A Generation of Aeons
Chapter Thirty-Nine

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

Last Time:

Takoire looked her in the eye. "You need to move on. Lenne… I'm holding you back."

Lenne shook her head, unable to stop a tear from falling out of the corner of her eye. "No."

"I want you to get on with your life, even if it means you have to forget about me," he said. "You were destined for great things, Lenne, and you can't do that unless you move on."

Lenne was letting the tears fall freely now. She didn't care.

Takoire's thumb wiped them away, and Lenne burned the feeling of his hand against her face into her memory. "I hate to see you cry, Lenne."

"I don't want to move on. All I want is you."

The guardian looked distraught. "I know. I know. But you have to live your own life in the present, not in the past."

He paused, as if trying to decide whether or not he would withdraw his hand from Lenne's face.

He decided not to and instead brought his face to hers.

"I will always love you, Lenne…"

Then Lenne felt his lips brush against hers, and everything was right in the world…

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"Lenne," someone was shaking her awake. "Lenne…"

Her eyes fluttered open, and the high summoner's sight fell on her cousin Gaia.

It wasn't real…

Gaia rolled her eyes, and Lenne felt her cousin help her off a soft couch. She looked around, it was the only piece of furniture within her new apartment.

"Honestly," Gaia said, "you say you're just going to take a five minute nap, but you've been knocked out for over an hour!"

"An hour…" she muttered to herself.

It was a dream…

It was just a dream…

A little over a week had passed since Lenne had first confronted her parents about moving out. With the help of Vidina and Gaia, Lenne had found an apartment not far from the temple and not far from her parents' home. It had taken her a full day to gather all the things in her room and move them all into her new apartment.

It wasn't very big, not that Lenne needed that much space. She had a living room, two bedrooms, kitchen, and bathroom, all equaling the space of maybe a quarter of her parents' home. The only furniture in her apartment was the single couch, and the emptiness of the building made Lenne's voice echo.

She remembered the previous day she had gone out with Gaia to look for furniture, and today Darka had taken the day off to help.

The Crimson Knight walked into the room, carrying a somewhat large, glass table in his arms. He peered over it. "Is she awake yet?"

Lenne stood up and nodded. "Yeah."

"Where do you want this?" he asked simply.

The high summoner looked around, gathering her bearings. "You can, uh… You can just put it over there," she finished, pointing to a corner.

Darka didn't answer but simply placed the table where Lenne had pointed.

Gaia glanced out a window. "Oh no! What are they doing with that chair! Oh no! Oh no! Oh no!" The Department Head of Historical Spheres quickly ran out the barren apartment, and Lenne and Darka watched through the living room window Gaia chase down one of the deliverymen.

Darka raised an eyebrow. "Gaia's an interesting character."

For the first time since she returned, Lenne laughed openly, her voice sounding more calm and relaxed than in days. "Yeah, very." She paused, the feeling of normalcy returning to her. "So, Darka, you're the only person I really haven't had a chance to talk to yet. What have you been up to in the past few months?"

The Crimson Knight of Besaid gave a small shrug. "The Council of Factions was called together for extra sessions when your aeons first appeared. I was one of the people who traveled down to the Farplane and heard Maechen talk about your legend. After that… it was pretty much keeping Besaid under control. Not much changed around here until you came back." Darka paused. "You handled yourself pretty well at the council."

Lenne sighed and fiddled with her chokin necklace. "You think so?"

He nodded solemnly. "Yeah. You made your point clear for them, and now they're working on it. You didn't overdo or under do it even though Councilwoman Dona kept giving you a hard time." Lenne only nodded her head. "What do you think you're going to do next?"

She scoffed and turned away from the window, looking around her new home. "I have no idea…" She laughed aloud mockingly. "Rebuilding the temple in Macalania and Bevelle, constructing a Council of Summoners, making summoner's training, and," Lenne laughed even harder, knowing full well how hollow it sounded, "and before all that, I need summoners!" Lenne finished by flopping back onto her couch.

Darka didn't say anything but watched Lenne's head fall into her hands.

"I have no idea what I'm going to do next…" she said.

He looked at her, so lost and unsure.

"Lenne…"

She turned to look at him.

Hesitantly, Darka reached for her with his hand, grazing her face with his calloused fingertips, and kissed her.

He was soft, gentle, and tender as he kissed her, and for a minute… she almost kissed him back.

Lenne quickly withdrew, her eyes wide with shock.

"Lenne, I-I'm sorry! I didn't- I didn't mean-"

She looked dazed. "I'm sorry," she said, standing up. "I need some time to think." A second later she was sprinting out the door.

Darka chased after her. "Lenne! Lenne!"

The high summoner nearly knocked Gaia down as she ran, Darka continuing to chase after her.

"Lenne!" he yelled for the last time.

She kept running.

Darka stood up, still panting, short of breath. "Damnit!" he yelled, slamming his fist into the cold, hard concrete of a nearby wall. The young man stared at his bloodstained knuckles for a moment before trying to connect his fist with the wall for a second time but stopped at the last minute.

Gaia stood just between himself and the wall. Holding up a finger up in front of him, she shook her head.

Without a word, she reached for his hand and accidentally brushed her thumb against one of his open, bleeding wounds. He flinched and drew his hand back.

The Al Bhed girl frowned. "Sorry." She reached for his hand a second time, but this time he did not present it to her. "Let me see your hand."

Darka looked at her unsurely. "No."

"Come on," she insisted, the impatience growing in her voice.

"No."

Gaia's patience ran out, and she grabbed his hand anyway.

"Ow!"

She frowned again. "Men are such babies."

Gaia fussed over his hand, and Darka stared at her curiously. Of Lenne's three closest friends, Gaia was probably the least he knew about.

Darka knew Vidina the best out of all of them; the usual carefree citizen of Besaid also made a good guardian. He was next in line as Crimson Knight of Besaid, not that Darka intended on resigning anytime soon.

He was forced to work with Garren at councils and was never able to get along well with the Crimson Knight of Bevelle; especially after the whole affair when Lenne disappeared.

Gaia on the other hand, the only thing Darka knew about her was the fact she was Garren's twin sister as well as Lenne's cousin. Her hair was a dirty blonde that was worn in multiple braids. He could see her green Al Bhed eyes filled with a hint of mischief as she looked over his hand. She wore a not quite modest blouse that had the symbol of the Gullwings on it, and an earpiece in her ear.

Gaia grinned at him. "Why don't we take care of this?"

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The Head of the Department of Historical Spheres wrapped the last of the gauze around Sir Darka's hand. They sat together on the couch Darka had kissed Lenne on only moments before, Gaia intent on finishing her work.

"Finished!" she said happily. She stood up, and looked down on him with a grin on her face. "See?"

Darka stared down at his hand. His knuckles had been cleaned, and the bleeding stopped. The gauze was tied tight enough so the wound would remain protected but still gave him no restrictions.

"Thank you," was all he said. "You're very kind."

Gaia just continued to smile. "You're very welcome." Darka moved to stand. "You sure you're going to be all right?"

He cocked his head. "I'll live. 'Bin taking care of myself since I was a kid."

"You know," Gaia said, watching Darka move towards the door, "you should try and be a little more social. How come you don't talk to anyone?" She paused. "Oops. Cunno! I can be really blunt. I didn't mean it! Garren said I should really try not to do it, but I can't help it!"

Darka shook his head. "It's all right. I don't mind. Growing up as a kid, I learned that unless there's a reason or a purpose, why do it? I never had a reason to talk to anyone."

"Don't you ever get lonely?"

"Not really," he answered simply. Gaia stared. "…Maybe just a little. I never knew my real parents, and my foster father died when I was nine; and even when he was alive, he was a fisherman so he'd go out for days at a time, and I would take of myself. I never really had a family. I suppose…" Darka thought hard for a moment. "It's like how you can't miss something you've never had or seen."

"Never had a family?" Gaia asked in disbelief. "I don't think I could imagine my life without my family. Seems like sometimes I can't get rid of them! Oops. I didn't mean it that way…"

The Crimson Knight of Besaid shrugged, the smallest smile at the corners of his mouth. "And I can't imagine my life with a family." He nodded his head to her and moved into the doorway. "Gaia, again, thank you. You've been very kind to me, but there are some things I need to figure out. If you'll excuse me…"

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She rested her head between her knees and her back against the ancient ruins engraved with her summoner's brand. The last glimmers of sunlight had long been immersed in the ocean, and the moon and stars had taken its place.

Lenne never remembered her dreams, and if she did, they were vague at best, but the dream she had earlier that day didn't seem to apply to that rule. She remembered it as clearly as if it had actually happened.

What had he meant when he said she needed to move on? Did he mean she needed to forget the past two months? Did he mean to forget about him? That was impossible. Or did he mean something else…?

Cheribum… and then Darka had kissed her.

She thought of him as a friend, and that was all he was to her. A good friend was the only way she could ever see him as. She couldn't ever feel for someone else what she felt for Takoire; but the way she had run off…

She should go apologize to him, but what would she say? She didn't feel the same way because she was in love with someone else?

'You need to move on. Lenne… I'm holding you back.'

What had he meant? Or was it just a dream? It was so real!

"I should go apologize to him," Lenne repeatedaloud. "I can figure out what I'm going to say on my way back."

The high summoner regretfully stood and turned in the direction of Besaid. Suddenly, the ground began to tremble, the wind began to blow, and a beam of red light suddenly shot down from the sky.

"Oh no…" she said, jumping off the ruins. "Please, not again."

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Author's Notes:

Final Revision