.:Crystal Dreams:.
Chapter Five
-The Final Summoning-
Yuna stood at the edge of the Calm Lands, watching as people ran in fear. Sin was coming. Just like she wanted it to. Turning to face her guardians, she took a deep breath, the tears still crawling down her cheeks. "Goodbye everyone," she whispered, handing Lulu a sphere. "I want you all to go to the woods until it's over. I don't want anyone else to die."
"Yunie..." the Al Bhed girl sobbed. She wrapped her arms tightly around her cousin's neck. "You can always turn back."
"I'm sorry Rikku," Yuna said firmly. "I have to do this." She hugged her blonde guardian and turned to her Ronso friend. "Goodbye Kimahri."
"Kimahri will miss Yuna. But Yuna strong. Defeat Sin. Bring long Calm."
"Oh thank you Kimahri," Yuna said, tears falling stronger. She hugged the blue beast, only reaching his chest. She then faced Lulu and Wakka. "Thank you, for everything."
"Say hi to Chappu for me, ya?" Wakka tried to be cheery but the tears falling from his eyes told everything.
"Yessir."
Lulu softly embraced her 'little sister'. "We hope for the best."
"Me too. Enjoy the Calm," she said with a small smile. Giving everyone a last embrace, she watched them run into the Macalania Woods. Turning sharply on her heel, she saw the monstrous being that was Sin. "This is the last time, we fight together, okay?" Yuna whispered, holding a hand over her heart. Taking out her summoner's staff, she stepped forward. "Leviathan, come forth," she said softly, twirling her rod in her hands. The ground began to crack under her, spraying out high pressured water. A mirror like portal pulled out of the ground in front of her, sparkling with light. She could see her sorry reflection in the water as a bluish scaley arm came out. Then an entire body of a water dragon. What suprised her most was the Zanarkand Abes symbol dangling from a silver chain. "Tidus..." she said his name one last time as she fell to her knees. The Final Summoning did as promised: take the very breath out of her lungs. She was so tired she couldn't protect herself from the giant scaley body flying towards her.
Yuna found herself floating in an abyss, but not a dark void. A soft light seemed to glow all around her, keeping her warm. "Tidus...?" she called out for her lover. "Tidus?"
"Hello Yuna," said the purple hooded child. The Fayth of Bahamut.
"Oh, hello. Where's Tidus?" she asked.
"Sin," the Fayth answered simply.
Tidus had told her that Sin was her father's guardian, Sir Jecht. But how that was possible...? "Oh no..." she thought, coming to a realization. That's how Sin came back. "Sin is now... Tidus..." Yuna gasped, tears falling from her eyes.
"That's right Yuna. Your Calm will last a while, and Tidus will return. As Sin. We had hoped you would be the one to defeat the cycle, but we were wrong. You failed us."
"No... I'm sorry..." she whispered.
Tidus opened his cerulean eyes. He was in a strange, yet familiar place. "Zanarkand?" he said outloud.
"Looks like it, doesn't it?"
He spun around, facing a brunette man. Anger welled inside of him, "Dad?"
"The one and only. So I see you beat Sin. But not for long," Jecht said.
"What are you talking about?" Tidus demanded.
"You will become Sin. Just as I was before you. And the cycle will continue until someone finally stops it," Jecht explained.
"No..." Tidus stepped back, seeing the mistake. "But Yuna... we were supposed to fade away together and..." Hot tears fell from his eyes. "Damnit," he said through clenched teeth.
Jecht was slowly becoming transparent. "I'm leaving now... You are Sin..."
"No!" Tidus cried out, punching at the fading figure that was his father. He fell to his knees, sobbing loudly.
Rikku was the first to emerge from the woods, hours later. "Yunie...?" she called out. The Calm Lands were much different. The Travel Agency was completely destroyed, but it would be quickly reubuilt. Battle marks scorched the ground and tall rocky boundaries. "Yunie..." She felt a comforting arm wrap around her shoulder. "She's really... gone... isn't she?"
"I'm afraid so," the normally stoic Lulu said. Her voice trembled and tears threatened to fall. She still held the sphere tightly in her free hand.
"Yuna defeat Sin. Kimahri proud but also sad," the Ronso spoke softly.
"Everyone is, ya?" Wakka said.
After a moment, Rikku began to bawl loudly. "They're gone!" she cried. "It's all my fault!"
"Rikku, shh," Lulu said, embracing the Al Bhed tighter. "It's okay. Yuna would want us to be happy." She couldn't stop the tears falling from her eyes.
"But I let them die!" she screamed.
No one tried to stop her crying, because all of them were. Kimahri let out a loud roar for his fallen friends.
After a long silence of muted prayers and stifled sobs, they gathered around the black mage, "Here, let's... watch the sphere," Lulu said, wiping tears from her eyes with the back of her hand. Clicking a switch, an image of a sunset appeared. The sun was just hardly peeking over the tops of the destroyed rubble that was once Zanarkand.
"Hello everybody," Yuna's voice spoke. "If you're watching this, Sin is dead. But I am too. And I want to thank everyone again. You all gave me so much laughter, joy, happiness, and... love. This journey was full of experiences I was glad to have. Sir Auron, I am so glad I was able to meet you. Having you as a guardian was a great honor. Yet I wonder... if there is something you know that we don't. I've never known a person to guard another summoner after their own summoner defeated Sin. Anyways, thank you, very much Sir Auron. Kimahri, remember when you tried to leave Besaid?" Yuna giggled softly as the sphere camera changed scenes to the other, dark horizon, "I asked you not to go, and you stayed. Thank you Kimahri. And I've always liked your broken horn. Thank you, so much, for everything. Wakka... Lulu... I'll never forget growing up in Besaid. We always had so much fun, us and Chappu. I know we were all sad when Chappu died. I think that's what really pushed me to becoming a summoner, even when you both refused to let me. I wanted to avenge his death, I think. But as we journeyed, I realized it wasn't only his death that would be in vain if I stopped. You two were the closest thing I had to family... no, you were family. My big brother and sister. But Wakka, please, forgive the Al Bhed. Don't let your grudge get in the way of possible friendships." Yuna sighed softly, "Oh Rikku. I know how much you wanted me to stop. And I truly am sorry, but I had to. I know what you think about the summoners sacrificing themselves... and I'm sorry. But this is something I must do. My sacrifice saves countless others. Please forgive me. I hope Uncle Cid and the others forgive me as well. Thank you for being my guardian. You got us out of a lot of problems. Thank you." Turning the sphere camera, Yuna's face appeared, and she waved. "I guess that leaves out you Tidus. Star player of the Zanarkand Abes. You never did take me to Zanarkand," she pouted slightly, "but that's okay. I hope you find your way there soon. I'm really happy you became my guardian. You gave me something... special. Love. I never knew what this would feel like, and I was feared I would never know. It's a much more wonderful feeling than anything I had ever imagined," she looked out to the horizon, a tear trickling down her cheek, "I-I just want to say, thank you for everything. Maybe... maybe that's why it hurts. When I... When I think about us never being together again at all... I'm afraid. But you, and everyone else, you make me feel safe. Like I can do it. I can beat Sin. And I want to beat Sin so you can all live... happily." She picked up the sphere, and started to walk down the path. "Thank you again everyone. I will miss you a lot. I hope you all live happily in what I hope will be a long, prosperous Calm. Goodbye."
"I do forgive you Yunie," Rikku whispered.
"She really did love him... didn't she?" Lulu said quietly.
"Ya. He loved her too. At least they're together in the Farplane, ya?" Wakka sighed.
"Yuna's Calm will be long, and happy. Just like Yuna wanted," Kimahri nodded.