...Gravity...
Look around just people,
can you hear their voice
Find the one who'll guide you
to the limits of your choice…
Chapter XVIII - Fortitudine Vincimus
The snow fall had ceased for the time being, leaving only a forlorn, bleak sky in its wake. The dark clouds were heavy with unfallen snow which threatened to drop from the heavens at any given moment. But, it did not come. All that stirred was the chilled breeze and seven companions who attempted to brave the craggy slopes of Gagazet.
Rikku did not lag this time, but instead, walked at the front, wedged between Tidus and Auron. Her awkwardly hemmed coat dragged behind her like a train, brushing a path for Yuna who walked directly behind her, alongside Lulu. Wakka and Kimahri brought up the rear, both of their faces trained wearily upon the dreary sky above.
Her thoughts were dulled, strangely. She was surprised that, as they drew closer to the journey's end, her mind did not race, but dim. She was burning out, her head filled beyond capacity with ways to save her cousin. It was too much for her mind to bear, so it was beginning to fade out all thoughts. Now, only a dull roar of hopes blazed through her subconscious, too intangible to mold into actual ideas. She could only walk on and pray that Tidus came up with an idea.
She glanced sidelong at the blond, who was walking with his head down and his feet dragging, akin to a miserable five year old. His blue eyes brimmed with tears he repressed with all his might and his mouth was drawn in a thin line. She could see that he was straining. He was trying to be strong for Yuna, strong for himself. He, who came from another world, was trying to survive in this illogical place littered with backward thinking and was struggling.
It was ridiculous, this entire situation. She was too young, hell, they were all too young to be bearing the weight of the world upon their shoulders. Not like they really could do anything about it, which only made Rikku fume all the more. No one cared about her or her companions lives, they only cared about their own miserable existences. As long as the collective "they" was happy, right? That was the only reason they were doing this, of course. To ensure that the entire world was freaking happy and safe. Who cared if they were risking their lives? Maybe, in a couple years, after their carcasses were well rotted and worm-ridden, a couple of nice people might make statues honoring their names. Oh boy, that was certainly what Rikku had always dreamed of. Having a hulking stone giant carved in her likeness, while a bunch of old fogies tell incorrect stories about her travels.
She snorted aloud, not really meaning to, but unable to hold it back all the same. The sheer injustice of it all made it basically impossible for her to keep it bottled up. Tidus nudged her slightly, causing her to look up at him. His head angled sideways, motioning toward the pathway up ahead. The snow was thinning and finally the stone pathway was becoming clear. The road to Zanarkand, etched with ancient stones and broken pillars. Rikku sighed quietly, lowering her head, not quite ready to accept that Zanarkand was barely an hour away. Her progress slowed and she eventually came to a stop. The party trudged forward, either not noticing her stopping or just not concerning themselves with it. Either way, Rikku didn't really care. She wasn't ready to walk those last few steps, not yet.
A snowball whizzed by her ear, flying right off the edge of the cliff and into the foggy abyss below. She glanced behind her, not quite surprised to see Tidus there. He was bent over and in the process of making another snowball. Perhaps, this was some strange form of boy therapy; she couldn't be too sure. Maybe, Rikku just didn't understand the healing power of snowballs.
The silence between the echoed stridently, as Tidus flung snowball after snowball over the cliff. The party was probably resting up ahead, anyway, since no one had bothered to come looking for them. That suited Rikku just fine, of course. She, Tidus, as well as the rest of the party, needed this one last breather before marching on Zanarkand. It was a time to collect their thoughts, or reorganize their game plan in her and Tidus's case. Of course, it generally helped to have a game plan in the first place. Unfortunately, for her and the blonde-haired blitz player, they still seemed to be battling zero.
"Zanarkand is on the other side, you know," Her, slightly, squeaky voice echoed, shattering the silence between them. Another misshapen ball of snow flew by her, but none followed in turn. She turned toward him, studying him with concerned eyes. Tidus's head was bent down, his hand rubbing his hair almost roughly.
"I know," He mumbled in reply, taking a few steps toward her, his eyes, however, never leaving the ground. She wanted to run to him, to hug him and tell him it would all be okay. But, frankly, she couldn't say that with a straight face. Because, she didn't know if everything would be okay. She wasn't sure of anything anymore. Hell, she couldn't even guarantee that all of them would survive the upcoming days.
"I haven't thought of anything, yet," She decided on just laying the facts on the table, maybe Tidus had some semblance of an idea, and they could bat ideas off of each other. Anything would do. By the gods, he could say that he wanted to raise an army of moogles, she might even be game. Anything was better than nothing at all.
"Me neither," His voice was low, but now he was standing right beside her, staring directly into the fog. Rikku closed her eyes. She knew that was what he was gonna say, but she had been hoping. Hoping for what, really? She had resolved a few nights ago that hope was not dead. That there was always a chance if you let yourself believe it. She had been so sure then. So sure that everything would be okay, that they would somehow come up with this magical plan that would save the world, Yunie, and Auron all at the same time. God, how foolish she had been. She had taken Lulu's comfort as a sign of hope, but it was nothing more than it was. Comfort in a time of despair. Lulu hadn't believed that there was a way to help Yuna, she had just tried to help Rikku accept that Yuna was going to…
"Oh gods, what are we gonna do?" She moaned, her hand coming to her head. Was it a headache she felt looming over her, or just the horrid knowledge of what was to come? She didn't know nor really care. A headache was the last thing she needed.
"Hey!" Tidus said, his hands resting on her shoulders, shaking her lightly, "We'll do something! We just don't know enough yet, right? I bet once we get to Zanarkand things will clear up, I bet we'll find the answer to our problems there. But, until then you can't let it get to you, okay"
His voice was oddly reassuring, almost like a pep talk before a big game, but effective all the same. A smile didn't cross her lips, but her green eyes seemed to perk more. Why hadn't she thought of that? Of course there would be something in Zanarkand to give them some sort of answer. That was where all the summoners went before the journeys end, maybe, just maybe, if they looked hard enough, they would find something. It was a place to start and definitely something that was acting to lift up her hopes. Thank the heavens for optimists like Tidus. She used to be that way, as well. Bouncy, cheery…what happened? Maybe, she was hardened by her experiences, or maybe she was just growing up.
A smile began to grow across her lips, something genuine, something she hadn't bared in a long time. She almost had to brush the cobwebs off the corner of her mouth, curves she hadn't bothered to utilize lately.
"Well, look who's sounding like Mr. Captain," She teased, poking him lightly in the stomach. The banter slid off her tongue, feeling like pure honey.
"Star of the Zanarkand Abes! Didn't anyone tell you?" He replied, equally as teasing, his arms extending in an extravagant fashion, as he took a low bow. Rikku giggled slightly, her green eyes gleaming. She almost felt herself relaxing a little, not enough to allow herself to be caught off guard, but enough to allow herself to breath normally. She clutched the edges of her cloak, nearly beaming at the warm sensation that flooded through her body. Everything was going to work out!
She bent at the waist, one arm flung out to the side, the other curled around her waist, and her head down. It was odd how her emotions could change in mere moments, probably due to her age, or maybe the circumstances. Though, it didn't really matter, she savored the feeling of some of the weight lifting from her shoulders.
Her head tilted up, aiming to flash a dazzling grin at the blitzball player, but she stopped. Instead of seeing just Tidus, she was unpleasantly surprised to see that they were not alone. No, they had been joined, silently, by a tall, incredibly horrid man with icky blue tresses. Time seemed to slow as shocked green eyes met harsh blue. Her mouth opened and she thought she heard herself screaming, but it all seemed distant. All she could see was blue, blue ice, iniquitous and insane.
The few seconds that seemed to stretch for an eternity ended, and she fell backwards still screeching. Tidus whipped around, his arms coming up to guard her from the foe.
"Rikku, tell Auron, get the others!" Tidus growled, his eyes stealing Seymour's away from her own. She drew in a deep breath, the instant she was released from his gaze, realizing she hadn't bothered to breathe. Rikku shook her head and leapt to her feet, now fully alert and ready for whatever was coming next.
"No way, I'm not letting you fight him alone!" She yelled back, not falling for Tidus's hero routine. He may be good, but he wasn't that good. Gods, she wasn't even sure Auron was good enough to take on this loony single-handedly. Tidus looked back at her for an instant, blue eyes blazing with fury.
"Just go!" He shouted, instantly turning his attention back on the Maester that just refused to die. Rikku paused for a moment, not quite sure if she should listen to him or not. He would be killed if Seymour tried any of his hocus pocus on him, but they'd both be killed if they tried to fight him without everyone else's help. She wasn't very skilled at fighting, just fast. A pretty decent swordfighter and a thief could do very little against a learned mage.
She made her decision then and darted from the clearing, running as fast as her legs could take her. Her large coat trailed behind her, dragging in the snow and slowing her down. She shrugged it off her shoulders and took off again in a mad dash. The cold stung at her body, biting her skin. Snow had begun to fall in a light flurry, and it seemed that all the flakes were desperate to get into her eyes. The air was harsh and painful as she sucked it down in huge gasps, but she never slowed. Tidus could die if she didn't hurry.
She flew by the row of decrepit pillars, catching sight of the party near yawning entrance of a cave. They were seated somewhat haphazardly, obviously anxious to get moving. However, when Rikku burst into view, Auron was off his feet in moments, follow by Kimahri and Wakka.
"Seymour….Tidus….!" She managed to sputter between gasps. Snow flew into the air, as she skidded to a halt in front of the party. She bent over, resting her hands on her knees and gasping for breath.
"Seymour is back there, Tidus is with him," She whispered to Auron, who's hand was resting lightly on her back as he bent over to hear her better. The party reacted quickly to her words, gathering their weapons and shooting back towards the clearing. Hopefully, Tidus was okay, but it wasn't a sure thing when Seymour was involved.
"Let's go," Auron said bluntly, while heaving his great sword onto his back. Rikku nodded, still breathing heavy, but ready to go all the same. It would be delaying the inevitable if she stayed here until she was ready to fight. Besides, even though she knew she may not be much help, she didn't want to leave her comrades to their own devices.
They dashed, or more like, Auron dashed and she jogged lightly back towards the clearing. She could hear that vile man giggling about some malicious act or another with Kimahri growling some answer in reply. She picked up the pace a little, finally reaching the place where she had dropped her coat. She gave it a short glance, but moved onward without picking it up. There was little else the coat did then just keep her warm. It would impede her movements in battle, something that she desperately depended on. She was the smallest, therefore, also the fastest of the guardians. A large coat weighing her down could possibly spell her doom.
"I don't understand you!" Yuna's voice rang out clearly, propelling Rikku the last few steps until she joined again with the group. Everyone was in battle stance, glaring daggers at the doubly dead Maester. She slid in formation between Auron and Lulu, both nodding to her in recognition. Yuna, Tidus, and Kimahri stood before her with Wakka a little off to the side.
"Allow Kimahri to die, and release him from his pain," Seymour hissed, his voice sounding odd, or more, completely unhinged, which he probably was. His multiple deaths probably sent him further off his rocker than he had been in the first place, just what they all needed. Seymour had kinda turned into that persistent fly that buzzed annoyingly around your head and wouldn't ever go away until you killed it. However, in Seymour's case, even if you killed the fly it would just get up and keep on buzzing. Freaking wonderful, that's what it was.
"Spira is a land of suffering and sorrow caught in a spiral of death," Rikku rolled her eyes. Here he goes again… "To destroy--to heal--Spira, I will become Sin. Yes, with your help,"
Rikku stared at him incredulously. Scratch that fly bit, Seymour was like a stalker boy that you had to get a restraining order for. He was completely insane, you couldn't just become Sin…or could you? She wasn't completely sure on all the details of the Final Summoning, all she knew was that the Summoner died, which, of course, was more than enough. Did the Summoner become sin?
"What is going on?" She whispered to Auron, who had his normal mask of nothing over his expressions.
"He killed the Ronso, and now he wants Yuna to use him in the Final Summoning," He whispered in reply, his gruff voice lost in the wind that blew between them. Rikku's eyes widened to the size of saucers at his reply, her gaze focusing on Kimahri, then on Seymour.
That bastard! He just never stopped causing misery and mayhem now, did he? Even after killing him twice he just wasn't ready to stop plaguing the world with his existence. She wanted to slash that cocky little grin off his face, and then shove him forcefully off the cliff behind him.
"Come with me, Yuna," Yuna, of course, didn't go. Rikku knew she wasn't dumb enough to buy into Seymour's little ploys. He wasn't trying to help, he was trying to rule. Killing everyone in the world as a means of cleansing didn't sound exactly logical to her. Maybe, she had just missed something.
Tidus growled, stepping forward slightly, seeming quite sick of Seymour's irrational rambling. She agreed full heartedly with him, and it seemed the rest of the guardians did as well. They all stepped forward, eyes narrowing and grips on their weapons adjusting and tightening. She was as ready to kick some psycho ass, as she had ever been.
"Once I have become the next Sin, your father will be freed again," Seymour whispered, his gaze directed toward Tidus. Everyone paused a moment, eyes focusing upon Tidus. What in the gods name was the loony talking about? She looked at Auron expectantly, but his gaze was fixed on Tidus, completely unreadable.
"What do you know!" Tidus snarled, waving his sword in the air. Rikku, though still completely sure she wanted to kill Seymour a third time, was slightly less eager as Tidus seemed to be. Was Tidus's father held captive by Sin, or was there something else going on? Gods, things just never seemed to stop being confusing in the world. They just grew more and more convoluted as time drew on, spiraling down into disorder. Very similar to the world around them.
Rikku released a small yelp as she fell backwards; the explosion from Seymour's dying form knocking her, and everyone else for that matter, off balance. She rolled over quickly, shielding her eyes from the blinding white light that followed the deafening explosion. Shards and debris flew through the air, a few striking Rikku in the back. She didn't have the energy, however, to cry out, as bits of metal lanced into her flesh. The fight against Seymour had taken more out of her, as well as everyone else, then she had planned on. Insanely powerful, would have been an understatement.
The rumbles died out and the air seemed to be clear of flying wreckage. Rikku rolled to her side slowly, her green eyes blinking from the onslaught of white. Though, on closer inspection, the snow near the edge of the cliff seemed to be stained a deep shade of ebon fading to gray then to white the further away one got. Smoking debris lay scattered upon the cliffside, along with the prone forms of some of her friends.
Rikku sat up fully, her body screaming against the effort. She could feel blood trickling down her back from the newly formed wounds, as well as from a few old ones found elsewhere on her body. She shook her head gently, snow and ash falling free from her hair. She pulled the hair tie from her hair, allowing the locks to fall free, as well as to release anymore dirt that had managed to tangle in her hair.
She surveyed the scene around her, remembering back to the first and second times they had fought Seymour. It always looked like a hurricane had swept through after his defeat. Blood mixed with snow and grim on the cliffside, promising to mark this site until the next great snowfall, which hopefully wasn't going to be soon. That was just what they needed now, the heavens to open up and drop white crap on their bruised bodies. She just wanted to roll over and curl up for a couple weeks.
Yuna, who was a few paces off kneeling beside Wakka, stood and made her way towards Rikku. Rikku forced a feeble smile, instead only managing a twisted grimace as she attempted to adjust her position. Yuna smiled sweetly, her mismatched eyes twinkling with compassion. Thank the heavens for this angel, was the only thought that ran through her mind as Yuna's healing magic coursed it way through her body. Rikku closed her eyes, savoring the sweet feeling the magic instilled within her.
Her thoughts warmed, turning from pain to sweet summer days at Home. To running down the hallway, Keyack grinning like a fool beside her, and her father yelling after them. She could feel herself smiling at the memory. They had lifted cookies from old lady Somaya's kitchen, the crumbs still covering their shirts and chocolate smearing their lips. The had run like hell that day, laughing hysterically the whole way. Of course, they had gotten scolded badly afterwards, but that hadn't made it any less worth it.
"Thank you," Rikku whispered, as her eyes fluttered open. Yuna's eyes reflected her kind smile, curving with her face. Rikku reflected the expression on her own face, her hand coming to rest upon her cousins shoulder. She could feel her affections for her cousin bursting within her, only further solidifying her resolve to save her. In Zanarkand all the answers would lie, and Yunie wouldn't have to worry anymore.
Yuna squeezed Rikku's hand, before standing up and walking towards the rest of the group. They had come together after receiving their treatment, and she could hear murmurs of their conversation. She really didn't want to stand up, but the cold air, which she had managed to ignore prior to now, began to bite at her bare flesh once more.
She trudged over to the group, her arms wrapped around her body in some effort to retain some semblance of body heat. Thankfully, however, when she neared the group, Auron handed her the massive coat. She smiled and pulled the coat on, standing on tip toes and giving the guardian a small kiss on the chin. He offered her what seemed to be a smile in return, but you could never tell with his cloaked features. They both then, turned back to the conversation at hand.
"Seymour will become Sin... with my help," Yuna stated slowly, as if the realization had just dawned on her. Rikku scrunched up her nose at the idea, that was the last thing they needed, Seymour as Sin rampaging even more across the land.
"Lies, forget them," Auron replied gruffly, causing Rikku to look up at him. Yeah, Seymour was a loon, but would he openly lie about something like that. It seemed more like he was trying to hide something from Yuna, which of course only served to irritate Rikku.
"If he becomes Sin, Sir Jecht will be saved…" Yuna replied, almost questioningly, like she didn't quite comprehend it. Not that any of them really did, except, of course Auron and maybe Tidus. Which wasn't fair, since they were all on this pilgrimage together. Any bit of information could be helpful.
Yet, instead of offering an answer, Auron simply turned away and began to walk towards the broken stone pathway, not even bothering to glance at his summoner.
"We're leaving," He called, as he walked away. However, Yuna would have none of that and she ran to stand in front of him, her arms firmly placed on her hips. Rikku had to smile at Yuna's persistence. A woman after her own heart, she was.
"You know something, Tell me!" She demanded, also voicing the question the entire group had floating around their heads. However, instead of Auron offering a reply, Tidus stepped forward, his head hanging down and his feet kicking at the snow beneath his feet.
"Sin's my father," A collective gasp was drawn from the group, followed by deafening silence afterward. Rikku's green eyes widened and a hand raised to cover her mouth. What in the hell…?
"You hit your head?" Wakka asked, doubtful.
"I don't know how or why he did it. I felt him, inside, and when I did, I knew it was true. My old man is Spira's suffering…" Tidus half explained, half apologized. Everyone just stared at him, blank-faced. Rikku was at a total loss for words, not like there was anything appropriate to say anyway.
"Even knowing that Sin is your father…Still, you know, I must..." Yuna said, stepping closer to Tidus. Tidus raised one hand, though Rikku wasn't sure if he was trying to stop Yuna from coming closer or reaching out to touch her. Maybe, he wasn't even sure himself. But, after a few moments, the hand reached up higher and began scratching the back of his blonde head.
"I know…well, I mean, I think he'd want it that way," His voice was soft, barely a whisper, and Rikku had to strain to hear it. There was no more words uttered after that, perhaps, everyone, just like Rikku, had no clue as to what to say. It's not like you could get angry at the boy for his father being sin. But, its not like you could jump to comfort him either. "I'm sorry your dad is the cause of all the pain and suffering in this world," is something that probably would hurt more than help. So silence ensued once more, as the party slowly began their journey upward. Their journey towards answers; their journey to Zanarkand.
A/N : Ohh, yes! Another Chapter!!! Yay! It's not too shabby, I haven't written anything in awhile, so there may be a few errors that I missed. I hope you enjoy!