Blatherings: Phew... back from the mirky depths of ff.net server madness. I swear, I never would have paced the chapters this way if I'd known how long you'd have to wait... forgive meeee!
However, I have used the downtime well. Big chunks of the last two chapters of Year Nine are complete, so I promise to update in a timely manner. I also updated my bio page with a link to the Auron Rehab Foundation... where you can download an Aurry-pie wallpaper I made just for you... because... well... dagnabbit... I love ya!
Otherworld Year Nine: Chapter 4
Blinded by the jumble of bags and packages in his arms, Gabe made a distinct oofing sound as he unexpectedly came in contact with the door jamb, the edge of a box pressing painfully into his midriff. Managing to wedge himself sideways through the bedroom doorway, he impatiently dropped the day's purchases on top of the bed, not bothering to straighten up the pile as he turned and headed back to the living room.
He was almost to the end of the hallway when he heard the main entrance alarm going off downstairs, followed by a deep vibration felt through the soles of his boots. There is some serious shit hitting the fan here, he thought, looking up as the track lighting along the ceiling in the living room momentarily flickered on and off. Intending to head straight for the door, Gabe hesitated when he saw the stricken look on Sahna's face as she stood in a frozen tenseness just in front of the couch.
"Gabe... something's wrong... something's terribly wrong." Sahna said in a strained voice, looking down at the gooseflesh forming in hard ridges across her forearms.
Thinking only of his wife now, Gabe closed the distance between them in two giant strides and brought his hands up to grip her shoulders, his voice on edge as he stared earnestly into her widening eyes... "What is it, Sahna."
Then Gabe got his answer, as the entrance door suddenly blew inward off its track in a screeching whine of rended metal, neon-blue lightening capering across its surface as it spun, chunks of flooring flying up as it came down on one corner then fell to the floor with an ear-shattering clang.
Gabe and Sahna jumped in unison, instinctively ducking their heads in reaction to the heart-stopping violence, then turned to look at the source... Sahna twisting the front of Gabe's shirt in her hands as she gaped in awed terror at the sight before them.
"Oh my God..." Gabe breathed, as a figure came through the doorway, a sword and body laying across its outstretched arms... Auron's head hanging back toward the floor, his limbs swaying limply with Remie's movements.
An incandescent blue aura was dancing around Remie in shimmering waves, his hair floating out from his head in a shining nimbus... his face transformed to something alien and terrifyingly beautiful by his power.
"Auron has been gravely wounded... you must attend him." Remie said, his voice like his face an impossible thing... deeper and more resonant than it should ever be and reflecting a maturity far beyond his years.
Gabe reacted without thinking and moved toward Remie, reaching out to take Auron from his arms, his face contorted in shock. Then he froze as Remie's command thundered into his ears...
"NO! Do not touch us Gabe! Any attempt to penetrate the field will mean instant death."
For the first time in her life, Sahna found herself immobilized by a raw panic... torn between the sight of her child in this unimaginable altered state of being, and Auron's normally powerful presence dangling helplessly from her son's arms as though the man weighed no more than an infant. She brought a hand to her mouth as she felt something building in her chest and pushing its way up to her throat, confusion giving way to clarity as she realized what it was that swelled in her like a pot boiling over on the stove. She was going to scream. Yes, she was going to scream and she was going to keep on screaming until this went away, until the madness of it faded like a bad dream meeting the comforting normalcy of wakefulness. Then the sound of Gabe's intense voice pierced through Sahna's terrified thoughts...
"What do you want us to do?"
"Gather what is needed to help Auron, we will lay him on the floor here... but do not touch him until the light has gone from around him." Remie answered then continued, his voice reverting to his own for a moment as he looked toward Sahna... "Hurry mom... please hurry!"
The desperate sound of her son's voice finally shattering her paralysis, Sahna wheeled and ran down the hallway to the supply closet... flinging its door open and swiftly grabbing at the healing supplies, Gabe close behind her. Turning, Sahna shoved what she had into Gabe's arms then gathered the rest as they both spun and ran back to the front room.
Returning upright and stepping back, Remie looked out through eyes not completely his own, watching as the energy dissipated... a deep crimson stain rapidly spreading across the rug beneath Auron's prone body.
Sahna knelt beside Auron as Gabe sank to his knees next to her, shoving Auron's sword out of the way then carefully rolling Auron over onto his stomach... the deep puncture left by the dagger gaping open against the blood smeared surface of his skin.
"Aw man." Gabe moaned, bringing a hand to the back of his head in shocked despair.
Acting with the calm efficiency of a healer, her fear forgotten, Sahna quickly applied the strongest potion she had, then ripped into the sealed package of gauze next to her and pressed it over the wound. "Hold this Gabe, your hands are strong enough... we must stop the bleeding."
Gabe did as she instructed, pressing his large palm over the wound as Sahna prepared more gauze and potions. When the compress became soaked through, she tapped on the back of Gabe's hand, applying another series of elixirs and sterile cloth... exhaling in relief as the profuse flow of blood finally slowed then stopped.
"Is he going to make it?" Gabe asked then, turning his head to look emploringly at his wife.
"I don't know... he's lost an awful lot of blood." Sahna replied in a choked voice, meeting Gabe's eyes for a moment then turning to look at her son, her face pale and drawn.
************
Remie swam in a sea of confusion, peering ahead into the thick, swirling mist that surrounded him. Where am I? He wondered, afraid to move, not knowing what lay beyond his limited sight. Then vague shapes of varying size began emerging toward him out of the pearly dimness, no features discernable on the gathering of ethereal forms that floated just beyond the curtain of ectoplasmic snow.
"Who are you?" Remie cried out in alarm, readying himself to fight as he leaned back in a battle stance.
Several of the shapes came forward, a sense of calm suddenly washing over Remie's shredded nerves as they drew nearer... these beings meant him no harm, the thought clearly penetrating through his frightened awareness as they began to speak...
"We are The Fayth. We are That Which Dreams."
"The source of your power lies here, with us."
"I don't understand! Where did you come from? Why are you here?" Remie asked in a quaking voice.
"You have summoned us, and we have answered. This man you hold so close to your heart must continue... his destiny must be fulfilled. Your love for him has saved him, and thus has saved us all. Rest now, Remie... be at peace."
************
Sahna watched as the light surrounding Remie did not fade but collapsed in on itself in a silent rush, the faint odor of something almost like ozone lingering in the air for a moment, then gone.
Teetering unsteadily on his feet, Remie's eyes suddenly rolled back in his head, exposing the whites as he sank to the floor without a sound.
The chilling echo of Sahna's reaction reverberated in the air, as she finally released the captive scream from her throat.
************
Auron struggled toward consciousness, a cloud of pyreflies swarming across his inner vision. Not yet damnit... you can't have me yet, he thought, swiping angrily at the glowing tendrils that threatened to take him from his purpose.
I shall remain... for the children... for their fathers... for the fallen! He raged against the light, raising a fisted arm above his head... his steely will defying the natural laws of existence as the unconquerable soul that resided within his body fought its way back from the yawning precipice of eternity.
The murmur of voices came to him then, distorted as if speaking from deep underwater...
"Are you certain?"
"It's the only way. If he keeps thrashing around like this it will re-open the wound, then we'll lose him for sure... hold him still, Gabe."
Auron dimly felt the strong hands that clamped his arms to his sides, the weight of a large torso pinning him down, then the brief sting of a needle being slid under the skin of his forearm.
No... I must fight! Auron's mind cried out, as the sedative raced through his veins and drew him swiftly into darkness.
************
"You look terrible." A softly teasing voice said from behind him, a hand coming to his shoulder.
"Try wandering around unsent for nine years and see how good you'd look." Auron replied in irritation, turning stiffly to gaze upon his elaborately-robed friend.
Braska responded with a gentle smile, unaffected by Auron's gruffness.
Auron's jawline bulged as he clenched his teeth, desperately trying to control the emotions that tore through him at the sight of the summoner. But the presence of the man stripped Auron's resistance from him as his shoulders sagged, a thready sigh passing his lips as he asked in a yearning whisper... "Have I come home?"
Braska's expressive eyes softened in compassion, a glimmering shroud of tears pooling across their surface as he reached out and layed his hand across Auron's arm. "No my friend... not yet. I know how weary you are, but you must abide for a while longer... hold on..."
The vision of Braska suddenly wavered and faded... Auron reaching out, his hand closing on the empty space before him as a new but familiar voice rang sharply in his mind...
"I'm hanging in there Auron... you have to do the same damnit... we've both come too far for you to give up now. You can't leave me here in this monstrous shell, you can't leave Tidus. You promised me damn you... now get your shit together!
************
"You think he's up to this? It's only been three days." Gabe asked in concern, staring at Remie's back as he went through the doorway of Auron's apartment.
Sahna swept a hand back through her silvery hair and sighed. "He doesn't seem to remember anything about getting Auron home, which is probably for the best and physically he's fine. Besides, I don't think we should stop him from seeing Auron if he really needs to."
************
Remie stood in a thoughtful stillness, his haunted eyes traveling from Auron's unconscious face down to the large bandage wrapped around his torso.
Mom had told him that Auron was going to be okay and she had never lied to him, but he wasn't so sure. There were forces at work that she didn't know about. He couldn't remember most of it and what he did remember he didn't really understand, but some things were different now. Different inside of him... he wasn't the same.
He knew things. Things he hadn't been prepared to know. What it meant to take a life, what it meant to be willing to give your own for another, how much Auron meant to him and to something much bigger than him... that all existence was woven together, part of a larger tapestry that could not be seen, but only felt with the heart.
Kneeling down next to the bed, Remie wearily lowered his head to rest his cheek on the open palm of Auron's still hand... its calloused ridges catching the boy's tears as they gathered and fell from the corner of his eye. "I love you, Auron... please... come back." Remie whispered to the silent room.
However, I have used the downtime well. Big chunks of the last two chapters of Year Nine are complete, so I promise to update in a timely manner. I also updated my bio page with a link to the Auron Rehab Foundation... where you can download an Aurry-pie wallpaper I made just for you... because... well... dagnabbit... I love ya!
Otherworld Year Nine: Chapter 4
Blinded by the jumble of bags and packages in his arms, Gabe made a distinct oofing sound as he unexpectedly came in contact with the door jamb, the edge of a box pressing painfully into his midriff. Managing to wedge himself sideways through the bedroom doorway, he impatiently dropped the day's purchases on top of the bed, not bothering to straighten up the pile as he turned and headed back to the living room.
He was almost to the end of the hallway when he heard the main entrance alarm going off downstairs, followed by a deep vibration felt through the soles of his boots. There is some serious shit hitting the fan here, he thought, looking up as the track lighting along the ceiling in the living room momentarily flickered on and off. Intending to head straight for the door, Gabe hesitated when he saw the stricken look on Sahna's face as she stood in a frozen tenseness just in front of the couch.
"Gabe... something's wrong... something's terribly wrong." Sahna said in a strained voice, looking down at the gooseflesh forming in hard ridges across her forearms.
Thinking only of his wife now, Gabe closed the distance between them in two giant strides and brought his hands up to grip her shoulders, his voice on edge as he stared earnestly into her widening eyes... "What is it, Sahna."
Then Gabe got his answer, as the entrance door suddenly blew inward off its track in a screeching whine of rended metal, neon-blue lightening capering across its surface as it spun, chunks of flooring flying up as it came down on one corner then fell to the floor with an ear-shattering clang.
Gabe and Sahna jumped in unison, instinctively ducking their heads in reaction to the heart-stopping violence, then turned to look at the source... Sahna twisting the front of Gabe's shirt in her hands as she gaped in awed terror at the sight before them.
"Oh my God..." Gabe breathed, as a figure came through the doorway, a sword and body laying across its outstretched arms... Auron's head hanging back toward the floor, his limbs swaying limply with Remie's movements.
An incandescent blue aura was dancing around Remie in shimmering waves, his hair floating out from his head in a shining nimbus... his face transformed to something alien and terrifyingly beautiful by his power.
"Auron has been gravely wounded... you must attend him." Remie said, his voice like his face an impossible thing... deeper and more resonant than it should ever be and reflecting a maturity far beyond his years.
Gabe reacted without thinking and moved toward Remie, reaching out to take Auron from his arms, his face contorted in shock. Then he froze as Remie's command thundered into his ears...
"NO! Do not touch us Gabe! Any attempt to penetrate the field will mean instant death."
For the first time in her life, Sahna found herself immobilized by a raw panic... torn between the sight of her child in this unimaginable altered state of being, and Auron's normally powerful presence dangling helplessly from her son's arms as though the man weighed no more than an infant. She brought a hand to her mouth as she felt something building in her chest and pushing its way up to her throat, confusion giving way to clarity as she realized what it was that swelled in her like a pot boiling over on the stove. She was going to scream. Yes, she was going to scream and she was going to keep on screaming until this went away, until the madness of it faded like a bad dream meeting the comforting normalcy of wakefulness. Then the sound of Gabe's intense voice pierced through Sahna's terrified thoughts...
"What do you want us to do?"
"Gather what is needed to help Auron, we will lay him on the floor here... but do not touch him until the light has gone from around him." Remie answered then continued, his voice reverting to his own for a moment as he looked toward Sahna... "Hurry mom... please hurry!"
The desperate sound of her son's voice finally shattering her paralysis, Sahna wheeled and ran down the hallway to the supply closet... flinging its door open and swiftly grabbing at the healing supplies, Gabe close behind her. Turning, Sahna shoved what she had into Gabe's arms then gathered the rest as they both spun and ran back to the front room.
Returning upright and stepping back, Remie looked out through eyes not completely his own, watching as the energy dissipated... a deep crimson stain rapidly spreading across the rug beneath Auron's prone body.
Sahna knelt beside Auron as Gabe sank to his knees next to her, shoving Auron's sword out of the way then carefully rolling Auron over onto his stomach... the deep puncture left by the dagger gaping open against the blood smeared surface of his skin.
"Aw man." Gabe moaned, bringing a hand to the back of his head in shocked despair.
Acting with the calm efficiency of a healer, her fear forgotten, Sahna quickly applied the strongest potion she had, then ripped into the sealed package of gauze next to her and pressed it over the wound. "Hold this Gabe, your hands are strong enough... we must stop the bleeding."
Gabe did as she instructed, pressing his large palm over the wound as Sahna prepared more gauze and potions. When the compress became soaked through, she tapped on the back of Gabe's hand, applying another series of elixirs and sterile cloth... exhaling in relief as the profuse flow of blood finally slowed then stopped.
"Is he going to make it?" Gabe asked then, turning his head to look emploringly at his wife.
"I don't know... he's lost an awful lot of blood." Sahna replied in a choked voice, meeting Gabe's eyes for a moment then turning to look at her son, her face pale and drawn.
************
Remie swam in a sea of confusion, peering ahead into the thick, swirling mist that surrounded him. Where am I? He wondered, afraid to move, not knowing what lay beyond his limited sight. Then vague shapes of varying size began emerging toward him out of the pearly dimness, no features discernable on the gathering of ethereal forms that floated just beyond the curtain of ectoplasmic snow.
"Who are you?" Remie cried out in alarm, readying himself to fight as he leaned back in a battle stance.
Several of the shapes came forward, a sense of calm suddenly washing over Remie's shredded nerves as they drew nearer... these beings meant him no harm, the thought clearly penetrating through his frightened awareness as they began to speak...
"We are The Fayth. We are That Which Dreams."
"The source of your power lies here, with us."
"I don't understand! Where did you come from? Why are you here?" Remie asked in a quaking voice.
"You have summoned us, and we have answered. This man you hold so close to your heart must continue... his destiny must be fulfilled. Your love for him has saved him, and thus has saved us all. Rest now, Remie... be at peace."
************
Sahna watched as the light surrounding Remie did not fade but collapsed in on itself in a silent rush, the faint odor of something almost like ozone lingering in the air for a moment, then gone.
Teetering unsteadily on his feet, Remie's eyes suddenly rolled back in his head, exposing the whites as he sank to the floor without a sound.
The chilling echo of Sahna's reaction reverberated in the air, as she finally released the captive scream from her throat.
************
Auron struggled toward consciousness, a cloud of pyreflies swarming across his inner vision. Not yet damnit... you can't have me yet, he thought, swiping angrily at the glowing tendrils that threatened to take him from his purpose.
I shall remain... for the children... for their fathers... for the fallen! He raged against the light, raising a fisted arm above his head... his steely will defying the natural laws of existence as the unconquerable soul that resided within his body fought its way back from the yawning precipice of eternity.
The murmur of voices came to him then, distorted as if speaking from deep underwater...
"Are you certain?"
"It's the only way. If he keeps thrashing around like this it will re-open the wound, then we'll lose him for sure... hold him still, Gabe."
Auron dimly felt the strong hands that clamped his arms to his sides, the weight of a large torso pinning him down, then the brief sting of a needle being slid under the skin of his forearm.
No... I must fight! Auron's mind cried out, as the sedative raced through his veins and drew him swiftly into darkness.
************
"You look terrible." A softly teasing voice said from behind him, a hand coming to his shoulder.
"Try wandering around unsent for nine years and see how good you'd look." Auron replied in irritation, turning stiffly to gaze upon his elaborately-robed friend.
Braska responded with a gentle smile, unaffected by Auron's gruffness.
Auron's jawline bulged as he clenched his teeth, desperately trying to control the emotions that tore through him at the sight of the summoner. But the presence of the man stripped Auron's resistance from him as his shoulders sagged, a thready sigh passing his lips as he asked in a yearning whisper... "Have I come home?"
Braska's expressive eyes softened in compassion, a glimmering shroud of tears pooling across their surface as he reached out and layed his hand across Auron's arm. "No my friend... not yet. I know how weary you are, but you must abide for a while longer... hold on..."
The vision of Braska suddenly wavered and faded... Auron reaching out, his hand closing on the empty space before him as a new but familiar voice rang sharply in his mind...
"I'm hanging in there Auron... you have to do the same damnit... we've both come too far for you to give up now. You can't leave me here in this monstrous shell, you can't leave Tidus. You promised me damn you... now get your shit together!
************
"You think he's up to this? It's only been three days." Gabe asked in concern, staring at Remie's back as he went through the doorway of Auron's apartment.
Sahna swept a hand back through her silvery hair and sighed. "He doesn't seem to remember anything about getting Auron home, which is probably for the best and physically he's fine. Besides, I don't think we should stop him from seeing Auron if he really needs to."
************
Remie stood in a thoughtful stillness, his haunted eyes traveling from Auron's unconscious face down to the large bandage wrapped around his torso.
Mom had told him that Auron was going to be okay and she had never lied to him, but he wasn't so sure. There were forces at work that she didn't know about. He couldn't remember most of it and what he did remember he didn't really understand, but some things were different now. Different inside of him... he wasn't the same.
He knew things. Things he hadn't been prepared to know. What it meant to take a life, what it meant to be willing to give your own for another, how much Auron meant to him and to something much bigger than him... that all existence was woven together, part of a larger tapestry that could not be seen, but only felt with the heart.
Kneeling down next to the bed, Remie wearily lowered his head to rest his cheek on the open palm of Auron's still hand... its calloused ridges catching the boy's tears as they gathered and fell from the corner of his eye. "I love you, Auron... please... come back." Remie whispered to the silent room.
