Gawd. 2 days, 1 hr sleep. Feedback is my friend. Lovelove. Wheeeeee. Request
for fluff and mush answered, I think we've still got five or six chapters left to go.
Chapter 23 Where the Heart Dwells
Fog covered a barren plain, faint light seeping through the dense air. The ground
was black, unseen through the mist. Auron shifted the massive blade upon his
shoulder, turning around in full circle, his boots silent against the pitch-black
surface of the ground. What was this place? The air was frigid and damp, a
strange wind swirled the fog around him but not himself nor his scarlet coat. The
atmosphere was most unpleasant, plus he did not know where he was.
Auron…
A whisper, like a faint breeze touching his ears. He turned, but the voice was
gone.
Looking over his shoulder and across his collar, his single eye peered into the
unrelenting darkness. His narrowed gaze identified something moving swiftly
through the fog. Auron tensed, his gloved fingers gripping the handle of his sword
tightly while he struggled to determine the shadow's placement. Whatever it was,
it moved with incredible stealth and grace. He struggled to reclaim it's position,
but before he could even move, an incredibly forceful blow was dealt to the back
of his neck. Auron gasped, and fell to his knees, dropping his heavy blade.
The guardian struggled to right himself, to flip onto his back, but a tight grip upon
the base of his neck prevented movement.
"Coward," Hissed a low voice, the grip tightening. Auron gasped in a strange kind
of pain, as if he were feeling it from a distance. "Look at what you are," growled
the stranger, his lips brushing by Auron's ears. "Better yet… look at me."
The hand swiftly switched it's position, yanking the swordsman up by his ponytail.
Auron attempted to strike his attacker, but froze and gasped in disbelief when the
man's face came into view.
It was… himself. Only a darker image that what Auron usually saw when he
looked in the mirror. This Auron's face was contorted in anger and rage, his eye
bloodthirsty and predatory. A sneer took the double's lips as he addressed his
counterpart.
"That's right. Look at me, Auron, because we are the same. Take a look at what
you have become," the mirror image of himself spat, Auron's double boiling in
rage. "You left your summoner to die, now you lead his daughter to her bloody
death. You ran away from your duty, in your own pitiful self-preservation you
committed suicide, coward. Look at me, Auron, for this is what you really are."
The double lifted his robe to reveal the fresh wounds of Yunalesca. Auron
gasped, the faded pain of his memories suddenly crystal clear. Both of their
faces and chests bled, and both quaked in pain. The other Auron stood and spat
upon his kneeling double.
"You are unworthy of the title "legendary guardian". You were unworthy to be
Braska's guardian, and you are the most unworthy to have your petty Al Bhed to
sooth your rotting soul. You deserve /nothing/. You are /nothing/. If Braska were
here now, he would curse your spineless existence and banish you from his
daughter forever," cursed Auron's dark twin, his voice low and monotone. Then,
the double walked a few feet away, staring at Auron with contempt and spite.
Auron gasped, blood and tears falling unbidden from his face to the parched
black earth below. No… it was true. Yevon, it was true… Hoarse, uncontrolled
cries flew past Auron's trembling lips, his hands burying his face.
Auron…
The same whisper as before, but closer now. Auron didn't raise his head, lest he
gaze again upon the mirror image of himself in horror. His body quaked
uncontrollably, his breaths shallow and hoarse.
Auron…
The voice… that was… no, it could not be. Auron lifted a hand from the left side
of his face, his tearing eye risking everything to see the owner of that calm,
soothing voice. His double turned and did the same. Could it be…?
Braska's robed form emerged from the darkness, his bright blue eyes peering
through the desolate fog. Both Aurons stared in complete disbelief, while only
the one sunk to the earth continued to cry. Braska's regal gaze swept over the
standing Auron, his face expressionless. The summoner paused when his feet
carried him to the dark Auron's side: the double's look of contempt all but
vanished. He too wanted Braska at his side, he too wanted to see his summoner
again. But the summoner looked away from the enraged man, almost in anger.
He left the dark Auron alone, his path set on the sagging form on the ground.
Dark Auron just stared after him.
Auron looked away. "No, I, I don't deserve this, I don't deserve you," he choked,
his tears and blood clogging his low voice. Auron lowered his quaking head,
thinking Braska would leave him to his self-inflicted misery, and be gone. A thin
but steady hand grazed his covered face, the nimble fingers working their way
into Auron's, prying past the wall of rigid hands that separated the swordsman's
pain and grief-etched face from the desolate hell this strange place had become.
Auron felt the fingers touch the face wound and he tried to turn away. The
guardian felt the fingers retreat.
But he was not left alone. The two hands of his fallen summoner enwrapped
themselves around Auron quaking shoulders, gently pressing against his scarlet
cloak. "Auron…" Braska murmured as he buried the tortured man's head in the
folds of his robe. The summoner began to rock gently, clutching the shuddering
man to his own form. "It isn't true. He is only a mirage, Auron. He is not you,"
Braska said softly as he held the large trembling man in his lap. "You are a good
person, Auron, the best I have ever known. His words are twisted in grief and
loss, both of which you suffer, I know. I would have no other as my guardian,
and no other to guide my daughter. Having you as a guardian was so great an
honor, but… " Braska bowed his head, his face mere inches above Auron's
buried head, "but having you as my friend, that was the greatest thing I have ever
known."
Auron opened his eye. His arms were lax, curled to his chest as he lay like a
child in Braska's embrace, his legs sprawled outward while his torso and head
was curled in the lap of the one he missed most. His face was partially buried in
the folds of the summoner's robes, the soft fabric caressing his face. "Braska…"
He whispered. "I… I miss you…" he murmured, his lone eye looking upwards
tentatively, as if the whole of the comfort he was encased with might slip away.
He met Braska's warm gaze, the blue eyes truly easing Auron's pain and fears.
"I know," the summoner murmured, "I know. Rest now, Auron, and be at peace.
Go back to the one you hold dear, she is waiting for you." Auron wanted to stay,
feeling the comfort in knowing his summoner was well, now aware that Braska
did not blame him for the painful events of the past. But Braska's gentle embrace
was like a tangible warmth, his robes like the softest of pillows. Auron felt the
darkness recede, only the security of his summoner remaining. The security and
peace of the embrace was like a drug, and Braska brushed away a stray silver
hair from Auron's sweaty brow as the guardian's eye fell peacefully closed. "I will
be waiting for you," Braska murmured, holding his friend close.
************************
"I think the worst is over," Yuna said softly, kneeling at Auron's side. The firelight
cast a warm glow across the sweating brow of Auron's face, a tear sliding down a
now-worn path that so many had traveled in the last several hours. Earlier that
night, Rikku had awoken to a moaning guardian pillow, the man wincing and
twitching. Auron must have caught Rikku's cold, or simply caught fever from
marching around Gagazet with no coat. Rikku had tried to waken and quiet her
companion, but Auron was trapped in a nightmare, a dream spurred by his high
temperature. Yuna had lowered his fever a bit, but perhaps not enough to draw
the man from the demons of his dreams.
The two girls stayed by his side all night, trying to ease the pain of their trusted
friend and guide. Yuna had never seen her father's guardian cry, and she
grasped his large hand tightly after the first tear had fallen. Rikku rested Auron's
head on her upper thigh as she leaned back against the cave wall, allowing her a
comfortable position for them both. The Al Bhed had continuously wiped the
moaning man's brow with a damp cloth, soothing the wrinkles upon his forehead
as he grimaced at some unseen sight or emotion.
Now, Yuna and Rikku stood vigil, relieved that Auron had ceased his moaning
and was succumbing to a more peaceful and restive sleep. Yuna relinquished
Auron's hand, placing it upon his chest. Finding it safe to return to her bedroll,
she placed a feather-light kiss to Auron's brow. "Rest well," she murmured, and
returned to the snoring Tidus's side across the circle.
Rikku gently lay Auron's head upon the bedroll, and curled up in the nook of his
side. She ran a small finger across the length of the stubble on his jaw, eliciting a
small murmur from the sleeping man. She took his lax limb, grasping the hand,
and kissed each finger. She reached downwards and took hold of the soft woven
blanket they shared and pulled it to her neck, leaving Auron's collarbone and
shoulders bare of the fabric. She buried her face in the nook of his shoulder and
neck and proceeded to close her eyes, the soft light casting shadows of Auron's
face upon hers. His body warmth was hotter than normal, but comforting
nonetheless. Be well, she thought before she drifted off. Tomorrow would bring
only more stress and fatigue, so let them be warm tonight and keep these
memories inside forever.
***I felt the need for fluff. This was not intended as a Braska/Auron romance, so if
you took it that way, sorry. Was Braska really there? Mwaaha. :D
Upload a sweet auronxbraska non yaoi pic on my site that took me from 12am to
5am yesterday to do, hope you enjoy.
-Spazkit
for fluff and mush answered, I think we've still got five or six chapters left to go.
Chapter 23 Where the Heart Dwells
Fog covered a barren plain, faint light seeping through the dense air. The ground
was black, unseen through the mist. Auron shifted the massive blade upon his
shoulder, turning around in full circle, his boots silent against the pitch-black
surface of the ground. What was this place? The air was frigid and damp, a
strange wind swirled the fog around him but not himself nor his scarlet coat. The
atmosphere was most unpleasant, plus he did not know where he was.
Auron…
A whisper, like a faint breeze touching his ears. He turned, but the voice was
gone.
Looking over his shoulder and across his collar, his single eye peered into the
unrelenting darkness. His narrowed gaze identified something moving swiftly
through the fog. Auron tensed, his gloved fingers gripping the handle of his sword
tightly while he struggled to determine the shadow's placement. Whatever it was,
it moved with incredible stealth and grace. He struggled to reclaim it's position,
but before he could even move, an incredibly forceful blow was dealt to the back
of his neck. Auron gasped, and fell to his knees, dropping his heavy blade.
The guardian struggled to right himself, to flip onto his back, but a tight grip upon
the base of his neck prevented movement.
"Coward," Hissed a low voice, the grip tightening. Auron gasped in a strange kind
of pain, as if he were feeling it from a distance. "Look at what you are," growled
the stranger, his lips brushing by Auron's ears. "Better yet… look at me."
The hand swiftly switched it's position, yanking the swordsman up by his ponytail.
Auron attempted to strike his attacker, but froze and gasped in disbelief when the
man's face came into view.
It was… himself. Only a darker image that what Auron usually saw when he
looked in the mirror. This Auron's face was contorted in anger and rage, his eye
bloodthirsty and predatory. A sneer took the double's lips as he addressed his
counterpart.
"That's right. Look at me, Auron, because we are the same. Take a look at what
you have become," the mirror image of himself spat, Auron's double boiling in
rage. "You left your summoner to die, now you lead his daughter to her bloody
death. You ran away from your duty, in your own pitiful self-preservation you
committed suicide, coward. Look at me, Auron, for this is what you really are."
The double lifted his robe to reveal the fresh wounds of Yunalesca. Auron
gasped, the faded pain of his memories suddenly crystal clear. Both of their
faces and chests bled, and both quaked in pain. The other Auron stood and spat
upon his kneeling double.
"You are unworthy of the title "legendary guardian". You were unworthy to be
Braska's guardian, and you are the most unworthy to have your petty Al Bhed to
sooth your rotting soul. You deserve /nothing/. You are /nothing/. If Braska were
here now, he would curse your spineless existence and banish you from his
daughter forever," cursed Auron's dark twin, his voice low and monotone. Then,
the double walked a few feet away, staring at Auron with contempt and spite.
Auron gasped, blood and tears falling unbidden from his face to the parched
black earth below. No… it was true. Yevon, it was true… Hoarse, uncontrolled
cries flew past Auron's trembling lips, his hands burying his face.
Auron…
The same whisper as before, but closer now. Auron didn't raise his head, lest he
gaze again upon the mirror image of himself in horror. His body quaked
uncontrollably, his breaths shallow and hoarse.
Auron…
The voice… that was… no, it could not be. Auron lifted a hand from the left side
of his face, his tearing eye risking everything to see the owner of that calm,
soothing voice. His double turned and did the same. Could it be…?
Braska's robed form emerged from the darkness, his bright blue eyes peering
through the desolate fog. Both Aurons stared in complete disbelief, while only
the one sunk to the earth continued to cry. Braska's regal gaze swept over the
standing Auron, his face expressionless. The summoner paused when his feet
carried him to the dark Auron's side: the double's look of contempt all but
vanished. He too wanted Braska at his side, he too wanted to see his summoner
again. But the summoner looked away from the enraged man, almost in anger.
He left the dark Auron alone, his path set on the sagging form on the ground.
Dark Auron just stared after him.
Auron looked away. "No, I, I don't deserve this, I don't deserve you," he choked,
his tears and blood clogging his low voice. Auron lowered his quaking head,
thinking Braska would leave him to his self-inflicted misery, and be gone. A thin
but steady hand grazed his covered face, the nimble fingers working their way
into Auron's, prying past the wall of rigid hands that separated the swordsman's
pain and grief-etched face from the desolate hell this strange place had become.
Auron felt the fingers touch the face wound and he tried to turn away. The
guardian felt the fingers retreat.
But he was not left alone. The two hands of his fallen summoner enwrapped
themselves around Auron quaking shoulders, gently pressing against his scarlet
cloak. "Auron…" Braska murmured as he buried the tortured man's head in the
folds of his robe. The summoner began to rock gently, clutching the shuddering
man to his own form. "It isn't true. He is only a mirage, Auron. He is not you,"
Braska said softly as he held the large trembling man in his lap. "You are a good
person, Auron, the best I have ever known. His words are twisted in grief and
loss, both of which you suffer, I know. I would have no other as my guardian,
and no other to guide my daughter. Having you as a guardian was so great an
honor, but… " Braska bowed his head, his face mere inches above Auron's
buried head, "but having you as my friend, that was the greatest thing I have ever
known."
Auron opened his eye. His arms were lax, curled to his chest as he lay like a
child in Braska's embrace, his legs sprawled outward while his torso and head
was curled in the lap of the one he missed most. His face was partially buried in
the folds of the summoner's robes, the soft fabric caressing his face. "Braska…"
He whispered. "I… I miss you…" he murmured, his lone eye looking upwards
tentatively, as if the whole of the comfort he was encased with might slip away.
He met Braska's warm gaze, the blue eyes truly easing Auron's pain and fears.
"I know," the summoner murmured, "I know. Rest now, Auron, and be at peace.
Go back to the one you hold dear, she is waiting for you." Auron wanted to stay,
feeling the comfort in knowing his summoner was well, now aware that Braska
did not blame him for the painful events of the past. But Braska's gentle embrace
was like a tangible warmth, his robes like the softest of pillows. Auron felt the
darkness recede, only the security of his summoner remaining. The security and
peace of the embrace was like a drug, and Braska brushed away a stray silver
hair from Auron's sweaty brow as the guardian's eye fell peacefully closed. "I will
be waiting for you," Braska murmured, holding his friend close.
************************
"I think the worst is over," Yuna said softly, kneeling at Auron's side. The firelight
cast a warm glow across the sweating brow of Auron's face, a tear sliding down a
now-worn path that so many had traveled in the last several hours. Earlier that
night, Rikku had awoken to a moaning guardian pillow, the man wincing and
twitching. Auron must have caught Rikku's cold, or simply caught fever from
marching around Gagazet with no coat. Rikku had tried to waken and quiet her
companion, but Auron was trapped in a nightmare, a dream spurred by his high
temperature. Yuna had lowered his fever a bit, but perhaps not enough to draw
the man from the demons of his dreams.
The two girls stayed by his side all night, trying to ease the pain of their trusted
friend and guide. Yuna had never seen her father's guardian cry, and she
grasped his large hand tightly after the first tear had fallen. Rikku rested Auron's
head on her upper thigh as she leaned back against the cave wall, allowing her a
comfortable position for them both. The Al Bhed had continuously wiped the
moaning man's brow with a damp cloth, soothing the wrinkles upon his forehead
as he grimaced at some unseen sight or emotion.
Now, Yuna and Rikku stood vigil, relieved that Auron had ceased his moaning
and was succumbing to a more peaceful and restive sleep. Yuna relinquished
Auron's hand, placing it upon his chest. Finding it safe to return to her bedroll,
she placed a feather-light kiss to Auron's brow. "Rest well," she murmured, and
returned to the snoring Tidus's side across the circle.
Rikku gently lay Auron's head upon the bedroll, and curled up in the nook of his
side. She ran a small finger across the length of the stubble on his jaw, eliciting a
small murmur from the sleeping man. She took his lax limb, grasping the hand,
and kissed each finger. She reached downwards and took hold of the soft woven
blanket they shared and pulled it to her neck, leaving Auron's collarbone and
shoulders bare of the fabric. She buried her face in the nook of his shoulder and
neck and proceeded to close her eyes, the soft light casting shadows of Auron's
face upon hers. His body warmth was hotter than normal, but comforting
nonetheless. Be well, she thought before she drifted off. Tomorrow would bring
only more stress and fatigue, so let them be warm tonight and keep these
memories inside forever.
***I felt the need for fluff. This was not intended as a Braska/Auron romance, so if
you took it that way, sorry. Was Braska really there? Mwaaha. :D
Upload a sweet auronxbraska non yaoi pic on my site that took me from 12am to
5am yesterday to do, hope you enjoy.
-Spazkit