There are no unachievable goals, There are no unsaveable souls,
No legitimate kings or queens, do you know what I mean?
There are no indisputable truths and there ain't no fountain of youth
Each night when the day is through, I don't ask much, I just want you.
I Just Want You – Ozzy Osbourne
Cid breathed a sigh of relief as the city came into view, the toils of the past days worth it when he looked down to his niece cradled between himself and Luzzu, her strength and colour draining with each passing moment. She stood on a finely balanced knife-edge, hovering somewhere in between life and death as the crimson lifeblood continued to clot around her wounds, stark against the deathly white of her complexion. As they entered the city limits, he left Lesca with her other Guardian as he made haste to Seymour's mansion, reasoning it would be quicker to bring the summoner to the fallen woman than to take Lesca to the man. He pounded on the door frantically, grabbing the collar of the Guado who answered his calls.
"Seymour, where is he?" He growled.
"Lord Seymour is currently preoccupied with matters of state."
Cid gritted his teeth, trying to bite back the words of anger that threatened to spew forth. "It is a matter of great importance. Please, tell him the Lady Summoner Lesca requires his aid urgently!"
The Guado rolled his eyes before sloping off dutifully. He returned some minutes later with a concerned Seymour in tow. "Cid, is it not? How can I help the Lady?"
Much as it pained him, Cid forced himself to be polite to the Yevonite. "Lesca, she's dying. Come with me, save her, please!"
Seymour's eyes widened and he ushered Cid out of the building. "Of course. Take me to her."
They ran back to the place where the Al Bhed had left Luzzu guarding the ailing Lesca, Cid stopping as he took in Luzzu's tear stained face. The younger man looked up, not bothering to wipe away the salt water. "She, oh Yevon, Cid! She's gone." He choked.
Cid leaned down beside the girl, her face blissfully free of the pain that had haunted her for the past number of years. No breath graced her lips; her body was still and cool to the touch. He shook his head, refusing to believe the sight in front of him. "No, she was meant to be ok…we were meant to save her. We failed as her Guardians and her friends."
Seymour placed a consoling hand on the Al Bhed's shoulder. "The hurt was too much, even I could not have repaired this. There is nothing you could have done. Please, allow me to send her."
The two nodded dumbly as Seymour motioned to a nearby guard to lift Lesca's body from the indignity of the gutter. Cid caught the Guado's arm before Seymour gently prised the older mans hand away from the guard. "He will take her to the chambers we have for our dead. She will be prepared before the sending; we find it eases the souls passage. You should go my friend. The road is still long."
"You're right. Luzzu, c'mon. We're going."
"We can't leave her here!" Luzzu protested.
Cid caught him by the shoulders, forcing him to meet his eyes. "She's dead. Dead. It hurts, I know but we can't undo it. We need to go. Lord Seymour, thanks for doing this for her, for us."
Luzzu hung his head, following Cid as they exited Guadosalam, each step further from their reason for being here in the first place, each step harder to take than the last. The warrior monk turned to take one last look at the city before it faded out of sight, pondering his life's path from that point on. Cid caught the younger mans contemplative mood.
"What you gonna do now, kid? Go back to Yevon?"
Luzzu laughed bitterly. "Never. The religion of Yevon, it is…false. The only thing it gives us is death. Well, no more. I won't follow those teachings any longer. I'll go back to Besaid, work on defeating Sin in a way that doesn't mean the cost of a summoner's life. The Crusaders seem like a good place to start."
"You learned the hard way."
Luzzu's normally placid face clouded with anger. "I'll make sure others don't have to. The Crusaders will defeat Sin, I know it. Once and for all."
~*~*~
Seymour looked over the body of Lesca. She looked so peaceful; so free of pain…he envied her. His whole existence was one long never-ending misery. The reward for being a halfling. He sighed, brushing a light kiss over her forehead as he pondered her demise. In some twisted logic, he reasoned that he himself could attain this peace from death, from his own, from that of others. He dismissed the thoughts for now, but still filed them away in the back of his mind for later examination. He freed his mind as he began the dance of the sending, closing his eyes as the steps soothed his troubled mind.
It was like the worst headache she had ever experienced, bar none. The pull she felt made her wince and she cracked open one eye to see Seymour dancing beside her. No, not dancing. Sending. Who? It came to her in a flash as she remembered the battle with Yunalesca. Me. I'm dead. Unsent. She felt herself become weaker as the Guado Lord continued to spin beside her. Stop…I don't want to go to the Farplane. She raised herself from the cool bench she was laid on and caught the man's hand, grinning as he howled at her tight grip.
"Lady Lesca? But, but you're dead!" He stuttered.
"The rumours of my demise have been greatly exaggerated. Now, where are my Guardians?" She asked coolly.
Seymour frowned. "They are gone. You cannot continue the pilgrimage, my Lady. You are dead. You are an unsent. Please, let me send you to the Farplane. There, you will be at peace."
"You know what? I don't want to go to the Farplane just yet. I'll go when I'm damn well good and ready." She ran a hand through her hair, nearly laughing at the astonishment on the Guado's face. "Farewell, Seymour. I hope we meet again someday."
She walked away from him, giggling slightly at the absurdity of the situation. She was dead, but living. Alive without a heartbeat. At that thought, the rhythm within her chest stirred into life, a feeling that made her jump and she breathed a sigh of relief as her organs began to reactivate themselves. She realised it would make her a little less suspicious if she still appeared to be alive. A familiar face smiled at her as she almost passed him by.
"Good day. Lesca, what are you doing so far from Home?"
She looked up to meet the green-eyed gaze of Rin. "Hey, Rin. I, I was on a pilgrimage." He raised an eyebrow and she continued quickly. "Long story, I'll tell you some day. Anyway, I've uh, given up my life as a summoner. I'm at a bit of a loose end to tell you the truth." I've given up my life completely.
The flaxen haired man smiled. "Well, the offer of a job is still open if you care to accept. I need a worker in the Thunder Plains travel agency. Would you be interested?"
Lesca thought for a moment. It was one of the few travel agencies they had not stopped at on the pilgrimage, nobody knew her there… She grinned at Rin. "That'd be perfect. When do I start?"
~*~*~
Six years later…
He could feel the presence of his old friend as the thing the man had become approached the metropolis, slowly at first but gaining speed all the while. The girder he stood on afforded him a birds eye view of Zanarkand; the feeling proved right as the mass of water neared the city. Auron took a swig from the jug at his hip, amused that he felt no fear as the death bringer approached. Perhaps because he can't give me something I already suffer from. He turned away from the menace, setting out toward the stadium he knew the boy was playing at. I hope you know what you're doing, Jecht…
He listened to the commentary from the loud speakers dotted around Zanarkand, nearly laughing out loud at the irony that Jecht had chosen to come and reclaim his son on this date that marked the anniversary of his disappearance from Zanarkand. The man on the tannoy sung Jecht's praises and those of his only son, while reminiscing about the day Jecht had 'vanished'.
I was in a coffee shop, running away from home when I heard the news. Our hero, Jecht, gone, vanished into thin air! My dad must have been his biggest fan. I knew how sad he'd be. Heck, we all were that day. "Zanar," I says to myself, "What are you thinking?"" I went running straight back home. We sat up talking 'bout Jecht all night. My dad and I never talked so much. Whoa... Didn't mean to reminisce, folks. Anyways... Ten years later, the Jecht Memorial Cup tournament is today! The two teams that have won through to the finals are...of course, the Abes from A-East and the Duggles from C-South. I know there's a lot of people out there today to see the star of the Abes! In just one year, he's become the team's number one player! He's Jecht's blood, and the new hope of blitzball! What kind of super play will he show us today? Will we see his father's legendary shot? I don't think I'm the only one excited here, folks!
Tidus will not be amused that you stole his thunder, Jecht. Tonight was his big night. The red robed man dragged a hand through the salt and peppered hair, the soft bristles of his spiked locks tickling the palm of his hand. He blew an errant strand from his eyes, smirking as people moved out of his way to prevent hindrance of his purposeful strides. A death and a frown are precious commodities when you need to get anywhere in Zanarkand quickly. People caught sight of the harbinger that hovered over the municipality and began to shriek, milling around in an unseeing panic. Auron walked to and not from the threat, earning looks and questions of his sanity from the fleeing crowds.
He grimaced as the stadium was hit by the harbinger, fearing for the safety of his charge. The red cloaked Guardian looked up to the presence in the sky, rolling his eye as it released yet more bolts on the chaos that was Zanarkand. Can't you be a little more patient? Auron watched the stadium entrance expectantly; a weight lifting from his shoulders when the blond head he was awaiting bobbed into view. "Auron! What are you doing here?"
Auron tried to keep his sarcasm at bay. "I was waiting for you."
Tidus threw up his hands in frustration. "What are you talking about?"
Auron shook his head, walking away from the youth. He knew that answers would only lead to more questions, this way he could lead the boy to where he needed without too much hassle. Another presence made the air heavy, stifling. Auron knew it well. The Fayth had come.
Tidus caught up to him, panting. "Hey, not this way!"
"Look!" Auron tipped his head to the skies, the young man gasping as he saw the fiend dominating the heavens. "We called it 'Sin.'"
"Sin?"
Small pods rained down from the skies, implanting themselves in the ground before becoming animated. So you wish to test him? Fine, on your head be it. Auron pulled Jecht's old sword from his robes, handing it to the lad. "Take it. A gift from Jecht."
Tidus struggled with the unaccustomed weight, nearly falling over as he questioned the Guardian. "My old man?"
Auron silently despaired as the younger man prodded at the Sinspawn tentatively before falling over. "I hope you know how to use it."
Together, they made short work of the fiends. The older man snorted as more spawn took the place of those that had fallen. "These ones don't matter. We cut through. Don't bother going after all of them. Cut the ones that matter, and run!"
His instruction proved useful, and Auron soon found himself staring at his friend, at the thing he had become. It is good to see you, my friend. I hope you are well.
He was startled to hear the gruff voice that laughed in his mind. I'm not too bad, Auron, considering. It's good to see you too. That my boy?
It is.
A snort of laughter. You did good, Auron. He looks like a good kid. I hope he can do it, when the time comes.
He is. He'll be able to free you, I know it.
I hope you're right, Auron. He goes to Spira with you; I wanna give him a chance at real life. I don't want him to live out his existence in some dream.
Tidus began to yell, tearing Auron from his conversation with the boy's father. "Auron! Auron!"
The Guardian looked back at Sin. "You are sure?"
I'm positive. It, it's getting harder, y'know?
Auron looked at the terrified boy, remembering what he had been like at his age. "This is it. This is your story. It all begins here."
~*~*~
"You refuse?"
Auron looked around at the motley crew that Yuna had chosen as her Guardians. He had no doubt they were more than capable, but still he was wary. A black mage, another blitzer who blindly followed Yevon and…he turned to his right, noticing the Ronso with a flash of recognition. Kimahri! Not good… He saw an understanding in the man-beasts eyes that conveyed he would not betray the unsent man's confidence. He nodded very slightly in thanks, the others not noticing as they stood in awe of the 'legendary' Guardian. It is going to be an interesting journey. He despaired that the young summoner had followed her father's path, but if he could only make them see what had to be done…she would not be lost. He would atone for his past sins by guarding Braska's daughter, making sure she lived where her father died. He would not fail twice. The summoner herself seemed to only remember him as Sir Auron, Guardian to Braska, not as Auron her brother-in-law. It will make things easier this way.
"No, no! We accept, right everyone?" Yuna cried, shaking Auron from his musings.
The blitzer, Wakka, spoke. "O, of course! No problem at all!"
Lulu, ever cynical questioned him. "But why?"
"I promised Braska."
Yuna looked overjoyed at the simple statement. "You promised my father? Thank you, Sir Auron! You're welcome to join us!"
Auron grabbed Tidus by the collar, flinging him in front of the group. "And…he comes too." He sighed inwardly. The boy had survived this long in Spira with his paltry sword skills, but if he were to be a Guardian to the newly minted summoner he would need training. A lot of training. He sighed inwardly and resigned himself to the fact that his spare time would be swallowed with Tidus' instruction.
"Hi…guys! Eh…howdy!" Tidus looked somewhat bashful as he stood blushing in front of Yuna. Oh no, not again. Don't do it boy, don't fall in love with her. It'll only cause you pain when one of you has to leave, and one of you will have to. I guarantee it. Yuna too, coloured as she and Tidus exchanged shy glances at one another. Auron groaned inwardly. So I will be guarding Yuna and making sure they don't become too involved. Great. The joys of guarding a teenage summoner. The number of hormones flying around will kill me. Again.
"This one I promised Jecht."
The young summoner regarded him anxiously. "Is Sir Jecht alive?"
Auron's response was immediate, cutting off any remark Tidus may have tried to make. "Can't say. Haven't seen him in ten years." He glared at the lad, his protests dying before he could make a sound.
"I…see."
Yuna had hung her head and the older man tried to offer a little hope for reasons unknown to him. He tried to reason that it was simply to prepare her for the inevitable. "You'll meet eventually."
She looked a little happier and moved away from the body of the group, Auron by her side. The girl looked up at him, so much of the child he remembered in her but the wariness that came with adulthood had begun to creep in as well. "Sir Auron?"
He snapped back to reality. "Yuna?"
"Do you wish to ask me something?"
He mentally berated himself for his obviousness. "Your sister, Lesca, she is not here?"
A look of pain crossed Yuna's face fleetingly. "She, no. She's not. She left Besaid six years ago and I haven't seen or heard from her since."
A chill ran down his spine. She wouldn't leave Yuna for that length of time without good reason. They adored each other. "Do you have any idea what happened to her? Where she is, what she's doing? She was…a good friend to me."
Yuna shook her head sadly. "I wish I did. If only I knew Sir Auron. I miss her so."
As do I. More than anyone will ever know. These walls were built to stop the pain; I'm damned if I'm tearing them down now. Are you still out there, Lesca? Still waiting for me? A foolish dream, I know, but still I cling to it. It keeps me human, prevents me from being completely callous toward others. You gave me that gift, you know. Compassion. It may have been there before, but you made it blossom. I have so much to thank you for, I only hope that you still live so I can convey my gratitude and tell you…I love you more than ever.
