Chapter 2
~ History
After a very long time, in the Thunder Plains, when everyone stopped at the Traveling Agency, Tidus walked in and was tripped. Everyone looked at the blonde laughed.
"Brother, you need to be more observant!"
Tidus turned his head and smiled. "So, you're back?" Tidus jumped up. "Are you back for good?"
"We'll see." Rayn scratched her head. She looked up at Auron. Auron sighed and nodded, she nodded in response. "Alright, I can tell you now."
"Tell me?" Tidus raised an eyebrow in question.
"About what happened ten years ago you dunce!" she shouted and helped him up.
Tidus dusted himself off. "Right. . . thanks, sis."
"No problem."
Later that day, as everyone was doing as they wished, Rayn walked to Tidus and had him follow her into the woods. There wasn't anything out there. They were in Macalania Woods. Rayn approached a fallen tree and sat down. "You wanna know what happened then, do ya?" she asked quietly, placing her elbows on her knees and her face on her hands.
"Yeah," Tidus replied. "I need to so I can understand it all."
Rayn smiled. "Right," she whispered. She sighed. "It all a long time ago for me. Before I even knew I had a brother. . . I was ten, and I went sailing with Dad. A storm hit, and I was swept overboard." She moved her head so her hands covered her eyes. "Dad tried to save me, but I was swept under." She paused for a moment and went on. "When I awoke, I was in Luca. I had been caught up in a fishing net. It belonged to a group of Al Bhed. I had no idea where I was, or what they were saying for that matter! So, I ran. All through Luca, just to find I had nowhere to go, and no place to call home." She moved her head back up and looked at her brother, and then she held out her right hand, which had a long scar on it. "I got this," she said. "From stealing."
"Stealing?" Tidus asked, looking at the mark.
"Yeah, it was the only way to get food, or anything else for that matter for me back then. And there were only two times I was caught. The first, when I got this scar, the second, when I saw Dad again. That was the day that changed my life. . . yes it was."
~Flashback~
"Hey! Let go of me!" Seventeen-year-old Rayn was being pushed through the streets of a small town. She had shackles on her hands. "I told you I didn't steal anything!" she shouted to the two guards who were moving her along. Her eyes shifted to movement from the temple and she recognized a man. "Ah! Dad!" she shouted to him. "Dad!" When he didn't respond, she growled and yelled. "Jecht! Help!" He looked in her direction, but didn't say anything.
* * *
"Jecht?" Braska and Auron walked up to Jecht. "Who was that?" Braska asked.
"I think," Jecht said. "That that's my daughter." He then looked to Braska and Auron.
"But," said Auron. "I thought you said she died. Does that mean that she's unsent?"
"There's a possibility," Jecht said. "But then again, she could have made it out alive."
* * *
"Hey!" Rayn shouted at the guards of the cell that she was enclosed in. "Let me out! I didn't do anything to you!" She sighed and leaned against the wall.
Braska walked over to the guard and spoke with him, afterward, Jecht walked over to the cell. "You called my name earlier, didn't you?" he asked.
Rayn crossed her arms. "What's it to ya?" she said.
"You also called me 'Dad'. Why?"
She turned and put her arms on the gate. "You're Jecht, aren't you? From Zanarkand, not the ruins though."
Jecht nodded. "You're Rayn, my daughter?"
"Who else would I be?" she asked.
Leaning closer, Jecht asked, "If you are, then how did you get here, to Spira, and how old were you?"
Rayn put her arms through the bars. "I was swept overboard in a storm and sank, I was ten," she said. "Been around ever since."
"As a thief?" Auron asked from behind Jecht.
"Don't judge me. . . I did what I had to so I could survive," growled Rayn. "You don't know what I've been through!"
"I'm glad I don't," Auron huffed and walked away.
Rayn stuck out her tongue as Auron departed, her father chuckled.
Braska walked over to the guard. "Release her, would you?" he asked.
"But Lord Braska! She's a criminal!" said the guard.
Braska turned to Rayn. "Do you promise not to do it ever again?" he asked her.
"Promise!" she said happily.
The guard sighed and unlocked the gate. Rayn walked out and immediately hugged her father. She then turned to Braska and bowed. "Thank you, Lord Braska. I appreciate it, I truly do."
Auron turned around. "Lord Braska, Jecht, we gotta get going."
"Already?" Jecht and Braska said at the same time.
Rayn looked to Auron. "And, what about me?" she asked.
"You're staying behind!" Auron growled.
Behind? Rayn thought. Not again. . . "But," she said softly. "I just met my father for the first time in seven years. . . you can't just leave. . . what if we never cross paths again?"
"We will. . ." Jecht said to his daughter. "You just stay here and take care of yourself. we'll be back." Jecht said this and turned away, Braska followed his guardian.
As the three men began to walk away, Rayn stepped forward. "Wait!" she shouted. They all stopped and turned.
Auron crossed his arms. "What now?" he growled.
"What if I were to like, go with you all. . ." she said. She ran up to them. "I don't have to be a guardian, just. . . I don't know. . . I just don't want to be left alone again."
Braska looked to Jecht and smiled, he then looked to Auron who sighed heavily and said, "She's going to hold us back."
"No!" Rayn said. "I won't! I promise! If I do, you can just drop me off somewhere."
Jecht stepped towards his daughter and put his arm around her shoulders. "What do you say Braska? Can she?"
Braska nodded. "She can come with us, and she'll be my youngest guardian."
A surge of cheer ran up through Jecht and Rayn. They turned to each other. "Alright!" they said at the same time. They hugged each other tightly.
When they separated, Rayn walked over to Auron. "Looks like we're going to have to get along now, aren't we?" she said.
Auron growled. "Unfortunately."
Rayn then ran ahead and did a cartwheel.
Through the trip, Rayn tried to remain as strong as the three men. She wasn't going to rest until they did. She wouldn't eat until they did. But, when nature calls, you gotta go! One night, when the four were resting, Rayn curled up against a fallen tree. There she laid still, she was tired and had worn herself out from the whole day's experience.
Slowly, Rayn began to shiver because the temperature started to drop at night. Auron looked over at her and got to his feet. He approached her, removed his jacket, and placed it over her, ceasing her shaking. He then went back to his place and sat down.
Rayn slowly opened her eyes and looked at Auron. She smiled and tucked her head into the cloth. At the same time that she was getting warm, she was also learning what Auron's scent was.
The next day, when Auron awoke, his jacket was on him as he slept against a tree. Rayn was up and stretching. "Good morning Sir Auron!" she said as she leaned down and then side-to-side.
"Good morning," he replied softly. "Where're Braska and Jecht?"
Rayn smiled. "Still sleeping," she said, pointing to the two. Her father was sleeping in a tree with one leg hanging down. At the base of that tree, lay Lord Braska. "You want me to wake them so we can get going?"
"Nah," Auron said smiling. "Let them rest."
"You should as well, you don't look so good."
"Huh?"
Rayn got on her knees and crawled over to her comrade. She felt his forehead. "You're a little warm. Sit up and turn around." Auron looked at her with a confused expression but did as she asked. She placed her head against his back. "Breath in." He did so. "Breath out." He did as he was told. "Again."
"I don't see how. . ." Auron began to say but was interrupted.
"Just do it, please," Rayn said. The twenty-five year old Auron breathed in slowly, and then exhaled just the same. Jecht's daughter moved from behind him. "Lay flat on your back, please." Auron sighed and plopped backward. "Thanks." She pulled her hair back and placed the side of her head on his chest. "Again." A few seconds later Rayn sat up. "Well. . . that solves everything."
"What does?" Auron asked, sitting up.
"You're sick as hell, and if you don't keep your jacket next time, you'll get worse," she said. She then smiled and her eyes lit up. "Drink lots of fluids!" She stood up and turned around.
"Well, Braska, wasn't that cute?"
"It very well was, Jecht."
Rayn turned her head and looked at Jecht and Braska with a look that would cast death on them both. "I'll kill you both!" she shouted and ran at them. A few yards away, she looked at Braska and winked, he nodded and held out his hands, one on top of the other. Rayn jumped, stepping on his hands, and he boosted her up into the tree. She flew up into the tree and knocked her dad out. She landed on him and started punching him. Jecht on the other hand, just laughed.
"Are you getting this Auron?" Braska asked, watching Rayn attack her father.
"Got it ever since she left from over here," Auron said, recording everything on a sphere. He and Braska both were laughing as well.
Later that day, still in Macalania Woods, Rayn sat at the water's edge in the forest. "Hey," Auron said, walking up next to her. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah," she said. There was a slight tinge of anger, jealously, and sadness all mixed up in her voice.
"You don't sound like it," Auron said.
"Trust me, I'm fine. I've always been okay." She brought her legs to her chest and wrapped her arms around them.
"I'll leave then," Auron said, walking away.
"Go to hell. . ." she said softly.
Auron heard this, but chose not to respond. A few moments later, Jecht was about to call for Rayn, but she was already walking from the woods. Her head was down, her eyes on the ground, and her hands were in the pockets of her gray pants. When she noticed everyone looking at her, she looked up and said, "What? Is something wrong?"
"No," said Jecht. "You've just been a little distant, we were wondering if you were okay."
"Liar," she said with a smile. "You were not thinking about that." She then turned and started down the path.
After traveling most of the day and well into night, they reached the Thunder Plains. Jecht had decided that he wanted to try his hand at dodging lightning. Auron once again held the sphere and he, Braska, and Rayn all stood under a lightning tower. Jecht on the other hand, was standing out in the open. "Hit me with your best!" he shouted at the sky.
"He's going to get hurt," said Braska.
"He doesn't care," Rayn said, leaning against the tower.
"Hey, you guys!" Jecht called, as soon as he said that, and everyone looked at him, he was hit by lightning.
"Whoa!" Rayn shouted. She ran out there to her father. "Are you okay?"
He smiled. "Yeah, just peachy," he replied.
There was a small flash and Rayn jumped back, she had dodged the lightning. She looked to her father and laughed, then pointed up and to her dad and said, "Ha!" Zap! She was then hit as well. She flipped backward and hit the ground. "Crap. . ." she said as she lay sprawled out on the ground on her stomach. "That hurt like hell."
"Can you move?" Jecht asked.
"I can feel it in my teeth. . ."
Auron laughed, he had gotten that on the sphere as well. Braska laughed. "Like father, like daughter," said Braska.
"Hey Dad?" Rayn asked, getting to her feet.
"Yeah?" Jecht said, doing the same.
"Summoners. . . can they be unsent and still do their job?"
"Let's see. . ." Jecht and Rayn ran after Braska, chasing him and Auron out of the Thunder Plains, all the way to the nearest Travel Agency.
As Braska and Auron bought items, Rayn leaned against the wall, and Jecht sat in a chair. "Hey Dad," Rayn said.
"Yeah? What is it?" responded Jecht.
"Back there. . . you lit up like a Christmas tree. . ."
"Bite me. . ."
"You'll regret that. . ."
"Go to hell. . ."
Rayn stood up straight. "I'm not goin' alone, I'll be taking you with me!"
Jecht got up. "Oh yeah?"
"Yeah!"
Braska walked by. "Settle down you two," he said. They both went back to their positions, one sitting and the other leaning against the wall. "And if anyone's going to be beating up anyone around here, I say it will be me, it's time for my revenge!"
A shocked look appeared on Jecht and his daughter's faces. When Braska walked out of the building, they followed, slowly. Auron laughed.
Outside, Braska said, "Alright, get going."
"You. . . weren't kidding?" Rayn said.
"Nope. . ." Braska turned around to face them. He summoned Ifrit and Rayn and Jecht took off running, nothing was going to stop them. "Get them Ifrit!" Braska said, and Ifrit took off after them.
"You think he'll hurt them?" Auron asked, walking up next to Braska.
"Let us hope. . ." Braska looked to his guardian and smiled, they then calmly walked down the path, every once in a while hearing screams or shouts to run faster.
The next time Braska and Auron saw Rayn or Jecht, they were hanging upside down from a tree. Rayn had her arms crossed over her chest since her shirt wasn't tucked in. Jecht was swinging back and forth, trying to find a way to get down. Ifrit had vanished.
"Rayn," Auron said. "Are you okay?"
"The blood is rushing to my head." She said calmly. Then she shouted, "Do you think I'm okay?" Blood began trickling from her nose.
Braska stepped forward. "Rayn?" Jecht swung to his daughter's rope that was tied around her ankles and untied it. He then crossed to his rope and got loose.
Rayn on the other hand, fallen to the ground and didn't move. Auron ran over. "Rayn?" He knelt at her side; a small streak of blood went from her nose to her forehead. Jecht ran to his daughter's other side, Braska stood next to Jecht. Auron sat her and leaned her against his chest.
Suddenly, Rayn's eyes flew open and she punched to her left, hitting Auron in the face. She got to her feet. "Oh God. . . Auron! I'm so sorry!" she cried out. Auron lay on his side rubbing his face. She dropped to her knees and crawled over to him.
"My fault," Auron said, sitting up straight.
"No, it's completely mine!" Rayn responded.
Jecht snickered. "Actually," he said. "If you think about it, it's all Braska's fault."
"It's all three of our faults," Rayn said. "No one should get the single blame." She sat on her legs. After a few moments of silence, she whispered, "Maybe it's just my fault." She then stood up and stretched. "Well. . . Let's head out!" She then began to walk down the path.
On the arrival at Macalania Temple, Rayn waited outside of the Cloister of Trials. She was wearing Auron's jacket. He had given it to her since she was cold on the way to the temple. She clutched the jacket around her, the bottom of it dragged on the ground since she was shorter than Auron. She was alone there, the other three had gone for the Trials. She knelt down by the main door to the temple and shivered. She was still cold. Silently, she drifted off to sleep.
"Rayn," Auron said, Rayn looked into his eyes and kissed him.
Rayn opened her eyes and the three were standing there. "Time to go?" she asked.
"Yeah," said Jecht.
She got up and handed the jacket to Auron. He took it, but when she started walking, he put it back on her shoulders. She turned her head to look at him and tripped over her own foot. "Ow. . ." she said softly.
Braska smiled. "Are you okay Rayn?" He was the only one to help her up.
When Rayn stood again, she handed Auron his jacket back and said, "I'll pull through."
Braska laughed. "Looks like she's trying to be stronger than you Auron," he said.
Auron laughed and Rayn walked further ahead. Jecht whacked Auron in the back of the head. "What?" Auron asked.
Jecht sighed and he ran to catch up with Rayn. "Are you okay?"
"Dad, here's some info for you, I'm not a little girl! If I fall behind, don't be afraid to tell me to catch up or yell or even leave me behind. . ." Rayn looked back at Auron. "I hate him."
"First of all Rayn, I'm not babying you, none of us are. You're keeping up, and if you fall behind, Auron or I will either yell at you or he'll leave you behind." Jecht paused. "Why don't you like Auron?"
Rayn sighed and tried to think of a way to phrase it. "It seems that he's better than anything I could be. I'm weak, he's strong, I'm uncivilized and he's. . . who knows what." Rayn sighed.
Auron walked over. "Rayn, can I talk to you?"
"No," Rayn retaliated quickly. She turned her back on Auron.
"Rayn!" Auron growled. Rayn turned around and blinked slowly. "What do you have against me?"
Sighing, Rayn said, "What don't I have against you?"
Braska called Jecht to his side and they decided to give Rayn and Auron some room. "Those two like each other," Braska said.
"Lovebirds," Jecht smirked.
Auron and Rayn glared at Braska and Jecht. "Shut up!" they shouted.
Placing his jacket on Rayn's shoulders, Auron said, "I'm trying to be nice, but you're not cooperating."
Rayn took the jacket and threw it back at Auron. "I don't want to cooperate with the likes of you."
Auron growled and put his hands on Rayn's shoulders, quickly, he leaned in and kissed her. Rayn froze; she then kicked him in the shin, kneed him in the stomach, and elbowed him in the back of the head.
"Oh damn it! Rayn!" Jecht ran over. Auron lay unconscious on the ground. "What did you do that for?"
"He fricking kissed me! I woulda beat the hell out of him more than I did if he woulda stayed standing!" Rayn crossed her arms. "Wait. . . does that mean we have to drag him?"
"Unfortunately so," Braska laughed. He had never see Auron get attacked so ruthlessly like that by anyone. Braska and Jecht stood Auron up dragged him down the pass. Rayn, on the other hand, wanted to drag him by his feet over sharp rocks, but her father said no.
At the next resting point, Rayn got what she deserved for attacking Auron. She had to take care of him until he woke up. "Fricking crap. . ." was all Rayn said when she learned of this. Yet when Auron awoke, she had everything taken care of. "Sorry about that," she said.
"My fault," Auron said.
"Yeah, it was," responded the girl. She crossed her arms and leaned back in the chair. "Braska said you hated me."
"Yeah, just like you hate me."
"Yup." Rayn stretched.
"You don't care about anything do you?"
Rayn wanted to say no, she wanted to say it so bad, but she had to say yes. "Yeah, I do," she responded. "My dad, Lord Braska, my mother, and my little brother." Rayn smiled thinking of what her brother would look like, what Tidus would look like, now that he was ten years old.
"So you do care?"
"Mostly about Spira. I wanted to be a summoner," Rayn said, she leaned forward and folded her hands. "I wanted to be the one to save Spira some day, save it from Sin." Rayn smiled. "To destroy Sin with the final aeon and bring the Calm." She sighed and smiled at Auron. "Maybe some day." Auron smiled. He got out of bed and threw on his jacket. They walked out of the room. She looked to Auron. "You're not so bad. . . but you can be an asshole." Auron laughed.
From there, when they got to warmer weather, Rayn began skipping down the path to the temple of Bevelle. Singing the Hymn of the Fayth, she as she distanced herself from the three men. When they got to temple, Rayn stayed outside and sat on the steps.
Suddenly, a large creature jumped up to attack her. Her father and the other two came running. Rayn had a large golden staff in her hand, but she was afraid to attack. Auron and Jecht ran to her side to help. The large fiend jumped towards Rayn, she panicked and didn't move. "Rayn!" Auron jumped in the way and took the blow. He fell on one knee and looked at her. "Are you crazy? What the hell did you think you were doing?" he growled.
"I. . . I'm sorry. . . I. . ." She backed away and Braska took her place.
Rayn stood back and watched the three do their damage. Auron attacked, then Jecht, and finally, Braska summoned Shiva and destroyed the creature.
~ End Flashback~
"You see Tidus, that was my first battle," Rayn told her brother.
Tidus nodded, his sister had told him all of this so far, and he was still trying to understand it all. "So, you never went into any of the Cloister of Trials?"
"No," Rayn shook her head. "I didn't like puzzles." She smiled.
"So, what happened next?" Tidus was eager to hear more.
~ History
After a very long time, in the Thunder Plains, when everyone stopped at the Traveling Agency, Tidus walked in and was tripped. Everyone looked at the blonde laughed.
"Brother, you need to be more observant!"
Tidus turned his head and smiled. "So, you're back?" Tidus jumped up. "Are you back for good?"
"We'll see." Rayn scratched her head. She looked up at Auron. Auron sighed and nodded, she nodded in response. "Alright, I can tell you now."
"Tell me?" Tidus raised an eyebrow in question.
"About what happened ten years ago you dunce!" she shouted and helped him up.
Tidus dusted himself off. "Right. . . thanks, sis."
"No problem."
Later that day, as everyone was doing as they wished, Rayn walked to Tidus and had him follow her into the woods. There wasn't anything out there. They were in Macalania Woods. Rayn approached a fallen tree and sat down. "You wanna know what happened then, do ya?" she asked quietly, placing her elbows on her knees and her face on her hands.
"Yeah," Tidus replied. "I need to so I can understand it all."
Rayn smiled. "Right," she whispered. She sighed. "It all a long time ago for me. Before I even knew I had a brother. . . I was ten, and I went sailing with Dad. A storm hit, and I was swept overboard." She moved her head so her hands covered her eyes. "Dad tried to save me, but I was swept under." She paused for a moment and went on. "When I awoke, I was in Luca. I had been caught up in a fishing net. It belonged to a group of Al Bhed. I had no idea where I was, or what they were saying for that matter! So, I ran. All through Luca, just to find I had nowhere to go, and no place to call home." She moved her head back up and looked at her brother, and then she held out her right hand, which had a long scar on it. "I got this," she said. "From stealing."
"Stealing?" Tidus asked, looking at the mark.
"Yeah, it was the only way to get food, or anything else for that matter for me back then. And there were only two times I was caught. The first, when I got this scar, the second, when I saw Dad again. That was the day that changed my life. . . yes it was."
~Flashback~
"Hey! Let go of me!" Seventeen-year-old Rayn was being pushed through the streets of a small town. She had shackles on her hands. "I told you I didn't steal anything!" she shouted to the two guards who were moving her along. Her eyes shifted to movement from the temple and she recognized a man. "Ah! Dad!" she shouted to him. "Dad!" When he didn't respond, she growled and yelled. "Jecht! Help!" He looked in her direction, but didn't say anything.
* * *
"Jecht?" Braska and Auron walked up to Jecht. "Who was that?" Braska asked.
"I think," Jecht said. "That that's my daughter." He then looked to Braska and Auron.
"But," said Auron. "I thought you said she died. Does that mean that she's unsent?"
"There's a possibility," Jecht said. "But then again, she could have made it out alive."
* * *
"Hey!" Rayn shouted at the guards of the cell that she was enclosed in. "Let me out! I didn't do anything to you!" She sighed and leaned against the wall.
Braska walked over to the guard and spoke with him, afterward, Jecht walked over to the cell. "You called my name earlier, didn't you?" he asked.
Rayn crossed her arms. "What's it to ya?" she said.
"You also called me 'Dad'. Why?"
She turned and put her arms on the gate. "You're Jecht, aren't you? From Zanarkand, not the ruins though."
Jecht nodded. "You're Rayn, my daughter?"
"Who else would I be?" she asked.
Leaning closer, Jecht asked, "If you are, then how did you get here, to Spira, and how old were you?"
Rayn put her arms through the bars. "I was swept overboard in a storm and sank, I was ten," she said. "Been around ever since."
"As a thief?" Auron asked from behind Jecht.
"Don't judge me. . . I did what I had to so I could survive," growled Rayn. "You don't know what I've been through!"
"I'm glad I don't," Auron huffed and walked away.
Rayn stuck out her tongue as Auron departed, her father chuckled.
Braska walked over to the guard. "Release her, would you?" he asked.
"But Lord Braska! She's a criminal!" said the guard.
Braska turned to Rayn. "Do you promise not to do it ever again?" he asked her.
"Promise!" she said happily.
The guard sighed and unlocked the gate. Rayn walked out and immediately hugged her father. She then turned to Braska and bowed. "Thank you, Lord Braska. I appreciate it, I truly do."
Auron turned around. "Lord Braska, Jecht, we gotta get going."
"Already?" Jecht and Braska said at the same time.
Rayn looked to Auron. "And, what about me?" she asked.
"You're staying behind!" Auron growled.
Behind? Rayn thought. Not again. . . "But," she said softly. "I just met my father for the first time in seven years. . . you can't just leave. . . what if we never cross paths again?"
"We will. . ." Jecht said to his daughter. "You just stay here and take care of yourself. we'll be back." Jecht said this and turned away, Braska followed his guardian.
As the three men began to walk away, Rayn stepped forward. "Wait!" she shouted. They all stopped and turned.
Auron crossed his arms. "What now?" he growled.
"What if I were to like, go with you all. . ." she said. She ran up to them. "I don't have to be a guardian, just. . . I don't know. . . I just don't want to be left alone again."
Braska looked to Jecht and smiled, he then looked to Auron who sighed heavily and said, "She's going to hold us back."
"No!" Rayn said. "I won't! I promise! If I do, you can just drop me off somewhere."
Jecht stepped towards his daughter and put his arm around her shoulders. "What do you say Braska? Can she?"
Braska nodded. "She can come with us, and she'll be my youngest guardian."
A surge of cheer ran up through Jecht and Rayn. They turned to each other. "Alright!" they said at the same time. They hugged each other tightly.
When they separated, Rayn walked over to Auron. "Looks like we're going to have to get along now, aren't we?" she said.
Auron growled. "Unfortunately."
Rayn then ran ahead and did a cartwheel.
Through the trip, Rayn tried to remain as strong as the three men. She wasn't going to rest until they did. She wouldn't eat until they did. But, when nature calls, you gotta go! One night, when the four were resting, Rayn curled up against a fallen tree. There she laid still, she was tired and had worn herself out from the whole day's experience.
Slowly, Rayn began to shiver because the temperature started to drop at night. Auron looked over at her and got to his feet. He approached her, removed his jacket, and placed it over her, ceasing her shaking. He then went back to his place and sat down.
Rayn slowly opened her eyes and looked at Auron. She smiled and tucked her head into the cloth. At the same time that she was getting warm, she was also learning what Auron's scent was.
The next day, when Auron awoke, his jacket was on him as he slept against a tree. Rayn was up and stretching. "Good morning Sir Auron!" she said as she leaned down and then side-to-side.
"Good morning," he replied softly. "Where're Braska and Jecht?"
Rayn smiled. "Still sleeping," she said, pointing to the two. Her father was sleeping in a tree with one leg hanging down. At the base of that tree, lay Lord Braska. "You want me to wake them so we can get going?"
"Nah," Auron said smiling. "Let them rest."
"You should as well, you don't look so good."
"Huh?"
Rayn got on her knees and crawled over to her comrade. She felt his forehead. "You're a little warm. Sit up and turn around." Auron looked at her with a confused expression but did as she asked. She placed her head against his back. "Breath in." He did so. "Breath out." He did as he was told. "Again."
"I don't see how. . ." Auron began to say but was interrupted.
"Just do it, please," Rayn said. The twenty-five year old Auron breathed in slowly, and then exhaled just the same. Jecht's daughter moved from behind him. "Lay flat on your back, please." Auron sighed and plopped backward. "Thanks." She pulled her hair back and placed the side of her head on his chest. "Again." A few seconds later Rayn sat up. "Well. . . that solves everything."
"What does?" Auron asked, sitting up.
"You're sick as hell, and if you don't keep your jacket next time, you'll get worse," she said. She then smiled and her eyes lit up. "Drink lots of fluids!" She stood up and turned around.
"Well, Braska, wasn't that cute?"
"It very well was, Jecht."
Rayn turned her head and looked at Jecht and Braska with a look that would cast death on them both. "I'll kill you both!" she shouted and ran at them. A few yards away, she looked at Braska and winked, he nodded and held out his hands, one on top of the other. Rayn jumped, stepping on his hands, and he boosted her up into the tree. She flew up into the tree and knocked her dad out. She landed on him and started punching him. Jecht on the other hand, just laughed.
"Are you getting this Auron?" Braska asked, watching Rayn attack her father.
"Got it ever since she left from over here," Auron said, recording everything on a sphere. He and Braska both were laughing as well.
Later that day, still in Macalania Woods, Rayn sat at the water's edge in the forest. "Hey," Auron said, walking up next to her. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah," she said. There was a slight tinge of anger, jealously, and sadness all mixed up in her voice.
"You don't sound like it," Auron said.
"Trust me, I'm fine. I've always been okay." She brought her legs to her chest and wrapped her arms around them.
"I'll leave then," Auron said, walking away.
"Go to hell. . ." she said softly.
Auron heard this, but chose not to respond. A few moments later, Jecht was about to call for Rayn, but she was already walking from the woods. Her head was down, her eyes on the ground, and her hands were in the pockets of her gray pants. When she noticed everyone looking at her, she looked up and said, "What? Is something wrong?"
"No," said Jecht. "You've just been a little distant, we were wondering if you were okay."
"Liar," she said with a smile. "You were not thinking about that." She then turned and started down the path.
After traveling most of the day and well into night, they reached the Thunder Plains. Jecht had decided that he wanted to try his hand at dodging lightning. Auron once again held the sphere and he, Braska, and Rayn all stood under a lightning tower. Jecht on the other hand, was standing out in the open. "Hit me with your best!" he shouted at the sky.
"He's going to get hurt," said Braska.
"He doesn't care," Rayn said, leaning against the tower.
"Hey, you guys!" Jecht called, as soon as he said that, and everyone looked at him, he was hit by lightning.
"Whoa!" Rayn shouted. She ran out there to her father. "Are you okay?"
He smiled. "Yeah, just peachy," he replied.
There was a small flash and Rayn jumped back, she had dodged the lightning. She looked to her father and laughed, then pointed up and to her dad and said, "Ha!" Zap! She was then hit as well. She flipped backward and hit the ground. "Crap. . ." she said as she lay sprawled out on the ground on her stomach. "That hurt like hell."
"Can you move?" Jecht asked.
"I can feel it in my teeth. . ."
Auron laughed, he had gotten that on the sphere as well. Braska laughed. "Like father, like daughter," said Braska.
"Hey Dad?" Rayn asked, getting to her feet.
"Yeah?" Jecht said, doing the same.
"Summoners. . . can they be unsent and still do their job?"
"Let's see. . ." Jecht and Rayn ran after Braska, chasing him and Auron out of the Thunder Plains, all the way to the nearest Travel Agency.
As Braska and Auron bought items, Rayn leaned against the wall, and Jecht sat in a chair. "Hey Dad," Rayn said.
"Yeah? What is it?" responded Jecht.
"Back there. . . you lit up like a Christmas tree. . ."
"Bite me. . ."
"You'll regret that. . ."
"Go to hell. . ."
Rayn stood up straight. "I'm not goin' alone, I'll be taking you with me!"
Jecht got up. "Oh yeah?"
"Yeah!"
Braska walked by. "Settle down you two," he said. They both went back to their positions, one sitting and the other leaning against the wall. "And if anyone's going to be beating up anyone around here, I say it will be me, it's time for my revenge!"
A shocked look appeared on Jecht and his daughter's faces. When Braska walked out of the building, they followed, slowly. Auron laughed.
Outside, Braska said, "Alright, get going."
"You. . . weren't kidding?" Rayn said.
"Nope. . ." Braska turned around to face them. He summoned Ifrit and Rayn and Jecht took off running, nothing was going to stop them. "Get them Ifrit!" Braska said, and Ifrit took off after them.
"You think he'll hurt them?" Auron asked, walking up next to Braska.
"Let us hope. . ." Braska looked to his guardian and smiled, they then calmly walked down the path, every once in a while hearing screams or shouts to run faster.
The next time Braska and Auron saw Rayn or Jecht, they were hanging upside down from a tree. Rayn had her arms crossed over her chest since her shirt wasn't tucked in. Jecht was swinging back and forth, trying to find a way to get down. Ifrit had vanished.
"Rayn," Auron said. "Are you okay?"
"The blood is rushing to my head." She said calmly. Then she shouted, "Do you think I'm okay?" Blood began trickling from her nose.
Braska stepped forward. "Rayn?" Jecht swung to his daughter's rope that was tied around her ankles and untied it. He then crossed to his rope and got loose.
Rayn on the other hand, fallen to the ground and didn't move. Auron ran over. "Rayn?" He knelt at her side; a small streak of blood went from her nose to her forehead. Jecht ran to his daughter's other side, Braska stood next to Jecht. Auron sat her and leaned her against his chest.
Suddenly, Rayn's eyes flew open and she punched to her left, hitting Auron in the face. She got to her feet. "Oh God. . . Auron! I'm so sorry!" she cried out. Auron lay on his side rubbing his face. She dropped to her knees and crawled over to him.
"My fault," Auron said, sitting up straight.
"No, it's completely mine!" Rayn responded.
Jecht snickered. "Actually," he said. "If you think about it, it's all Braska's fault."
"It's all three of our faults," Rayn said. "No one should get the single blame." She sat on her legs. After a few moments of silence, she whispered, "Maybe it's just my fault." She then stood up and stretched. "Well. . . Let's head out!" She then began to walk down the path.
On the arrival at Macalania Temple, Rayn waited outside of the Cloister of Trials. She was wearing Auron's jacket. He had given it to her since she was cold on the way to the temple. She clutched the jacket around her, the bottom of it dragged on the ground since she was shorter than Auron. She was alone there, the other three had gone for the Trials. She knelt down by the main door to the temple and shivered. She was still cold. Silently, she drifted off to sleep.
"Rayn," Auron said, Rayn looked into his eyes and kissed him.
Rayn opened her eyes and the three were standing there. "Time to go?" she asked.
"Yeah," said Jecht.
She got up and handed the jacket to Auron. He took it, but when she started walking, he put it back on her shoulders. She turned her head to look at him and tripped over her own foot. "Ow. . ." she said softly.
Braska smiled. "Are you okay Rayn?" He was the only one to help her up.
When Rayn stood again, she handed Auron his jacket back and said, "I'll pull through."
Braska laughed. "Looks like she's trying to be stronger than you Auron," he said.
Auron laughed and Rayn walked further ahead. Jecht whacked Auron in the back of the head. "What?" Auron asked.
Jecht sighed and he ran to catch up with Rayn. "Are you okay?"
"Dad, here's some info for you, I'm not a little girl! If I fall behind, don't be afraid to tell me to catch up or yell or even leave me behind. . ." Rayn looked back at Auron. "I hate him."
"First of all Rayn, I'm not babying you, none of us are. You're keeping up, and if you fall behind, Auron or I will either yell at you or he'll leave you behind." Jecht paused. "Why don't you like Auron?"
Rayn sighed and tried to think of a way to phrase it. "It seems that he's better than anything I could be. I'm weak, he's strong, I'm uncivilized and he's. . . who knows what." Rayn sighed.
Auron walked over. "Rayn, can I talk to you?"
"No," Rayn retaliated quickly. She turned her back on Auron.
"Rayn!" Auron growled. Rayn turned around and blinked slowly. "What do you have against me?"
Sighing, Rayn said, "What don't I have against you?"
Braska called Jecht to his side and they decided to give Rayn and Auron some room. "Those two like each other," Braska said.
"Lovebirds," Jecht smirked.
Auron and Rayn glared at Braska and Jecht. "Shut up!" they shouted.
Placing his jacket on Rayn's shoulders, Auron said, "I'm trying to be nice, but you're not cooperating."
Rayn took the jacket and threw it back at Auron. "I don't want to cooperate with the likes of you."
Auron growled and put his hands on Rayn's shoulders, quickly, he leaned in and kissed her. Rayn froze; she then kicked him in the shin, kneed him in the stomach, and elbowed him in the back of the head.
"Oh damn it! Rayn!" Jecht ran over. Auron lay unconscious on the ground. "What did you do that for?"
"He fricking kissed me! I woulda beat the hell out of him more than I did if he woulda stayed standing!" Rayn crossed her arms. "Wait. . . does that mean we have to drag him?"
"Unfortunately so," Braska laughed. He had never see Auron get attacked so ruthlessly like that by anyone. Braska and Jecht stood Auron up dragged him down the pass. Rayn, on the other hand, wanted to drag him by his feet over sharp rocks, but her father said no.
At the next resting point, Rayn got what she deserved for attacking Auron. She had to take care of him until he woke up. "Fricking crap. . ." was all Rayn said when she learned of this. Yet when Auron awoke, she had everything taken care of. "Sorry about that," she said.
"My fault," Auron said.
"Yeah, it was," responded the girl. She crossed her arms and leaned back in the chair. "Braska said you hated me."
"Yeah, just like you hate me."
"Yup." Rayn stretched.
"You don't care about anything do you?"
Rayn wanted to say no, she wanted to say it so bad, but she had to say yes. "Yeah, I do," she responded. "My dad, Lord Braska, my mother, and my little brother." Rayn smiled thinking of what her brother would look like, what Tidus would look like, now that he was ten years old.
"So you do care?"
"Mostly about Spira. I wanted to be a summoner," Rayn said, she leaned forward and folded her hands. "I wanted to be the one to save Spira some day, save it from Sin." Rayn smiled. "To destroy Sin with the final aeon and bring the Calm." She sighed and smiled at Auron. "Maybe some day." Auron smiled. He got out of bed and threw on his jacket. They walked out of the room. She looked to Auron. "You're not so bad. . . but you can be an asshole." Auron laughed.
From there, when they got to warmer weather, Rayn began skipping down the path to the temple of Bevelle. Singing the Hymn of the Fayth, she as she distanced herself from the three men. When they got to temple, Rayn stayed outside and sat on the steps.
Suddenly, a large creature jumped up to attack her. Her father and the other two came running. Rayn had a large golden staff in her hand, but she was afraid to attack. Auron and Jecht ran to her side to help. The large fiend jumped towards Rayn, she panicked and didn't move. "Rayn!" Auron jumped in the way and took the blow. He fell on one knee and looked at her. "Are you crazy? What the hell did you think you were doing?" he growled.
"I. . . I'm sorry. . . I. . ." She backed away and Braska took her place.
Rayn stood back and watched the three do their damage. Auron attacked, then Jecht, and finally, Braska summoned Shiva and destroyed the creature.
~ End Flashback~
"You see Tidus, that was my first battle," Rayn told her brother.
Tidus nodded, his sister had told him all of this so far, and he was still trying to understand it all. "So, you never went into any of the Cloister of Trials?"
"No," Rayn shook her head. "I didn't like puzzles." She smiled.
"So, what happened next?" Tidus was eager to hear more.