Bold print means that Guardian is speaking in Destiny's mind.
Italics mean that Destiny is either thinking or responding to Guardian.
This Chapter: Guardian and Destiny finally speak. Destiny begins to learn a bit about herself, though not much.
Next Chapter: To Zanarkand we go! The chapter is entitled: 'On the Road Again'. Zanarkand is an important mark in this story, a certain event happening there will mark the halfway point.
Chapter Sixteen: The Dragon Speaks
My head nodded down a bit as the group of us sat around two tables at the Inn awaiting our breakfast. We (Sanya, Ruka, Oryon, Nathan, Sophia, and I) had found Wakka and the rest of the adults shortly after the incident with Ruka and Oryon. Ruka was still upset with Oryon, she refused to speak to him unless she had to, and when she did she spoke in a sort of monotone. Oryon had tried to get her to speak for a while, but had given up after about two hours in his impatience and was now avoiding her. His head was in his arms and he appeared to be sleeping. Sanya giggled and poked him on the head. He grumbled something and didn't move. She chuckled again. I marveled at her amazing ability to be so aware in the morning. I was extremely tired and slightly disgruntled after the strange dream I'd had that night.
Sanya looked around and formed an exasperated look on her face. "Aww, come on people! Wake up! It's a nice day, ya?"
Sophia glared at her angrily. "Shut up and mind your own business, girlie, I don't need to hear your mouth this early in the morning!"
Nathan shot a warning glance at Sophia and purposely put his arm around Sanya to keep her from attacking the crimson eyes woman. Sanya gnashed her teeth and buried her head in Nathan's shoulder. "I hate her!" she whispered. "Get rid of her, she's not coming with us!"
Nathan sighed and whispered back, "She's coming, whether you like it or not. She lives in Zanarkand too, and I know exactly what my mother will say as soon as I ask her whether or not we can go home with you guys instead of waiting for the 'Narcissus' to return from the cruise to Bevelle." He pulled a face and imitated his mother, raising his voice a few notches higher. "Oh, Nathaniel, that would be splendid! Sophia's family can come along with us too! You'll have such a nice time, and you can take that little girlfriend of yours to the beach and such. I'm sure Sophie will be so happy to go along with you, oh yes."
Sanya giggled and hugged Nathan around the waist. "Your mom's sorta strange, ya?"
Nathan snorted. "Every mom's sorta strange."
Rikku, who sat in between Lulu and Yuna, raised her emerald eyes to Nathan. "Hey! We heard that!"
Yuna laughed softly. "Not all of us. I'm not a mother yet."
Lulu smiled. "Be glad. You don't have to put up with them." She indicated Ruka and Sanya, who made a small 'huff' sound and stuck her tongue out at her mother.
Kimahri shook his head. "Children.. not listen, make mess, eat, sleep, yell, scream, beg.. difficult to handle at young age, get better as grow. Still not listen, though, even when Kimahri yell at."
Yuna frowned. "You had problems with Taira and Kiro? They seemed very well-behaved when they were younger."
Kimahri smiled and joked, "Not talk about Taira and Kiro. Talk about Yuna. Yuna not listen, make mess, make Kimahri clean up. Kimahri glad to have good cubs."
Everyone laughed, excluding the moody Sophia and the sleeping Oryon, who had begun to snore lightly. Sanya poked him again, harder this time, and managed a gruff grunt, but he was out.
The waitresses approached, holding trays of various victuals and calling out the various orders before placing a plate in front of each of us as we responded. I sighed as mine was placed in front of me. I was beginning to feel sort of light-headed, but I shook it off, determined to stay strong.
Stay strong and we'll both make it through this, came a strong, sure voice in my head. I jumped.
Sanya looked at me quizzically. "Somethin' wrong?"
I shook my head, but concentrated on a single thought in my mind, hoping to respond to the voice. Who are you?
You remember the dream, right? I am the 'abomination' of Spira, Guardian, the Dream Keeper, otherwise known as the Golden Dragon, and Guardian, King of the Seas. All of the names fit, I suppose.
I ate, trying to keep up a non-suspicious front.
What are you doing in my head?
The dragon seemed startled. Do you want me to leave?
No! I didn't mean that! I just wanted to know why you're here with me.
The dragon laughed in my head. He had a friendly voice, he certainly didn't seem like an abomination. I AM you, well, in a way. You're a human side of me, and I'm a beast side of you. We're inseparable.
Something clicked in my mind. Then you know about my past! You can tell me everything! All of this time I've been wandering around like a headless chicken and I've had the answers in my own head the whole time! I was slightly angry that he'd never spoken up before.
He chuckled, and I received a picture of him, grinning widely at me. Yes, I know everything about you.
Then tell me! I have so many questions. Who're my parents? Where do I come from? Is Destiny even my real name? I spoke excitedly, my soul craving the answers to my questions.
Ruka stared at me, noticing that I'd stopped and sort of froze with the fork still in my mouth. I quickly swallowed what I'd been eating and continued the charade. Keeping my focus on both the Dragon and the rest of the world was hard.
I can't answer your questions. Not now, it's too early. You might be afraid if you knew. The mirth left Guardian's voice temporarily, and my heart dropped like a stone.
Why? Why is it that I don't have the right to know who I am? I asked plaintively, hoping that the beast was joking with me. I wanted to know, I didn't care what he told me. It would be incredibly relieving just to have a small bit of knowledge about my past. I'm tired of walking around in a daze!
Guardian's voice lowered a bit. Soon you'll know, but when you do you'll see why I'm hiding the information from you at the moment. If you were to tell anyone in this world who you truly were, they'd think you crazy!
But why? It's already as if everyone else knows me more than I do.
Perhaps, Guardian began, and I received a vision of two great blue eyes, the same color as mine, staring at me as if in deep thought. Perhaps it's because they do.
I frowned. Why do you all have to talk to me with cryptic explanations? I would be EXTREMELY happy if someone would give me a straight answer for once!
Guardian laughed, booming his laughter in my head, and I took care to keep myself focused on the world at the same time. My head began to ring with the sound of his voice.
What's so funny? I demanded, beginning to get angry.
His laughs died, and I heard his heavy breaths, which echoed mine. Cryptic answers are straight answers that travel slower than normal. It's like a race between a shoopuf and a chocobo. The chocobo is obviously going to get to its destination faster, but by the time it does it'll be tired and ready for a rest. The shoopuf will take longer, but will be ready to go much faster, and it can carry heavier burdens. In short, the answers that don't come to you all at once will help you more when you decipher them, and will most likely last in your mind for a lifetime.
When he realized that I didn't know what a shoopuf and a chocobo were, he flashed a picture of them standing side by side. I took the shoopuf to be the larger creature, with legs like tree trunks and bluish skin. The chocobo was a smaller yellow bird with large eyes and a long neck.
Do you know what Oryon meant, then, when he said that life was like a chain of people? He said that when one chain breaks the link another takes its place, and that I was one of the replacement chains. What did he mean? I asked.
He meant, Guardian began, that you're more than you appear to be. You're here to take the place of a person who left the link wide open. It took twenty years to mend the gap, and I intend to keep it filled. Destiny, girl of mystery, you're going to lead Spira into the presence it could've had!
~*~*~
Yes, I know it was short. ^_^; Sorry, but this was something that had to be done. I couldn't keep Guardian anonymous forever, and it's only natural that he should speak up after that dream that Destiny had!