 months later, around the time when Yevon had the Thunder Plains meeting.