Ugh...as usual, I apologize for the wait. Sorry!
I also apologize in advance for any typos---I do SpellCheck, but I do have a habit of missing tiny things, so if you catch anything don't mind it...heh...
Disclaimer: I do not own anything remotely connected to FFX or X-2 (except my Zanarkand Abes necklace) However, I do enjoy using the characters for my own personal enjoyment, so please don't sue!
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Chapter 4- Under Attack
Before anyone could react to the screams below them, the deck of the Celsius was already swarmed. Before them was a single flame, burning dimly inside some strange type of fiend. About waist-high, its form was almost impossible to see due to the darkened sky above. It was covered from head to toe in slick black scales, and stood hunched on four legs. An ebony mane stood up on its neck, its bristled hair just like Brother's mohawk. Attached to each of its four paws were three razor-sharp claws, glinting a malicious silver. A long sinuous tail sprouted from its backside, occasionally twitching in the air. A pair of smoldering yellow eyes stared emotionlessly back at the group.
However, perhaps the oddest thing about this new breed of fiend was the strange flame that burned inside it. It was barely visible through the fiend's chest, glowing, flickering where its heart should have been. Even stranger, the fiend almost appeared to be hollow, with four holes on its body, one on each leg of its body. Every so often, a tiny burst of flames would shoot out from the holes, startling whoever was near.
The fiend let out an odd clicking sort of growl and slinked toward them, moving like a shadow across the deck. Lulu was the first to react, quickly passing Vidina to Wakka and stepping in front of the rest of them. She raised her arms in a spell and bellowed,
"Water!" A tidal wave crashed over the fiend, extinguishing the fire while it howled in agony, bursting into pyreflies. However, as soon as they all let out a sigh of relief, five more were already prowling onto the ship, sneaking closer and closer. Yuna and Paine hopped into action, Paine slicing two promptly down the middle while Yuna unleashed a flurry of bullets onto the remaining three, all falling to the ground crippled and wailing.
In the distance, Tidus could hear fighting below, no doubt Rikku and Brother encountering the same problems they were.
"We have to go help! Come on!" he called, preparing to jump when he suddenly stopped. It suddenly occurred to him that he had no weapon to fight with. Feeling slightly embarrassed, he barely even noticed when Yuna changed clothing, into a slightly less revealing set of leather clothing.
However, what truly interested him was the fact that she was holding his old sword, the Brotherhood, in her hands. "Yuna? Is that…" She tossed it to him and nodded before changing back into her old clothes and jumping off the deck. Lulu and Paine followed suit, Wakka heading back into the airship to leave Vidina with Buddy and the rest of the crew for safety. With his old sword comfortably resting in his hands again, he leapt off, itching for a fight.
The fighting had already commenced below, a sea of flickering lights before him. Tidus was astonished at the sheer number of them all, but had no time to think. They barreled toward him out of nowhere, practically throwing themselves at his blade. His sword skills had become rusty over the years and had trouble dealing with the first group. They hit him like a wave, pouncing from all directions. It took him awhile before he could control his blade once again.
Out of the night, two leapt from their hiding places, pinning him to the ground. They angrily gnashed their teeth, while Tidus could practically feel the fire emanating from their bodies. Their sharp steel claws punctured his side, going right through his clothing. He tried to wrestle free from their grasp, but they did not let up, their furious yellow eyes narrowing in a strange sort of pleasure.
Before he could realize what was going on, he could hear a series of shots being fired toward him, the two fiends instantly exploding into pyreflies. Yuna quickly offered him a hand to help him up and returned to fighting the fiends that had accumulated around them. Tidus shook his head to clear it—it was odd, Yuna protecting him. It had always been the other way around. Not that he didn't mind, he was happy to see that she had become so free, so independent. Though, Tidus slightly grinned to himself, no matter what happened in the time he had been gone, he was still her Guardian. And that meant he would do whatever it took to protect her.
It was strange, at that moment while fighting those fiends—it was if their attacks had merged into one. They worked as one, watching each others back while relentless waves of flame fiends attacked them. From that moment, the fiends simply seemed to fall before them with almost no effort at all.
And then, it was oddly quiet. The siege seemed to stop, and nothing but the crashing waves in the background could be heard. Everyone seemed to look around, wondering if the fighting was truly over. However, their hopes were about to be stomped on, for all of a sudden Wakka bellowed,
"The village!!" All seven pairs of eyes followed where Wakka was pointing to—sure enough there was an odd billow of smoke rising from it. Tidus gasped. It was on fire! Wakka and Lulu immediately took off, running toward the village as fast as they could. Yuna looked ready to follow, but as soon as she tore her eyes away from the swelling smoke, another group of fiends lunged out of the night, assaulting the remaining five on the beach.
"Argh! Is this ever going to end?" Tidus growled in frustration, slicing though another pair of fiends.
"Don't just stand there! Go help Wakka and Lulu!" Tidus was almost certain the voice belonged to Rikku, but he didn't dare look, or else be assaulted by fiends.
"Will you guys be okay?" Yuna asked.
"Just go!" Paine bellowed. Yuna looked at Tidus hesitantly. He gave her a short nod and the two of them took off before another set of fiends could attack them. They took the path through the jungle, darting through it as fast as they could possibly go. Tidus stumbled slightly and managed to pick himself up. However, his adrenaline only pumped harder when he heard the fiends behind him, moving almost noiselessly like a ghost. He glanced behind him to see countless numbers of ominous yellow eyes staring back, thirsting for blood. Tidus gulped and ran all the faster, determined to reach the village before it burned to the ground.
The two of them barreled through the jungle, blindly tearing through overhanging tree limbs and vines as they went. Tidus could hear Yuna's heavy panting alongside him, already exhausted from the tiring chase. Tidus himself felt ready to give up, his heart thumping so loudly in his chest he thought it would explode in a matter of moments. His legs had already gone numb, and were nothing but two pieces of lead beneath him. And yet, the simple urge to survive drove him on, afraid of his fate if he slowed.
Soon enough, the jungle began to thin as they approached the series of waterfalls that dotted the side of the island. Panic-stricken, the two sped past the waterfalls, only to hear the sound of wailing fiends behind them. Light flecks of water sprayed them as they passed. Tidus turned to see some of the fiery fiends stray away from the waterfall, clicking and hissing loudly.
"Are they afraid of the water?" Yuna asked curiously. Tidus chuckled and waved at them from the other side of the path behind the waterfall.
"Haha! Stupid fiends—good riddance." However, their celebration was about to end shortly. One of the fiends timidly approached the waterfall, fire spurting from its legs. It clicked angrily and darted across the path fearlessly. Once the others were assured the path was safe, they too began to pass. Tidus and Yuna looked at each other in panic and began to run again wearily, urging their legs to keep moving.
Overhead the thunder began to rumble louder, increasing in volume by the second. Clouds draped the night sky, shielding the moon and stars. In the distance, a white-hot bolt of lightning ripped through the sky while a small drizzle fell gently from the sky.
Yuna approached the first bridge before Tidus, sprinting as fast as she could go. However, the due to the waterfall alongside the bridge, and the light drizzle overhead, it had become slick with water. In one false slip, Yuna lost her balance and tumbled over the railing.
"Yuna!!!" Tidus took a head-long dive and managed to snag her hand just in time, using his other to grasp the bridge for balance. He grinned at her in sheer joy. "Are you alright?" Yuna instantly replied,
"Tidus look out!!" Tidus' grip held strong, but he checked over his shoulder to see the flock of fiends that were pursuing them—closing in fast. He checked his other side, and sure enough, another wave of eerie fire fiends was coming from the opposite direction. Tidus gulped and shook his head.
"This can't be happening…" He glanced at Yuna for strength and closed his eyes, preparing for the blow.
It came almost immediately, while he could feel flaming hot pain engulf his entire body. Jagged claws and teeth ripped into his body, shredding his clothes and skin. He could feel their heat, their weight all pressing down upon him. He was certain that at least five or six of the irritating beasts were presently on his body, assaulting him from the shoulders to the legs. He cried out in pain and agony, but still refused to let go of Yuna. He let go of the bridge and groped for her wrist for extra security. He tried to hold on and endure the pain, but he—the both of them knew he couldn't hold on for long.
"Tidus…let go of me." She called to him in the midst of another cry of pain. He opened one azure eye and peered at her. "Do it." She commanded. He looked down in shame and replied,
"Please…forgive me Yuna." The moment he let go of her hand, he instantly felt a sense of dread and failure. He had failed her as her Guardian. He shook his head, refusing to accept the fact. He was going to save her. He wrestled free from the fiend's painful clutches and followed after her, determined not to slip up this time around.
He could only see a slight part of what happened next—it happened in a great blur so much so that he scarcely knew what was going on. Tidus watched in horror as Yuna fell to a craggy outcropping below, whacking her head on the hard rock while she fell. Tidus continued to plummet at an extraordinary rate, and was blessed enough to snag her hand for a second time before she could fall, while barely grasping the outcropping with the other hand. The sight of her blood made him panic and feel vehemently sick to his stomach, but all the while managed to pull himself and Yuna up onto the outcropping.
Tidus sat down, exhausted, bringing an unconscious Yuna closer to his chest. He gently cradled her body in sorrow while the clouds rumbled again overhead. The rain soon became much more than a drizzle, flooding from the heavens into a downpour. The tempest continued to grow in volume, pattering deafeningly on the bridge above them. He winced at her blood that now leaked onto his palm while he softly brushed her wet bangs out of her face.
However, through the clouds and the storm, a ray of hope appeared. Over the thundering storm, Tidus could just barely hear the wail of the fire fiends above. He watched in glee and awe as a great sea of pyreflies burst out from on the bridge, moaning and floating away. Tidus could barely see other groups of pyreflies flit up above the island in the distance—and rejoiced in the fact that he was now certain all of them were finally gone. He let out a small sigh of relief also, knowing now that the blaze in the village would surely be smothered due to the storm.
He would have been ecstatic at that moment, if he was not stuck on a craggy piece of rock, Yuna lifeless in his arms. He knew he had to get her to the village and help her before it was too late. No, Tidus thought, I can't think about that now. I have to help her!
Tidus, hoisting Yuna onto his back, peered around for a way off the scrap of land. A few feet above him, a branch grew from the rock which eventually lead back up to the path. Already exhausted and carrying extra weight, he debated whether or not he could do it, but he knew he had no choice—there was no other way. Carefully shifting Yuna's weight into a comfortable spot, he used a small rock beside him as a boost and groped for the branch above him. Twice he attempted to grab the branch to no avail, but finally succeeded on the third try. Using whatever little arm strength he had left, he pulled himself up, using the rock wall to help. Securing Yuna safely, Tidus managed to find a small jagged handhold above him to use. Pulling himself up further, he avoided the dizziness and fatigue that plagued him and reached for the edge of the cliff above him.
In sheer joy he rolled onto the path safely, setting Yuna down and opening his mouth wide, savoring the raindrops that fell into it. Though he could barely stand, he scooped Yuna up and continued to trudge along to the village reveling in the fact he knew it was not far.
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When he finally reached the village soaking from head to toe, Tidus was shocked to see what had become of the village. While few huts came out totally unscathed, others were not as lucky. Only black ash remained in a few spots where Tidus was certain huts were or were supposed to be. The temple, though the largest structure on the island, did not come out totally unharmed either. The structure was still standing, but the roof had totally collapsed, leaving a great gaping hole where the roof should have been. Lulu emerged from her still-standing hut to greet him. However, as she came closer, her face changed from slight relief to terror.
"What happened?" she asked, her usually calm voice giving away a trace of fear. Tidus could only shake his head and croak,
"Cliff…bridge…needs help…" Lulu looked at him with concern and pointed to the old Crusader tent.
"Go take her there. She'll be okay, don't worry." He took a few more trembling steps before Wakka emerged from the tent, shocked.
"Yevon what happened here?!? What happened to you? You look like you're gonna pass out brudda!" He outstretched his arms, "Lemme get her." The protective side of Tidus, added with his incredible fatigue and exhaustion made him slightly snap at Wakka,
"No. I got her." However, Wakka glanced at him and understood, opening the flap of the tent for him as he passed through. He gradually made it to the last bed and set Yuna down upon it, tearing off a piece of his already tattered pants. With utmost care, he wrapped it around her head and tied it in the front to help put pressure on it.
Knowing there was absolutely nothing left he could do; he flopped down onto the bed alongside her and instantly fell asleep.
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However, all flames sent to me will be instantly extinguished by my buddy Shiva.
-Spiran Summoner