A Generation of Aeons
Chapter Forty-Seven

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

Last Time:

"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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The airship Valefor had a quiet ride back to Besaid although it was filled to capacity. The mood was solemn as everyone watched Guadosalam and the pillar of smoke disappear into the distance.

Every guardian and Crimson Knight was somehow injured along with a large group of civilians; those with training were busy wandering the airship, looking for the most injured. One particular young man was injured beyond all the rest, the High Summoner Lenne personally attending to him.

A tight bandage had been wrapped around Takoire's neck, and he cringed as his shirt was cut off.

"You really did it this time… didn't you?" Lenne asked rhetorically.

The guardian tried to speak but only managed a gurgle of pain.

"Don't try to talk yet," Lenne said as her answer, pulling off the last remnants of his shirt from his burnt skin. The high summoner closed her eyes for a moment before a white light surrounded her guardian.

He grimaced. His pain had been lessened. "Thanks."

She nodded. "Yeah. Your neck should be fine; the cut wasn't that deep. It won't even leave a scar. The burn on your arm should have a light bandage on it for a couple days so it won't get irritated, but that gash on your hand, that'll definitely leave a scar. Even the best white mage couldn't get rid of that, it's too deep." Lenne took her first good look at him since he had reappeared and sighed. His hair was longer and with the aftershave, he looked older than she suspected him to be. His stormy gray eyes no longer had a glint of mischief in them but now gave a sense of being torn. Without his shirt on, Lenne could see numerous scars throughout his body. Scars of all sizes and types ran over his skin. "Where did these come from?"

Takoire shrugged. "Picked them up over the years and had to do the best I could with it. You know I'm no mage."

Lenne frowned but nodded. "Hold still, I'm going to wrap up your arm." Her guardian watched her work intently on his arm, watching her try as hard as she could not to think about what they both knew was on the other's mind. "The least you could have done was wait until I was conscious." She heard him sigh. "What?"

"I really screwed up, Lenne."

She looked up at him. "I got that part."

Takoire shook his head. "No, I had no right to do this to you. I thought all I was going to do was see you, make sure you were all right, and leave. The only thing I did in reality was resurface memories and feelings that should have stayed buried."

She surprised him with her answer. "You're right. Deep down, I know you can't stay, but I don't care. I know if you stay, we're both going to die. But for just once in my life, I want to be selfish."

He turned his head away. "Lenne, I'm staying until Sareth is gone. I'm only here to help." He bit his lip. "If we get attached while I'm here, it'll make it that much more difficult when I have to leave. And we both know I have to go."

Lenne nodded regretfully. "I understand. Could we at least be friends? I mean… you are my only guardian after all."

"Lenne…"

"Fine," she answered, instantly cold. "I need to know what was going on in Spira after I left."

Takoire looked at her, surprised, before speaking. It was all for the best. At least… that's what he kept telling himself. "Sareth started the war between Zanarkand and Bevelle. He started placing battalions in each of the temple cities, cities that were loyal to him, and destroyed every single one. Maester Yevon couldn't stand their desecration and sent one of his armies to stop Bevelle's advance. Maester Yevon wouldn't even stand the thought of peace talks…" Takoire paused. "He was still mourning Kiron's death." He took a breath. "From what I learned today, Sareth leaked his plans to create the fayth to Maester Yevon to see whether or not it would work. What he didn't expect was the fact that Maester Yevon would create Sin when it was evident that Zanarkand was going to lose the war. He faked his death and disappeared."

Lenne finished the dressing and handed him a black shirt. "Here, it's the top of a summoner guardian's uniform, there's just no summoner brand on it." She watched him struggle to put it on. "How is he here? How are you here? What happened to you after I left?"

The guardian took a deep breath. He knew that the question Lenne had asked was half her own guilt of leaving him and her actual need of information. Best to tell her only what she needed to know…

"After you left, I was pretty much running and hiding throughout Spira, trying to avoid Sareth's guards and letting them know I was still alive. Two years after you left, I found myself on the Farplane." He held up his right hand. "My ring reacted with the pyreflies. Sareth has an identical ring; he got here the same way I did."

She stared at him blankly. "Your rings?"

"Our father gave them to us. He told us a legend that when the Cheribum first appeared, he breathed fire onto the ground where the temple-palace was built and left a small pool of a metal. The metal was said to have special properties to it. Three things were made out of it, two of which, were our rings," Takoire finished.

"If you knew what the rings did, why didn't you try it sooner?"

Takoire knew what she really meant. She meant, why didn't you look for me sooner if you knew you could.

"Sareth and I just dismissed it as a story. I kept it only for sentimental value. It was the only thing that linked me to my past when I ran away to Zanarkand."

"Can you control where you go?" she asked, handing what she had left of the first aid supplies to a guardian.

He shook his head. "Not really. The farther in time I go, the less energy I use. The more controlled I try to make it, the more energy is drained out of me. I can control where I go within five or so years, but even that takes a lot out of me. If I don't try to control it, it takes less out of me. I think the most I've ever traveled is maybe thirty years in time. Whenever I'm in a time, I pretty much get supplies that I need and stay as long as I can, until the headaches start. The Farplane is the only place where I have a sanctuary from the headaches."

"Do you think Sareth is affected by the headaches as well?"

"Without a doubt," Takoire quickly answered. "Sareth's no fool. I did some poking around when I figured out what the ring was. Supposedly, the third object that was made can stabilize one of the two rings. With the third object, you can supposedly control where you're going with the ring and the headaches will be gone. Until he finds it, he's staying close to the Farplane. That's why he took Guadosalam first as opposed to Bevelle. He needs easy access to the Farplane." He grimaced. "And he knows we need it too."

Lenne paused and looked at him. "If you can go to the Farplane to ease your headaches, why can't you stay?"

The former blitzball player turned to look out a window, standing up. "Because it's only a last resort. You can't go down there without risk of the ring reacting."

"What do you think his next move is going to be?"

"He'll take Bevelle," Takoire answered without hesitation. "Not only does he want to restore Bevelle to its former glory, he's looking for that third object. Bevelle's a good starting place to look. After that, his training will kick in. He'll take Luca, and then go for the temple cities, the next place to look for his object. My advice… you're going to need an army. You're going up against a man who not only has the fayth under his control, but he was personally trained by Bevelle's last lord marshal. He fought a war against Zanarkand and nearly managed to wipe them out."

Lenne paused for a moment before standing up. She looked around. "Darka!"

The blonde-haired Crimson Knight came running at the sound of his name. "Yeah?" he answered, glancing at Takoire.

"What's the final count?" the high summoner questioned.

"All the Besaid guardians that went are accounted for, but I do have one seriously injured. Guadosalam's guardians on the other hand are a disaster. They lost four guardians, and three more are seriously injured. They only have six able bodies left, and that includes Varell."

Lenne looked around. "How many guardians did we take with us?"

"Four, counting me." Darka cocked his head. "Why?"

She turned back grimly to him. "I need you to contact Garren and have him alert all the Crimson Knights of the situation. Bevelle should be evacuated immediately, and the council should probably move to Besaid. It's one of the farthest islands from Bevelle."

"Evacuate Bevelle?" Darka said in disbelief. "Are you kidding? Bevelle's the largest city in Spira; we can't just evacuate it."

Lenne frowned and shook her head. "Watch me. Talk to the Ronso, ask if they're willing to take in refugees. The farther they are from Bevelle the better, and Sareth has no reason to go after Mt. Gagazet; it's not a strategic position."

"Lenne," Darka insisted, "what you're saying… most of it can't be done without the approval of the council."

"Do what you can," she answered. "But I need every guardian in Spira activated and ready to leave at a moment's notice. I also need you to contact Oryon, Kathurn, and Jesa and tell them what's going on. They need to gather all the summoners under their jurisdictions and wait for my word."

Through the crowd of people, a smaller figure came running towards Lenne, Takoire, and Darka. The deputy head of the Gullwings looked up at them out of breath. "Lenne, the council just found out about what's happening in Guadosalam. The pilot told them that you were there. They're calling an emergency council meeting."

Lenne bit the inside of her cheek, thinking about her next move. "Somebody needs to get me Garren and Lucil on the commsphere."

Darka pulled a guardian to him and whispered in their ear. "It's done. Just give them a few minutes."

"Lenne…" Gaia said, her voice somewhat whiny, "what's going on? What happened in Guadosalam?"

"My brother," Takoire finally said, speaking for the first time in Darka and Gaia's presence.

Gaia looked at him strangely. "Your brother? But didn't he…" The Al Bhed's eyes suddenly became wide and covered her mouth with her hands. "Oops…"

Takoire just continued to look out a window. "Yeah… he killed out entire family. Then he tried to kill Lenne and I."

"How dangerous is he?" Darka inquired.

Lenne's guardian turned towards them. "You are going to need every man and woman who can and is willing to fight in order to mount a proper defense. This man has managed to defeat the most advanced city Spira has ever seen. He will take every step necessary to ensure his victory and has no room for morals. He has the training of a war general and the ruthlessness to always see something through. Because of him, the fayth were created and Sin was born. If I had to gauge how dangerous Sareth is, I'd say he's the most dangerous man alive."

The blonde haired Crimson Knight nodded his head gravely. "I'll have to call up the reserves and tell Garren to do the same."

The former blitzball star turned around completely to look at his summoner. "Lenne…"

She nodded her head solemnly. "I'm not always going to be able, Darka. I need you to take over for me if I get knocked out." Lenne watched him nod his head. "Gaia, do you remember all the things you got for me when I first came back?"

"Yeah…"

"Find anything new?" the high summoner continued.

Gaia frowned. "No, not really. Why?"

Lenne bit her lip. "I need everything and anything you can find on Sareth and the Zanarkand-Bevelle war." She stopped for a moment. "Are your parents still in Djose?"

"Yeah."

"Get them out of there. Djose's a temple city." The high summoner frowned. "See if you can't get them to Besaid. I also need all of the old crowd."

Darka stared at her blankly. "What old crowd?"

Lenne stared back at him. "Everyone our family invites to family parties, 'cause those stories we started to block out after we turned nine, we need to get everything from them… un-edited."

Gaia only nodded determinedly.

"High Summoner Lenne!" A female guardian ran towards them, stopping only a few inches from the high summoner. "I have Councilwoman Lucil and Sir Garren on the commsphere for you."

She gave a small smile. "Thank you." The guardian moved to leave, and Lenne followed after her.

"Wait," Darka called, "what are you going to tell them?"

"The truth," Lenne answered simply.

Gaia took a step toward her cousin. "Which is?"

Lenne turned back towards the female guardian and began to walk again. "That for the first time in over a thousand years, Spira will be at war."

Takoire stared through the window as Lenne walked away, watching Spira's last peaceful moment slip away.

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Author's Notes:

Final Revision