AN: Thank you for reviews guys, you are all amazing! Did any of you watch Gippal's sphere in the game? I had a heart attack when I saw Auron on it. I was like yessss! Anyways, I got bored writing about the same characters all the time so in this chapter I brought in a few more!
Sad news : I probably wont get the next chapter up till the weekend - this is a really busy week for me and it looks like I might not even have time to sleep let alone write! But who needs sleep anyways? Not Auron!
Chapter 12
The Gullwings reached Besaid Island by evening time and Wakka greeted them at the entrance to the village with open arms. "I can't believe it, It's a boy!" He cried out to them, laughing all the time. Yuna and Rikku ran at him squealing with happiness while Paine walked past them.
"Congratulations Dad" She winked at him calmly. Yuna wriggled free from the group and ran off to his tent.
"Where's Lulu and the baby, Pops?" Rikku poked him in the belly.
"Follow Yuna!" He cried out, running after the High Summoner. Wakka stopped them as they got to the front entrance and raised a finger to his lips.
"Lu?" He called out quietly, "We got company, ya?"
"Let them in." Her calm voice responded from inside. Wakka lifted the cloth gently and YRP tip toed inside. Lulu was stretched out along the settee, herself and a small wriggling bundle wrapped in traditional Besaid cloth. She smiled gently at them, pushing her dark fringe away from her tired face.
"Come and meet him." She beckoned them over. The three edged closer, careful to avoid knocking over the many candles that were casting a warm glow around the tent. They held their breath as they saw the newborn child of two of their closest friends. He wriggled sleepily, the crown of his head was covered in little bronze hairs, his eyes had yet to open.
Yuna knelt beside Lulu, Rikku pulled a cushion to her chest as she made herself comfortable on the floor and Paine stood near the entrance, happy to observe this intimate occasion from afar.
"He's beautiful, ya?" Wakka whispered from the door, the sound of his voice coloured with awe. Yuna nodded, her eyes becoming watery.
"He's got your hair." Said Paine. She allowed a faintly contented smile show on her face.
"I hope he has Lu's eyes." Wakka agreed, noticing the similarity between Paine and Lulu's features.
"Can I hold him?" Yuna asked.
"Of course."
She reached out to take the baby from her. He settled easily in her arms, smacking his lips together whilst dreaming. She let out a nervous laugh and, after a while, looked around to see which of her friends would be next to hold him. Rikku held her arms out, catching the cloth and wrapping it around him as he settled on the cushion on her lap. Feeling the weight on her legs she wondered at the warmth and energy that seemed to come from this little person who was dreaming on her. She looked at Wakka and Lulu and shared in the happiness she felt in the room.
"Has he got a name yet?"
Lulu laughed watching the little person she'd brought into the world from the sofa. "Not yet, I've asked Wakka to decide." Three heads turned expectantly to him and he waved his hands nervously.
"Give me time, ya? A names a big decision to make, and I don't wanna mess it up."
"Well lets hope you decide on one before his first birthday." Said Paine, and everyone laughed, including the baby who hiccupped in agreement.
Rikku gazed down at him, cupping his bronze haired head in her hand. She'd never seen anything like it, anything so pure and beautiful, and sighed as she ran her finger along his tiny eyelashes. This was the first time she had ever come close to new life.
On the realisation of this she suddenly felt a huge well of emotion rising up inside of her. She couldn't figure out if it was good or bad, she just realised that over the past two weeks she had held both the living and the dead in her hands. She felt a heavy weight at the back of her throat and looked up, her eyes searching for the people in the room that were missing. She missed Auron, Tidus and Kimahri and, looking at Yuna, she knew she felt the same. A small tear ran down her cheek and landed on the baby's forehead. His eyes and mouth both opened as he came out of his dream and he let loose a startled wail.
"Oh no!" Rikku whispered.
"Here, let me." Paine took her gloves off and leaned down, scooping him up into her arms. She cooed delicately into his ear and the baby fell quickly back to sleep on her shoulder. Yuna clapped her hands together.
"Paine, you're a natural!" Paine smiled at her in response.
"Before I joined the Crusaders, I helped out at an orphanage in my village... I looked after a lot of babies." Her cold exterior had dropped revealing a softness that Yuna and Rikku had seen only on very rare occasions. She cuddled the baby one last time before passing him to his father who beamed down at him. He looked around the room and caught Rikku's eye.
"Rikku, you okay?" Rikku started as everyone look at her with concern, their eyes following the wet trail tears had left on her cheeks.
"Uh...yeah." She said, feeling a little embarrassed and wiping the tears away. "I...I'm just getting a little carried away...I'll just go get some fresh air..." She said before escaping out into the cold night. Her friends look to each other with raised eyebrows, wondering what had happened.
Outside, Rikku took a few gulps of air and focused her energy on bringing her emotions back into order. Night had taken over, and she could only just make out the lines of the temple at the centre of the village. The smell of newborn life clung to her hair and hands and she breathed it in. Auron, Tidus and Kimahri should be here, she thought to herself as she felt about in her pockets and pulled out the mini sphere Auron had given her. She wrapped her hands around it and held it to her chest, configuring it to send a signal to him. Time passed and she sighed when she felt no response. She felt with the conviction that resided at the very core of her body that their family of guardians were missing out on something they should be part of, so she resolved to send out a message, even if Auron didn't receive it.
Auron, I don't even know if you can, but if you're on the Farplane, can you tell Tidus that Wakka and Lulu had a baby boy. He's so beautiful. He has Wakka's hair and I think soon he'll have Lulu's eyes. Yuna loves him, and so does Paine, and so do I. You should both be here, you're part of the family. He wants to meet you.
And I miss you.
Her arms dropped to her side and she held down the emotion in her with her breath. Since the death of Sin, she had been to the Farplane herself on countless occasions with messages for Auron and Tidus just like this one. She had always felt that they had never really left them, and that somehow they were out there, listening to what she told them. She knew she was Al Bhed and that Al Bhed's typically didn't buy into the claims about the Farplane, but she had travelled to the very edge of the world with her friends and experienced how fine the line was between different times, dimensions, planes, the soul and the body. The wind wrapped around her shoulders and she shuddered as her skin tingled with cold. Her soul called out for a response from him but nothing came until she felt something grip her hand. She saw no one, but she recognised the pressure, the same pressure she had felt guiding her out from the sewers of the Via Purifico.
"Auron...?" She called out hesitantly, squinting into the darkness that hung over the village.
"I know you're there..." There was nothing except the feeling of a constant presence beside her. And for now, that was enough.
Auron was perched atop a large crystalline block at the beginning of the final length to Vegnagun. In the far distance he could see it's huge hulking shape, it's masterful design reminiscent of the organic styles of weaponry that were prevalent one thousand years ago.
Bevelle, he thought to himself, This is the result of your corruption and gluttony for power. You have betrayed my loyalty.
The rage that he had felt since being cast out so many year ago boiled ever more inside him. Bevelle had used the good people faithful to her. It was an old story, one that he didn't care to think about and wanted to finish, quick.
However, that would be the end of his own story, there would be no need for him on Spira and he would return to the safety of the flowing energy of the Farplane. At the thought of this, he felt dread, which was in itself preposterous. He already dead, how could he dread the end of his existence?
A small and distant voice was speaking. He closed his eyes to concentrate on it. It was familiar, soft and warm and he recognised it as Rikku's almost instantly. She sounded sad, and lonely. He wished he could be with her and pictured her tiny hand in his. He squeezed it.
Perhaps it wasn't the end of his existence that he dreaded, perhaps it was more that he would stop, and the people he knew on Spira would continue on without him. Rikku would grow into a beautiful woman, meet someone, fall in love, and forget about him. Would she stop coming to see him on the Farplane? He had never once revealed himself to her, instead opting to listen to the thoughts she sent him. Until she started coming less and less, spending more time at Sanubia Sands, probably with the imbecile who's life he had saved earlier.
Taking himself by surprise, he punched the ground underneath him.
"What's the matter, Auron?" A familiar voice called out from bellow him. He jumped off the block and greeted his old friend.
"Lord Braska?" He was confused as to what the High Summoner was doing revealing himself in the heart of the Farplane. Braska sighed.
"Please, address me by my name, not my title, friend. We have known each other too long." They embraced.
"But you can call me Sir Jecht, I don't mind." Jecht appeared beside his friend, face grinning, arms crossed. "Or maybe even Lord Jecht if you like."
"The only person that will be called Lord here is The Lord in which you are privileged to be standing next to, Jecht." Auron scorned him. They each sized each other up before bursting into cathartic laughter and embracing.
"Even after all this free time you have on Spira, you're still a stiff Auron."
"And even after all this time on the Farplane I see you're still as immature as ever." They smiled at each other.
"Auron, the Fayth has sent us." Braska's tone had a note of urgency. "They implore you to leave the living to deal with the livings problems."
Jecht rested an arm on Auron's shoulder. "Yeah Auron, They don't need you. Spira's like a baby right now, it needs to learn how to walk."
Auron snorted. "Impressive Jecht, perhaps your time on the Farplane has done you good." Jecht punched him playfully on the shoulder.
"They Fayth say that by staying on Spira you are disrupting the energy flow, Auron." Braska cut in again. Auron's eye flared open.
"Disrupting the energy flow?!" Auron's rage boiled over. "Leave the living to deal with the livings problems?!" Auron turned his back on them and pointed out towards Vegnagun.
"Over there a one thousand year old spirit has possessed a living person and is planning to destroy Spira, and you're telling me the Fayth think I'm disrupting the energy flow? That this problem has nothing to do with us?" He spat on the ground,
"We are all linked, Braska, all of us." Braska and Jecht looked at each other. The air around them was beginning to grow static and far off in the distance Vegnagun shifted position. Braska took Auron by the shoulders.
"Control yourself Auron, Vegnagun is incredibly sensitive to hostility, we cannot risk aggravating it." Auron took a deep breath and looked to the floor, apologising.
"Braska, Jecht, I cannot return to the Farplane." said Auron quietly, changing the subject. "I cannot give myself over to the Fayth, not with so much anger inside me." Braska and Jecht nodded sympathetically at him.
"I have given my life for others, and now I want to take it back, I want a chance to live again."
""Auron..."
"I left many things unresolved, and denied myself..."At this Jecht burst into laughter. Auron grunted in annoyance.
"Braska, Auron's found himself a girl friend."
Braska raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Auron, you can't-"
"I know Braska. I haven't. I..." He threw Jecht a glare as he watched him buckle over into peals of laugher. "Jecht, behave yourself."
"Ha...yes Sir." said Jecht, giving him a laid back captain's salute.
"Who is she?" Braska asked.
"She's..." your niece... Auron could barely put the words together himself. He avoided Braska's eye and sighed in exasperation. "It's not important right now, I need to go to Vegnagun." He turned to walk off and his friends fell into line behind them. Sensing he was being followed, he stopped.
"I will not stop my mission." He said to them with concrete gravity.
"Who said we were going to stop you?" Said Jecht.
"But the Fayth..."
"The Fayth sent us, yes, but nothing will stop a father from protecting his daughter." Said Braska.
"Well," Said Auron as he watched Jecht do a few stretches to wake himself up, "I suppose I'd better explain what I know about Vegnagun on the way then..."