Chapter 24 – Icy Rage


As the snow-covered peaks of Mount Gagazet towered into view, Yuna wondered what she should say to the Ronso. From the last time she visited, the Ronso youth had been plotting to attack the Guado. When they were still under Maester Seymour's leadership, the Guado butchered many Ronso. In Seymour's attempt to kill Yuna before reaching Zanarkand, he nearly wiped out their clan. From this, unresolved hate lingered in the Ronso's blood. Yuna felt such things too, as did many who had life after Sin. While some had gotten past their old feelings, many Ronso had not.

Yuna could now make out the crevices in the towering spire piercing the sky. The sun glistened off its white and snowy cap. A few sparkling flakes stuck to the windows of the Celsius. She knew the airship would be landing shortly. They touched down near the entrance to Gagazet. The girls got off the ship, while the boys looked for a better place to park.

Yuna planted her boots on the bright white ground, feeling her feet dip slightly into the snow. The wind whipped harshly against her face, numbing her cheeks and lips. Little crystals stuck to her eyelashes. A hazy white cloud of powdery snow kicked up around them. Through the white screen of snow, she spotted the distinct figure of Kimahri approaching them.

Pushing the cold out of her mind, Yuna lamented the state of her former guardian's tribe. Kimahri worked tirelessly to unify the Ronso and lead them to a peaceful existence. He found it to be a most difficult task, as many Ronso harbored a great deal of animosity. Not only were they restless from their battles with the Guado, but Kimahri was never able to bring them to a state of peace after Sin's destruction.

The Al Bhed and their ancient machines were persecuted for so long by Yevon that most Al Bhed felt weary of outsiders. As time passed, the Al Bhed opened up, especially if an opportunity proved lucrative, as in the case with Rin. They had slowly integrated more with the general populous of Spira. Machina, or rather "machines," had gained rising acceptance.

Kimahri raised his hand in greetings. "Kimahri glad to see old friends here."

"Come here and give me a hug!" Yuna declared, running over to her former guardian.

"Aw, that's so cute," giggled Rikku, pointing to the two embracing awkwardly.

"Follow Kimahri, the Mountain is uneasy today. Must find shelter from the cold winds," he stated in a coarse voice, motioning for the girls to follow him.

Up the mountain they trekked, covering themselves up from the chill of the wind. Snow blew in their faces, freezing against their skin. Paine sneezed the entire time. Rikku teased her, saying she was allergic to snow. After nearly an hour, they reached the mountain's caves. Although it protected them from the blizzard outside, its dank and musty interior barely provided a more hospitable environment. Kimahri slumped down on a rock while Yuna stood next to him.

"I thank Yuna for coming to Gagazet to help Kimahri," he expressed graciously.

"Not at all, not at all," Yuna dismissed, waving her hand at his perceived inconvenience. "I just hope I can help a little."

"Ronso youth not listen to Kimahri. Kimahri has trouble making them understand."

"It's alright. They just need someone else to explain it to them, that's all."

"Kimahri hopes so," he replied grimly.

Yuna wasn't any more sure if she could change the way the Ronso felt than Kimahri did. Knowing that if she didn't, there would be terrifying consequences to follow. Kimahri further explained the situation. Shocked by how bloodthirsty the Ronso youth were, Yuna felt her chest tighten. Garik, the one calling for the riot, called for the Guado to be destroyed. For days, Kimahri illustrated, Garik had been thinking and planning for an impending attack. Unable to quell his rage, Kimahri was disappointed in himself for not being a stronger Elder.

Grunting from the other direction marched Garik himself. His fists were clenched while he babbled madly to himself. Rising off of the rock he was perched on, Kimahri walked up to Garik. Focusing on him, Kimahri gave him an ominous gaze.

"Is Garik not finished with constant rambling?" growled Kimahri, his arms folded tightly.

"Garik is not rambling. Garik is planning for Ronso's victory," he retorted with a snarl.

Kimahri shook his head. "Ronso need no more bloodshed. Why cannot Garik realize this?"

"Hmph!" Garik scoffed, pushing Kimahri to the side. "Ronso needs a victory over Guado's crimes. Guado must pay for what they did."

"No! Listen to Mountain, Garik. Mountain speaks of peace, not war. Ronso must listen to Mountain if they want to survive."

Garik didn't reply and only kept traipsing past them. A look of anger fumed from his face. Yuna frowned but understood his anger towards his aggressors. She felt the same way about Yevon not too long ago. She realized that acting on her anger would have solved nothing. More than likely, the Ronso would have an easy victory over the divided Guado. In the same regard, the genocide of the Guado would do no more than to blacken the Ronso people. She rushed behind Garik, catching up with him at an area of rock that jutted from the snow mounds covering the mountain.

"Garik, stop!" she commanded.

Turning around, Garik peered harshly at her. He stomped closer to her. Standing nearly nose-to-nose with Yuna, he glared down at her with a menacing look.

"What does Summoner want? Garik must go and tell Mountain of plan," he grumped.

"You can't do this. You can't kill the Guado."

"Why can't Garik? Guado took many of Garik's friends and loved ones. Revenge must be taken on Guado."

Yuna sighed. "No, Garik. You can't let yourself get tangled in a circle of revenge. It will only bring hopelessness to the Ronso."

"How can little Summoner know of Ronso's feelings?" he dejected, raising his voice louder.

"Because I've felt some of the same emotions as you. Believe it or not, I've felt a lot of pain—a lot of anger against those who've harmed me," she said softly, throwing Garik off his snarl.

"Garik believes Yuna. Yuna is honorable. Still, it does not change the fact that Guado have done unspeakable crimes against Ronso. What should Ronso do but take revenge?"

"Live in peace!" she declared. "Don't let your anger blind you from rebuilding."

"Ronso can't rebuild until hatred is banished from them. Every day Garik feels anger that Garik can't get rid of."

"Killing the Guado won't solve your problem."

He grunted while folding his arms. "Of course destroying the Guado would. Guado causes hatred, and Guado will get rid of hatred."

"You don't understand, those feeling don't dissipate that easily," pleased Yuna. "What happens if you kill the Guado and you still feel anger residing in you?"

Garik scoffed. "Yuna speaks in riddles. The Guado will absorb Ronso hatred with their blood!"

Rikku and Paine stood a few feet back, listening to the perpetual disagreement between Yuna and Garik. Both seemed to be stuck at a stalemate. Paine scorned Garik's thickheaded attitude. She watched on as her friend desperately pleaded to make him understand his folly.

"Hatred only leads to more hatred. It's a never-ending cycle. How can you not realize this?" Yuna yelled, becoming increasingly frustrated.

"Guado deserve death! Many Ronso were killed by them. How can Yuna not understand that?"

"I do! But you won't solve anything by waging war. The Calm is already fragile enough. Spira doesn't need any more wars."

"Then what should Ronso do? Ronso have no path to follow. Anger flows through veins of the Ronso. Something must be done to rid Ronso of it."

Yuna shook her head. "As I said, you must work with Kimahri. He will lead your people to a solution."

"Ha! Garik not wait until Kimahri solves Ronso's problems. Garik will solve it with Garik's way!"

Garik began continuing his march towards the mountain's peak. Yuna bit her lip, thinking of any way she could convince him to stop his crusade against the Guado. She gripped her fists together and ran towards him again.

"Is there no way I can talk you out of this?" she shouted to him.

"No," he answered bluntly. "Garik must do this for Ronso."

"Then what if I stop you?" she replied brazenly, to Garik's amusement.

"Little Summoner thinks she can stop Garik?"

"If I do, will you call off your attack?"

He paused, eying up Yuna precariously. "Very well, but Garik never falls!"

He whistled loudly, and soon two Ronso youths appeared next to him. Yuna pulled out both her guns, waving for Rikku and Paine to get ready. They looked at each other in shock but complied.

"What are we getting ourselves into?" sighed Paine.

"Oh man, Yunie's gotta stop acting tough. That's your game." Rikku stuck her tongue out.

Paine rolled her eyes. "Shut up or I'll bury you in a snow drift."

Garik flexed his arms, growling into the air. "Prepare yourself! But Garik not believe Summoner can stop Ronso anger with puny arms!"

He lunged at Yuna, taking a brutish swing at her. She dodged skillfully, smirking all the while at him. The other two Ronso wanted to fight Yuna as well, but Paine and Rikku had other plans.

"You got us to worry about first!" charged Rikku, swirling her dual blades around in a spiral.

Yuna fired a bullet at Garik's feet, causing him to do a nimble dance despite his mountainous stature. Anger flared from his eyes, pulsating right into Yuna's heart. She understood his pain more than he believed. Life had not been all that much sweeter to her after Sin. She didn't quit living, though, and focus on some ridiculous and everlasting obsession—or did she? Stumbling momentarily, she bobbled her guns and nearly fell. Garik took this opportunity to charge furiously at her. With a hard punch, he finished knocking her off her feet.

Wiping snow from her face, Yuna immediately got back up and whacked him with the side of her gun. The handle of it cracked into his ribs, sending him stumbling backward. Not even given the time to aid her friend, Paine recognized this reaction. She was the same way as before on the Celsius. In her eyes burned some kind of primordial rage, not like Yuna at all. Rikku, too, was immensely surprised by her cousin's instantaneous burst of force.

Yuna again hit Garik with the handle of her gun, bringing him down to a knee. One of the Ronso youth, seeing their own being beaten, ran over to defend. The young Ronso slid across the snow, swiping Yuna's leg out from underneath her with his own, knocking her on her back. With a huff, Yuna let out a grimacing shriek as a burst of pain ran up her spine. Rolling on her side, she rubbed herself, squinting her eyes from the pangs. True fury erupted within her.

She sprinted at the young Ronso, screaming in a blood-curdling voice, kicking him with all the force her body could muster. Her thick boot tip connected with his stomach. He emitted only a feeble squeak of a yelp, as all his air was forcibly removed by the force of the kick. She went for another strike, but Garik intercepted her leg. Throwing her back, she landed on her feet and managed to regain her balance. Garik stood in front of her, his eyes feverish and scornful, glaring at her. Both woman and beast stood, eyes deadlocked on each other.

Then the two leaped into battle without hesitation, as if some unseen force lurking deep within whispered to them it was time to decide a victor. Both the girls and the Ronso youth looked on as mere spectators. They were frozen in utter disbelief at what they saw. Garik swung high over the head of Yuna while he dodged her reckless kicks and punches.

They battled as two flames over one source of air. Neither wanted to burn out and admit defeat; the stakes were too high. If Garik lost, he would be disgraced, and once again be without a path. If Yuna failed, the Guado blood would stain the land. Beyond this, lying far within each of their hearts boiled a deep-conceited frenzy of another kind. The built-up anguish from their pasts overtook them. Stripped down to bare naked instinct, they roared at each other. Whipping up the snow, they were enraptured by a dramatic fog of war. No one could make out what happened, but a piercing shriek cut through the air. When the cloud faded, only the sight of Yuna remained, kneeling in the snow. Frozen tears ran down her grief-stricken face. Her friends ran over to her, wondering what had happened. Garik was nowhere in view.

"Hey, what happened to Garik?" asked Rikku anxiously, putting her arm around Yuna.

Her silent reply was a finger pointing beyond the ledge. Paine and Rikku looked at each other, a terrible expression rising on their faces. Moving over to the ledge, Paine glared over the ledge but witnessed only a snowy-white cloud fading down into an endless chasm.

"He . . . he fell. I don't know how," Yuna finally choked out.

The two young Ronso fled upon hearing Garik had fallen to his end. Yuna crawled over to the edge, looking down at the abyss below with her own eyes. Removed from the pulsating wrath which had consumed her, the reality of her actions came into focus. The world around her blurred; any sound from the rushing wind disappeared, overshadowed by the frantic thumping of her heart. Her frosted blue lips trembled. Desperately Yuna darted her eyes around, searching for any hint of Garik to no avail. She knew the bleached abyss below had consumed him.

She wobbled to her feet before diving into her cousin's arms, sobbing uncontrollably. From behind them, Kimahri rushed toward the edge, the two Ronso youths with him. His face expressed nothing less than total horror. He stuttered to speak but stopped his words. Kimarhi's stoic nature regained control, and he straightened up, gazing up at the mountain's peak.

Rikku and Paine led Yuna back to the base of the mountain. Yuna tried to explain what happened, but her mind blanked at the moment of her final engagement with Garik. In the panic of battle, all she could remember was the long stare they shared. After that, she could recall nothing. Neither Rikku, Paine, nor the two young Ronso could say what happened for sure, the blustering snow shielded the two from view. Apologizing to Yuna, Kimahri abstained Yuna from any blame, as did the Ronso tribe.

"Garik died in battle Garik started. For that, Yuna cannot be blamed," he announced to her starkly, his tone shaky and unsure.

"I swear, I didn't try to kill him. It wasn't supposed to be like this. I'm so sorry," she replied, choking back the tears that swelled.

"Kimahri knows. No blame is put on Yuna. But, Kimahri thinks it best for Yuna to leave Mountain for a while. Ronso have much to reconcile."

Thought heartbroken and filled with much regret to convey, Yuna agreed with Kimahri's sentiment. There would be no goodbyes, only a painful retreat. Paine tried to comfort her with the fact that Yuna prevented Guado blood from being shed. While Yuna appreciated her sentiment, Yuna looked at her own hands, stained with Garik's blood. A dangerous entity swelled in her, unleashing a torrent of rage at will. Stronger she was, but in all the wrong ways. She feared what she was becoming.

On the Celsius, she slumped herself away in the cabin. She didn't talk or eat and forced the rest of the crew to stay at arm's length from her. Curling herself up in the cabin, she shivered in fear from the only thing she couldn't run away from—herself.