A Fleeting Dream
By kimetara
4th In-game POV
Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own it. Haha, you can't sue me! (It'd be a waste of your time anyway, unless you want some pocket lint? Ooh, I might have a penny around here...or maybe even a dime!)
My eyes narrow in frustration. We've been in Bevelle's Cloister of Trials for nearly four hours now!
I barely restrain myself from casting Thunder on the machina. Ugh. Who would have guessed that Yevon withheld such secrets? Using machina they forbid, leading us all blindly...but I suppose it's mostly our fault for allowing ourselves to be led. The thought doesn't help my mood.
"C'mon, Lulu! Yuna's waiting!"
I stiffen, then turn my glare full on at the impatient blond. "If you have any ideas on what to do next, I'd be happy to hear it," I tell him sarcastically.
"Arrgh!" Tidus slams his fist into the wall. My anger fades; I understand quite well what he is feeling.
"I'm trying to figure this out," I sigh, turning back to the glyph we're currently floating on. "But this Cloister of Trials is the most complex I have ever seen." I raise my hand to my temple, trying to recall all the maps and possible sphere combinations we had seen and used so far.
"Hey, give her a break, ya?" Wakka claps a hand on Tidus' shoulder. "She's doing her best, and Lu's always gotten us through the temples."
Tidus pauses, then nods dejectedly. "Yeah. Sorry, Lulu."
"It's fine." I turn back to my musings, absently rubbing the Glyph sphere in my hand with my thumb. As the most knowledgeable of the group, and the best at solving puzzles and riddles, it had become habit for me to lead the way through the various trials. However, this one has me baffled. It was a feeling I disliked with a vengeance.
It was quiet for a while, as I stood there, puzzling the temple out. Other thoughts kept clouding my mind though, and feelings of irritation and frustration were ruining my concentration.
"Let's take a break." Sir Auron's baritone broke through the tense atmosphere. Well now, those are words I never thought I'd hear from his mouth.
"But we have to save Yunie!" is Rikku's protest.
"'Save'?" Sir Auron chuckles. It's a pleasing sound – not that I am one for such matters. "Don't worry. Yuna's fine. In fact, I suspect the closer we get to her, the more danger we'll all be in."
"Huh? What're you talking about?" Wakka's brows furrow in confusion.
"What he means," I explain, "is that if this is a trap, they're probably waiting for all of us to be together."
"Oh."
"Well, in that case," Rikku smiles, "let's rest! I'm tired from all this standing around."
Wakka, Kimahri, and Tidus all look at me. I can see Tidus wants to continue the search, but he doesn't wish to go against Sir Auron. Wakka and Kimahri don't seem to care either way.
I nod and sit. "I would appreciate a rest. Perhaps it would help me to think more clearly." I glance at Kimahri. It's not very well known, but I hold his opinion above all the others, except for Sir Auron of course. I believe the Ronso has a good amount of sense, more so than Tidus or Wakka at any rate.
Kimahri nods. "Kimahri think Yuna safe. No need for hurry." Satisfied I made the correct decision, I lean back against the wall and close my eyes.
Come on, think! What other combinations are there left to try? The amount of possible mixes – not including secret chambers all temples had – was enough to give me a headache.
"Don't stress yourself. It won't help."
I promptly open my eyes and look up. "Hello Sir Auron. Thank you for your concern, but it isn't necessary. I know how far to push myself," I reply quietly. I am not offended or flattered, and I do not mean to offend or flatter him.
"Just some advice." He speaks softly, but I can tell what he's thinking: he never does anything unnecessary.
"Don't take too long," he turns abruptly, "trap or no, we need to find Yuna quickly."
"I understand."
He merely nods to my reply, then starts to walk away. I call him back. "Sir Auron."
He turns around. "What?"
I pause, wondering whether I wished to be treated as a child once more, then go ahead anyway. "Maester Seymour asked once why you were still here. What did he mean?"
"You believe him?"
"Yes," I reply levelly. "He was corrupt, but not the sort to lie. He gains too much pleasure playing word games, and getting away with terrible truths."
"You're switching your verb tenses."
I blink at the abrupt subject change. "So?"
"'So?'" he mimics. Inwardly I flare with annoyance, but stay quiet. "Do you still consider Seymour to be alive?"
"As alive as you are, Sir Auron," I retort. I watch him carefully for his reaction. Consider it my way of returning the conversation to its original topic.
He doesn't react at all. "Is that so?" is his reply, before he turns back around to leave. "If my title bothers you so much," he adds over his shoulder, "then don't use it."
I watch his retreating back, as uninformed on the matter as I was before, but still feeling rather satisfied. I've found I enjoy his company; he is very soothing. Not the word one would link with Sir Auron, is it? And yet...he's so knowledgeable, and self-assured, it's impossible for me to feel nervous around him. Of course, I have never felt intimidated by Sir Auron, as Wakka is. No, he makes me feel...safe.
What am I doing? This is no time for such things. I return to puzzling over the Cloister of Trials, and save my thoughts for another day.
An hour later, we are back to exploring the temple. I had made a little headway – I now held a Destruction sphere in my hand.
We rode the pedestal aimlessly, trying new corridors to find our way through. I wonder whether Yuna is alright? I hope so. A sigh slips out.
"Something the matter, Lu?" Wakka. His Besaid accent makes it sound more like 'somethin the matta, Lu?' I hardly notice it now, though when I first moved to Besaid it was both slightly annoying and endearing. "That's the third time you've sighed in the past five minutes. You okay?"
Am I okay? "Of course," I reply. Wakka's the only one that ever asks me that. I'm not surprised. If you act as if you're strong, as if nothing bothers you, people don't tend to question it.
"Huh." The noise makes it clear he's skeptical about my reply.
"What? I'm fine," I snap. "I'm as fine as can be, considering we've been in this temple for the past five hours, Yuna's missing, and Yevon is plotting against us. And let's not forget we're most likely walking straight into a trap," I finish tersely.
I instantly regret all I said upon seeing Wakka's downcast face. "Yeah, I know what you mean," he replies heavily. "I still can't believe all the stuff's that happened lately, you know? Killing a maester, the Guado invading the Al Bhed, then a dead Seymour trying to marry Yuna?" He shakes his head in disbelief. "And the maesters using forbidden machina!"
"It's not forbidden for them." I speak quieter now, seriously, still searching for the correct slot for this Destruction sphere. "Perhaps we are not allowed to use machina, but the maesters...they get to choose at what times machina is accepted, do they not?" I think I've found the correct walkway, and I direct the pedestal to turn. "When people have power, they seek to use it."
When people have power, they seek to use it. At least that was one thing the maesters taught truly. Perhaps Sin wasn't caused by machina at all, but by powerlust. By people...like the maesters.
I had found the right path. In a few more minutes, we left Bevelle's Cloister of Trials.
AN: Hmm...I felt like just posting a lot. Not sure why. Oh well. *shrug* Reviews are appreciated!