A Generation of Aeons
Chapter Nineteen

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy X or X-2

Last Time:

Suddenly, Takoire's right hand grew slightly warm as well as his pocket. Bringing his hand to his face, Takoire saw his silver ring, his family crest burned into it glowing. Confused, he pulled out of his pocket Lenne's chokin necklace, the outlines of the aeons and her brand behind them glowing as well. "What the hell is this?"

Takoire blinked hard once, supporting his head with his hand. He was starting to feel a little lightheaded, like his body didn't weigh anything. Everything seemed wrong, but then, it seemed like it was how everything was supposed to be, how everything was meant to be. But there still feeling like there was something missing. A key thing missing.

"Hey, you! I was beginning to think you weren't going to find me!"

The guardian quickly turned and saw Lenne smiling at him; a bright flower tucked behind her ear. Takoire, too happy to think, ran up to Lenne and held her closely in his arms. For a moment her body stiffened in surprise, but eventually, relaxed as she hugged her guardian back.

"I was so worried about you, Lenne. I've been looking for you all day. And what Genbu said… And while I was looking for you… it was like… I felt what you were feeling."

Lenne abruptly cut him off. "We passed, Takoire."

"What?"

Takoire felt Lenne reluctantly pull away so that she could look at him, but she still held his hands in hers. "Genbu's test. It wasn't for me; it was for you."

Takoire looked at her confused. "The test? But you haven't taken it yet, have you?"

Lenne shook her head. "Genbu doesn't test the summoners. He tests the guardians."

"But Genbu said he couldn't keep you from danger's view…"

"And he can't. You had until sunset to find me. If you hadn't, we would have failed the test, he wouldn't have given me his power, and then he wouldn't be able to keep me from danger's view. He wouldn't have been able to use his power to protect me."

He laughed softly. "What is it with him and talking in riddles?" the guardian scoffed. "That's why Yunalesca and her guardians wouldn't help us, and the priests to; that's why they wouldn't help. But," Takoire paused, "how did you get here?"

Lenne shrugged. "I'm not sure. I just kind of woke up here, and then Genbu appeared to me and told me what was going on."

"And Kiron?"

She nodded in a direction opposite them. "Genbu said he was here, but on the other side of the Farplane."

The former blitzball player laughed shyly. "I thought… I thought Kiron did something…"

"Like what?"

"Nothing."

The summoner gave her guardian an exasperated look. "You always tell me to finish my thought, and if you don't, I'll be forced to call you a hypocrite, Takoire."

Takoire looked at her with a smirk. "Really, I just thought Kiron had a hissy fit because of High Summoner Yunalesca being around or something."

Leading him by the hand, Lenne walked towards the waterfall. "What is it with you and him anyway? I still haven't figured it out. How do you know him?"

He looked at her skeptically. "What is this? An interview? Shouldn't you have done this before I became your guardian? I think you just missed not having me around all day."

Lenne stopped in front of the waterfall and gave her guardian an equally skeptical look. "Come on, I just want to figure you out."

"Fine, well, I never cared for royalty. The way they act or how they live. I feel sorry for them sometimes."

"Why?"

"They can't do what they want. They can't go where they want. They always have to think and then do. Everything's planned out for them; they don't have a choice in anything. They don't choose to be what they are, they're born into it. I'm sure that's how Kiron feels sometimes, being born second, and High Summoner Yunalesca being the first heir to the Zanarkand throne." Takoire felt his right hand grow slightly warm and glanced down. His ring, the ring he always wore was glowing, and in his pocket, the guardian felt something warm. Hesitantly, he slipped his right hand into his pocket and brought it back out, this time, without the ring, but pulling out Lenne's chokin necklace. "Hey, I found this while taking a swim."

"Why were you swimming?" Lenne asked in a confused tone.

"No comment," Takoire responded.

"Well," Lenne said, holding up her hair and turning her back to Takoire, "I was wondering where that went."

Holding an end in each hand, he put it around her neck. "It is my solemn duty as your guardian to make sure that beautiful chokin necklace stays out of your shirt and water. And besides," he winked as he pulled away, "it brings out your eyes."

She laughed. "What is it with you and catchphrases?"

Takoire and Lenne made their way back to the temple by way of going through the cave, the river, and finally the forest itself. By the time they reached a clearing, the sun was long gone, and the stars were brightly shining. In the space between the forest and temple building, the summoner and guardian rested, waiting for their friends. They talked; Takoire complained about missing the sunset, and Lenne talked about her home back in her Spira.

It was a short while later when Zaon and Seru came out of the forest with Kiron following behind. "I see you found your summoner!" Takoire yelled out.

"Looks like you had some luck too!" Seru called back.

The two parties met each other halfway, and Takoire found it much easier than yelling across a large forest clearing. "Where did you find Kiron?"

The mage shrugged. "There was a path hidden through magical means, I was pretty much using my wand as a compass."

Takoire looked extremely disappointed. "Are you kidding! I was running around everywhere. I even had to swim in the river! And what? You just took the stairs!"

"But, Takoire," Lenne insisted, "didn't you-"

He held up his hand to stop her. "You guys did find Kiron in time though, right?"

Zaon nodded. "Yes, but it was almost sunset when we actually found a clue."

"So, you don't know what we do now, do you?" Kiron asked.

No sooner had the words left his mouth when the forest shook, birds flew from treetops, and the earth began to shake continuously. "Speaking of Genbu…" Takoire drifted off.

The giant tortoise began to emerge from the forest with a smile on its face. "Found your summoners, do I see, and pass the tests set forth by me."

"So Lenne and Kiron get your power?" Seru questioned.

"Yes, my powers they will receive, but I warn you of the pain it will conceive."

Immediately all five fell on their knees in pain. Takoire clutched onto his right arm while Lenne fell holding onto her right wrist. Yunalesca, her guardians, and other temple priests and nuns watched, all stopped in their tracks. Kiron was sprawled out on the ground, his left hand burning with the outline of Zanarkand and a sword behind it.

It seemed like an eternity had passed before Zaon, Seru, and Kiron collapsed, feeling the pain disappearing, but it seemed for Takoire and Lenne, an eternity was a little bit longer. Genbu's eyes were closely shut as the summoner and guardian continued to cry out in pain as Kiron and the others watched Takoire and Lenne with almost no energy left in them.

Another minute passed, and Genbu finally opened its eyes, leaving Takoire and Lenne to collapse. Lenne lay out on her side, the chokin necklace dangling above the grass; it dimmed with a new image. The ocean, rising sun, and setting moon in the background, while the images of Suzaku, Byakko, and Genbu were engraved in front of it.

Takoire lay in a similar position on his back, almost falling asleep, but he still managed to stay awake. He heard and felt the earth beneath him tremble and shake as Genbu retreated back into the forest.

"At a time when Spira falls into chaos at the arrival of old friends
A summoner of yore shall spring forth

Born from two who brought the end of a self-destructive force
A gifted magus and yet an omnipotent warrior

Upon their arrival, the summon extricated strangers from danger and gained an ally
Becoming their guardian and guardian of the ages
Together they embarked on a journey

Learning of ways long gone
Bringing forth creatures the like of which have never been seen
And discovering old legends
Forgotten by the mouth of man

The ocean, an unending presence
The sun, to watch over it
And the moon, to keep it steady"

And then Takoire and Lenne blacked out.

It was still dark when Lenne woke up. She felt something heavy on her bedside. As her eyes adjusted to the lack of light, Lenne smiled as she discovered what it was. Running her hand through his hair, he woke up and smiled at her.

"Hey."

"Hey," she greeted.

Sitting up, Takoire put his hand up against her cheek. "Lenne… there's something I've been wanting to tell you."

Feeling his hand, Lenne closed her eyes and used her own hand to keep it there. She looked back into his eyes. "What?"

"I love you, Lenne."

Before she could respond, Lenne found herself standing in a room completely engulfed in darkness. "Takoire? Takoire!"

A single light shined down on the right of Lenne, revealing Takoire who looked at her gently and kindly. "I love you, Lenne... but I'm not who you think I am…"

Another light appeared on Lenne's left, showing Seru. "You're the one who knows him; you're the one he opened up to."

Behind her, Lenne saw a light flash with Kiron standing there. "I suppose you'd know about it, after all, your family would know…"

A last light shone down directly in front of her. He wore complex purple garments and had slightly longer jet-black hair, the silver streak missing. He had long sleeves covering his arms and sad look in his eyes as he fiddled with a silver ring on his right hand. "Takoire?" she whispered.

He looked at her lost, confused, and disappointed. "My parents and I didn't get along at all… it was like… they wanted me to be somebody I didn't want to be. I didn't want things to end that way…"

Lenne never got a chance to speak, a booming voice came from overhead, and the volume of the voice forced the summoner to her knees.

"Overcoming obstacles once thought gone. The guardian of ages must face his past. The future and past crashing together. Determining his path."

Lenne shot up from bed, beads of sweat rolling down her face. She gasped for breath as she looked around. It was dark, and the sun was still not up. Lenne felt something heavy at her bedside. Takoire stirred and looked up at her sleepily, yawning as he sat up. "Hey."

"Hey," she replied, slightly uncomfortable.

Takoire looked at her while his sense fully awakened. "You look a little jumpier than usual."

She shook her head and smiled uneasily. "No, I just had a really weird dream."

"As long as you're okay…"

"What?" she asked, looking at his curious expression.

"Well… it's just that you had a dream," he replied. "Last time that drove you to become a summoner. Now what was it?"

Lenne shook her head quickly. "Nothing. I don't even remember it," she lied. "What are you doing here anyway? You didn't carry me again, did you?"

He scoffed at her. "You kidding? Do I have to do all the work? I mean, I can't be tired myself once in awhile? Anyway, your room was closer, mine's on the other end of the compound."

"All right. I get the picture, but why are you in my room?"

He shrugged. "Fine. I was worried that Genbu was going to whisk you away again, and I'd be put back to work. Cut me a break, would you?"

Lenne laughed, shaking the dream further away. "Hey, want to go and watch the sunrise? It's not too early is it?"

Takoire looked at her confused. "Well, sunrise is pretty soon. But… I thought you weren't a morning person."

Throwing her covers off and Takoire with them, she left him tangled in blankets as she laced her boots that had been lying carelessly at the foot of the bed. "Would you just come on?"

With a grin, he threw off the blankets and chased after her. "Where are we going?"

"And here I was thinking you were a sucker for sunrises and sunsets," Lenne said, continuing to run out from the temple. "We never get a chance to just sit back anymore. We're always on the go."

Takoire nodded in agreement as they stopped and found themselves at the beginning of Mushroom Rock. "Yeah, I see what you mean. You now have three of the four aeons needed in order to become a high summoner. Assassins were sent after Kiron, saved his life. Weird headaches knock you out. High Summoner Yunalesca pops up, and Kiron throws a hissy fit. Then you disappear, and I'm running around Genbu's forest all day, which can get rather tiring, but I digress… I think that's about it. I hope I didn't miss anything…"

"Is there anything I can do to shut you up?"

Unsympathetically, Takoire shook his head. "Nothing comes to mind."

Lenne moved over to let her feet dangle over the side of a cliff and watched her guardian do the same. "This is nice. I used to like watching the sunrise at my sanctuary, but when I watch it now, it looks the same. Over a thousand years it never changes."

"That's good to hear."

Lenne shivered and leaned against Takoire unconsciously. "It's a little chilly."

Takoire swallowed hard, trying to ignore how close his summoner was as her head rested on his shoulder. "It tends to be a little chilly when there's no sun."

"That explains a lot."

He smiled as he looked down on her. "You're getting better. With the comebacks I mean."

"What can I say? I have a teacher who follows me around everywhere. I can't ever get any space."

"Well, sorry. It's not like I took an oath in front of an aeon." The sun started coming up, tinting the dark sky, and Takoire felt Lenne shiver against him again. "You still cold?" She nodded, and without thinking, Takoire wrapped an arm around her. She looked up at him with a confused expression before settling back comfortably. "Hey, Lenne, which do you like better? Sunrises or sunsets?"

"Sunsets."

"Why?"

"'Cause I don't have to get up early to see it."

Takoire smiled. "Good one, but really."

"Because I like the fact that you have to get through the day if you want to watch the sunset. And before you get there, it's like you have to earn it. I never really appreciated the life I had before I came here, until now… I didn't understand what it all meant…"

"You miss your parents?"

"Yeah," Lenne said. "I never realized how much they meant to me until now. They saved Spira, not once, but twice, and I never thought about it. I knew what they did, but it didn't matter to me because I thought it didn't affect me, but it did. My mother would have died uselessly, my father wouldn't ever have been made real, and I would never have been born. I always wondered, after hearing all the things they'd done, why they wanted a quiet life. But now, just by going through all of this, I understand why they wanted it for me." Lenne chuckled softly to herself. "But enough about me. What about you, Takoire?"

He shrugged. "Sunrises, there are some things you want to forget and just start all over again."

Author's Notes:

Final Revision