Disclaimer: All belongs to Sqaresoft. Tida, Chappu, Aeon of Light, etc., are mine.
Final Fantasy X: Journey
"Chappu! Zeo!"
Chappu stopped next to her, Zeoron taking up position on her other side.
"We fight together, or not at all!" Zeoron said, her eyes slowly beginning to glow as she embraced her Black Mage power. She concentrated her energy to her hand, three circles of lightning swirling and spiraling around her wrist and hand.
"We swore we would protect you, and the fayth willing, we sure as hell will," Chappu growled; pulling the Spirit Keeper from behind him, blue eyes scorching with fire.
"I thought you were dead!"
"The fayth called us to them," Zeoron said, her eyes moving from Seymour to Tida. Chappu's gaze, too, shifted to the smaller blond between them.
"Tida…" Chappu's eyes flashed, and suddenly Tida knew, knew what she had thought was reality—but Chappu didn't know the other part.
"We call to the Aeon of Light!"
Tida stepped forward, Chappu and Zeoron flanking her as the others looked on in shock. Tida spun Nirvana in her hands, whirling the staff before halting abruptly.
"Let the battle begin!" Tida's voice was both sharp and clear.
At once, blue and white lightning shot across the blackened sky and a flow of heavenly radiance descended down, completely engulfing the trio of warriors. Seymour howled with anger and flung whatever magic he grasped at the light but to no avail.
"I call forth the Aeon of Light! Please, hear and come help us to fight!" Tida swung Nirvana around her head in a wide graceful arc. She twirled it in her hands, white flames shooting out of both ends. She spun it once more and then waved it from left to right, holding her right arm straight out to the side. A strand of hair blew in front of her eyes and her lips parted slightly.
Something bright, something powerful landed behind her. Tida spun around and everyone received his or her first look at the holy Aeon of Light.
Everyone stared in disbelief but Tidus was the first—and only—to string his thoughts together.
"Auron?!" Tidus stared, shocking beyond anything—including rational thought.
The crimson-clad Guardian only smiled, half-smirked, and swung the dark-steel, forked Masamune over one shoulder nonchalantly. He raised his head and stood fully, and impressively, back at them.
"Surprised?" Auron's deep voice carried around the wide floating platform. He took a step forward and Tida suddenly realized exactly why she had felt so powerful after Lady Yunalesca had given her the Aeon of Light—and why Auron had come.
Auron was the Aeon of Light. And he had come because he had been given to her to save Spira. This was it. This was the end.
"Everyone," Tida's voice was loud and clear, "this is it!"
The battle began.
Auron surged forward, and, with a loud, roar brought Masamune down to slice cleanly down Seymour's right arm. Seymour howled with pain and grabbed his right arm with his left hand, wincing as blood gushed like a river, splattering the white tile beneath him.
"I will not fail!" Auron growled, preparing to swing again.
Seymour managed to side step and Chappu appeared out of nowhere, wielding the Spirit Keeper beyond words. He slashed at Seymour and caught him in the thigh. Seymour yelped and flung out a hand, sending both Auron and Chappu flying backwards to bounce off invisible walls.
"No!" Tida cried. Seymour's dark eyes glittered with malice and Tida looked back around just in time to see him raise his hand to her. Her eyes widened.
Zeoron dove, taking the full blast of Seymour's dark power with her own body. Zeoron screamed as her body convulsed in pain and she fell, limp, to the floor, her dark hair sprawled around her now peaceful face.
"ZEO!" Tida shrieked, crouching over her friend. She was relieved to find her still alive. Eyes flashing, she whirled around to stand, facing Seymour.
Out of the corner of her eye, she could make out her parents, aunts and uncle fighting off fiends. She clutched Nirvana tightly in both hands.
It wasn't over yet.
—
Chappu groaned aloud as her was once again flung back by psycho-Seymour. He panted for breath and pushed himself up as best he could. He was sporting many cuts and bruises but nothing he'd never dealt with before.
Auron had not a mark on him. Chappu supposed it had to do with being the Aeon of Light and all that. But it was clear that Auron was growing tired.
Seymour had all the power of Shadow backing him. All they had were two men with swords and a Summoner they were trying to protect.
Chappu suddenly moved into motion. He dove in front of a kneeling praying Tida and used the Spirit Keeper to deflect a ball of evil from hitting her.
Tida's eyes opened and she gasped. Beads of sweat were evident on her forehead and the tips of her hair were a darker blond, obviously wet from perspiration.
"I've been asking the fayth for guidance; for help. But I can't get through to them anymore. Seymour's set up some kind of block and I can't break it!" Tida wailed. She cast a look at the others, relieved to find them still alive but still fighting the never-ending onslaught of fiends.
Chappu brushed her cheek. "Hey—don't give up yet." He smiled and Tida nodded, if slowly. She stood up alongside of him, scooping up Nirvana.
Blood was splattered everywhere as the sounds of fierce battle raged on. Swords slashing, guns blazing, fire and lightning singing, the whirl of World Champion shrieking…
A tear fell from Tida's eye and weaved its snakelike trail down her cheek. "How much more could we possibly take? Is this how this was supposed to happen?"
Chappu shook his head and sprang forward again, not willing to give up—not willing to lose this fight and let Tida die at Seymour's hands. His life didn't matter anymore, only Tida's.
Auron fell back for a spell while Chappu took the point, ducking Seymour's power balls and deflecting Seymour's staff with his sword. He let out a loud battle cry and swung with all his might, slicing Seymour's arm from his body.
"It's over!" Chappu growled, holding the Spirit Keeper steadily in front of him.
Seymour laughed. "Is it now?"
His arm reappeared, and, miserably, good as new. Chappu gaped for a moment before he hissed in frustration. Auron stepped up to his side.
"We still have a long way to go. Rest; I will take him for the moment."
Chappu lowered the Spirit Keeper and leapt back, silently agreeing to the rest Auron had told him to take. He watched with heated eyes as Auron swung with Masamune, still trying to find a weakening in Seymour's defenses.
—
Yuna cried out as Tidus took a blow to the side of the head. He stumbled backwards but somehow found the strength to swing around with Caladbolg, killing the fiend in one decisive blow.
"Yuna! Behind you!" Rikku shouted and Lulu quickly cast Fira at the ice fiend that had come up behind her. Yuna nodded her thanks to Lulu and cast her guns aside, taking up a dagger in her right hand. Concentrating, she began working on calling on her White Magic to heal her ailing comrades.
World Champion whizzed by her head to take out a flying Eye as it swooped in for an attack. Wakka leapt into the air and caught it on the rebound.
Yuna cast Curaga on everyone and silently wished she were still able to cast Auto-Life on the party—but most of all she wished she could still summon. An aeon would have easily taken care of these—these fiends!
Yuna clenched both fists and jerked. Fire engulfed her heart and power filled her entire being. She shut her eyes tightly and then in a flash her eyes opened and her first staff shone in her hands.
"Valefor, come!" she commanded and twirled the staff once, bringing the end down to crack the floor.
"YUNA!"
The flying aeon flew in from the skies with a loud shriek and took out three flying fiends that had flown upward to meet him. He cried again and landed, wings flapping strongly.
"Fight on!" Yuna crowed, swinging her staff joyously as she brought it around to knock a fiend out of her way. She ran in front of Valefor and he cast a large blast of Firaga around the group.
"Nice one, Yuna!" Tidus called, slicing another fiend. He grinned broadly at his love before disappearing into the heart of the battle.
"It isn't over yet! Fight harder!" Yuna shouted, defending herself from another fiend's attack.
—
Tida clutched Nirvana tightly, her eyes dark with concentration. She inhaled deeply and then let it all out as she took a step forward, and another.
"Seymour!" she yelled.
Everything seemed to stop and all grew silent, all eyes on the young Summoner.
"I will not let you have Spira! It ends—"—Tida swung Nirvana—"—now!"
Tida brought Nirvana waving down with a loud roaring rush of wind. Blood pounded in her ears as a surge of light shot straight at Seymour.
Goodbye…
CRACK!
The light shattered as Seymour held up a hand. Shards fell to the tiled floor and vanished—Nirvana broke—everyone gasped, and—
Tida fell to her knees, life beginning to leave her body.