This is most likely the longest chapter that I've ever done. This is also the main reason why the fic went up from G to PG. ^_~
Sophia as Lifia speaks
Chapter Nineteen: Humanity
My entire body was tense, waiting for the arrival of my hired assassin. He'll come, Guardian said with confidence, restoring a bit of it within myself. He'll come and we'll give him the fight of his life! Now's the time for you to start remembering, Destiny. This is the day that you've been waiting for. I nodded, but kept silent. I balled my hands into fists and gritted my teeth. Tension, adrenaline, fear, and confusion were mounting themselves high inside of my mind. I irritably flicked a strand of my blonde hair behind my shoulders and found myself pulling my hair down from where Sanya and Ruka had fixed it. Guardian cursed profusely inside of me. This dress is going to make things incredibly difficult. It'll be hard for you to move around in it.
If I summon you we shouldn't have much of a problem, right? I asked hopefully. I wasn't looking forward to fighting Ryuu. He was a professional Crusader and I was just a blonde girl in a dress. I had no weapons except my fists and feet that I could readily use.
Guardian's confident voice came to me once again. You'll have no problems, trust me. If it's up to me you won't be fighting empty handed, either. Oh, no no.. He sounded very sly. I'll supply you with everything you-
Footsteps echoed through the docks, getting increasingly louder as the person in question neared. If you have anything for me, now would be the time, Guardian! I pleaded, turning around abruptly. I could feel the fear building up inside of me.
No! That's not Ryuu, Guardian said. You would hear he and the tiger talking if it were him. He's incredibly cocky and arrogant, you know that. The tiger is the same way.
Then who? I asked, confused. Could it be Ruka? We left in quite an awkward situation.
Footsteps are too heavy. It's a man, Guardian grunted. I listened closely. The footsteps did sound a bit too heavy to be Ruka's.
The man who rounded the corner evaporated all of my fears. "Oryon!" I exclaimed joyously. He nodded solemnly and strode to my side at the edge of the dock. His chocolate eyes trailed down into the waters below.
"Quite a scene you made," he said, sending me a sharp glare. I bowed my head in shame for both Guardian and me. "Don't worry about it. That man's enough to send anyone over the deep end. I'm lucky that I've held out as long as I have." He smiled reassuringly.
I smiled back, but turned my eyes down to the gently rolling sea. "I'm scared," I muttered. I looked at him plaintively. "I've never fought before. I'm seriously freaked out now!" I shook a little bit as I sat down on the dock watching my reflection. Everything seemed wrong. Everything seemed twisted, mutilated, and foreign.
Calm down, Destiny, Guardian said soothingly. You're not afraid of the fight. You know that you aren't.
"Then what am I afraid of?" I cried aloud. Oryon didn't flinch, even though I was taken aback by my sudden outburst. Oryon simply continued staring at the waters. He seemed to be concentrating, almost like when Guardian and I spoke.
Guardian was silent for a moment, lost in his own little world. He seemed to be thinking of something deeply. That's it! he exclaimed, his voice full of triumph and a bit of amusement. How could I have missed it?
I was startled. What?
He laughed. Do you remember one of the first dreams you had? A dream of a lion, a phoenix, and Bahamut? Well, it seems that the Lion and Phoenix are still on our side! I knew who they were from the beginning, but I had never imagined that they would come here! We now have an extreme advantage over Ryuu!
I blinked, and then, staring at Oryon, came to a realization. Oryon! He's the Lion! It makes sense, I suppose! But.. you knew the Lion and the Phoenix?
Guardian sent me a smug grin. I knew the Lion much longer than I did the Phoenix, but yes, I knew them. The Lion was a close friend of mine. I suppose he's still following the promise that he made to my father.
Your father? That must have been so long ago.. I said, then realized that I was being a bit rude by reminding Guardian of his age. He didn't seem daunted by the remark.
Not really. Twenty something years ago, I believe. The time when I came out of my long sleep for the first time in one thousand years, he said.
Oh, I said, standing up quietly. Footsteps had begun to sound again. Low, hushed voices whispered maliciously and I knew that they were plotting my demise. Oryon took a step forward and drew the sword he'd strapped across his shoulders as Ryuu rounded the corner alone.
"Well, isn't this a pleasant surprise," Ryuu said, rubbing where I'd punched him sorrowfully. "You may step down, Oryon, I want to speak to Destiny alone."
Oryon scowled. "Haven't you caused enough trouble tonight?" he asked, disregarding Ryuu's rank completely.
Ryuu's voice changed into a hiss. "Step down, Oryon, or I shall force you!"
Oryon leaned on his sword impassively. "Oh? How will you do that?" He asked, smiling like a mischievous child.
Ryuu let out a roar and took one step back. He then stopped and smiled, his hawk-like eyes glinting dangerously. "It seems that you have the advantage," he began, spreading his empty hands wide, "for you see that I have no weapon." He looked at Oryon plaintively, as if pleading for his life. "Surely you wouldn't attack an unarmed man, Oryon." Oryon looked a bit doubtful, but stayed immobile. "That's what I thought," Ryuu said, smiling. "Now if you'll just step aside and let me speak to the girl then no harm shall be done."
"Nice try," Oryon said, smirking. "I'm afraid you'll just have to say whatever you must from where you are."
Ryuu growled and lurched forward, but was stopped by Oryon's sword. "What do you care about the girl?" Ryuu asked, looking Oryon straight in the eye. "What business do you have caring about a girl who appeared from the sea?"
Oryon seemed hesitant, but he soon smiled. "I have every business with her, considering that I am Summoner Destiny's guardian!"
"Summoner Destiny's.. guardian?!?" Ryuu asked in outrage, stepping back. "It's hardly proper to call that," and he pointed one shaking finger at me, "a Summoner." He laughed. "She doesn't even know how to control that beast of hers. It simply comes and goes as it pleases."
Guardian's temper was beginning to flare up again. I can't wait to get him in my grip! he raged.
I stood and turned to Ryuu, feeling confident in myself. "What do you want?" I asked, glaring at him in hatred.
"I merely wanted to talk in privacy," Ryuu said, gesturing towards Oryon. "If we're to do so you must-"
"Oryon stays," I said firmly.
Ryuu's left eye twitched in irritation. "He either leaves, or he dies!" he said, his voice becoming deep and booming.
He'll attack! Guardian shouted. I took a step back.
"No!" I cried, but my cry was lost as a deep rumble erupted from a small shadow forming on the ground. The shadow began to take shape, looking more and more like the Tiger that I knew from my dreams and my nightmares. The electric blue stripes that defined him as a Tiger and not a panther began snaking themselves across his black fur and he opened his two eyes, the same color as the stripes. He flexed his claws and pawed at the ground, smiling at Oryon with his ivory teeth.
"Move out of the way," he commanded, swiping one paw at the air. Oryon didn't move. "Out of the way!" the Tiger raged, coiling into a pouncing position. Oryon smiled, twiddling his sword in a circle and staying silent. "You shall die for your insolence!" the Tiger raged.
He's going to kill Oryon! I said in my mind, running forward in reality. Oryon held his hand out to stop me.
Let him do what he must, Guardian sighed.
The Tiger launched himself into the air. No! Don't let the Tiger attack him, Guardian! I begged. Please do something!
The Tiger's claws raked towards Oryon, his teeth flashing in the moonlight. Oryon remained immobile as the Tiger seemed to come upon him, and then…
The Tiger screamed in pain as something collided with him, sending his gigantic body skidding across the dock and into the waters below. He resurfaced seconds later, gasping for breath and cursing the world. A Lion now paced the spot where he'd been thrown from the dock. Guardian roared triumphantly in my head.
The lion turned to me, looking me over with his one auburn eye. The other was covered with a large battle scar, rendering it useless. What'd I tell ya? Guardian asked.
The lion turned his giant head back to Ryuu and then said, without looking at me, "I believe it's your turn, Destiny."
Are you ready, Guardian? I asked.
Ready as I'll ever be, Guardian said confidently.
All right then, let's go.
The waters below me began to wave choppily, increasing in force with every second. I gasped. I'd never actually seen my summoning being performed. The water seemed to take on a life of it's own. It no longer waved in one direction, but all directions. The Tiger quickly scrambled from the sea, panting and hissing, just as the water began to spin in a whirlpool. He looked at the Lion, who glared back and flexed his claws. The Tiger hissed. "Everyone knows that tigers are the biggest cats of them all," he growled in a challenge.
The Lion smiled and said, "True, but I have more combat experience than you, Seymour."
"Seymour?!?" I gasped, turning away from the churning waters for a second. The story of Yuna's pilgrimage floated through my head. "Seymour Guado?"
The Tiger's eyes flicked to me again, and he bared his teeth in a cruel grin. "Ryuu," he began calmly, "would you be so kind as to dispose of the girl before her beast pulls itself from the water? It would be much easier that way."
Ryuu nodded and ran forward, drawing a hooked knife from beneath his shirt. He smiled and rubbed his bruise. "I'm sorry, Destiny, to have to do this to such an interesting and beautiful girl, but what must be done must be done." He stopped a few feet away from me and pointed the knife at my heart. "We have direct orders for your assassination from a very profound figure by the name of Bahamut. I'm sure that your paths have crossed before. He doesn't much like that 'Guardian' of yours. Some old rivalry between them or something. Nothing against you at all, girl." He reached back his hand and charged. "Goodbye, Destiny!"
Oryon's blade was at his throat in a second, quivering against his exposed flesh. "Move and you die, Ryuu!" he breathed. The sounds of the two fighting aeons were heard in the background as Oryon stepped calmly to Ryuu's side. The waters had begun to rise, forming an egg shape. Two cerulean eyes blinked from within it, as if waking up from a long sleep. Feathered wings began to stretch from the egg slowly, flapping droplets of water everywhere and creating a small rain. A low grumble echoed through the air as a gigantic body stretched out of the egg. A lazy roar emanated from the aeon as he slowly drifted down to the waters and opened his eyes fully. Steely golden skin shimmered in the moonlight and silver teeth glinted white as the gigantic dragon flapped his wings once more and yawned. Two giant blue ovules looked down upon the scene and all activity stopped. The Lion backed away from the Tiger and smiled up at the dragon, who had reached to his back and pulled a long blue sword from a sheath there. The sword seemed to be made of the sea itself.
The Lion turned to Seymour and Ryuu. "Would you like to have the finishing blow, my friend, Guardian, King of the Seas?" he asked.
Guardian grinned. "Throw me one of them. We can both do this. I know you've been bored waiting all that time."
"Too true," the Lion sighed, stretching. "The man would be too easy for you. I'll let you take care of Seymour."
"Goody," Guardian said, bringing the sword above his head. "It's time you went to the Farplane and stayed there, Guado!" he roared, flying up into the air. The waters seemed to follow him. "Let's do battle for the last time!" His sword flashed as he flew towards Seymour, whose blue eyes widened. The sword was about three times the length of his body, quite enough to cleave him in two.
Guardian let out a pained cry as a black body hurtled into him, sending him crashing down into the docks, narrowly missing us bystanders. I cried out. Hot knives seemed to pull at my flesh. Oryon had let up his grip on the sword in surprise, and it was quickly thrown from his grip by Ryuu, who nodded at the black figure joyfully. "Useful little beast, that Bahamut. Comes in handy in a tight situation," he said. Bahamut was digging his golden claws into Guardian's back, issuing cries of pain from him as he desperately tried to throw the smaller dragon off of himself. Bahamut bit his teeth into Guardian, tearing at his stone-hard flesh with equally hard teeth.
"Guardian!" I cried, running forward a bit. Ryuu's knife was at my throat in a second and as a warning he pressed it against my throat, issuing a little blood. I stopped. Guardian had managed to throw Bahamut off of his back and was now advancing on him, his face a mask of rage and fury, his claws gripped tightly around the blue sword's handle. The sword met Bahamut's shoulder and the black dragon screamed in pain, falling off of the dock and into the waters before launching himself into the air again.
"Come and fight me, Guardian! We will battle to the death!" Bahamut cried, spreading his clawed hands wide in invitation. "If you wish so much to change your past and your future, then attack me, King of the Seas!" He smiled and his eyes flashed dangerously. "Human born and changed into an aeon because you defied the teachings. Changed into a Final Aeon so soon after the death of your love! How you must have longed to avenge her, to defeat Sin for destroying her!"
Guardian hissed and began to rise into the air. "It is because of you she died! You and those phony prophecies and teachings! You enjoyed all of the attention that you got, enjoyed being worshipped as a hero, so you kept your mouth shut about the truth of Sin until the day that I came. You saw me as the proper pawn to end the act forever, or at least until you got bored again and decided to find some other way to make yourself a hero! You brainwashed the minds of every human on Spira with the help of those monks and maesters, you even brainwashed the minds of your fellow aeons!"
Bahamut sneered. "You have stayed too human for too long, Guardian. You must learn to fight like a beast and act as a beast. You are a beast and so are we all!"
"Then why do you grudge the world for your own fate?" Guardian asked, slamming his body into Bahamut's and sending the smaller dragon spiraling down into the waters. "You are a tainted soul and you need to accept your final rest!" Guardian raged, plummeting after him. He grabbed Bahamut by the neck and flew above the sea, squeezing his claws. "You would have let Yuna die as well!"
Ryuu's grip had tightened on me and I was now facing the waters with my hands behind my back and a knife at my throat. The fight between Seymour and the Lion had begun again and it seemed as though both of them were at equal odds. Ryuu threw my head down towards my reflection in the water. "Take a good look, Destiny, because your life ends here!" The knife began to press harder against my throat and I gurgled.
"No!" a voice called. Ryuu's arm lifted above my head and the knife clattered to the ground harmlessly. Sophia walked forward, her fingers spread and her eyes flashing a brilliant red. "No, Ryuu, not today!" Ruka and the still drunk Sanya had followed her and were amazed by what they saw.
"Bahamut?" Ruka gasped, looking towards the skies. "Ryuu?" she looked at the man, who was staring helplessly at his immobile arm. "O-Oryon and Destiny were right!"
Sophia smiled. "That's how the world is, girl. Never trust those too high above you. Power is a parasite that infects the soul," she said, bringing her arm down and sending Ryuu crashing into the dock. He groaned and lay still, unconscious, a small pool of blood forming around his head.
"Ish he dead?" Sanya asked, slurring and wavering a little bit.
"Not yet, girlie," Sophia said, striding forward. "Bahamut," she called, "your assassin has fallen. Back away from the Guardian at once." Seymour raged and lunged at Sophia but was struck back by a bolt of fire. "Stay back, you cursed Guado. You're in much too deep over your head as it is." Seymour drew his paw backwards, but it stopped suddenly in the air and she turned to him. "Must we do this the hard way?"
A fair crowd had begun to grow. It seemed as if the entire city was out, pointing at the battle in the skies and gaping at the woman who could control the Tiger. Yuna stumbled forward, followed by Kimahri, Wakka, Rikku, Lulu, Taira, and Kiro. Guardian's head snapped towards her. "Yuna!" Bahamut took that one second and his dark fist collided with the side of Guardian's face. Guardian spun in the air and roared in pain. His sword fell to the sea. Bahamut was now pummeling with every blow he could manage, raking at his face and his snout with his golden claws, sinking his harsh teeth into his neck and literally trying to tear the larger dragon apart. He had found Guardian's one weakness.
"Someone's gotta help him!" Ruka cried, running forward. Her eyes were filled with tears. My body had begun to shake violently. "He's hurting Destiny too!"
I wasn't hurting, but I fell to the ground anyway, one palm resting on the dock and my other on my knee. I felt as if electricity had begun to build up within me. The group had begun towards me. "No!" Sophia cried. "Let her do it on her own!" I stood again and stumbled backwards. I felt as if some kind of power was possessing me, and I couldn't breathe. I couldn't see or think straight. I saw Sophia run towards me for a second and then felt warm wings cover me. Accept the power. You have the ability to help Guardian fight this battle. Accept your strength! My body quivered and I stumbled forward once again. Let the power go! Let it go towards that black nightmare! Help Guardian erase him and his plague forever! I felt as if I knew what to do. I pointed at Bahamut and then backed off a small bit. My hands formed a small circle and the electricity began to flow into them, making them flash a brilliant blue. That's it, Destiny! Sophia's voice cried. I felt, rather than saw a brilliant beam flashing towards Bahamut. His eyes widened as it impacted and he was blown away from Guardian, who took the opportunity to launch an attack of his own.
"It's time you went to the Farplane, Bahamut!" Guardian cried, his sword forming in his hands again. He lunged at Bahamut and impaled his sword straight through him. "Goodbye!" Guardian said, pulling the sword back and roaring triumphantly as a disbelieving Bahamut burst into a shower of pyreflies.
The wings closed themselves over me again and I watched as Guardian, with one last look at Yuna, shimmered and faded. He smiled encouragingly and I felt him nestle into my mind again. You have earned your reward, Sophia said, both to Guardian and me. Will you take them all, or do you wish to go alone?
I hate being alone, Guardian mumbled softly, seeming to fall into a deep sleep.
Then rest. You shall not be alone. Rest, Guardian, Destiny, you have come so far along the path to recovery. Rest now. Sophia's soothing tone lulled us both into a trance and I fell to the ground, catching a glimpse of a fiery bird before my eyes fluttered shut. You shall never be alone again.
What about Seymour and Ryuu? my mind wondered sleepily.
They will be dealt with. Worry only about yourself. Sleep now.
And so we did.
~*~*~ End Part One ~*~*~
Eeehe. ^_^ I liked writing this chapter. It was long but exciting. I hope you enjoyed Part One, now to begin Part Two.
Oh, and there won't be a Part Three. Just Part Two, which will consist of as many chapters as it takes to finish this and an Epilogue.
I hope you enjoyed this!