64: A Chilly Reception
Leaving Remiem was easier than getting in; the Marauder's remains were still where they'd left them and the climb down wasn't as hard as getting up had been. They began the journey to the base of Mount Gagazet immediately. Of course the Calm Lands remained as deceptively named as they were filled with fiends. Despite that, the group made good time across the plains - crossing seemed to get easier each time they did it.
Braska only tried calling upon the Magus Sisters once. As with Yojimbo, summoning the aeons didn't send him into Rapture. Even so, they'd simply done as they pleased no matter how he tried to negotiate with them, to his dismay. The three aeons had minds of their own, and seemed to find little value in fighting unimportant battles for the rest of them. They weren't even interested in money as a bribe, and so they remained a mystery. Or, as Braska liked to call them, 'flowers yet to bloom.'
Rikku figured the sisters were saving their energy for Sin. Or that they were sulking because their long rest was finally being disturbed. Either way, even though they were obviously powerful, they were even more unreliable than Yojimbo - whom Auron had forbid Braska from calling on, except in case of 'emergencies.'
This time when they reached the foot of the mountain, Braska led them up the rocky path. It was nearly as cold as it had been at Lake Macalania. Snow littered the ground, drifting continuously downward from the mountainside's strong winds, and long shadows cast by the ancient pillars lining the path darkened the journey.
Rikku watched Auron from the corner of her eye; it was rare that he'd let Braska take the lead in unknown territory. He said nothing, however, keeping his eyes on the ground and a scowl on his face.
"We should stop here," Braska said when they crossed the final stone gate signifying the start of the long path to Zanarkand. "It's time to don our gear. This wind will only get worse the higher we climb."
Jecht was already halfway into his pack, pulling out every article of clothing he still owned in an attempt to layer himself into warmth. "Yeah, so I thought the Ronso lived here," he said as he searched for his cloak. "Where the hell are they? … An' where the hell's my thermal underwear?"
"The Ronso will reveal themselves if - or when - they feel it's necessary. It wasn't too long ago that the Ronso were considered little better than a race or beasts by the Church. That caution won't fade overnight," Auron grunted, also digging through his pack. "But they have never hindered a Summoner from completing their Pilgrimage. The mountain does that all on its own."
Shivering, Rikku pulled her cloak tighter around her arms.
"Rikku. I need your help." Braska's voice cut through her thoughts, and she looked up to see him watching her closely.
"Me?" She pointed at herself, and Auron and Jecht stopped rummaging to look between them.
"Why?" Auron asked, curt.
Braska looked away. Then he met Auron's fierce stare. "I want to make a recording. For Yuna." He turned back to Rikku. "Will you assist me?"
"S-sure," Rikku mumbled, her hands going to her pack to sort through her spheres. Passing over the Berserker one - yikes - she finally settled on a sphere and prepared it for recording. "So, umm, where do you want to do this?"
"One place is as good as the next. Though I'd like her to have a view of the sky." Braska looked up against the blustering winds, and the clouds hanging heavy and low to the earth. "Well, what little you can see of it here." He cast about, finally deciding on a spot and pointing. "There, perhaps? It might provide some shelter from the wind."
"Hmph," Auron said, dropping the frosty stare. "Send her my greetings, then," he said after a moment. A muscle in his cheek jumped, and he turned and strode away quickly, crossing his arms and looking out over the mountainside.
He loves Yuna too. And he knows… This is Braska's last goodbye.
Jecht, not catching any of the nuance, brightened at Auron's words. "Oh hey yeah! Tell your lil' girl hi from me too!"
Braska smiled faintly. "Of course, Jecht. Now, if you'll excuse us… I would like some privacy." He beckoned to Rikku, and trudged towards his chosen spot.
Chewing the inside of her lip, Rikku followed after. Working quietly with Braska, she positioned him against the mountainside several times until she found a spot where she could catch most of the terrible light. There was nothing she could do about the wind, but Braska waved away her concern.
"She will understand," he said. "Let's begin."
Pressing down on the sphere control, it winked into life, and she looked up at Braska and nodded.
His posture stiffened and a bright smile crossed his face. "Hello, Yuna! We've reached Mount Gagazet, finally. Auron and Jecht have been taking very good care of me, and I -" He stopped, and his shoulders sagged. "Shut it off," he said, turning away.
She did as he asked. "What's wrong?"
"Everything." Braska gestured helplessly around him. "This is all fake. I want to leave something behind for Yuna which is real." He looked over at Auron in the distance, the guardian's back ramrod straight as he stood against the stiff winds.
"I… should try harder," he said after a moment. "This may be my last chance to be honest with her. Honesty. That is my greatest weakness, isn't it." He barked out a dry laugh. "But she is my daughter. I want to leave something better for her than my castles of sand." He turned around and straightened his robes. "Let's begin again."
"Just be yourself this time," Rikku said, manipulating the controls. "Yunie will understand what you mean. And you're good to go."
Braska unfolded his arms and looked directly into the sphere. He took a deep breath. "Hello, Yuna. I hope you are well." His eyes settled on Rikku, and crinkled in a silent smile that didn't reach his lips. "I wonder how old you are, now that you're watching this sphere. You must be very beautiful, like your mother. I wish I could see you."
Something caught in his voice, and he stopped speaking, turning away from the sphere instead.
Is he… gonna cry?
He seemed to focus on Auron, drawing strength from his friend's unmoving figure. Then he turned back and faced her.
"Oh, by the way… Jecht and Auron send their regards. So far, our journey has been very entertaining. Of course, it is a hard journey, but…" He paused, eyes closed. When he opened them again, his voice was firmer. "I have no regrets. It is the path I have chosen."
His eyes flicked to Rikku again, and he nodded at the sphere. "Yuna, when you have grown, you will have to find your own path. Do what you must do, the way you want to do it. Doors will always open themselves to those who do." Fervor seemed to fill him, and his voice was laced with intensity. "Listen close, Yuna. Your future is yours to make. Live the way you want to."
Exhaling deeply, he leaned back, as if a burden had been lifted from his shoulders. "Whatever way that may be, you have your father's full support. Yuna... I will always be with you."
He gave the sphere one last, sad smile, and then walked forward. Quickly, Rikku shut off the recording.
"I think that came out good," she told him, handing him the sphere for inspection.
Braska shook his head. "That is for Yuna, not me. I want you to give it to her, later. That's why I asked for your help," he said in a low undertone, grabbing her hand and squeezing it. "Can I entrust this to you? Please, Rikku. It's very important to me."
Rikku nodded, feeling the full pressure of Braska's desperation and resolve. "I… I'll make sure she gets it," she promised. "Oui ryja so funt."*
Braska smiled at her, releasing her hand. "Thank you. Now go, before Auron gets too jealous."
I don't think jealousy is what he's feeling right now, she thought, her eyes straying to Auron, who still hadn't moved. But she nodded at Braska anyway. "Go on, get ready. I'm just gonna pack up."
She waited for Braska to leave before looking around in the snow. Spotting a crevice, she carefully nestled the sphere deep against the rock, scooping snow over it to ensure the winds wouldn't blow it off the mountainside..
"Tidus… be sure you show this to Yunie later on," she whispered as she patted a bit more snow over Braska's message, completely obscuring the soft glow of the sphere.
An exclamation drew her attention back to the others; Jecht was standing beside Auron now, who'd actually moved. They were both pointing at something. Scrambling to her feet, Rikku rushed over towards them. "What's up?" she asked, checking her wrist to make sure the Godhand was in place.
"There's some kinda fight goin' on down there!" Jecht said, pointing below. Peering over the cliff, Rikku squinted. Then her eyes widened.
Kimahri?!
"Those two bastards are totally pickin' on that lil' guy!" Jecht growled, forgetting that he was still bare-chested in his righteous indignation. "That's bullyin'! We should go down an' help him-"
"Ronso take care of Ronso matters," Auron said, pulling Jecht back. "They might take offense to us even witnessing this battle. You don't know who started that fight, either. It's best we don't get involved."
"Oy! But look! Those two are decimatin' him! If we don't do somethin' -"
There was a sharp crack, and everyone fell silent.
Oh, Kimahri, Rikku thought with a wince. He was smaller, to be sure, and he didn't even have his full beard yet, nor the signature wings strapped to his back. But she could still see the fierce pride in him. Or more accurately, see it seeping out of him as Biran's laughter echoed against the mountainside.
"Weak Ronso should know their place!" Biran roared as he held the broken half of Kimhari's horn over his head.
"Hornless!" Yenke, the other Ronso, sneered, his words reverberating through the canyon.
Biran closed his fist, and Kimahri's broken horn splintered into several pieces in his palm, which he then threw over Kimahri's prone form with obvious disgust.
"Mountain hate the small and weak," Biran spat. "Kimahri no true Ronso of Gagazet. You live with shame forever."
The two larger Ronso stalked away, their tails waving pridefully as they laughed. Meanwhile, Kimahri lay face-down in the snow, motionless.
"Oy," Jecht said, though all the heat had left his voice. "That lil' guy…"
Auron sighed. "Leave him," he said, turning away, and stopping short when he met Braska's disapproving look directly behind him.
"Would it be so wrong to show a little mercy and compassion to someone in need, Auron?"
"C'mon, man, they just broke his horn!" Jecht added. "We gotta see if he's okay! If he doesn't get up soon, he's gonna freeze to death out here, fur or not!"
"You don't know Ronso law, Jecht. Their horns are a point of pride. If this was a matter of honor, we may do more damage by interfering than not. That Ronso down there may well rather die than have outsiders witness his shame."
Rikku fished out a healing potion from her pouch, and pressed it into Auron's hands. "Would you really be okay with leaving him there to die, though?" she asked him. "That would be the Ronso's way of taking care of him. We're outcasts too, remember? Maybe he won't mind a helping hand."
"Yeah, well, you do you, 'cause I ain't waitin'," Jecht declared, already trying to make his way down the cliffside.
"Wait," Auron groaned, taking the potion from Rikku's hand. "Jecht, get back here. Put your winter gear on or you'll join that Ronso in the snow once exposure gets to you." He turned to Braska. "Wait for me here, my lord. I still think we shouldn't overwhelm him with our presence." He glanced at Rikku, the apology clear in his eyes.
Rikku raised her hand and shook her head. "No, I get it. Al Bhed on the holy mountain. I won't add insult to injury," she insisted. "Just help him out before something bad happens, okay?"
Auron smiled briefly and leaned in for a quick kiss, then turned and began to step-slide down the cliffside.
"Now then. Auron is correct, and that Ronso will certainly not appreciate gawkers when he comes to," Braka said briskly. "Jecht, don your clothing. Rikku, back away from the edge, if you would."
They made themselves scarce, and Rikku listened intently for the sound of Auron's voice, as he brought Kimahri back to consciousness and informed him of what had happened. She settled against the snow, goggles over her eyes, and peered at the scene below.
Auron helped Kimahri sit up, speaking in low tones. He gestured at Kimahri's head, and the young Ronso's hand flew to his forehead, reaching for the horn that was no longer there. There was a brief, piercing, and mournful howl of loss, and Rikku buried her face in the snow, ashamed of having witnessed it.
Auron was right… we shouldn't be here, she thought. The Kimahri she knew was stoic and expressionless; much like Auron, this younger version of himself hadn't yet learned to control his emotions. She'd never seen despair on a Ronso before, and it felt like she'd intruded on a moment in her Ronso friend's life that was his alone.
Shimmying back from the cliffside, she joined the others further along the path, subdued by the revelation.
"Is everything all right?" Braska asked her softly.
"Auron's safe, but I don't think that Ronso's very happy right now. I also don't think he'd want us to see him," she said, eyes downcast.
"Auron is a man of honor. I'm sure that Ronso will understand it, eventually," Braska replied. "At the least, we saved a life today."
"I just wish we could do more," she mumbled, turning as they heard the sound of Auron's heavy footsteps approaching.
"... His name is Kimahri," Auron told the others. "He was the one who challenged the other two. I don't think he expected it to escalate to this. But you never know, with the Ronso. He seems to think losing his horn will mean exile." He paused. "He may be right. I told him to find the Fangs in Luca, but I'm not sure he'll listen. He certainly didn't want to come with me." He frowned. "We've done all we could for him. What happens from this point on is his decision alone. That is the Ronso way."
Rikku nodded, still feeling cold. "It's a dumb way," she muttered under her breath.
"Change comes slowly," Braska replied, giving her a comforting pat on the back. "Perhaps one day, the Ronso will emerge from their lairs and allow us to greet them. Maybe this Kimahri will be the one to bring them out, and this is the catalyst. Not every dire situation has to lead to a hopeless conclusion."
Auron growled, low in his throat, and stalked away.
"What's up with him?" Jecht stared after Auron, crossing his arms. "He's been grumpier than usual since Remiem."
"Give him his space. Except for you. If there's anyone who can convince Auron to believe in the impossible, it would be you," Braska said, directing the latter half of his command to Rikku.
"Yeah," she replied with a smile she didn't really feel, and Belgemine's warning chasing after her.
A/N: * "You have my word."