I did it! I downloaded Chrono Cross! Take that Squaresoft! Haha!
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Darkness Falls
Chapter 22: I Won't
"You actually grew up in this place?" Rikku said incredulously.
"There were a lot less fiends back then!" Tidus argued.
The group moved into the temple, towards the chamber of secrets. Rikku had gotten the chills from watching Braska's pilgrimage played out in front of them, and several times had felt Auron's hand turn to ice in hers when he had watched his old self beg Braska and Jecht to turn back.
Finally the team emerged from the ruins and faced the entrance to the Cloister of Trials. Rikku and Tidus breathed a sigh of relief as they wreckage of the old city thinned out and presented them with a passage down into the ruins.
"Old memories huh?" she asked Auron.
"Bad memories," the guardian replied.
"It will be fine this time," Rikku whispered. Auron just grunted and moved down into the ruined trial.
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"Good job none of us had epilepsy," Tidus said as they made their way into the centre of the platform.
"Speak for yourself, my eyes hurt," Wakka replied, rubbing them hard. He blinked. Damn colours.
They moved onto the platform tiredly. It had taken them two hours to figure out the correct positions of the shapes, and another fifteen minutes to activate the glyphs. Damn Zanarkand! Why did they have to make everything so long and boring?
Rikku and Auron moved next to each other. The man seemed… subdued.
"Nervous?" Rikku asked quietly.
Auron turned to her and shook his head slightly. "I do not want to have to go through this again," he said, so quietly that she had to strain to hear him. She gripped his hand tighter.
"Yuna won't do it. We'll think of a way before she tries. I promise," she said.
Auron looked at her and smiled. "I know, you won't have to watch her LOOK OUT!"
Rikku's eyes widened as Auron suddenly grabbed her by the midriff and slammed her aside, the huge tentacle that had just come out of nowhere barely missing her.
The other had heard Auron's shout and were already dodging to the sides. The air shimmered, and they watched, mouths open, as six copies of the glyphs from the floor of the Cloister appeared in the air before them.
"Whoa!"
The others looked across to see Tidus disappearing into the floor. Wakka and Yuna gave a cry and jumped towards him, puling him out. Auron looked around and saw the platform they were standing on begin to fade, and he began to sink.
He looked across at the glyphs that had appeared, and frowned. This didn't happen the last time… He heard a crash and looked across to see huge pieces of rock fall into place around the glyphs. He took a long step backwards, and then jumped towards the slab of roc that was closest to him. He turned back to face the others, who were rapidly disappearing into the floor. "Jump!" he shouted. They didn't need telling twice. The floor was becoming as resistant as water, and they didn't hesitate to leap the gap between Auron and the place they were standing. The entire team watched as the universe dissolved around them, to be replaced with a bright orange landscape, the six glyphs all began rotating around each other.
Rikku stared at the weird scenery as something huge and spiky hove into view, revealing it to be a fiend. With teeth. Lots of them.
"You gotta be kidding me!" Wakka shouted as the thing opened its mouth and screamed at them, revealing even more teeth.
"Guess not…" he said, and drew his Blitzball.
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How much punishment can this damn thing TAKE? Rikku screamed inwardly. One hour and the damn thing was still standing. Then again, they had spent the first five minutes cowering on the far piece of rock and not daring to step onto the glyphs until Wakka had fallen off and grabbed one with his arm. Damn freaky universe… They had been even more surprised when Yuna had tried to run to Tidus to heal him and had simply disappeared, appearing again right next to him.
Auron took a swing at the thing, but it simply moved backwards, and his sword went wide, leaving him open to a counter-attack, which it did, raking its claws against his side.
"Auron!" Rikku screamed, running to his side. She was beyond surprise when she merely warped right next to him. It made no sense whatsoever, but she wasn't complaining.
"I'm fine," Auron said through gritted teeth.
"You're not," Rikku said, running her hands over the slash and reaching into her pockets for a bandage. Gripping one end with her teeth she tore off a long strip and wrapped it around Auron's side, sealing it with sticky tape. She heard a scream, and looked up to see something white and sharp fly at her face. She felt something flash past her face and Auron's sword suddenly appeared in front of her, the beam flying into it and rebounding from the Reflect spell Lulu had cast on it. She turned to Auron. The entire thing had happened so fast… She turned to Auron, who stared back.
"Watch where you're watching," he said, and winked. Rikku gulped and turned back to the battle as Auron got up and staggered onto the nearest glyph., hoping Rikku would not notice.
"No you don't!" Rikku said.
Auron frowned as Rikku lopped her arm around his and steered him to the glyph farthest from the creature, and behind it. That done, Rikku turned back to the battle.
Tidus swung at the creature, hoping to catch it with even the edge, but it moved backwards. Wakka was waiting for it and threw his ball at the creature, scoring a direct hit on its spine. It bellowed in rage and rounded on him, swinging its tail around in a lethal arc. He jumped sideways and the magical warp mechanism that operated the glyphs teleported him to the next glyph. The creature didn't even stall, just carrying on its arc and slashing Wakka across the chest. He stumbled backwards and would have fallen off the thing if Lulu hadn't been behind him. He recovered his balance and ran to the glyph closest to the creature. It wheeled quickly, trying to keep him in its sights, and momentarily forgot that Tidus was also behind it. Wakka swung the ball at it, not letting go, and again it moved away. Tidus jumped at it, grabbing onto the things tail. It screamed in rage and tried to shake him off. Tidus hung on for dear life and climbed it's back. He used his sword as a pike, jamming it into the thing's hide for purchase. He reached its neck and ran the blade across it, slitting its throat. As soon as it's blood started to gush from it's ruined throat the glyphs began to fade below them. As one the team looked down as their feet began to fall through the floor. It came as a relief when the normal world flashed into existence around them, and Zanarkand soldiered under them.
Rikku turned to Auron. "That was weird," she said, rather dazed.
"You think?" Tidus said, picking himself up from where the fiend had fallen. He brushed himself off and walked over to Yuna, who was examining her ruined staff. "Told you that you should have stayed back," he said, with a smile on his face.
"Well excuse me for trying to help!" Yuna said crossly. That had been her favourite staff…
"We'll get a new one back in… wherever we go after here," he finished lamely.
Yuna glared daggers at him and moved onto the platform without another word. The others prepared themselves for another bout of the universe going AWOL again, but were relieved when the platform simply sank down into the depths of Zanarkand.
Rikku sat down opposite Auron so that their backs were leaning against the others, each providing support.
"Was this how it happened the last time?" she asked him.
"There was less shouting, and also a lack of world-dissolving trips," Auron replied.
Rikku twisted around to face him. "What's with you all of a sudden?" she asked. "You've been like this ever since we got to Zanarkand, what up?"
Auron sighed. "This place, these memories, they don't sit well with me," he said.
"Was it hard?" she whispered.
Auron closed his eyes and remembered back to that day…
There has to be another way!
Auron, old friend, this is the only way. Would you allow Sin to survive?
It comes back, always! Jecht?
I dunno know Auron, if this is the only way we have, then we gotta use it… Braska?
Yes Jecht?
Use me.
Auron opened his eyes.
"Yes, it was hard," he said. He turned his head as a deep brummm noise sounded from the hole in the floor, and Yuna came back up, eyes wild and panicked.
"Sir Auron, everyone!"
Immediately they all stood up and ran onto the platform, the stone circle carrying them down into the heart of the Yevon faith.
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Rikku almost sighed when Yuna made her proclamation, but didn't, for fear of being shouted at. It's just a statue, it doesn't work, and the Final Aeon isn't here.
Yunie is gonna live.
Her hopes were short-lived.
"That fayth lost its power long ago," a voice said behind her. She whirled to see the old man from the outside of Zanarkand looking at them with sad and old eyes, staring at Yuna.
"Then the Final Aeon?" Yuna asked, the look in her eyes clearly saying; let there be another fayth. It was almost enough to make her cry.
"The Lady will explain all," the man, said, and walked back through the door – Rikku squinted. OK, the portal then – that he had came through. Yuna practically ran through after her, and the others had no choice but to follow.
She closed her eyes and felt a strange floaty sensation as she came through, opening them again to find herself in a huge chamber that would have been light and airy if it hadn't been clogged with cobwebs. She turned to look at the others, and found them all staring at something in front of them. She followed their gaze, and gasped. At the top of the stairs was one of the most beautiful women Rikku had ever seen.
Yunalesca stood surveying them, long white hair rippling in some unseen breeze, tendrils of clothing floating in some unheard rhythm, eyes staring past them at some unseen wonder. She looked like a queen of Aeons.
But the more she stared, the more she saw that the woman's beauty was merely cosmetic. She was pretty, but like an old and revered antique rather than as a person, and her eyes had their own special voice; I am better than you because of who I am and what I do. Try me if you will, but you will fail. The more she stared, the more she detested the woman.
Yunalesca took the stairs one at a time, gaze fixed on Yuna.
Yuna looked at her and said one word.
"How?"
Yunalesca smiled at her.
Then she began to explain.
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"No!" Tidus shouted.
"Tidus," Lulu warned.
He rounded on her. "I can't believe you're going to go through with this!" he shouted.
"It's the only way!" Lulu said. She turned to Yuna. "I volunteer," she said simply.
Yuna looked devastated, told that to save the world she would have to sacrifice one of the people she loved most. "I…" she whispered.
"Yuna, if this is the only way, then we gotta do it, choose me," Wakka said.
"I can…" Yuna said, not hearing.
"You can't be serious!" Tidus said. "Yuna?" he asked the summoner. "Are you?"
"I… can't…" Yuna finished.
Lulu and Wakka just looked like they hadn't heard right, although they had suspected as much. "Yuna, you have to." Lulu said softly.
Yuna turned to face her, determination in her eyes. "No! None of us are dying for something that only works in instalments!" she said.
Tidus let out a sigh of relief. Thank whoever was watching over him right now…
Rikku gave a silent shout of glee as Yuna turned to walk to the huge doors separating them from Yunalesca's chambers.
"I won't," she said, and they couldn't see the tears on her face as she walked to face the Yevon prophet.
Rikku smiled and ran after her, Auron not far behind. The sight of two of their friends running after their summoner was all they needed, and the other three pushed the doors aside, to reveal Yuna and her namesake, the old summoner facing away into oblivion.
Wait a minute…
Rikku looked down at the floor, and then at the walls – or lack of them – and finally the lack of ceiling. The world had changed again, and they were floating in space this time. At least it was better than disappearing floorboard.
"Whom have you chosen to be your fayth?" Yunalesca said simply.
"No-one," was the reply from Yuna.
Yunalesca turned to face the young woman, and for a second Rikku could have sworn she saw a look of thankfulness on her face before a look of pity replaced it. She made ready to draw her weapon.
Yunalesca tutted. "In that case…"
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The huge medusa-head that had been Yunalesca crashed to the floor, letting out one final scream as the eons-old summoner dissolved into pyreflies before them.
Yuna turned and walked out, not saying a word, too shell-shocked to speak. The others all followed, too tired and bruised to say anything. Rikku and Auron linked hands and walked out, weapons holstered and out of the way.
"Now what do we do?" Wakka whispered.
"We find another way, like we said we would!" Rikku and Tidus said in exact timing. They glanced at each other and smiled slightly before looking away and back towards Yuna. They were worried. They all knew what she was thinking; what if there isn't another way? What if we've doomed Spira?
"Wait," Auron said. He stopped in the middle of the floor, almost jerking Rikku backwards.
"What?" Wakka asked.
Auron just turned to Tidus. "I want to tell you something. Something private," he said. The others, even Rikku, shrugged and walked away, leaving the two to talk.
"There's another way, there has to be," Lulu whispered. The group stepped onto the elevator and rode it up back into Zanarkand, Auron and Tidus joining them a second later, neither saying a word, and Tidus looking even worse than he had.
They walked out as they had come in; silently. On the way in contemplating the death of a friend who still walked, the way out contemplating the death of a ritual anchored in so much time it wasn't even visibly until you right down into it. Into the dirt.
Rikku leant into Auron and sighed, holding back tears. She was glad the evil creature – not a woman, never that, not after what she had told them – was dead, but she understood that for many the world of rules and comfort they had lived in would be forever shattered, if they didn't find another way. A better way.
They had to.
She felt rather than heard the airship descend towards them, and Cid standing on the deck, arms crossed. She could only guess how angry he would be when he saw them together. He would get angrier, for many reasons.
"Auron?"
"Yes?" he replied to her question.
"We have to keep looking for a way," she said.
"…I know," he said slowly.
"Auron?"
"Yes?"
"E muja oui," She whispered.
"What?" Auron asked.
"I love you," she said again.
Auron hugged her to him tighter, and his peripheral vision saw Cid walk down the ramp of the airship towards them. He turned to face him, Rikku still held against him. Before Cid's fist flew towards his face, he whispered back.
"I love you too."
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Damn, these chapters always end up longer than I thought they would. Oh well…
