Author's Note: This story is starting off at a much slower pace than I wanted it to, but that should change by chapter four. Like I said, this is my first try at this sort of thing, so please bear with me. I know Auron may seem slightly OOC, but that will change soon as well. As always, reviews, suggestions, and constructive criticism are all very welcome and appreciated.
Disclaimer: I own nothing, except for the OC.
A HUGE thank to blackpanzer for my very first review!
The End of Sacrifice
Chapter Two: A Breakfast of Guardians
I awoke just before nightfall, shocked to find myself in the cabin of a ship and not sprawled out on a Lucan dock. I could feel a tingling in my limbs and realized that not only had someone carried me onto the ferry, but had healed me while I slept. Slipping out of the bunk, I took a long moment to stretch before making my way up to the deck. It was the S.S. Winnow, I was on my way to Kilika after all. Reaching the top step, I froze, familiar voices filling my ears as the memory of that morning returned in its entirety.
"Auron, I couldn't just leave her there. She'd have been taken the very moment we left." Braska shook his head with a sky as he stared out over the sea at the setting sun.
"And if she really is dangerous?" That must be Auron, I thought. This would make the one who had laughed at him, Jecht.
"Man, don't be ridiculous! Did you even see her?" I smiled, regardless of the fact that he was acting as though I was a helpless little girl. I stepped forward embarrassedly, clearing my throat to catch their attention.
They looked at me and I looked at the floor, examining each crack in the wooden planks. I wasn't shy by nature, but the debt in which I owed to this particular trio was humbling if nothing else.
"Come, sit." Braska gestured to the stair on which they sat, his tone gentler than ever. "Did you rest well?"
"I did, Sir. Thank you…for everything." I bowed my head in respect, in a way that surprised me. I hadn't gone through those motions since I was a very small child.
"My name is Braska, and these are my guardians, Sir Auron and Sir Jecht."
"Jecht," the man interrupted, waving his hand indignantly in the air. "None of that 'Sir' stuff for me, thanks." Braska chuckled at him, shaking his head in knowing amusement.
"I'm Krista," I started in quietly, "from Djose. Well, I was born there, at least. I'm sort of from…everywhere." I could see the recognition of my words in their faces. An orphan. A drifter. Like so many others in the days of Sin.
"Where are you headed?" Jecht asked with a furrow of his brow. I loved his voice, gruff yet humorous. I hesitated. I hadn't really known where I was going; only that it had to stay far away from Bevelle and Luca. I shrugged at him and he nodded, understanding, it almost seemed as if he didn't know where he was headed either.
"Thank you for healing me, Lord Braska. I'm not sure I'd be walking around right now if you hadn't." He looked confusedly at me for a long moment, until Auron cleared his throat awkwardly. He didn't say a single word, but he didn't have to. It had been he who had done it.
"We should all get some rest," Braska said, rising to his feet. "We'll reach Kilika by daybreak." He disappeared below the deck and soon after that, Jecht yawned, stretching clumsily as he waved a goodnight leaving only myself and Auron to sit in a strange silence, one I hadn't expected him to break.
"You should go as well. You still look pale." I was taken back. He was the last I had expected to voice his concern. I shrugged again, leaning back against the steps.
"It's going to sound stupid, but I think I'm too tired to sleep." He nodded, absentmindedly polishing his sword with the deep red material of his coat. "Why aren't you going?" Without another word, he grunted, stood up and disappeared below deck, as if I'd commanded him to go instead of asking why he hadn't yet. Curling up on the stairs, I watched the stars continue to brighten one by one, counting them until I too drifted to sleep.
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The sun was just barely peeking over the horizon when a quiet voice and a weathered hand shook me from my sleep. The first few rays of sunlight stung my eyes as I tried to open them. Groaning, I buried my face back into my arms and tried to sleep again. It was way too early to get up.
"Come on, kid, wake up. We're in Kilika and I don't think you want to be on board when the boat goes back to Luca." As I opened my eyes again, Jecht stood before me, arms crossed. His face tinged with a smirk as I scowled at him, waving him off in slight annoyance. "Heh, not a morning person either, I take it. Bet you're hungry, though. And Braska wants to talk to you; he's waiting at the inn." He was right, I was starving and now that he had brought it to my attention, it was impossible to be ignored. Gathering up my few belongings, I straightened up my appearance as best I could, disgusted by the dried salt spray of the sea that had matted my hair and covered my skin in an uncomfortable film, then left the ferry. I had never been to Kilika before but was both surprised and pleased to find the village a small stretch of docks and huts. There was little trouble to find there and for that I was thankful.
The docks were in rough shape, the planks peeled up from the nails and splintered. They were sure signs that it hadn't been long since Sin's last assault on the town. Scuffing my shoes along the boards, I trudged towards the inn. I was hungry, of course, but still too tired to move any faster. It was strange to think about the company I had been keeping for that last day or so. A summoner and his guardians, of all people. I had never been in the company of anyone who ran willingly into the face of what the rest of the world ran from.
The atmosphere was thick and humid and it was refreshing to feel the cool air rush against my face as I pulled aside the large curtain of the inn, scanning the room for at least one of the three men. I half expected them to be gone, having left me behind to continue their pilgrimage. After all, they had already delayed their journey by almost a day on my behalf. I would have been ridiculous to expect that they'd give me any further thought.
An arm wrapped loosely around my shoulder from the left and my body went rigid as my hand flew quickly to the hilt of my sword. The only thoughts that were running through my mind consisted of scenarios that involved the soldiers from Luca following me to the island. In a quick change of mind, I moved my hand from the sword, quickly drawing a dagger from the sheath on my belt. Spinning around defensively, I thrust the dagger towards my assailant's neck, holding the blade against the flesh before I had time to see who it was.
Jecht's eyes widened for a moment before a gruff chuckle escaped his throat. "Easy there, killer. It's just me." I couldn't help but laugh as I shook my head embarrassedly and put the knife away. "A little bit tense, eh? I don't blame you. I had quite a run in with their type myself." It felt good to laugh again, to smile genuinely in a way that I knew lit up my face and gave me an expression verging on innocence. He ruffled my hair as one would a child's and nudged me towards the opposite side of the hut. "Come on, Braska and Auron are waiting over here."
I stopped for a moment, furrowing my brow in thought as I looked up at him. "What's his deal anyway? Auron, I mean." My tone was unintentionally arrogant and Jecht smirked.
"Ha, you sound like me, kid. I think I asked Braska the same question when I first met him." He grinned again and then shrugged, his features becoming thoughtful. "Auron's a bit of a stiff, but he's all right once you get used to him." I was rather thankful that I wouldn't have the chance to get used to him.
I followed him to a table in the corner and found myself met with the warmth of Braska's smile as I pulled out a chair and sat without invitation.
"Good morning, Sir," I nodded at him before glancing across the table. "You too, Auron." My mood was steadily climbing and if by chance I was able to get a shower after I ate, I'd have been completely over the moon. All of the previous day's turmoil had melted away much quicker than I expected it would. "Man, I think I could eat an entire herd of Shoopuf right now." I was speaking more to myself than anyone else, but was still met with a hearty laugh from Braska and perhaps I was imagining things, but I thought I may even have heard a low, throaty chuckle from Auron before he spoke.
"You were right, Braska." My eyes drifted from the menu to meet Auron's in a questioning glance, trying to coax out an explanation from him. I wasn't timid by any means, yet his gaze was hard to hold. There was something lurking behind those eyes, a fire of sorts, and I couldn't tell if it was malicious or not. Seemingly noticing my sudden discomfort, Braska spoke up, at the same time waving the waitress to the table.
"Right indeed." Still confused, but temporarily distracted, I ordered up a meal fit for an army, small, yes, but never lacking in appetite. With a wide-eyed amusement, Auron and Braska looked at me as they ordered their own breakfasts, meals much lighter than my own. "And becoming even more apparent by the minute," he added.
Jecht look as lost as I did, but either didn't care what they were talking about or didn't care enough to ask. "I'll have what she's having," he shrugged, turning away from the waitress just in time to see the other two exchanged a glance of disbelief. "What's with you guys today?" He scowled as he crossed his arms across his broad chest. Without noticing, I did the same, arms crossed, a belligerent pout spreading upon my lips.
"Were you not listening to anything we talked about last night?" Auron's previous shred of amusement had vanished and he took on his typical demeanor, quiet with an expression of constant annoyance. "I hope you at least paid attention to the information concerning the pilgrimage, though I suppose that would be expecting too much." I frowned deeply, my distaste for the temperamental guardian growing with each cross word.
"Auron." Braska interrupted, hoping to put a stop to the accusations before it became a real conflict. As if saying the name was enough reprimand, he smiled at me uneasily, almost apologetically.
"Oh!" As if hit with a kind of divine realization, Jecht grumbled. "Can't believe he got his pants in a bunch over that." He looked to me with a half-forced smirk. "You should be honoured, kid. They're convinced that we're two of a kind, you and me." I heard Auron grunt accusingly at that and ignored him. So he thought Jecht and I were alike, though he clearly wasn't very fond of him. I certainly wasn't about to lose sleep over it.
The majority of the meal was consumed in silence, the only sounds coming in from the sea outside the window. It was beginning to get to me. I wasn't necessarily talkative, but after months of being alone and in quiet, I just wanted noise, talking, some form of company aside from my own thoughts.
I pushed my plates aside, having cleared them off in almost the same amount of time it took the other two to eat half that much. Then, grinning devilishly, I looked to Jecht who was also almost done eating. Almost. I grabbed my fork silently and, as quick as a thief at market, speared his very last bit of food and shoveled it into my mouth with a triumphant giggle.
If looks could kill I would probably have been on the floor twitching in pain, but all I could do was laugh to a point where I was sure the rest probably thought I'd gone mad.
"Why…you little…" His glare had turned into a light-hearted scowl and he shoved me off my chair. I landed on the floor with a loud thud and continued laughing, the men finally joining in.
As if his moods changed with the direction of the sea breeze, Braska paused for a long while, and then interrupted with a sentence that silenced us all. "I'd like you to join us, Krista. To become my guardian." My jaw dropped as I scrambled back into my seat and Auron's head jerked up as he violently snapped out of his daze. I couldn't even begin to wrap my mind around the concept. To be a guardian. To become responsible for the life of a man who treads the earth as one of the few who could truly be called Spira's last hope.
"I – are you serious?" My voice was quiet, but the pitch rose to a high shrill.
"Truly," he replied with and adamant nod. "Perhaps not all for the proper reasons, though you did make it clear in Luca that you're perfectly capable of fighting." He paused thoughtfully and folded his hands together on the table. "You make us laugh, you would bring a much needed liveliness to this party," he chuckled, "perhaps you'll even be able to keep these two from bickering like children so often. And even more, if you choose to join me, you'll no longer have to worry about a recurrence of yesterday."
I chewed my lower lip solemnly, brows drawn together in consideration. He had made a good point. In their company, I wouldn't have to be looking over my shoulder more than the path ahead. At least not until they discovered the secret that Bevelle already had and turned on me as well. But…maybe for a little while, even if it turned out to be no longer than a few days, I could relax and focus only on the tasks at hand.
"I would not only be deeply honoured, but grateful to become your guardian, my Lord." I bowed my head in the Yevon prayer, holding it for much longer than I meant to. My head was absolutely swimming with the absurdity of it all.
I was knocked back to reality by the sound of Jecht snickering again. I looked up just in time to see him elbow Auron in the shoulder. "Hey, man. Looks like I'm not the only one of us that she takes after," he teased, referring to my act of devout respect for the summoner.
