Note: This story picks up during the battle with Lady Yunalesca, specifically when she's in her third form.
A thud accompanied by a wave of cold brought Lulu back to her senses. She pried open her eyes and watched Shiva's inert form fade away in a cloud of pyreflies. So Shiva had failed, too.
Lulu pushed herself up, pain coursing through her body. Glowing green eyes swiveled and locked on to her. With a shout, Tidus rushed past her, jumped, and sliced. The giant head shuddered, but Yunalesca simply waved her arm. Tidus recoiled in pain, letting out a grunt. He fell to one knee and grasped his sword for support.
Before Yunalesca could strike again, Lulu let her doll leap from her arms. She raised them and channeled a burst of lightning down onto the unyielding head. Almost immediately after, she felt the same jolt of pain as Tidus.
Reality began to warp in front of the head. It lurched forward, driving its snakelike hair into the portal. The tendrils sprang up from the ground in front of Yuna, Tidus, and Lulu. Swiftly and one by one, they lashed out with the skulls biting and tearing into fabric and flesh. The assault ended as quickly as it began. The head's hair moved back into place, and the warp closed.
Tidus glanced down at himself. The skulls had torn into his arms and chest, leaving behind small wounds. To his horror, they instantly began to rot. Upon raising a hand to touch one, he noticed a green tinge clouded his skin. Swearing, he pulled a tiny bottle marked with Yevon's symbol. He raised it above his head and crushed it in his hand, letting the liquid inside splash over him. The wounds still remained, but the water stopped the rotting and turned his skin its normal color.
Yuna had rushed to Auron's side. He had been felled by one of Yunalesca's invisible strikes. Yuna waved her staff over him. Unaware that she had been holding her breath, she exhaled with relief when he opened his eyes. He used his sword to pull himself to his feet, either ignoring or not noticing Yuna's proffered arm. "It's no wonder she killed me when we first met," he grumbled.
"Sir Auron, let me heal you."
Yuna lifted her staff, but he held up a hand to stop her. "Revive the others. We have to keep coming at her." Without waiting for an answer, he adjusted his grip on his sword and rushed towards Yunalesca.
As Yuna ran next to a fallen Kimahri, Lulu raised her arms again, directing more lightning to strike. Yunalesca waved her arm again, but, to Lulu's surprise, the familiar white light of Curaga engulfed her. Her surprise turned to anguish as the spell, instead of healing her, seared her flesh.
Tidus and Auron answered back with sword strikes. Lulu managed another Thundaga just before more healing magic encircled her. Her vision nothing but blinding light, she crumpled.
A blitzball whizzed between Tidus and Auron, smacking the head squarely on the nose.
"Here, guys!" The sound of shattering glass followed. Rikku, having been revived by Yuna, threw an Al Bhed Potion. While the others enjoyed its healing effects, Yuna bit her tongue; her own rotting wounds burned.
The head's eyes suddenly flickered, drawing the attention of the summoner and her guardians. Yuna felt her thoughts fracture. She only knew the sharp throb of pain. It only lasted for a fleeting moment, but she automatically braced herself for more. Up ahead, closer to Yunalesca, Tidus fell.
Rikku and Wakka dropped next to Tidus and Lulu respectively, Phoenix Downs in hand. Kimahri roared and lunged, aiming for an eye. Again, Yunalesca rocked forward. The head's tentacles warped in front of Kimahri, and gnashing heads tore away at him.
Auron lifted his sword in both hands, preparing to swing. A figure appeared in front of him, stopping him in his tracks. The figure floated above the ground. It wore an orange mask, and the expressionless face unsettled Auron. A clawed hand raked his chest, yet he felt nothing. He glanced down to make sure he was indeed alright and looked back up into the figure's mask. The figure held an orb of light in its claw. Auron put a hand on his chest. Was that orb . . . his? The claws tightened around the light, and it broke, breaking into smaller beams. As the fragments floated up, Auron fell, lifeless.
The others dropped, too, their souls destroyed in the claw's vice grip. One remained standing, nearly doubled over from pain and exhaustion. Yuna only took a moment's pause before readying her staff. She spun it, the ends igniting in flames that fell to the floor. The flames spread into a sigil that shattered as the floor under Yuna burst open. Ifrit arrived in a fiery column, destroying the debris and catching Yuna on one of his broad shoulders. He let Yuna down before roaring at Yunalesca.
"Please, Ifrit, protect me. I have to save the others." Yuna put a hand on Ifrit's sinewy arm. He grunted and positioned himself in front of his summoner.
Ifrit launched into the air, forming a fireball between his mighty hands. Yuna didn't have time to watch the summon's fearsome assault; the others needed her. She ran to the closest unmoving form: Auron. A wave of her staff restored his life.
"Forgive me, Yuna." His voice was hoarse.
She gave him a small smile. "Let's finish this first, yeah?"
The head's unsettling green eyes found Yuna and Auron. They began to flicker, but Ifrit landed directly between the pair and the head. Yuna had braced herself for pain that never came. Instead, Ifrit winced. In retaliation, it bounded at Yunalesca. "I have to hurry," Yuna said, gripping her staff tighter.
"Go."
Despite what would have been better judgment, Yuna ran straight towards Yunalesca, where her friends lay. She trusted Ifrit to keep her safe, though she had her own job to do. One by one, Yuna hurried to her guardians' sides. Her staff and somatic movements brought her friends to life: Wakka, Rikku, Tidus, Lulu, and –
Kimarhi was the closest to Yunalesca, his spear several feet away. Yuna sprinted to him and began waving her staff. Light surrounded Kimahri. His eyes fluttered open and met hers.
Ifrit's roar resounded around them, drawing their attention. Yuna gasped as the head's tendrils appeared in front of her. She lifted her arms in defense, just as Ifrit, despite his size, skillfully slid between her and the attack. The skulls tore into the aeon. With one last breath, the aeon collapsed into a swarm of pyreflies.
The summoner and her guardians stood once more, but their force had started to wane. Covered in bruises, wounds, and gashes, they were utterly exhausted. Still, they danced their same familiar dance.
Strike.
Throw.
Graze.
Another mind blast left them reeling.
Stab.
Cast.
Lunge.
Biting, tearing, ripping, shredding.
Healing.
So the cycle of violence, pain, death, and revival went.
Yuna could feel her spells growing weaker. Yet Yunalesca never seemed to falter. How much more could she take? Every cry and gasp of pain stabbed at Yuna's heart. Her friends began to fall again. Time seemed to slow as Tidus, the last to fall, toppled nearby, his blood-spattered limbs landing at odd angles.
With her staff behind her and her free arm held in front, Yuna formed a sigil of light around herself. Blue, white, and purple lights all rose upward. Light poured into the decrepit room, and Valefor dove towards her summoner.
"Please." It was all she could manage.
Valefor's nod was almost imperceptible.
She wasn't sure when she started crying, but tears clouded Yuna's vision as she searched her companions. She knew she wouldn't be able to heal them all, but she prayed that she could still save them. A plan formed in her mind.
Yuna hobbled as fast as she could to Lulu. She knelt beside her and waved her staff, trying to ignore the blood pooling under the guardian's neck and shoulders. Valefor's screeches filled an otherwise heavy silence as Yuna waited for Lulu to return to her.
With Lulu's hair out of place, Yuna could see both of her crimson eyes when they opened. They were briefly unfocused before meeting Yuna's own mismatched pair. In that moment, Lulu understood.
Yuna's voice was a whisper. "Lulu, I –"
Valefor swooshed in front of the two women, blocking an assault from Yunalesca.
A grimace flashed across Lulu's features as she sat up. "Can you still cast anything?"
"A little, but not much."
"And your aeons?"
"Valefor's the last one," Yuna said, the last word catching in her throat.
"I see."
A sharp pain shot through Lulu, causing her to lean forward into herself.
"Lulu," Yuna started again. "Will you be my Final Aeon?"
The answer was immediate. "Yes."
There was another cry from Valefor. The aeon was slowing down.
Yuna looked away from Lulu's intense gaze. "I'm not strong enough to save the people of Spira. But I can still save my friends."
Lulu started to stand, and Yuna helped her the rest of the way up. "Leave your staff behind," Lulu said as she pushed her doll away with her foot.
As the staff clattered to the floor, Valefor screeched and exploded into pyreflies. Yuna said a silent thank-you to her devoted friend. Feeling as if they were dragging themselves forward, the two women wordlessly moved toward each other, wrapping an arm around the other in support. They moved together, each step bringing them closer to the Yunalesca and the waiting head.
Yuna and Lulu stopped far enough back that they could still see Yunalesca. The formidable summoner must have noticed their discarded weapons as she made no move to attack.
"Lady Yunalesca?"
There was no answer. The head's eyes focused on Yuna. It was too late to change her mind now.
"I wish to perform the Final Summoning."
Note: This is the first fanfiction I've written in over three years. Final Fantasy X has been my favorite game for almost 20 years, since I first played my brother's copy in elementary school. I hope I have done the characters and battle system justice. I'd love to hear what you think.