The Darkest Aeon

By Ninth Lady

Chapter Five: How Far Would You Go?

Third Person POV

Everyone was ready to get off the boat and cheered as Luca loomed before them. The Spiran center of Blitzball was a majestic site to see, crowds mulled around, and people of every shape, size, and culture was to be seen.

No one seemed concerned that so many cultures and races were packed together into one city. Here, everyone was there to watch the most famous sport since the dawn of time: Blitzball.

Lulu gasped at the sheer size of the crowds, never before had she seen so many people clamoring to see one sport. Well, except once...

Auron felt a wave of memories hit him as he stared at the beautiful city. It looked better than ever and he could feel the place welcoming him home.

Braska loved the sight before him: people all together with no concern of religion or stature. It was an excited peace that only one city could possibly bring.

Jecht was excited at the prospect of being by Blitzball again. He had missed the sport dearly and could not wait to see how these people played. The stadium did not match the size and strength his home stadium in Zanarkand did, but the enthusiasm was the same.

The odd group disembarked and began to walk towards the stadium.

Belgemine glared into their backs angrily. "Durin, can you believe their nerve! How can people like that expect to defeat Sin? And why would two summoners travel together? So that if one dies, the other goes on?? It doesn't make sense." Belgemine never really expected an answer, so she was shocked to receive one.

"Would you like me to investigate, Milady Summoner?"

Belgemine closed her mouth quickly and nodded, hoping her surprise did not show. While Durin was hot and good to fool around with, he wasn't all that smart. Sure, he could raise hell with that sword and protect her, but he wasn't intellectual, leaving Belgemine the usual job of informing him what to do.

"Yes Durin, I would love it if you would do that for me. Might you be able to get started right away?" Belgemine smiled sweetly.

Durin nodded. "Yes Milady, but who shall protect you while I am gone?"

Belgemine had to give him credit; he always put her safety first. She waved her hand dismissively. "Not here. There are no fiends and loads of people. I am going to make a few inquiries about accommodations near here. Besides," she grinned to herself, "I have a feeling I'm going to be seeing the Summoner Lulu pretty soon."

Laughing haughtily, Belgemine and Durin split up to do their respective tasks.

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Auron's POV

Braska raised his hand to quiet us.

"Let us meet in the stadium in about two hours. That is when the games will start, and I'm sure that all of you want to see it." He smiled thoughtfully and added, "This place is full of memories, and I want everyone to enjoy them fully."

We agreed upon the time and promised to be back in two hours. Lulu waved at me as she walked off, and I almost ran up to join her. I stopped myself at the last second. Lulu had seemed sort of quiet and preoccupied when we landed, so I let her go off alone. It didn't feel right though.

Shrugging to myself, I wandered towards the Movie and Music Hall. I passed many couples that were enjoying the ocean view, or each other. I also passed a few lonely looking people.

I had to stop kidding myself; I could not have a relationship with Lulu.

Before her and Jecht joined, it had been Braska and me. We had started this journey, knowing that if we succeeded, neither one of us would return. I was his best friend, sworn to protect him and become his Fayth, his Final Aeon.

Braska was going to die.

The doctors had no cure for his illness. They said that he had only so long to live before the mysterious ailment would consume his body.

I had refused to accept the facts. I had argued that he was a healthy man with a wife and daughter. The facts still did not change.

His wife was an Al-Behd named Alana. She promised to care for him till his dying days. Braska had then told her that he was contemplating defeating Sin and bringing the next Calm. Alana cried all night, but the next morning she told him that she would respect his decision.

Yuna took it differently though. I do not believe that she ever once considered that he might never come back. We never told her about the illness, only the pilgrimage. Fortunately, we would be stopping back there one last time.

Fate had a weird way of intertwining destiny though. The day he announced his decision to Grand Maester Mika was the day I turned down Belgemine's hand in marriage.

Before we left, Braska heard about "the mad drunk from Zanarkand," and he couldn't resist the temptation to see this man for himself. We had both been in for a surprise.

Jecht did not act like the raving lunatic he was described as. He was clueless about Yevon, Sin, and the Calm. Yet, when he spoke of Zanarkand, he described it as a bustling metropolis with bright neon lights, loud music, a nightlife, a day life, transportation, a humongous Blitzball stadium; a city of the living. He refused to believe that Zanarkand was a City of the Dead.

This strange man beguiled Braska with his firm beliefs in "his Zanarkand." He told Jecht that he would release him, so long as he agreed to become a guardian. Jecht agreed when he heard our final destination was Zanarkand.

Jecht had no clue what was in store at the end of the journey. Even now, I think we left him in the dark about the technicalities. I suppose that is best though.

Lulu is something completely different. I know she understands what will happen if we succeed. I could smack myself for letting the situation on the boat get out of hand. I had seen Belgemine, and was sure that she was following me. Now Lulu would get dragged into this too.

I had been so lost in thought that I had walked farther than I had originally intended. I looked up to see Belgemine smiling at me like the Cheshire Cat.

"Auron, how long has it been, darling?" She snuck up next to me, leaning her head on my chest.

I took a step back, ignoring her gasp of outrage. I knew something was up her sleeve, and if getting me back was her objective, I needed to be callous.

"So this is how you have become, as cold and frigid as you look. Auron, how can you do this? I thought that we had a future." She moved slightly closer and reached out to touch me. I sidestepped her outstretched hand.

"Belgemine, that was then and this is now. You need to accept these facts and move on. There are many other men who would castrate themselves with blunt knives to marry you." I sidestepped her punch and laughed slightly.

"Auron! Don't you dare laugh at me like that! And don't try to sound like my father, either. What we had was real and beautiful! You just threw it all away like it meant nothing to you. Auron, what was I to you? A way to move up the ranks quickly; an instrument to use to get close to my father? Was I just a naïve little plaything?" As she said this, she walked around, throwing her hands up for emphasis.

Narrowing her green eyes, Belgemine pointed a finger at me accusingly. "Or was it a way to maintain a good reputation for Braska? A way for you to keep him in good eyes with my father and the rest of the Maesters? Was Kinoc in on this too!?" Belgemine threw her hands down at her side, shaking her head.

Up to this point, I had not even raised an eyebrow in defense, but her comment about Braska was untrue and uncalled for!

"How dare you say that about Braska! I would n-" I cut myself off just as the thought dawned on me.

How far would I go to protect Braska?

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Lulu's POV

I had been to Luca but once in my life and I had been really young then, so I didn't remember too much about the city.

I remembered that I had been walking in between my parents, holding my mother's hand tightly so I didn't get lost, and my favorite stuffed Moogle, Momo, in the other. I remember my awe at how big the city was and the amounts of people around. We had been taking a trip around Spira because my mother had wanted to see all the sites. Happily, my father had obliged and the three of us embarked on our tour of large Spira.

Well, it had seemed really large to me. Yet at five years old, I suppose it would have to anyone that age.

So I strolled through the famed city of Blitzball for the second time in my life. Instead of holding my mother's hand and Momo, this time I was by myself, holding only Cait Sith.

Smiling sadly to myself, I turned a corner and found myself on an empty dock. Besides crates, there was no one there – or so I thought.

Cait Sith growled and I could feel that he was prepping for a Firaga spell. Calming him, I stepped forward and listened carefully.

"You stupid child! How can you expect to be worthy of Yevon's blessings if you aren't even able to perform a stupid sending? I give up! You are so pathetic!"

From behind some of the boxes stormed an angry looking woman. She was so busy being enraged that she barged past me without even stopping to yell obscenities at me. That seemed to be the usual pastime of obsessed Yevon devotees.

I waited until she had rounded the corner to check on the person at the receiving end of the abuse.

Cautiously, I peered around the corner to see a young girl of ten sitting on the edge of the dock crying. She held a staff awkwardly to her small frame, auburn hair falling over her pale face. The most disturbing thing was a dead body in a coffin that was floating on the water, tied to the dock to prevent it from floating away.

"Um, excuse me for just barging in like this, but are you all right?"

The girl jumped at the sound of my voice and turned to look at me. Except, it was a boy that looked at me.

"Are you the Angel of Death?" The boy asked shyly, looking down at his feet as he spoke.

"Umm, no."

"Are you a Summoner too?"

Well, the kid was blunt. But what to say? Fortunately for me, I did not have to answer because the boy jumped up and took both of my hands in his. I was really shocked, but the boy just closed his eyes and looked like he was concentrating on something.

Cait Sith was on the dock looking very shocked that he had just been knocked down like a mere doll. He was about to cast a spell when he just stopped and looked up at the boy carefully. Finally, Cait dropped his little paws and touched the boy's robes cautiously.

A shock went through my body as I felt the boy's White magic blending with my own Black magic.

Finally, the boy opened his eyes and looked at me directly.

"My name is Isarru."

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A/N: Oh boy, a cliffhanger of the smallest variety! Okay, I admit, I had originally intended to continue this chapter and stop a REAL cliffhanger, but the chapter was becoming rather long winded. So hopefully with the next part already formed in my mind (and on paper somewhere...) the next chappie will be up very soon!

Thanks to everyone who has reviewed and I hope that you have enjoyed this humble and rather abrupt installment. Read on!

~Ninth Lady "The Messiah of Silence"