A Generation of Aeons
Chapter Fifty-Nine

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

Last Time:

"Everyone all right?" the Al Bhed Crimson Knight called out.

Takoire picked a flower from his black uniform, acting as if he was disgusted. "I don't think flowers really fit me."

A male voice chuckled. "Just like you… always thinking about just yourself."

"Would you expect anything less from the star player of the Zanarkand Abes?" a female voice added easily.

Lenne froze. "I know those voices…"

"Yeah…" Takoire agreed, "especially since I was engaged to one of them."

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"Hopefully," Kiron added, "we'll see you again before you attempt the Cheribum's test."

Lenne nodded and turned to Kiron's other guardian. "Don't worry, I'll miss you too, Zaon. Good luck with your wedding."

Zaon grunted, and everyone laughed.

Rubbing the back of his neck with his hand, Takoire frowned. "I'm no good at good-byes. Probably why I ran away." He paused. "Zaon." The former Zanarkand officer only nodded his head. "Seru…"

"Don't say anything. I'm not accepting any apologies."

"But-"

"No buts," Seru continued. "Just relish in the fact that you were a horrible fiancé." She approached him and planted a kiss on his cheek. "I like you better just as a friend."

"Works for me," Takoire responded.

"We better be off," Kiron said, his voice filled with regret.

"Right…" Lenne somewhat agreed.

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"Bingo," a voice answered, "although I still don't like the idea that you used to be engaged."

"Kiron," a gruff voice started, "I thought we went over the fact that once they got engaged, one of them ran away."

Lenne and Takoire found themselves staring at each other open mouthed as three clusters of pyreflies came together, forming figures that had long ago disappeared.

Leading the two others was a young man who appeared to be in his early twenties, if not slightly younger. Dark blue hair worn in a rakish manner covered his eyes slightly, but the amused emotion they gave off was still visible. He was dressed in a navy blue uniform of sorts, with stripes of four different colors on his two shoulders. As his image became clearer, a wide smile became evident on his face. "Hi there."

Two others began to come together just behind the first. A thin, light blue dress formed first and inside a young woman of similar age to the first. She had fair, light brown hair that went neatly past her shoulders. Her blue eyes and a smile on her face gave an indication to her similar feelings at the situation.

The last of them had a curious looking face, or rather, uncurious looking face with the exception that it looked both gentle and stern at the same time. He had plain brown hair that was cut in a short, military manner and had matching plain brown eyes. He wore a long-sleeved hunter green shirt with simple brown pants to add to his already extremely plain features.

The black-haired guardian found himself at a loss for words. "Holy crap…"

"I'm going insane," Lenne began, not consciously letting her thoughts reach her mouth. "That's the only explanation. I have to be insane because there is no way that I'm seeing Kiron, Seru, and Zaon. It's not possible."

Kiron smiled. "I could argue about the: it's not possible part, but I did think you were a bit crazy for awhile…"

"But I believed her the first time, Kiron," the young woman argued.

"Not to mention," the second man retorted, "as Lenne put it, at the time, you had cheesy pick up lines."

As the three newcomers' conversation progressed, a smile grew on both Lenne and Takoire's faces. Garren, Gaia, and Darka all turned to each other with expressions of confusion on their faces.

"You see them, right?" Lenne asked, turning to her cousin Gaia who only nodded. "How can this be happening? You guys…"

Seru frowned. "It's kind of complicated. We did die over a thousand years ago…"

Takoire's nose crinkled. "How is this happening?"

"The Cheribum," the once prince of Zanarkand responded. "We wanted the chance to talk to you, and he let us."

"Fine," Lenne answered, glaring at him, "then why don't you answer something for me. Something I've been asking myself for the past three years."

"Of course."

"What the hell were you thinking when you took the Cheribum's test!" Lenne yelled, marching up to the former prince.

Kiron paused thoughtfully, and the expression on his face spoke as if he had known the question had been coming. "I wasn't thinking. All I wanted was to be with Seru. You remember how hectic things were back then."

"Do you know what you put me through!"

Seru approached her, struggling with herself; although there was no feeling, the mage put her hand on Lenne's shoulder. "We know. When you reach the Farplane, you gain knowledge of anything and everything. Including what happened to you after you left what was once our time."

"Then you know what the third object is…" Lenne muttered.

Kiron nodded hesitantly.

"But they can't tell us," Takoire answered for them, "let alone tell us how this all works out."

Gaia cocked her head. "Why not?"

"Even if we knew right now, we couldn't," Zaon answered. "When we assumed this form to speak with you, we lost all of the knowledge we could have used to help you. It was one of the terms of the Cheribum."

"It's not that we don't want to help," Seru insisted.

Kiron frowned thoughtfully. "The only way we could possibly help is if we were to physically possess a body, and even if we were to do that, we would lose all the knowledge of the Farplane."

It was an awkward silence, Lenne and Takoire still in a slight shock. Among them, three had been dead for over a thousand years, three were lost to everything going around them, and two were still in a slight shock of what was going on before them.

"How can you help us if you possess our bodies?" Darka prompted without warning.

The former prince cocked his head curiously. "We could help you fight with no consequences. We wouldn't know what outcome we'd be helping, so it wouldn't be against the… I guess you could call them rules."

The Crimson Knight of Besaid shrugged. "Use me." Lenne spun around. "A high summoner has to be of more use that just a regular head summoner."

Kiron stared, open-mouthed, apparently he hadn't expected it.

Garren raised his head. "You can use me, too. A seasoned general has to be a better fighter than one Crimson Knight. At least I think so."

"Me too!" Gaia volunteered. "If you use my body I can be helpful too! If my theory's correct, you can't retain any knowledge you gain from the Farplane, but can't you use both what you already knew and we know? I mean… I know everything there is to know about the past and present! It's my job!"

Seru nodded. "That… that could work."

"But to do that," Kiron argued, "you'd have to give us full control of your body. We would have access to your thoughts, memories, feelings… and it would also eventually take a toll on your bodies."

"What kind of toll?" Garren asked, voicing concern.

"We could stay in your bodies maybe three hours at best," Kiron answered.

Lenne frowned. "And if Kiron were to summon…"

"It could take out Darka's body pretty quick," Takoire stated. "Still want to rent out your body?"

The blonde-haired Crimson Knight continued to nod confidently. "Just do it before I change my mind."

Kiron stepped towards him hesitantly, frowning as if he were still battling with his inner conscience. "Well, I'm going to try and change your mind anyway, just so I can say I gave it a shot. You realize I will have complete control of your body, and I'll know everything about you, even things you don't want me to know."

Darka shook his head. "Stop persuading and start possessing."

The once proud prince looked at him once more before he appeared to step into his counterpart. Kiron's image faded into Darka's as the high summoner slowly gained control. Within the Besaid native's body, Kiron gradually took hold, staring at his hands, touching his now blonde hair.

"This is a really weird feeling," Kiron said, touching his clothes. His voice sounded completely like Darka's.

Gaia stepped towards him cautiously. "Why do you look and sound exactly like Darka? Aunt Yuna and my mom said that when Shuyin possessed Uncle Baralai, you could see Shuyin's image and hear his voice."

Kiron blinked several times as he looked at Gaia, almost uncomfortably, before finally answering. "It takes more energy to do that. Shuyin probably wasn't trying to conserve the body's energy." He spoke again, this time, Darka's voice seemed laced with Kiron's. "Would you like it if I spoke like this?"

The Al Bhed woman nodded. "It just reminds me you're not exactly Darka…"

Garren turned away from Kiron/Darka and back to Zaon, "Okay… let's do this."

Zaon and Seru looked to each other, equally as hesitant. Seru grimaced as she looked at Gaia. "Are you absolutely sure?"

Gaia smiled. "What Darka said."

Zaon nodded, merging himself into the head Crimson Knight. The mage followed suit and the two souls, dead for over a thousand years, became alive again.

The former Zanarkand general was the first to realize what had happened. "It is strange," his voice was a mixture of his own and Garren's, "I now have the memories of Garren, but I also acquired his training."

Takoire smiled. "Of course, Zaon always goes after the military training first."

The warrior frowned. "Takoire, after Bevelle…"

"Forget it," the former blitzball captain immediately answered. "It's okay. I understand. It wasn't your fault."

"But Maester Yevon wouldn't listen-"

"Zaon," Takoire repeated, "I get it."

Zaon raised an eyebrow. "You were part of the resistance movement started by Ryak, weren't you? I read intelligence reports about the leadership hierarchy."

"He took me in, and I became his second-in-command. If you hadn't noticed, the Resistance sided with Zanarkand."

"But Takoire, why didn't you-"

Takoire shook his head. "Just leave it in the past where it belongs. The only thing that matters now is the future. For the longest time, I wouldn't let it go, but I have to. It needs to be done. Maybe it was my fault or maybe it wasn't that my brother is the way he is. But I can't think like that. Sareth's not my brother anymore. He stopped being my brother after I first left for lord marshal's training."

They heard a chuckle. "Oh come now, brother, that really hurt."

Coming into view from behind the mists of the Farplane, a young man adorned in a Bevelle military uniform came towards them with a wide grin on his face.

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Author's Notes:

Final Revision