Disclaimer: Nope, Final Fantasy X belongs to Squaresoft. *sobs* However,
original characters (my summoner and her party) belong to me.
This is my first FFX fanfic and reviews are greatly appreciated. I've always thought that Auron was a closet romantic (especially when he was younger), but to reveal it would take so much away from his bad ass demeanor.
I'm trying to get these updates up as fast as I can, but I'm not always successful, so I apologize in advance. And I hope you all like the description here; it was a rare moment of true inspiration and I'm proud of how it came out. It's one of my favorite scenes so far in the story. ^_^
Also, this story will roughly follow the game up until Bevelle, but I won't be writing out each and every scene. The story will contain spoilers, so if you've beaten the game and/or don't care to be surprised, please read on.
Read and enjoy!
"Kiss From a Rose" Part Six
Copyright 2003 by Amie Martin
highlander_bellflower@hotmail.com
*****************************
~Katralina--Bevelle~
My first thoughts upon fading in and out of consciousness centered on the explosive pain in the back of my skull. True, I had inflicted the damage myself; a low level blast of Ultima hadn't seemed like a bad idea at the time, but I was regretting it now. I could only hope my actions had given Yuna and her guardians the distraction they so desperately needed.
But my headache was not only caused by my physical injuries. There was a myriad of thoughts plaguing my mind, everything I hadn't had the time to sort through since my arrival in Bevelle.
To say the least, I had not expected the holy city of Bevelle to be in the middle of a grand celebration; immediately, I knew something was going on. The warrior monks were out in full force, in full ceremonial dress, and the people were all a chatter. A local street vendor excitedly told me the news- -Seymour, the newest Maester of Yevon, was marrying Lady Yuna, Spira's darling summoner.
The news stunned me; Lulu would have told me about the marriage in her message if she had known. Plus, there was no sign of Yuna's guardians anywhere in Bevelle, and I knew my niece would never leave her summoner by choice. Something was wrong with this wedding, and I had every intention of finding out what.
All I wanted to do was find Yuna prior to the wedding and talk to her, to find out what was going on. For all I knew, there was a good reason for all of this, and my fears were baseless. I had to do something to make the sickening, gnawing feeling in the pit of my stomach go away.
As it turned out, I had arrived in Bevelle a day too late, but just in time to witness the beginning of the wedding procession. So, I tried to do the next best thing: stop the wedding.
Only I hadn't expected so much resistance from the warrior monks. When they fired upon me, I had no choice but to fire magic back at them. In the eyes of Yevon, it was traitorous. In the eyes of everyone else, it was self- defense.
Then, as if my situation couldn't become more complicated, the completely unexpected occurred, something I could have never prepared myself for.
I saw him, just one walkway over.
And he saw me.
Our eyes met, and all I could do was stare. His hair was graying, and a high collar and sunglasses hid the majority of his face from my view. But his crimson coat and katana were just like I remembered, and from the way he looked at me, he must have seen something familiar as well. Then, I could have sworn I heard him say, above the noise of the monks, "Katralina? Katra, is it really you?"
That rich, deep voice, and the fact that only one person in all of Spira had ever called me Katra... I knew who I thought it was. And I also knew that it was impossible for him to be here, in Spira...
He couldn't be here.
He couldn't be the same man.
He couldn't be my Auron.
My Auron was dead. He died in my arms ten years ago, on the slopes of Mount Gagazet. This wasn't him, only a look alike, a fake. I wouldn't let myself believe otherwise.
My Auron was dead... and also unsent. I hadn't been able to bring myself to do my duty as a summoner, a fact I still struggled to live with. In theory, the unsent eventually became fiends to haunt the rest of Spira. But if Auron had somehow escaped such a fate... what if...
Moaning, I raised a hand to my forehead, as if doing so would block out some of the pain my thoughts would bring. Thinking and daydreaming wouldn't help me right now; I had more pressing matters to contemplate-- specifically, how to get out of Bevelle without being killed. There was no time to ponder the what ifs and possible outcomes, no matter how tempting it may be.
"Aunt Kat, are you all right?" Lulu's voice came from somewhere to my left, and I felt a small hand cover my own.
Slowly, I opened my eyes, and Lulu's face came into focus before me. Her glowing red eyes were filled with worry, bringing back images of her mother Sephi, caring for me through my childhood illnesses. Over her shoulder, Wakka paced back and forth, glancing in our direction every few seconds. I smiled, touched by their concern.
"I'll be all right, Lulu." My eyes drifted closed, and I drew a deep breath before opening them again. "And Wakka, stop pacing. You don't have to keep worrying about me."
Wakka stopped and turned to face me, a deep red flush creeping into his cheeks. "I was *not* worrying," he huffed, offended.
I only laughed. Having watched Wakka grow up in Besaid alongside Lulu and his brother Chappu, I knew Wakka's reactions all too well. It was so typical of him to deny his feelings; Wakka spent most of his life in doubt and denial.
Meanwhile, Lulu replied, "Sure, Wakka, whatever you say." To me, she asked, "What exactly did you do back there? I've never seen magic like that before."
"Ultima. A very low level dose of Ultima magic." I sat up, wincing as tense muscles in my back pulled in ways they weren't ready for. "You can see why it's quite dangerous."
"Still... will you teach me how to do that?" Her voice was low, but Lulu's eyes were sparkling mischievously, showing the desire hidden just beneath the surface. She reminded me of myself, a very young me who still wanted to know everything about the world.
"Let's focus on getting out of this mess first, and then we'll--" The words were on my lips, but my voice caught in my throat, freezing me in mid- sentence. Again I found myself paralyzed at the mere sight...
A man in a long red robe was talking to a young man with tousled blond hair. At the sound of my voice, the man in red looked over towards Lulu and I, and I could feel his gaze upon me through his sunglasses. I could hear my heart pounding in my ears...
It was the man from the walkway.
The man who looked like my Auron.
Noticing the sudden silence, the blond stopped talking and shot the man a quizzical look. Beside me, Lulu asked, confusion in her voice, "Aunt Kat, you know Sir Auron?"
Auron... could it be mere coincidence that they shared the same name? He stepped closer to me, cautiously, as if he was afraid I would run away like a scared animal. There was a sense of hesitant desire lingering between us, neither one of us knowing what to make of the situation.
Somehow I managed to murmur, "Lulu, leave us," with what little of my voice I could find. Silently Lulu complied, glancing back and forth between the man and I as she walked over to where Wakka and the blond were standing.
He crouched beside me, his face no more than a foot away from mine. "Katralina?" he whispered, his words only audible to me. Then, with more confidence, he repeated, "Katra?"
"Auron?" I was stunned, living in a world of disbelief. I had dreamed for ten years about the possibility of Auron returning to me one day, but I had never seriously thought it might actually happen. It hurt too much to let myself have hope...
A small smile graced his lips, barely visible above the high collar. "It's me, Katra," he answered, nodding slowly. "I'm still Auron."
I wasn't sure how I was supposed to react. My hope wanted to hold him tight and never let him go, in fear that it was all just another dream. My love wanted to kiss him, in an effort to make up for all the time we had lost. My anger wanted to hit him, in retaliation for the years of pain he put me through.
Instead I found my hands moving to his face, removing his sunglasses and resting them in my lap. Only one of his eyes could open. His one good eye searched my face, looking for the same thing I was: the remnants of past love. The other eye was forever closed by two scars, one slashed through his eye in a short horizontal line and another long scar from his hairline down to his chin. Vividly, I remembered seeing those very wounds the day they were inflicted, but I pushed the gruesome memory aside. I didn't want anything to ruin the moment.
Gently I traced the long scar on his face, brushing my fingertips against the stubble that dusted his chin. Auron closed his eye as I ran my fingers through the gray hair at his temples, holding his head in my hands. Everything about him seemed so real to me, every second convincing me more and more that this wasn't a dream--my Auron had returned to me, finally fulfilling a promise he made ten years ago.
Auron's touch was as sensual and intoxicating as I remembered. His hands cupped my face, his thumbs brushing against my lips so softly that I wanted to melt against him. It was like rediscovering a part of myself that I thought had been lost forever.
We needed no words to tell us what the other was thinking. The look in his russet eye told me how much he missed me; my touch conveyed my happiness at finally seeing him again. For the first time in ten years, I was at peace with myself, finally perfectly content. It was ironic that peace found me at one of the most chaotic times in all of Spira...
My eyes opened slowly, revealing a smiling Auron staring back at me. There was something playful to him, a rarity for him at any age. Deciding to follow his lead, I grinned as I put his sunglasses back on his face, a little further down the bridge of his nose than he would have liked. He narrowed his eye, letting go of my face to adjust his glasses.
Grunting, Auron commented, "You're mocking me."
"Only because I know I can get away with it." Coughing, I settled back against the wall. It was comforting how easily Auron and I fell into our old habits, the casual acceptance and playfulness that had been there since the day we met.
"Here, have some sake." Auron handed me the jug that was attached to his waist. The gesture was touching; he had always been found of sake, and he didn't give it to just anyone.
"Thanks." I took a sip, the liquid burning a path down my throat. Handing the jug back to him, I asked, "Where exactly are we, anyway?"
Rising to his feet, Auron offered a hand to help me. "What does your memory tell you?"
As I stood up, I took a look around. The markings of Yevon covered the walls and there was a familiar sculptured rock slab protecting the entrance to another room. "The Temple of Yevon in Bevelle," I said, grimacing as I answered my own question. "Let me guess that this was Yuna's idea."
"She's praying to the fayth as we speak," Wakka explained, jerking a thumb towards the door to the inner sanctum. "And you said I didn't have to be worried."
"About her, Wakka," Lulu corrected, "she said you didn't have to worry *about her*. We have no idea how long Yuna's been in there."
"And you can bet that Seymour and his little warrior monk minions haven't forgotten about us, either," the blond added, his voice a mixture of anger, fear, and worry. The young man's face reminded me of Chappu, Wakka's brother and Lulu's former fiancé, but there was something else to him as well. I just couldn't put my finger on exactly what.
Noticing my curious look, the blond stepped forward and introduced himself. "I don't believe we've met. I'm Tidus, guardian and blitzball player extraordinaire."
Wakka wrapped an arm around Tidus' neck and tousled the younger man's hair playfully. "This guy is the reason why the Besaid Aurochs won their first game in ten years," Wakka bragged as he released Tidus from his grip.
"Tidus..." I pondered aloud. "Auron, wasn't that the name of Jecht's son?"
"You knew my old man?" Tidus asked incredulously, his eyes widening.
"Not all that well, but yes, I knew him." So *that* was why Tidus seemed so familiar; he had the same air of cocky confidence that Jecht did. "Someday you'll have to tell me all about Zanarkand."
A young blond girl jumped up and down beside Tidus. "Guys! We still haven't figured our what we're going to do about Yunie!"
"That's Rikku, Yuna's Al Bhed cousin," Auron whispered in my ear. I had forgotten about Braska's Al Bhed wife; if I remembered correctly, her death had initially inspired Braska's pilgrimage, on top of his idealistic dreams.
I was lost in my thoughts when I heard the sounds. The ceiling seemed to be shuffling, footsteps echoing down into the Chamber of the Fayth. One by one, each of Yuna's guardians fell silent, listening. Soon the footsteps were joined by eager shouts, steadily growing louder and louder.
"Get Yuna out of there," I ordered to no one in particular. Tidus rushed to the rock slab protecting the inner sanctum and began trying to lift the slab up.
"But what if Yuna hasn't gotten the aeon?" Lulu asked, concerned.
"The monks are in the trials, Lulu. Yuna's going to have to forgive us." To Auron, I asked, "How long do you think we have?"
He handed me my black moogle doll as he reached for his own katana. "If we can hear them, then we don't have long," Auron said grimly.
Out of the corner of my eye, I watched as Kimahri, ever the loyal Ronso, helped Tidus lift the door the last foot, allowing Tidus to slip into the inner sanctum. I turned away from looking into the room; I wasn't eager to recall my past as a summoner.
"What are we going to do now?" Rikku asked, her voice wavering slightly.
"We fight," Auron suggested.
"Or we surrender," I finished. "We're trapped by the Chamber of the Fayth, and they're going to outnumber us, no doubt."
Wakka rolled his blitzball back and forth in his hands in frustration. "So what? We just give up?" He shook his head. "I don't want to give up."
"What else can we do?" Lulu gestured hopelessly. "If we fight, they'll kill us."
Emerging from the inner sanctum, Tidus cradled Yuna in his arms. Her head lay rested on his shoulder, one arm draped around his neck. Yuna looked so at peace with all that had happened, just like I was at peace with Auron stood beside me. I knew then that Tidus and Yuna were falling in love, if they weren't already. And I knew then that there was no way we could fight, not with Yuna in such condition.
"Lay down your sword, Auron," I murmured, covering his hand with my own. "We'll surrender."
Auron looked at me, startled and surprised. "Are you sure, Katra?"
"I agree," Lulu said quietly, moving to stand next to me. "For Yuna's sake."
"For Yuna," Wakka added. "We really don't want to get killed, ya?"
Together, we crowded around Tidus and Yuna, forming a protective circle. Auron's free arm slipped around my waist, a gesture I found comforting in the face of impending danger. Whatever the warrior monks threw at us, I was sure we could handle it.
Together.
*****************************
A/N: Yep, Auron and Kat finally meet again! What do you guys think? Please read and review!
This is my first FFX fanfic and reviews are greatly appreciated. I've always thought that Auron was a closet romantic (especially when he was younger), but to reveal it would take so much away from his bad ass demeanor.
I'm trying to get these updates up as fast as I can, but I'm not always successful, so I apologize in advance. And I hope you all like the description here; it was a rare moment of true inspiration and I'm proud of how it came out. It's one of my favorite scenes so far in the story. ^_^
Also, this story will roughly follow the game up until Bevelle, but I won't be writing out each and every scene. The story will contain spoilers, so if you've beaten the game and/or don't care to be surprised, please read on.
Read and enjoy!
"Kiss From a Rose" Part Six
Copyright 2003 by Amie Martin
highlander_bellflower@hotmail.com
*****************************
~Katralina--Bevelle~
My first thoughts upon fading in and out of consciousness centered on the explosive pain in the back of my skull. True, I had inflicted the damage myself; a low level blast of Ultima hadn't seemed like a bad idea at the time, but I was regretting it now. I could only hope my actions had given Yuna and her guardians the distraction they so desperately needed.
But my headache was not only caused by my physical injuries. There was a myriad of thoughts plaguing my mind, everything I hadn't had the time to sort through since my arrival in Bevelle.
To say the least, I had not expected the holy city of Bevelle to be in the middle of a grand celebration; immediately, I knew something was going on. The warrior monks were out in full force, in full ceremonial dress, and the people were all a chatter. A local street vendor excitedly told me the news- -Seymour, the newest Maester of Yevon, was marrying Lady Yuna, Spira's darling summoner.
The news stunned me; Lulu would have told me about the marriage in her message if she had known. Plus, there was no sign of Yuna's guardians anywhere in Bevelle, and I knew my niece would never leave her summoner by choice. Something was wrong with this wedding, and I had every intention of finding out what.
All I wanted to do was find Yuna prior to the wedding and talk to her, to find out what was going on. For all I knew, there was a good reason for all of this, and my fears were baseless. I had to do something to make the sickening, gnawing feeling in the pit of my stomach go away.
As it turned out, I had arrived in Bevelle a day too late, but just in time to witness the beginning of the wedding procession. So, I tried to do the next best thing: stop the wedding.
Only I hadn't expected so much resistance from the warrior monks. When they fired upon me, I had no choice but to fire magic back at them. In the eyes of Yevon, it was traitorous. In the eyes of everyone else, it was self- defense.
Then, as if my situation couldn't become more complicated, the completely unexpected occurred, something I could have never prepared myself for.
I saw him, just one walkway over.
And he saw me.
Our eyes met, and all I could do was stare. His hair was graying, and a high collar and sunglasses hid the majority of his face from my view. But his crimson coat and katana were just like I remembered, and from the way he looked at me, he must have seen something familiar as well. Then, I could have sworn I heard him say, above the noise of the monks, "Katralina? Katra, is it really you?"
That rich, deep voice, and the fact that only one person in all of Spira had ever called me Katra... I knew who I thought it was. And I also knew that it was impossible for him to be here, in Spira...
He couldn't be here.
He couldn't be the same man.
He couldn't be my Auron.
My Auron was dead. He died in my arms ten years ago, on the slopes of Mount Gagazet. This wasn't him, only a look alike, a fake. I wouldn't let myself believe otherwise.
My Auron was dead... and also unsent. I hadn't been able to bring myself to do my duty as a summoner, a fact I still struggled to live with. In theory, the unsent eventually became fiends to haunt the rest of Spira. But if Auron had somehow escaped such a fate... what if...
Moaning, I raised a hand to my forehead, as if doing so would block out some of the pain my thoughts would bring. Thinking and daydreaming wouldn't help me right now; I had more pressing matters to contemplate-- specifically, how to get out of Bevelle without being killed. There was no time to ponder the what ifs and possible outcomes, no matter how tempting it may be.
"Aunt Kat, are you all right?" Lulu's voice came from somewhere to my left, and I felt a small hand cover my own.
Slowly, I opened my eyes, and Lulu's face came into focus before me. Her glowing red eyes were filled with worry, bringing back images of her mother Sephi, caring for me through my childhood illnesses. Over her shoulder, Wakka paced back and forth, glancing in our direction every few seconds. I smiled, touched by their concern.
"I'll be all right, Lulu." My eyes drifted closed, and I drew a deep breath before opening them again. "And Wakka, stop pacing. You don't have to keep worrying about me."
Wakka stopped and turned to face me, a deep red flush creeping into his cheeks. "I was *not* worrying," he huffed, offended.
I only laughed. Having watched Wakka grow up in Besaid alongside Lulu and his brother Chappu, I knew Wakka's reactions all too well. It was so typical of him to deny his feelings; Wakka spent most of his life in doubt and denial.
Meanwhile, Lulu replied, "Sure, Wakka, whatever you say." To me, she asked, "What exactly did you do back there? I've never seen magic like that before."
"Ultima. A very low level dose of Ultima magic." I sat up, wincing as tense muscles in my back pulled in ways they weren't ready for. "You can see why it's quite dangerous."
"Still... will you teach me how to do that?" Her voice was low, but Lulu's eyes were sparkling mischievously, showing the desire hidden just beneath the surface. She reminded me of myself, a very young me who still wanted to know everything about the world.
"Let's focus on getting out of this mess first, and then we'll--" The words were on my lips, but my voice caught in my throat, freezing me in mid- sentence. Again I found myself paralyzed at the mere sight...
A man in a long red robe was talking to a young man with tousled blond hair. At the sound of my voice, the man in red looked over towards Lulu and I, and I could feel his gaze upon me through his sunglasses. I could hear my heart pounding in my ears...
It was the man from the walkway.
The man who looked like my Auron.
Noticing the sudden silence, the blond stopped talking and shot the man a quizzical look. Beside me, Lulu asked, confusion in her voice, "Aunt Kat, you know Sir Auron?"
Auron... could it be mere coincidence that they shared the same name? He stepped closer to me, cautiously, as if he was afraid I would run away like a scared animal. There was a sense of hesitant desire lingering between us, neither one of us knowing what to make of the situation.
Somehow I managed to murmur, "Lulu, leave us," with what little of my voice I could find. Silently Lulu complied, glancing back and forth between the man and I as she walked over to where Wakka and the blond were standing.
He crouched beside me, his face no more than a foot away from mine. "Katralina?" he whispered, his words only audible to me. Then, with more confidence, he repeated, "Katra?"
"Auron?" I was stunned, living in a world of disbelief. I had dreamed for ten years about the possibility of Auron returning to me one day, but I had never seriously thought it might actually happen. It hurt too much to let myself have hope...
A small smile graced his lips, barely visible above the high collar. "It's me, Katra," he answered, nodding slowly. "I'm still Auron."
I wasn't sure how I was supposed to react. My hope wanted to hold him tight and never let him go, in fear that it was all just another dream. My love wanted to kiss him, in an effort to make up for all the time we had lost. My anger wanted to hit him, in retaliation for the years of pain he put me through.
Instead I found my hands moving to his face, removing his sunglasses and resting them in my lap. Only one of his eyes could open. His one good eye searched my face, looking for the same thing I was: the remnants of past love. The other eye was forever closed by two scars, one slashed through his eye in a short horizontal line and another long scar from his hairline down to his chin. Vividly, I remembered seeing those very wounds the day they were inflicted, but I pushed the gruesome memory aside. I didn't want anything to ruin the moment.
Gently I traced the long scar on his face, brushing my fingertips against the stubble that dusted his chin. Auron closed his eye as I ran my fingers through the gray hair at his temples, holding his head in my hands. Everything about him seemed so real to me, every second convincing me more and more that this wasn't a dream--my Auron had returned to me, finally fulfilling a promise he made ten years ago.
Auron's touch was as sensual and intoxicating as I remembered. His hands cupped my face, his thumbs brushing against my lips so softly that I wanted to melt against him. It was like rediscovering a part of myself that I thought had been lost forever.
We needed no words to tell us what the other was thinking. The look in his russet eye told me how much he missed me; my touch conveyed my happiness at finally seeing him again. For the first time in ten years, I was at peace with myself, finally perfectly content. It was ironic that peace found me at one of the most chaotic times in all of Spira...
My eyes opened slowly, revealing a smiling Auron staring back at me. There was something playful to him, a rarity for him at any age. Deciding to follow his lead, I grinned as I put his sunglasses back on his face, a little further down the bridge of his nose than he would have liked. He narrowed his eye, letting go of my face to adjust his glasses.
Grunting, Auron commented, "You're mocking me."
"Only because I know I can get away with it." Coughing, I settled back against the wall. It was comforting how easily Auron and I fell into our old habits, the casual acceptance and playfulness that had been there since the day we met.
"Here, have some sake." Auron handed me the jug that was attached to his waist. The gesture was touching; he had always been found of sake, and he didn't give it to just anyone.
"Thanks." I took a sip, the liquid burning a path down my throat. Handing the jug back to him, I asked, "Where exactly are we, anyway?"
Rising to his feet, Auron offered a hand to help me. "What does your memory tell you?"
As I stood up, I took a look around. The markings of Yevon covered the walls and there was a familiar sculptured rock slab protecting the entrance to another room. "The Temple of Yevon in Bevelle," I said, grimacing as I answered my own question. "Let me guess that this was Yuna's idea."
"She's praying to the fayth as we speak," Wakka explained, jerking a thumb towards the door to the inner sanctum. "And you said I didn't have to be worried."
"About her, Wakka," Lulu corrected, "she said you didn't have to worry *about her*. We have no idea how long Yuna's been in there."
"And you can bet that Seymour and his little warrior monk minions haven't forgotten about us, either," the blond added, his voice a mixture of anger, fear, and worry. The young man's face reminded me of Chappu, Wakka's brother and Lulu's former fiancé, but there was something else to him as well. I just couldn't put my finger on exactly what.
Noticing my curious look, the blond stepped forward and introduced himself. "I don't believe we've met. I'm Tidus, guardian and blitzball player extraordinaire."
Wakka wrapped an arm around Tidus' neck and tousled the younger man's hair playfully. "This guy is the reason why the Besaid Aurochs won their first game in ten years," Wakka bragged as he released Tidus from his grip.
"Tidus..." I pondered aloud. "Auron, wasn't that the name of Jecht's son?"
"You knew my old man?" Tidus asked incredulously, his eyes widening.
"Not all that well, but yes, I knew him." So *that* was why Tidus seemed so familiar; he had the same air of cocky confidence that Jecht did. "Someday you'll have to tell me all about Zanarkand."
A young blond girl jumped up and down beside Tidus. "Guys! We still haven't figured our what we're going to do about Yunie!"
"That's Rikku, Yuna's Al Bhed cousin," Auron whispered in my ear. I had forgotten about Braska's Al Bhed wife; if I remembered correctly, her death had initially inspired Braska's pilgrimage, on top of his idealistic dreams.
I was lost in my thoughts when I heard the sounds. The ceiling seemed to be shuffling, footsteps echoing down into the Chamber of the Fayth. One by one, each of Yuna's guardians fell silent, listening. Soon the footsteps were joined by eager shouts, steadily growing louder and louder.
"Get Yuna out of there," I ordered to no one in particular. Tidus rushed to the rock slab protecting the inner sanctum and began trying to lift the slab up.
"But what if Yuna hasn't gotten the aeon?" Lulu asked, concerned.
"The monks are in the trials, Lulu. Yuna's going to have to forgive us." To Auron, I asked, "How long do you think we have?"
He handed me my black moogle doll as he reached for his own katana. "If we can hear them, then we don't have long," Auron said grimly.
Out of the corner of my eye, I watched as Kimahri, ever the loyal Ronso, helped Tidus lift the door the last foot, allowing Tidus to slip into the inner sanctum. I turned away from looking into the room; I wasn't eager to recall my past as a summoner.
"What are we going to do now?" Rikku asked, her voice wavering slightly.
"We fight," Auron suggested.
"Or we surrender," I finished. "We're trapped by the Chamber of the Fayth, and they're going to outnumber us, no doubt."
Wakka rolled his blitzball back and forth in his hands in frustration. "So what? We just give up?" He shook his head. "I don't want to give up."
"What else can we do?" Lulu gestured hopelessly. "If we fight, they'll kill us."
Emerging from the inner sanctum, Tidus cradled Yuna in his arms. Her head lay rested on his shoulder, one arm draped around his neck. Yuna looked so at peace with all that had happened, just like I was at peace with Auron stood beside me. I knew then that Tidus and Yuna were falling in love, if they weren't already. And I knew then that there was no way we could fight, not with Yuna in such condition.
"Lay down your sword, Auron," I murmured, covering his hand with my own. "We'll surrender."
Auron looked at me, startled and surprised. "Are you sure, Katra?"
"I agree," Lulu said quietly, moving to stand next to me. "For Yuna's sake."
"For Yuna," Wakka added. "We really don't want to get killed, ya?"
Together, we crowded around Tidus and Yuna, forming a protective circle. Auron's free arm slipped around my waist, a gesture I found comforting in the face of impending danger. Whatever the warrior monks threw at us, I was sure we could handle it.
Together.
*****************************
A/N: Yep, Auron and Kat finally meet again! What do you guys think? Please read and review!