56: Shared Burdens
Rikku watched as Auron and Jecht disappeared into the tall, swaying grass.
I hope I made the right decision.
Sighing, she turned around to face her last—and only—companion for the next few days. "Ready to skedaddle?"
"Skedaddle?" Braska rose stiffly, wincing with each movement. "I'm more likely to limp, as it stands. Auron truly has no mercy."
"He's just looking out for you," she hummed, shouldering her pack.
…Well, maybe that was stretching the truth a little. Auron had spent their last few days running Braska into the ground through a brutal "training" regimen—so brutal, in fact, that Braska had dropped into mana fatigue after too many self-heals.
It didn't help that Auron had forbidden him from the use of any stimulants to assist in his recovery. "It builds character," Auron had said, utterly serious.
She almost felt a little sorry for the summoner, but if Jecht could survive it, so could Braska.
Orienting herself on the plains, she scanned the horizon, secretly crossing her fingers for luck. "I think it's this way." That direction looked Mount Gagazet-ish… probably.
"You think?" Braska echoed, struggling with his own pack. "Do you prize ambiguity that much or do you actually know where we're going?"
"We'll find out!" She brushed him off with a smirk. "If we're lucky and fast enough, we might make it to the canyon in a day or so."
"Luck you can provide with your belt. I fear my speed will be lacking, though." He hobbled next to her, using his staff as a walking stick. "Well. Ladies first."
Sending him a suspicious look, she began to move.
Although their hike started off slow, gradually Braska was able to match her pace as he warmed to the exertion.
It still felt like they were plodding through the vast plain at the speed of an Adamantoise, though.
She tried to keep herself busy by scouting through the grasses for signs of fiends, but they were, for once, making themselves unusually scarce.
Which was why, when Braska—who'd seemed content with silence—spoke up, she jumped in surprise and nearly twisted an ankle.
He cleared his throat. "I find myself wondering—"
Oh, here we go.
He huffed, noticing her expression. "You do realize I am not such a cad as to encroach upon your dignity mere hours after we separated from Auron?"
"Really?" She squinted at him.
"...Very well. I suppose you have a right to be cautious. However, you may let down your guard. I merely wanted to question you about the money you requested. Whatever do we need all of that for?"
"Oh!" Rikku jostled the heavy sacks tied to her belt; she'd practically forced Auron to part with more than half of their remaining cash.
"There are no shops here on the plains, and nothing of significance to purchase from the Ronso settlement," Braska continued. "And there certainly are no vendors left in Zanarkand. Are you thinking of using those coins as weapons again?"
"Not really." She chewed her lower lip, trying to figure out the best way to break it to their resident money-sink. "We're going after Yojimbo, right? See, he's kind of this… mercenary type, and the summoners who find him…" She trailed off and eyed Braska, full of misgivings.
Catching her look, his eyebrows rose, as if to ask, 'What have I even done now?'
Taking the plunge, she said, "To convince him to serve you… you have to haggle… with gil."
There was a beat of silence. "You wish for me to bargain with an aeon?" He blinked. "You wish for me. To bargain. With our gil. Are you quite certain about this?"
"And here I thought you'd be all hung up on the aeon wanting your money part."
"Oh no, that's quite fascinating as well. But it's all a bit of a shock." His confusion morphed into a tiny smile. "I've learned to take the surprises you hide for me in stride. I suppose it's instinctual by now." His eyes flickered beyond her and he grew somber. "Speaking of surprises…"
The unmistakable sound of an Ogre stomping through the nearby grass drew close.
The creature came to a standstill as it spotted them, pausing and flaring its nostrils. Then it smiled, lumbering towards them.
"Shall I cast—" Braska's words cut off as Rikku activated the Berserker dressphere.
"Get in my way and you're asking for it!" she growled at the fiend, bouncing in place to stretch her limbs.
The Ogre roared back and raised its fists.
"By all means then, go ahead," she heard Braska mutter, before an array of buffering spells flowed over her.
"This is my kill! Besides, I wanna try out this outfit a little more. Y'know, test the limits." Grinning, she leapt towards the Ogre. Whipping into an aerial spin, she stretched her arms to slash at the fiend's head. Her claws slipped through the air, missing the Ogre's face by inches and instead neatly clipping off both of its long, dangling sideburns.
The unexpected haircut enraged the fiend enough to roar and drop its arms; it lunged towards her.
She ducked and weaved through its wild sings, trying to draw it away from Braska's position. But the Ogre caught on quicker than expected, beady eyes gleaming as it refused to follow.
"These ones are more intelligent than other fiends," Braska called. "Do you need some support?"
"Naw, I got this," she yelled back, rocking in place. "Don't draw its attention! Save your offensive spells—we don't want to call anything else to join the party—"
She cut herself off, barely avoiding the Ogre's sudden swipe; a gust of wind passed her by.
She narrowed her eyes. You wanna end it quick, huh? I'll give you quick!
Arms outstretched, she tilted and threw her upper body towards the ground while balancing on one leg, propelling her into a low spin while extending her opposite leg in a high kick.
The Ogre slapped away the first blow but buckled when her second kick slipped through its flailing arms and landed with a satisfying crack on its jaw.
The fiend staggered backwards, squealing in pain. Its massive, bearded chin dangled limply, dislocated on the side she'd struck her blow. It tried to raise its arms into another guard, but she mirrored it, stepping right into its personal space.
"Nuh-uh," she sang, shuffling her feet to confuse the fiend.
As expected, it eyed her footwork, but rallied and tried to block her when she raised a leg to stomp on its knee.
Gotcha. As soon as its guard dropped, she leaned back and snapped her leg forward. Her foot smashed into the other side of the Ogre's jaw with enough power to shatter the remaining joint.
The fiend landed on its back with an earth-rattling impact, keening. Its face, already grotesque, was now distended and rapidly swelling. One last, vicious stomp aimed at the fiend's nose was all it took to smash it into clouds of drifting pyreflies.
"Too easy!" Dusting herself off, she struck a victory pose. A slow clap made her drop the stance and spin around.
Braska was walking towards her with a wry smile on his face. "Impressive. I'm flattered to be able to inspire such skill in battle with my behavior." A mischievous grin crossed his face. "And quite alluring as well. Are you certain you have no interest in sympathetic coitus?"
Deactivating the dressphere, Rikku wrinkled her nose. "Eww. And no." She paused. "Besides, how could you be thinking about that while watching me literally deface an Ogre? That's… kind of messed up."
"I only offer my advances in the spirit in which they are received."
"You mean utter hopelessness?"
"Since you insist," he replied easily, unperturbed. His grin faded into a more thoughtful expression. "I was thinking that it is rather strange, though. That dressphere should be a reflection of myself, yet when you wear it you are so…"
"Suave? Sexy? Good-looking?"
Braska shot her a flat, unappreciative look. "Violent," he corrected. "It is as if you would tear the whole world apart with your bare hands, if you could."
She looked at him, struck by a stab of pity.
Auron's voice rang through her head, "Maybe that's his plan: induce pity, attempt seduction."
But, sad as it was, it was also possible this wasn't part of some master scheme on Braska's part. Maybe he really didn't understand himself.
"They reflect who you are on the inside," she said, resuming their slow hike towards the base of the mountain. "Whenever you're confused, upset, or angry, you just bottle all those things up and smile like nothing bothers you. All that pain has to go somewhere, you know. And if you don't let it out around others, then… kaboom, I guess."
"Perhaps you have a point," he mused, beginning to look unsettled. "I am still attracted to you."
Rikku cursed as she tripped. Well, that answers that—
But, Braska wasn't even paying her any attention. He seemed to be thinking out loud, staring into the distance. "My lust and jealousy hardly contain the strength of emotion that would warrant this violent, surging presence," he continued. "If it is a reflection as you claim, I lack the physical means to become that sort of a fighter. I also hardly have the…" He paused diplomatically. "...courage to display those talents as you do. I suspect your exaggerated behavior in that dressphere is a facet of your own personality, not mine."
"Nope! Wrong." She smiled at Braska's startled expression. "You're really focused, you know? It's something I admire about you."
She watched his features light at her compliment. I hope this doesn't give him ideas… Shaking off her doubts, she pressed on.
"Even when things are hopeless, once you make a decision, you stick with it. Like, still chasing me, even though you know you don't have an icicle's chance in Bikanel anymore."
He held a hand over his heart in exaggerated dismay. "You wound me, my Lady."
"I'm not your Lady, and you're the one wounding yourself," she sniped, rolling her eyes. "Even when you know things will end badly…" She swallowed and ignored the obvious parallel to his Pilgrimage. "...you just grit your teeth and keep going. You're actually… really brave."
"Brave?" He sounded pleased, and—
Scratch that, he's coming to the wrong conclusions after all.
"... except when it comes to Yunie," she added in a rush.
"What?"
"Well, it's true! She's only seven and you can't even face her!"
Braska froze; Rikku kept walking. After a moment, he rushed to catch up with her. "What do you mean? Returning to Bevelle now would mean walking directly into Kinoc's trap!"
"That's not the only thing I meant," she muttered.
Scoffing, Braska frowned. "My actions have hardly hurt her any more than remaining stagnant in Bevelle would have. Do you think the Church of Yevon was kind to us? That they would have let either of us continue our days in peaceful poverty? I am doing all of this to protect my daughter. In fact, according to you, in doing so I have made her stronger."
"Is that what you really think?" She pursed her lips, trying to keep her rising temper in check. "You crippled her, you know?"
Braska placed a hand on her arm. "You are angry? At me?"
Shrugging off his hold, she glanced at him, then grimaced. It wasn't fair to Braska, at least not yet, she knew; it was his death that had finally twisted Yuna, not his life. And even though Yuna's own Pilgrimage had worked out in the end, the resentment was still there, sitting hot and heavy in her chest like a weight she couldn't shake.
"You made her afraid of losing the people she loves. You made her believe they'd always leave her in the end. That's why—" She became a summoner. She chased down every scrap of information the Gullwings could find about Tidus no matter how far-fetched it was. And that she brought Tidus back with her own two hands. "—why she got strong. You scabbed her over."
Braska's faltered, mouth drawn into a tight line. "I made the right decision. You told me that. I cannot go back now."
What Braska deserved it or not, there were some things he needed to face. "How'd you feel when Aunt Raenn died?" It was a low blow, but Rikku wasn't in the mood to be charitable. "That's how you made Yuna feel after your Pilgrimage. Ever think about that? You're her whole world, and you're bowing out of it by choice."
"I love my daughter. She will survive this."
"Oh, she'll learn how to fly," she answered, sniffing. "But only because she grew her own pair of wings."
Another fiend stirred the grasses ahead of them, and Rikku re-activated her Berserker dressphere. Before charging, she turned to look Braska in the eye.
"I think you know what you did, too. This outfit… it's not just your lust. It's your rage." She cracked her knuckles, grim. "This is you, alright. Own up to it." Then she left before, gritting her teeth.
He didn't try to stop her this time.
.x.x.x.
Wow, we actually made it before sunset! And only two days behind schedule. I can't believe I got us here this time!
Rikku valiantly ignored the previous three days' progress, or lack thereof. Her directional sense had steered them wrong four times already. Braska had complained, more than once, that it was a secret conspiracy she'd concocted with Auron to lengthen his "training regime."
Stupid. Why on Spira would I subject myself to this torture too?
Relieved by their progress, Rikku surveyed the narrow mountain pass leading towards the foothills of Mount Gagazet. The sun was setting, but it didn't make much of a difference from where they stood in the shadowy valley. The tall mountains managed to block out most of the light even on the sunniest of days.
"We should make camp here," she declared, pausing before a rickety wooden bridge leading over the canyon. "It's too dangerous to go any further today."
"Too dangerous? You've recklessly thrown yourself into handling everything we've come across so far, and really, when was the last time you deactivated the dressphere? This costume has not improved your personality in the slightest."
"You're the one with the problem, Mister 'This isn't me!'" She stuck her tongue out. Arguing with him had gotten old on day one.
Braska apparently felt the same; he'd given up on open confrontation and had resorted to lengthy silences or pointed sniping when they clashed. But even that had tapered off within the last day. The breakneck pace she'd maintained would've made even Auron proud.
"What could you possibly consider to be too dangerous?" Despite Braska's sharp words, his tone was anything but. He looked pale and listless. Aside from his physical exhaustion, their stilted disagreements didn't seem to be helping him along, either.
"Too dangerous for you," she clarified. "You're dead on your feet." When he didn't argue, she dropped her stiff posture and wilted. "Okay, so maybe I'm a little tired, too. Let's rest here for the night."
Sighing, Braska limped off towards the nearest rock face, searching for a suitable area to make camp. At least he was too worn down to continue arguing.
Like I'm one to talk. Whether the tense silence between them or giving in to the Berserker sphere's compulsive competitiveness was to blame, the end result was the same: she was also bone-weary. "I think I overdid it," she mumbled, snapping off a few of the bridge's flagpoles.
"Rikku!" Braska scolded, eying the increasingly shabby-looking bridge. "The vandalism is inappropriate."
"Freezing our butts off while getting chomped by fiends is also inappropriate," she shot back, hefting the wood over her shoulder. "But fine. Thanks be to Yevon," she yelled as she snapped off another pole.
"Please stop before you completely destroy that bridge. Remember, we still need to use it later."
"Yeah, yeah. Spoilsport." Gathering the remaining wood, she trudged toward Braska and started making camp.
Only after they were both comfortably settled around a crackling campfire did Rikku power down her Garment Grid. The weariness that hit her was sudden and unexpected; she'd never worn a dressphere continuously for so long before. "Hey… I don't feel so good," she whimpered, before pitching face-first towards the fire.
"Look out!" Braska, fortunately, managed to keep her from losing her eyebrows to the licking flames with a lucky catch, throwing her back. Then he overbalanced, sending them crashing into the ground in the opposite direction.
"Owwie," she wheezed. "...and thanks. Nice save, but can you… y'know?" She tried and failed to push away the heavy arm he'd thrown over her shoulders.
He mumbled incoherently into the ground, then rolled over onto his back, releasing her. On the bright side, he seemed too dispirited to take advantage of his position. "Really?" he groaned, not even trying to rise from his ungainly sprawl. "I do not have the stamina of my youth anymore. You are expecting too much of me right now."
"Ha ha," she deadpanned. Shrugging, she didn't make any attempt to sit up, either. "I haven't felt this tired since we swam to Baaj."
He grunted in assent, eyes still closed. "This is entirely your own fault. You pushed us into that impossible pace while handling all of the fiends. I told you to let me assist you."
"I was sure I could handle it!" she protested, trying to sit up.
Oww! Nope.
With a hiss, she gave up until the world stopped see-sawing. "Besides, look at you. It's not like you could handle it either. I'm the one who did all the work and you're still totally beat!"
"Sharing the burden tends to make it easier for both parties to bear," he insisted, turning his head enough to glare at her. "You brought this upon yourself by overestimating your capabilities. Must you be so stubborn in refusing my aid?"
"Yeah. If I give you an inch, you'll take a mile. At least you can't grope me when you're like this."
"And you cannot even sit up."
They both fell stubbornly silent, caught at an impasse. Rikku blinked when Braska sniggered. Turning her head, she caught his look of amusement.
"This is absurd," he said after a moment. "Our mutual pride shall be our undoing. Or was that my pride? It is, after all, my dressphere."
She matched his smile with a tiny one of her own. "So, you're finally admitting you're wrong?"
"Now, I did not say that," he protested. "But perhaps you are not entirely mistaken about that costume." His voice grew pensive. "I've always believed it was my duty to walk the path I do. That it was my fate. You… make me question everything I believe." He glanced at her again. "Why do you try to induce doubt in my beliefs, when you know my sacrifice will save your world?"
She twitched her fingers, pressing her palms into the soft grass. "Maybe there are more worlds out there than mine," she said softly. "Worlds where you don't have to die. Where you and Yunie can be together again, the way a real family should be. Maybe there's even a world where Auron and I can be together, too."
Braska's gaze bored into her. "... I have been entirely selfish all this time, haven't I?"
She was surprised to see sadness and some sort of realization etched on his face when she looked at him.
"Well, you kinda have a right to be—"
"You said our sacrifices paved the way for your future. Not mine. Ours." He paused. "Despite your relationship with Auron, you would forfeit—"
"Stop!" Blades of grass tore under her clenching fingers. "Don't say it." Unable to bear the look in his eyes, she turned away. "Tell me about how you met Auron. I want to know more about him. Everything."
The silence drew out between them, long and painful. The shallow breaths she gulped down were louder in her ears than even the crackling of the fire. "Please," she added, quiet and desperate.
Don't think about it, don't think about it, don't think about it—
Her heart nearly leapt out of her chest when she felt a gentle touch on her hand; broken bits of grass and dirt were brushed away, then warm fingers gripped her own. She clutched onto his hand like it was a lifeline.
"...He was very devout back then," Braska replied, his voice gentle. "Confused, and hurting. He looked to the Church for his answers. He was younger than you when we first met. Nineteen, I believe, and already a rising star within the warrior-monks. Destined for greatness." Braska chuckled lowly. "He was very good at killing things, you see. But he hated himself and his work. I thought I could save him. Show him Yevon's light, rather than the Church's darkness."
"So, he really was a Yevonite fanatic?"
"Very much so. One might say I was something of an… exit counselor, I suppose. A strange task for a missionary of Yevon. But I felt I had to save him. The Maesters were warping the Teachings into something base and corrupt, and he was strangling himself upon them. For all of his strength, Auron was more fragile than you could know… and he wanted to change. Besides, I have always been very persuasive. Convincing him to give up on that path was very similar to my previous proselytizing, in fact. I have always believed in promoting the greater good in Yevon's name, rather than pedantic adherence to the Teachings."
The words were hard to hear, but unsurprising. She'd guessed as much from her first, confrontational encounter with Auron in this time. "So, you're the one who got him to quit the monks? That couldn't have made that old fart Mika very happy."
"Oh, nothing so extreme!" he reassured, squeezing her hand. "My mission was very important. I had already established my reputation by then, and Maester Mika felt Auron would be a useful addition to the Al Bhed delegation, as you well know. It was not a far reach to request Auron as a personal bodyguard as they had no idea of my influence over him. And it did free him from the clutches of the monks… and Kinoc."
"Ugh." She suppressed a shudder. "How can Auron still be friends with that jerk? Kinoc hates your guts, you know. I think he wants to kill you."
"I suspected as much," Braska replied. "But Wen is not the malevolent force you would cast him to be. In his own way, he has also rebelled from the failures and hypocrisies of the Teachings, albeit in a manner different from Auron's. Regardless, he did his best to protect Auron in his own way, even after Auron's dishonorable discharge from the warrior monks. Kinoc has always strove to defend Auron's position and reputation within the Church. Were Wen not blinded by his own ambition, he might have been…"
"A good person?" She snorted. "Auron can be stubborn about holding on to things he cared about."
"Despite his rebellion against Yevon's establishment, I couldn't sway Kinoc to my side." A note of regret tinged Braska's words. "He meant well, but his relationship with Auron was poisonous. Kinoc revels in the very political games that tortured Auron. In the end, I thought distance would do them both some good, so I brought Auron along with me. In doing so I earned Kinoc's enmity."
"... and then you met Aunt Raenn, blew up half of Home on your way out, and earned yourself a little enmity with the rest of the Church and the Al Bhed. Great going, by the way."
"I am not entirely to blame for that fiasco!" he spluttered, hand spasming over her own. "Believe it or not, Raenn was the instigator of much of that mischief. It is not as though Auron or I knew heads or tails of those machina grenades she flung around with so much abandon, and she was very upset with your father." His indignation faded into a soft smile. "The two of you are more alike than you know. You would have to be, to evoke such strong feelings in my heart."
Rikku swallowed and released Braska's hand. "And there you've gone and made it all weird again." Ignoring the pain, she forced herself to sit up with a groan. "Can't you just give up already?"
There was a rustle of cloth as Braska pulled himself up, seemingly unphased by her retreat. "I've told you once before. It's no simple thing to change my feelings. I, too, am very stubborn, as you've found out." He eyed her Berserker sphere pointedly. "But you are mistaken. I was not trying to woo you to my side. Your friendship is much more important to me than my own desires—you're the only one I seem to be able to be honest with."
"Huh," she answered, subdued. That… tracked. He hadn't been trying to put the moves on her, not even after stumbling onto the truth about Auron's fate and crushing her emotional defenses.
She eyed Braska—smiling, he dug through his pack and threw her a satchel of jerky—then sighed, somewhat relieved. Nope, no urge to jump his bones. Auron'd be pleased.
Somehow, though, it still felt wrong. But why?
She bit off a piece of jerky. Then her eyes widened in surprise. "This is Chubby Chocobo jerky! Where'd you get this? It's my favorite!"
He laughed. "I had guessed it might be."
"This is so good!" she mumbled, her appetite roaring to life. She began shoveling food into her mouth as quickly as she could.
"You were staring holes through the vendor's display in Luca. I've been asking Auron to find me a few ever since. You're more than welcome to them." His smile faltered as she continued wolfing down the food. "So long as you do not inhale them like that. By Yevon, you're starting to emulate Jecht's eating habits," he added, looking a little disgusted.
"Mmph," she answered, focusing on claiming her precious food prize instead. Halfway through her pile, she glanced up at Braska, feeling a warm wash of affection for him. He knows me so well!
Then her stomach dropped.
Pausing with his own stick of jerky raised halfway to his mouth, he noticed her frozen stare. He raised an eyebrow and grimaced. "Close your mouth at least," he muttered, turning away.
Rikku didn't hear him. Well, she did, but she wasn't listening to the words he spoke now. It was what he'd said to her in Baaj that echoed in her mind.
Now I know you do feel something beyond desire.
The jerky in her mouth lost its flavor. So what if I'm not attracted to Braska anymore? She looked down at the satchel in her hands. This is what Auron's really afraid of. This weird connection we still have.
Swallowing with difficulty, she glanced at Braska again. This time he met her gaze and gave her a tired, reserved smile. He wasn't really happy; he was just being polite.
When was it that she'd started being able to see him, the Braska that hid himself so carefully from even his best friend and his own daughter?
He dropped the smile and looked away first.
Yeah… this is bad.
"We will find this aeon quickly." Braska's soft voice reached her over the fire. "Do not worry so much. No matter what your opinion of me may be, I will return you safely to Auron's side. I am… tired. Tired of being selfish."
Appetite gone, she packed away the remaining jerky, hovered for a bit, then crawled into her bedroll.
Weariness returned with a vengeance. "Being selfish?" She thought of the way she clung to Auron, much the way Braska tried to cling to her. "Is that what this is?"
"It's different for you." Braska settled in for the first watch. "You are bringing happiness into Auron's life, a feeling he's rarely experienced. What you are doing is hardly selfish. Knowledge is the burden which you have struggled to carry alone, and love makes that burden all the greater." His voice was soothing, coaxing her to sleep. "Now we will share that burden. Lighten your heart, and fill Auron's remaining days with your love. That is your sacrifice, for him, and no cause could be more noble."
"Don't wanna be noble," she mumbled, her eyes heavy as she drifted towards a restless sleep. "Don't want Auron to die..."
Braska's voice chased her into the darkness. "Then I will simply have to do my best to save him, too."
.x.x.x.
"So…" Braska eyed the steep slope before them.
"Yep," Rikku said, nodding. "The valley."
"I've heard rumors of the crusaders training down there before, but have never personally visited it," he replied. "The rumors have also said that, oftentimes, the trainees don't return."
"It's not that bad," she hedged. "The fiends are a little tougher down there than up on the plains, but we can handle them!"
"It's not merely the fiends that I am concerned about." Braska sighed. "Yevon has long known of the problems in this valley. There was an attempt a few years back to cleanse it and reclaim the glory days of High Summoner Yocun. She once tamed this area while training as a crusader herself."
"They were still trying, even in my time," she said. "The crusaders never managed to do it until after the Eternal Calm, but yeah, they did use this place as training grounds before then."
"The plan eventually succeeded, then! I would not have guessed it," Braska mused. Noticing her confused look, he elaborated. "Many pieces of self-operating machina were blessed for use as fiend controls and released into the wilds. I had heard that plan backfired rather spectacularly, however."
Rikku shivered. "Yeah, I know. Been here, done that, remember? This place is crawling with wild machina. And no, the crusaders in my time didn't manage to get rid of them either. They're just like… big, annoying mechanical cherries on top of all the fiends already down here."
"Can you disable them as you would ordinary machina?"
She gaped at him.
"I was married to an Al Bhed who helped me escape from Home," he added at her incredulous stare. "Of course I know of your abilities."
"Right. Well… the short answer is no. Not in battle, at least," she appended. "I'm sure I could reverse-engineer something if it was already deactivated, but you Yevonites really messed those things up when you stuck your hands into the tech. There's no kill switch on your holy battlebots."
"I have never understood nor supported the military arm of Yevon," he protested. "Besides, it was a noble thought."
"Just look how well that turned out, huh?" The whirring sounds of a Defender patrolling the chasm carried through the air. "If it's any consolation, we Al Bhed tried to fix it later on. We released a ton of smaller machina to take down the ones Yevon let run wild. Even nicknamed them Mech Hunters, y'know?"
"Did it work?"
"... Weeell, about that…"
Braska sighed. "Nevermind. Aren't you going to don your costume?" He studied the path before them, looking nervous.
Rikku activated her dressphere. When the light faded, she threw her sword over her shoulder and directed a thin-lipped grin towards Braska. "Of course, my lord."
"I suppose I should have expected that." He eyed her costume with a mixture of trepidation and disappointment. "Please tell me you aren't channeling Auron's ire as well. Or are you going to make me take point?"
"That remains to be seen," she said ambiguously. "Let's move."
Their slow trek through the narrow pass was uneventful; where the path leveled out, the lower valley spread before them, quiet and desolate. Unlike the verdant plains above, the lack of sunlight kept the prodigious growth of grass from overtaking the ground. Instead, small, spotty patches of moss and fungus decorated the otherwise barren earth. The mountain walls rose so high around them, it almost felt as though they were underground.
Glancing around, Rikku breathed out a sigh of relief. "The coast looks clear," she said to Braska, whom she'd pushed behind her. "No machina or fiends in sight. Follow me." Hugging the side of the wall, she advanced cautiously.
"Where are you going?" Braska asked, hurrying after her. He looked over his shoulder at the broad expanse of the valley they were ignoring. "I thought you said we needed to enter the canyon. Why aren't we crossing it? Are we avoiding our enemies?"
She snorted. "I didn't say we need to cross it. We just need to be down here. The cavern should be somewhere right along this wall…" Spotting a worn trail marker, she pointed at it. "There. See that? It's not a natural formation. Whoever stole the Fayth wanted it to stay hidden, but they still left us some clues." Continuing forward, they soon reached an unfamiliar cluster of fallen rocks. She clucked her tongue. "I think this is it."
"This? This rockslide?"
"Well, the crusaders must've cleaned it up at some point. You can see the entrance in my time. I can still recognize it here, though." She pointed at a small, sunken arch, barely visible through the fallen rubble. "See that?"
Braska squinted, then scrambled up onto one of the larger rocks. "Those… are carvings. Seals of Yevon!" He grew excited. "So this really is where they hid it! Can you find a way in?"
Studying the rocks, she shook her head. "No, it's completely blocked. Get down from there, I'm gonna try something." Without waiting for his reply, she hunched over and lowered her sword, concentrating. By the time Braska's feet touched the ground, she was ready.
"Zantetsu!" she roared, charging towards him.
Braska paled, flinging himself out of her way.
Lifting her sword, she swung it upwards with all her might, channeling energy into the motion. This time, unlike her last attempt to use the skill, power gathered around her, coursing through her sword and blasting out towards the obstacle.
It struck the stone, blowing it apart in a shower of dust and pebbles. She straightened; the air gradually cleared, revealing a narrow path leading down into the cavern.
"You could've killed me!" Braska sputtered, struggling to his feet. He shook out his robes, looking annoyed.
"You're alive, aren't you?"
He squinted at her. "That's enough Auron for today. Why don't you be yourself for now?"
"Fine." Rolling her eyes, Rikku deactivated her dressphere. Then she chewed her lip. "Uh… sorry?"
Cleaning himself off as best he could, he glared. "Charging me is becoming too much of a habit of yours. What sort of a Guardian are you?"
"The one that keeps you on your toes?"
"Through bodily injury?" Braska let out an exasperated sigh. "Auron has already claimed that title. Try again."
Gulping, Rikku gave him a sheepish wave. "Yeah, umm, alright. It won't happen anymore!"
The look of disbelief he gave her… well, it sort of matched Auron's. And Jecht's, come to think of it. Urk. Maybe I am getting a reputation on the team...
"I'll just, uh… go." She pointed at the path she had cleared. "Down there. Y'know. To find that aeon and get outta here. Alive. Both of us."
After a moment, Braska shook his head and followed. "Lead the way. And please make a token effort to avoid injuring me this time."
Edited August 2018