"Do you see now?" The giant head's mouth did not move. Its eyes became unfocused, no longer intent on killing. The emotionless voice instead came from above it. "Not even I could destroy Sin. No matter a summoner's strength, Sin is all-powerful, and we cannot hope to break the eternal cycle."

Yuna lowered her head and gazed at the floor. All of the disbelief and fury that had ignited in Lulu and led to her outburst at Yunalesca had been smothered, and she remained silent with her summoner.

The dormant head lunged forward. The two women jumped backwards, but it didn't attack. At the same time, a pool of black and red opened beneath it, and it began to disappear into the otherworldly abyss. The tendrils underneath Yunalesca followed until she was back at ground level.

Yunalesca continued, "You are certainly not the first to express their anger to me. The absolute inevitability of Sin's return is the hardest truth for summoners and their guardians to accept. Yet, you have come to realize this inevitability and ask me now for my aid. In this never-ending cycle of sorrow, you will provide a moment of hope to the people of Spira, however brief it may be. Hope, not sorrow, is the core of the cycle, and you will keep it flowing. Such is the sacrifice of a summoner."

Lulu reached across herself with her free hand, offering it to Yuna. Yuna took it in her own and squeezed in an attempt to stop trembling.

"Well, summoner, I can see the bond between you and your guardian, a necessity for the Final Summoning. Are you ready, then?" Yunalesca asked. Her expression never changed as her eyes remained locked on Yuna.

Yuna squeezed Lulu's hand one more time before dropping her arms. She took a deep breath before asking, "Can I heal my guardians first?"

There was a pause before Yunalesca answered, "You have gall." Silence again, then, "You may revive one of your guardians before you come with me. Ensure that your choice does not act irrationally again. I shall leave you to it." She turned and walked away from the pair.

"Oh, Lulu," Yuna breathed, turning towards her guardian. "Only one?"

Taking a quick stock, Lulu responded, "I have some Phoenix Downs left. Whoever we pick can use them to help the others and get them out of here."

One question remained. "Who should we heal?"

Lulu crossed her arms in thought and winced at the movement. "Whoever is least likely to thrash Yunalesca when they find out what we're doing."

Yuna took in the sight of her guardians lying on the ancient stones. She clenched and unclenched her hands. "This feels –"

"I know. But we don't have too much time to think; Yunalesca is waiting."

They didn't have time to think about how choosing a guardian to save felt the same as choosing which guardians would die. They didn't have time to wonder if Yunalesca would let the guardians leave further unharmed. They didn't have time to think about this vital decision, but they still had to make it.

"Kimahri."

Lulu could barely hear Yuna's choice. She didn't argue; she had been close to making the same conclusion. The women approached his fallen form and knelt on either side of Kimahri. Lulu placed a Phoenix Down over his chest that shimmered orange and yellow underneath her hand before fading.

Yuna always held her breath in the brief moment between a Phoenix Down's fade and a person's revival. She did the same now before Kimahri opened his eyes. There was a moment of quiet, then he lunged for his spear. Both Yuna and Lulu exclaimed and grabbed his shoulders to stop him. Still poised, he looked between the two of them before relaxing. "Lulu. Yuna. What happened?"

"We . . . " Yuna trailed off. Too many thoughts got the best of her.

"We lost," Lulu finished.

"Kimahri is still alive."

"Yunalesca . . . " Yuna began again. "She let us heal you."

Kimahri looked around at the guardians still dormant on the floor. "Kimahri the only one."
Lulu chuckled. "Yuna and I thought you were the least likely to murder Yunalesca after we revived you."

"She does not attack."

The women looked at each other, unsure of how to proceed. "No," Yuna finally started. "No, she doesn't. We convinced her to stop."

Visions of guardians' destroyed souls and rotting snakebites filled Kimahri's mind. Yunalesca was ruthless, and the apparent change of heart was unexpected. "How?"

Lulu looked away. Yuna steeled herself. "I'm going to perform the Final Summoning."

"No!"

Kimarhi's sharp roar bounced off the stone floor, reverberating through the area. He had made to jump up again, but Lulu and Yuna's steadying hands were enough to keep him in place. The three stayed like that. Kimahri stared into Yuna's eyes as they again welled with tears.

"How can I expect to save Spira if I can't even save my friends?" Yuna was barely audible.

"But Yuna will die. Lulu will –"

"I will become Sin. But first, there will be a Calm." Lulu's voice was steady.

"Yunalesca let us heal you," Yuna repeated. "She let us pick one of you to bring back. Kimahri, when Lulu and I leave with Yunalesca, please, heal the others. Get them out of here. Please, keep them safe."

"You can't let them follow us. She'll just wipe us all out again if you do," Lulu said. "It might be best to wait for a while after we leave, in case anyone tries to go after us."

"Rikku and Tidus especially," Yuna agreed.

"Sir Auron might not be as quick to go after us as them. He's the most likely to listen to you," Lulu nodded.

Kimahri glanced back and forth between Yuna and Lulu. His chest heaved as he tried to process the information. He shut his eyes and, with a deep breath, lowered his head. "What about Wakka?"

Yuna looked to Lulu for a response. Lulu sighed. "Ah, he'd probably charge after us, too. Best to wait to revive him. Here." She gathered her remaining Phoenix Downs and passed them to Kimahri.

"Kimahri supposed to sit and let Yuna and Lulu go?"

The women didn't respond at first, but the answer to Kimahri's question was obvious.

"Yes," Yuna spoke, giving her decision a verbal existence. "I'm going to do what I came here to do."

The three of them sat for a while, unsure of what to say next to stall the inevitable.

Memories began to creep into Yuna's mind. As she rested her hand on Kimahri, she thought about their boat ride that took her to Besaid for the first time. She thought of all the times he listened to her dreams, her fears, her stories, her regrets. She thought of how he was a rock for not just her, but for Lulu, Wakka, and Chappu as they grew up on the island. The trickle of memories became a flood that threatened to break her fragile calm. "I'm so sorry, Kimahri," she whispered.

Kimahri wrapped a hand around Yuna's wrist. "Kimahri sorry, too: supposed to protect Yuna. Lord Braska asked Kimahri to. Kimahri failed."

"No, no!" Yuna started. "You've been a wonderful guardian. I wouldn't have wanted anyone else."

As they risked falling into another reluctant lull, Lulu said softly, "Yuna. We shouldn't keep Yunalesca waiting." She rose and put a hand on Kimarhi's shoulder. "The others are almost certainly going to give you a hard time. I'm sorry that we're leaving you to handle them. But thank you, as well. Thank you. For everything."

"Lulu, take care of Yuna."

"I will." For as long as she still could.

Kimahri looked to Yuna and noticed the tears that now spilled down her cheeks. He squeezed her wrist. "Yuna will give hope to people of Spira."

Yuna crouched down and wrapped Kimahri in a hug. One hand still clutched Yuna's wrist as he enveloped her with his free arm. They held each other, both desperate to remember the other's feel. Did she feel him tremble in her arms? Yuna ached as she pulled away. Kimahri released her wrist. It was cold where his hand had been. "Don't let the truth die with me."

"Kimahri promises. Other guardians will help, too."

"You can be sure they will get the truth out to all of Spira," said Lulu.

"Yeah, you're right." Yuna laughed, her smile not reaching her eyes. "They won't be quiet about it no matter who tells them to."

"Kimahri won't be quiet, either."

With tremendous effort, Yuna turned away from Kimahri. Lulu stepped beside her and held out an arm for her to take. The women walked away from Kimahri and towards the other end of the chamber and the waiting Yunalesca. The space felt much bigger now, even with the open galaxy that surrounded them.

"Are you ready then, Summoner?" Yunalesca's steady, unchanging tone took the air from Yuna's lungs, like a punch to the gut.

How could she be?

"I am."

"Good. I will lead you to the Final Aeon."

Yunalesca headed down the stairs that appeared to lead nowhere. Yuna and Lulu followed. Before her foot touched the top step, Yuna thought she heard a sob. She turned towards the sound, but the chamber disappeared before her eyes. Instead, she stared at a stone wall. Another was beside her, and the two walls formed a stairwell with the steps. There were no lights along the walls, but the area glowed a dim blue.

The stairwell seemed to go down for hours. Yuna wasn't sure how long they had been walking. And, just as suddenly as the first chamber had changed, they reached the steps' landing and entered a circular chamber. It looked like the rest of the Chambers of Fayth she had been in. The glass in the middle glowed white, but it was empty underneath.

"This is where your guardian will become a fayth, and you will receive the Final Aeon." Yunalesca walked to the opposite side of the glass and turned back to face Yuna and Lulu. "Make your preparations for the upcoming battle with Sin. Guardian, when you are ready, kneel before me and place your hands in mine."

With that, Yunalesca closed her eyes and bowed her head. She slightly raised her arms from her sides, turning her palms towards Yuna and Lulu. Her hands glowed with the same white light as the empty glass in front of her. She was then completely still.

Yuna and Lulu watched Yunalesca, unsure if she would do anything else. After some time, Yuna looked away and noticed bright red stains on her white sleeves. Lulu's blood, from whatever wounds she sustained from the fight with Yunalesca. "Here, Lulu. Let me heal you as much as I can first."

"You should save your magic. You'll need it."

"But you're hurt." Yuna moved behind Lulu who didn't try to stop her. She lifted Lulu's braids over her shoulder and gently placed her hands on bare skin. "I won't use tons of magic. Just enough to get the bleeding to stop." Her hands glowed a dim white.

Lulu felt the white magic close her wounds. It was soothing, and she didn't stop Yuna when she seemed to be using more magic than she promised. Really, they needed a rest before facing Sin, but she doubted they'd have the chance. The feel of the magic, along with Yuna's touch and Lulu's own hesitation to proceed, made her slow to realize that Yuna had gone still. Healing no longer flowed from Yuna's fingers, but her hands remained in place. Lulu called to her hesitantly, "Yuna?"

When she received no answer, Lulu turned to see Yuna bury her face in her hands. "Oh, Yuna." Lulu took Yuna's wrists in her hands, but Yuna didn't uncover her face. "My sweetest," Lulu comforted, pulling Yuna close when she didn't respond.

The weight of everything, the pilgrimage, her failure to beat Yunalesca, the loss of her friends, all came out in sobs that wracked her entire body. Lulu held her close and caressed Yuna's hair with her free hand. Sometime in between Yuna's echoing cries, Lulu thought she heard her say, "I'm sorry."

"What for?"

"We've been through so much!" Yuna's sudden anger caught Lulu off guard. "Seymour, the maesters, everything in Bevelle – and all of it just to uphold some false tradition that I've believed in all my life! My friends almost died because of me, and Spira will stay just the same as it has for a thousand years." Yuna buried herself further into Lulu, muffling her next words, "I've changed nothing."

"No." Lulu placed her hands on either side of Yuna's face, lifting her head to look into her eyes. "You've changed everything."

"Sin will just come back."

"He came back after your father defeated him, too. Do you think Lord Braska failed?"

Yuna tried to look away, but Lulu wouldn't let her. "No, my father brought us peace, no matter how temporary."

"And you will do the same. Your guardians know the truth now, and if I know them, at least half of Spira will also know by tomorrow."

"Maybe they'll be able to find a way to stop Sin once and for all."

Lulu gave a thin smile. "If anyone can do it, they can. The Calm will give them time to plan, don't you think?" Yuna nodded, and Lulu's face softened. "I'm proud of you."

"Me?"

"You are a strong woman, Yuna, carrying the weight of Spira on your shoulders. Spira hasn't always been kind to you, but you have given your life to her anyways." Lulu dropped her hands and stood straight.

"Thank you, Lulu. Thank you for being my Aeon."

Lulu dropped her gaze. "I haven't done that yet." She looked back at Yunalesca who hadn't moved. Her arms remained stretched down at her sides, willing Lulu to take her hands. Lulu looked back at Yuna, and Yuna was surprised to see that her eyes shone with tears.

"Lu –"

"I don't want to hurt you." This was Lulu's third pilgrimage, and it had gone farther than her first two. But those pilgrimages had been to stop Yuna from having to make this journey. She had meant for those two to protect Yuna and keep her safe from ever having to do exactly what she was doing. They had ended in failure, and this one felt the same. She would be the one to kill her.

It was Yuna's turn to hold Lulu, who hid her face in Yuna's neck. "Whatever happens to me won't be your fault."

"I'm going to fight it."

As Lulu didn't expect Yuna to change one thousand years of tradition, Yuna didn't expect Lulu to, either. She knew that Lulu would try to keep Sin out, but no one before her had managed the feat. But there was no use in arguing, so she said, "I know you will."

Lulu lingered for a while in Yuna's embrace. When she did look up, Yuna took the moment to wipe the guardian's tears, and Lulu kissed the palm of Yuna's hand.

Then, Lulu moved towards the waiting Yunalesca. She breathed deeply as she made the sign of prayer, a gesture that seemed to hold little meaning now. Lulu knelt before Yunalesca and reached up for her hands.

Lulu sang.

Ieyui nobomeno
Renmiri yojuyogo
Hasatekanae kutamae

Note: I haven't written that much dialogue in a long time.