Chapter Seventeen

Everyone named for someone dead


The group paused at the beginning of the Thunder Plains, Macalania entrance, and began changing their equipment to best suit their environment. Aurie glanced at Auron, leaning on his sword and waiting impatiently, as she drew a rather nice yellow bracer from her bag. She turned over in her hands a couple of times before offering it to Auron.

"Here. You should probably put it on, unless you have better." she suggested.

"Where did you get this?" he asked, taking it from her.

"You and Tidus both left some stuff behind. Our parents gave us a few pieces of equipment and stuff as heirlooms. I wear it sometimes. It helps with the Blitzer's Elbow."

"If it is an heirloom ..." Auron began to say, holding the bracer out to her.

"No, it's yours, and you might need it."

Auron removed the diamond bracer from his arm and replaced it with the yellow one. He pressed the one he had been wearing into her hands.

"This is yours then, until I can return this one to you." he told her.

Aurie held it in her hands for a moment, surprised at the weight of the bracer and keenly aware of its worth both as armor and a material possession. Then she snapped it into place.

"Wait 'til Tida gets a load of this!" she said with a giggle, holding her arm out and looking at the bracer.

"Doesn't she have a bracer too?" chuckled Auron.

"Um, no, she has one of Tidus's shields, a recovery one, I think."

"And Tiron?"

She nodded toward him and said, "He's wearing his."

The boy was fastening a bracer on that was obviously too large for his arm.

"I don't recognize it." said Auron.

"Well, we do have a limited amount of lightning gear, brudda." she laughed. "He actually has a couple of bracers, but as far as I know he only brought a well-worn seeker's bracer." Aurie added.

"Do you place much value in these things?" questioned Auron, glancing at the bracer on his own arm.

"Tida does. But she almost never wears it. Sort of sacred to her, ya?"

"And yours?"

"Aw, don't embarrass me!" she giggled, scuffing her foot against the dusty ground. Auron leveled his gaze at her, but said nothing. "Fine. Yeah, I suppose they do mean something to me too." she finally admitted.

"Strange." he commented. "Now let's go."


The fiends of the Thunder Plain were no match for Tidus, Auron, and Jecht, the three of whom handled most of the fighting, despite Tida and Tiron's insistence that they could fight too. Pacce and Aurie were less enthused, especially when they caught their first glimpse of an iron giant. But the encounters were relatively few, a testimony to the days of peace that Spira had been experiencing. It was not long before they reached the Agency.

Auron approached the counter of the deserted, sleepy pit-stop in the plains where an Al-Bhed teenager sat chewing gum and reading a magazine.

"I am looking for someone." he told her.

She looked up from her magazine and sighed, "Do you want a room or maybe some items?"

"No, I am seeking information." he responded.

She pointed toward a dusty blue stand in the corner.

Auron was about to say something loud and caustic when he felt someone tugging at his sleeve.

"Let me try." said Aurie quietly.

"Very well." he agreed.

Aurie leaned across the counter and asked in her friendliest voice and her best Al-Bhed, "Ynah'd oui Keyakku'c luicer?" Aren't you Keyakku's cousin?

The girl beamed and put her magazine aside as she answered, "Oac! Tu oui Ghuf res?" Yes! Do you know him?

"Cina. Oui'na ..." said Aurie, squinting as though trying to remember her name. Sure. You're ...

"Aeku, Cemmo!" Aeku, silly!

"Oayn, ra cyet oui fana luum!" Yeah, he said you were cool!

Aeku giggled and said, "Cina ra tet!" Sure he did!

"Lyh oui ramb ic?" Can you help us?

"Yna oui fedr dryd nita kia?" Are you with that rude guy?

"Gehty ..." Kinda.

Aeku had to think about it, but she finally said, "Okay. What do you need?"

"Have you seen Lady Yuna?" Aurie asked her.

"Sure. She came through about an hour ago, maybe two. Three other people were with her. They looked around and left, heading toward Guadosalam, I think. They bought some stuff, like stuff to prepare for a fight." she explained.

"Thanks. We appreciate it." said Aurie.

Auron made a small, unpleasant sound and headed for the door. Everyone looked pretty grim. There was no way they could beat them to Guadosalam if Yuna had a two-hour head start.

As they started back down the road through the Thunder Plains Auron asked Aurie, "Do you really know her cousin?"

"No, of course not."

"Then how did ...?"

"Come on. Keyakku? It's a pretty common name."

For a moment Auron thought of Rikku's friend who had died when the Guado stormed Home.

"Really?"

"Yeah. But you know what they say. Everyone is named for someone who's dead. It's the final legacy of Sin." shrugged Aurie, understanding his unspoken question.

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A/N: Thanks for reviewing, Rinny Leonhart, Natgoldie, Trixie, bunny, and Evil Neko! It's always great to know that people are enoying the story.
I hope my Al-Bhed is up to par. I thought I should translate it (hence the words in italics).