Mari: Hi again! This is the disclaimer. Toey?
Toey: Alrighty then! We do not own SquareEnix or FFX-2 in any way.
Mari: Yeah, we're just borrowing it for a little while.
Toey: We'll give it back in mint condition! We promise!
Mari: Shut up! Don't make promises!
Toey: Oh yeah, that's rule number one, isn't it?
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
For an extra 1,000 gil, the shoopuf carried Paine over to Djose Temple. Once again, she winced at the constant barrage of noise and thunder that came from its depths. But noise and all, Djose was quite a sight. Chunks of earth suspended in lighting bolts orbited its tip.
It wouldn't be much farther till she reached Mushroom Rock.
Maybe she could join the Crimson Squad. Not as a fighter, she had given up all hope of protecting people that wouldn't care less, but as a recorder. Yes, she could do that.
But she was too tired. Dodging thunder and running in the humid weather of the Moonflow had sapped away her energy. She had enough gil to last her a few weeks at an inn, so she checked into one of the rooms at Djose.
For the next few days, Paine slept to regain her lost strength. She offered to work for the shopkeeper until she realized that she was just avoiding the inevitable. She had to go to Mushroom Rock and apply for the job, but she was too afraid.
The walk across the Djose Highroad was easy. Thankfully, it was nowhere near as long as Mi'ihen. She slowed her pace as she reached the wreckage that had once been her home. Crusaders rushed back and forth, sometimes leading chocobos laden with pieces of wood.
Paine gingerly stepped forward. "Excuse me?" she asked one of guards. "How bad is the damage?"
The guard turned towards her. "Hey! No solicit—Hey! If it isn't little Paine!"
She scoffed and crossed her arms. "Ugh. Don't call me that, Yaibal. I've grown up."
Yaibal looked at her strangely. "You don't need to tell me twice. Now uh, what was the question?"
"How bad is the damage to the Highroad?" she repeated.
He winced. "It's...not looking too good," he said haltingly.
"Yaibal!"
"All right, all right!" He sighed and pushed his helmet up a little. "But, before I tell you, I just want you to know that I like you, and I wouldn't lie to you at gunpoint!"
"Spit it out."
"...It's destroyed."
Paine looked at him in disbelief. "What?" she whispered.
"Mi'ihen Village, the Travel Agency, they're all gone. All that Sin left was the road to Luca, the ruins and the statue of Lord Mi'ihen."
"My brothers?" she asked, grabbing his arm. "They must have made it. Are they safe?' Yaibal looked away. "Answer me!"
Yaibal pointed to his right. "They're over there."
Paine's eyes lit up. She ran over to the carriage her childhood friend pointed out.
They were there. But not as Paine had hoped.
They were lying in red coffins engraved with the symbol of Yevon. Their open eyes would see no more.
Yaibal put his hand on her shoulder. "We've all lost someone," he murmured, looking towards the other carriages filled with dead bodies. "Sin always takes someone away."
Paine collapsed into the tears she'd vowed to hold in. She no longer knew what she wept for. Was it herself? Was it her brothers? She didn't care. "Go away!" she shouted to Yaibal. Struck by her words, Yaibal reluctantly went back to his post.
"You don't need to cry," a voice said from behind her, "I will make sure their souls reach the Farplane safely."
She stood up to face a young woman who seemed a bit older than her. "Who are you?" she asked, rubbing her eyes.
"My name is Belgemine," the green-dressed woman replied, "I believe we have met before."
Paine frowned. She didn't remember seeing this woman ever before in her life, unless... "You're the summoner who healed me, aren't you?" Belgemine smiled and bowed. "But, what are you doing here? I thought you were supposed to be going to Zanarkand to fight Sin?"
"I was born in the Calm Lands," she explained, "too close to Sin, in my opinion. I need to get the necessary summons, so my final stops are Kilika and Besaid. I suppose I'll have to Send these souls as well."
Paine knew what a Sending was. Summoners would call the souls of the dead to the Farplane, where they would rest in piece. If the dead weren't Sent, they would grow angry and envious of the living. Soon that envy turns to hate, and the dead become fiends who would prey upon the living.
One by one, Paine watched the coffins being lowered into the water. Belgemine stepped forward, her staff in hand. She whirled it around her head, then in front of her. The crowd that had gathered behind her wept softly for their dead. Then someone started humming a familiar song. The Hymn of the Fayth, which was one of the most respected and honored prayers in all of Spira, gathered strength as more and more people started singing the sacred words.
Belgemine spun, her staff high above her head, when pyreflies began to appear from the chests. She twirled, pushing her hand outward. Paine shuddered as she felt the soft crackle of magic in the air around her. The pyreflies moved together away from Mushroom Rock in a sparkling sea of rainbows, twisting and turning as they made their way to their final resting place.
And then it was over. Belgemine's staff shattered. She winced. "I guess those don't really work for me," she said wryly.
The black-clad girl looked at her with a pained look on her face. "Why do you do this?" Paine asked.
"I have to do something if no one else will."
Paine shook her head. Here was a woman who would sacrifice her life to save people she didn't even know. If only she had that will. Work hard at it, the voice at the back of her mind whispered, Maybe you'll get it someday. A tall man behind Belgemine coughed slightly. Paine suspected he was the summoner's guardian.
"We should be going, my lady," he softly said.
Belgemine sighed and put her head in her hands. "I know, Cid, the temples won't wait forever. It was great to meet you," she said to Paine.
"Thanks, you too. Good luck!" she called as they left.
Paine never saw Belgemine again.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Toey: *sniff* That was so sad!
Mari: What?
Toey: The Sending!
Mari: I know.
Toey: You know, you just had to do it, didn't you?
Mari: Do what?
Toey: You just had to have one character named Cid!
Mari: Well, it's a SqureSoft tradition! Of course I had to do it!
Toey: *grumbles* ...Whatever.
Mari: COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT! That's Squall's quote!
Toey: Uh, oh...
Toey: Alrighty then! We do not own SquareEnix or FFX-2 in any way.
Mari: Yeah, we're just borrowing it for a little while.
Toey: We'll give it back in mint condition! We promise!
Mari: Shut up! Don't make promises!
Toey: Oh yeah, that's rule number one, isn't it?
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
For an extra 1,000 gil, the shoopuf carried Paine over to Djose Temple. Once again, she winced at the constant barrage of noise and thunder that came from its depths. But noise and all, Djose was quite a sight. Chunks of earth suspended in lighting bolts orbited its tip.
It wouldn't be much farther till she reached Mushroom Rock.
Maybe she could join the Crimson Squad. Not as a fighter, she had given up all hope of protecting people that wouldn't care less, but as a recorder. Yes, she could do that.
But she was too tired. Dodging thunder and running in the humid weather of the Moonflow had sapped away her energy. She had enough gil to last her a few weeks at an inn, so she checked into one of the rooms at Djose.
For the next few days, Paine slept to regain her lost strength. She offered to work for the shopkeeper until she realized that she was just avoiding the inevitable. She had to go to Mushroom Rock and apply for the job, but she was too afraid.
The walk across the Djose Highroad was easy. Thankfully, it was nowhere near as long as Mi'ihen. She slowed her pace as she reached the wreckage that had once been her home. Crusaders rushed back and forth, sometimes leading chocobos laden with pieces of wood.
Paine gingerly stepped forward. "Excuse me?" she asked one of guards. "How bad is the damage?"
The guard turned towards her. "Hey! No solicit—Hey! If it isn't little Paine!"
She scoffed and crossed her arms. "Ugh. Don't call me that, Yaibal. I've grown up."
Yaibal looked at her strangely. "You don't need to tell me twice. Now uh, what was the question?"
"How bad is the damage to the Highroad?" she repeated.
He winced. "It's...not looking too good," he said haltingly.
"Yaibal!"
"All right, all right!" He sighed and pushed his helmet up a little. "But, before I tell you, I just want you to know that I like you, and I wouldn't lie to you at gunpoint!"
"Spit it out."
"...It's destroyed."
Paine looked at him in disbelief. "What?" she whispered.
"Mi'ihen Village, the Travel Agency, they're all gone. All that Sin left was the road to Luca, the ruins and the statue of Lord Mi'ihen."
"My brothers?" she asked, grabbing his arm. "They must have made it. Are they safe?' Yaibal looked away. "Answer me!"
Yaibal pointed to his right. "They're over there."
Paine's eyes lit up. She ran over to the carriage her childhood friend pointed out.
They were there. But not as Paine had hoped.
They were lying in red coffins engraved with the symbol of Yevon. Their open eyes would see no more.
Yaibal put his hand on her shoulder. "We've all lost someone," he murmured, looking towards the other carriages filled with dead bodies. "Sin always takes someone away."
Paine collapsed into the tears she'd vowed to hold in. She no longer knew what she wept for. Was it herself? Was it her brothers? She didn't care. "Go away!" she shouted to Yaibal. Struck by her words, Yaibal reluctantly went back to his post.
"You don't need to cry," a voice said from behind her, "I will make sure their souls reach the Farplane safely."
She stood up to face a young woman who seemed a bit older than her. "Who are you?" she asked, rubbing her eyes.
"My name is Belgemine," the green-dressed woman replied, "I believe we have met before."
Paine frowned. She didn't remember seeing this woman ever before in her life, unless... "You're the summoner who healed me, aren't you?" Belgemine smiled and bowed. "But, what are you doing here? I thought you were supposed to be going to Zanarkand to fight Sin?"
"I was born in the Calm Lands," she explained, "too close to Sin, in my opinion. I need to get the necessary summons, so my final stops are Kilika and Besaid. I suppose I'll have to Send these souls as well."
Paine knew what a Sending was. Summoners would call the souls of the dead to the Farplane, where they would rest in piece. If the dead weren't Sent, they would grow angry and envious of the living. Soon that envy turns to hate, and the dead become fiends who would prey upon the living.
One by one, Paine watched the coffins being lowered into the water. Belgemine stepped forward, her staff in hand. She whirled it around her head, then in front of her. The crowd that had gathered behind her wept softly for their dead. Then someone started humming a familiar song. The Hymn of the Fayth, which was one of the most respected and honored prayers in all of Spira, gathered strength as more and more people started singing the sacred words.
Belgemine spun, her staff high above her head, when pyreflies began to appear from the chests. She twirled, pushing her hand outward. Paine shuddered as she felt the soft crackle of magic in the air around her. The pyreflies moved together away from Mushroom Rock in a sparkling sea of rainbows, twisting and turning as they made their way to their final resting place.
And then it was over. Belgemine's staff shattered. She winced. "I guess those don't really work for me," she said wryly.
The black-clad girl looked at her with a pained look on her face. "Why do you do this?" Paine asked.
"I have to do something if no one else will."
Paine shook her head. Here was a woman who would sacrifice her life to save people she didn't even know. If only she had that will. Work hard at it, the voice at the back of her mind whispered, Maybe you'll get it someday. A tall man behind Belgemine coughed slightly. Paine suspected he was the summoner's guardian.
"We should be going, my lady," he softly said.
Belgemine sighed and put her head in her hands. "I know, Cid, the temples won't wait forever. It was great to meet you," she said to Paine.
"Thanks, you too. Good luck!" she called as they left.
Paine never saw Belgemine again.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Toey: *sniff* That was so sad!
Mari: What?
Toey: The Sending!
Mari: I know.
Toey: You know, you just had to do it, didn't you?
Mari: Do what?
Toey: You just had to have one character named Cid!
Mari: Well, it's a SqureSoft tradition! Of course I had to do it!
Toey: *grumbles* ...Whatever.
Mari: COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT! That's Squall's quote!
Toey: Uh, oh...