A Generation of Aeons
Chapter Five
Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy X or X-2
Last Time:
"Don't you hate it when they do that?" Garren asked.
Vidina nodded. "Ya, it happens every time we're around."
"Should we do the usual, sis?"
"Yeah, let's grab a bite to eat. How 'bout it, Vidina?"
"Sounds good to me, ya?"
The trio exited the tent leaving Darka alone, still standing shaking his head. "Ugh, family issues."
--------------------
"Fine," Takoire started over a fresh cup of coffee. "What can I say?"
Lenne looked at him impatiently. "Anything! What's going on in politics right now? The summoners and aeons here. Differences from where I'm from and now. I'll take anything! A dog begging for a bone, okay?"
The blitzball player laughed. "I get the picture. Let's see, what's to tell?" Lenne gave him an eyeing look. "Relations with Bevelle are kind of hostile right now, but nothing as big as what you were talking about. Just stupid disagreements between old men who don't know what they're talking about." He took a sip and continued. "We only have five aeons. Suzaku, the great red bird who resides in Besaid; Byakko, a great white tiger with stripes of silver, and he's in Kilika; Genbu, a giant turtle from Djose; and Seiryu, a dragon from Macalania."
"Wait. I thought you said there were five aeons."
He grimaced. "Well, there is one more aeon. But it's so powerful that there has only been one summoner to ever wield it at a time. Except now, there are two maesters in Spira; one of them is Zanarkand's leader, Yu Yevon. They're the only summoners who know its name."
"Do you know what it is though?"
"Well, the maesters call it the Cheribum, but then again, they're the only ones who've seen it."
"Okay," Lenne said, trying to take it all in, "say again. What's a maester?"
"A master is a summoner who's gained the trust and loyalty of all five of the aeons. There's only been one as long as anyone can remember. There's a legend that long ago, a man figured out the answer to the Cheribum's riddle, but when he was on his deathbed, no one but himself had yet to solve the riddle. So he gave the answer to a chosen high summoner, and it's been that way until Yu Yevon broke the chain."
"All right. Now explain the high summoner scenario, because where I'm from a high summoner is someone who was able to defeat Sin."
"Lemme see… the high summoners are summoners who have gained the aid of the first four aeons, and regular summoners have the ability to summon up to the first three."
"What about," Lenne stirred her coffee slowly, "the cities? Do they all have leaders?"
"As for the ones that matter, just Zanarkand and Bevelle. We're the two super powers in Spira; Zanarkand's leader is Maester Yu Yevon and Bevelle's led by Maester Arheist."
Lenne's stomach began to feel queasy. "Your leader, Yevon, he doesn't have a daughter named Yunalesca does he?"
"Hey!" Takoire excitedly shouted out. "I thought you didn't know anything!"
She shook her head. "I wish I didn't."
"What do you mean?"
"Let's just say that a thousand or so years from now she'll try to kill my parents and their friends for not choosing one of them to die."
"Sorry," he said, slightly shaking his head, "I didn't quite get that."
"You don't want to, trust me. But just tell me this, is her husband's name Zaon?"
"Actually, the wedding between Lady Yunalesca and Lord Zaon is to take place in the next few months."
"Great, just great. I need to get out of here."
Takoire looked at her in concern. "You okay?"
She looked up at him sarcastically. "I'll tell you what, tell me your definition of okay,and I'll tell you if it works for me."
"You know what," the player said, glancing at his watch, "it's getting late and do you have a place to stay?" Lenne shook her head earnestly. "Fine, then you'll be staying with me."
"Huh?"
"Unless of course you want to stay at one of those homeless shelters, you're more than welcome. I hear that on Wednesday nights they serve somewhat decent soup."
"No, it's not that. It's just…We haven't even known each other a full day, and you're offering me a place to stay."
Takoire waved it off casually. "Don't let it go to your head. The press'll hear about it and my name'll get in the papers. You're just an excuse to get my newest picture out there, I swear it's really good. I mean, it took me forever to get the pose just right."
She looked at him before laughing out loud. Watching her, Takoire couldn't help but laugh with her. It'd been awhile since Lenne had laughed like that, too long maybe. But it was nice, nice to laugh again like nothing had ever happened.
----------
"Lots of space for just one person, don't you think?" Lenne asked, looking around. They had gone back to his apartment, and as she entered, it revealed itself as much simpler than she had originally thought. On the ride, she had thought up a large house with blitzball awards and plaques everywhere. Every inch covered with something to do with the game or the Zanarkand Abes. Instead, it was the exact opposite, with the exception of a blitzball sitting on top of a shelf in a glass case. There was little furniture, a recliner in front of the sphere screen.
"Ech, a perk of being captain of the Abes. I prefer a small space myself, but living here's free, so why waste it?"
Lenne spotted the blitzball on the shelf, and Takoire, seeing her, took it down and tossed it to her. "The blitzball from my first game with the Abes."
"Did you win?" she asked, throwing it back.
"Nah, I got nervous and forgot everything we practiced; but after that, I did everything humanly possible so we'd always win. I think that's why they made me captain after our old one resigned."
The young woman laughed. "It's nice to know that you have a human side." Takoire looked at her skeptically.
"Anyway, you can sleep in my room tonight, and I'll sleep out here on the couch."
"What? You're going to give me your room for the night!"
He shrugged. "Something wrong with that? Sorry, you're my first guest ever so I don't exactly know what I'm doing."
"I thought big shots like you had parties all the time."
"Maybe everyone else, but besides a small place, I like my peace and quiet."
Lenne pointed out to him. "You're kind of the opposite of what you're living, aren't you?"
"Yeah, I guess. But if it means that I can play blitzball, then why not?"
"You must really love blitzball to give that up."
"I'm not exactly going to be in shape forever you know," Takoire said, walking to his room and shuffling through the dresser. "One day, when I retire, I'll have or had anything or everything that I've ever wanted. I'd have played blitzball, and I'll be living in a small place and have my peace and quiet." He reappeared in the doorway. "Sorry, I only have a big shirt for you to sleep in. Do you mind?" Lenne couldn't help but laugh at Takoire's sheepish grin.
----------
It was dark, and Lenne looked around in every direction, but all she saw was the darkness. Suddenly, a small figure dressed in a rich purple and a hood covering his face appeared. He pointed to her. "You shall be a summoner, Lenne, like your mother before you, her father before her, and before them the great summoner Lenne of Zanarkand."
"Summoner!" Lenne questioned. "What are you talking about? Why am I in Zanarkand before Sin came?"
"You shall take a pilgrimage that has not been taken in more than a thousand years, but with aeons no one in that time has seen. We ask only that you say 'These are free spirits who have chosen to aid me, by no right have I forced them to become my slaves.'"
"Pilgrimage! Slaves! But in the old ways, summoners would make a journey to Zanarkand and eventually die fighting Sin!"
"These aeons, they are the natural aeons of this world. At one time, they worked side by side with the people of Spira, until Zanarkand and Bevelle started a war." The figure began to fade away as Lenne ran after it. "The fayth offer our best wishes to you, Lenne."
"Wait! Is this pilgrimage to gather the natural aeons? Is that why I'm here!" But it was too late.
----------
Lenne awoke in a start, beads of sweat rolled off her face as she began to look around the room confused. Then reality hit her like a bucket filled with freezing cold water, and she tried to hastily wipe her face as she looked out a window. It was daylight outside. She found her clothes in the same place where she had put them the earlier night: on a chair near the bed.
She quickly dressed and followed a leading smell to the kitchen where Takoire was cooking breakfast. "Hey! Looks like someone finally woke up!"
Lenne rubbed her eyes, still half-asleep. "What are you doing?"
"Isn't it obvious? I'm cooking us breakfast," he replied cheerily.
She looked around. "Don't you have a cook or something around here?"
Takoire shook his head. "Nope, peace and quiet means no cooks, servants, etc." He motioned to her and pulled a chair by the table. "Now, have a seat," Takoire said as he offered her a chair, "and," he slid a plate in front of her, "eat up. I take pride in my ability to cook." Lenne took a small bite and looked at him in surprise as Takoire sat down next to her with his own plate of food. He pointed a finger. "See? I told you so."
The high summoner's daughter ate quietly for some time before speaking in a serious tone. "Takoire, would you mind if I asked you a question?"
The blitzball player shrugged and gave a smile. "What? After last night's confession session you're still not comfortable talking to me?"
Looking at his joking smile brought Lenne's spirits up, and she couldn't help but smile too. "It's not that. I just don't want you to feel like I bothering you, that's all."
"You're not bothering me," Takoire responded, his mouth full of food. "So shoot already. What's your question?"
Lenne breathed out deeply. "Okay… here goes. I want to know- I want to know…"
"I take it you want to know something." Takoire observed, unable to keep a straight face.
"Look, Takoire, I want to know how to become a summoner."
"Well," Takoire pushed away his empty plate, "I didn't necessarily expect that. But, every summoner has to start somewhere I suppose. Most start in Besaid, but some start at the other temples, although it's kind of uncommon. It's mostly designated that Suzaku is the one to choose the summoners. But every aeon has one summoner in particular that they always choose to be their summoner and theirs alone. They're called head summoners."
"How do you become a regular summoner?"
"You have to pass Suzaku's or another aeon's test."
"What kind of test?" Lenne picked up her empty plate as well as Takoire's. "You fixed breakfast so I'll clean up."
"Hey!" Takoire held up his hands. "I didn't say anything, and I'm certainly not complaining."
"Hurry up and tell me about this test already."
"Jeez, I can't really say. The only people who really know are summoners. Those who fail have their memory erased by the aeon."
"Do they all go through some training?"
"Almost all of them do, but the gifted ones, the really talented ones, they don't go through any training. Some summoners study for years just for Suzaku, and they still get turned down. To be a summoner is an honor."
"Wow, Takoire, you sounded almost serious just now." Lenne turned her head slightly so Takoire could see her laughing.
"Hey! You can't make jokes about me! I'm the star player and captain of the Zanarkand Abes!"
Lenne couldn't help but laugh out loud. "I'm sorry," she said, catching her breath, "but you sound like… never mind."
"No, no, no, no," Takoire said, leaning up on a counter by the sink where Lenne was washing the dishes, "I'm already intrigued. Who do I sound like?"
"It's kind of complicated, it involves something with the fayth."
"Blech, I'm getting a headache already. But, nevertheless, you have peaked my curiosity."
"Have I now?"
"Yes, so unfortunately for you, you're not leaving my sight until I get some answers."
"Fine, fine," Lenne continued to wash dishes. "You know that my father was from the fayth's dream of Zanarkand, right?"
"Not really," Takoire motioned, "but please, continue."
"Oh, well, in that Zanarkand my dad was the star player of the Zanarkand Abes."
Takoire chuckled. "Ah, the irony. What was your dad's name again? Tidus?" Lenne nodded. "Out of curiosity, why did you ask me about becoming a summoner?"
She turned around from the sink with a towel to dry her hands. "I had a dream last night."
"You asked me all about how to become a summoner because you had a dream?"
"Well, kind of."
"Well, kind of what?" Takoire persisted.
Lenne twiddled with her hair for a moment with hesitation. "I think that the fayth sent me to this time so I could become a summoner."
--------------------
Author's Notes:
Final Revision