I hope I didn't steal anyone's title here, as this sounds very familiar. My apologies if I did. *bows*
Ah, Final Fantasy. Don't own it. Never will. However, I did just finish it for the second time, and I am an emotional train wreck. Again.
The Final Summoning
Chapter 6: The Shoopuf Incident
"That's not a fiend, Jecht! It's a—"
Jecht's sword flashed through the air as the blitzer drunkenly charged the defenseless shoopuf. Auron and I watched helplessly as the poor creature shrieked in agony, victim to Jecht's surprisingly well-aimed strike.
"—Shoopuf," I finished weakly, pressing my hand to my forehead. "Oh, Yevon. Tell me that didn't just occur."
"It did," Auron responded. "I'll go discuss this with him."
I nodded, and Auron strode toward the dock, the crowd of onlookers parting easily before him. I took a deep breath and walked over to the Hypello, whose mood was understandably elevated. Seeing me, he pointed wildly at the wound, then at Jecht.
"Dish man, he ish your guardian?"
"Yes, he is. I apologize for his actions."
"He hurtsh de shoopuf! It cannot crosh de Moonflow like dish." The Hypello glared ferociously at me. "You heal de shoopuf, I hope!"
I examined the wound, surprised by the damage Jecht had managed to inflict. The injury was both long and deep, and it was located directly over one of the shoopuf's legs. I cast a couple of Cura spells, silently vowing to have a long talk with the man from Zanarkand as soon as possible.
"De shoopuf move again?" the Hypello demanded, his voice shrill with worry.
"Ah…" I stalled. "Well, yes. But not until tomorrow morning."
The Hypello's eyes widened. "But de croshing! With no shoopuf, it ish imposhibibble!"
"We have gil," I offered. "We will compensate you."
Unfortunately, the compensation cost all of our gil, which meant we had no money left for supplies. Feeling a bit downcast, I walked back to the shore, where Jecht and Auron were having a decidedly unfriendly conversation. Jecht was sprawled out on the grass, his arm slung across his eyes, clearly suffering the consequences of his intoxication.
"Hey, man, I thought it was a fiend." Jecht uncovered one eye, saw the movie sphere Auron held in his hands, and groaned. "Get that thing outta my face, will ya?"
Auron's eyes narrowed threateningly. "Braska had to pay the shoopuf handler out of his own traveling money."
"That's it." Jecht rose unsteadily, pointing vaguely in Auron's direction. "From now on I drink nothin' but shoopuf milk!"
"Jecht," I called.
"Yeah, whadda you want?"
"That's on the record."
* * * *
We departed early the next morning, much to the Hypello's relief. The other passengers kept peering at us, then whispering to their neighbors. I smiled back, suddenly realizing what an odd trio the three of us made. A summoner in full temple robes, a red-robed warrior monk with an enormous mug of sake on his belt and a giant sword resting on his shoulder, and a shaggy-haired blitzer with trouser legs of different lengths and a large tattoo on his bare chest. It would be difficult for any normal person not to stare at such a threesome.
That, or they knew about the shoopuf incident.
A burst of laughter escaped me, startling several nearby passengers. My guardians eyed me, wearing identical expressions of confusion. For some reason, this made my thoughts seem even more humorous, and I soon found myself doubled over with laughter. Now people were discreetly scooting away.
"What're you laughin' at?" Jecht asked rather nervously.
"I was just studying the three of us." I leaned against the side of the basket, still smiling goofily. "We're an extensively strange trio."
"Heh." Jecht chuckled. "I s'pose we are. No wonder people are starin'."
"I thought they were simply remembering the shoopuf incident," Auron replied, deadpan.
Jecht blinked at him, stunned into silence. Then he clapped Auron on the shoulder.
"A joke!" he bellowed, wincing as his own exultant shout aggravated his headache. "There's hope for you yet, boy. Hey, Braska."
"Yes?"
"You got somethin' for a headache and motion sickness? I feel like I'm 'bout to lose my lunch, y' know?"
"I do, but I don't intend to use it. I want your memories of your last hangover to be as unpleasant and undesirable as possible, so that you won't be inclined to break your promise."
"I told you he'd say that," Auron reminded him quietly.
"Oh, shut up, ya stiff."
"Hah!" Was it my imagination, or was that a laugh? "Knave."
"Oh, yeah? You'll think knave next time we spar, boy." Jecht smirked triumphantly before turning to me. "So where we off to now, Lord Summerner?"
"Guadosalam, the city of the Guado--Maester Jyscal's people. It's also where the Farplane is located."
Jecht looked confused, which was understandable. "I thought the Farplane was where people get sent when they die, like some kinda afterlife or somethin'."
"It is," I replied with a smile. "It is also linked physically to Guadosalam. That is why the Guado call themselves the guardians of the Farplane."
"And you can actually visit this place?" Jecht's eyes widened, his expression a rather comical mixture of fascination and revulsion. "Like walk right in and see actual dead people?"
"More like visions of them. The pyreflies inside the Farplane react to visitors' thoughts and memories, creating images of their deceased loved ones."
"Sounds like a bunch of supernatural nonsense to me," Jecht muttered, almost to himself. Then he looked right into my eyes and said, "So, who you gonna visit?"
"My wife," I replied simply. "Her name was Kelanna. Sin killed her when Yuna was just a baby. That's why I became a summoner."
"Oh." Jecht scratched the back of his head. "Sorry, man. Didn't know."
"You have nothing to apologize for, my friend."
At that moment, the shoopuf waddled up to the shore, mercifully ending the awkward conversation. Without another word, my guardians and I disembarked and walked up the path toward Guadosalam.
* * * *
Guadosalam was an intriguing place, completely unlike any Spiran or Al Bhed settlement I had ever visited. Located deep in a forest on the edge of the Thunder Plains, its paths wound confusingly over, around, and under great networks of roots. A soft, bluish glow illuminated the city, compensating for the lack of natural light. I shivered, my mind tingling with the magic of the Farplane.
"You been here before?" Jecht asked, interrupting my thoughts.
"Once, but it wasn't to visit the Farplane. After the Guado turned to Yevon, I came to instruct the people in the teachings. I spent almost a month here."
"I'd've thought the maesters would wanna do that themselves."
"No," Auron replied, "their job is to lead. The temple monks are the ones who teach."
"Then what the hell's a warrior monk?"
"A temple monk trained with weapons. Oh, look!" I pointed my staff up a nearby trail. "The Farplane awaits."
Rather nervously, we approached the entrance to the Farplane. A long staircase led into what seemed to be a swirling, glowing mist. Auron looked at the mist, harumphed quietly, and leaned against the railing, taking a long pull from his sake jug. Jecht charged up the stairs and skidded to a stop, poking at the mist with his hand.
"I'm not so sure I wanna go in there."
"Are you afraid?" Auron taunted him.
"What? No! I ain't afraid of nothin'!" Jecht spun to face the swordsman, his arms folded over his chest. "I'm not the one hidin' out on the stairs, either."
"I have no one I wish to see. I'm simply waiting for you and Lord Braska."
Taking my cue, I walked the rest of the way up the stairs, motioning Jecht to follow. We stepped through the mist…
…and into the most bizarre landscape I had seen yet. The rocky plateau we stood upon hovered over a canyon so large, it seemed the whole of Spira could fit inside. A great river poured through the canyon, branching off into smaller rivers and streams. The river itself was fed by a huge roaring waterfall, almost intoxicating in its beauty. At the end of the river lay a vast ocean, glowing under the light of a full moon.
For a moment, I wondered what would happen if someone fell off the plateau and into that river. Death, probably, but would the sending still be necessary? Was this magnificent scene even real, or was it an illusion, created by the pyreflies to calm the Farplane's visitors?
I blinked rapidly and stared at a cluster of pyreflies, trying to clear the strange thoughts and remember my purpose here. As I focused on the one I had come to visit, a ghostly image appeared before me: a slender woman with deeply tanned skin, sun-bleached hair, and the faint grin that never left her face. Her spiraled green eyes gazed lovingly into mine, just as they had the day she left.
"Now, I'm only going to be gone a week. Do you think you can handle the house and little Yunie for one teeny-tiny week, so tayn?"
"Absolutely!" After all, I reasoned, I was a grown man, while our daughter was barely eighteen months old. For added assurance, however, I put on a devilish grin and added, "And if I can't, I'll make Auron help."
Kelanna laughed, a sound so beautiful and infectious that Yuna began to giggle too. Still smiling, my wife placed a gentle kiss on our daughter's cheek, and a big mushy one on my lips.
"See you soon!" she chirped, stepping onto the machina-powered Al Bhed boat. As the boat sped away, I could still hear her voice shout, "E muja oui!"
Her last words.
I opened my eyes. Kelanna's image remained, the same cheerful expression in her eyes…she was exactly as I remembered her. Without thinking about it, I reached up to touch the illusion's face. My hand met cold, empty air, but still I whispered the words.
"I love you, too."
Heh. A dose of comedy, followed by a large glass of sadness. Sorry 'bout that.
That last scene ties into my next planned work, which will be a prequel to this story. No title yet, but if you stick around you'll find out soon enough. ^_^
Thanks to the Chapter 5 reviewers: Sakura, Noacat, crystaleyes, and The Angel of the Lion.
Al Bhed translations:
So tayn—my dear
E muja oui—I love you
