Disclaimer: What do any of us really own in this life? … Certainly not Final Fantasy …
Thanks to Nikki of Spira, Warui Usagi, Little Pyrefly, ThePirateJilt, and Zeshin-kun for reviewing! I really appreciate your support. Thank you especially to ThePirateJilt for telling me what I needed to hear when I needed it most. This chapter's for all the people who have been waiting for it!
I get the feeling from the sparse reviews that many of you did not like the previous chapter, so, if you could, review or message me with your concerns, questions, or criticisms, I would be honored to hear them.
Well, it's been a while, hasn't it? I hope you're well and thank you for reading. Things have been crazy and this chapter took a lot of thought on my part, but it's done now and I hope you like the results. Please don't forget to review!
Important Note: From the fictions I have read, I handle action scenes a bit differently. Contained in this chapter is a very crucial action sequence and I seek to uproot any confusion beforehand. First of all, I'm not very good at action scenes of any kind, so it may be choppy in places (if you see any, please include them in a review or message), but that's not the important thing. In this story Potions, Antidotes, Hi-Potions, X-Potions, Cure, Cura, Curaga, and yes, even Life, Full-Life, and Phoenix Down, do NOT exist. When I hurt one of the characters, they might be treated by a doctor, but there are no quick fixes. In addition, Dresspheres are something of an absolute taboo with me and will not be used unless the situation created in the story calls for it.
As promised, this chapter is a major turning point and what you have been waiting and wondering about will happen within … Auron will spill some of the dirt he has on Schism and the errant couple will finally meet again. So, without further ado, please enjoy.
Tears of a Forgotten Summoner
Chapter Eight: Cue Black Knight
The footsteps that approached were eerily familiar; he knew them all too well, and frankly, the prospect of them here enraged him. He knew it was inevitable, this wasn't one of those things that would be put off or avoided, but still, he wished that it hadn't come to this. The man wanted them to pay, that was for sure, and maybe the sadistic part of him wanted them to suffer for their crimes as well, but, even so, he didn't want to be involved anymore.
Strings of fate, once tangled, cannot be undone.
He could not avoid this anymore than he could avoid Schism and maybe, just maybe, if they used all they had against the wretched thing, they could destroy it.
Doubtful, but it was worth a try.
They were calling out to him, calling out to a stranger, agitated, losing more and more of their senses in their rush to prove themselves. The snow and rock near his foot exploded as a bullet pierced it and he sighed, this was fate, he guessed.
The man was already rooted to the playing board and fate cannot be tricked so easily as to let him go. There was only one thing left to do.
The cloaked man turned toward his visitors, careful to keep the hood over his face.
A smile spread across Tidus's face and his lips moved to form three words, words that were lost in the wind, never to be heard.
"Cue Black Knight."
--- Six Hours Earlier ---
"Why! Who would do this!" Yuna screamed, a tear escaping her as she came closer and closer to falling completely.
Auron's face was impassive, his manner unchanged, "Get a hold of yourself."
The woman didn't seem to hear him, her voice rising through octaves usually unavailable to her as she neared hysteria, "How can I? How can I! Do you see what's out that window! Do you! We killed that thing! We did! It disappeared! Why is it here!" She slowly stumbled to him. "Why!" Her hands grabbed the front of his shirt, her fingers tangling in it.
He said nothing, staring straight ahead as she clutched at him. The others weren't in a much better state, staring at Yuna, the only one that was moving, perhaps they were scared, in fact, he was sure that they were, but now they were simply waiting for an explanation.
Sighing, he reached down and cupped the woman's cheek, gently lifting her chin so that she could look him in the face. The girl, getting ever closer to the edge, cried out a bit, struggling. Auron growled a bit as she screamed, nearing the end of his patience for the petulant child.
"Yuna!" his voice was a snarl and she didn't heed it, continuing to mumble incoherently into his jacket, kneeling before him.
More insistently this time, he cupped her cheek, making her look at him. Surprisingly, she quieted quickly, looking up at him with wide eyes, but she still shook incessantly. Frowning, he raised a hand, slapping the woman soundly across the face, not too hard, just enough to let her know that she was being a child.
The High Summoner froze, her face turned to the left, a small red mark developing, in shock, she couldn't even think of what to do…
Rikku, finally gathering her wits, gasped in outrage, echoed by several of the others on the bridge, all of them immediately starting forward. They didn't get far, the moment they took a step toward them, Auron held up a hand, his authority and general manner at the moment stopping them in their tracks. With that done, the man returned to the task at hand, once again lifting the chin of the now fairly calm girl.
"Yuna. Do you remember what people used to say Sin was?"
Lacking the power of speech, the girl nodded slightly.
"State it."
She swallowed hard, trying to force the lump in her throat down as she gazed up at the weathered guardian, "Th-The culmination of the sins committed by the peoples of Spira…"
Auron cocked his head slightly, "But you know that that's not true, don't you?"
Again, she nodded, trying to bow her head and look away, but finding herself unable, "Sin is Yu Yevon."
The man inhaled in a hiss, looking away from her, "Yes, Yu Yevon. A sinner from the Old World a thousand years ago."
"S-Sinner?" she stared up at him, trying to decipher the tone he had used.
He looked down again, "Yes, Yuna. You see, he's nothing but a puppet." Auron's teeth gritted, "He was once a man, you know, like the rest of us, but he was fooled. Seduced by pretty words and a false form, false promises."
That statement was layered with multiple meanings, that, at least, all of them could tell, but before any could formulate a question, Auron grabbed Yuna's arm, pulling her to her feet and whirling her around so that she was looking at Sin once again.
"Schism did this. It is the real punishment for our sins. Schism is the real Sin, the one talked about in legend, not the one we fought. This … This is the true scourge of Spira!"
His impassioned voice died slowly, the echoes still ringing in everyone's minds. No one spoke, no one moved, and no one dared to look away from the horror laid out in front of them.
Yuna took a deep breath, trying to gather herself together before speaking, "What … do I have to do?"
Auron smiled a bit, waiting for her to clarify, but already knowing her meaning.
"What do I have to do to defeat this thing?"
---
Gippal cursed darkly, trying to avoid looking at the sight laid out before him by concentrating every last bit of his attention on manuevering the ship toward the Celsius. Beside him, Nooj was staring fixedly at the dark city and the damnable creature hovering near it, his face unreadable. Baralai, in contrast, sat as stiff as a board, his face to the side so he didn't have to see what he couldn't deny.
The blonde man bit his lip, "We should contact the Celsius."
No one responded to his statement, lost in their own worlds
"We can't hover here all day," Gippal looked about at them, then sighed. "Are you forgetting? We came here to pick up the refugees from Besaid, the Celsius can't toss them out a shaft and expect us to catch them. We have to discuss a rendezvous point, one on the ground."
That at least got some response, Baralai reached numbly for the commsphere, tapping into their lines. Several minutes passed in silence until the white-haired man addressed Gippal.
"They're not answering …"
"Well, maybe they're standing about gawking, we certainly did enough of that, wouldn't you say?"
Baralai was about to give a scathing retort when an unfamiliar voice carried over the sphere.
"I take it you are the ship from Bevelle?"
A simple glance to Baralai and Nooj confirmed what Gippal already knew, this man wasn't of the crew and was a potential threat if Yuna and the others had not answered the sphere themselves.
Slight chuckling from the other end made all three jump slightly, "Do not worry, Yuna is safe."
"I don't believe you," Baralai hissed over the line, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "If she is there, let Yuna take this call."
"You're not a trusting one, are you?" the voice was slightly amused. "Very well."
Brief static and then Yuna's voice filtered through, "Nooj?"
"This is Baralai. We're on your port side, requesting a location to land and take on the refugees you have aboard."
"Um … give us a minute."
"Gagazet," came the first voice.
"Gagazet?" Yuna echoed, obviously asking for a reason.
"Just do it."
" … Baralai, we'll be landing in the Calm Lands, near the base of Gagazet, please meet us there."
"Understood."
Click.
" …What was that all about?" Gippal questioned, slightly perturbed.
"I don't know, but we'll have to find out soon…"
---
Yuna shivered as she stepped out of the Celsius, still deeply shaken by earlier events, but better due to the fact that she had a purpose to fulfill. She rubbed her arms a bit and knelt down in an effort to conserve heat as she watched Gippal's ship land, the refugees already being herded out by Rikku and Paine.
Despite his earlier looseness of tongue, Auron had been extremely tightlipped for quite a while, seemingly satisfied with their willingness to go head to head with Schism.
Now at least she knew the nature of the beast, it was the real Sin. Punishment for sins committed … but if it was, how were they to defeat it? Was it like Sin, did it have a core that they could destroy, some hidden weakness they could exploit? …
Or was it the true Sin? The one that could only be defeated by sacrificing human life?
She shook her head against that ugly thought, trying unsuccessfully to shove it into the back of her mind. That was not an acceptable answer to anything.
Her name on the wind halted her train of thought and she looked up to see Gippal waving wildly, the crew and passengers of the Celsius already gathering about the man. Cursing her negligence, Yuna trotted over to them.
Baralai and Nooj were already hard at work directing the refugees while Gippal was working crowd control. Auron stood nearby, impassively watching the proceedings, Paine beside him, watching him with no small amount of contempt in her eyes. Rikku was biting her lip, obviously thinking of her father, who had blatantly refused to be taken from the Celsius, insisting that he would be of use. Shinra stood near her, his small hand in her larger one, obviously trying to give her some measure of comfort with his presence. Wakka's arms were crossed over his chest as he watched his fellow villagers walk up the boarding plank with whatever belongings they had managed to save, but Lulu was no where to be found.
Yuna tapped her former guardian on the shoulder, and the red-haired man turned to face her, starting badly, as if shaken from very seriously thoughts, "Ah … Yuna."
"Where's Lulu? And Vidina?" Yuna's voice took on a slightly concerned edge.
He rubbed his hands together, "Well, she's back on the Celsius …"
"Why?" Yuna interrupted. "She should be boarding now."
Wakka looked down at her, "Look Yuna, we traveled with you three years ago, we're not helpless, you know. Lulu is teaching Barkeep how to take care of Vidina in our absence."
"Your … absence?"
"We're coming with you."
Yuna's eyes widened as the reality soaked in, shaking her head, "Wakka, no."
"Why not?"
"Because there's no need," Yuna said firmly. "Rikku, Paine, and I can handle it, no need for you to get involved."
"No need to get," he muttered. "Yuna, I live in Spira, I'm already involved. I just watched my house blow apart, and my island flattened. I can't get more involved than this."
"But—"
"No buts," he said, uncharacteristically stern. "This is not some sphere hunt. You can't do this on your own, so stop acting like you're the only one who can fight. If what I've heard is right, this thing is bigger then all of us and if we're going to defeat it, we're going to have to work together. I, for one, want to be on the front lines rather than hiding in some hole."
To say the least, Yuna was shocked. She had never heard Wakka speak so, and his tone of voice didn't help. A little stunned, she directed her attention to the other ship just in time to hear Gippal order the hold closed.
"Lady Yuna," Baralai addressed as he strode toward the small knot of people, Nooj on his heels and Gippal not far behind.
"Baralai," the High Summoner said politely, but nothing more, perhaps afraid her voice would break.
"Well," the praetor cleared his throat nervously at her standoffish state at the moment. "Since we've come all the way, we believe we are entitled—"
"To know what the hell's going on!" Gippal interrupted brusquely, crossing his arms over his chest. Baralai shot him a scathing look, but waited for an answer all the same.
The ex-summoner opened her mouth, but was cut off.
"And you'd be right," Auron said calmly. "But it is hard to explain, all you need to know now is that there is an entity larger than all of us behind the scenes. It is this entity that brought Sin back into this world, and it is the very same being that we must find a way to defeat."
Nooj studied the man for a moment, "And you would be?"
"Auron, guardian of High Summoners Braska and Yuna."
Baralai was about to say something when Auron motioned for silence, "We don't have time to speculate on how a dead man is standing in front of you. We should be going," without taking his eyes from them, Auron twisted his body half around, pointing at the summit of Gagazet, "there."
Gippal seemed to think for a moment, then turned to Nooj, "Do you mind flying that hunk of junk home?"
Said man seemed surprised, but nodded, "I'll do it."
"Then it's settled," the blonde man turned back to them. "I'm coming with you."
Baralai's brow furrowed, "Not without me, you're not."
Auron pinched the bridge of his nose as if to ward off an incoming headache, "The baggage just keeps piling up…"
---
Yuna nodded to the few Ronso that had faithfully come to meet her as they passed out of their territory, impatient to get underway to where ever Auron was taking them. The others seemed equally anxious, all eight of them. In addition to Gippal and Baralai inviting themselves along, Wakka and Lulu 'just happened' to be going to the same way, and Kimahri insisted, once he saw them, that he had to protect the peace of Gagazet. It was starting to agitate Yuna.
It was obvious that she wasn't the only Gullwing that thought that all these extra people were just unnecessary, and further, hindering to the mission. All that need go were the Gullwings and Auron, but no one seemed to listen.
"Wow…" Rikku mumbled irritably as her foot sank into a foot of cold, wet snow. "It's like a big reunion."
"Yes, it is, isn't it?" Wakka replied. "Plus a few."
Paine glared at him, "Yes, it does seem to be a gathering of Yuna's pilgrimage, minus one. Wasn't there some other guardian?"
"Yes," Yuna said curtly, trying again to ward off the cold. "…He won't be coming to our little reunion."
Auron smirked, but no one saw.
And so, the climb continued in silence. Yuna spent most of the time thinking about what they could possibly be accomplishing by climbing Gagazet.
From the sparse hints the weathered red clad man dropped, they weren't exactly going on the all out offensive against Schism just yet, which is what they needed to be doing.
"Auron," she called and the man looked back over his shoulder, acknowledging her without slowing.
"You want to know what we're doing here, correct?"
She nodded slightly, watching as he heaved a sigh.
"Schism is a very secretive creature, as I'm sure you can surmise, and as such, not many people know very much about it."
Yuna's brow furrowed, "Don't you?"
"I know what it does and how it emerges, not what it is and what caused the flare up in activity. There is a difference."
The woman almost stopped short, "Do you know how to defeat it?"
The answer didn't come immediately and was obviously hesitant, "…No."
"Then why are we on a wild goose chase?" Paine snapped, her body shivering madly from the cold.
Auron chuckled, "We are not on a wild goose chase, my dear pessimist."
"Then what do you call this!"
Yuna turned sharply to Paine, trying to get her to stop pestering the man, but she would not concede.
"This is an information gathering mission."
"Oh, and I suppose the way to defeat this Schism thing is waiting at the top of this mountain right beside the meaning of life?" Paine snarled, her leather leggings starting to pinch at the thighs.
"If only it were that simple," Auron said almost wistfully, looking back at her. "By the way, aren't you cold?" he chuckled a bit, then sobered again. "No, we are going to see a man that will have at least some of the answers we seek."
"And he lives at the top of a mountain. I find that hard to swallow."
"But it is true. He has a tendency to stay around places that have no connections to the outside world, and since Zanarkand is currently off-limits, our next best bet is here, in this wasteland."
Yuna frowned a little, not quite convinced, "Wait, if you don't know that much about Schism, then how can you expect anyone else to? It's not like the existence of that thing is common knowledge."
"Believe me, he knows. And as much as I hate to admit it, he knows more than I do. He will know what has caused this," Auron continued walking, muttering mostly to himself. "Or he caused it himself…"
---
The near summit of Gagazet was frigid, but the snow had receded slightly as they neared the point where it was no longer the mountain, but the beginning of the cursed ruins. Hours of searching with only Auron's word that they would find something had brought them onto a small plateau that was dusted with snow.
Sure enough, across the way, a man stood, just like Auron had said, cloaked and hooded, his back to them. He made no attempt to turn and face them, just stood as if he hadn't noticed their existence.
Yuna could sense power coming from him, power that wasn't exactly dark, but not light either, a gray aura that did not bode well with her.
Auron stepped forward, "It's been a long time, hasn't it? Three years since we last met, I believe."
It might have been Yuna's imagination, but the man's head seemed to have jerked slightly in Auron's direction, perhaps in recognition.
"You know why we're here," the ex-guardian continued, unperturbed by his audience's obvious lack of interest. "We won't leave until you tell us what we want to know."
Yuna was fast losing patience, something about that man sent chills up her spine, she didn't like this, not at all.
"You know this is your only chance, why waste it?"
The High Summoner was tired of all the secrets, all the lies, if this man was not willing to help, then he was just as bad as Schism itself. Instinctively, her hands gravitated to the handles of her guns, readying to draw.
"Schism needs to be defeated, you know that as well as I, and we both want to see it dead, so why not join forces. Us and the High Summoner."
The snow near the man's right foot exploded as Yuna unloaded a bullet into it, both her wits and patience at an end. Auron didn't even glance at her, as if he had expected something of the like to happen, and the other Gullwings drew their weapons, readying for a battle.
Slowly, the man reacted, turning toward them, one hand keeping the hood in place as his mouth moved slowly, the words lost to their ears.
Enraged at the audacity this man showed, Yuna held up a gun, her voice deadly, "Gullwings, attack!"
The three charged, immediately forming a triangle about the man.
Wakka gasped, trying to follow, but Auron held up a hand to stop him, "Don't, Wakka, it's already an unfair fight."
Yuna circled calmly, her eyes fixed on the man as the other Gullwings did the same, readying themselves to attack a man that wasn't protecting himself. The woman, for the first time, really considered what she was doing. How low had she fallen to attack an unarmed man? And that uncertainty caused her to hesitate.
In a split second, the battle was in full swing, the man loosing a hidden sword that looked suspiciously like a katana and instantly going for her. To save her head and her life, Yuna crossed her guns in a feeble attempt to stop the sword's descent, only succeeding in slowing it. Luckily, Rikku was there, striking from a different direction and causing the man to spring to the side, away from the blades.
He landed in a defensive crouch, a hand again coming up to make sure that the hood was firmly in place.
Angered at the casualness with which this man took their attacks, Paine launched herself at him, their swords meeting hilt to hilt as Rikku again scrambled to her feet, seeking to incapacitate the man while he was busy. But he was faster than she had expected, narrowly missing the blade by pushing himself back, using Paine's sword as a launch block.
Yuna squinted as she aimed, knowing all to well that if she missed, even by a little, one of her friends was liable to take the hit. When he separated himself from the others, that gave her the chance she had been waiting for, aim and … fire!
The cloaked man jerked as the bullet impacted on his left side, near the joint between shoulder and arm. Again, it might have been her imagination, but the man's head turned her way for a moment. Altogether, he didn't seem too concerned with the bullet, if anything it seemed to enrage more than hurt him.
He struck out at Paine who happened to be closest to him, swinging fast and hard. The silver-haired woman was forced to take a step back, then another as he continued his onslaught. Trying to help her friend, the blonde girl jumped into the fray, attacking him furiously as Paine recovered, then joined in as well.
Parry, parry, parry, block, thrust, block, parry, thrust, thrust, block, parry, parry, parry, block, thrust…
At first the pattern he used seemed very random and untraceable, but as Yuna watched, she found that she could predict several very distinct moves he would make. Smiling slightly, she aimed again, this time for his back, not a vital place, but one that would hopefully keep him from moving around too much.
"Gotcha," she whispered as her finger depressed the trigger.
The man jerked forward as the second bullet hit, both his assailants pausing momentarily, unsure whether to stop or continue. Blood splattered the ground and all was still for a few moments.
Auron turned his head; they were impulsive, hardheaded, childish, and downright selfish, and they were about to be taught a lesson they wouldn't soon forget.
Then suddenly Rikku found herself on the ground; a booted foot crushing her diaphragm as its owner proceeded to beat on her silver-haired comrade. Panicking, Yuna released another shot, this time hitting the blade near the base, causing the man to drop it, but he didn't seem to mind, he certainly wasn't averse to fighting them with his bare hands.
Paine almost cried out as her hair was grabbed and pulled roughly forward, a knee slamming into her stomach with enough force to deflate all the auxiliary oxygen the woman was carrying.
With a cry of fury, Yuna swung the gun up again to aim at the man, his head this time, but didn't get to make the shot due to the fact that he had been smart enough to drag the now unconscious Paine up as a human shield. Cursing, but unwilling to give up, Yuna held steady, waiting for him to make his move, but she never saw it, she only registered that Paine had inexplicably slumped to the floor before the man was in her face, one of her guns skittering across the ground, the other not long after it.
Panicking again, the only Gullwing left standing threw up a shaky guard, backing away as armor covered fist connected with her forearm, ripping a sizable gash in the unprotected flesh. She cried out, trying to keep from dropping to her knees as his assault continued.
Time slowed to a crawl as she watched the man, raising one of her shoulders in anticipation of the kick she knew was coming. Perhaps curious as to who this man really was, or perhaps looking for some sort of mercy, the woman looked up into his face, the hood moving conveniently to show the face she had seen so many times in her dreams…
"Tidus!"
Then time resumed its course. The raised shoulder was the only thing that saved her life in the end. The high kick that was delivered would have snapped her neck easily if not for that. His leg crashed into her shoulder with almost inhuman force, but she didn't have time to even scream. Before she even knew what was happening, her body was airborne and then on the ground again, her eyes wide in shock.
And then everything went black.
---
Author's Note: To tell you the truth, I was actually very nervous about writing this chapter, I've been building up to it for so long, I didn't want to mess it up. So please let me know if you liked it, hated it, or thought it was just plain melodramatic, I really want to know.
Goals: For every story, I like to have a specific goal in mind.
Tears of a Forgotten Summoner: To create an original plot that makes coherent sense outside of my mind while using as few of my own characters as possible (so far, the only one that will appear at all is Schism, and that's more of a dark power than anything else).
Incurable Affection: It's an AU story, and I'm well aware that a lot of people don't like AU because of all the clichés and bad language used, so the goal for IA is to avoid clichés.
A Request: If any of you have been to my profile then you know that I have two stories, this one and Incurable Affection, so, if you get the chance, could you please read Incurable Affection and tell me your honest opinion? Thank you very much.
Next Chapter:Bittersweet Reunion
I'll be looking forward to hearing from you
Rose Northe