Chapter 19

"Listen to my story. This…may be our last chance."

"I've done it! I have become a summoner!"

"Goodbye, Chappu. You always said I looked grumpy. But those were the happiest days of my life."

***
"Ten years ago…I honored Jecht's last words, and travelled to Zanarkand. I planned to stay there, watching over you. But when Sin attacked Zanarkand that day, I changed my mind. Outside the dream world, life can be harsh – even cruel. But it is life. He wanted you to have a shot at life. I saw it in Sin's eyes. That's why I brought you here to Spira."

"Yuna, I have to go. I'm sorry I couldn't show you Zanarkand… …Goodbye!"

"…I love you."

"So this is my life now. We travel from place to place, and the days just seem to fly by. But sometimes, I find myself stopping. I'm listening for your whistle."

"Huh..? It's YOU!"

"I'm Paine, pleasure to meet you."

"Hey wait a min… you…"

"We're just here for the initiation."

"…I see…"

"Hmm… what have we here?"

"What?"

"Hmm. Whatever, I know who's got it going on."

"Excuse me!"

"Stay away!"

"Who-hoe!"

"Wanna get hurt?"

"You should check out Paine!"

"Ugh, hurt time!"

"You heard it, didn't you? You want to see him?"

"Him?"

"Yes. You want to walk together again?"

"He's already with me!"

"Oh…"

"So much has happened. And I'm sure it's only the beginning. Through the smiles and tears, through the anger… and the laughter that follows… I know that I'll keep changing. This is my story. It'll be a good one."

"Yuna?"

"Oh I'm sorry Paine, I guess I kind of zoned out there."

"You've been doing that a lot lately. It's because of him isn't it? Do you regret your decision?"

"No. I am okay with how things were. I don't regret my decision and I'm much happier that all of us stayed together."

…

"You are very important to me Paine. I saw you be more than this cold façade you put on. I never want you to change but I want to get to know all of you, even the soft side."

"Yuna… I just-"

Clouds whipped by as the sounds of battle filled the night sky; the Celsius rocking back and forth as the horrific creatures laying siege relentlessly attacked the structure of the ship. It seemed as if their only desire was to destroy the ship itself and allow the inhabitants to be collateral damage. A single figure stood atop the ship in defiance; great sword in hand and a murderous look in her eyes.

The beasts did not fall to typical blows, requiring a strike to the skull to render them incapacitated. Whether or not they were actually dead was impossible to tell because the beasts never gave an appearance of being alive in the first place.

Paine had disabled the elevator in effort to prevent the beasts from easily accessing the interior to the ship but was beginning to regret her decision that cut off any thought of reinforcements. A hard strike to her left shoulder knocked her to the ground with a grunt, feeling immediately gone in the extremity. 'Well, if I am to die, at least it will be in glorious battle.' The thought was pleasant enough to cause a wry smile to manifest before converting to a snarl as she leapt to her feet and lashed out again at the creatures before her.

The sound of steel bending caught Paine's attention and her heart leapt as she saw Rikku and, more importantly, Yuna climb out of the elevator shaft. A flush rose to her face as she saw the brunette and a smile she could not suppress came to her lips. "Yuna…" Narrowly dodging a clumsy swipe, Paine sidestepped and decapitated the creature before booting it into the vast nothingness below. As she turned, an errant strike caught her just above her eyes and threatened her consciousness as her vision blurred and doubled. Blood, red and warm poured from the wound as Paine dropped to a knee.

…

As the ship rocked violently and Paine felt her feet leave the deck, there was no question in her mind if she would survive or not. Locking eyes with Yuna she opened her mouth to utter the phrase she had been holding back for what felt like a lifetime. "Yuna, I-"

Suddenly there was nothing but air as she plummeted towards the ground. Tears appeared to fall upwards as she made her descent. The words always locked at the back of her throat finally coming loose as the ground rushed up to meet her. "I love you Yuna. In this life and the next." A smile came to her lips as she closed her eyes and let out her last breath.

Yuna gasped and sat up in a rush. Looking around she saw Rikku and Sarion sprawled on the grass nearby. Placing a hand over her racing heart, she could feel the tears falling freely down her cheeks. 'What was that? How did I see all of that?' Eyes wide, she took the pendant around her neck in her hand and saw that it held a faint glow. 'Paine, is this you? Were your last moments truly thinking of me?'

Moving to a kneeling position, Yuna clasped her hands together around the pendant and pressed it to her heart. "I promise you Paine. I promise that I will never give up on you. I will never let you go again. I will not you lose ever, ever again."

A hand on her shoulder startled her and she spun to see Rikku smiling down at her. Before she could say a word, the blonde had already stepped back and was surveying the area.

"Yunie, I think we're in the Calm Lands!"

"It certainly looks that way." Yuna got to her feet. "Did you… see anything? When we blacked out?"

Rikku looked down and toed the dirt in front of her. "Yeah. It was mostly stuff from when we first met. Stuff about him and the last bit about how you decided to not go after him." Emerald eyes looked up between golden tassels. "Do you ever regret that Yunie?"

Moving over to her cousin, Yuna embraced the younger girl. "Not ever Rikku. Staying with you and Paine was the best decision I've ever made."

"I'm glad to see you ladies are okay."

Rikku detached from Yuna and ran over to Sarion who was now sitting up with an arm on a bent knee. "You're okay!" She dropped down next to him and looked him over as if he were a patient at a clinic. "You are okay, right?"

Sarion laughed. "I am fine Rikku. It just takes a lot out of someone my age to be transported in such a way." Getting to his feet, he brushed the dirt from his pants. "Bevelle is just a short distance south if you are interested. I'm sure," he paused as he looked at the sky. "we should be able to make it before sundown if we are unhindered."

"Then we should get going." Yuna looked in the direction of their destination. "I am very curious to see how things have changed." A thought struck her and she checked her pistols, disappointed to see that no ammo had regenerated even here in a land she was familiar with. What had changed since their deaths two centuries earlier? Or more importantly, had anything at all stayed the same?

Paine groaned and sat up, her body screaming in protest from the ache of sleeping on the hard stone floor. Her spiked armor had dissipated during the night and she was back in her warrior garb. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness she let out a sigh. "How am I supposed to gain forgiveness from someone when I have not even begun to forgive myself?"

Getting to her feet, a sound drew her attention and her sword quickly came to hand. Moving silently down the cavernous hall, she paused at an opening and peered in. What she saw chilled her blood and took her breath. 'Dear spirits, they can't be back.' Her mind raced as she slid to the floor. "We killed you all." She muttered to herself, her breath coming in ragged gasps as a tightness spread through her chest. "You can't be back." Darkness overcame her.

"Solari! Take a squad to flank them from the left! I'll lead a charge on the front!" Paine barked out orders as the battle raged around them.

The chaos had begun when a horde of orcish scouts had stumbled upon a small detachment of Harvesters. Somehow, one of the orcs had gotten away and alerted a much larger force and the results were cataclysmic. Now, thousands of bodies were littering the field like leaves in autumn; the blood soaked grass glistening in the moonlight. This war was nearly eternal but there was never a force this large to overcome.

"They must have been hiding underground." A soft voice from behind Paine distracted her thoughts. A smile formed on her lips as she turned and saw her lover, Kyia, as the source of the comment.

"You are likely right my lovely. I think this time we need to finish the job. Stay behind me, whatever you do."

Crimson cheeks pulled into a frown as Kyia stamped her foot like a disgruntled adolescent. "I'm not a weakling Paine!" Her lack of formality, especially in front of troops, caused Paine to stiffen but remain silent. "I have been in every engagement for the entirety of this war since joining your side. I have killed hundreds of these beasts and intend to kill hundreds more!" She crossed her arms under her breasts with a huff, trying to hide her fear at having erupted on her superior.

"Kyia," Paine closed the gap between them and cupped her cheek, concern showing clearly in her ruby eyes. "I simply wish for your safety. I know how capable you are and I love your desire for violence against these beats but," she kissed the girl before her softly before continuing. "I simply worry too much when you're in the front. I might make a mistake in such circumstances. You'd not want that would you?"

Defeated, Kyia bowed her head and placed her hands over Paine's, nuzzling into them. "I understand Mistress. I just wish to be by your side. Always."

Paine smiled and kissed Kyia's forehead. "As you shall be; always."

A loud horn shattered the momentary quiet and both Kyia and Paine looked into the distance to see the seemingly endless horde cresting the horizon. "It's time beloved." Paine stepped back and drew her sword, its saw-like quality still dripping gore from the fight only minutes prior. "Tonight we end this. We will live and fight together and if the spirits will it, we shall die together." Her crimson eyes flashed as she met Kyia's gaze. "But in this life and the next, we shall be together."

The sun was cresting the horizon when Hannah stepped out of her tent, her body still aching terribly from the beating she sustained just a few days earlier. Sitting at the edge of a small fountain, a lion of white stone in the center, Hannah looked at her reflection in the crystal clear water. "Oh Hannah you're such a mess." She shook her head and scooped water in her hands, splashing her face.

A cold voice behind her startled her. "Hannah, Mistress Solari wishes to see you."

Turning to the voice, Hannah flinched. It was Reya; Solari's personal attendant. "Yes Mistress Reya, right away Mistress Reya," She quickly got to her feet and made her way to Solari's chambers where she knocked twice on the large, oaken door.

"Come in Hannah." The voice from inside sounded pleasant, almost honey-like in its quality.

As she entered, Hannah's eyes went wide at the bloodstain on the floor a few paces from Solari's large canopy bed before she took in the sight of the room as a whole. The sheets and curtains on the bed were as black as night with the frame made of a dark cherry colored wood. Numerous pillows adorned the bed, all black as well. A fireplace was across from the bed with numerous books atop it and various weaponry hanging on the wall above. The room was simple but still held an elegance to it as what little populated the room was of very high quality. Even the table by the window across the room was obviously hand-carved with intricate designs partially hidden by a mass of maps and other parchments.

"Mistress." She bowed her head in supplication and kept her eyes low. "You sent for me?"

Closing the distance to the shy girl, Solari lifted Hannah's dainty chin with her index finger. "You have no need for such formalities when alone with me Hannah. I promised you long ago you'd never need to be as a servant around me."

A smile finally came to Hannah's lips and reflected brightly in her eyes. "Of course Mist… Solari. What can I do for you?"

Smiling in response, Solari walked over to the table covered in documents and sat, gesturing for Hannah to come sit as well. "I wanted to know what happened the other day Hannah. Why were the others attacking you?"

Hannah swallowed hard and fidgeted with her hands in her lap. "They were going to hurt Kate. You told me to look after her and she and I have become," she blushed and averted her eyes. "friends."

Reaching out, Solari placed a hand over Hannah's. "I am so glad you have found a friend in her Hannah. She is special, as are you. Something about both of you keeps you immune to the hatred and violence that this place brings. I pray it never fades." As she retracted her hand, she leaned back and folded her hands in her lap. "So you were acting in defense of Kate. And when the other girls took the upper hand, Kate came out to your rescue?"

A deep blush flooded the younger girl's face as shame filled her. "I was too weak to defend her. I knew I could not beat them but I refused to simply allow them to hurt her." A single tear fell down her cheek. "Because of my weakness, she had to kill Layna. She had never hurt anyone before and she had to kill someone because of my weakness."

Solari stood and placed a hand on the crestfallen girl's shoulder. "You are not adept in combat Hannah, this is true. But your services are incredibly useful off the battlefield. Never doubt in that." She looked out the window at the tents below, watching the training with a smirk on her lips. "What you did in the end, was show your unwavering loyalty both to me and to your friend. And as a result, Kate was able to unlock something within herself that may have never come to light. Your act may have saved her life many times over as a result."

Hannah finally felt a smile take over. "I see. Do you still wish for me to remain with her?"

Nodding, Solari stepped back and looked into the fireplace, her thoughts already on the years ahead. "Without question. Keep her safe, keep her happy, and help her understand our true purpose Hannah."

Closing the door behind her, Hannah let out a breath of relief. Solari may have never struck her or even screamed at her but the Harvester leader had a frightening continence regardless and was known for changing her mind very abruptly. "Oh Kate." She murmured as she made her way back to their tent. "Will you remain loving and kind as you are or will the test change you as it has so many others?"

Author's Note

I know, definitely one of my shortest chapters and with the least ACTUAL content but… I had to end the chapter there for plot purposes. As you can hopefully tell, this is a lot of buildup going on right now.

The main reason I wrote this up so "quickly" (still took a few weeks after starting) is I want to let people know I'M NOT DEAD! Just dead inside. Kidding, kinda.

Sorry for the epic break but life decided to just go all over the place. Fell in love, got engaged, got heart ripped out while away for training. The usual I guess. So I went from too busy to write, to too depressed to write, back to too busy. Working ~65 hours a week while also being a full-time college student and still having my army stuff every month for 3-4 days. But I refuse to give up. Thank music for my return funny enough. Listening to some AMAZING music gave me "songspiration" (my new word) so I already have at LEAST three major events planned out now. Just be warned, because of songspiration, they will be musically based similar to Chapter 16 but it fits. 1: This is a girl group so it could almost be written as a musical. 2: They have a whole class about singing (songstress) so there. Plus, it just gives an incredible mood to the story. If I can visualize the scene perfectly to music, get goosebumps, and desire to write… is anyone really gonna complain?

But seriously. I missed you all and intend to be MUCH better at my updates. I have a lot of ideas. So to the few reviews:

Luxferre: I am saddened that your name is not set as a link which makes me think you have vanished from the site but if not, know that I have returned! Your encouragement sincerely influenced my return.

Caet: I do not know if you will return either, but know that you are another huge source of inspiration to me. In all things.

DragonGirl323: One of my all-time favorite fic writers! 3 I truly hope you have not vanished and will return again to my Spira adaptation. I finally got them back to Spira! But sadly, don't think they will be reconnecting all that soon. There's a lot of growth and obstacles in the way!