*****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 performed by the Alan Parsons Project. The first lines are "Where do we go from here, now that all the other children have grown up, and how do we spend our time, knowing nobody gives us a damn."******
Aboard the airship, everyone stood on the bridge except Kimahri. He seemed to have already found a place inside the ship. Now that they had veered off the traditional path, no one seemed to know where to head next. The ship was moving, but the party had lost its way.
Auron tried to elicit a direction from Tidus, but the young man turned the tables on him, getting Auron to provide the opening clue. "What do we know? Sin is Jecht. Thus, you have a link, a bond with Sin. That may be our key."
"So what do we do?" Tidus asked, trying to get him to keep going.
Auron turned away from the group, and began to walk away. As he left, he almost threw the words over his shoulder. "We think, and we wait."
"Two things I'm bad at," Tidus muttered, half under his breath.
Mercy thought, you got that right, then watched in complete puzzlement as Auron faced Yuna for a moment, and then left the bridge completely, almost as though he were ceding the field. What the hell?
Yuna walked up to the captain of the airship, and bowed to him respectfully. By the time she had risen, he had turned his back on her! Yuna walked away, and off the bridge. Mercy's mind was racing. Wasn't the captain Yuna's uncle? Why did he treat her that way? Where had Auron gone, and more important, why? Mercy left the bridge in search of him, and found him in the corridor just on the other side of the door, leaning against the wall. Companionably, she leaned on the wall next to him, her shoulder brushing his.
"Would you like to tell me why you left so abruptly?"
"No," he said shortly.
"Do it anyway," she responded equably.
Just then, Tidus came through the door, and exchanged a few words with Auron, giving him a chance to examine his options. Not that he actually had any. Mercy was the one person who could demand an explanation from him...and expect to receive one.
After Tidus left the hallway, Mercy found herself studying Auron's profile, while he looked at his boots.
"Well," she prompted, pressing her shoulder into his for emphasis.
"When we were aboard this ship earlier, the Captain and I discussed Yuna's pilgrimage. The Al Bhed oppose the pilgrimages on principle, and Yuna is Cid's niece, so he was also opposed on a personal level. He planned to stop her from journeying, against her will if necessary. We...disagreed." He still seemed to find his boots rather fascinating.
"Where was Yuna when this discussion was taking place?" Mercy asked.
"She was in Bevelle, being forced to marry Seymour at gunpoint. We were on our way to rescue her."
"So you two...gentlemen...were planning to decide her fate, not only in her absence, but at a point where neither of you was in any position to carry out whatever...decision...you reached?" She rolled her eyes up to the heavens in exasperation.
"Yes."
Mercy just shook her head. Auron thought he heard her say something to herself, but he wasn't sure. She seemed to be repeating the word, "Men," over and over, in an extremely uncomplimentary tone. It also sounded like she was cursing, very softly, and with a lot of feeling.
Tidus returned, saying, "Guys, I've got it, you have to come back to the bridge so I can tell everyone," then he passed through the door. Auron looked at Mercy. "You'd better see what's going on. I'm not exactly...welcome...on the bridge," he admitted with a slight smile. She wasn't completely able to suppress an answering smile, before she turned to follow Tidus onto the airship's bridge.
Rikku, Wakka and Lulu were still jockeying for position, all eager to tell Tidus something. Lulu achieved ascendancy as the door closed behind Mercy.
"The hymn is the key," Lulu announced. Wakka moaned behind her. Clearly he had wanted to be the one to say it.
Tidus was obviously not getting it, so she continued. "Sir Jecht likes the Hymn of the Fayth, correct?"
"Yeah," Tidus agreed, but clearly, he was still puzzled.
"That's why he was listening to it in Macalania!" Rikku chimed in.
"Sin...violence incarnate, listening peacefully," Lulu continued her explanation.
"I know it's your old man, and I don't mean no disrespect, but..." Wakka broke in
"No, it's fine. I've gotten used to it." Tidus didn't mind Wakka's comment, but he was still struggling to understand what they were all trying to tell him.
Lulu saw his confusion, and tried another way, hopefully without interruptions. "Let me say it. If we attack Sin head-on, we've little chance of winning. However, if he hears the Hymn of the Fayth, he will become docile."
She almost succeeded, but she managed to get far enough, before Wakka broke in again enthusiastically. "Yeah, and that's when we make our move! Might be against the rules and all, but who's keeping track, ya? Ya?
Rikku, too, "Yeah! It could really work!"
Tidus finally understood. "Yeah... Yeah, it's worth a try! But first, we need to go to Bevelle to 'talk' to Mika." The expression on his face owed a lot to some of Kimahri's more feral expressions.
Lulu immediately asked, "Why?"
"We need to know more about this Yu Yevon character that Yunalesca mentioned. Kimahri thinks that Mika probably knows a lot. We just need to make him talk. It was Kimahri's idea, but I think it's a good one. I think we should go to Bevelle," Tidus looked at the rest of them expectantly, waiting for their answers.
Everyone nodded, so the ship's course was set for Bevelle. Mercy spoke up, directing her question to Cid. "Captain, how long until we reach our destination?"
"And just who might you be, little lady?" Cid barked at her from across the bridge. Mercy advanced toward him, with her hand outstretched, a slight smile on her face. She hoped that if she were polite, he wouldn't throw her off the bridge, along with Auron.
"Cid, isn't it?" she said as she reached him, and offered him her hand to shake. He did, but very quickly, not quite sure how to take her. "My name is Mercy. I'm Auron's wife."
"Little lady, you have got to be kidding." This warm, smiling, clearly amused woman was married to that grim-faced bastard out in the hall? No way.
"Frequently," Mercy laughed, in response to his comment about kidding, "but not about Auron. We've been married for three years. Ask Tidus. He was a witness." What kind of reputation did Auron have here, anyway? The kids think he's a hero, but Cid here isn't exactly impressed. Not that the feeling wasn't mutual. "I'm sorry that you and Auron didn't exactly hit it off when he was aboard your ship the last time."
"Well…" Cid wasn't quite sure what to say to that remark. He sure as hell wasn't going to apologize.
She thought that was about as far as she could go. Auron certainly wasn't going to apologize, and she wasn't about to do it for him. She was sorry they hadn't gotten along better when they met before. She was sorry both men been prize idiots before, for that matter. "Back to my earlier question. How long to Bevelle?"
"I don't want to burn out the engines like we did last time. What do you say we get there in the morning?" His daughter looked like she could use a good night's sleep. Come to think of it, they all did. Thankful for the break, they all agreed. Mercy scooted over to where Rikku had taken up a station on the bridge. "Quarters?" she asked eagerly. "Already on it" Rikku replied, then, "Deck 5, cabin C," to Mercy, "cabin with bath, I checked." "I owe you one," Mercy said, as she left the bridge.
She found Auron in the corridor, still propping up the wall. "Come with me," she beckoned.
"Why?"
"The ship's taking us to Bevelle, but we won't get there until morning. We've been assigned a cabin for the night. I, for one, would like a hot bath, and a night's sleep in a real bed for a change."
That got his attention. One corner of his mouth went up. "Sleep?" he said, clearly questioning her intent.
She looked him over. After five years, she still liked what she saw. "Eventually," she promised. "Let's go."
The cabin was somewhat austere, but it contained the necessities, a double bed, and a full bath with a shower, and, best of all, hot, running water. She stripped off her dirty clothes in record time, and ran into the shower. She wasn't surprised when he joined her a few minutes later. It was felt so familiar to stand under the warm spray and wash each other's backs, and hold each other. A little gentle exploration in the harsh light showed they each had some scars they hadn't had four months ago, and some new bruises, he could tell she was leaner than she had been in Zanarkand, she saw how deep the lines were on his face, but the changes were all superficial. Inside, they were both still the same.
He stepped out of the shower and started to shave, while she washed her hair for the third or fourth time. Auron had lost count. He was almost done shaving when she turned off the water and stood beside him, a towel secured over her breasts, brushing her wet hair into place. Their eyes met in the mirror as he finished. He suddenly recalled the time in the Calm Lands, when he had seen her, just this same way. He closed his eye, and slowly, opened it. She was still there. Relief flooded through him. He smiled lazily, then reached for her towel.
In the morning, after yet another shower, Auron took her to meet Rin. She wanted to see if the Al Bhed merchant had any potions or equipment she could use. He was delighted to meet her, but not surprised. It appeared that the speed of gossip was a universal constant. Auron seemed pleased to be the one with the money, this time around, since she only had what she'd been able to scrounge from the fiends she'd dispatched the last few weeks. She stocked up on potions, but was having a difficult time improving her defensive capabilities. Jewelry of the kind that Yuna or Lulu used would distract her. Bracers or shields would get in the way of the throwing knives she had at her wrists. The solution lay in the silver necklace she wore, a gift from Auron a couple of years ago. Rin sold her stones that she could add to the chain, which would provide her with wards against some conditions. It wasn't an ideal defensive strategy, but it would improve her chances.
---------------
They were nearly shot by the guards when they tried to enter the Palace of St. Bevelle. Wakka, Tidus and Rikku were all ready to make a fight of it, when a simpering young woman came flying out of the palace and told them to stop. From Mercy's perspective, it was difficult to tell who was more surprised to find out that the girl was the captain of the guards: the guards, the party, or the girl herself. Auron's cynicism didn't help matters. Still, she got them in to see Maester Mika without too much fuss.
Mika was nearly frantic. "Why are you here? You must go and defeat Sin, quickly! You have obtained the Final Aeon from Yunalesca, have you not?"
"Well, we did meet her," Tidus began.
"We fought and defeated her," Yuna finished for him.
Mika was incredulous. "What!"
Auron spoke with steely resolve. "Summoners and guardians will be sacrificed for the Final Summoning no more!"
Mika cried out, "You have profaned and subverted a thousand-year-old tradition? Fools! Infants! Do you realize what you've done? You've taken away the only means of calming Sin!"
Tidus tried to get the old maester to see the new path they were taking. "Hey, maybe that's not the only way! We think we've got another."
Mika shook his head. "Why...Preposterous! There is no other way!"
Auron snorted in disgust. "The grand maester, running away?"
Mika bowed his head. "Spira has lost its only hope. Destruction is inevitable. Yu Yevon's spiral of death will consume us all. I have no desire to watch Spira die."
Yuna stood firm. "It won't die!"
Mercy thought to herself, you were watching Spira die, you old fool. Now, maybe, it won't.
Tidus asked, "Who is this Yu Yevon guy?"
Lulu pressed Mika further, "Lady Yunalesca also mentioned him."
And Rikku, "Wait, gramps! Who's Yu Yevon?"
Mika paused, then spoke wearily. "He who crafts the souls of the dead into unholy armor. An armor called Sin. Clad in it, Yu Yevon is invincible. And the only thing that could have pierced that armor, you have destroyed! Nothing can stop it now."
The grand maester vanished in a cloud of pyreflies.
Wakka cursed at the empty air, "Disappear on us, will ya? Rotten son of a shoopuf!"
When Shelinda returned, Auron convinced her that Mika had never been there, that they were still waiting for him. She left in confusion.
Tidus and Yuna turned, and spoke to something in the corner of the room. No one else could see it, but Mercy thought she saw a shimmer of purple in the direction they were looking. Another fayth? When Yuna announced that she needed to go see the fayth, Mercy was certain that was what she had seen. Auron's cryptic, "I see," made her wonder if he saw it as well, or just guessed.
The rest of them waited for Yuna and Tidus to return, in varying degrees of impatience. When the group was reunited, Yuna looked troubled. She kept glancing at Tidus, as though he had said or done something that disturbed her. They made their way toward the exit, bumping into the new Guard Captain, Shelinda, again. It seemed she couldn't find Maester Mika anywhere in the Palace. They managed to enlist her aid in singing a lullaby to Sin, when the time came. But when would the time come? Mercy wondered. And what would they do to prepare for it?
Aboard the airship, she asked, "Did you learn anything about Yu Yevon from the fayth?"
"Yeah!" Tidus began eagerly.
"I have an idea," Mercy interrupted. "Why don't we find someplace where we can all sit down together and have lunch, and you can tell us, and we can plan our next move?"
Any mention of food immediately caught both Tidus' and Wakka's attention. "Sounds good to me," Wakka responded enthusiastically.
Rikku thought lunch sounded pretty good, so she organized a room and food with surprising efficiency. Tidus was still eating when Lulu inquired coolly, "What did you learn from the fayth?"
Yuna was the one who responded. "The hymn will calm Sin, but it will not harm it. We still must fight Sin, and then fight Yu Yevon. The fayth said we must call them, that they will help us. I promised that I would."
Tidus swallowed the last of his lunch and added, "The reason that Sin always came back before was that Yu Yevon was a summoner. Whenever anyone used the Final Summoning to defeat Sin, he would just, well, kinda, take over their Final Aeon and use it to make a new Sin. So he could keep going as long as summoners kept using the Final Summoning. Forever."
Lulu just shook her head, her hair concealing her face. Wakka held his head in his hands, crushed at this final betrayal.
"There's something else," Mercy began hesitantly. "I don't know what they might have told you about what I did in Zanarkand…" blank looks from everyone except Auron and Tidus, "Never mind. I should have known better. Anyway, I was a historian. A little like, what was his name, oh yes, Maechen, I believe. I'd love to have a long talk with him sometime..."
"No," Auron and Tidus exclaimed in unison. "That would take days," Auron began. "Weeks," Tidus continued. "Maybe months," Auron shot back.
Tidus unwilling to let it go, looked at Auron. "Maechen should thank us. We just saved him from a fate worse than death. She would grill him until he told her every story he ever heard, no matter how long it took."
Auron, completely deadpan, finished with, "No. I believe we just saved us."
Yuna stared from one man to the other in astonishment. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. This was the furthest out of his shell that she had ever seen Sir Auron, and she was so happy for him. She knew she had been right to invite Mercy to become one of her guardians. Yuna was glad. Wakka and Rikku followed the exchange with open mouths. Lulu was appalled at the irreverent banter.
"Okay, okay, I give up," Mercy laughed, then she turned serious again. "But I didn't just research history, I also studied why things were the way they were. Causes and effects. After Auron told me about the history of Spira, I tried to do some research, not about Sin, but about the other kinds of disasters that cause the type of destruction that Sin causes, and the results. From everything Auron told me, I think Sin is killing Spira."
Lulu was skeptical. "That is just not possible."
"Isn't it?" Auron replied grimly. "How many people did we meet whose villages were wiped out by Sin?" How many older villages' ruins did we see?"
The black mage was furious, but silent. The answers were: too many, and, too many.
Mercy pressed on, "How many of us lost at least one parent because of Sin?" They all nodded or bowed their heads. Rikku was the lucky one in the group. She was the only one who still had a parent living, really, since Mercy didn't think Tidus would count Jecht as alive, exactly. But they all stared at Mercy in disbelief as she raised her hand with them. "Sin killed my parents, too, I just didn't know what it was," Mercy told them. "Did any of you know your grandparents?" A chorus of mumbled negatives was the only reply she received. She and Tidus were the only lucky ones in this category. "In every generation, how many of the best and the brightest are lost fighting Sin?" How many summoners and their guardians have died during their pilgrimages? Your whole way of life has been a fight for survival against an enemy that could not be defeated. You could not win. I think you were losing ground with every generation that passed. Eventually, you would have lost."
The silence stretched out for a long minutes, until Mercy broke it. "So, are we ready yet to face Sin, and Yu Yevon, in battle?" She looked at each member of the party in turn. One by one, they shook their heads. Some hung their heads, as though in shame at their unworthiness. That couldn't be allowed to continue. "Then what do we need to do to get ready?" she challenged.
Everyone looked up, and began to speak, slowly at first, then almost tripping over each other in their eagerness. "Wait, wait," she had to shout over the din. "One at a time, so we can all hear. Yuna, you go first," she said, smiling at last.
"Well," Yuna began, "Maester Seymour's aeon. I do not know where it can be found, but it was very powerful. We should look for it, I think."
"There was a temple where I first landed in Spira," Tidus burst in. "It was in the middle of the ocean, I bet we could find it with the airship. Maybe the aeon is there. The place was half underwater. We should look there."
"Yes, we should look for Seymour's aeon," Auron said gravely. "And there is another. Belgemine guards the remaining aeons at Remiem. The Magus Sisters. You must challenge and defeat all her aeons to gain the Sisters."
Lulu decided it was her turn. "There are more powerful spells I need to learn. Flare, and Ultima, which require much study, and practice. I require time to accumulate more power."
Wakka contributed, "The rest of us, fighters, should all be at the peak of our training. You know what I mean, ya?"
"You're right, Wakka," Tidus agreed. "Hey, maybe we should go back to see that old guy in the Calm Lands, the one running that Arena thing. If we have to train, we might as well get something for our trouble. You know, have a goal in mind. Might make it more rewarding."
"Hey, didn't we hear a rumor that Lord Mi'ihen's old sword might still be around?" Tidus warmed to the subject.
"That'd be some sword," Wakka responded.
"Omega," Auron intoned.
"Who, or what, is Omega?" Tidus asked.
Lulu couldn't resist answering. "Seven hundred years ago, a monk named Omega who defied the teachings was sentenced to a dungeon. He became a fiend."
"The traitor Omega," Wakka added.
"His dungeon should be the final test of our readiness to face Sin. If we can beat Omega, that should prove sufficient," Auron concluded.
"For all of us," Lulu added.
"There is one other thing we need to take care of, probably sooner rather than later," Mercy began again.
"What have we forgotten?" Yuna asked diffidently.
"What happens, if we fail?" Mercy asked the question that no one wanted to hear.
"We won't fail," Tidus protested hotly.
"Mercy's right. We must plan for everything we can, even the things we do not want to happen," Auron cut in.
Mercy tried a gentler, more directed approach. "Yuna, I think I know the answer, but please help me. All the teachings direct summoners to pray at the temples for the aeons, then go to Zanarkand to meet Yunalesca to receive the Final Aeon, correct?"
"Yes."
Mercy continued, "But, because of what we did, Zanarkand is now a dead end." Tidus snickered. Auron snorted. Mercy looked daggers at both of them, then said, "No pun intended."
Yuna was confused, but finally said, "That is right, the teachings now point to nowhere. What should we do?"
"Is there another summoner that you trust? Or, at least, someone whose word will be believed who will have an open mind?" Mercy asked her.
"That lets Dona out," came the sarcastic comment from Tidus. "You got that right," Wakka replied.
Yuna said, "Isaaru. But, why?"
"We need to tell someone, preferably another summoner, that Yunalesca is no more. This Isaaru does not need to believe us, or even agree with us. He just needs to remember what we tell him, and to keep an open mind. If we succeed, he will have all the proof he needs, and the rest will not matter. If we fall, he will need to go to Zanarkand, judge for himself the truth of what we have said, and act accordingly."
"So what's our plan?" Lulu inquired.
"First we talk to Isaaru," Yuna answered, "and search for Maester Seymour's aeon."
"Then we go see the old guy in the Calm Lands, and start filling his Arena for him," Tidus added.
"Sounds good to me, brudda," Wakka added enthusiastically.
Rikku bounced happily in her chair. Lulu shook her head in resignation. Kimahri had been quiet through the discussion, but he seemed content. Auron and Mercy looked at each other across the table. She winked at him, waiting to see how he would react as she wrapped her booted legs around one of his, under the narrow table. His mouth twitched, then she saw the light of mischief in his eye, as he raised his eyebrow. This is all going to work, she thought.
Tidus watched them together; he could almost see the shimmer in the air between them as they looked at each other. He knew that he had to tell her the rest of what the fayth had said. She had a right to know. Whether she told the old man, well, that was her decision.
"We should go see if Isaaru is still in Bevelle," Yuna said.
"Let's ask Pops to check with his new gadget. He'll be able to locate him in a jiffy," Rikku chimed in.
"All right, we'll go to the bridge and ask him," Yuna replied, a little uncertainly.
"I'll go with you," Wakka announced, and so they began to leave the room, with Kimahri guarding Yuna, as always. They hesitated at the threshold, turning to look at Lulu, still seated at the table.
Lulu said, "Please go, I would like to remain here. I need to…think…for a while." The rest of the party filed out. Yuna, Rikku, Kimahri and Wakka headed for the bridge.
Tidus was lagging behind, and Mercy stuck with him, guessing that something was wrong, but not sure what. Even Auron was puzzled by his odd behavior. After they turned a corner, Tidus stopped walking, and asked, "Mercy, can I, uh, talk with you, just for minute?"
"Sure, what's up?"
"I mean, well, what I meant was, uh, can I talk to you, alone?" he finally managed to say, while scuffing the toe of his shoe against the floor. Then he looked up at her, his eyes pleading.
She exchanged a brief glance with Auron, and nodded. Her husband said, "I was going to see Rin about some armor. I'll be back," and walked quickly through another door.
As soon as they were alone, Tidus said sadly, "There's something I have to tell you. I learned something from the fayth. Something about Zanarkand. Our Zanarkand." He went on in a rush. "The city is a dream of the fayth. Mercy, when we destroy Yu Yevon, the dream will end. We will…vanish. I thought…I thought you should know."
"Have you told Yuna?" she asked.
"No, I don't know if I can. Will you…will you tell Auron?"
"He already knows. He's known all along."
"Then what will you do? How can you stand it?" his voice was shaking with suppressed emotion.
She stood close to him, and placed her hands on his shoulders. He put his hands on hers as well, and leaned forward until his forehead rested against hers, their arms clasped loosely around each other's shoulders. He could see that her eyes were bright with unshed tears.
They were concentrating so intently on each other, that neither saw the black mage peering around the corner at one end of the corridor. Lulu watched them in a mixture of horror and fascination, wishing desperately that she could hear as well as see. Their intimacy held such ease, as though they had embraced like this often. It was so annoying not to be able to hear what they were saying, Lulu thought. The mage wondered how long their relationship had been this way.
Mercy knew she had to tell him everything, not sure in the circumstances whether it would make things better, or worse. "Don't worry about me. I just wish there was an easier way to tell you. Honey, there was only one way for me to ride Sin to Spira. I am…like Auron now. I am unsent."
He shook his head against hers. He didn't want to believe it, but he did. It made too much sense.
"If we defeat Yu Yevon, and survive, Yuna will have to send me as soon as the battle is over. I will not vanish. I will go to the Farplane. Whatever that means." She still didn't exactly know.
"What will Auron do?" Tidus asked, with a catch in his voice.
"Ask him yourself," she responded, as the door opened and Auron stepped through.
Lulu waited to see what would happen. She expected guilt from Tidus and Mercy, a jealous rage from Auron, signs of anger and betrayal, maybe even revenge. Then she saw that she must have read the entire scene completely and utterly wrong. Mercy and Tidus slid one arm around each other, and opened their embrace on the other side, to welcome Auron into it. After a moment's hesitation, he stepped forward, and in.
End Chapter seventeen
******Author's Notes: I would like to especially thank highlander-bellflower, who has beta-read the last couple of chapters and has been terrific help to me. All errors, omissions and grammatical stupidities are strictly my own, however. Please do let me know what you thought of the chapter, or of the story so far. Thanks for reading.