*****Standard Disclaimer. I do not own FFX or the characters in it. They are owned by Square-Enix. I do own this story, and my original characters. The title of this chapter is from a song written by Marty Balin and performed by Jefferson Starship. I never remember this song by the title, only by the first lines, which are: "If only you believe like I believe, we'll get by. If only you believe in miracles, so will I."******
"I do not understand. Why would the fayth do this?" Auron was clearly puzzled by her answer.
"I asked her that. Shiva. She told me that when you were here ten years ago, you were the first person to ever suggest that there might be another way. You, and Jecht. The fayth watched you; she said they watch in the Dome. The fayth are tired. They want the dreaming to end. For the first time in a thousand years, you gave them hope that there might be a way. Then, when you kept your promise to Jecht and went to the dream city, they saw that you would keep your word…that you would really try to find another way, even if you didn't succeed. They wanted to do something for you, if they could. For both of you really, but they can't help Jecht as long as he is Sin. They thought they could help you. So, when you came to the dream Zanarkand, they watched you carefully, and tried to figure out what they could do for you." She stopped speaking for a moment, then her expression turned slightly self-mocking. "Apparently, they decided that I might be the answer to your prayers, even if you didn't know it." She couldn't help but laugh, even if part of the joke was on her. She raised her hand to caress his face, to trace his lips with her fingers. He kissed her palm. They held each other close, reading each other's expressions by the light of the moon, and the stars.
"I didn't know, but you were," he said quietly. "I was not…praying at all. I had no such intentions." He paused, then continued. "Did the fayth say why they chose you?"
"Of course I asked. You know how curious I am. But Shiva just smiled mysteriously and said that they thought we would suit each other, and that events had proved them right. But I think…" she stopped.
"What do you think?" he asked cautiously.
"I think that maybe it had something to do with the fact that I would be predisposed to believe you, since my parents had been killed by your Sin, or because, in my own way, I was as wounded inside as you were, so I wasn't looking either, or because they thought I would be strong-minded enough to make this little…journey of theirs, if we made it this far, or maybe, just maybe, they figured that I was stubborn enough to put up with you!" She was laughing softly as the expression on his face changed from seriousness to outrage. Then his lips quirked up in an answering smile of his own, and he started to chuckle, too. She loved the rumbling feel of it, deep in his chest as he pressed her body against his.
He drew his head back to look at her again. There was still one more thing he needed to know. "Why did they make it so difficult? Why all the trials? Was there no other way?"
"I didn't have time to ask her that. The storm was right there. I thought that you would know. Isn't that how the fayth work? I mean here, in Spira. Didn't you tell me that there was always a Chamber of Trials or a Cloister of Trials or something like that?"
"Yes."
"Even the ones that don't, like Yojimbo and the Magus Sisters. You told me that with Yojimbo, the better you answer his questions, the less you have to pay him, and finding and fighting your way through the Cavern where he is hidden isn't exactly a walk in the park, either. That's the trial, isn't it?
"One could say that."
"Isn't there a summoner that has to be defeated, several times, and a lost temple that has to be found, to get the Sisters? There is a trial, there, too, it just isn't a traditional one."
"Go on."
"I think that the tests they made us go through, maybe partly it was just that people don't value things that come too easily, maybe partly they wanted to see if we were ready, and mostly because they just don't know how to work any other way. I don't know if they can give anyone anything for free, not even if they want to. So they didn't."
"I see your point," he finally said. He was not certain he agreed with her, not fully, but he did appreciate her reasoning.
But not nearly as much as he appreciated the feel of her fingers running down his back, or her breasts against his chest, her hips cradling him. Her eyes met his, and her lips curved up in a very wicked smile. She threw her leg over his hip, and he let her roll him onto his back. As she rose above him in the moonlight, she whispered, "I just thought of something. I bet I don't need any more sleep than you do, now." His answering grin held equal delight, as she lowered herself onto him.
Much later, they lay together in a tumbled heap of blankets. Her head was pillowed in the hollow of his shoulder, as he held her pressed against his side. She spoke sleepily, almost as though she were speaking her thoughts aloud. "For whatever reason, in whatever method or manner they chose to make this possible, the fayth gave us a great gift. Whatever we do, whatever happens, we shouldn't waste it." As he drifted into the first peaceful sleep he had known since they had been apart, he was certain that she was right. A gift of the fayth. One he did not deserve, but no longer had the will to refuse. Even he was not that big a fool. He loved her far too much to let her go, especially not while she slept in his arms.
She didn't need any more sleep than he did, which was all for the best, as they actually slept little. They woke in the pre-dawn dimness, spooned close out of a need to reassure themselves, or each other, even in sleep, that they were truly together. A second gift, as precious as the first. Possibly more, as now they knew what they had found, what they would have lost.
Mercy had a lot of memories of mornings like this, all good ones. She didn't want to get up, but thought they probably ought to. "Shouldn't we be getting up about now?" she murmured, as she cuddled closer, her actions in direct conflict with her words. His breath was warm against her neck as he replied with a husky note to his voice, "Lady, I am up." She could hear the smile in his voice, as his lips trailed along her shoulder. His arousal was obvious. She pressed her derriere firmly against the…obvious, and wound her arm back around his neck, tilting her head to kiss him. "Do we have time?" she asked.
Auron knew they didn't really have time, but they would be going into battle today, either with Sin, or maybe, if Yuna chose correctly, with Yunalesca. One, or both of them, might not survive. No one knew what the Farplane was like for those who were sent. There might not be another chance. This time, Tidus could cover for him, he thought with some amusement.
He didn't answer her; he just turned her onto her back with practiced hands, and slid inside her with one smooth motion. Her legs clasped around his waist. They brought the dawn.
Later, as they packed up their little camp, Mercy watched him don what she was already beginning to think of as his impassive 'Sir Auron' mask, along with his armor. She did not care for it, but understood that it was necessary for him. It all depended on Yuna now. If she chose the traditional path, this would not matter. Auron would not interfere, neither would she. Or the fayths. If Yuna found a new road, there would be other possibilities. For all of them, but for Spira, most of all.
Back at the main camp, Yuna announced, "I wish to make Lady Mercy one of my guardians."
Tidus jumped on the idea. "That's way cool. I can't wait until you ask her."
Lulu was sarcastic. "I'm not certain that is a good idea. She has already proven to be a…distraction for Sir Auron. He is rather late this morning. He may feel the need to protect her, rather than his summoner. What then?"
"But Lu, what are we supposed to do, just leave her here?" Wakka couldn't believe that even Lulu could be that cold.
Tidus was dismissive. "Don't worry, no one will have to protect Mercy. She can protect herself. No problem. She's been here the whole time we've been journeying, remember?"
Lulu countered, "Then it shouldn't be a problem to leave her here while we visit Lady Yunalesca. There is no need to make her a guardian."
Rikku turned on Lulu, "That's so unfair. You think he's going to leave her out here and not be distracted, worrying about her?"
"That is enough." Yuna's words dropped into the sudden silence. "It is my decision, and it is what I wish. It is…the right thing to do. For Sir Auron."
Kimahri's sharp hearing caught the sounds before the others. "They return."
They had stopped, just before they became visible around the side of the hill. "Mercy," he whispered, low, urgent, and caught her hand. She turned her face to meet his. His mask had dropped, and she saw his love for her written clearly across his features. Her expression softened, as he brought her close for one last, hard kiss. "My lady, I love you."
"I love you, too," she replied, her hand on his cheek. "I love you, too."
He released her, and she saw his mask slip back into place. They walked around the final bend, and faced the rest of the party, waiting expectantly for their arrival.
Yuna stepped forward, and bowed respectfully to Mercy. "Lady Mercy, I would like to request that you become one of my guardians. Do you accept?" The younger woman stood, her hands twisted together in a way that betrayed her nervous anticipation.
"Yuna, I would be honored to accept, but I have one condition."
"Anything you wish," the younger woman said anxiously.
"Please, just call me Mercy, all of you. I have never claimed to be a lady." She caught her husband's eye as she made this statement, and saw a smile in his eye, if not on his face. Masks have holes, she thought to herself.
"We will," Yuna promised.
"Then I accept," Mercy responded, and took the younger woman's hands in hers. "I promise I will guard you faithfully, and well." The two women solemnly looked into each other's eyes for a long moment, the shaky beginnings of a bond forming between them.
Everyone else had already eaten; so Mercy and Auron were forced to grab something they could consume on the road. Trail rations, again, Mercy noted disparagingly, as she ate. The first fiends they encountered were Ahrimans and Grendels, not serious challenges, although Mercy proved that she was as adept with her swords as any of the other fighters in the party were with their particular weapons. When the first Behemoth challenged them, Tidus thought it was time to let Lulu see Mercy fight with Auron alone.
Whatever Lulu's objections, one demonstration would take care of quite a few, he thought. He'd watched once, when he was a kid, from outside the windows of Auron's dojo, when one of Auron's classes had gotten out of hand. It had been a class of seniors, 17 and 18 year olds, big guys, some Auron's size, and it was spring and they didn't want to be there. More than a dozen of them, and they decided to all take him on at once. Mercy was in the room, warming up, she just watched, he remembered, until one student got the bright idea to get on a bench and pull one of the swords off the wall. Mercy tackled that one and brought him down. Some of his buddies went after her, and there was no help for it, after that. She and Auron had fought towards each other, and then back-to-back, covering for each other, until the class was on the floor. She said later that she would have stayed out of it, until that idiot went for the blade. Once one did, the rest would, then Auron would have had to, then there would probably have been blood on the floor, and Auron would have been held responsible.
Tidus told the others to, "Just watch," as the two older guardians faced the Behemoth. Yuna took up a position where she could heal them, if necessary, but Tidus didn't think the Behemoth was going to get much of a chance.
They had fought like this so often, that they didn't even need to look to know where the other was. They had complete trust in each other, to the point where Auron trusted Mercy to cover his blind side in a fight without question or hesitation. He knew she would be where he needed her to be, and she knew the same about him. The Behemoth got in one swipe, but Mercy dodged, and it didn't last long enough for a second try. The others watched in admiration, or, on Lulu's part, silence.
The party had to fight their way through the ruined streets of what had once been Zanarkand. When they stopped for a moment to rest, they looked into the distance. Many, many pyreflies were gathered. Wakka commented, "Looks like the Farplane."
Auron replied laconically, "Close enough."
When they finally reached the entrance to what had once been the Blitzball stadium, an old man in priestly robes greeted them. "Journeyer of the long road, name yourself."
"I am the summoner Yuna. I have come from the island of Besaid," Yuna replied.
The old man approached Yuna closely. "Your eyes, my dear. Show me the long road you have traveled…Very good…You have journeyed well…Lady Yunalesca will surely welcome your arrival…Go to her now, and bring your guardians with you. Go."
They entered the Dome, and saw the shades of two young women, Lady Yocun, and her guardian. Auron finally revealed that because the dome was filled with pyreflies, it was like one gigantic sphere. "People's thoughts remain here. Forever," he said. Mercy knew that meant that his thoughts were here; she would see when he was here before. They would all see.
They were overtaken by the ghostly figures of three men running past them. Mercy recognized Jecht first; his face and form had been splashed over too many sphere screens for too many years in her Zanarkand. That meant that the gentle-faced man with the odd headdress was Braska, and Auron…had been very young, ten years ago. And more unsure of himself than he had probably been willing to reveal to his companions.
As they traversed the corridor leading to the Trials, they explored the niches along the corridor. In one, they discovered what appeared to be the shards of two swords, or at least, two hilts, two tangs, and the remains of two broken weapons. Mercy wasn't quite sure why, but she scooped up the remains of the old blades and added them to her pack. Then they faced the Trials, as Braska and his guardians had ten years previously, and passed through. Instead of reaching the chamber of the fayth, they were met by a battle with a fearsome monster, one who guarded the passage to the fayth. Only by defeating the spectral keeper was Yuna able to reach the Chamber of the Fayth. She descended to the Chamber, and returned immediately. Jecht's ghost shouted, "What do you mean, no Final Aeon?" as Yuna hurried them all onto the platform to descend with her to the Chamber.
Yuna knelt at the base of the statue, examining it carefully. The others arrayed themselves around the edge, watching her. "This isn't a fayth," she pronounced at last. "It's just an empty statue."
The old priest appeared behind Yuna.
"That statue lost its power as a fayth long ago," he intoned. "It is Lord Zaon, the first fayth of the Final Summoning. What you see before you is all that remains of him. Lord Zaon is... his soul is gone."
Wakka was incredulous. "Gone!?" he cried.
Rikku was even more disbelieving. "You mean, there is no Final Aeon?"
The old priest responded placidly to their outbursts, "But fear not. Lady Yunalesca will show you the path. The Final Aeon will be yours. The summoner and the Final Aeon will join powers. Go to her now. Inside, the lady awaits."
He performed the prayer gesture, then vanished in a cloud of pyreflies. Yuna walked toward where the wall used to be, to the barrier of blue energy that had appeared in its place.
Tidus called out, "Yuna, wait!" then he turned to the older man. "Auron, you knew this was going to happen, didn't you?"
Auron replied, "Yes."
Rikku burst out, "Why didn't you tell us!?"
Auron was as impassive as ever. "If I had told you the truth, would that really have stopped you from coming?"
Kimahri addressed himself to Yuna's back, as she had already turned toward the shining doorway. He just said her name, nothing more.
Yuna responded to what she perceived as an unspoken question. "I'm not going back."
Kimahri knew his summoner too well. "Kimahri knows. Kimahri goes first. Yuna is safe. Kimahri protect." Auron chose well, Mercy thought, Kimahri loves her as if she were his own daughter.
Mercy looked on as the scene unfolded. They all trusted Auron, and now they seemed to feel that he had betrayed that trust. But she knew he had been right. They would still have come. She watched in silence as Kimahri walked through the blue doorway first, followed by Yuna, then Auron. Mercy followed her husband, and heard the others' footsteps behind her.
The party entered a large chamber, and found themselves facing a grand staircase. Auron and Mercy remained near the exit, while the others moved forward, Yuna leading, Kimahri faithfully guarding her. An amazingly regal looking woman, considering how little she was wearing, emerged at the top of the stairs. "Lady Yunalesca," Yuna announced with reverence.
Yunalesca addressed herself to her namesake with the prayer gesture. "Welcome to Zanarkand. I congratulate you, summoner. You have completed your pilgrimage. I will now bestow you with that which you seek. The Final Summoning...will be yours. Now, choose." She walked down the stairs, and swept her arm out in a gesture to indicate the members of Yuna's party. "You must choose the one whom I will change...to become the fayth of the Final Summoning." The entire party gasped in complete astonishment, except Auron and Mercy, standing silently together in the back of the room.
Yunalesca continued, undeterred by the brief interruption. "There must be a bond, between chosen and summoner, for that is what the Final Summoning embodies: the bond between husband and wife, mother and child, or between friends. If that bond is strong enough, its light will conquer Sin. A thousand years ago, I chose my husband Zaon as my fayth. Our bond was true, and I obtained the Final Aeon." Yunalesca went on, a note of pity in her voice. "There is nothing to fear. You will soon be freed of worry and pain. For once you call forth the Final Aeon, your life will end. Death is the ultimate and final liberation. Your father, Braska, chose this path."
As the lady walked away, she was replaced by the images of Braska, Jecht, and the young Auron, and the party watched the three men discuss the same decision that they now faced. Mercy looked at the replay of their memory in pain and in wonder. It was the beginning of it all, she thought. Because of this, and what came after, we are all standing here now. Braska's daughter, and her friends, Jecht's son, Auron, and I. Because of this.
"It is not too late! Let us turn back!" the young Auron cried.
"If I turn back, who will defeat Sin? Would you have some other summoner and his guardians go through this?" Braska asked patiently.
"But...my lord, there must be another way!" Auron had been pleading.
Jecht broke in, his voice a combination of resignation and conviction. "This is the only way we got now! Fine. Make me the fayth. I been doing some thinking. My dream is back in the other Zanarkand. I wanted to make that runt into a star blitz player. Show him the view from the top, you know. But now I know there's no way home for me. I'm never going to see him again. My dream's never gonna come true. So make me the fayth. I'll fight Sin with you, Braska. Then maybe my life will have meaning, you know."
Auron still pleading, now turned to the other man, "Don't do this, Jecht! If you live...there may be another way! We'll think of something, I know!"
Jecht's voice held only conviction now. "Believe me, I thought this through. Besides...I ain't gettin' any younger, so I might as well make myself useful."
Braska walked up to face the blitzer, and just said his name.
"What! You're not gonna try to stop me, too?" Jecht replied, in his usual brash tones.
"Sorry. I mean...thank you." Braska said quietly, overcome with gratitude.
Jecht briefly placed his hands on Braska's shoulders in a gesture of solidarity, or possibly, reassurance. Then he turned to Auron. "Braska still has to fight Sin, Auron. Guard him well. Make sure he gets there." He turned back to Braska. "Well, let's go." And Braska and Jecht began to walk away.
Auron tried one last time, "Lord Braska! Jecht!"
Jecht answered impatiently, "What do you want now?"
Auron practically shouted his final argument. "Sin always comes back. It comes back after the Calm every time! The cycle will continue and your deaths will mean nothing!"
Braska responded in his usual patient manner. "But there's always a chance it won't come back this time. It's worth trying."
Jecht sounded so sure of himself. "I understand what you're saying, Auron. I'll find a way to break the cycle."
Auron wanted to believe so badly; it was plain on his face. "You have a plan?"
"Jecht?" Braska asked.
But Jecht was just being cocky. "Trust me, I'll think of something." Then he laughed.
Auron's ghost fell to his knees in grief, and despair. Mercy felt the man beside her stir, and tried to catch his arm as he moved, but was unable to stop him. She watched as he tried to expiate his guilt and his pain, by slicing at the ghostly figure of his younger self.
Yunalesca had spoken of bonds, Mercy reflected. They were bound, the ten of them, those present to those in the past who had brought them here. Braska; whose love for his wife and desire for revenge had outweighed his love for his daughter, who had ultimately set them all on this road, and whose love for Spira had made him take his last, fateful step. Jecht; whose love for Braska had caused him to sacrifice himself for his friend's beliefs, whose faith in his own infallibility led him to think he could find a solution to Spira's dance of death from within, whose love for his son sent Auron back to her, and which may have allowed that solution to be found by bringing his son to this place. Yuna; who became a summoner out of love for the people of Spira, and for her father, but whose love for Tidus had caused her to question the truths she had accepted all her life, who might ask the last, crucial question. Wakka, Lulu, Kimahri, Rikku; all here out of love for Yuna, all save Rikku offering to become the fayth, Wakka and Lulu in words, Kimahri in his ever eloquent silence. Tidus; bound to the past and to the present. He loved his father, and he hated him. Who was to say which was the stronger bond? He loved both her and Auron, as a sometimes-confused mixture of friends, mentors, and parents, but love them, he did. Most of all, now, he loved Yuna, and he wanted her to live, even if he knew the price he would pay. Mercy knew that as much as she loved Tidus, the boy she had helped raise, she was here because of her love for Auron, and his for her. She had faced death to be with him, and given the choice, she would do so again. But what of him? He was the only one to stand here both times. He was bound to them all. His love for Braska, Jecht, Tidus, Yuna, herself. Respect certainly for Kimahri. He would never admit it, but a parental, or at least brotherly concern for Wakka and Rikku. As for Lulu, well, best not to go there. His sworn word as a fellow guardian, at least. Mercy thought the fayth were hoping that those bonds would prove strong enough to help light the way to a new path, so that they could rest.
She walked the length of the chamber, to Auron's side. She wished there was some comfort she could offer him, but this pain was too old and too deep, and this scene was too public. She could only stand beside him, and cover his right side in any battle they might face.
Mercy caught Auron's eye, and he shook his head minutely. This was not the time, not yet. It was still the others' decision. Yuna's decision. Mercy knew they should break the cycle. Not just for Yuna's sake, but for all of Spira's. But this was not her world. She could only speak after the choice had been made. When the decision was made to ask Yunalesca, Mercy began to hope. She and Auron exchanged a glance as they went last through the door at the top of the stairs, and one word. "Maybe."
The stairs led them to a stone platform containing a large stone circle, under the night sky and the stars. Yunalesca appeared opposite them on the platform.
"Have you chosen the one to become your fayth?" Yunalesca asked eagerly. "Who will it be?"
"Might I ask something first?" Yuna questioned her in return. "Will Sin come back, even should I use the Final Summoning to defeat it?"
Yunalesca spoke as she would to a child. "Sin is eternal. Every aeon that defeats it becomes Sin in its place. And thus is Sin reborn."
Tidus muttered under his breath, "So that's why Jecht became Sin."
Yunalesca continued, "Sin is an inevitable part of Spira's destiny. It is never ending."
Wakka burst out, "Never ending? But…but…if we atone for our crimes, Sin will stop coming back, ya? Someday, it'll be gone, ya?"
Poor Wakka, Mercy thought. He was a true believer. Would it crush him, or make him stronger? She only knew Braska from Auron's memories, and his daughter not at all, but if Yuna had any of her father in her, then all of her guardians would rise to the occasion. Mercy crossed her fingers behind her back.
"Will humanity ever attain such purity?" Yunalesca asked, more than a hint of condescension in her tone.
Lulu strode forward in righteous indignation. "This…this cannot be! The teachings state that we can exorcise Sin with complete atonement! It's been our only hope all these years!"
So Lulu's cool exterior concealed a believer as well, Mercy noted in surprise.
"Hope is…comforting. It allows us to accept fate, however tragic it might be." Yunalesca continued to treat them as though they were children.
Two young, male voices cried, "No!" simultaneously, Tidus' and Auron's, ten years ago, both rushing forward, swords drawn. They all watched as Auron's earlier incarnation confronted Yunalesca alone. Mercy braced herself for what she knew was coming.
In his rage, and his grief, the younger Auron shouted, "Where is the sense in all this? Braska believed in Yevon's teachings and died for them! Jecht believed in Braska and gave his life for him!"
In the past, Yunalesca replied patiently, "They chose to die…because they had hope."
The ghostly Auron charged at her, and she hit him with a powerful blast. He went flying backwards through the air and landed, silently, his sword stabbing the ground.
Mercy winced in pained empathy. It tore her up inside, watching him fall. But seeing it, she was astounded that he had survived long enough to crawl over the mountain to meet Kimahri.
In the present, Yunalesca began the lesson again, as she advanced the last few steps to confront them. "Yevon's teachings and the Final Summoning give the people of Spira hope. Without hope, they would drown in their sorrow. Now, choose. Who will be your fayth? Who will be the one to renew Spira's hope?"
In the silence, Mercy found herself wishing that she believed in some kind of a Supreme Being, so that she could pray right now. She didn't, so she would have to settle for hope. She hoped, with all her heart, that Yuna would make the right choice, the hard choice, the choice that Spira really needed. At Yuna's first words, her soul lifted.
Yuna's words rang in the quiet. "I choose…no one. I would have gladly died. I live for the people of Spira, and would have gladly died for them. But no more! The Final Summoning…is a false tradition that should be thrown away."
Yunalesca was appalled. "No. It is our only hope. Your father sacrificed himself to give that hope to the people. So they would forget sorrow."
"Wrong," Yuna began, her head bowed. "My father," her voice gained strength, and she raised her head to face the lady, "My father wanted…to make Spira's sorrow go away, not just cover it up with lies!"
Yunalesca tried to regain the upper hand. "Sorrow cannot be abolished. It is meaningless to try."
Yuna refused to yield. "My father…I loved him. So I…I will live with my sorrow, I will live my own life! I will defeat sorrow, in his place. I will stand my ground and be strong. I don't know when it will be but someday, I will conquer it. And I will do it without…false hope."
Mercy's heart filled with wonder. I'm not sure Tidus deserves her. But I think her father…would be very proud of her.
Yunalesca's voice was filled with pity. "Poor creature. You would throw away hope. Well…I will free you before you can drown in your sorrow. It is better for you to die in hope than to live in despair. Let me be your liberator."
Lady Yunalesca revealed her true form at last. She would fight them to keep the secret of the Final Summoning. She would fight them as a fiend.
Auron shouted "Now! This is it! Now is the time to choose! Die and be free of pain or live and fight your sorrow! Now is the time to shape your stories! Your fate is in your hands!
They each assumed a battle stance. The sound of swords drawing from scabbards filled the air.
Kimahri addressed Yuna, "Yuna needs Kimahri. Kimahri protect Yuna."
Rikku spoke to no one in particular, "Well, I'm fighting!"
Wakka said to Lulu, "I can't believe we're gonna fight Lady Yunalesca! Gimme a break!"
Lulu responded wryly, "You can always run."
Wakka replied, "Hah! I'd never forgive myself--no way! Not if I ran away now. Even in death, ya!"
Lulu smiled at him. "My thoughts exactly."
Mercy looked over at Auron, and said quietly, so that only he could hear, "That was quite a speech, coming from you. But I don't think our own story is done just yet, either."
She only heard a short "Hmph" in response, but she saw the corner of his mouth turn up, just a little.
Tidus called out, "Yuna! This is our story! Now let's see this thing through together!" Yuna nodded to him in reply.
The fight was long, nasty, and brutal. Yunalesca fought as a particularly hellacious fiend, not just cursing them, but also requiring them to be zombies to escape being killed, then healing them while they were zombies in order to wound them more grievously. In the end, they did conquer her, no matter how many forms she changed into, or how many spells she cast. United, they were too strong for her. In defeat, she tried one last time to convince them that the Final Aeon was Spira's only hope, but Tidus assured her that they could find Spira a new hope. As a parting shot, the witch left them a clue regarding Yu Yevon the immortal. Now as Tidus so succinctly put it, they just had to "Destroy Sin, so it won't come back, and without the Final Aeon." Except, of course, he didn't know how. None of them did. Mercy just knew that this was the path the fayth wanted them to take. And her research had told her that this was the path Spira needed them to take.
Before they left the scene of Yunalesca's defeat they found another one of those strange crests. They still had no idea what the things were for, although they had acquired several. After they moved back into the room with the grand staircase everyone else kept going, back outside the Dome, but Auron motioned Tidus to remain behind. Mercy decided to stay unless Auron asked her to leave. She thought she knew what was coming. She remembered the scene upstairs. She would have known that was a deathblow, just by watching it. Tidus probably guessed by now. Better to tell him, she reasoned.
"There is something you should know." Auron said to the young man.
"I know...it's about you, right?" Tidus replied
"I am also an unsent. "You are not surprised?"
"I think I kinda knew. It was Yunalesca, wasn't it?"
Auron forced the words out. "When Braska and Jecht died defeating Sin...I just couldn't accept it. I came back here...tried to avenge them. But she struck me down. Somehow I made my way, crawling, down Mount Gagazet. But my strength left me just outside Bevelle. That's where Kimahri found me. I told him about Yuna... just before I died. I've been wandering ever since, never going to the Farplane.
Tidus flinched in memory of the encounter he had witnessed. "Auron..."
"Don't make that face. Being dead has its advantages." Auron smiled at Mercy, standing next to Tidus now. No masks were necessary when the three of them were alone together. "I was able to ride Sin and go to your Zanarkand."
"And you've been watching over me since then, haven't you? Why?" he demanded. "What's the big idea? Why me?"
"It is one of those things that is difficult to explain. Very well, I will show you," Auron replied in resignation, then he walked to the center of the chamber. "My memories," he stated, and knelt with his back to them. As pyreflies escaped from his body, Tidus and Mercy saw Jecht and Braska in the same room, through his eyes, ten years ago
Jecht seemed almost embarrassed as he asked, "Can I ask you one last favor? Uh...Nah. Never mind."
"Out with it!" Auron demanded impatiently.
Jecht responded with more of his old confidence. "Okay. Listen good. Take care of my son. My son, in Zanarkand. He's such a crybaby. He needs someone there to hold his hand, see? Take care of him, will you?"
Auron was incredulous. "But how am I supposed to go to Zanarkand?"
Jecht threw Auron's words back at him with a barking laugh. "Hey! You said it yourself! There must be a way to get there, right? You'll find it."
"All right, I will! I give you my word. I'll take care of your son. I'll guard him with my life." Auron gave Jecht his word. He would keep it, no matter what.
Jecht was serious for just a moment. "Thanks, Auron." But he returned to his usual mocking tones almost instantly. "You were always such a stiff, but that's what I liked about ya."
Mercy looked from one to the other. He gave his word, and he kept it, with no idea what in the hell he was letting himself in for. And here we are. Now that we've just thrown all their "teachings" out the window, I wonder what happens next?
They left the Dome together, only to find Sin waiting outside, staring at Tidus, and keening. Tidus stared back, intently, as though he were communing with it, somehow.
Sin turned, and ambled off into the path of the setting sun. As they all watched, the Airship passed beside Sin, then floated over the party, and began to lower itself. Mercy turned to Rikku. "Is that your Dad's airship?"
"Yup!"
"I haven't had a hot bath in ages. Please tell me…"
"You bet!"
"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Mercy exclaimed. They looked at each other. They had met Yunalesca, and they were all, all, still alive. Whatever was going to come, they would face it, together. Tidus reached for Yuna's hand. Auron and Mercy just stared into each other's faces. This was borrowed time, but it was still sweet. Rikku looked at everyone. They were all dirty, grimy, bruised and sweat-stained. She wrinkled her nose, then sniffed. "Phew, we could all sure use a bath." She started to giggle. Lulu immediately said, "Speak for yourself," in her usual, cool tones. Wakka, less sure of himself, tried to sniff discreetly at his armpits, a completely impossible task. Lulu slapped his arm down in disgust. Tidus started laughing. Auron snorted, "Hmph," at no one in particular, but then realized that he agreed completely with the young Al Bhed, he wanted to wash the dust of this place off as quickly as possible. He began to chuckle softly. After the strain and tension of the last few hours, one by one, they all burst into gales of relieved laughter, as the airship claimed them.
End chapter sixteen