Disclaimer: I own nothing. All rights go to Square.
Thank you to Syncopative, Feathered Wolf, and Dead Pollen, your reviews, once again, are the reason this story is continuing at all.
Revised and edited, I reread it and decided to change a few things, please tell me what you think.
Tears of a Forgotten Summoner
Chapter 4: The First Sinner
The small plateau-like outcropping of rock was high enough that few fiends found their way anywhere near it, and secluded enough that one could search for years and not find it.
In a word, it was perfect. A little lonely and bitterly cold, but suited to its first visitor's purposes well enough. The dull black rock was characteristic of the passages between the Zanarkandian Ruins and the Gagazet Mountains, and sported a slight dusting of snow.
Tidus let his cloak fall from his limp hand, the gray material wafting doggedly to the ground, but he paid it no heed as he strode to the edge of the outcropping, looking out over the frigid ocean.
The garments that adorned his body now were dramatically different than any of his disguises. Instead of the overall jumpsuit ensemble he had worn when he first met Yuna, he now sported worn black pants made of a sort of rough, almost canvas like, material. The trousers were fairly tight about the waist and hips, then loosened out until just past his knee where it was gathered tight against his shin, bound by sparse white straps. Perhaps he had done that to allow for leg greaves, and in fact, his left leg did carry a slightly rusted black greave which was buckled at the back of his calves and strapped to his soft leather shoe. The right armored guard was mysteriously missing and the cloth was just tucked into a mismatched short dark leather boot.
A sword belt held his pants in place, a thin dark scabbard holding a katana-like blade on his left side while the same type of dark armor adorned his right hip. His dark shirt was long sleeved and painfully plain, just stark black with a silver line running from throat to the end of the shirt, crossed by two black straps which ran from a fastener at each shoulder to his waist, where they were fastened again. On the back of his shirt was the only real decorative pattern excluding the symbol dark symbol on the choker around his neck and the replica of the insignia dangling from one ear. Red dragon wings had been sewn in great detail, splashed across his shoulder blades.
If one looked hard enough, those wings looked almost real, as if, at any moment, they would separate from his shirt and fly away, but that feeling was lessened now because all his clothes were faded and worn, gray patches appearing on black surfaces, as if the dye was finally washing out.
His left arm was totally encased in black armor to the shoulder, a common precaution for fighters, but, somehow, it didn't seem to be there to guard against attack, or bruising, or even paper cuts. In fact, it seemed to be there to hide something, perhaps a terrible injury or embarrassing wound.
Tidus's features were still the same as they always had been, but his skin was lighter and his eyes were perhaps a few shades darker. His hair had been left to grow as it would in those three years he had been away, now reaching mid-back in tapering, glossy locks. Altogether, he looked an older, more mature version of himself, if not a little on the dark side.
A grim smile twisted his lips as Tidus looked out into the dark horizon, seeing gently swirling clouds, a sure sign of wind on the rise. Probably from Zanarkand.
Tidus sighed slightly, "The wind comes with the promise of trouble. How will you handle this, High Summoner?"
---
The sand beneath Yuna's boots gave easily as she strode down the well-trodden path to the beach. It was a typical Besaid morning, warm, clear, absolutely perfect. In fact, a little too perfect for her taste at this particular moment. Everything was the same around her, life dragged on as always, and, even though she felt different, isolated, it seemed to have no effect on anything or anyone else.
The sun was out, the sky was blue. The weather was perfect, just like always, why couldn't it just rain for once? That might shake things up for sure. Nothing ever changed here, and well, maybe things should change. Was life really meant to be this monotonous and empty?
With a sigh, Yuna settled herself on the white sandy beach and stared out at the waves. Wakka had told her the Tidus came from the sea, he just appeared one day, walked easily into their world. And Yuna's heart. She would never forget him, no matter how much her friends and former guardians said that she must in order to find happiness.
She looked away from the brilliant blue, why couldn't they just understand that all she wanted was him? Yuna would never be happy otherwise.
A happy shout brought the woman out of her reverie and she cast a glance in the direction in which it had come.
Near the other side of the beach, several children were running to the shoreline, their mothers not far behind. Catching sight of the High Summoner, of course, they bowed, it was only natural.
Yuna only wished it wasn't.
But now that they had, it was only polite to acknowledge them, as much as Yuna would have liked to be invisible at that moment, she couldn't just ignore them. So, blessing the distance that made it impossible for them to see the discomfort on her face, Yuna performed the traditional prayer to Yevon.
Yuna sighed a bit as she walked back up the path, past the jovial people, toward the village once again. She walked in silence, looking at the women's modest attire and feeling somewhat ashamed.
After Sin was defeated, Rikku decided to try a new style, and Yuna, not wanting to be left out, went right along with it. And now, as Yuna recognized with more and more frequencythat the people of Spiraseemed more willing to show their 'wild side'. All because the High Summoner had done it.
The young woman sat on a grassy patch near the village, looking out to the sea. She was Spira's role model. But how was that possible when Yuna herself didn't know if what she was doing would better Spira. She was constantly on display.
Yuna hated it.
She had saved the world twice and she was only twenty now. How many more times would she have to save it until it stayed safe? Expectations got higher, and her ability to get it all done got lower.
Speaking of which, it was curious how everything had happened so fast in her latest crusade for peace. Everything started with that sphere of Shuyin and had spiraled faster and faster after that, one thing after another. Sometimes Yuna wondered at it, maybe if she hadn't found that sphere nothing would have happened. Maybe, if she had done nothing, Vegnagun wouldn't have awakened. Was she just trouble to Spira? Was what she was doing really the wrong thing for Spira?
The woman looked up at the sky and smiled slightly, sadly.
"Now, what would you say to me?"
She closed her eyes, would her Tidus think that she was justified, or tell her that she was going too far?
The smile faded from her lips.
Tidus.
She had done tasks, that, by all rights, no human should be able to accomplish, killed Sin, destroyed Vegnagun, maintained peace again and again, and still she was not able to save the only man she would ever love.
Should she give up? Keep going? Was he ever going to return?
All leads were exhausted, the man she thought to be Tidus had been Shuyin, and the Gullwings were officially out of ideas. But, if he wasn't coming back, why had she heard him and seen the outline of his form on the Farplane? Was he really there? Or was it just an illusion of what she wanted to see? If he was real, was he trying to tell her something? Maybe to keep searching … or to forget.
She shook her head, attempting unsuccessfully to rid herself of that ugly thought, then she stood up quickly and whistled. A clear sound that would have made her Tidus smile. Yuna herself smiled a little at that, maybe if she whistled long and loud enough, it would reach him and he would tell her what to do. Maybe he could help her to stop feeling so lost.
Feeling a little better, Yuna took her place again on her patch of slightly mussed grass, looking out at the horizon. It was bright with the midday sun, the water reflecting the light just perfectly to make a sort of soft blue aura around the whole island. Beautiful and peaceful. But Yuna's thoughts were anything but peaceful at that moment.
She had been openly attacked in Luca, and while no one had claimed responsibility for the attack (Gippal swore up and down that they would be the first to know if anything was found), a person wouldn't attack another human being without some kind of reason. Who was this person? Why did they assault her in public like that? What would make them do such a thing?
And, most importantly, why did Yuna find it so hard to hate this mystery man?
---
"I tell you something is wrong," Rikku insisted, emphasizing her point with a small beat to the table.
Wakka shook his head, "We've got to let Yuna sort this out. A lot has happened in the last couple days, I'd want to be alone, too. Right, Lu?"
Lulu nodded, dropping a hand on her husband's shoulder, "Rikku, if you were attacked like that, would you be ready to let it go the day after?"
"Well, no …"
"Then let her deal with it on her own terms," Paine offered, leaning easily on the doorframe of Wakka and Lulu's household.
"I know, but—"
"No buts," Wakka said sternly, his year of being a father kicking in with full force of habit.
"But, she shouldn't be this sad!" Rikku exclaimed, desperate for her opinion to be heard.
"Shh!" Lulu scolded. "I just put Vidina down! If you wake him up I'll have you deal with him in the middle of the night!"
Rikku shut her mouth quickly and Paine couldn't help a weak chuckle, earning her a glare from the hyper Al Bhed.
Lulu sat down to her cup of hot tea with a sigh, "I know you're worried, we all are, but we can't rush this. Yuna must deal with this on her own terms, in her own way—"
The blonde girl opened her mouth, attempting to cut in.
"—without any help from us," the older woman finished pointedly.
Paine sighed, "You don't think we don't want to go out there and comfort her, too?"
Rikku looked away, "I know, but …"
"But what?" Wakka asked. "She's our friend too, ya?"
The girl got up and walked to the door, looking out through the door flap at the now brooding sky with a frown, "I know, but I've just got a really bad feeling …"
---
Yuna rose to her feet when the people from the beach rushed past her, shielding their faces from the wind that whipped violently through the trees. Her half skirt fluttered out in front of her, the once pleasant breeze picking up more and more speed.
She looked up, the sky was now dark and ominous, clouds covering every exposed piece of blue there had been. Well, she got her wish, the weather changed.
A palm frond came tearing from the sea, hitting her exposed leg with surprising force and Yuna couldn't help crying out a little.
Maybe it was time to seek cover …
But this didn't make any sense. Was it not sunny just a few minutes ago? What was behind this strange weather?
Yuna looked out to the formerly calm ocean, not seeing the beautiful sparkling blue water, but dangerously high grey waters, churning endlessly in a very unfriendly fashion. Her bangs fell into her open eyes, causing her to blink furiously to rid herself of the stinging sensation that would linger for minutes after. It was time to go. Run now, ponder the mysterious change in conditions later.
Turning on her heel, the young woman sprinted down the hill, running wildly, arms about her face, trying to guard from any debris that might be flying about. She expected leaves, sand, maybe even small pebbles, but what she saw she would never have been able to predict in her lifetime, or in anyone else's.
A tornado. Right in her path.
Granted, it was a small one, not big enough to pick up any houses, or even a log for that matter, but she had no doubt that it could easily throw her into some hard surface, maybe even suck the air from her lungs. Needless to say, Yuna didn't feel like suffocating or breaking her neck today.
The young woman blinked furiously, telling herself that she was seeing an optical illusion, not an honest to goodness tornado, but it was still there every time she opened her eyes. A thick little whirlwind maybe a few feet taller than she was, colored by the dust and leaves it had managed to pick up thus far, throwing band after band of brutal winds at its awed audience.
Suddenly, the mass of winds seemed to open up, becoming translucent to the High Summoner, showing her its inner workings. Yuna would have gasped if she weren't afraid to open her mouth. Right in the middle was a puddle of darkness, tendrils reaching out like smoke from a candle, some plastered to the ground, others free floating striving to grow beyond its current bounds.
Yuna unconsciously started to back away, not noticing that the winds were increasing in ferocity and speed. A silent scream formed on her lips as the darkness molded itself into a recognizable form.
A human body.
Slowly, the black covering peeled away, giving way to red clothes and a familiar countenance.
Faced with a ghost, Yuna could only think to say one word.
"Auron."
---
A/N: Well, what'd you think? Please, please, please, please, please, please review! (do you get the hint yet?)
Yes, I do suffer from chronic writer's block. It's a nasty disease, and yes, I have had a recent flare up, but not to worry! With the help of a witch doctor, exorcist, and two boxes of chocolate, I'm back to writing again!
Rose Northe