„Mum," Nes says quietly from the passenger seat as I pull into the parking lot. "Thank you."
As usual, his few quiet words convey so much more than the obvious.
I smile. "It's okay. Let's go."
Actually, am not at all sure if things really are okay, but as we climb out of the glider and go get our things out of the trunk it is too late to turn back. Not that I want to.
A couple of days ago, on a very quiet evening, Nes told me that one of their supervisors had been gravely injured on a trip into the wilds, and could not join in on the field trip which was scheduled to begin after the weekend. The other attending supervisor would lead the trip by herself, but as she was not a black mage, Lulu, one of Nes's friends and a black mage in training, would no longer be able to come along. She would not be properly supervised so the school would not allow her to be part of the group.
So Nes had asked me what probably was a rather simple question to him.
"Would you volunteer to play chaperone on this trip, please, so that Lu can come with us?"
I considered for a moment, my head tilted to one side. Of course I know Lulu and the other kids who would be coming along, so no surprises there. Still, it would be a great responsibility for me to take on, greater than Nes probably is aware of. All sorts of things can get out of hand with a black mage in training, and as far as I know Lulu is pretty talented and powerful for her age. I have no idea how far her control over that power has grown, though.
"Sure," I had answered with more excitement that I actually feel, "sign me up."
I steal a glace at Nes over the roof of the glider. His eyes are so very beautiful, large yet almond shaped and slightly angled. They are a deep dark brown, like very dark chocolate, framed by luxurious black lashes. I know women who would literally kill for such lashes. I had always thought he got those gorgeous eyes from his father's side, as nobody in my family can boast of anything remotely similar. But my grandmother assured my that they are her mother's.
Oh by the Fayth, I think to myself. Nes hardly ever asks anything of me, and I suspect he has a tendre for Lulu. I cannot, however, glean from Nes's sparse accounts of their exploits whether or not Lulu returns his feelings.
The sun shines brightly on the school parking lot as I shake off the stray thoughts and strap my claymore to my back. Technically, the weapon is slightly too big and too heavy for me, but I like it that way. I enjoy the comfortably weight in my hands during battle, and when strapped to my back. With time, I have even learned to master it anyway.
Sure, with my black magic I do not exactly need the big sword, but I appreciate the physical aspect of it, the exhaustion that comes with using it, so different from the kind of exhaustion the intense use of magic causes.
My bedroll and other equipment causally slung over my shoulder, I stand back and watch Nes pull out his crossbow and quiver, as well as the two long, slender knives he uses in close combat. After he expertly ties them on his person, he haphazardly grabs the rest of his equipment and skips over to his friends. I roll my eyes, at least he paid attention to the important half of my lecture on the proper handling of travelling equipment.
I lock the glider with a little protective spell just for good measure and walk to the group of teenagers huddled together just in front of the temple entrance.
Nes's friends are already gathered, as well as a dark haired man in black combat boots and a striking red cloak. Talk about huge swords, huh!
We seem to be the last to arrive, so when I join the group the kids quiet down and the old monk who serves as headmaster to the temple school greets us all and makes introductions. So the guy with the ridiculously big katana is Sir Auron Masamune, former warrior monk and legendary guardian to High Summoner Braska. Well, he appears taller in the sphere recordings.
Apparently, Sir Auron is not only a decommissioned legendary guardian but also legal guardian to Tidus, one of Nes's friends and one of the kids on this field trip.
Equally apparent is the fact that Sir Auron has been pressed into service as chaperone and supervisor on short notice, as the second school supervisor had had to call off last minute. He tilts his head slightly towards me, and I raise an eyebrow at him, accompanied by a slight smirk. He mirrors the smirk. I turn away, confident that we will get along quite well.
While the headmaster lines out the details of the field trip as it has been planned, I have ample time to study each member of the group.
The most striking, of course, is Sir Auron. Just Auron, I silently correct myself, I am certainly not about to be deferential towards this guy. He, too has his weapon at hand, while the rest of his gear is placed in a neatly organized pile at his feet. How he tolerates the heavy cloak in spite of the heat I have no idea, the sun beats down rather intensely, even though it is only late morning. Sunglasses perched precariously low on his long nose are his only concession to the weather, but maybe they are not supposed to protect him from the sun, but rather to hide the impressive scar that seals shut his right eye. If so, they are not up to the job.
The slight wrinkles etching his left eye, together with the grey strands of hair at his temples give him a very distinguished air, even though they make him look older than he probably is. His left arm is in a sling, forearm and gloved hand tied to his midsection. I notice that the left sleeve of his cloak is empty, folded and pinned very neatly into the left coat pocket. This way, it does not get in the way of his movements, but he can easily divest the heavy cloak. Auron carries himself upright and literally radiates physical strength. He has certainly not been slack in his training since the War, he cannot be if he means to one-handedly wield that oversized katana of his.
Tidus has taken position slightly in front of his guardian, his blonde hair standing up in all directions. I suppose he considers it a fashion statement, and I have to admit it fits him quite well. Not that I would ever say so out loud. According to Nes, Tidus is a rather talented Blitzball player, but tends to zone out during less physical lessons. His eyes certainly glaze over rather quickly after the headmaster begins speaking. He carries a sword at his side, and the way he shifts his weight tells me that he is not yet entirely comfortable with it.
Next to him is Yuna, a soft-spoken, beautiful brunette with rather fascinating eyes: one blue, the other one green. Yuna is training to be a white mage, and according to what I have heard, she is just as talented as her father Lord Braska used to be. Good, we will certainly need a healer.
Kimahri, Yuna's adoptive brother, stands behind her with his muscular arms crossed. He is huge, with a mass of dark brown, almost black curls spilling down over his muscular shoulders. He intensely watches the headmaster, eyes fixed on the older man's mouth. Being deaf, Kimahri is rather good at lip reading. Well, at least one of the bunch is paying attention to what the old monk has to say, he can fill in the others later.
Briefly I wonder if I have any sign language skills left from when Nes was little. I hope I can at least still understand some basic signs, as I am pretty sure all my active vocabulary is gone. I pull my mouth at the thought. Use it or lose it, I suppose.
Wakka is certainly not listening, he hops on the spot full of nervous energy, throwing his combat Blitzball from one hand to the other. He drives the headmaster mad with his antics, I can tell easily. For my part, I have to hide a grin. Wakka is a cool guy, at least as long as he keeps his mouth shut, and his orange hair is even crazier than Tidus's, standing up in a big spike on his forehead. I rather hope than know the redhead will listen more carefully to Auron and me once we are under way.
Wakka's brother Chappu stands rather close to Lulu, and in spite of the cool aura the aspiring black mage tries to give herself with her black, fur lined dress and intricately braided hair complete with bangs covering half of her face, the looks she throws Chappu are anything but. Chappu seems to respond in kind. Poor Nes, he doesn't stand a chance.
Nes himself is quiet as always, his tall, slender form shifts slightly as he pushes his shiny black curls out of his eyes.
Finally, it's time to load up the two gliders the temple school will provide to transport everything out of the city into the surrounding mountains.
"I do not drive a stick," Auron states matter-of-factly, after a cursory glance into the vehicles and at the old fashioned double joystick steering. Yes, well, with only one arm that is probably a wise decision.
"No problem," I say, "I will take one of the gliders, and Lulu can take the other one. She's got a license."
Auron nods curtly, and helps loading the luggage. "You got a communication sphere?" I ask to his back. He turns and nods again. "Tidus has it." Now it is my turn to nod.
"Nes, Tidus! You're in charge of communications, so get the com spheres connected and make sure that you do not end up in the same glider for the trip!"
Pre-connecting the com spheres will save us some trouble later, when making calls to each other. Those spheres are not exactly great when it comes to establishing a new connection between two quickly moving objects.
"Lulu," I call while the others are busy sorting themselves into the two vehicles, "Auron will be with you in your glider," Auron gives a little snort at my statement, but otherwise does not comment, "he will help you find the way," the snort is more pronounced this time, but I still ignore it, "and to not lose sight of us in the other glider. When you get tired or need a break or anything, get the boys to connect over the com spheres and I will look for a place to stop. We have enough time, there's no need for heroics. Get me, Lulu?"
Lulu looks a bit affronted at my speech, but agrees to my terms. Chappu stands close, smirking at the scene.
I leave them in order to pick one of the gliders and make myself comfortable in the pilot's seat. Wakka sure is fun to be around, but I do not care for his elder brother Chappu very much. Apparently, he has come to see Wakka and Lulu off this morning, and as far as I am concerned he can bugger off any minute now. I roll my eyes, for it looks like it is going to take a while until Chappu actually leaves. He and Lulu are deeply engrossed in a farewell make-out session. Frankly, it is nauseating.
Finally, all the kids including Auron have made it into the gliders, Chappu has removed his appendages from Lulu's person and we are on our way.
Of course, Lulu doesn't have Tidus contact Nes when she needs a break, but Auron does. We decide to have lunch at a little pick nick area at the side of the road and soon are under way again.
We make good time to the camp site where we are to spend the next two weeks. This field trip is not supposed to be a survival trip into the wilderness, something like that would be much too risky for the rather conservative temple school.
Instead, we are to stay at a quite comfortable camp site with a few amenities, and practice. The kids will have to plan out the practical things of daily life at camp, as well as day trips nearly every day where Auron and I are supposed to train them for survival. This includes all manners of fiend slaying as well as how to plan and pack rations or how to pick the best route.
Even though life in the big machina city of Zanarkand is rather comfortable as the War has barely touched the city itself, it is good to know your survival skills. By the way, travelling outside the city is still dangerous at all times, and I know that at least Yuna and Kimahri have spoken about going south to visit the places their families originate from.
When we arrive the kids are happy to spill out of the hot gliders. Wakka has already turned into the direction of the beach with Tidus in tow, when Auron calls them back and makes them set up camp with the others. Auron and I are treated to a rather entertaining discussion on where to best set up the three smaller sleeping tents and the big tent which is supposed to hold our equipment and serve as a makeshift mass in case of bad weather in relation to the sun, the trees giving shade, and the open air fireplace. In the end, they agree on what Lulu has been proposing right from the beginning, and I like how it turns out.
There is another short argument about who will share which tent with whom, and of course the teenagers decide that Auron and I are to share the sleeping cabin in the big tent. I shrug my shoulders, we are both adults, but the not so subtle wink Tidus gives a grinning Wakka makes me suspicious. By way of punishment, I keep the boys from running to the beach even though they protest that camp is set up now.
"Okay, so what will you eat tonight?" I challenge them. The boys look at their feet sheepishly. I ask Lulu to light a small fire and set Nes to brew some coffee (I never travel without), while I produce the cupcakes I have hidden in my luggage. This reconciles Tidus and Wakka to the planning session that ensues.
"Do you have any idea about their skills on the battle field?" I ask Auron while we both help ourselves to more coffee a little ways from where the group is putting together a shopping list for necessary items such as food, for example.
Auron gives a one-sided shrug. "I know that Tidus needs a lot more practice if he wants to survive out there on his own, but as to the others…"
I nod. "Same here. Nes is a rather good shot, but his close combat skills could do with a boost. I have no idea about the rest of the group. No trip tomorrow, then, but a training session with the both of us so that we can gauge their skills." I do not elaborate on it, but this will also give Auron and me an opportunity to get a grip on each other's skills. If we are to protect the teens on trips, we will have to be able to function as a team.
Auron harrumphs his agreement, and I resist the urge to roll my eyes heavenward. A good thing I'm used to living with a taciturn male, with Nes being non-verbal for a few years when he was little. Even to this day, he does not speak much. Apparently, neither does Auron. "Shopping or cooking?" I ask him, a question which is answered only by a blank stare.
"There's no way the two of us will survive a trip to the market with all of the kids together, not if we don't want to drink ourselves to sleep tonight. So I suggest we part the group, one of us will go shopping with half of them while the other half can go to the beach and relax for all I care. Later, the shoppers relax and the others will cook us dinner."
Auron considers for a moment, blinking his good eye slowly. "Cooking," he decides. Wise choice, I have to agree, this will mean the least trouble for himself. I laugh, and go to see if there is some cake left.
There's not. I make a mental note to adjust my conception of the amount of food Tidus, Wakka and Kimahri are able to consume during any given time frame.
So I bundle Lulu, Nes, and Kimahri up in one of the gliders and fly them to the market. I do not interfere with their choices, as they are mostly reasonable. Lulu reveals an impressive talent for haggling, she even goes so far that one of the merchants becomes slightly threatening. She stands her ground however, and Kimahri casually draws himself up behind her without Lulu having to ask. As Kimahri is a rather impressive young man even without his lance, Lulu is quickly able to close the deal. For a second, the merchant looks to me for help, but I merely shrug, my arms outstretched. I am just their ride, and if he cannot get the better of an eighteen-year-old, I'm certainly not going to save him from himself.
Back in the glider, Nes and Kimahri high-five Lulu, who is rather abashed at their praise. She deserves it, though.
The next morning after breakfast we assemble on a comfortably sized clearing in the woods that surround the camp site. Auron found it last evening, while Wakka, Tidus and Yuna were playing shore side Blitz.
Do you really need me to tell you that Auron completes his battlefield outfit with a rather oversized coif to go with his immense katana?
As it turns out, all of the kids know how to handle their weapons, but still need a lot more training.
Nes, Tidus and Wakka are quick, but have not yet mastered their weapons enough for them to deal a lot of damage. During one of our training fights, Tidus showers me with a series of rather well executed attacks with his sword, but I deflect every one of them while only having to step back a few of times in order to help my balance. He is not able to land one hit, which rankles him greatly, but I am confident that he will stand a fair chance against some of the lesser fiends.
Kimahri on the other hand is able to deal an impressive amount of damage, as long as his opponent is not too quick for him. My absolutely favourite practice fight that day is between Kimahri and Nes. Nes continues to score several hits which hardly inconvenience the big guy, but once Kimahri is finally able to hit the incredibly nimble Nes, he cleanly knocks him out. It takes them insufferably long to come to the inevitable end, and mean creature that I am, I set them against each other again and again. At long last, I separate them, as Yuna is becoming quite tired from reversing the damage done to Nes time and time again.
Yuna herself, however is sadly lacking in any combat skills whatsoever, be they offensive or even defensive. I am shocked, but apparently, the temple school has not deemed it necessary for a white mage to be able to fend for herself, and only fostered Yuna's healing abilities.
"This needs to change," Auron states harshly, quite affronting Yuna. So we set Kimahri on teaching her how to whack potential enemies over the head with her staff, and I charge Lulu with finding a way to give Yuna's staff some magical offence properties.
Lulu's spells are surprisingly powerful; I clearly feel how precisely she casts them. I only wonder about the strength of her control. Black magic is as powerful as it is treacherous, and Lulu's power and skill are way above average. She has hardly any problems blasting any resident fiends into the Farplane, but whether she is able to limit the damage to the fiends only is less certain. Only practice will help with her control issues, so I do not verbalize my doubts. I mentally schedule one on one practice sessions with her though, at least every other day.
The kids have decided on burgers for dinner that night, and while Yuna, Tidus and Wakka are grilling meat and bacon at the campfire, Nes, Kimahri and Lulu are busy chopping the other ingredients. I meet Auron in the big tent, where he is blocking the entrance when I go there to fetch us all something to drink.
I rummage in the sphere powered cooling box, once again happy that I have been able to lay my hands on it a couple of years earlier. I can recharge it any time with a well dosed Thunder spell, but it has a glitch that makes it hum in a very low, very annoying tone. Apart from that it works fine. I need to have this fixed, I think for the umpteenth time.
Auron grunts as he struggles with opening a can for a second, but manages on his own. He has not asked for help, and I have not offered. In fact, he startles me a bit when he speaks.
"This beverage is something I never knew before I came to live with Tidus in Zanarkand, after the War. The boy introduced to to me when we first made dinner together, which was, incidentally, burgers."
"So no soda in Bevelle?" I ask, half laughing.
"No," he answers. "But I find I quite like it." He turns to the merry scene at the camp fire. "This evening has many parallels to the first dinner Tidus and I shared at the house boat… I had just recently lost the use of my left arm, so that afternoon we put together a list of meals I would be able to manage with only one hand." Auron raises an eyebrow at me, and I decide to take the bait.
"Didn't work out so well, did it?"
Auron raises one corner of his mouth in half a smirk. "No, it did not."
"Speaking of which," I say, rising from the ground with my arms full of soda cans, "if you need help with anything just let me know, it'll be really no inconvenience. But you'll have to tell me, as I will not get on both our nerves by constantly offering."
I make to leave the tent, but Auron blocks my path just as I am passing him. He searches my face intently, which grants me the opportunity to notice the colour of his eye for the first time. It is a dark, leaden grey, like the colour of the sky just minutes before a thunderstorm would break lose. How extraordinary!
His closeness makes me swallow as I breathe in his scent. Leather and sandalwood, with a fine note of sweat as it comes from exercise on a hot spring day. The rough features of his face are in no aspect marred by the big scar on its right side, which reaches from his forehead over his eye and cheek almost to his mouth. On the contrary, they are quite accentuated by it. His mouth, though, looks a little bit off. It is wide, with full, luxuriously curved lips which make it seem much too soft for a seasoned warrior. My gaze is riveted to those lips before I know it, and I slowly bite my own without realizing.
Auron clears his throat and breaks the moment. If the heat rises on my face, I choose to ignore it. As does he.
"How did you know what to say?" he asks, his voice low and rough.
"Pardon me?"
"How did you know what to say? Rather than ignoring my disability you offered help, and managed to neither insult nor pity me. I find that people will invariably do one of the three. You did not."
I shrug my shoulders and turn to look at the kids over at the fireplace. "I learned a lot from my late husband." I rather feel than see his raised eyebrow, as my statement does nothing in terms of clarification.
"Michael was born with a degenerative disease. Nobody knew until the first symptoms began to show about a year after our wedding. As his body slowly failed him in the course of the next decade, every day a little bit more, I had ample opportunity to learn how to help without adding insult to injury."
"I am sorry," Auron says quietly.
"Don't be, it's all right."
"I should not have brought it up."
"How could you have known?" I shrug my shoulders again. "Besides, that was a long time ago. Michael died not quite half a year before Nes came to live with me."
"Nes is not your son? He looks very much like you."
"Technically, Nes is my nephew. I adopted him when his parents were killed in the War. Nes's mother Ianna was my identical twin."
Turning around to face him, I can practically see the thoughts racing in his head. The War has been over for about twelve years now, so if Nes's parents were killed before the ceasefire he must have been living with me for at least that long. Before that, I had been married for just over ten years, and assuming that I had not, for some reason, been a child bride, I must be quite a few years older than I look. Which is, of course, true.
Just as Auron opens his mouth to ask the question foremost in his mind, Wakka calls out for us to join them for dinner. With a grin, I turn away. Auron will have to wait for his answers.
The day after next I have snuck away just before dinner for a little private swim in the ocean. I squint into the late afternoon sun as I float on my back, soaking in the gentle waves. With a sigh I decide to turn back to the shore, as the salty droplets drying on my lashes burn in my eyes. With luck, I might still be able to shower before dinner is ready.
As I am just wading through the surf on the way to my towel, Yuna comes running towards me. She is hard to understand due to her panting quite heavily, but I gather that something is happening with Lulu and Wakka is suffering from it. Towel in hand, I run after her, and only later would I realize that I have left my shoes behind.
I smell the ozone of Lulu's Thundara before I see her, standing over Wakka. Her spell is running on, the power channelling through her, building up into an amorphous blue and purple sphere which pins the redhead to the ground. Tidus is on the ground a few paces away. I cannot see his face, but he groans when I run past him. Still alive, then. Good.
Auron has pulled up quite an impressive shield spell which he has apparently just been able to squeeze in between Wakka and Lulu's spell. He's probably saving the kid's live with that spell, but Lulu's power is pressing relentlessly against it, pushing it further down on Wakka. I look at the warrior, and see sweat bead on his temples.
"Can you hold this a little while longer?"
He grunts his assent, full lips pressed into a tight line.
"Nes, get Kimahri to help you and pull Wakka away from Lulu as soon as I tell you to! Yuna, prepare to stabilize him when the boys get him out!"
That said, I take a stand opposite Lulu. Her face is drawn in concentration, small rivulets of sweat run down on either of her temples. She seems intent on hurting Wakka further, but when I reach out with my magic to assess her spell, it becomes obvious that she is long since trying for some measure of damage control. It is equally obvious that she is rather desperate, by now.
"Lu! Lu, it's me, Eanna," I say, quietly and, as I hope, reassuringly. The tiniest flicker in Lulu's ruby eyes tells me that she has heard. "Can you end your spell?"
Lulu answers with a sound between a grunt and a sigh.
"Okay, then, I will join in on your spell now. Do you feel the changes? That's its reaction to me. I will help you reign it in, okay?"
Auron's grunt reminds me that time is of the essence. I close my eyes, extending my magic and weaving it around Lulu's spell. At least, if she should completely lose control, it will not blow up in our faces. Hopefully.
Now we can concentrate on getting it off of Wakka before dissolving it.
It takes time, however, to engulf Lulu's spell securely in one of my own without upsetting it, thus I open my eyes just in time to see Auron's shield flicker. He will not be able to do this for much longer. Slowly, feeling the ripples in Lulu's spell as it strains against the boundaries I have woven around it, I pour some of my energy towards Lulu. Very carefully, only a little bit at a time, as I do not want to fuel her spell any further, I rather want her to have enough energy to get back in control. Lulu nods slightly, and I feel her panic ebb. Simultaneously, I feel the chaos in the spell subside a little. Judging from the increased flickering of Auron's shield we are still too slow. I briefly consider pouring some of my energy towards Auron as well, but decide against it. Lulu needs all the help she can get, and if I should break concentration even for only a second, it might have disastrous consequences. Lulu's spell is safely contained within my net so the others will be safe, but should the spell implode it will still deal quite an amount of damage to Lulu herself and possibly to Wakka as well, pinned as he is underneath it. It might also hurt me badly through the spell I bind it in.
"Lulu, we do not have the time to properly reign in your spell now. We need to lift it off of Wakka first, okay? Be careful, go slowly. Every action on your part will provoke a reaction in your spell, you know that. Before you do anything, make sure that this reaction will be what you want it to be. Concentrate. Go slowly, with precision. You have the skill, and I will not let you run out of energy. Trust me, trust yourself, you will do this. Slow, steady now."
I keep up a stream of quiet encouragements, gently prodding Lulu to move her spell. Slowly, very slowly she manages to direct it upwards, only a centimetre at a time, but constantly.
The moment she has pulled it up high enough for Wakka to breathe more easily, Auron's shield implodes and the guardian falls down on his hand and knees, retching. Overuse of magic does that to you.
"Very good, Lu!" I praise, just as Nes and Kimahri pull Wakka out from under the boiling blue and purple orb which is Lulu's spell. "You managed to lift it, now we will work on reigning it in. Concentrate. Weave your magic. I will not let you run out of energy."
I feel the spell coil and hiss as Lulu uses my power to change it to a form she can bring back under control. There is little effect at first, but Lulu doesn't give up and slowly but steadily gains control over the forces she has unleashed. She is running exclusively on my energy now, having expended all of hers in her effort not to kill Wakka, but as a matter of fact she is drawing only part of what I can offer. She is efficient, she will do well when her own experience grows.
Silent tears are running down Lulu's cheeks when she finishes the last of the counter spell, and her Thundara dissolves with an audible 'plop!'. A flick of my wrist, and the bubble I have used to contain it is gone as well. Lulu gracefully sinks to the ground, exhausted. She looks just about twenty years older.
"Nes?" He instantly appears by my side. "Go get my necessaire from the tent, there are two small blue vials in it. Have Lulu drink one of them, and make sure to feed her afterwards." Nes vanishes in the direction of the big tent immediately.
With Kimahri's help, Tidus is sitting up on the ground now. He looks pale, but mostly unharmed. Auron has stopped retching and is just about to push himself up, so I walk over to where a very frantic Yuna kneels beside an unconscious Wakka.
Honestly, the Blitzball player does not look well. Yuna is just casting Cura again, but it doesn't seem to have much of an effect.
"How's he doing?" I ask while I kneel on Wakka's other side.
"Not good. I can only do so much with Cura, all other spells I have tried are ineffective. Maybe with an Al Bhed potion, but we do not seem to have any." She looks me directly in the eye. "Wakka needs a real healer, and fast."
"You are a real healer," Auron comments from somewhere behind me.
Yuna shakes her head. "I cannot help him any more. I can keep him alive for the time being, until we can get proper help for him, but I cannot cure him. I do not have that kind of power."
"Do you lack the skill, or the energy?" I ask.
"Both, but mostly the energy," Yuna answers, and casts another Cura on Wakka. "I know which spell would probably do the trick, but it is complicated, and I have never tried it before. Besides, I do not have nearly enough energy for it!"
I mentally reach out to her, as I have done with Lulu earlier.
"Be my guest," I tell her.
Yuna's eyes go round as saucers as she dips into my vast stash of energy.
"Easy," I warn her, "only a little at a time. If you take too much it'll probably make your head explode."
I hear Tidus yelp at that, but Yuna only nods. "Still," she hedges, "I'm not sure…"
"I am," Auron tells her. "You are a lot like your father, Yuna. You have his strength."
Yuna locks eyes with Auron, and says nothing for a minute. I cast a silent Cura on Wakka, which brings Yuna back to focus.
"Okay," she says confidently, "let's do this."
"Anything you need, Yuna," I tell her. "Do not hold back. Only never draw more than you can handle at a time."
"Okay. It will take a while, this spell is complicated and requires a long build-up period. I want to make sure I get it right."
"Take all the time you need."
And Yuna does.
At the beginning, I keep listening to the sounds of the others. Auron issues commands in a low voice, restoring order to the camp and making sure that Lulu and Tidus are properly taken care of. As time wears on, however, it becomes more and more difficult to focus on the comings and goings behind me.
Yuna has been right, her spell is incredibly complicated, but she is extraordinary at what she does with it. Still, she runs into a magical dead end twice, which makes her efforts evaporate on the spot. With a slight huff, she begins anew.
My magic gets twisted and turned, bent and re-bent until it fits Yuna's needs, which is exhausting to both of us. Still, the young healer forges on. I have difficulties keeping my eyes open, but I need to see Yuna's face in order to judge the state she is in. For the time being, she holds up very well, apparently she knows exactly how much energy she can draw without getting herself into trouble.
The sounds of our surroundings are gone from my perception now, all I hear is Wakka's laboured breathing and Yuna's low whispering. The blood rushes through my ears and I feel my heart beat faster. Yuna drains me, but she's still not finished. Somehow, during the years since Michael's death, I have managed to forget how much energy a healing spell of higher order will consume. I smile tightly as I remember the lecture my late husband once gave me on the subject.
I keep my eyes trained on Yuna's face, but she seems to fare better than me. It's just as well, she is the one who knows how to heal Wakka. Through the magical bond between us I can feel her weariness, however she pushes it back resolutely. I hope her spell will be done soon, as I have no idea how much longer I can keep this up. Finally, after what feels like an eternity, she looks up at me, her mouth set.
"That's it," she says, "only one last word of power."
I nod my head, not trusting my voice.
At Yuna's command, Wakka sits up forcefully, eyes wide open. "Man," he says, "I have a headache!"
Laughing with relief, Yuna sits back on her heels while I slowly keel over. With great effort, I manage to roll onto my hands and knees.
"Nes," I pant, "blue vial. Yuna."
After that, I slowly crawl a short distance away and am heartily sick into the bushes. When I am done, I feel myself getting pulled to my feet. Nes and Tidus are on either side of me.
"Get her into the tent, on her bedroll," I hear Auron's command. It seems to come from very far away.
My lip tickles strangely, and when I put my hand up to investigate, I feel blood drip from my nose.
Oh. Not. Good.
The boys deposit me gently on my bedroll. Tidus takes flight as soon as he can let go without dropping me, but Nes awkwardly kneels beside my head.
"Go," I whisper, "I'll be fine. I just need rest." I try to smile, but judging from the look on his face, I fail. So I close my eyes and allow myself to drift off.
A moment later I feel something tickle my fingers and force one eye open. Nes is there, putting a handkerchief into my hand. I try for another smile and press the cloth to my nose. Nes smiles back, then he, too is gone.
Later, what little noise Auron makes when he enters the tent wakes me up. It's dark outside, and he's closing the entrance for the night. I guess I must have slept for two hours at least.
"Can you sit up?" he asks gently.
I try to push myself up to a sitting position and find that I manage quite well, if I move slowly. I am still wearing the bikini I went sea bathing with, but am too tired to care, let alone do something about it.
Auron comes to kneel beside me, and puts a small tray into my hands. Food! The smell of the meat makes me realize how hungry I am. I slowly begin to eat. I rather feel like wolfing everything down in record time, but I don't. I really do not want to upset my stomach any further.
"You do not happen to have another one of those potions, do you?" Auron asks with an ironic undertone.
I throw him a quick smile. "No," I say between bites, "those two were the last."
I gulp down some water as Auron hands me a cup.
"How are the girls? How is Wakka?" I ask.
"Yuna and Lulu are well, if tired, thanks to your potions. Wakka is well enough to drive us all mad with his complaints about a headache, so I would say he is just fine."
I chuckle and push back the empty tray. After putting it away, Auron produces a chocolate bar and dangles it under my nose. I laugh outright at this. I love that guy!
"I sent the children to bed," Auron informs me as he divests himself of his signature red coat as well as his black combat boots and cargo pants. His black tank top stretches tightly over the well-defined muscles on his torso. I am openly staring as I savour the chocolate, but I am too exhausted to follow common curtsey and look away. Auron organizes his clothes into a neat pile, lowers himself on his own bedroll and looks at me earnestly.
"Will you be alright?" he asks.
"Yes, don't worry. I will be as good as new tomorrow morning, after a good night's sleep."
"It was very imprudent of you to let Yuna take so much of your energy and then give up the last of the potions to her."
I do not like his admonishing tone, but I let it slide. I am so tired!
Auron narrows his eye at me when I do not answer, but doesn't further comment. "I withheld punishments and the like until we can decide on them tomorrow. I wanted to hear your evaluation of Lulu's spell first," Auron lets me know while he loosens the bindings that keep his paralysed arm in place. It's in the same impressive shape as his good arm, not skinny and all atrophied muscles as one would expect from a limb which has not been used in over a decade. An extraordinarily talented healer must have worked very hard on the magic involved there.
Forcing my wandering thoughts back into focus, I nod at Auron gratefully. "Good, let's discuss this tomorrow. I'm not sure that Lulu is not the injured party here, so to speak." Slowly, I settle into the blankets, suppressing a yawn.
"Good night then," Auron says, and with a touch of his hand makes the little glowing sphere in the corner of our sleeping cabin go dark.