The Day I Died.

Chapter 15. When a lovebird dies.

Lulu fumbled her Onionknight in anxiety, and watched as the dark, violent waves of the ancient sea broke in the ship´s side. The ship, where Lulu, Wakka and Rikku were boarding on, was on it´s way to Bevelle. The three guardians could´t take the glooming uncertainty anymore, so they decided to head to Spira´s capital city to find their summoner. Especially now, when they had seen the black spheres, their worry transformed to fear, and in time, that fear would turn into hysteria.

All this, for their friend, who had grown up with them in a position of a sister for Lulu and Wakka. And if the news from Laetitia Honoré were true, as they so ominously seemed to be, Yuna was in serious danger.

Laetitia Honoré would arrive to Bevelle in another ship, trying to avoid any suspects about her connections to the Summoner and her motives to travel to Besaid.

Frankly, Lulu, Wakka and Rikku did not care about the woman, finding Yuna was all that mattered. Lady Laetitia had informed the three guardians that the summoner was supposed to be escorted to Guadosalam for still unknown reasons, and after her task, Yuna was supposed to be taken back to Bevelle.

Somehow, Lulu could not believe those words.

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A heart was pounding hard, with terrible speed in effort to let the blood flow trough a fragile body.

Dom. Dodom. Dom. Dodom. Dom.

Yuna could feel her heart pounding like it was living it´s last moments, but ignoring the feeling, she gathered her strength and got up to her feet from the dusty ground.

She eyed warily the man in front of her.

Serian seemed somehow different. Something she had said before, seemed to push him off the edge, if only temporarily.

There was something about that man, what made her shiver.

At first, Serian was silent too. He didn´t seem to know what as happening to him, either. He looked at her, and for the first time, his face was not stony or filled with animosity, but it was only blank, and his bright, lilac eyes were wide open. He seemed to be lost, and somehow out of place. In silence, Serian lifted his hands and looked at them with an expression she had not seen before. He seemed to be checking that his hands were still in place. And one trembling, pale hand crept to his forehead, and caressed the smooth skin. After this odd moment of self-confirmation, his smooth hands rose to his raven-black hair. They were seeking something, something what only Serian could only imagine. The hands did not find what they were searching for, and slowly, like in a dream, they dropped to his sides.

Yuna watched this oddly serious moment. She took a step closer to the man, and although she knew that he was dangerous, she couldn´t stop herself.

"…Are you alright?" Yuna whispered. Her question was so ridiculous, as she was questioning the health of the man, who had just hurt her. Serian acknowledged this too, and he slowly lifted his piercing eyes to meet her own.

"….I thought I saw someone….someone who has been lost for a very long time…maybe it is you? You, who will wake him up from his slumber?" He whispered. Yuna wasn´t sure what he meant.

"What are you…?" She questioned, but Serian soon cut her question.

"You know what I mean." Came a very low, cold and pained voice.

"….So, it was you! You were the small boy in those spheres!" Yuna breathed, and couldn´t hide the surprise from her expression.

Yuna had seen the spheres, and she knew what happened to the little boy in the memories. The little boy had died, long time ago, only to be replaced with a heart of bittered man, despise his anger and pain, a heart what loved someone.

"It was not me." Came his quiet, wavering answer, "It was the boy in the mirror."

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Seymour felt betrayed. His own feelings had betrayed him.

What was he doing? Why was he travelling back to the city that had birthed him, years ago, only to condemn him as a failure? Why had he done this? This was not part of the plans…Suddenly, as he watched outside to the darkening sky from the window of his cabin, he remembered the reason. He remembered, once again, his summoner.

He remembered Yuna.

Oh, how he felt so hollow now. He knew now, how he wanted to be with her. But he also knew, that it was impossible. No one should ever love him. His mind´s voice spat the last word as if it was filth, a thing to be despised, and Seymour knew that it was despicable for her to even consider having feelings for him. Why didn´t she tried to fight me, when she had the chance? Why she didn´t spit on my face, and told me how much she hated me, after everything I did for her? Seymour thought. And now…she will only suffer more. This…will not end well.

Seymour knew what awaited for them in the next day. Pain, bitterness, hatred and undying love. He closed his eyes, and dozed off to his haven in dreams.

Not too much late after, the carriages came to a halt. A guard opened the door, and awaited the tall man to get off.The ex-Maester stepped to the darkening opening, only to find a strange, atrocious smell forcing it´s way to his nose and throat.

The smell of burned flesh.

Seymour blinked, and looked at his surroundings in confusion. Has Guadosalam always been this dark? No, it had not been dark´. And what´s this smell? He found a corpse lying in the ground, few meters away. …Oh. …OH.

"Like the scenery?" A cheery voice rang behind him. Seymour turned around and saw Serian sneering at him, and Yuna was behind him.

"I can´t say that I have gotten used to it yet." Seymour whispered.

"Such a shame." Serian replied in overly cheery voice. Maybe he was trying to cover something, Seymour wasn´t sure.

"This…would not have been necessary." Seymour stated, his voice low and eyes wide open.

"Oh, so you think that slaying an entire race of mountain-cats was justified, because you decided to end their lives with almost painless magic? I saw your work in Mt. Gagazet. I knew I could do better. And I did. The old fashioned fire and blade of a sword did the trick this time." Serian said, and gestured to Yuna to come closer.

She did, and Serian put his hands to her shoulders in a false, fatherly custom.

"She has been very strong. I didn´t think that she could have taken the killings so easily! Maybe your presence has made her open up a little…made her tougher. And God knows, that must be it, since how anyone could get close to you?" Serian smiled, expressing revulsion in his face, and Seymour paled. Seymour´s mouth was only a thin line from anger, and knowing how well he managed to wound him with his sharp tongue, Serian leaned closer to Yuna and forced her to lean on his chest.

He then bended a little, allowing his chin to rest on Yuna´s shoulder.

He watched Seymour´s reactions, and he smiled as he saw the desired expressions.

Serian´s expression hardened, and his smile died.
"You should thank me. After all, I am finishing your work! You wanted them dead, I killed them. You wanted them to be saved, I saved them. You wanted them to be punished, I punished them. A fate of a single summoner is trivial, is it not? This puny girl though that she was something. But she is nothing but a daughter of a famous man, and a whore to a maester in a play that you called marriage."

A single tear escaped from the corner of Yuna´s eye, as she realized these lies as truths. She was too locked to even realize the pain, as the salty tear sting her open cuts. Seymour observed her in unreadable expression for a moment.

But before he could say anything, Serian continued his hate-filled explanations.
"You say you want to give the people of Spira freedom. But you don´t know what freedom is! I´m free! I can breathe!" Serian hissed, and Seymour merely furrowed his brows at his words.

"And now…I´ll set her free too." Serian continued peacefully.

"What?" Seymour shouted.

Serian whirled the girl around to face him. In gentle movements, he placed his hands to her temples, and her shoulders slumped down immediately. Her mis-matched eyes were covered in dreamy haze, and she simply stood there as Serian continued.
He closed his eyes, and the three were surrounded in a darkening light, and silence crept to cover them. A small, steadily strengthening voice echoed inside Seymour´s head.

"Mother, look what kind of a staff daddy has! Isn´t it pretty?"

"Yes, honey. But don´t play with it. You know how daddy would get sad,
if you broke his only summoner staff."

"Summoner? Whatcha´ "summoner"?"

""Summoner" is our hope and saviour, honey.
You know, daddy would be so proud if you would become one as well, Yunie."

More disturbing voices.

"W-What do you mean, "daddy is gone"?"

"Kimahri is sorry, little one. Braska is not coming back, anymore."

"…not coming back? B-But…But…"

"Kimahri takes you to Besaid, now. Live with new friends. Remember father with warm."

…::: sob, sniffle :::…

.......Memories of another…person?........

"You have my heart, my soul and my love. Will you marry me, Lady Yuna?"

"I don´t understand you!"

"Allow Kimahri to die, and release him from his pain."

"You…wanted to see me?"

"Will you pity me now?"

"I´ll learn to control it. From within! I have all the time in the world! Immortal." )


He felt so ashamed. He was so…ignorant. Immortal? Somehow, that word did not bear any meaning anymore.

When Seymour couldn´t listen to the memories anymore, he opened his eyes only to see something far more real happening. Serian had embraced Yuna.
Serian smiled, as something dreamy, something ethereal started to ooze from her body. Pyreflies. So many of them…The pyreflies danced a small moment around her fragile body, before being sucked into Serian´s darkening frame.

It was over in a heartbeat.

Yuna lay in the ground, unmoving, like a doll. Serian was gasping for air, exhausted, but proud of himself. And Seymour…he was standing were he was for the last ten minutes, pale as death, unable to move.
With stiff feet, he managed to come to her. He kneeled beside her, and cupped her face to his hands. Face, that was cold as death.

And Serian Honoré just….smiled.

"Is….Is she…Is she.." Seymour croaked. He sounded like toad with a swallowing problem.

"…Dead? Maybe. Maybe not. Not really. Who knows? If she´s dead, that would suite you perfectly, won´t it?
"together, forever", right? But no. I´m sorry to shatter your delusions of happiness´, Seymour." Serian smiled, without any mirth in his voice.
"Do you think that I would be happy? I´ll betray her soon, and it´s ripping me apart! Do you think I´m happy?!" Seymour hissed. For the first time, he was furious. Yuna would come back again soon, as dead, but it didn´t really matter. It would only mean that he would take his own life as well, in order to be with her. Simple.

Serian furrowed his brows, and his mouth was pressed into a thin line.

"I somehow thought that power meant you more than a approval and fascination of a miserable seventeen-year old girl, who just thinks she´s something after she killed Sin. Everybody could have done that. And you….look at you. You were supposed to get the Final Aeon. You were supposed to defeat Sin! But you couldn´t do that. You couldn´t even die a worthy death. You´re pathetic." Serian hissed with venom, with hate and disgust choking Seymour in every word he muttered.

"Shut up! I know I am….but at least I would have someone! I don´t want to do this anymore. I quit. I´ve had enough." Seymour yelled, and Serian looked murderous.

"You want to back off now?" He whispered, but soon his lips lifted into a mirthless smile. "You know….you don´t just "back off" from the promise you made to the Lord. If you do, you will pay. She will pay." Serian muttered, and Seymour looked at him in disgust.

"She is not really dead, you know. I merely borrowed her power. True, her soul is gone, but she is alive. Weak, but alive. And since her soul is gone, imagine what small efforts it would take to kill her? Surely you understand, that her memories are all intact, her vital signs are soon normal, but something is missing. Her soul. If she dies, she´ll disappear, and she won´t come back." Serian whispered.

Seymour paled. He blinked. He paled even more.

"Ahh, yes. It gives a nice bump to the "together, forever" theory, no?" Serian smiled in triumph. Seymour was utterly confused. He was ashamed of himself. He was angry. He was sad. Mixing these emotions resulted in total chaos, and Seymour fell to his knees, staring with wide eyes to his rival and nemesis.

And Serian Honoré laughed. He laughed the high-pitched, fanatical laughter, far from joy, but even closer to insanity.


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Do not stand at my grave and weep.

I am not there, I do not sleep.

I am a thousand winds that blow.

I am the diamond glint on snow.

I am the sun on ripened grain.

I am the soothing, gentle rain.

When you awake in morning hush,

I am the swift, uplifting rush

Of quiet birds in circled flight.

I am the stars that shine at night.

Do not stand at my grave and cry.

I am not there. I did not die.