Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ A Secret Journey (Rikku's Story) ❯ Chapter twenty-nine ( Chapter 29 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

A Secret Journey (Rikku's Story)

Summary: The story of the pilgrimage told in Rikku's words, and what she learns on the way.
Classification: FFX fic, AU, Rikku/Auron relationship, story, romance
Rating: PG13, higher rating (up to R) for other instalments
Disclaimer: The characters in this story belong to Squaresoft, but the story
is mine. (actually Rikku's, but you know what I mean. : )

Author's note: Rikku is an Al Bhed and sometimes her narrative slips into her native tongue. For this reason I am also including an Al Bhed primer at the end of each part, with
translations of the terms used.

Feedback is welcomed at tuatha@coastalnet.com.au

Part Twenty-nine

The ghost of Yunalesca stood when we approached, apparently sensing nothing
different about our resolve.

"Have you chosen the one to become your fayth? Who will it be?"

Yuna stood firm. "Might I ask something first? Will Sin come back, even
should I defeat it with the Final Summoning?"

"Sin is eternal. Every Aeon that defeats it becomes Sin in its place. And
thus Sin is reborn."

"So that's why Jecht became Sin." Tidus spoke, acknowledging Yunalesca's
words.

It was an answer that finally made sense, in a sick kind of way. I couldn't
believe I hadn't pieced this together myself. Every summoner who arrived
here chose one of their guardians to become the Final Aeon. Of course the
long pilgrimage together forged a bond of love so close that the sacrifice
was made willingly.

The chosen guardian was bonded to their summoner as an aeon, then somehow
became Sin. It didn't explain how a sacrifice made out of love so strong and
deep could become something so terrible, perpetuating the evil of Sin's
presence, but it did explain a lot.

Yunalesca replied. "Sin is an inevitable part of Spira's destiny. It is
eternal, never-ending."

"Never-ending?" Wakka sounded shocked by her words. "But...but if we atone
for our crimes, one day Sin will be gone. Sin will stop coming back
someday?"

"Will humanity ever attain such purity?" She asked him implacably.

"This cannot be!" Lulu interjected. "The teachings state we can exorcise Sin
with complete atonement. It's been our only hope all these years."

"Hope is comforting. It allows us to accept fate, however tragic it might
be."

She was beginning to sound an awful lot like Seymour. Tidus and Auron both
responded at the same time.

"No!"

Then I realised it wasn't Auron. He was standing with an anguished look on
his face, as his younger self confronted Yunalesca, who looked exactly as
she did now, unchanged and youthful for over a thousand years.

"Where is the sense in all this? Braska believed in Yevon's teachings and
died for them!
Jecht believed in Braska and gave his life for him!"

They chose to die, because they had hope."

"Nooooooooo!"

I watched, horrified, as Auron raised his sword and ran forward with a cry.
I wanted to throw myself upon him and deflect him from his fateful course. I
wanted to stand between him and her deadly blow, but I was ten years too
late to intervene in his fate.

His broken body hit the floor, gasping in agony as his blood flowed thick
and fast, forming a deep pool beneath him, staining his crimson robe black,
as life flowed from his body. Then the ghostly echo faded, and he was
standing apart from us, shadowed, pained with a memory held secret for so
long and finally revealed to us all.

Yunalesca was unfazed by the memory that flowed by us, or perhaps she didn't
see it. She continued. "Yevon's teachings and the Final Summoning give the
people of Spira hope. Without hope, they would drown in their sorrow. Now,
choose. Who will be your fayth?

"Who will be the one to renew Spira's hope?"

"No one!" Yuna's voice rang out loudly. Perhaps it was seeing the sacrifices
of those who had come here before us only to find them all in vain, but Yuna
was now irrevocably opposed to continuing on her path if it meant
sacrificing one of her guardians too.

"I would have gladly given my life to free Spira from its pain. I live for
the people of Spira, I would have given my life for them! But no more! The
Final Summoning...is wrong. It is a false tradition, borne of a false hope.
It must stop."

"No. It is our only hope. Your father sacrificed himself to give that hope
to the people. So they would forget sorrow."

"You're wrong! My father...my father wanted to defeat Sin. He wanted to make
Spira's sorrow, Spira's suffering go away! Not just cover it up with lies!"

"Sorrow cannot be abolished. It is meaningless to try."

"No! I loved my father...so I will live with my sorrow. I will be strong,
and someday I will defeat sorrow, and I will do it without false hope."

"Poor creature? Would you throw away Spira's hope? Well, I will free you
before you drown in your own sorrow. It is better for you to die in hope
than live in despair."

Then she changed, no longer beautiful and wise seeming, she became something
terrible, showing her true fiendish face to us.

"Now! This is it! Now is the time to choose!" Auron shouted, as if he'd been
waiting for this moment to arrive. "Die and be free of pain or live and
fight your sorrow! Your fate is in your hands!"

Instead of blindly following the path set before us, as so many summoners
and guardians had done before, we had refused. For that Yunalesca was going
to try to eliminate us. If she thought I was going to let her exterminate us
so she could sit here in her lair until the next summoner and guardian was
caught in her web she was sadly mistaken.

"Well, I'm fighting!" I ran forward to take my place beside Auron.

"I can't believe this!" Wakka said.

"You can always run away." Lulu chided him.

"Ha! I'd never forgive myself."

"My thoughts exactly." She responded, and smiled at him.

"Yuna! Let's see this through together!"

My cousin looked at Tidus, her love for him shining clearly in her eyes.
Then she nodded. "For Spira! For my father...and yours."

Then we fought. Yunalesca was like a snake, twisting with venom as she
rained evil upon us. I fumbled in my mind for the calm that would allow me
to reach into the white light inside my soul, gaining strength from the
connection I could feel between myself and the others, where they resided in
my heart. A flash of white struck my vision, removing from us her poisonous
intent. Then Yuna raised her staff and chanted, a cure spell that washed
over us and restored us. I stepped back allowing Lulu to take my place and
she let her doll jump from her arms and begin to dance in time to her
weaving hands. Pearlescent balls of light spun from her fingertips and
surrounded Yunalesca's evil form, then exploded in white light.

Tidus shouted "I've got you!"

He ran forward and slashed at her, striking the tentacles that writhed
around her body, jumping away each time she retaliated and laughing as he
cut her to shreds. That was it, Yunalesca's power faded, leaving only the
shadow of her previous human form.

"If I die, so does the Final Aeon. You've destroyed Spira's only hope."

Tidus wasn't willing to accept that. "We'll find a new hope."

"Fool! There is no other way. And even if there was, Yu Yevon would only
create Sin anew."

"Yu Yevon?"

"Ah...Zaon, forgive me." With those words she was gone, only a brief
swirling of light remaining as it drifted up and disappeared into the gloom
above.

Yuna wavered on her feet, looking shell-shocked. "I can't believe what we
just did."

Tidus shook his head. "Let's do something even more unbelievable. Destroy
Sin without the Final Aeon. I don't know how, yet...but we're going to find
out."

This time it was my turn to shake my head. It was a leap of faith, but we'd
made so many and they'd led us this far. But Auron...I hung back as the
others followed Yuna towards the door to the antechamber. I heard Tidus
speak first.

"Auron."

"We must talk. There is something you need to know."

"It's about you, right?"

"I am also an unsent."

"I kind of guessed. It was Yunalesca, wasn't it?" Tidus asked him, already
knowing the answer. I turned with tears in my eyes and watched as Auron
admitted the truth.

"When Braska and Jecht died defeating Sin I couldn't accept it. I came back
here. When I heard the truth from her lips, that it was all a lie, I tried
to avenge them..."

"She struck me down." He stared at the floor, as if marking the spot where
his body had lain after her blow felled him. "Somehow I made my way,
crawling down Mt Gagazet. Then Kimahri found me. I told him about
Yuna...just before I died. I've been wandering ever since, never going to
the farplane."

"Auron..."

"Don't make that face. Being dead has its advantages. I was able to go with
Sin, to your Zanarkand."

"And you watched over me ever since then. Why? Why me?"

"It is difficult to explain. I will show you...my memories."

He knelt on the floor and I watched as several pyreflies escaped from his
body. They swirled in the dusty air, then I saw Jecht, standing several feet
from Tidus, turning towards where Auron knelt on the floor.

"Can I ask you one last favour? Uh...nah, never mind."

"Out with it!"

"Okay. Listen, take care of my son, in Zanarkand. He's such a crybaby, he
needs someone there to hold his hand, look after him. Take care of him for
me."

"But how am I supposed to go to Zanarkand?"

"Hey, you said it yourself. There must be a way, right?"

"Alright, I will. I give you my word."

"Thanks, Auron. You were always such a stiff, but that's what I liked about
you." I watched as Jecht hugged his friend goodbye, an awkward embrace
between two men who despite their differences had eventually been united,
both in their love for their summoner and their desire to defeat Sin.

The memory faded, leaving Auron kneeling there while Tidus gazed at him
sorrowfully. "That is why."

Auron stood and began to walk towards me. Auron was dead, had been dead all
along. I turned, and fled.

When we emerged from the dome Sin was there. It was silent and unmoving,
watching us. Tidus ran forward and shouted. "I know, the Final Aeon is gone.
But I'll think of something! I promise, just give me a little more time."

It was strange to imagine that such a loathsome creature was once human, was
once a man named Jecht. Even stranger that somewhere inside he could hear
and understand, desire oblivion, and turn away at Tidus's words to slink
back into the ocean depths where he lurked. As the lumbering behemoth moved
away I saw a flash of light strike something bright in the sky beyond it.

"The airship!" I waved at it. "Look! Look! They've come for us."

The ship landed and the cargo bay door opened. My father looked out from the
doorway, his eyes taking in Yuna, then scanning across our group until he
saw me. I ran right into his arms and buried my face in his chest.

"Rikku! Oui'na ymnekrd? Oui'na hud rind?

"Hu. E's veha." I reassured him. "I'm just so glad to see you, that's all."

"Well I'm glad to see you too. I was afraid we'd be too late."

He looked at Yuna, then the rest of our group as they went past us into the
ship. Auron turned his face away from me as he followed them. I felt my
heart hit the soles of my shoes but by the time I'd extricated myself from
my father's arms Auron had already disappeared into the bowels of the ship.

My father turned and hugged Yuna. "I'm so glad you're safe."

"Uncle."

"What happened? Did you fight Sin?"

"No, not yet. Tidus will explain...but, we need to come up with a plan."

"As long as it doesn't involve anyone dying, I'm all for it."

I smiled, trying to pretend his words didn't hurt. It was already too late
to prevent that.

"Let's head on up to the bridge, you can tell me what's going on."

I trailed after them, feeling like a coward for avoiding Auron as I had. I
didn't mean to, it just seemed easier to let myself be carried away by
events, instead of holding fast and facing him.

Now I'd let the opportunity slip, and I didn't see him again until we
approached the bridge from the corridor. He was leaning against the wall,
affecting an unconcerned attitude as everyone filed past. Lulu cast a quick
glance at me then turned away hastily, grabbing Wakka's arm before he could
stop and think about what happened, taking him with her into the cabin.

Tidus looked at me for a moment then turned and followed the others. The
door shut behind them and we were alone. He was silent, and I looked at him,
not sure what to say.

"You're dead." I blurted out. It was the first thing that came into my mind,
and I was instantly sorry I said it. His head turned away.

"Yes."

"How..."

"We'll talk later." He interrupted me and walked towards the door, then
paused a step away, his head turned as if listening for something.

"Wait..." I reached out, and tentatively touched his arm. He felt the same
as he always had, warm and alive, and I almost shook with relief. "You're
not...a fiend."

"No. But sometimes I feel..." He shook his head slowly. "as if I am."

He walked forward leaving me standing there, so I followed him onto the
bridge of the ship, to talk to my father, and come up with a plan to defeat
Sin.




End of Part Twenty-nine




Al Bhed translation:

Oui'na ymnekrd? Oui'na hud rind? = You're alright? You're not hurt?
Hu. E's veha. = No. I'm fine.