Shout outs:
Indigofaery: Thanks, and you should find out in this chapter.
Bree-2006: Wow, thank you. I hope this update is fast enough.
jenny: Thanks.
michelle: This chapter should explain a little more.
Disclaimer: I don't own the FFX or FFX-2 characters, settings, etc.
Yuna considered herself a strong woman.
She'd been through heartache, loss, love, and pain on her first trip as a summoner. The bonds on her emotions that had been forged through time and strength stayed with her. She could smile at any time no matter the situation. She could conceal pain and sadness all behind the determined and strong barrier that would always block her true self. Only her true friends could see through the façade she always put up whenever she wasn't strong, or happy.
But as Yuna stared up into the eyes of someone she thought she knew so well and respected, came as a shock to her when she realized everything. Whatever had driven Isaaru to become what he was now, Yuna only hoped that she couldn't have prevented it. Guilty always found its place in the back of Yuna's mind with ease.
"Well, are you going to say anything?"
Yuna looked up blankly as she stared into Isaaru's face, blinking back tears. This couldn't have been the man who orchestrated the whole plot involving was likely to threaten Spira.
"Why?" Yuna mouthed quietly.
"Why?" Isaaru repeated her question quietly. "Why? Because I've changed. My old self would have always given in to discipline and morals and what was right. I could never truly achieve what I really wanted. Recognition; which you, Lady Summoner, stole from me ever since you became a summoner. I envied you back then, yet I respected you. Even when I met you when you were a Gullwing, working that silly job back in Zanarkand, I still envied you. It seemed like all of Spira's troubles revolved around you all the time. All it took was a good self-image, friends, determination, and then you were saving this world again. All of Spira praised you. But don't get me wrong now. I'm not mad at you, but this plan is for me! Now I will be able to take center stage and become the most talked about person in Spira. I will be the most powerful, too. Even if it has to be through wrong deeds, I will make myself apparent in the minds of all in Spira."
Yuna sat on the ground still, absorbing Isaaru's speech calmly. It was obvious that what drove him was envy, resentment, or maybe just power. Whatever he was planning, Yuna was sure that it involved some sort of threat towards the people she had vowed to protect. Isaaru used to be a friend, but his actions had to be stopped.
Stuck in her own reverie of contemplation, Yuna did not notice Lenne behind her, who'd leapt onto the balcony without a sound.
"Now Lady Yuna, it is your turn to contribute." He lifted her onto her feet. "Rise and embrace what has befallen you, as it is your great power that will assist me in my goals."
A long blonde braid tapped Yuna's shoulder, and in an instant, she swirled around. Lenne stood in front of her with a malevolent smirk, as she placed here hands upon Yuna's face. The girl's spirit drew into Yuna, rendering her unconscious. Her body was still the same, as only her own conscious had been overturned by Lenne's own conscious. The summoner robes donned by Yuna thinned into stripes, revealing a glowing outfit underneath. The songstress' outfit dropped the glow, as her blue and black clothing became normal and regular. The DressSphere change finished, leaving Yuna's features still dominant over Lenne's. However, that slowly changed as Yuna's locks brightened and flowed longer.
Standing only inches away, Rikku slowly started to regain herself from the odd switch. Her bright blonde locks were now restored, but her balanced was weakening. The balcony drifted out from under her feet, as she dropped backwards slowly. The air rushed past her while her descent increased. Rikku was unaware of what was happening, until two strong arms halted her fall, cradling her into a broad chest. A tanned face looked down at her, and Rikku smiled, stroking Gippal's cheek before she passed out again.
Back up on the balcony, Lenne had busied herself with performing her summoning arts on the magic energy in front of her, leaving Isaaru to stare down at the fighters below him.
"It is time for the Final Summoning to be reborn! Such power! It will definitely be an accomplishment to master it. Behold the new power over Spira!!" Isaaru shouted, beckoning the others to divert their attention back to Lenne.
The concentration of energy had grown a considerable amount, and was now on the verge of exploding. Anticipating the battle, the closest fighters rushed forward as the room filled with a shockwave of magic. Those who had been sucked into the vortex only felt strange tingles, while the one still in the room were knocked off their feet. But in the instant they others had disappeared, the room started to shuddered.
Then it started to fall apart.
The memories had yet to even fade a little, and as Tidus stood in a very familiar place, he couldn't help but feel like it had only been yesterday when he was battling his own father.
The premises of a regular Zanarkand night, before the amazing city had been vanquished by Sin, surrounded area in front of the fighters. They stood towards the back of the long and wide balcony, waiting patiently for what was to come.
Shuyin and Lenne, looking more like spirits, watched from the closest rooftop, about fifty meters from the edge of the balcony. Their embrace was strong, as they held each other tightly while looking back at the others. Isaaru stood at the circular part of the balcony at the end, laughing quietly to himself.
Tidus scanned the area quickly, but found no sight of the Final Summoning. There were no doubts in his mind that there would still be a battle, although he hardly could believe what was happening. His knees bent as he helped Yuna up to her feet. She was still shaky from the short-term override of her body, thankful that she could lean on Tidus for support. Without a word, he quietly slipped a potion toward her, but she refused, moving it towards his own mouth. Reluctantly, Tidus drank it since Yuna knew he was the one who was injured. Quietly hugging closer to him and leaning her head on his muscular chest, her gaze darted back across to Isaaru.
Behind Tidus and Yuna, Gippal stood supporting a shaky Rikku, while Paine, Wakka and Kimahri stood by their side in their fighting stances. They were cautious of the situation.
However, at the front of the group, Auron stood silently while shaking his head in an angry manner.
"I do not take being manipulated quite easily, Isaaru." Auron stated in a cold and stern voice as his eyes pierced into a glare.
"It is only another form of magic; actually quite useful." The younger replied simply.
Defying his usual calm and collected self, Auron bellowed in an angry war cry, charging dangerously at Isaaru. Only then did something appear in the blink of an eye.
An extremely large sword crashed down just next to Isaaru, and only inches from Auron, whom reacted quickly. The force of the blow was enough to send Auron sailing backwards through the air and into Kimahri.
Standing before the fighters, the Final Summoning eyed them cautiously, wielding its powerful sword with great strength and grace. Its large frame towered over the others greatly.
"This is no longer the normal Final Summoning in which you defeated years ago. It has been revived with great power, and I control it!!"
At that moment, the gigantic sword crashed down right in front of the shouting Isaaru, delivering a powerful release of energy that slammed into him and rendered him unconscious as he slid along the ground towards the group of fighters. None of them paid any attention to him, but instead moved up closer toward the Final Summoning, intent on forming their waves of attacking. They all knew that if they all attacked at once, a swift attack could take them all down.
Without any words exchanged, Tidus not even bothering to try to talk to their enemy since he knew his father had long since been freed from the Aeon. Tidus, Gippal, and Paine took the first positions of fighting, while Kimahri, Auron, and Wakka waited patiently. Behind them, Rikku and Yuna were recovering their strength.
Still no words were spoken, as there was no need to. Their goal was clear; they had to defeat the Final Summoning again. For Gippal and Paine, it was a new experience, as the others had already done such a feat. Once everyone brandished his or her weapon, the battle began.
And off to the sidelines, Shuyin and Lenne watched quietly.
The Aeon's sword cut down into the balcony, causing the fighters to split to the sides to avoid the powerful attack. Without any need to recover, the three set into their own attack, slashing, cutting, and jabbing. A few skills were used, as well as quick technique. All it did was slow the behemoth in front of them.
In a flash, Paine was batted backwards by the Aeon's fist, sending her a great deal backwards. Auron immediately took her place, ready to take over. The warrior monk of few words powered up a magic break, and quickly unleashed his magic dampening attack. The towering Aeon in front of him flinched, although hardly affected by the skill. With a silent swipe it brought its large blade down caressing across balcony and slamming a forceful rush of air into the trio, knocking them all to their knees.
Quickly regaining despite the sudden infliction of harm upon them, Tidus and Gippal backed up to recover, allowing Yuna and Rikku to take a stand with Auron.
Since both girls were only two out of three fighters who could use DressSpheres, Yuna and Rikku immediately changed from their original classes. Yuna's summoner garb drained away into colorful ribbons while a ball of energy wiped away and replaced her with a white robe. As a white mage, she caught her staff out of the air and preformed a strong sweep in front of her, sending a burst of white feathers through the air. Rikku's thief outfit diminished with the upwards flow of her new class. Now adorned in alchemist duds, she swept her blonde braids out of her face and spun her gun around her fingers.
Now with a change of strategy, the girls set back out for battle. Rikku spun around briskly while at the same time kneeling down with two items in each of her hands. To her side, Yuna quickly casted a Protect spell on herself, her cousin, and her previous Guardian. A magic shield formed in front of them, but then disappeared while still housing the defense to block their occupants. Auron himself settled for a simple, powerful slash to the Final Summoning.
A moment passed before the sword came down again, sweeping a forceful gust at them. Yuna and Auron were knocked down, while Rikku had narrowly been missed by the attack, due to an evasive dodge. Without hesitation, she continued on mixing her two items, until she was finished. Having combined two Chocobo Feathers which resulted in a Chocobo wing, Rikku toss her new item in the air quickly. The effect was instant, as a spell of Hastaga rushed over the trio, supplying them all with a Haste effect. Now all enhanced speed wise, the three started up again with performing their own actions.
Auron started off with charging his Overdrive; Bushido, performing his Tornado attack. Energy gathered in his blade as he dashed up toward the Final Summoning, releasing a burst of wind with a single strike. The cyclone struck the Aeon hard, beating it from side to side. As Auron leapt backwards, Yuna followed up with a Cure spell for everyone, healing each of the three fighters and helping them regain a little more energy. Finally, Rikku chucked a Water Gem briskly at the foe, sending rushes of powerful waves against the Aeon in consecutive hits.
The Final Summoning drooped a bit, its sword slipping from its grasp and crashing onto the balcony, causing in to shuddered under the weight. Yuna and Rikku changed back to their original forms and dashed back towards the group with Auron trailing them, as Wakka, Kimahri, and Paine rushed in to start up another attack. Paine took a moment to power up a skill, dragging the tip of the blade on the floor while she pivoted around and reached her arm to the sky. The collective magics around her signified the charge up. Kimahri growled and pounced into the air for his Jump, then crashing down against the Aeon after a forceful drop. With ease and grace, the powerful Ronso backflipped through the air and landed in his previous spot without a sound. Next to him, Wakka hurled his blitzball with great strength, pounding it into the behemoth towering in front of him. The blitzball bounced back twice as hard, but Wakka simply leapt a foot off the ground and caught it with one hand. A moment later, Paine had finished building up momentum for her attack, and swept across the remaining area of the balcony with grand quickness. Her blade filled with holy energy as she leapt over the fallen sword, driving her weapon with a horizontal slash. A burst of holy magic exploded from the sword, battering the Final Summoning mercilessly. Paine regained her ground and moved back to her spot quickly. At the same time, Kimahri and Wakka tried to attack again, only to be surprised by the sudden speed of their foe. The powerful Aeon smacked Kimahri with the back of his fist before the Ronso warrior even came close. With the same strike it knocked Wakka's blitzball backwards right at its owner, catching the Besaid islander off guard. His own blitzball knocked him right off his feet. A powerful sweep also brought Paine backwards as well.
With the three heroes knocked back into their own group of friends, the eight fighters could only watch haphazardly as the angry Aeon in front of them grasped its extremely powerful sword, and suddenly heaved it high into the air. The blade sliced through the sky, descending like a large arrow back down towards the area just behind the Aeon. It didn't even bother looking back.
Shuyin and Lenne glanced up at the blade apprehensively, as it neared them. Shuyin through himself over Lenne, making sure to wrap one arm around her and reach with the other. As he dropped in midair, the sword pierced through the building they had just been onto, splitting into it deeply. Reaching out farther, Shuyin clutched at a bar that reached across the gap between two buildings. His grip was tight, but his hold on Lenne was much more careful, as he held her against his chest. While he hung, his biceps bulged, showing the great deal of strain he was under.
Despite it seemed like they were enemies, the ex Gullwings; Yuna, Rikku, and Paine took off toward the end of the balcony in pursuit of aiding the two spirits. Only Yuna stopped as the other two leapt to the nearest building. Once they reached Lenne and Shuyin and helped them up, Yuna was staring up at the Final Aeon with a piercing glare. Her frame was ridged, and her fists were clenched. An anger burned brightly in her alternate colored eyes.
She'd had enough.
A wind of magic picked up around Yuna' ruffling her hair and blowing her purple dress and white-with-pink garments along her arms. Her staff became clutched roughly between her hands. All the others watched here, eyes keen and aware. Tidus seemed the most reluctant to stop whatever she was planning, but he trusted she knew what was happening.
The Final Summoning eyed Yuna suspiciously, as she started to draw her stance backwards slowly, pulling her staff with her.
She was going to try to summon.
It had been years since she'd ever tried summon, not ever having the need to since she'd dropped her summoner duds and tried to drop the title as well. But of course Spira could not forget Lady Summoner Yuna who vanquished Sin. Not even after defeating VegnaGun had her title changed. She was still Lady Summoner Yuna. Having heard it so much, Yuna almost wanted to be called Braska's daughter again. But Spira would never let her forget the great deed she and her Guardians had preformed. Not that she despised what she did; all she wanted was to be Yuna. No formalities at all. Now though, a fear bubble inside of her. She was afraid she wouldn't be able to summon an Aeon, since they had vanished after Sin's defeat. But after defeating the evil Aeons at their respective Chambers of Fayth, they'd become accessible again. The fear was there, but Yuna was never one to let fear stop her from attaining what she had to do. Nothing had changed.
Luckily the first stage of the summon began, as Yuna felt herself bonding with spirits she was trying so hard to reach. The magic and energy gathered around her and acted as a catalyst to further her summoning. The void she seemed to be trapped in was causing an imbalance with her sacred arts, but she was pulling through. A glow surrounded her body, lighting up around her. Everything seemed to slow as Yuna concentrated, and focused her powers to their peak. There was a rush of magic and a blast of air, as Yuna suddenly felt extremely fragile and crumbled to the floor. The staff slipped from her hand, clinking down on the floor. But as she looked up, a soft smile filled her weaken face.
The summoning was complete, and the Aeon started to appear.
A/N: And so the climax begins! A few chapters left; please review!