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Chapter Ten

Anger and Fear

Thoughts flew through Ren's head. It had been Baralai; he had been her sister's boyfriend those years ago. Baralai had been the one to hear her sister's last words; he had been the one to speak with her sister and share memorable times. Ren was jealous. The only memory of her sister that she really had was the day Niima had first joined the Mi'ihen Fiends blitzball team. After the first match, when the Fiends beat the Guado Glories, Niima became more of a ghost around the house instead of an actual person. Niima's time was spent with the team, and her boyfriend.

Realizing that she was jealous now, Ren closed her eyes tightly and rapidly shook the thoughts from her head. Angry at herself for thinking that way, she shook at the chains, running them back and forth over the hook.

Slowly the guards turned their heads to watch her. "Lady Naoska?" one of them questioned. "Is... everything all right?"

"Does everything damn look all right?" she shouted. "I'm chained to a damn hook in a damn jail cell! My arms ache! My legs hurt! My face hurts! I'm bleeding! I'm gonna be killed in front of all of Spira by a damn firing squad! My husband is dead! My brother-in-law is dead! My brother is missing! I think of all moments this is the best to not be all right!" Bringing her legs up, she flailed angrily. She slid the chain side to side in near-fury.

Suddenly, the hook in the ceiling came loose and she fell to the ground, the hook hitting her in chest. Rolling over, she curled up in pain and slowly got to her hand and knees. Wiping the drying blood from her face with her hand, she sniffled and pushed herself to her feet. "Praise Yevon for shoddy workmanship," she grumbled. Catching onto what she had said, she cursed herself and shook her head in aggravation.

"Um," said one of the guards. "Are... you okay now, Lady Naoska?"

Annoyed, Ren nodded. "I'm done with my hissyfit," she calmly told him.

"Get some sleep, Lady Naoska," the guard told her.

The other guard had a look on his face that meant he was about to say something, and Ren figured that it was something along the lines of the fact that she would have a long day tomorrow, but they all knew it wouldn't last that long.

Taking a breath, Ren walked over to the bed and sat down. Hours passed before she slowly turned and lay down on the bed. Staring up at the stone ceiling, she slowly closed her eyes. Softly she continued singing the Apple Song, "Forever I will stay with you in this apple tree. Together we will be happy for eternity. Never will I forget the memories we have shared up here. Never will I forget the love I hold for you." Her voice sounded so soft and tired that her words would break here and there and the guards could only hear her breathe the words.

Soon the ex-hunter drifted off in a dreamless sleep. The next morning she awoke to the sound of the cell door opening. Body aching, she shot up to her feet and stumbled to the side until she ran into the wall and slid down to her knees. Glancing up, she tensed a bit at the sight of Aitigus. "Good morning, Rat," he said and grabbed her by the front of her shirt, pulling her to her feet. The praetor's auburn-haired advisor called the guards to move Ren outside. She was dragged by the chains on her wrist to the head of the bridge outside the main gates leading to the New Yevon Headquarters. They stood her there and a line of guards stood before her, rifles aimed.

As Aitigus stepped forward, a man with a camera stepped forward to record and project the scene to the rest of Spira. "Today," Aitigus said, "we mourn the loss of our leader. Our Praetor Baralai led us through rough times that have appeared in our Eternal Calm. When I advised our dear praetor to take a wife, I had no idea of what lie ahead." He shook his head and ran his fingers through his auburn hair. Taking a breath, he glanced out to the enormous crowd before him and said, "During the final year of Sin, the summoners raced to the task. One of these summoners was the Lady Naoska, who now stands before you."

Ren shifted uncomfortably. She had been singled out now. Out and about, there was the occasional person who recognized her, but now the whole world knew, and she suddenly felt very alone.

"Lady Naoska earned our respect, but now she has turned against us. This former summoner has killed our beloved Praetor Baralai, and for such actions she must be punished!" Aitigus shouted. An angry roar from the crowd signaled that they agreed. Ren held her head high, making it seem that she held no regret for committing the deed, though she knew she did not commit it. "I will assume the roll of our praetor for the time being, and I will see to it that the previous Praetor of New Yevon will never be forgotten. His being will never fade from our memory, and to honor him today, we shall take revenge on this traitorous woman for her deeds against us."

The ex-summoner stood there silently, watching the crowd turn against her so easily. It was upsetting, but she didn't let it show.

"On my signal," Aitigus said to the firing squad who now stood with their fingers on the trigger. The acting praetor stepped off to the side and raised his hand.

Ren's eyes swept over the crowd. There were faces she knew, faces she easily recognized, and so many of them had tears running down their cheeks. She held a hard mask over her face. The Ren they saw did not care, the Ren beneath was terrified.

The signal was given, and a horrible ringing filled the ex-summoner's ears. The shots rang out. She staggered back and it was almost slow motion as she fell to the ground. The ringing silence that buzzed in her ears became louder as she gasped for air. The shots had hit points that didn't cause immediate death, but would cause her to suffer. Staring upward at the blue sky, eyes wide in shock and panic as blood began to seep from the corners of her mouth. She coughed and the crimson liquid sputtered out and down her chin. Failing to get a good breath, the gasps became frantic. The lack of oxygen lead her body to begin its final shut down. Darkness crept into the edges of her eyes and she tried to shake her head to get it to leave, yet she couldn't move. A figure stepped into her blurring vision. It was speaking, but she couldn't hear it. It knelt down and touched her hand, but she couldn't feel it. Soon, a second figure joined the first, standing at a bit of a distance.

As the darkness filled her eyes, she felt a coolness spread over her body. The pain that had burned through her body now subsided. The darkness in her eyes was substituted by a great white light that was almost blinding in itself. When the light faded, she found herself staring up at the great blue sky of Bevelle. Looking to her left, curious of the warmth that enveloped her hand, she found the true Praetor of New Yevon, the bruised and bandaged Baralai, kneeling there, and she wasn't sure at that moment if she was completely happy to see him.