Ah, I finally got here, after two extra chapters…
_____________________________________________________________________
Darkness Falls
Chapter 15: Descent into Bevelle
Rikku looked down on the great capital city of Spira as the airship hovered on the periphery of the palaces defences. She leant over the huge chains that they would have to slide down, and she turned back to Tidus.
"Was this your bright idea?" she asked him testily.
The young blitzer looked offended. "Can you think of a better one?" he asked.
"Rikku, what's wrong? You seem more… angry… lately…" Lulu commented, also silently wondering how she was going to get down there in her dress.
Rikku shook her head as if to clear it of whatever was making her so ratty. "Sorry, I guess I've just been worried," she told the others.
Tidus crossed his arms and looked around the others. "Are we gonna go or what?" he asked them.
Auron grunted and moved towards the chains. When he walked past Rikku, he whispered you her; "Take care,"
"You too," she quickly replied.
"Are you sure this is safe?" Wakka asked Brother, who was watching from the hanger door. Rikku shouted the same question in Al Bhed, and got a reply.
"Perfectly!" Brother replied cheerfully.
Yeah, like Keyakku's machina craft was safe… Rikku silently thought to herself. She relayed the answer to Wakka.
Wakka still looked sceptical. "I dunno man, sliding down these things, what if we fall off?" he asked nervously. Lulu pointed, and they saw Auron hunched down over one chain, tying something around his foot, and the other end to the chain. Wakka finally gave up and moved towards the chain. Tidus gave a whoop and nearly ran to it.
Rikku watched him and sighed. Why can't I get that excited? she asked herself.
I could have, once… she thought, then approached the chain. She heard Cid's voice over the PA.
"Guys! Ten seconds! Get ready!"
About nine seconds later she heard a resounding thump throughout the hull, and the grappling hooks on the ends of the chains flew towards the temple, embedding themselves in the stonework
Rikku put one foot on the chain, ready to push off the airship. She looked directly at the other end of the chain, at the guards, and, taking a deep breath, moved her other foot off the airship. Gravity instantly took hold, and she slid down the chain towards Bevelle.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Seymour watched with interest as six small dots flew down the long thin wires towards the temple entrance. He had to admit he was surprised that they would do something so forward and daring. If it had been him he would have came in via the city proper, rather than rappel straight into the heavily armed temple. He watched as the guardians fought their way through the assembled masses of Yevon guards. Pathetic fools, he had told them to create some more Evrae's, but the other Maester's had vetoed the proposal, saying it would be too expensive to sustain more than two of the beasts. He sighed in exasperation as one after the other all his troops were defeated. He heard a chuckle behind him and turned to see Yuna staring at him, an expression of humour on her face.
"You're in trouble now," she said, grinning out of character.
Seymour frowned at her and made his choice. He grasped her hand and virtually dragged her towards the alter where Mika was waiting patiently with an I-could-wait-here-all-day look on his face.
"Having trouble with your wedding guests Maester?" he asked him.
"Quiet and do the ceremony," Seymour replied shortly.
Mika sighed and was about to begin the chant when he heard the shout behind him.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tidus and the other stared at Seymour with hatred in their eyes as he stood at the top of the walkway looking down on them, holding Yuna by the arm.
"Let her go!" Tidus shouted.
"Or?" Seymour asked him.
"We'll kick your ass!" he replied.
Seymour snapped his finger and Rikku heard footsteps behind her. She turned to see yet more faceless and identical Yevon guards running up the steps towards them. Then she realised that there was no more walkway, and the only way out was through the soldiers.
"Uh, guys…" she said quietly.
Seymour heard her voice and turned his attention to her. "Rikku!" he said softly. "How nice to see you again."
"That is not going to work anymore Seymour," she said, voice as cold as ice. "I know what you tried to do."
"Rikku, you have to understand…" Seymour said.
"No, she doesn't." Auron said, stepping forward.
Seymour looked at Auron. "Do you presume to think you understand her like I do? I know…"
"I know her well enough," Auron said, stepping in front of Rikku.
"Then you know that she is…" Seymour began, only for Auron to quickly cut him off.
"I know it," he said.
Seymour smiled at her. "I am disappointed Rikku, I thought you…"
The others watched the three-way confrontation in confusion. "What?" Tidus asked Lulu, who shrugged.
"Stop!" a voice shouted from behind Seymour. He wheeled, to see Yuna stood on the edge of the platform, ankles hanging in space. Seymour looked at her and sighed in exasperation.
"All right, where are you going with this?" he asked Yuna.
She looked at with resolve in her eyes. "Let my people… I mean friends… go, or I jump," she said, and took another small step into the air.
She was barely keeping her balances, Tidus saw. "Yuna!" he shouted, approaching her, only to be stopped by an armed guard.
"This is foolish. If you fall, you'll die," Seymour said slowly. In reply, Yuna took another step backwards. Seymour sighed again and waved to the guards. They lowered their weapons, and the guardians slowly edged away from the scene before them, albeit hesitantly.
Yuna looked at them. "Don't worry, I can fly," she mouthed to Tidus. "Believe," she said out loud, and fell backwards off the ledge.
"Yuna!" Tidus shouted, and was only stopped from running up to the ledge by Auron's restraining hand.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Seymour watched as Yuna fell.
Pity. I needed… wait!
He watched as four balls of light flew upwards to the sky, and then a sleek shape fly down from the heavens and catch Yuna in its wings.
Valefor! Seymour thought, recognising the Aeon. Damn! He watched as the Aeon flew away, Yuna riding it. He sighed and waved to the guard closest to him. The guard approached hesitantly.
"Sir?" he asked.
"Kill the guardians, I have no more use for them," he said.
The guard nodded and was about to turn back towards when a voice sounded out through the air.
"Cover your eyes!"
Seymour heard something make a tinkling noise near his feet, and watched as a small object rolled next to him. He barely had time to cover his eyes as the flashbomb exploded, engulfing the area in light and sound. "Don't let them get away!" he shouted, pointing at the fleeing guardians. As the guards gave chase, Seymour blinked and tried to clear his eyes. He reached behind him and removed his wand from his cloak. Aiming in the general direction of the other guardians, Seymour cast the strongest Demi spell he could, and watched.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To the fleeing Rikku, the effect was as if someone had reached into her chest and tried to physically remove her heart. She gasped and stumbled as the shard of metal in her heart was wrenched backwards in the direction that the gravity spell had been cast. She fell other knees and put her hands on her chest, as if by covering the area she could make it stop. She saw the others running, and tried to call to Auron, but all that came out was a feeble "help…" When the next spasm came she fell over and rolled onto her back, staring at the sky as the metal dagger near her heart wriggled around in her vitals. She closed her eyes and bit her lower lip, drawing blood. She felt something tear, and distantly felt blood wash over her hands. She opened her eyes and saw a shadow cast across her. She saw a Yevon guard look down on her, his feet on either side of her body, and raise his rifle to her forehead. She looked him straight in the face, waiting for the final bullet, but instead he merely reversed the rifle and hit her with it, the pain fading as she lost consciousness.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Seymour saw the guard club Rikku unconscious, and then raise his rifle in both hands like an axe, ready to deliver the killing blow. He quickly raised his wand again and a jet of fire scorched through the air towards him, knocking the rifle out of his hands. The guard turned in anger to find out who had stopped him finishing off his victim, but stopped when he saw Seymour staring at him dangerously. He quickly made the prayer of Yevon and backed away to pursue the other escapees.
Seymour walked up to Rikku's bent and broken form and looked down at her. Strange how people looked so peaceful after being brutally attacked. He brushed a few bloody hairs from her face and called to two more guards.
They approached him slowly. "Sir?" one asked.
"Carry this girl to the infirmary, fix her up, then take her to Room 101. Make the Doctor wait for me there," he said. He did not have to tell them which doctor it was. Certain rooms carried their own reputations, and Room 101 was such a place.
"What about the blood sir?" one asked.
Seymour looked down at the pool of dark red liquid. "Leave it," he said, and walked away. One of the soldiers picked up the unconscious Rikku and carried her away, and the other looked at the pool of claret that remained behind, but did not comment. The last soldier, who had clubbed Rikku, stayed behind to see no-one remained to threaten the Maester. He heard a whistling noise behind him and was about to turn around, but something hit him on the head, and he heard no more.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tidus ran into the room last, closing the door behind him as he caught his breath, staring at the others. "That, was close," he said, wheezing. Why did they have to build Bevelle with so many stairs?? He could have sworn they had went up stairs on the way towards the Maester, but some freak of physics had made it seem as I they were also moving up as they had run away. This place made no sense. No looked up in a haze, and saw Auron looking at him.
"Where is Rikku?" the older guardian asked, slight panic edging his voice.
Tidus frowned, hadn't she…? "I thought she was with you?" he asked.
Lulu shook her head. "We saw her behind you," she said.
As one, all heads turned to look at the door. Suddenly, Wakka reached for the door and before anyone could stop him he had ran back outside into the clearing smoke. Those Al Bhed built good flashbombs.
Wakka ran out into the stairway they had run up to get in (and out, freaky…) to Bevelle. He scanned the area, looking for more traces of Yevon guards/machina remaining. As he saw it, he had finally realised that maybe he had been too hard on Rikku. He had treated her like a sub-human, and he had some catching up to do. He ran through the stairway, expecting bullets to zing over his head at any moment. Instead he was greeted by silence. He walked forwards calmly, and if he had really been looking he might have seen the blood before he stepped in it. He heard a squelch noise, and lifted up his foot to see exactly what he had stood in. Doggy do, great… he thought, then saw that it was red ad dripping. He started to put down his foot and, taking a deep breath, Wakka looked down, and saw the pool of blood that was slowly flowing down the stairs, he dropped his foot and slipped, throwing his hands out to stop his fall. He looked around and saw the pool of blood that had flowed down the stairs and stopped at the bottom rung. If their had been any observers, they would have seen Wakka nearly float up, so fast did he raise himself up off the ground. He looked at his hands and attempted to wipe them on the floor, only succeeding in getting them even more red-stained. H backed off, fast, and literally threw the door open, closing it behind him with a slam. He took a deep breath of clean air, then looked around.
"Well?" Lulu asked, and then saw the blood on Wakka. "Wakka! Were you attacked?" she asked.
Auron, in his gut already fearing the worst, walked straight up to Wakka. "Where is she?" he asked.
Wakka shook his head and held up his dripping-red hand to the others. "Rikku won't be joining us," he said quietly.
Auron jerked back as if physically struck. No…
"Crap!" Tidus exclaimed. Lulu and Khimari just lowered their heads and said a prayer for the girl's soul. Wakka said nothing.
Why does everyone I care about die! Auron asked himself. His parents killed by an attack by Sin on their village while he was away playing, Braska, Jecht, and now Rikku. Was it some kind of curse, was he damned to lose everyone he loved…
Wait, loved? He cared about Rikku, but did he love her? They had hared one moment on the airship after Evrae, and before they went into Bevelle, but did that qualify as love.
He looked at Tidus. He had found it unusual at first that the boy had seemed to willingly to sacrifice his life to protect someone that he had barely met. Even after Rikku's revelation at the collapsing Home that Yuna would die when the pilgrimage was completed, he had still vowed to follow her, and to help her find a way to survive. Even Auron could see that it went deeper than mere hormones. Was love the willingness to let yourself go to someone, and give yourself up so that they might have a chance? If it was, then…
Yes. I do.
Did…
He walked past the others, and turned to face them as he went down towards the Cloister of Trails. "We have a summoner to find," he said.
"Yeah…" Tidus said, still upset, but reassured by the need to save Yuna. The others followed his lead, and they walked down the spiral stairway, into the bowels of Yevon's home.
Auron walked ahead, so the others did not see the expression on his face. Rikku. I'm sorry. If it's any consolation, I'll save Yuna,
I promise.
This fic has already had several major plot changes. When I was first designed it, I had Rikku die at this moment. Seymour did not bother to stop the guard, and the he shot her in the head. Wakka would have carried her body back in to Auron, and she would have dissipated into pyreflies in front of his eyes. Her presence would have continued to haunt the fic (and Auron) until the last chapter, where Auron was finally sent and they met up again in the Farplane. The End. However I changed this fairly early on, since I put this fic in the same timeline as my big FF trilogy (go read Diamond Dust and Echoes of the Past now, please), and so I have to let her live. Before I did this, I had other endings planned, and I'll probably publish them after the credits roll, as a kind of Alternate Ending/Deleted Scenes thing.
