As if all the strange goings-on in the Guado city hadn't been enough, the encounter with Lord Jyscal on our return from the Farplane really creeped me out! I wanted nothing more than to leave this wretched Guadosalam with its scheming leader, strange inhabitants, and walking dead. Sure, Yunie had given the former Guado leader a Sending, but the disturbance caused by his mysterious death and reppearance was bound to cause us trouble on our journey, I just knew it. During the Sending, I could have sworn I heard someone gasp in pain behind me, though I was too transfixed by the sight of the dead Maester Jyscal to determine the source. I can only assume whoever it had been was feeling better now, for I'd not heard the sound repeated since we'd left the antechamber to the Farplane portal.
Yuna had left to seek out Maester Seymour and to give him her reply. The majority of the group waited patiently outside the manor, discussing the plans for the next section of the trip. Tidus ran off, presumably to finish stocking up on superior Guado supplies (creepy they may be, but they make a mean potion). There was no containing that boy!
At length, the conversation degenerated into little more than nervous banter. No one wanted to be englufed in the silence that seemed to pervade this place. No one that is, save Auron. He seemed to relish silence and solitude, to wear them as a kind of barrier against the world. I'd seen a lot of reclusive people in my life...people who for one reason or another had withdrawn from the world at large. They were usually people who had suffered terrible, unspeakable events and survived, only to go through life wistfully and without purpose. I suspected something similar must have befallen our brooding companion of a guardian - with one notable difference. Whereas in my experience people usually became lost souls of a sort, Auron's ordeal seemed to have hardened his resolve to an edge as fierce as the one he wielded in battle. There could be no other explanation.
And so I came to wonder, as I found myself doing
more and more often since speaking with Auron, what he did with all
that time alone. What was going on behind all those barriers he had
constructed between himself and the world? A lesser being might well
have gone mad, but not Auron, I realized...like him or hate him, he was
strong and solid. His dark, brooding presence seemed to be both a
blessing and a curse. It was quite clear to the rest of us that the man
was in possession of a mountain of knowledge...knowledge he only shared
when he saw fit. How many times in Guadosalam alone could he have
offered something, anything that would have aided us in threading our
way through Seymour's traps? Why did he seem only to employ his vast
experience and insight when they were on the very edge of failure or
destruction? What had happened to this man to force him into this kind
of existence - the remains of the physical wounds he'd suffered were
apparent enough, but could anyone
ever know how deep the
corresponding psychological and emotional scars ran? A chill passed
through me...it was possible that Auron's past was interfering with his
ability to do his job in the present...it could be why we so rarely
heard from him, when by rights a man in his position ought to have been
open and free with what he knew. The next time I saw it happening, I
vowed to myself, I would step in and force the issue, somehow.
I felt a twinge of something in my guts as I regarded the man, not realizing I was staring at him. Perhaps it was sympathy for the guardian. It could not be comfortable to be utterly alone among a group of younger people who openly relied on each other for support in trying times. So many things separated him from the rest of us, and it seemed only Yuna had a way of including him among their number, albeit for short periods of time when they dearly needed his skills. I almost laughed when I realized Auron would have chided me for this line of thought. He'd say that I was wasting time and effort that would be better put to use protecting our common charge. I was a guardian, and it wasn't proper for my thoughts to be dominated by my comrades in arms instead of my summoner.
I sighed. Too much Auron on the brain. But...I couldn't get him out of my mind, try as I might. Maybe once we got back on the road the dangers and realities of travel would redeem me from this disturbing obsession. I certainly hoped so. Thinking so much about Auron had me worried about my own sanity.
I tore my gaze from the guardian in red when the door to the manor opened to reveal Yuna's figure. At nearly the same time, Tidus came running toward the party from the opposite direction.
"They say Seymour went to Macarena temple," Tidus announced.
I saw Wakka suppress a laugh. "Macalania temple," he corrected.
"Aye, that's the one." Tidus' cheeks turned a slight shade of red at the embarassment.
Wakka voiced what most of us were wondering silently. "What I don't get is...why would the lord maester head off without a peep to anyone?"
Not wanting to seem braindead and desperate for a chance to think about something other than Auron I took a guess at the answer. "Maybe he wasn't expecting Yuna's answer so soon."
Wakka nodded. "Yeah, that's probably it."
Yunie let out a short forced laugh. So, Guadosalam had taken its toll on her, as well. Auron suddenly turned to face her.
"Yuna, what is it?" he asked in the same emotionless voice he always used.
Yunie wasn't prepared for the question. "Oh, nothing," she said quickly, trying in vain to make the older man believe her.
He didn't. His gaze held hers for a short moment and he tilted his head thoughfully. "Hmm...you're a poor liar," he observed, but thankfully, left it at that.
But Yuna held her ground. "It's true, it's nothing," she reaffirmed. Not wanting to invite Auron to push the matter any further, she took the initiative. "Come on, let's go."
To my surprise, Auron gave in and dropped it. Just when I think I've got you figured out, you change the rules, old man! But in that instant, he didn't strike me as being old so much as wise. He picked his battles...
We all fell in behind Yuna as we walked to the exit of the city...and suddenly it dawned on me! "Oh, no. We're here." It came out as a childish squeak. As if to mock me, the thunder and lightning in the background seemed to intensify in that moment. I was frozen in fear. The other party members calmly discussed the best way to make the crossing, but my apprehension got the best of me.
"I think I forgot something back in Guadosalam," I said weakly, turning back toward the city.
The moment went from bad to worse without warning. Auron waved at me dismissively. "Nice knowing you."
That was that. I had to go...I just had to. Something about Auron compelled me to. Maybe it was the praise he'd given me outside the Farplane...maybe it was my own desire to impress the man. But I got the distinct feeling that if the words had issued from anyone else's lips that day, I might well have went my separate way. I couldn't let Auron win this one. Whatever it took, I would go on. What little dignity or pride I'd left demanded it. I prepared myself to find something profound to say to convince them of my resolve, but the words wouldn't come out correctly.
"Okay, okay! I'll go!" was all I could get out.
So it was that we set out onto the Thunder Plains. The sharp sounds and the accompanying flashes of light scared me, but I focused all my efforts on not allowing it to show. I prayed that our crossing would be fast and relatively uneventful...but it was not to be.
We could hardly advance to the next lightning tower without being accosted by a new group of fiends. I was too shaken to participate in battle, but luckily no one said anything to me about that. We were defended by Lulu's impressive Black magic, Yuna's Aeons, and the martial talents of Tidus, Kimahri and Auron. Auron was particularly impressive, bringing that great blade to bear on all manner of enemies with the same deadly grace and precision each swing. The man truly was the most skilled of all of them, the consummate guardian.
I almost slapped myself. There were more important things to worry about than Auron's form. What was wrong with me, anyway?
We were recovering after one particularly lengthy battle, forgetting that we were out in the open. All of us moved to take cover under the nearest lightning tower when the strikes intensified, but I was the last to move. Everyone broke into a run when the latest bolt struck only a few feet from where they'd been sitting. Only Auron remained walking at the steady pace he always favored. I seized up again when the last lightning bolt struck that close to our resting place.
The sky flashed again dangerously and I finally began to move toward the tower, still a good distance from me. Auron must have sensed what was about to happen, because he dashed back in my direction.
"Rikku! Get over near the - " He shoved me in the direction of the tower before he could finish that statement. Just as he did, lightning struck the place he'd taken over from me. Recovering from his rough push, I watched with horror as the bolt passed through him and discharged into the ground at his feet.
The only sound that escaped Auron's mouth was a muffled grunt. He appeared dazed for only a split second, but recovered quickly and approached me where I was still laying on the ground. Wordlessly, he offered me his gloved right hand. I grasped it and got to my feet, brushing the dirt from my clothes and skin. He fixed a critical gaze on me.
"Why did you..." I began, stopping halfway though my thought. Idiot! He did it to save you from being hit by lightning. I broke eye contact with him, and looked down at my feet. "I mean...thanks," I finished meekly.
He nodded slightly, not speaking at first. His coat hung off his arm, as it did when he was in combat, and his left arm gripped my shoulder. Auron's gloved right hand tilted my chin gently toward him, forcing me to look him in the eyes again. "A guardian must pay close attention to her surroundings and be prepared to confront any threat to her summoner. Think about that."
I mumbled something in agreement, and both his hands released me. He didn't move, though. "I...I'll try," I promised. "Maybe...maybe you could teach me to be a better guardian?" The last was little more than a whisper.
Auron didn't acknowledge the question at first. I thought I might have made a grave mistake, asking something of the older man. He probably wasn't the kind who usually did personal favors, not with so much else at stake. Finally, he nodded slightly. "I will teach you what I can, but most of what a guardian needs to know, you must find within yourself."
He inclined his head toward the tower, where the rest of the party was waiting. "The others..." he said and gave me a nudge toward the tower. We reunited with the rest of the group, and continued on.