FFX-2: Ties That Bind Fanfic
Chapter 6: Burned, Beaten, Bruised, Bloodied, and Beyond Hope
Pain, pain so intense you can not even think, can not breath, every thought a wash of pain unrelenting, a pain that dissolves the body, the mind, the soul. Heat as hot as the very soul of Ifrit unleashed. Rikku was the first to awaken, and the first to scream. The Ruins lie below her engulfed in flame, through a titanic effort she managed to crane her head to the side, she gasped in horror at what she saw, Yuna the Summoner, the man of dreams, and The Summoner Paine lie suspended beside her wreathed in flame. No it was worse, the city was not on fire, they were. They were in the heart of an inferno. The Flames licked at their flesh charring it black so that it may flake away into Pyre Flies, a journey she watched, this was the power of the Dark Aeon Phoenix, a creature not of eternal life but of eternal death.
The Pyre-flies flew upward and Rikku saw where they were headed, the Dark Phoenix slowly consuming them in its belly, feeding itself on their life-force, as they feed on the fiends below. An Uberfiend, an Aeon Fiend. Rikku had only one single hope, her hands were already missing fingers as she reached for her garment grid, and she hoped, prayed that she could win this fight. Even as Armor gave way to Robes her Black Mage dress was already being consumed, in moment she would be burned free of all her Dress spheres, left naked to be consumed. "Chill Out!" she tried to quip but her voice was little more then a gurgle of pyre flies.
She rose the staff as high as she could and the temperature dropped instantly "Blizaraga" She gurgled summoning the most powerful ice spell she had and targeting herself and her allies. A Solid block of Ice pierced the beast and froze them solid.
They dropped like a rock to the ruins below as the ice thawed, Rikku kissed her White Lore Accessory And quickly chanted to cast Full-Cure. As the Party awoke their displaced life force began to drip back to them, looking up they saw the Uberfiend feeding on the Fiends around them and silently Rikku Sphere changed to Summoner, the Blitz Ace drew his blade as solemnly the 3 Summoners began their Sending. The Beast roared diving to thwart them but the Blitz Ace leaps to meet it. Fire and steel clashed in the sky until the beast exploded in a shower of Pyre Flies. But these Flies did not drift to the sky as the Sending continued some headed into the distance of the ruins, other dissolved into the Farplanes while others floated into the 3 Summoner's bodies.
The Blitz Ace watched in horror petrified for a moment as his 3 friends began to change, The Dark Aeons they were being transformed into he knew to well, and had no desire to fight them again. Hands trembling he reached for the pack at his side, he had dreaded this day since he joined the Gullwings…The change began, he shuddered, as his Blitzball Player Uniform melted away as it was replaced by a blue robe similar to Issaru's. He began his own first Sending, his breath caught in his throat as his friends seemed to be unaffected.
Then…
The Pyre Flies grip weakened, relented, and escaped, finally sent for good, Y.R.P. stood there looking at Him with a smirk, and Paine was the first to quip in.
"Nice Dress…Sphere"
"Can we not call them that?" He stated agitated.
"How about a Job System?" chuckled Rikku.
"Uh…I was thinking Skill Spheres…"
"You look….good." Stated a cautious Yuna as she returned to her Gunner, Rikku to Thief and Paine to Warrior. Taking a moment she scanned the area. "I think, we're halfway done."
"We'll rest," stated Paine flatly as she headed for the blown out hovel, "Now!"