Duty-Bound
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, just the story.
A/N: It's been awhile, but I've decided after all the positive reviews and private messages, that I'm going to continue on with this one. Just a reminder, but this story revolves around Yuna. Other characters will be added here and there, but I wanted this to take a different direction from all other stories. I want this to be Yuna's journey. Not Yuna and everybody else, mainly to draw out strengths I think she possesses deep down. Some characters will also possess other sides which...were never incorporated into the games, but that I think they should harbor deep down. In other words, some characters will be OOC, but not too awful. Hope you guys enjoy what I've come up with! :)
Yuna's POV:
I don't even know where to begin. Nothing is left for me in Besaid – only empty and painful memories. Maybe that's why I wanted to leave so quickly and silently. The road back had been so hopeful and promising, yet all I found when we got there were eerie echos and whispers of a voice from my past – a voice that has never left me.
"All aboard!"
My attention turned toward the young man standing on the plank. I was the only one boarding, yet it was his job. It's what he had been trained to do. Maybe that's all I ever was. Maybe that's all I'll ever be. Someone who has spent their whole life training for a job and doing what I was told.
As my feet found their way up the same plank, and past the same boat hand, I passed my luggage off to another man and turned back to the sea. My hands somberly rose upward, grasping the splintered edges of the railing.
I stood here with you once. I looked out to the same water, and I wondered the same things you did. If I could go back in time knowing what I know now, I would have talked with you more. I would have done things so differently...
As the captain signaled the shipmates to raise the anchor and the ship coasted through the calm ocean, I took in another deep breath allowing the salty breeze to settle in my lungs. Turning from the starboard side and making my way to the bow, my eyes squinted into the rays of the setting sun. Leaning into the railing as I had seen you do years ago, I made my silent prayer.
If you're out there, if you can hear me, just know that I haven't given up on you. I never will. Who can say where the road goes; where the day goes? I have the rest of my life to devote to you. I'll walk all four corners of this world in hopes to be with you again. I love you, and love means never having to settle. Well, this is me not settling.
I know the universe hears me. As I dug my nails into the tattered rope, a gust of wind blew in from behind and the sails came to life. Everything my eyes caught in that moment seemed to silently nod and approve of my intentions.
Or maybe...it was you. There are so many things I still do not know – where you are, or what you're doing this very minute – but could it be that you're still with me? Are you watching and waiting on me?
My eyes squinted as the last of the setting rays of the sun caught them. As dusk settled on the burning deck of the ship, I stood erect and looked at the open sea around me. Only now, with just the sound of the ocean and breeze, did I realize what I'm really doing. Ever since I was little, I can never remember a single moment when I was alone. I've always had friends to turn to – to love and protect me and just be there for me. Now, it's just me. While that might scare some, it doesn't bother me. This is what I need, I think. I love my friends, and I'm grateful for them and everything they've done.
They'll never understand what it feels like – when everything is put before you, yet you still feel a strange void deep within...
"She did what?" a resounding female voice could be heard throughout the entire village.
Everyone who would have been sleeping, crept out of their huts and gathered around one hut in particular.
"She...um...left?" Rikku giggled nervously.
"Where in Spira did she say she was goin'? It's not like Yuna to just up and-" Wakka stopped mid-sentence.
Paine shifted her weight around and leaned on the wall, "Yuna did the very same thing when she joined the Gullwings, right?"
"And you two didn't accompany her?" Lulu fumed with what looked like flames in her eyes.
"Hey wait just a minute," Rikku protested, "Yuna is a grown woman, and she has the right to do things on her own! We're not guardians anymore, and she doesn't need a babysitter!"
The entire room stopped breathing. Never before had someone stood up to Lulu in such a way, and her wording was less than tactful.
"I think what Rikku means," Paine stepped in front of her, "Is that Yuna is free to do as she pleases. She wanted to be alone, and any friend should understand something like that – especially after...well...what's happened."
Wakka dared to speak with all the female tension in the room, "I'm sure you mean well, ya? It's just that...Yuna...she's not thinkin' right, you know? There's no tellin' what she'll do."
"You," Rikku pointed in both of their directions, "I'm beginning to see why she left in the first place. You guys are just like my dad and Brother – you come up with ways to 'protect' her, and you're quick to shoot down any dream she has in hopes to make her life somewhat liveable! I can't even believe she's still sane after staying here!"
Storming off and mumbling in Al Bhed, Rikku turned around and glared, "I hope she finds what she's looking for. And when she does, I hope she rubs it both of your faces!"
"Do you realize what you just did?" Paine called out to Rikku as she chased her up the road toward the beach.
Rikku stopped and kicked some pebbles further up, "I love Wakka and Lulu just as much as Yuna does. But it's unfair to Yuna for them to strip her of all hope!"
"I think they just want her to be realistic, Rikku."
At this, Rikku glared over her shoulder, "Are you siding with them?"
"No, I'm just trying to see all sides of the story. They want nothing more than for her to stop living in the past, and you want nothing more than for her to have something to live for. Did you ever stop to think about what both sides are doing to Yuna?"
"Don't you think I know what it's doing to Yuna? I've been there through it all. I've seen her cry. I've sat back at night and listened to the night terrors. Hell, I've even witnessed her rise from the ashes with renewed hope, only to have it slip through her fingers! It's not going to get any easier, but I'd much rather indulge her than force her into suppressing all emotion."
"Hey, I'm not against you, I'm just..."
"Yuna will find her way, eventually. She's not going to give up on this, and it does nothing but drive her away when people tell her to let Tidus be just a memory."
"You know," Paine chuckled, "I never knew you were so assertive."
"People just assume that about me because I've never had a reason. But Yuna is family, and I just get so worked up."
"It suits you."
Yuna's POV:
-Day One -
Entry One: Kilika Inn
And so, my journey begins – the temple of Kilika. I don't know what I hope to accomplish, but I figured the best place to start, was retracing the steps of the summoners pilgrimage. When I arrived at Kilika Port, everyone welcomed me with open arms – Donna included.
The first place I turned to, was the inn. I wasn't quite prepared to brave the temple just yet. Of course, the inn keeper wouldn't take my gil. So, here I sit – bathed and in a change of clothes, gathering the courage to continue forward. I have no plan. I decided to do what you would have done in this situation – just wing it.
You know, the more I think about it, I'm not alone. I can feel your presence, especially when I'm feeling lost. I just close my eyes, and there you are, smiling and laughing even in the bleakest of situations. The thought makes me smile, and now that I'm smiling, I think I have renewed confidence to put another foot forward. Wish me luck!
~ Yuna ~
"Lady Yuna," the priest smiled, "It is an honor!"
I smiled meekly, but refused to bow. Surely everyone understood, and as such, no one gasped at the lack there of.
"Thank you," I replied, "I came to pay my respects in the Chamber of the Fayth. Would it be too much trouble for me to enter the cloister?"
There we go, that sure ruffled a few feathers.
"I'm sure the Lady Yuna knows the cloisters are closed since the incident with the fiends?" the priest challenged – a challenge I was prepared to accept.
"I am. Were it not for my friends and my I, there would be no temples to speak of. I only meant to ask out of courtesy to the temple. Technically I do not need permission to enter."
"You would go against us?"
"If you attempt to bar me from entering, then yes, I will."
By now, everyone in the temple stopped and were watching. If I were being honest with myself, I was kind of in shock at the way I was acting. However, I was not about to be bested by Yevon – not anymore. After realizing what a spectacle our conversation had been made out to be, the priest nodded once.
"Very well. The temple wishes to apologize for any inconvenience we have caused you, Lady Yuna. Feel free to proceed within the cloister."
"Thank you for understanding."
You know, I can't help but to think back to when you were around. Remember when we broke into Bahamut's temple? I was at a loss for words when Lulu told me what you had done that day – barging into the chamber without any regards to the teachings and taboo's. It seems that you've rubbed off on me...
Now that there is no aeon to obtain, the cloister of trials is permanently disabled. Until the fiends flooded the temples, people came and went as they pleased, sating their curiosity for what laid beyond those doors.
It might sound hypocritical, but I'm glad the temples refuse to let people enter. Aeons or not, this place is sacred to me. The summoners before me, they prayed like I did. They sacrificed more than I had – this place deserves to be preserved.
My footsteps echoed as I approached the anti-chamber. I kind of...just stood in the middle, staring at the flames etched into the golden walls. However many times I've been here before, something wasn't sitting right this time. I felt...scared – like I had committed some kind of crime against all that is holy in this place. As scared as I was feeling, I also felt compelled to speak, which was weird because...there was no one to speak to – not anymore, at least.
"What have I done to deserve such an uneasy feeling?" I whispered into the vacant room.
When I all heard was my voice bouncing off the walls, I laughed slightly at my ability to scare myself for no reason.
"Who am I kidding? Of course I shouldn't be scared, right? We gave you the ability to rest for eternity."
I decided to take that next step, and head into the actual chamber – the one I knew to be nothing more than a gaping hole that lead to the Farplane Abyss. Sure enough, as I approached the door, it opened when it sensed a summoner calling.
All this talk about machina being bad, and outlawed. Yet the temples ran off of them.
Sitting down by the hole swarmed with pyreflies, I wrapped my arms around my knees and just watched. While I listened to the ethereal cries, I couldn't help but to let my mind wander.
- Day One -
Entry Two: Kilika Temple, Chamber of the Fayth
I can't say for sure what it is, but being here has awakened something inside of me. I'm surrounded by the pyreflies in the temple, and in my head, I can remember a time when that just wasn't so. It's...haunting and unsettling.
When you're a summoner, at the sight of pyreflies, you have this strong urge to send them – maybe that's because you're duty-bound to do so. The thing is...how can I feel so strongly about sending them, if the farplane is right beneath me? They're already where they belong, right?
Maybe it's because when I see them, I think of you. That day, on the airship, that was the last time I ever preformed a sending – Auron was the last unsent, and then the aeons. I just can't help feeling that...one of these pyreflies...could be you, you know? I never went to the farplane to see if you were there, so I don't know for sure.
I could stand up right now, and preform a sending. The pyreflies would find their way beneath my feet, and rest. But that could be you, if you truly did exsist. I'm...scared I might lose you forever...
~ Yuna ~
As soon as my pen left the paper, I got a chill. The room became significantly colder, and my body shivered. There is something to be said about fighting off such strong urges. It can be awfully painful and energy draining – especially when these urges are magically bound to your soul inside and out. I don't deny these urges to be rebellious, or to take a stand. I don't preform sendings anymore because I have so much tied up in the balance – so much tied up, and equally as much to lose.
The longer I sat there, the colder it got, which didn't make any sense. The temples took on their respective aeons' elements – in this case, Ifrit represented fire. Shiva's temple was the cold one. Which begs the question...
"Why has it grown so cold?"
As if my outward question triggered it, a soft rumbling began under me. Trying to stand and keep my balance, I made my way toward the door, barely escaping as it slammed shut from the earthquake. Coughing from the stirred up dirt and debris, I squinted and looked on breathlessly.
"The entire chamber has been sealed off," I whispered as I stared at the collapsed door.
Bringing my hand to it, my fingers brushed it softly. The once golden door, was now charred black, like it had been set on fire.
"Lady Yuna!" I heard people calling in the distance.
Turning from the chamber door and to the exit, I replied, "I'm in the anti-chamber!"
As they rushed into the room where I stood, I turned back to see my hand still planted on the decimated ruins we once called the Chamber of the Fayth.
"What's going on in here?"
"I don't know," I whispered, "But I'm going to find out."
A/N: Just a few things before you guys kill me. I love Wakka and Lulu. All FFX and FFX-2 characters have a special place. I know everything they did and said to Yuna was out of love and concern, but sometimes I felt they needed to just step back and let her be her own person. That's kind of what I was trying to do in this chapter. As for Rikku, I felt she's not taken seriously enough half the time, and I felt she should be the one to tell them to step off in so many words. Paine seemed more like the type, but Rikku has more of a history with them and I felt that coming from her, it would have hit home more :)
I promise...I'm not trying to sully Wakka and Lulu. It will all come together in good time, so bear with me, kay? Much love!