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Tears of a Forgotten Summoner
Chapter 3: Gullwings
"But will Yunie be ok!"
I'm fine, Rikku. Stop gushing over me.
"She'll be fine, I'm sure. Her skin wasn't even burned by that fire."
Right, exactly what I said. Wait, what fire?
Yuna's eyes opened slowly, then blinked furiously in response to the overabundance of light that streamed from the windows of the Celsius.
"Too … bright," the High Summoner managed, her tongue felt like a huge cotton ball and her own voice surprised her.
"You're awake!" Rikku's face came into view, a worried expression plastered over her normally smiling countenance.
"Wh-What happened?" Yuna tried to get up, but found that Paine held her firmly down.
"You mean you cannot recall?" said silver-haired woman remarked, a slight tone of surprise evident in her tone.
The young woman thought for a few moments, trying to remember. She had been standing on that platform in … Luca, she believed. Yes, it was Luca. She remembered being invited there by Baralai and Gippal. Evidently she was a major morale boost where ever she went, especially in regions that were undergoing political reconstruction following Sin and the more recent Vegnagun (when people put it like that, you can't very well say no). Yuna recalled being shocked by the turnout, it definitely felt good to be appreciated, and in the midst of that, Rikku had made a crack at some person, or object, an obscure remark even said girl probably wouldn't be able to recall, she remembered distinctly that she had laughed. And then…
Blank. Her mind had just shut down seemingly of its own accord.
Again, she attempted to get up, this time not hindered by her well meaning friend, and noticed immediately that her shirt gave more easily than usual. For a moment, she wondered at the phenomena but then her hand flew to the symbol of the Zanarkand Abes, or rather, where the symbol had been.
Her slow ascent then became a hurried bolt. Now it came to her, she had been attacked, one moment she had been observing the people gathered in Luca, and the next thing she knew that insignia—his insignia—had burst into flames. It had been terrifying, she could feel the flames' heat, a burning sensation filled with the promise of further agony.
Yuna had been hit with fire before, in fact, many times during the last three years, and never before had she been as scared as she had been today. Although the fire had not actually injured, or even touched, her in any way, it seemed somehow different than anything she had ever experienced. The magic was the same, and, even though it was uncommonly powerful and precise, had no extra kick to it, no extra enhancing aspects that half-bit wizards usually employed. That fire and the reasoning behind it did not carry the empty bloodlust of a fiend or the arrogance of one seeking power. The fire was pure and decisive, containing the emotions of the caster.
It was hatred.
Closing her eyes, Yuna allowed herself to lean back onto the bed once more, waving away Rikku's concerned questions when they inevitably noticed her regression back into the comfort of the bed. Only now was the reality really sinking in. The girl had almost died. And, yet, she was somehow miraculously spared. Without a single doubt, whoever used that magic could have killed her in an instant, but that left only one question in its wake.
Why hadn't she died at that instant?
"Oh! It makes me so mad! Who'd do a thing like this!" Rikku's voice brought the High Summoner out of her reverie at the speed of light.
"Yes, could it have been a remnant of Vegnagun?" Paine's voice joined in.
"No," Yuna was shocked to hear herself speak, as she braced an elbow beneath her back to raise herself into a semi-sitting position to better see her two friends. "It was … a grudge."
"A grudge?" the silver-haired woman inquired. "Who would hold a grudge against us now? And one urgent enough to act upon? No one comes to mind."
Yuna shook her head as she swung her legs over the edge of the bed to stand, but paused before letting her feet touch the ground, "I don't know."
Rikku was almost shaking in anger, her hyperactive mind in high gear, "Why now! Just when we finally achieve peace for Spira, some new madman magically crops up to face us!"
"When will it end?" Paine chimed in, for once in total agreement with the bouncy blonde, but then promptly seemed to forget her existence as she directed a question to Yuna, "Were you able to sense anything else? Emotions? Maybe a motive or identity?"
Yuna's eyes closed as she racked her mind for anything that could be of use. There was something beyond that initial sea of hate, and instinctively she knew that this creature, her attacker, was something more than just a mass of hateful emotions. "That fire … in it there was hate and rage, and murderous intent, but …" Her voice seemed to die away little by little, her throat seizing up as if it had lost the ability to convey messages. A hand came habitually up to touch his symbol, but instead meeting with one of the three scorch marks that were the only indicator that something had been there.
A few moments passed as the warrior waited for an answer, even Rikku calmed down enough to think and listen in earnest.
"But … what, Yunie?" the Al Bhed asked cautiously, as if worried that she would injure her friend.
Yuna's eyes opened, "But there was also sorrow, and pain, and hope … and affection …"
"And affection?" Paine echoed, disbelief etched all over her slender face. "You mean love?"
"That's ridiculous, Yunie," Rikku stated in a rare display of logic. "How can a fire aimed to hurt you be filled with hope and affection? The pain and hatred I can understand, but love?"
"I know it sounds crazy … but it's true. That's what I felt."
Rikku was silent for a few moments, seemingly thoughtful, "Are you sure … you didn't hit your head on the way down?"
Yuna made a face and stood, her body now fully awake and ready for anything the world might throw at it (except for more fire, to be sure). Steadying herself, the young woman made her way to a small mirror that hung on the wall, a fairly recent addition to the décor.
As much as it pained her to see the small charred spots where her love's symbol had once resided, something had to be done about it. Left as is, her shirt would open anytime she made a sudden move, not a desirable thing in polite society, to be sure.
Reaching into a nearby drawer, Yuna retrieved a needle and some black sewing floss, once again lacing the two white strips into a workable form. She sighed, it certainly wasn't perfect and by no means was she talented enough to recreate the former symbol, but at least her shirt wouldn't fall off now. Turning away from the mirror, the young woman placed the sewing materials back in their rightful place, blessing Paine who had insisted upon having extra supplies.
"So, what now?" Rikku inquired, breaking the uncomfortable silence with the question everyone was thinking of, but too timid to say.
The High Summoner sighed again, "What can we do? The … My attacker is long gone and lost in the crowds of Luca, while we're here in—"
"Kilika. We're currently flying over Kilika," Rikku chimed in, accompanied by an affirmative noise from their silver-haired comrade.
Yuna nodded, but kept silent.
"Should we look for your attacker?" Paine asked, taking a seat on the now vacant bed.
The High Summoner shook her head, "We have nothing to go on at this moment, it would be … foolish to try pursuing some ghost now."
"Then where is it you wish to go?" a polite masculine voice questioned from behind them.
All three turned at the same instant, their gazes locking onto Baralai and Gippal, the former wearing a thoughtful frown, and the latter leaning easily against a wall, trying to look unperturbed, but failing miserably to hide the concerned look that creased his face.
Yuna looked down at her hands, "Home. I want to go home. To Besaid."
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A/N: Third chapter done.
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Be safe,
Rose Northe