All the people from the broken homes don't wanna fight no more.
All the people nursing shattered bones don't wanna fight no more.
But there's no profit in peace so we gotta fight some more.
Profit in Peace – Ocean Colour Scene
Auron groaned, sitting up and squinting against the blinding light as he rubbed at the back of his head. He closed his eye again, burying his head further into the high collar as he attempted to remember how he'd managed to end up in this infernal oven. Daring to look up, he sighed at the vast expanse of sand that surrounded him and considered hiding in the confines of his jacket. Deciding against the traitorous thought, he stood and dusted himself off, pushing the glasses further up his nose to shield his eyes from the sun. He scanned the dunes, searching for any sign of life. The slight desert breeze whipped the grains into a frenzy around him and he frowned as he walked through the wall of sand, the sandstorm would undoubtedly make his search harder. A sudden realisation struck him; Lesca was not with him. His pace quickened, his mission more urgent now. Summoner or no, Lesca needed him. He nodded to himself. She didn't need to be alone anymore; he wouldn't fail her again.
He heard a shout as he crested one of the many dunes, catching sight of Tidus and Lulu engaged in battle with a Zu. He made his way down, felling the beast with a sword stroke before turning to meet Tidus' inane grin. "Hey man! Where ya been?"
"Around. We head out, Yuna must be found."
Tidus scratched his head. "Uh, sure. Where are we?"
The mage looked cool even in the sweltering heat. "It's hard to tell, there are many deserts in Spira. Wherever we are, our main concern is Yuna."
The blitzer nodded in agreement, looking sideways at Auron who kept shifting uncomfortably, eager to move on. "The others?"
Lulu shrugged. "Haven't found them yet. We're supposed to stay in one place if we get split up."
Auron sighed in frustration and walked away. "That will achieve nothing. She's out there and we won't find her if neither her or ourselves move."
Tidus offered Lulu his hand to pull her up from her position resting on a dune. She took it gladly as they followed the flash of red through the desert expanse. "Yuna would try and find us too, wouldn't she?"
To his surprise, Lulu smiled. "It's not Yuna he's worried about. Sir Auron knows his duty to his summoner, but a promise he made before he took the Guardians oath for Yuna surpasses even that."
~*~*~
"Rikku!"
The young Al Bhed turned to face her cousin, smiling in delight when Lesca came into view. "Lescy! Thank the Gods it's you!"
Rikku hugged her cousin, pulling back a little when she noticed how distant Lesca seemed. "What's up?"
She gazed off into the distance. "We're on Bikanel, right? We should be able to get to Home from here. We need to find the others and take them there."
Rikku frowned, puzzled. "Yeah, but we can't take Wakka to Home! He'll tell the Yevonite's and we'll have to move again!"
"He won't. I'll make sure of it. Is Uncle Cid still at Home?"
The blond nodded. "Of course." She paused. "Hey, Lescy? What happened six years ago? You said you were a summoner…"
Lesca bit her lip. "I was."
Rikku was like a dog with a bone, unwilling to give up on her questioning. "And? Something happened didn't it? Tytto said you were dead. What happened?"
The older woman sighed. "Later Rikku, ok? I'm tired and we need to find the others."
Blonde hair fell into her eyes as she shook her head defiantly. "Now!"
"Don't forget who has the itchy lightning finger, cousin."
The Al Bhed fell silent and they walked toward a shelter, Rikku pulling up her goggles to shield her eyes from the sand being whipped up around them. Lesca put an arm over her face to ward off the sting of the grit; wincing as stray grains nipped at her exposed flesh. "Don't suppose you have any spare goggles?"
"Nope!" Rikku replied cheerfully. "Sorry!"
"Great." She muttered. "Great, great, great."
"Rikku!"
The shout startled the two women and they looked up to see Tidus flanked by Wakka, Lulu and Kimahri. Lesca frowned, her eyes shifting to scan the dunes for any hint of crimson. She jumped as a pair of arms encircled her waist, a kiss planted on the top of her head. She turned around, looking up into Auron's face. Lesca punched his arm lightly, trying to sound cross. "You gave me a fright!"
The sides of his mouth quirked upwards slightly. "I apologise."
"Meyn." She teased.
He shrugged, moving to her side with one arm still around her, hand resting lightly on her hip. The three moved to Tidus and the others, the reunion a relief to them all. Rikku smiled warmly at the group, the grin fading as Wakka glared at her. "Hey guys! Where's Yunie?"
Tidus scratched the back of his head. "Gone."
Lulu laughed bitterly. "Gone…some Guardian I am."
Lesca shook her head. "This isn't anyone's fault, Lu. We'll find her; it'll just take a bit of time and some teamwork. Isn't that right, Wakka?"
"What you asking me for?" He asked, crossing his arms defensively.
Lesca looked at Rikku who nodded and started to speak hesitantly. "Umm…there's something I wanna tell you guys, but promise not to say anything."
Wakka barely contained his snarl, a discreet kick from Lesca making sure he kept his mouth shut. Rikku continued, flustered. "No glaring either! I know where we are. We're on Bikanel Island. There's a place us Al Bhed call Home near here. Yunie's there, I'm sure of it! Other Al Bhed must've come and rescued her!"
The red haired blitzer snorted derisively. "Rescued? You mean kidnapped!"
Tidus rolled his eyes. "As long as she's safe what does it matter?"
Rikku nodded enthusiastically. "That's right! Anyway, I'll take you there if you promise…you won't tell anyone about it. Especially not Yevonite's, ok? You know they don't like us Al Bhed. Who knows what they'll do if they knew?"
Wakka's lip curl into a sneer. "Gimme a break. What are you accusing Yevon of this time?"
Lesca stepped between the two before a fight could erupt. "Leave it. Rikku, lead the way."
The Al Bhed nodded and skipped merrily in front of the group to lead them to Home. As she walked over the final dune that separated them from the Al Bhed's sanctuary she sank to her knee's with a scream. Lesca and Auron ran up to her, both looking down in horror at the destruction of Home as it unfolded before them. Auron watched as his wife froze with her arms around the younger girl, staring with glazed eyes at the massacre of her people. Her lips moved ever so slightly, unable to say the word aloud. No...
The cousins got to their feet slowly, as if the body was rebelling against the mind's wishes. Rikku was first to regain use of her faculties as she ran toward the carnage, disappearing into a wall of sand, Lesca soon following her. The others followed, gasping as the full scale of the genocide dawned on them. The young Al Bhed was weeping softly in her cousin's arms, clutching the still warm hand of an Al Bhed boy to her heart. "Keyakku...he, oh Lesca!"
Lesca rocked her, crooning softly to try and ease the pain. "I know, I know. Rikku we can't stay here. Say your goodbye's to him, sweetie. We need to leave."
She stood, leaving her young cousin to deal with the raw grief. Looking up from dusting herself off, she reeled as she met her uncle's astonished gaze. They stared at one another in silence before he whispered raggedly, "Lesca?"
She nodded, the words caught in her throat. Cid shook his head, trying to ascertain whether the reappearance of his niece was a dream. He reached out tentatively to her face, recoiling in shock when he felt the skin warmed by the Bikanel sunshine beneath his fingers. The Al Bhed let out a strangled cry before embracing the woman tightly, his mind trying to work through the strange event. He looked at her once more, shaking his head in disbelief. "But you died. I watched you die, Lesca."
She lowered her eyes. "Later, I'll explain later. Who's doing this to us?"
He spat on the ground as he said the name with venom. "The Guado."
Her eyes widened, further questioning interrupted by the timely arrival of her companions. Cid looked up, noting Rikku and the fallen Keyakku. He took the boys pulse and shook his head before addressing the crew. "You Rikku's friends? Well, don't just stand there, c'mon! Let's kick those damn Guado out of our Home!"
~*~*~
Auron clutched Lesca to him protectively as Tidus ranted at them all, cursing them for allowing Yuna to journey to inevitable death. The woman cringed as he turned to her, eyes blazing with fury. "And you! You're her goddamn sister! What kind of a person are you that you'll let her die?"
Where the others had backed down meekly, stating that Yuna had chosen her path and her death was the only way to save Spira from it's twisted death spiral, Lesca held her ground. "She's not going to die, I won't allow it. Why do you think I'm here? I may journey as her Guardian, but...I am her sister first, her friend second. Guardian is at the bottom of my list. There is another way; Sin can be defeated once and for all. We just need to find that way. She's strong where I wasn't, she can learn from my mistakes. Together, all of us...we'll make sure she's the first High Summoner to live to see her statue."
Tidus nodded. "We'll think of something."
"I know it."
Cid's voice boomed over the tannoy, announcing in Al Bhed that he was going to raze Home, destroying the sanctuary of the Al Bhed and the Guado and fiends that had desecrated it. Rikku started to lead them to the airship, pausing and staring at Lesca in confusion as her cousin ran in the opposite direction. "Frana yna oui kuehk?" (Where are you going?)
"E mavd cusadrehk pareht; E lyh'd mad ed pa tacdnuoat! E'mm lydlr ib fedr oui!" (I left something behind; I can't let it be destroyed! I'll catch up with you!) She called over her shoulder.
Lesca ran through the disintegrating corridors, dodging pieces of falling masonry and shards of glass. Six years hadn't dulled her memory; the visits to this place had been too frequent and too painful that the path was etched permanently into her mind. The door was partially blocked by a fallen beam and she wriggled into the small gap between floor and wood, breathing a sigh of relief when her scans of the room revealed that the object was intact. She wrenched at the wall, pulling the thing loose from its casing after a struggle. She tucked it into her pouch safely, turning to leave until a child's stuffed chocobo toy caught her eye. Boko...Aleron's favourite playmate. She snatched it up before heading back the way she came, the toy clutched in her arms as she collided with Auron.
He raised an eyebrow. "Tell me you didn't risk your life to go back for a stuffed bird."
"I didn't risk my life for a stuffed bird. There was something else; I'll show you when we're out of here. This place'll be nothing but rubble in a few minutes. Move!" She grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the airship, the doors slamming shut behind them as they entered. She grinned, wilting with relief as the rumble of the engines signified their ascent to the skies. "That was a rush, huh?"
He shook his head, rolling his eyes at her as they stepped onto the bridge. They watched, mesmerised at the sky came rushing up to meet them, the clear blues a welcome change from the crimson, blood stained Home. Lesca left her husband's side to stand by Cid and Rikku, cringing as he gave the order to destroy their Home. "Ech'd drana yhudran fyo?" (Isn't there another way?)
Cid shook his sadly and gave the final command to obliterate Home. Rikku watched dully as the missiles shattered her birthplace, her only reaction the tightening grip on her father's hand. Her cousin turned away, unable to watch the decimated building as it returned to the sand it had been born from. She caught the tail end of a conversation between Wakka and Rikku and shook her head; the blitzer's insensitivity never ceasing to amaze her.
"Boom! Like happy festival fireworks, ya?"
Her mouth turned upwards slightly as grief loosened Rikku's tongue. "You can cram your happy festival you big meanie!"
She walked slowly and deliberately from the bridge toward one of the cabins, the calls of her comrades falling on deaf ears. As she passed Auron he reached out to her. She kept walking, ignoring the comfort his touch could bring. She wanted to feel this pain and then obliterate it. She snatched the tokkuri from his hip deftly and sauntered past, smirking at the surprise in his eye. Boko in one hand, jug in the other, she locked the door and leaned against the wall, her irrational mind working out a solution to the grief. She was going to get drunk. She laughed slightly at the thought as she swigged deeply from the earthenware container. Lesca decided to go past the point of drunkenness into total inebriation. Where life tried to make her feel this pain, she would block it out with man's anaesthetic for the soul. She tilted back her head and let the rice wine trickle down her gullet. She didn't want to remember. She only hoped this would go someway toward helping with that wish.
~*~*~
To her surprise it was Wakka who knocked timidly on the door, stepping back unconsciously when she answered with a big grin and a stuffed chocobo under her arm. She grinned lopsidedly and moved back into the cabin, gesturing for him to follow her. He noted the sake jug sitting by the bedside and made a surreptitious attempt to confiscate it. Anger flashed in her eyes and he replaced it, scratching the back of his head. "Look, Lesca. I'm sorry, ya? I was outta line."
She blinked slowly as she tried to understand the words, taking another drink from the jug to see if it helped her comprehension. It didn't. She giggled at her attempt to stop the words from slurring. "Haveya told Rikky? Rikku. Damn." She shook her head, giggling again.
He nodded and began to back away. "Yeah...listen, I'll just go get Sir Auron and tell him you're up here, ok?"
She caught his arm, looking into his eyes earnestly. "Wakka?" She strayed from her train of thought, squinting as she studied his face. "You have nice eyes, y'know? They're kinda like Auron's 'cept he's nicer. I would say that though, huh?" She chuckled. "You like Lulu, right?"
The man nodded, intrigued and frightened all at once as she continued in a stage whisper. "I think she likes you, too! She just doesn't know how to show it yet. Can see why, you're kinda pretty even for a dumbass." She snapped her fingers. "Oh yeah! Wakka, look. I don't mean to be horribuble. Horrible. Yeah. I don't mean to be that, but you've been an asshole. Me and Yuna? We're half Al Bhed. Those things you said, they really hurt, y'know?"
Her face crumpled. "You hate us for no reason other than because Yevon told you to. Chappu's death was just a handy excuse. I just watched my Home be destroyed by those fucking Yevonite bastards! We Al Bhed, we don't want to fight, you see? We were scattered all around the globe; Home was our chance to be together and happy. And now it's gone. We have to fight now, cause if we don't...we'll die. There's no profit to be made from peace, if we stopped fighting there would be a worse massacre than there was today. We may be peaceful but we're not fucking stupid." She frowned. "I know I'm drunk, but am I making any sense to you at all?"
He didn't respond, instead he drew her close. They stood there, the mutual embrace more than a confirmation of friendship. It was an understanding born from unnecessary conflict and death. Wakka frowned slightly at a tickle on his shoulder, shifting his eyes to find Boko sitting there. Lesca moved the toy, giggling at the perplexed look on Wakka's face. He grinned, disengaging himself from the embrace and the chocobo's attention. "I'll go get Sir Auron. Your friend scares me."
~*~*~
Auron sighed as he entered the room, noting the now empty tokkuri on the floor. Lesca hid her face behind Boko, making the toy nod its head in greeting. He pushed it away gently and looked into her eyes, her face the picture of innocence. "You're not as good at that as Lulu. And you owe me for what you drank." He held the jug upside down, not one drop spilling out. "Make that demolished."
She smiled lazily. "Sorry."
"No you're not. But you will be when the hangover kicks in."
She stuck her tongue out and inhaled the scent of the chocobo as she snuggled into his side. He prodded at the dog-eared animal. "What's this for?"
"It's Aleron's. His name is Boko." She replied simply.
Auron took the bird from her, rubbing it to his cheek. The faint smell of summer and hot, sunny days at the beach drifted up to meet him, intermingled with the indescribable scent only children possess. "So this was his...my son's. This is all we have left of him."
She shook her head, producing the spoils of her earlier scavenging mission. He ran a hand over the cool metal, choking at the words. Lesca pointed at the lettering, explaining to him. "It's his. So he would never be forgotten. I had to save it. I picked the words myself."
He held her close, allowing the tears to slip unfettered down his cheek. "It's perfect." He whispered. "Perfect."
Aleron, son of Auron and Lesca. Rest amongst the stars our angel. Our light of hope that burned so brightly has been extinguished too soon.
Thanks: The Angel of the Lion, The Great Skippy, yunalesca78, Pierson and Refugee.
Aw, sad ending for this chapter. :( I know this never shows on the first page of ff.net even when it's been updated, ao if anyone wants an email to tell you when it's been updated, tell me in your review.
