Of wandering guardians and summoning arts.
Chapter 5.
By: Kin-Ryu Chikara
This is a fan fiction based on the ps2 game Final Fantasy X and X-2. I have no rights to this game, names or characters from the game. That right belongs to Squaresoft. This story is based on the game and may differ slightly from the game play.
"Regular speech"
"YELLING OR LOUD SPEECH."
'thought'
"Song"
Monotype Corsiva is Al Bhed translated to usual language.
(A/N: my notes during the story. Stands for author's notes)
-- paragraph
Yuna and I woke up in each others arms.
"Hello babe. Slept good?" I asked and she nodded. Laying her head on my chest, she sighed happily.
"Hey you two. Get up." Rikku said and hopped onto our bed.
"Damn Rikku. Watch where you jump, okay?" I groaned and she chuckled.
"Sorry. But where did you two disappear to last night?" Rikku asked.
"We took a stroll on the beach." Yuna said.
"Oh, why couldn't I come?" Rikku asked, looking hurt and pouted a little bit.
"We wanted to be alone." I said and Rikku got a mysterious grin on her face.
"Oh, and why was that?" she asked playfully. I shrugged.
"Well, we are married. You figure it out." I said and laughed at the red colour that appeared on both Rikku's and Yuna's faces.
"Anyway, let's get up. Lulu's making breakfast. Come on!" Rikku said, grabbed both my arms well as Yuna's and dragged us out of bed.
"Easy Rikku. You'll rip of my arm. Why are you so anxious anyway?" I asked and Rikku promptly let go. I staggered a bit backwards, but regained my footing soon enough. Rikku looked a bit embarrassed.
"Well, Lulu's cooking is really tasty, and she said no one is to eat before you two get up. So come on!" she said, and I couldn't help but chuckle at her.
"Okay, we'll be right there." I said and Rikku left to let me and Yuna freshen up.
--
When Yuna and I emerged from the hut, we looked around but saw nothing to our friends.
"So, where is everyone?" I asked.
"I don't know. Perhaps by the temple?" Yuna suggested. We walked over to the temple and saw that a table was there and our friends sat around it.
As we walked over, I could see why Rikku was so excited. Lulu had made more food than I had seen since we were guests in Seymour's mansion, and everything looked delicious.
"Wow Lulu, you really went full out didn't you?" I said, amazed at the sheer amount of food.
"Well, if we are going to enjoy ourselves before the final battle, let's do it completely." Lulu said. we sat down and ate. Conversation was sparse, not because we didn't feel like talking, but the food was too good to stop eating. I discovered, to my horror, that I didn't get full. I wasn't hungry, but no mater how much I ate, I didn't get full. Apparently I showed my horror, because everyone looked at me worriedly.
"Um, Flames? What's wrong?" Rikku asked.
"Is there something wrong with the food?" Lulu asked. I shook my head.
"No, something is wrong with my stomach. I don't get full. I wasn't even hungry when I woke up, and even when I eat, it doesn't seem like I do." I said.
"Maybe your body breaks down the food before you notice?" Auron said.
"Or maybe you don't have too eat. Remember, you are the Fire Lord now. Perhaps you don't need to eat." Yuna said. Lulu looked a bit sad at that.
"No, I think I have to eat, but perhaps there is something in what both of you said. Perhaps my body breaks down the food before I get full, and I can go much longer without food than any others. Anyway it seems I can eat as much as I want." I said and helped myself to some more. The whole table rang with laughter at that.
--
After breakfast, where all the food was consumed to Lulu's happiness, mostly by me and Tidus, we started to plan our next cause of action.
"Oh, I am so full." Tidus complained while rubbing his stomach.
"Oh be quiet. You wouldn't be so full if you didn't want to compete with Salmar about who could eat the most. Now, what's next?" Lulu said sternly.
I didn't say anything while the other spoke of going to Kilika next, since the plan had been to retrace the pilgrimage.
"Flames, should we go to Kilika?" Rikku asked and I nodded.
"When is the next boat going there?" I asked.
"A few hours. So, I take it you are leaving again?" the head priest said, walking towards us.
"Yes. We should get going as soon as possible." Auron said and stood up. The rest of us mimicked his actions, but the head priest stopped me.
"Lord Salmar, if I may speak with you for a bit." He said. I nodded and we walked a bit away from the others.
The head priest turned to me and gave me a critical look.
"Something has changed about you my friend. Care to tell me what?" he asked.
"Well, you are right. Something has changed. I am in love now, and am married to a beautiful woman who I love. But somehow I don't think that was what you were talking about."
The head priest shook his head and I sighed.
"Well, I am sorry, but that is all I can tell you. Perhaps someday I will be able to tell you more of my secrets, but for now they have to remain secrets. Now, did you want anything else?" I said tiredly. The head priest thought for a bit.
"No, nothing except…protect Yuna. Can you promise me that?" he said and I nodded.
"Yes, I will." I said, turned and walked over to the rest, who stood impatiently and waited.
--
On the boat to Kilika, I overheard someone talking.
"Did you hear? When we hear a flying ship sing the Hymn, we are supposed to sing along with it." one guy said.
"Yeah, they say that it will help Lady Yuna and Lord Salmar defeat Sin." A woman standing next to the man said.
"Oh, I thought that was just a rumour. But if I hear that ship sing, then I'll sing along for sure. Anything to get rid of Sin." Another guy said. I smiled when I returned to my friends.
"It seems our rumour is being spread. I think we can make our move soon. Shelinda really gets the job done." I said smilingly.
"So, our battle will be soon. When?" Rikku asked.
"When we get to Kilika, let's board the airship. I want to spend at least a day onboard with uncle Cid. Then we can fight, okay?" Yuna said and I nodded.
"Of course."
--
When we arrived in Kilika, the airship was already waiting and we boarded right away. When we entered the bridge, Cid was waiting impatiently.
"So, where to?" he asked.
"Let's go back to the Fire Lord temple. I want us to spend a day together uncle Cid. Before the attack." Yuna said. Cid nodded and Brother sat the course for the temple devoted to me and my predecessors.
--
When we arrived at the temple, the others sat up a table and started making food. I on the other hand went into the temple and gave instructions so that no one would enter without me coming out first. Once inside, I went to the room with my brothers in.
"Hello brothers!" I called out when I entered the room. I was meet by a chorus of "Hey!"
I went and sat down next to number twenty. Our seats formed a half circle and I noted that mine was slightly broader than the rest.
"So that Yuna can sit with you." Number one said. I nodded.
"Listen, I have a few questions." I said.
"Shoot" number fifteen retorted.
"Well, firstly, when I and Yuna die…we aren't trapped in here for rest of eternity are we?" I said, slightly anxious. A roar of laughter was let loose.
"Of course not. Look, number two, five, six, seven, nine, eleven and fourteen aren't here. We are free to leave when we want to. We can roam Spira as much as we like, or even the Farplane. But we won't rest on the Farplane like the other souls. Our resting place is here." the first said. I nodded, relieved.
"Okay, good. And what do you guys think about the plan we have made to destroy Sin?" I continued
"You mean, go inside Sin and take out Yu Yevon?" number twenty said. I nodded.
"Well, it is a good plan, but it will take a lot of power, and a lot of control. Fortunately, by this time tomorrow, you'll be in full control of your powers. And the maximum amount of power you can safely use together with your friends and their strength, should me more than enough to take Sin down. Just remember to rest a bit when you get into Sin. You will need at least one hour's worth of complete rest in order to recover to nearly full power again. And then I mean complete rest, as in deep sleep." The first said.
"Thanks. Oh, and am I imagining things, or is there a rising elemental disturbance in a ruin a bit south-east of here?" I asked.
"The Omega-ruins? Yeah, you might have to deal with that in about two years time, but right now, you have to focus on Sin, and immediately after that, you and your wife have to focus on helping rebuilding Spira. Plus perhaps you want to settle down and not travel much for a few years. Have you ever stayed in one place for more than one month after you mother died?" the third asked.
"Yes, I stayed in Besaid for more than a month when training to be a summoner. But point taken." I said. The rest chuckled a bit, and we continued talking, them telling me stories about their reigns, and I telling them about my life, although they already knew most of it.
--
A couple of hours after I went into the temple, I came out. The sight that meet me was hysterical. I could only laugh. Cid was chasing Rikku and Brother around, while screaming curses in Al Bhed. Yuna, Lulu, Wakka and Kimahri sat and watched, Auron stood next to Tidus, who were jumping up and down. I later found out that the two of them had a bet on whether or not Cid would catch his children.
"What did those two do now then?" I asked and sat down next to Yuna. She chuckled.
"Brother dropped his drink onto Rikku's food and she threw her drink at him but hit uncle Cid instead." Yuna said and I roared in laughter.
"Seriously, I see where Rikku gets her energy, ya!" Wakka said and laughed as well.
Lulu turned to me looking really serious.
"And what were you doing, almighty Fire Lord?" she asked sarcastically and I saw both Yuna and Wakka wince at her tone. I didn't know her so well, so I couldn't tell if I were in danger or not.
"I were…consulting my predecessors." I said with a grin and Lulu relaxed.
"Oh, but you missed the meal." She said.
"I'm sure you could make him more food if you wanted, right Lu?" Wakka said and Lulu nodded thoughtfully.
Half an hour later, I was eating a delicious meal.
--
I spent the rest of the day with Yuna and Cid, talking, walking and enjoying ourselves. When night came, everyone (our group and the small amount of Al Bhed still on Cid's ship) spent the night under the open sky. Thanks to me and Yuna, everyone was warm from our fires that we had lit around the place, and dry, since I kept any rain that might have fallen, away. All in all, everyone enjoyed sleeping under the sky that night.
--
"Now, let's go kick that big oversized butt." Rikku said when we all gathered in the airship.
"Yeah!" Tidus joined.
"I agree. Sort of. When everyone is ready, we'll go find Sin." I said.
Twenty minutes later, everyone were on the bridge, restocked with potions and stuff, our weapons polished and sharpened and our strength completely restored.
"Everyone ready. Let's go get him!" Cid said and the ship speed of.
--
We found Sin awfully close to Bevelle. He was apparently on his way to the city, to wreck havoc. We couldn't let him.
Cid punched in something on a board and the Hymn flowed out from…somewhere on the airship.
"How's that?" Cid asked.
"Oh, right on!" Rikku answered.
Then we were right in front of Sin.
"We're going in!" Tidus said with his usual spirit.
"Heh, he sure is excited." I said and Lulu shook her head. Then Wakka asked something we hadn't really though of.
"How are we gonna get inside?"
"Um…trough the mouth?" Tidus said.
"If not, then we'll just blow a hole and go in trough." I said confidently.
"Sounds like a plan. Let's go!" Rikku said, pumped her fist in the air and ran towards the deck. We followed quickly.
When we emerged onto the deck, we heard the Hymn being sung by A LOT of people.
"I can hear the Hymn." Rikku said excitedly.
"Yes, they listened." Lulu said, although she didn't sound it, I'm sure she was equally excited.
Tidus then turned to Yuna and showed her the sphere she had dropped.
"You don't need this anymore." He said. She panicked and I walked up to her and laid a hand on her shoulder.
"Babe, we found that on our way to Zanarkand. But now, we will live together for many years to come." I said and she calmed down. Tidus then threw the sphere out over the deck.
Then suddenly the whole ship started to shake.
"Hey, guys? Guys? That's not good, ya?" Wakka said nervously as he tried to regain his balance.
"Sin is moving. The plan didn't work. We have to fight!" I yelled and we prepared for a fight.
"I have a special surprise for Sin, but we can't deal with him alone." Cid's voice rang over the speakers.
"Okay, time for plan B. We have to weaken Sin. The way we do that is first blow those arms off. Then we either make him swallow us, or rip him a new mouth. First we focus on the arms, and when we have done that, I will start powering up. I need a few minutes to reach the power level needed to rip a hole in Sin. During that time, attack him as much as you can. It is our only way." I commanded. Everyone gave their consent and prepared to move. Unfortunately so did Sin. He charged up some sort of attack, cowered himself in a sphere of power.
"Oh shit, this is going to be big. Hang on everybody!" I yelled moments before Sin fired. The clouds above Sin formed a circle and we could see fragments of the moon being dragged towards Spira. Then several balls of power shot from Sin in different directions and huge gashes in the earth was left. The Hymn stopped, and I could faintly hear screaming. The screaming of dying people.
"What the hell happened?" Tidus asked.
"Huh?" Rikku said and looked around. The she gasped. Perfect circle formed trenches were made and they were suddenly filled with water and fire.
"Oh no!" I said. Tidus, Yuna and the rest cast themselves down on the deck as the water and fire rushed towards the ship from multiple directions at the same time. I jumped as high I could and tried to gain control over the raging elements. I managed to stop most of the assault, but some of it slipped my grasp and singed my friends. When I landed, I was panting, but I could feel the difference in control just from the short time between fighting Valefor in Besaid. As everyone got up and Rikku started complaining about fire being hot, I regained my breath and stood up as well.
"We have to focus. We don't have a lot of time. Cid, let's go!" I yelled.
"Roger! Hold on tight!" came the response. I staggered over to Yuna and looked her over.
"You alright?" I asked and she nodded.
"How about you?" she asked and wiped some sweat from my face.
"I'll be alright. I my control have really shot trough the roof. Let's go get him, okay?" I said and Yuna nodded.
Then Brother cursed over the speaker.
"Sin is pulling us in." Rikku said and started to bite her nails.
"Remember, start with the arm!" I commanded and the battle began.
Yuna, Lulu and I threw spell after spell on the damn arm while the others used items to attack. Then suddenly the ship drew back.
"Here goes! Everyone, hold on to something!" Cid commanded.
Huge machina guns appeared on the side of the ship and a huge electrical shot hit Sin's arm, severing it by its base. Sin roared as the arm fell to the ground. Then Cid moved over Sin and we started to repeat the treatment to the other arm. Soon Cid backed away again, and another shot hit Sin and he was armless.
"Yeehaw! Where next?" Cid yelled. Moments later we hear him yell "WHAT?"
"Um, the main gun is broken. It appears we have to rely on your firepower now. Sorry. Eh hehe." Cid said and I could almost see him scratching his head.
"How broken?" I asked.
"We can't fire. Why?" Cid answered.
"That was a electrical attack. I think I may be able to use it even if we can't fire. When I say so, fire anyway. I'll handle the rest." I said and I could hear Cid mumble something to Brother.
"Pop's fancy machina always gets ruined when the pressure is highest." Rikku sighed.
"We go in. Every blitzer knows that when you got the ball you got to score!" Tidus yelled, trying to be motivating. Lulu ran up to his side.
"A day with you is never dull!" she said before running towards the edge where she jumped off, completely ignoring Tidus's yell of "Star players first!"
I grabbed Yuna's hand, looked into her eyes and together we jumped after Lulu.
Landing on top of Sin was a…unusual experience, one that I didn't think I would have twice; here I was, for the second time in my life on top of Sin, fighting Sinspawn. We made our way towards what we thought were a weak spot, but a Sinspawn blocked our path.
It was quickly dealt with and we started attacking the weak spot, which looked surprisingly like a flower.
--
Suddenly Sin started falling towards Bevelle and we had to jump back onto the airship. With a huge cloud of dust, Sin landed on Bevelle, and probably destroyed a lot of buildings. Hopefully the people had sense enough to evacuate.
"Well, that wasn't part of the plan." Tidus said, earning him a smack to his head by Lulu.
We turned and ran back to the bridge.
"It's going to come back, isn't it?" Yuna asked.
"What? You got to be kidding me!" Cid said but I shook my head.
"We have to beat the guy inside Sin." Tidus said and Wakka joined in.
"The Crusaders would be out of a job if it were this easy, ya?"
"But it has weakened, I'm sure of it!" Lulu said. Rikku started to run in circles.
"Yay, we're winning!" she sang.
"Rikku, calm down. We haven't won yet, and Sin is still very dangerous. Remember the attack he did. He didn't use his arms for that. The majority of the danger is still here. We have to move now!" I said and Rikku stopped, hanging her head.
"I'll try and fix the main gun!" Cid said and left. I saw Yuna acting tense so I started to massage her shoulder to make her relax. She sighed happily and leaned against me.
"Hey, don't worry. We'll be fine." I said and she nodded slightly. I continued massaging her until Cid returned. I smiled widely when I watched Yuna's tension literally flow away. Oddly enough, massaging my wife relieved my own tension as well.
"Stud, are you alright?" Yuna said and turned to me. I nodded.
"Yeah, why?" I replied.
"Well, for one Tidus called your name four times and you didn't respond." Yuna said and I saw Tidus standing there with a frown on his face.
"Oh, sorry. Guess I spaced out there for a second. I'm just preparing for the fight." I said and Yuna shook her head.
"Anyway, I was going to ask: what do we do to stop Sin from using that attack he just used. You know, the huge sphere of power thingy." Tidus said and I could sense his anxiety. I sighed and looked down.
"That is what I am preparing myself for. If Sin tries to do that again, I will have to stop him and that will be very draining and very painful." I said.
"Painful for who?" Rikku asked and I got a sad grin on my face.
"Me!" I simply said. Then Cid came back, panting and looking really greasy.
"Well, I did all I could do with the main gun, it still won't fire, but now you'll be able to draw on it's power more easily. What now?" he said but before anyone could say anything, Brother yelled:
"Something is happening to Sin!"
We looked at Sin as he rose, grew some huge wings flew up and rested on a spire.
"Well, are we going to move?" Cid asked. I nodded.
"Just take us in. We do the rest." Tidus said. Then we turned and started walking towards the deck.
Half way there I spoke up.
"Cid, everyone. Listen. If Sin tries to use that attack again, I have to stop him. For me to charge up to be powerful enough to do that, I will need a few minutes. If any of you see any sign of Sin starting to use that attack, please tell me. Then I'll start to charge up while the rest of you continue attacking. Hopefully, that and the power from the main gun will be enough to…convince Sin to swallow us. When he has, depending on how much power I need to use, I have to rest. Probably I'll need about an hour of deep sleep to recover to my full power. I suggest that once Sin swallows us, I find myself a place to sleep and we stop there so we can all recover a bit. Okay?" I said and I was meet by confirming noises from everyone to show that they understood the plan.
"Let's go! Just you and me!" Lulu said to Tidus. He blushed and scratched his head while Wakka shook his head. Yuna looked at me and giggled at my confused expression.
--
When we came out onto the deck, Sin looked ready to fight us, and I had to swallow.
'This could prove to be a fight to push my limits to their breaking points. Let's hope I don't have to go too far!' I thought as we positioned us for the fight, me, Yuna and Lulu in the back since we had magic, the others forming a line in front of us, their weapons ready.
"Good luck everyone!" Cid said.
"Hey, this will be no sweat!" Tidus said and I rolled my eyes.
Then a huge pull started to draw the ship in towards Sin. Then after launching a few spells at Sin, I saw Rikku running towards me.
"Flames, you better start charging up. Sin is preparing that attack. Hurry!" she yelled and I nodded. I ran towards Sin, stopping only on the edge of the deck.
"Cid, once I yell, you pump all the power you've got into that gun!" I yelled.
"Gotcha." He returned and I spread my feet, clasped my hands together and powered up. Like before, the four elements started flowing around me, changing my hair to the four coloured. This time, the elements didn't return into my body, but rested on my arms and legs. My muscles bulged with loud noises, kind of like small explosions. I could feel my friend's worried looks on my back, and that worry only increased as my body started to grow. My muscles grew and bulged so much, filled with raw elemental power, that my shirt came close to ripping. I couldn't see it for myself, but I knew my eyes now only were two white shining orbs and the same brilliant white light started to shine from my body as well.
The whole process of changing me from regular looking, to a shining muscle berg only lasted about two minutes, but Sin already had charged up his attack way too much.
When I spoke, my voice sounded divided, my own and a similar one, but much deeper and older. It sounded ancient, the voice of the Fire Lord.
"Cid, you ready?" I yelled.
"Let's give Sin a huge jolt." Cid called. I spread out my hands and gathered fire, water ice and thunder in both of my palms.
"Okay, FIRE!" I yelled. The main guns ignited, and I grabbed the lightning, made it flow around me, focus in front of me, still drawing power from the ship, and I smashed my hands into the lightning from the ship and a huge beam, made up of the four elements erupted from me and hit Sin head on. Sin's attack stopped and dissipated and both I and Sin roared in pain. My beam ate its way further and further into Sin and he trashed about. Then the main guns stopped firing, but I kept going. Soon Sin's thrashing became more violent and a blue light appeared. The same blue light that appeared when we blew of its arms. I stopped firing and turned to my friends. It must have been a strange sight, seeing my white light and Sin's blue light battle for dominance. At first Sin and I had equally bright light, but I felt weary and tired. I had used very close to max allowed power in that beam, and it had drained me, just as I had predicted.
"Hold on tight. This is going to be a hell of a ride." I yelled. At first they just stared at me, but then they complied and crouched down. A huge vortex appeared and drew us in. The blue light surrounded us and I could hear Rikku's amazement. Then we came into a huge place with brown orange clouds. And lots of pyre flies. Then a red cloud appeared, we heard Seymour chuckle and I could have sworn I saw him before a illusion of flames al around us came but it passed and soon we came to a dark cave…thing which the airship landed in.
--
Inside the cave, I found a place to go to sleep as quickly I could, and the rest gathered around me to form a protective circle against any fiends inside Sin. In my dreams I could hear what my friends said.
"Sin is reborn when Yu Yevon merges with an aeon. So if I call an aeon, it will merge with it, but at first it'll be small, right?" I could faintly hear Yuna say.
"Then we might be able to beat it without the Final Summoning." Tidus said.
"But it is risky. To beat the aeons is one matter, but to beat Yu Yevon afterwards is a totally different one." Auron said gloomily. Then I felt someone pat my head affectionately.
"Oh, don't worry. When Flames is back to full strength, I am sure he will be strong enough to beat Yu Yevon." Rikku said.
"Probably, but he won't be alone." Tidus replied and I could feel a hand stroke my chin. I recognised the hand as Yuna's.
"I wonder how strong he is if he goes completely out. If he uses so much power that the elements will get lose, how strong will he be then?" Yuna asked.
"Let's hope Salmar never has to go that far." Kimahri said.
"Enough talk. Salmar said he needed at least one hour of deep sleep. As long as we continue to talk like this, he won't be able to fall into deep sleep and the sooner he wakes up, the sooner we can do this." Auron commanded and everyone fell silent while I fell into a deep dreamless sleep.
--
When I woke up over an hour later, I felt fully refreshed. I sat up, rubbed my eyes and looked around. We were still in the dark cave where we landed after getting sucked in by Sin. The airship stood close and I could see my friends scattered around. Yuna sat next to me, deep in sleep herself while Rikku and Lulu were talking a bit away. Tidus, Wakka and Auron stood next to the ship while Kimahri, Cid and the rest of the Al Bhed were no where to be seen.
Yuna woke up when I unsteadily stood up and she smiled at me.
"Hello. Had a nice sleep?" she asked and I nodded.
"Yes, guess I can't complain. Although I miss your bed back in Besaid. It beats lying on the floor like this." I said and Yuna giggled a bit before she sobered up.
"When you powered up like that…" Yuna seemed hesitant to continue, so I did.
"You want to know if it was it painful?" I asked and she nodded.
"Yes, it was, and when I felt my power come up against the limits, I thought I was going crazy. But you kept me sane, and I took comfort in you being there and the fact that I was inflicting just as much pain on Sin as I was in." I said with a slight smile.
"When you started emitting light like that, I thought your body had burst. I was so scared. And when you shot that beam towards Sin, I couldn't help but be amazed at the sheer power you wielded. But when both you and Sin roared in pain like that…" Yuna started and I hugged her.
"Don't worry. I'm alright, and soon Spira will be too. Let's go get the others, and do this." I said and stroked Yuan's cheek. She smiled at me, before her concerned look returned.
"You are feeling alright so fast?" she asked.
"More or less. I didn't get injured, just tired, but I'm a little sore. Nothing to worry about." I said and Yuna nodded.
"Stay here, and I'll go get the others." She said and ran off.
Moments later, she and the rest came back. When she reached me, Rikku started jumping up and down.
"Wow Flames, that was really impressive. You were like the sun!" she yelled enthusiastically and I couldn't help but grin at her.
"Yeah, I never did think you had that much power in you. Did you Lu?" Wakka asked but Lulu shook her head.
"I don't think anyone of us did." Auron said.
"Well, as much as I enjoy the praise you give me, I think we should be going. Yu Yevon isn't going to be beaten by himself." I said and we started walking.
--
After a long and sometimes boring walk, only interrupted by some fiends, who Yuna and Lulu blew away with their magic, we came to some sort of stairs.
"Huh? Stairs?" I said, but we walked to the top anyway. There we were meet by someone we didn't want to meet. Seymour.
"Hello everyone." He said and I shook my head while Lulu rolled her eyes.
"Don't you ever give up?" Tidus asked. Then Seymour got really crazy.
"I have merged with Sin. I am one with Sin, forever." He rambled.
"Dude, you just got absorbed by Sin." I said but he didn't stop.
"I will learn to control Sin from the inside. I have all the time in the world and since you have been kind enough to kill Yunalesca, the only means of destroying Sin is gone." He said, his tone getting crazier and crazier.
"We'll destroy Sin!" Tidus said confidently.
"By all means, try!" Seymour said and rose up to become transparent, and really big.
"Is it just me, or does he get more annoying each time we see him?" I asked and Yuna tried to surpass a laugh.
"Oh, you think I am annoying, huh? Well eat this!" Seymour yelled, apparently in outrage, and launched a huge ice attack at me. Too bad it didn't have any affect. I looked down my body as if to check for injuries and shrugged.
"Oh well. That was a good try though." I said and I could see Seymour tremble in rage.
"You-will-die!" he said, I think his teeth was gritted as well, and launched elemental attack after elemental attack. I laughed as I felt myself getting stronger from each attack. Then when I just got tired I nodded to Tidus, who charged and hit Seymour hard. When he was distracted, I, Yuna and Lulu threw our most powerful spells at him, mine at least ten times as strong as normal, due to Seymour and his rather generous waste of magic.
Seymour tried to cast a fire spell on Yuna, but it didn't do much more to her than to me. Then we all simultaneously attacked and Seymour fell.
"Yuna, send him!" I said. She nodded and performed the sending. The last thing Seymour said before he became a cloud of pyre flies were: "So, it is you, after all, who will send me?"
Then he was gone, but not missed. Other than as a punching bag.
--
After Seymour was gone, we came to a place filled with rusty old buildings. We wandered along paths that apparently hadn't been used in a long time.
Walking for hours and hours, we stopped when Rikku collapsed.
"I can't go on. Can we just rest for a bit?" she asked, no pleaded. I nodded and Tidus plumped down as well.
"How far do we have to go?" Rikku whined.
"I don't know, but I don't think we'll get there very soon." Tidus said acting a little miffed.
"Especially if you two don't move, ya?" Wakka said in a cheerful voice that made Rikku and Tidus glare at him. I looked at Yuna and saw that she had just as much problems with holding in her laughter as I did. I walked up to her and kissed her, effectively stifling both mine and her laughter.
"Hey, get a room you two!" Rikku said sourly. I stopped kissing Yuna and turned to the disturbance.
"Do you see a room around here?" I asked. When Rikku failed to answer I smirked and she pouted.
"I thought so." I said and turned to Yuna, who was clutching her side, laughing at Rikku's expression. The rest of us took a look at Rikku, and her pout increased. I nearly fell over laughing.
--
After we managed to stop laughing, and got some rest, we set off again. The trip was rather uneventful. That is until a huge tower crashed into the ground in front of us, making Tidus stumble backwards.
"What…what is that?" Wakka asked.
"Our way to Jecht." Auron said and walked towards the tower. The rest of us followed. Inside the tower, we found some sort of elevator, but it wasn't working. Then we noticed slots to put in some crystals in the elevator and we found the crystals among some shooting ice spikes. The ice was quickly diverted by me while Tidus and Rikku got enough crystals to power the elevator.
"Why would Sin have an elevator inside?" Rikku asked while we rode it upwards.
"Who knows." I said.
"Let's just end this." Tidus pressed.
"Sure, when this stupid elevator teaches the top!" Wakka said irritably.
--
After a while, we reached the top. We stood on a platform overlooking what could only be some sort of arena. In the distance, I saw a mark made out of rubble, the same mark that Tidus had on his shorts. The platform went on for a little distance, and by the end a figure stood. We recognised him as Jecht.
Tidus ran forward, yelling "Dad!"
Jecht turned around and chuckled when he saw his son.
"So, you're here." he said gruffly before turning around.
"You're late Auron." He said accusingly with crossed arms.
"I know!" Auron said, and I noted that his tone was a little weak, almost tired.
Jecht then turned to Tidus and waved.
"Hey!" he said
"Hi!" Tidus simply replied. I smiled at this…father-son…thing.
"Hah! You've got tall, but you're all bones! You eating right, boy!" Jecht said sternly, and I saw Tidus stiffen, but apparently Jecht was only kidding, since he added in a much softer tone: "You've really grown!"
"Yeah, but you're still bigger." Tidus said with his head lowered.
"Well, I am Sin you know." Jecht said smartly.
"That's not funny." Tidus retorted.
Jecht laughed a little when Tidus said that, but he sounded humourless and tired.
"Well, then…I mean…you know. Let's end this." Jecht said awkwardly.
"Dad?" Tidus asked.
"Yeah?" Jecht answered hurriedly.
"I hate you!" Tidus said, equally hurried. I was surprised, but didn't say anything. After all, I didn't know anything about Jecht and Tidus's relationship. Then Jecht laughed the same humourless laugh while he gently shook his head.
"I know, I know. You know what you have to do." Jecht said and Tidus's determination hardened.
"Yeah."
"I…I can't hear the Hymn so well anymore. Soon I'll be completely Sin. Then…" Jecht began.
"Enough. Let's just end this…okay?" Tidus yelled.
"Yeah." Jecht said and turned to walk away. He stopped and said over his shoulder.
"One thing though. When it starts, I won't be me any more. I won't be able to hold back. I'm sorry." He said sadly. I took a step forward.
"It's not your fault. This is all because of Yu Yevon." I said, hatred towards the damned thing making this happen.
"You're right." Jecht said and continued walking to the edge of the platform.
"Well then, let's go." Jecht said, crossed his hands and blue energy started crackling in his chest. He fell backwards over the edge, and Tidus ran towards him. Yellow orbs of power started to fly out of Jecht and they flew around, illuminating a city not far away. I didn't look at it much though, since I prepared to use my power.
Then a huge hand came up from the edge and nearly grabbed Tidus. He managed to jump away and Jecht rose up in his Final Aeon form. He looked…big. Huge muscles, white hair, blue glowing eyes, horns and fur behind his head.
We used what had become the standard way of fighting, Tidus, Auron, Wakka, Rikku and Kimahri attacking physically while I, Yuna and Lulu attacked magically, only this time I used my power and had the elements attack Jecht. Soon he roared, the mark behind him started to burn, Jecht sprouted some sort of wings and drew a huge sword from his chest.
That sword posed a serious threat, but even with that weapon, we could beat him, but none of us were unharmed. Tidus and Rikku had to be hastily healed by me and Yuna while Auron just shrugged us of.
After we beat him, Jecht collapsed on the platform and something black came out of his back.
Tidus rushed over to Jecht and hugged him. Laying the man down to rest on his lap, Jecht looked at his son and grinned.
"You're gonna cry. You always cry. See? You're crying." He said and Tidus was indeed crying.
I felt awkward looking at the father-son interaction, so I focused on the black sphere flying around us instead. I heard Yuna walk towards Jecht.
"Sir Jecht…I should…" she began but he stopped her.
"No, Yuna. There is no time. The aeons." Jecht yelled.
"We aeons." The fayth of Bahamut said, appearing behind me, nearly scaring the shit out of me.
"Call them!" Jecht continued
"Call us!" the fayth joined.
--
Then Jecht died and was gone. Yu Yevon hit the sword still stuck in the platform and a white light came. When it subsided, the platform was gone and we were in a huge place filled with red clouds, but noting else except the sword, which we stood on.
"Yuna!" Tidus called and she nodded. Yuna called Valefor and Yu Yevon merged with her. Before Valefor could do anything, I let of a huge blast of fire and ice which ripped trough the aeon and defeated it.
Yuna looked sadden by the loss of her first aeon, but she summoned Ifrit anyway. Yu Yevon merged with him as well, and the combined Blizzaga spells from Yuna and Lulu plus Auron and Tidus attacking made Ifrit fall quickly as well.
Yuna got even sadder, and I quickly hugged her before I summoned Ixon.
Ixon proved to be much harder to beat, and nearly stabbed me to death but Wakka saved me by using his blitzball as a cushion for the horn to hit, resulting in me getting showed out of the way, and only trampled by Ixon. In the end, it was Tidus that killed Ixon by jumping up and showing his sword into the aeons back.
Then I summoned Shiva, and only seconds after Yu Yevon merged with her, she was greeted by wave after wave of fire spells, killing her instantly.
I was also starting to feel depressed. Here we were, killing our partners that had fought alongside us for so long. I felt incredible rage towards Yu Yevon for making us do this and when Yuna summoned Bahamut, I wasted no time in killing him my beam made up of the four elements.
Then I summoned Yojimbo. He was worse than any other of the aeons, because he kept dodging all of the physical attacks and forced Yuna and Lulu to dodge his attacks. I still hadn't recovered enough from my last attack to deal much damage. When Yojimbo charged at me and raised his swords to strike, Tidus and Auron had their chance, and sank their swords deep into the aeon's sides. Then it was hit with various elemental spells and was killed.
Out came Yu Yevon and revealed his form to us. Still a black ball, but now he had horns and the Yevon mark on him. I looked at Yuna and saw tears down her face. I also felt myself crying, the loss of our partners was hard.
Then Tidus spoke up.
"Everyone! This is the last time we fight together, okay?"
"Huh?" Wakka asked, sounding very intelligent. Tidus walked towards me and Yuna, looking grim but determined.
"What I'm trying to say is…after we beat Yu Yevon, I'll disappear!" Tidus said and I was as shocked as the rest.
"W…why?" I stuttered out.
"What are you talking about?" Lulu asked, slightly mad, but Tidus just looked at Yuna. I did too and saw that the tears increased, but that she wasn't as surprised as I thought she would be.
Tidus smiled before walking past us and drawing his sword, the special sword Caladbolg, which we had found in a cliff in the Calm Lands.
"I know it is selfish, but this is my story!" he said with force in his voice.
Suddenly Yu Yevon charged at Tidus. I jumped in front of him, raised my staff and yelled: "Can't you see we're talking here?" before I smashed my staff so hard into Yu Yevon that he flew back about thirty meters. Tidus and I was about to charge when we heard a splintering sound. I looked in horror as my staff cracked and shattered into hundreds of pieces.
"Oh damn." I cursed and threw the unusable grip away. I was about to form a ball of fire when the hilt of a sword was presented to me. I looked at Tidus who held out Caladbolg to me.
"Huh?" I asked.
"Here. Take it!" Tidus said. When I didn't move he smiled at me.
"Don't worry. I'll still have the sword Wakka gave me, and I think that this sword will suit you better than me. Besides you just saved me and I think you deserve a good sword. Right guys?" he asked, turning to our friends. One by one they nodded smiling and Auron walked up to me.
"Take it. As he said, it is a good sword." He advised. I hesitantly accepted the blade.
"Thank you!" I said while brandishing the blade and examining it. I hadn't paid much attention to it when we found it, but when I saw it now, I saw the complex detail it held. Auron was right, this was by far the best blade I had ever seen. When I looked up, Tidus had the sword he got from Wakka in his hand. He was still looking at me. When I opened my mouth to speak, he raised his hand to stop me.
"Don't worry. Just promise me you'll use it to keep Yuna and the rest safe. Besides, I'm going to disappear. I won't need a sword then, and I like this one better." He said and held up the sword he was currently holding. I smiled a wide smile and shook my head.
"You are a strange one Tidus. Alright, I accept this sword. Thank you. I'll be sure to treat it with the proper respect and skill." I said.
"Aww, why can't I get a cool gift like that?" Rikku whined.
Tidus was about to reply, but Auron stopped him.
"No time. We have to fight." And sure enough, Yu Yevon was back. This time though, I charged and fought with my new sword. I marvelled at how much it seemed to fit my style, and the damage I did was huge.
But Yu Yevon didn't go down without a fight, and Yuna had to stop fighting and heal everyone instead.
After falling back a bit, I got an idea.
"Tidus, let's do the scissor thing again." I said. He nodded and we started slicing at Yu Yevon so that our swords made a scissor motion. Then I stopped Tidus and Wakka.
"Okay, I have a plan for an attack that may kill Yu Yevon much faster. Tidus, you jump into the air and Wakka throw you ball to him. Kick the ball at Yu Yevon and be sure to hit him. I'll try and load the ball with as much magic as I can after you kick it, so that when it hits, Yu Yevon will have a bit of a surprise on his…err…horns." I said and both of them nodded.
Tidus jumped as high as he could, using his sword as a springboard, Wakka passed him the ball and Tidus kicked it as hard as he could towards Yu Yevon. I had my hands pointed towards the ball and packed it with raw magic. Auron, Rikku and Kimahri saw the attack and drew back. When the ball hit, a huge explosion erupted and when the smoke cleared, Yu Yevon was clearly not in a good shape. He lay on the ground, but slowly rose up. I ran up to Yuna, we nodded to each other, placed our weapons next to each other and held hands, forming a circle with the four hands. Then we started to bring elements into the circle, Yuna providing the fire and I providing the rest. Yu Yevon had just raised himself of the ground when we were ready.
"Now, Salmar, Yuna. Do it!" Auron yelled. Both I and Yuna yelled and shot our ball towards Yu Yevon. Unlike my attack, this stayed a ball and upon impact, went into Yu Yevon and destroyed him from within. He started to dissolve into tiny particles and I couldn't help but grin as I picked up Caladbolg from where it lay after I dropped it to fill the ball. I looked at Yu Yevon and said: "That was for all the people you killed."
Then Yu Yevon was gone. We had done it. We had destroyed Sin without the Final Aeon. Yuna and I were the only High Summoners ever to live to tell the tale.
--
All over Spira, the fayth lost their power, their statues turned from their colourful state to just rock and the souls of the fayth left for the Farplane, to finally rest.
--
We were still on the platform, and Yuna was performing the sending. I was helping as best I could, but without a staff it was pretty difficult. Both I and Yuna stopped however when pyre flies came out of Auron's body.
"Don't stop. It's alright." He said and walked to stand in front of me and Yuna, but not before giving Kimahri a gentle bonk on the chest. She nodded and continued to send.
"It's been long enough. This is your world now. Take care of it, and each other." Auron said and dissolved into pyre flies. I bowed my head to show respect for the departed warrior.
"He was a great man." I said.
"Yes…yes he was." Tidus agreed before he spoke in quiet tone.
"But so are you. Take care of Yuna and use that sword wisely. I want you to keep it, from now and for ever." Tidus said and I nodded.
"I'll keep this sword, this ring and Yuna forever." I said while I held up my sword with the hand I hand my wedding ring on and looked at Yuna, still sending.
Tidus seemed happy when he heard that. Then he walked up to Rikku.
"You said you wanted a cool gift, right? This is the only thing I can think of." He said, reached around his neck and pulled of his necklace. He walked behind Rikku and hooked it around her neck. She stared in disbelief for a few seconds before hugging the breath out of him, thanking him for all that she was worth, while the rest of us chuckled at the cute scene.
--
We stood on the airship deck, watching as Sin exploded and dissolved into a golden mist and the aeons vanished in a spectre of colours. I walked up to Yuna and we locked hands. Then Tidus started to glow blue. Yuna shook her head, but Tidus smiled.
"Yuna, I have to go. I am sorry I couldn't show you Zanarkand. Goodbye!" he said and started walking towards the edge. Yuna let go of me and ran towards him, and tried to hug him from behind, but she fell right trough him. She lay there on the deck while Tidus stared at his hands in disbelief.
Then Yuna stood up and said, with her back to us.
"You are my best friend. I love you!" she said. Strangely enough, I didn't feel any jealousy when she said that. Tidus walked up to her and tried to hug her, before walking trough her and running to the edge. Jumping of, he vanished.
Yuna stood still for a few minutes before turning and walking into my embrace. All of us were crying, even Kimahri.
--
A few days later we held a gathering in the blitzball stadium in Luca. Before the gathering, I watched as Yuna stood on the edge of the pier, whistling, hoping her friend would respond. I watched as Lulu walked up to Yuna and they turned to me. They walked towards me, and I and Yuna interlocked hands again. Meeting up with the rest, I took as look at how we appeared. All of us were cowered in bruises, cuts and bandages, but considering who we had fought, we were surprisingly healthy. I and Wakka were probably the two most cowered in injuries, with Rikku close behind.
Caladbolg hung strapped to my back, much the same way my staff had been, and Rikku had Tidus's necklace over the bandages. Those two things were in fact the only physical proof that Tidus had been here. All other traces had vanished.
The gathering started with me and Yuna standing next to each other. We had just been declared "High Summoners" by Lulu and everyone cheered.
Then Yuna began to talk.
"Everyone…everyone has lost someone precious. Homes, family and friends. Even dreams have been destroyed by Sin." She said.
"Now, Sin is no more. The Eternal Calm has arrived." I joined.
"Now we can rebuild Spira, rebuild our homes, enjoy our families, and our friends." Yuna said and a cheer erupted from our audience.
"We can chose our own paths. Live our own lives. Have our own identities." I said and turned to leaved. Yuna stood behind though.
"Just one more thing. The people and the friends that have left us, and the dreams that have faded…never forget them!" Yuna said before stepping down to us. She had tears in her eyes when she hugged me. I whispered comforting into her ear, and we listened to the crowd cheering. A new age for Spira had begun.
--
