A Generation of Aeons
Chapter Forty-Six

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

Last Time:

The second shook his head. "We've been trying to contact the port for the past hour. It's like there's no one there."

Takoire looked around. "All right. I want you to get to the edge of the city and about thirty meters off the ground."

"Thirty meters? Are you crazy?" the first asked.

"A little bit, but I'm going to check things out. If you don't hear anything from port in fifteen minutes, I want you to get back to Besaid. Got it?"

"Yeah," the second answered.

"All right, I've moved into position," the pilot informed him. "If you're going to go, go now."

The attendant showed him to one of the doors and opened it. Wind gusted throughout the airship. She grimaced. "Good luck."

He nodded. "Thank you."

Without a second thought, Takoire jumped off the airship and into a run. From the ground, the guardian could see the damage accurately. The most severe of the damage was coming from the entrance to the Farplane. What was happening?

Suddenly, a gust of wind came from above, and a black figure landed before him.

Bahamut…

What was Bahamut doing here? This was a time when the aeons had been gone for years. This wasn't right. This wasn't supposed to happen…

From Bahamut's shoulder, a looming figure dropped in front of Takoire and straightened to full height.

With long, purple hair and a silver ring on his finger, he smiled vindictively. "Well, well… hello, brother."

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Lenne groaned and rolled over, her head still slightly sore as she opened her eyes.

"Easy there, cuz…" she heard her cousin's voice say.

She felt a cool cloth being dabbed on her face and neck. "Gaia…?"

Her Al Bhed cousin put on a smile. "Yep…"

The high summoner looked around the room. "What am I doing back in my old room?"

"You couldn't pay the rent for your apartment," Gaia answered as a matter of fact. "So, the landlord hit you over the head with his desk." Lenne raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Naw, you had an accident, and your parents' house was closest."

Lenne rubbed her eyes in exhaustion. "I had the most surreal dream, Gaia… Takoire came to the festival, and I kissed him, but he had one of those headaches… It's all so fuzzy." She looked to Gaia who was frowning slightly. "It wasn't a dream, was it?" Gaia didn't look at her. Throwing over the covers, Lenne swung her legs over the side of her bed. "Where is he, Gaia?"

Gaia watched her cousin hastily put on her boots and struggle to stand. She helped her up. "He woke up about two hours ago. He talked to your mom, dad, and me and took an airship out of Besaid."

"You talked to him?" she interrogated.

The deputy head for the Gullwings nodded her head. "He said he couldn't stay or else you would get hurt. He wanted me to tell you that he said good-bye."

Lenne moved to the doorway. "Do you know where he went?" She paused. "No… he went to Guadosalam. I should have known better. I need to get on an airship headed there." Lenne stopped in the doorway and looked to Gaia. "I'm not losing him again, Gaia."

The Al Bhed smiled. "I know. That's why I had Darka prep up the Valefor. It's ready and waiting for you."

Lenne smiled and hugged Gaia gratefully. "Thank you."

She only smiled in response. "Don't worry about it. Now," Gaia added slyly, "let's go bring back that boy of yours."

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"Sareth?"

"I'm so glad you remember me, brother."

Takoire stood facing his once younger brother in what seemed an unreal situation. Sareth now stood at equal height, and his dark purple hair had grown longer. He wore a maroon version of a Bevelle lord marshal's uniform with a red sash that once designated royalty. His staff was worn across his back, and he had a small silver earring and ring that he wore on his right hand.

"You should be dead," Takoire said, still shocked.

Sareth shrugged slyly. "And so should you, well, more than me anyway, but that didn't stop us, now did it?"

"I thought you were dead," the guardian repeated. "I heard rumors that you had been killed at The Battle of Djose, when the city collapsed into the Moonflow."

Sareth held out his hands. "What can I say? I was never there. They were rumors started by myself. My generals only helped to enforce it."

Takoire ground his teeth together. "Of course, your generals who turned on father."

His brother only pretended to brush lint of his clothes. "Oh? You're still on that are you? You'd think you would get over the whole me murdering our family thing after the second year."

The guardian scoffed. "You only started those rumors when you heard what Maester Yevon was going to create. That he was going to create the ultimate summoning, Sin."

"Run away today, live to fight another day…"

A great shadow passed over them both, and Takoire looked up to see Valefor circling the city.

"How can you do this!" Takoire demanded, looking at the devastation that surrounded him. "How can you be here!"

Sareth just smiled all the more slyly. "The same way you are." He held up his right hand, showing his silver ring. "This was the only good thing father ever gave us. Mind you, if he had known what it actually was, he wouldn't have given one to me."

The former blitzball player felt the anger rising up in him as he tried to hold it all back. "And what about the aeons? They shouldn't be here! This time has no fayth and lives in peace with the natural aeons! You are defying the laws of nature!"

For the first time, Sareth frowned. "I know; sickening, isn't it? How they live at peace? Have been since the beginning of this Eternal Calm," he finished mockingly. "Ah, but the end of the reign of Sin, that was highly entertaining, especially that Guado character, Seymour, now he had the right idea. Mind you, the only flaw in his plan was that he was going to kill all of Spira. How are you supposed to rule a people that are all dead?" Sareth watched his brother's anger rise and grew more amused. "Do you know how I can summon these fayth, brother?" He laughed at the rhetorical question. "Of course you don't. You're not smart enough. Let's put it this way, why would the creations not come when their master calls." He grew serious for a moment and stared at his brother straight in the eyes. "Mind you, if they had any idea of what they were doing…"

Takoire's breath quickened, and his anger continued to rise. "But… Maester Yevon created the fayth, not you."

The younger of the two just continued to smile cleverly. "Why waste perfectly good subjects that adore me? It just so happened that the information I had on the project was conveniently leaked to Maester Yevon… Although if I had known he was going to create Sin, I could have just picked a few out of my city."

Takoire could no longer hold back and erupted violently. He pulled out his sword and pointed it towards his brother. "It's your fault! Everything has been your fault! First, you send assassins after my friends! Then, you killed our family! You tell the people of Bevelle that I had killed them and my summoner had managed to run away! Because of you, Maester Yevon created Sin! Because of you, Lenne and Shuyin were killed, and Vegnagun almost destroyed Spira! And what you did to me… was unforgivable."

"Really?" Sareth answered, obviously amused. "And to think… out of everything you just named, I had the most fun with the last of them." He watched his brother's hesitation. "What's wrong, brother? I know you want to attack me. I can feel it. I can see the hate in your eyes. I know you want to avenge our family. I know you want revenge for everything I did to you. Give into it. Attack me."

The conflict was raging inside of him and was easily revealed in his face. "I'll fight you but not here. Not now. I'll fight you in any place or any time, except now."

"Why?" Sareth answered, genuinely intrigued.

"This is a peaceful time," Takoire answered grimly.

The former lord marshal apprentice paused for just a moment before smiling. "No, I like this time. I will gain the natural aeons' power, and combined with the fayth, I will realize the dream of conquering all Spira in the name of Bevelle." He laughed. "And just because you asked me not to do it in this time, I'll do it now. Just for you, brother. And I'll kill you, just like I killed Arkon… but not before I've had my fun."

"I'd rather die!" Takoire yelled, launching himself at Sareth, his sword drawn.

His counterpart just laughed and jumped back onto Bahamut's shoulder. He yelled as the aeon flew away, "That's the idea, brother! That's the idea!"

Out of the sky, two immense forms fell before him, barring him from his target. The first loomed down on him with dark eyes. Dressed in robes of many colors, it wore two swords at its belt. At its side was another creature that was brown and smaller in stature but refusing to leave the other's side.

Next to them was a slightly fiercer looking creature that did not resemble a human in anyway. It stood on all fours, and its roar shook the ground beneath him. It seemed to breathe fire, and its mane and tail appeared to be made up of the same substance.

They were Yojimbo and Ifrit.

Ifrit released a ball of fire from its mouth and launched it at him; before he had time to respond, Takoire had barely dove out of the way, only to find his sleeve on fire. He quickly rolled over to smother the flames, but his instinct told him to look up and hold up his sword. Following through on this gut-instinct, the guardian felt the force of another sword against his and the burn on his arm weakening him as the enemy sword brought the opposite side of his sword towards his neck.

"Get off me!"

Gathering what strength he had left, Takoire grabbed the other end of his sword with his bare hand and pushed against it. The sword cut deep into his hand, but his strength had been just enough to knock Yojimbo's sword away, but it came with a price. Although he had been able to knock the aeon's sword away, he had not been left unscathed. The tip of the enemy sword had been run across his neck.

Rolling away, Takoire gasped for breath, holding his hand up against his throat. The cut on his neck hadn't been deep, but it still hindered his breathing. His left arm was burnt while his right hand was bleeding heavily. He could barely stand.

He heard Sareth's laugh from above. "I have to say, I haven't had this much fun since we last saw each other, brother."

Takoire grimaced. "I-I'm happy… I could a-accommodate you, then."

Then he heard it. He heard her voice. "Takoire!"

He looked behind and saw Lenne running towards him with Gaia, Darka, and a group of guardians. He tried to wave them away. "Le-Lenne! Get-Get out of here! Leave!"

He heard Sareth's laughter again. "I understand now. I understand why you didn't want me in this time. You've found her. Your little whore." The former Bevelle royal couldn't help but smile smugly. "So much fun…"

The guardian watched Lenne stop in front of him with a look of pure anxiety written on her face. He glanced around; the aeons had disappeared. "Cheribum... Takoire, what's happened to you?"

He shook his head frantically. "N-No time! Get out of here! Go now, before…"

But it was too late, and they heard Sareth laugh loudly. Bahamut swooped down on them, and Sareth jumped off the creature's shoulder. "The Summoner of Yore, Lenne… a pleasure to see you again."

Lenne forgot everything she was planning to say and pulled out her sword. "What the hell…? The aeons! Sareth…?"

She watched him bow. "At your service, Lady Lenne."

"What have you done!" she screamed. "What are you doing here!"

"I came only to be graced with your presence," Sareth answered coolly. "That, and I'm planning to conquer Spira. I suppose it's like killing two Zanarkand royals with one stone."

Lenne shook her head angrily. "Bastard!"

He bowed in response. "Thank you."

The high summoner turned back to her guardian. "Go back to the airship. We have more than enough people to beat him and Bahamut."

"No…" he shook his head, "you don't." He grimaced, still holding his hand against his throat.

She held a finger to his lips. "Go. I'm not losing you again…"

He took her hand in his. "And I-I'm not losing you… T-Take everyone you can… We-We can't fight Sareth y-yet. He has con-control over a-all the fayth…"

"What…?"

He pointed his finger up into the sky and watched Valefor fly overhead a second time. "We-We need to go."

Lenne nodded and turned her head towards Gaia and Darka. "Get back to the airship! I want everyone on the Valefor now!"

"But Lenne-"

"Do it!" she ordered.

"You got it," Darka answered. "All right, people, I want all guardians on that airship as fast as they can get there. I don't care if you're a Besaid or Guadosalam guardian, get on that ship! Take any civilians you find with you! Injured have priority!" Darka turned to the bleeding Crimson Knight of Guadosalam, Varell. "What's the count on your men?"

Varell panted, sweat and blood mixing and dripping off his face. "Can't be sure. At least three dead, and everyone else injured."

Darka nodded. "Get on board."

Guardians and civilians alike boarded the medium sized airship, leaving Darka, Gaia, Lenne, and Takoire as the only ones who had not yet started their run.

"Come now, brother," Sareth said, pouting as he walked towards them, "you're ruining all of my fun. Why can't you and your whore stay a little while?"

"Yeah?" Darka spat, closing his eyes. "Have some fun with this!"

Like a bullet being shot down from the sky, Suzaku came down like a curse on Sareth. Its mere shadow larger than Bahamut and every other aeon that Sareth had summoned. It let out a piercing cry.

Darka helped Lenne and Takoire onto the ship. "Let's go."

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Author's Notes:

Final Revision