Chapter 17 – Bravado

Dawn arose to a bout of commotion. The sound of frantically bustling villagers awakened Yuna from her slumber. She, as well as Rikku and Paine, heard a panicked crowd outside the hovel. Rubbing her eyes, Yuna rolled out of her sleeping bag. She stumbled to the doorway, peering her baggy eyes outside to see what caused the commotion. Spotting a bunch of villagers huddled over by the temple area, she noticed their disfavor for something. Yuna yawned and grabbed her weapons before scuttling outside.

Rikku had rolled back over and fell asleep. Paine sat up, still drowsy from sleep. She scratched her head and gazed around the room. She hadn't noticed Yuna already left, and laid back down, dozing off to sleep once more. Yuna, with pistols by her side, walked over to the group of villagers. As she approached, she heard sounds of complaints and pleas. Not sure what to make of the situation, she braced herself for something bad.

"You can't burn down our temple!" commanded one of the angry villagers, raising his fist.

"Right! We don't care if you don't like Yevon. This place holds a lot of precious memories for us!" yelled another upset villager.

Yuna flinched at the notion of burning down the Besaid Temple. She wondered to herself what could be going on. Cutting through the crowd, she eventually spotted the forme Crusader wearing his bird helmet, standing on the steps before the temple's entrance.

"Will you continue to let the fiends torment your village?" he asked in a rumbling tone.

The villagers fell silent. With a sneering voice, Beclem told them to stop being foolish and promptly went inside the temple. Not to let an impending tragedy occur, Yuna gathered her courage and followed behind him. She was ready to stop him from setting the temple ablaze, in any way necessary. To her surprise, Beclem did nothing but rapidly tap his foot, constantly glaring up to the Cloister of Trials entrance. For some reason, he stood impatiently waiting for something. Yuna believed now was her best time to confront him.

"Why do you want to see this place burn so badly?" she barked, sternly marching up towards Beclem.

He grunted. "The summoner. I'd figure you'd show up sooner or later."

Yuna stared wrathfully at Beclem. "Answer me! Don't you understand what kind of memories this place holds for the villagers?"

"It's typical of a Yevonite to talk about memories. Is the risk to the village worth keeping these 'precious memories?' What would happen if those you love here ended up dying because of your selfish wish?" he retorted brazenly.

Yuna choked back her boiling anger. Her fists were clenched, and her veins blistered with seething rage.

"I will protect them both—my memories and my loved ones!"

Beclem stepped closer to Yuna, his face implacably harsh. "Will you now? A puny little thing like you?"

Without hesitation, Yuna slapped her hand across Beclem's face. He stood, and rubbed his freshly bruised cheek. He emitted a cocky little chuckle under his breath.

"I supposed I deserved that," he said, his lips cracked into a smile. "You did somehow manage to defeat Sin."

"Is that all you can do?" huffed Yuna, her eyes sharply fixated on his. "Stand there and belittle me?"

He chortled again to himself, rubbing his nose a twitch. "That is all I can do, unfortunately. That fool Wakka is in their fighting. Since he has a child coming, I'd rather not burn him along with the temple."

"Wakka's in there?" asked a stunned Yuna.

"Indeed. You might want to get him out of there before he ends up hurting himself. I won't wait forever. These villagers are in real danger, whether they want to admit to it or not."

Yuna nodded, and ran up the stairs, pushing open the door to the Cloister. Beclem took a step closer to Yuna, outstretching his hand.

Beclem smirked. "Show me, Yuna. Show me the power of your memories. Show me if it's truly worth investing in."

Yuna didn't bother to acknowledge his jest but kept running into the Cloister. She hustled down the flight of stairs, and through the corridors to where she found Wakka slumped on the floor. With his back to her, she gasped and rushed over to check on him. He groaned, looking up to see who was there. He smiled when realizing it was Yuna, then let out another awful groan.

"Wakka? Wakka! Are you alright?" she asked, kneeling in front of him.

"Yeah, I'll be okay. Just got a little beat up, that's all," he muttered, holding his arm.

Yuna ached to see Wakka injured and reeling in pain. He had bruises all over his arms and chest. Otherwise, to her relief, he seemed intact. He motioned for Yuna to help him to his feet. With a grunt and a groan, Wakka stood under his recognizance.

"Thanks, Yuna. Now forget about me. You gotta go and save the temple," he whispered, taking a prickling step forwards.

Yuna shook her head. "I can't. You're hurt."

"No way am I gonna let a couple of fiends get me down," he proclaimed with a more boisterous voice. "You can't let Beclem burn down the temple. Please, it's up to you. I'm a tough one anyway, ya?"

She agreed apprehensively and watched Wakka hobble around the corner. Putting her hand to her face, she let out an exasperated sigh. The last thing she wanted to do was let Wakka go back alone, especially since he was hurt. As much as she hated to admit it, Wakka was right; she had to end the fiends now before Beclem torched the temple. She wished she had time to get Rikku and Paine, but even that option wasn't an option. Brushing her hair back, she focused her mind on saving the temple.

Yuna walked over to the platform which descended to the Chamber of the Fayth. It had been well over two years since she last worshiped in the chamber—two long years since she prayed to the fayth for a way to defeat Sin. The only thing now she needed answered was how many bullets would be needed to kill all the fiends. The platform shuttered momentarily, and slowly lowered Yuna into the depths of the temple.

Just as she remembered it, the Chamber of the Fayth appeared before her. A murmuring emanated from behind its closed doors. The voices seemed familiar, but she couldn't place her finger on who. Whoever or whatever they were, they didn't seem pleasant. She pressed forward to uncover the identity of these intruders. Cautiously she maneuvered to the large, stone doors. In her right hand, she held a pistol at a low ready position. With the other hand, she pushed open the door, immediately holding her gun out in front of her.

To her unimaginable surprise, she gazed at the sight of a tall, blond-haired man. His sleeves had a red and black checkered pattern with a yellow undershirt, clashing heavily with his black shorts. She gasped out loud, not believing how familiar he appeared. At first, she thought it might be him but quickly realized that to be false. His face still felt recognizable.

"Of course! You're from that picture I saw in Zanarkand!" she exclaimed, drawing the attention of another man standing beside him.

The man she recognized from the picture vanished, not even turning around to look at Yuna. The other assailant granted her his undivided attention.

"I've been waiting for you to come," stated the bald man, dressed in dull yellow priestly robes.

"Impossible! There's no way you should still be in Spira!" Yuna declared, refusing to believe what she witnessed with her own eyes.

Maester Wen Kinoc laughed devilishly. "You thought I would go so easily. Not after what Seymour did to me."

Yuna's eyes narrowed on his maniacal grin. "You should have been sent with all the other victims of Seymour. Especially as vicious as you were."

"Discouraging words from such a renowned summoner, or should I say ex-summoner. But don't concern yourself with me. It is you who will be going very soon." He peered directly into Yuna's eyes, sending a cold chill down her spine.

"What are you planning? I know you and that man are conspiring to use Vegnagun."

"As yes, Bevelle's ancient weapon of destruction. It's only a catalyst for what we are going to do. He wants to take revenge on those who tore him from his lover. I want to capture Spira in my grasp, and subject it to my rule. And so it became lucrative that we both joined forces."

Yuna clamped her fists tight, half paralyzed in fear from the ghostly sight of Kinoc. "I won't let you. I will banish you from Spira if I must!"

Kinoc let out a rumbling roar. "Try if you want! You're far too feeble to defeat us. I know, how about you meet an old ally of yours."

Kinoc evaporated from sight, disappearing from the chamber completely. In his place phased in an all too familiar friend from the past. Yuna covered her face, as its swooping wings kicked up a cloud of dust around her, blurring her vision. She didn't need to see to determine what was in front of her. She couldn't believe it was possible—her former aeon, Valefor, flew before her. She choked back her tears, partly from the dust, partly from her memories together.

Valefor stood for no rekindling, as she darted downward, nearly clawing off Yuna's head. A thousand thoughts burst through her mind; she had no idea what to do. It was only two years ago that Valefor protected her from fiends. This same aeon, seething before her, had helped save her from Seymour in Bevelle. She died to rid the world of Sin.

Yuna scrambled around her former summon, still unsure of what to do. Valefor took no pity on her indecisiveness, as she charged up an attack. Swirls of colored energy encircled the aeon's body. A sudden stream of arcane energy shot across the floor, all but inches away from Yuna's feet. It scorched a deep, smoldering groove into the stone flooring. Flinching at the searing heat left in the beam's wake, Yuna hopped backward.

By now, she realized if her determination didn't kick in, she wouldn't make it out alive. Pulling out her other pistol, she fired both guns directly into Valefor's body. The creature shrieked but didn't die. She launched herself into the air and swooped down again, jolting Yuna into the wall with its claws. She bounced hard off the stone corner, bellowing from the pain. Blood poured from a large gash in her shoulder, and a piece of stone stuck lodged into the wound.

She coughed out some dirt and dust, tightly holding her bleeding shoulder with her opposite hand. She had not the time to even look at her injury, as Valefor readied a magical attack. A blast of flames engulfed the corner which Yuna had just fled from. Yuna ran in front of the aeon, and raised her pistol with her damaged arm, firing three shots into its head.

Valefor hissed as she threw her head back writhing in pain. The bullets this time had an effect, yet the raging beast refused to falter. Yuna clenched her gun into her mouth, desperately attempting to reload it while dodging Valefor's attacks. Her wound opened further, with more blood trickling down her arm. The hunk of stone finally gave way, exiting her wound. She now began to cough up some blood and her sight hazed.

Clicking back her freshly loaded gun, she darted around Valefor as fast as her fatigued legs would allow her. This time, she unloaded with both her guns, not caring how much bloodletting she would incur from her gaping wound. Valefor began to sway, also severely injured from Yuna's many shots. It charged up for one last energy blast. Yuna's eyes widened, as she knew she'd die from her aeon's assault.

Instead of readying herself to dodge, she slumped to the floor. Her guns clattered against the hard stone floor. Valefor paused its charge, examining the inanimate body of Yuna. From behind the flying creature stabbed the end of a curved sword up to the decorative skull base. Valefor belted a gruesome howl, shooting a stream of pyreflies from her sliced back. Another blast finally put her down. Valefor plummeted to the ground, crying out one last time before she became lifeless.

Paine and Rikku stood, petrified by the sight of their fallen comrade. Rikku teared up and screamed at the top of her lungs. With tears in her eyes as well, Paine hurried over to Yuna's body, kneeling to see if she truly still breathed. Her hand crept slowly to Yuna's face. It took all her will to even come close—the sight of blood pooling around her body sickened Paine. She jumped backward in shock when Yuna twitched and exerted a shallow cough.

"She's alive! Rikku, hurry and help me carry her back to the village!" Paine yelled, racing to lift Yuna off the floor.

"Yunie? Yunie! It's a miracle, you are alive!" Rikku called out in fanatical joy.

Yuna could only let out a soft groan, as she faded in and out of consciousness. The world around her dimmed into shadows—not black, but a blurry, deep grey. Wispy rays of white trickled into her vision. A voice rang out from a distant border of her mind.

"Don't give up yet. I love you . . ." echoed the voice of a woman.

As quickly as she felt consumed by the white rays, everything went dark. Her mind floated in a place between life and death, suspended in a world without tangible thought. Again the voice called out from an indiscernible place, deep inside Yuna. The voice urged Yuna to press on and push away the darkness that imposed itself on her.

She grimaced in pain as she became conscious again. At first, her surroundings appeared blurred, but eventually, her vision cleared. She saw the relieved sights of her friends, all huddled by her side.

"Am I dead? Is this the Farplane?"

Rikku nestled her face close to Yuna's cheek. "Not really. You can tell since Wakka has a tacky sense of decoration."

To reaffirm, she heard the hardy, unmistakable laugh of Wakka. "Yeah, you're alive. But you cut it real close, ya?"

"I wonder whose fault that is!" yelled Lulu, nearly burning a hole in Wakka with her wrathful gaze.

Wakka slumped on the ground, a tear forming in his eye. Yuna tried to raise her arm but cringed at the sharp pain which shot up her nerves. The muscles in her shoulder felt on fire. She then calmed herself and decided on speaking instead.

"Please don't blame him. I had to do what I did," she spoke with a whisper's indignation.

"It's all that Beclem's fault! I ought to slice his throat for all the—" roared Paine.

"No!" choked Yuna, boosting her voice. "No, he wanted to burn the temple for a good reason. Maybe not a popular one, but it was one he still believed he had to make."

The hovel fell silent. As much as they hated Beclem and his seemingly monomaniacal obsession to burn the temple, he was right. The intelligent thing was to destroy the source of the fiends, and not to risk the entire village over memories.

"On the contrary, Lady Yuna," spoke a voice from the entrance. "It, too, is as much my fault as anyone else's."

Beclem stood at the entrance with a weary expression. He sighed and walked towards the bed. Paine grasped the hilt of her sword, her eyes narrowing on him. He knelt beside Yuna, his head facing the ground. Then he raised his eyes level with her.

"It seems memories, at least some of them, are worth protecting at great risk. I was wrong about you. Now I know why you are the summoner who ultimately defeated Sin," he whispered somberly in Yuna's ear.

Without pause, he rose to his feet and abruptly left the hovel. Yuna stared at the ceiling blankly for a moment, then closed her eyes, and formed a faint smile. No one else in the room heard what Beclem said and no one asked. It was favorable to Yuna, and that was all that mattered.

For the remainder of the day and the next, Besaid Village enjoyed pure tranquility. The Gullwings were still melancholy about Yuna's near-death experience. They also pondered on what she witnessed down in the Chamber of the Fayth. While Rikku was a little foggy about it, she swore they fought Yuna's former aeon. More to the point, as brought up by Shinra: how was it possible for Valefor to be there?

For the next three weeks, Yuna recovered at her home island. Shinra and Lulu constructed a sturdy sling for her arm. Yuna secretly enjoyed this extended hiatus. She truly missed her home. While new adventures breathed refreshing air into her lungs, the cool, crisp breeze of Besaid reminded her of its sense of foundation and the peace it brought her.

She also got to examine Beclem's new mission in Besaid—training the Aurochs. Marching and practicing from dusk to dawn, he worked the Aurochs like slaves. Yuna and Paine couldn't help but laugh as they watched them do laps around the beach. The two girls had been discussing a lot of subjects since Yuna's fling with death. Yuna had asked why she turned to a sudden interest in talking.

"I don't know. I guess . . ." Paine began, her face tensing up.

"Go on," coaxed Yuna, waiting patiently for Paine to continue.

"I guess almost losing you made me realize how sudden we all could die. I suppose doing things you want to, while still alive, is important."

Yuna gazed off into the ocean's horizon. "I suppose you're right. It is kind of scary. I guess I don't even understand how close I really came to death."

Paine folded her arms together. "What do you mean? Surely you must have been afraid."

Yuna shook her head. "Not really. When you feel you're about to go, everything becomes cloudy. You lose all your senses. It all goes blank. Except I did hear . . ."

"You heard something?"

Yuna looked down at her lap. "No, never mind."

As the ocean waves crashed upon the beach, Yuna and Paine continued their conversation. Relishing the opportunity to peek into the vulnerable places within Paine, Yuna enjoyed having a deep conversation with her friend. She realized the importance of understanding her friends before it might be too late.