Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ The Long Way Home ❯ Baralai ( Chapter 11 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

[A/N: Insert disclaimer here. I hope people are still enjoying this little chronicle of mine; the more reviews I get, the sooner the next chapter may be out. And now…]

The Long Way Home

Baralai

Sometimes it’s hard for me to believe how much has happened in recent times. To think of all I’ve done so far- growing up in the shadows of the Bevelle palace, losing my father to Sin and being taken in by the church of Yevon… the desire for revenge that led me to join the Crusaders, discovering in the process how Yevon itself preached against machina yet used certain machina themselves… there was a lot that I learned, most of it a trial by fire.

There are some things I’ve done that I’m not terribly proud of, many of which began after the Den of Woe. With the Squad obliterated by a bureaucracy bent on cover-ups, and the apparent betrayal by one I thought was a friend, I wasn’t sure where to turn. I’d thought at the time Nooj had finally lost it, that perhaps he was going to resume his Deathseeker ways by turning into a homicidal maniac and waiting for guard patrols to gun him down. But why? Why turn against us all at that moment? Before the Den of Woe, we… Gippal and myself… had almost gotten him out of his gloom ‘n doom shell, even got him to smile a few times. He was a dour person, probably because of the limbs he’d lost to Sin a year before, but a brilliant tactical leader. It took some doing, but it was worth it when he actually cracked a smile or two. I still remember how we talked about becoming our own airship crew, and Paine had nominated him as captain. His response… “I’ll work you like dogs”… that got us all smiling.

That’s what made it all the more painful when he gunned us down on the Highroad. Just like those government cover-up artists did to the rest of the Squad. I didn’t have time to react before the slug slammed into my shoulder blade. I heard Gippal fall, caught across the torso. The shot wasn’t enough to kill me, but it hurt like hell; all I could do was play dead and hope to Yevon I could find out what was going on. Then I heard more shouts, several shots fired…

I hadn’t known Paine before she joined up as our Recorder, but I could sense something inside her. Something… different, I suppose. At first I was hesitant to talk to her, what with the getup she dressed in and her attitude. I could tell she was strong, a warrior at heart… and yet, involuntarily so. Hardly surprising, considering how many people in Spira have been put in that same sort of position thanks to that monstrous Sin. Still, there was a tenacity about her that amazed me, a refusal to back down. But there was something missing. It was as if she had nobody to talk to except herself. Maybe that’s what spurred me to talk to her once in a while, get her more involved with the rest of us. So what if she was a Recorder, that didn’t make her any less human. And as time went on, bit by bit she began to open up a little more. She began to laugh at some of Gippal’s jokes, even managed to tell Nooj to lighten up a bit, which surprised me.

And now Nooj was gunning her down, and I couldn’t stop him.

I didn’t hear any body fall, though. Several grunts of anguish, the sound of a Sphere Camera hitting the ground. I could only hope she’d managed to scramble to safety, perhaps ducking under the cover of vegetation…

Eventually, the scraping of feet along the road as Nooj left me and Gippal for dead. Thing is, we didn’t die. We were both pretty bad off- Gippal more so than me- but with a little concentration and my temple-taught healing magicks, we were back up and moving as soon as the coast was clear.

We went our separate ways after that, as we’d agreed. I offered my services to the Maesters, hoping to descend into temple anonymity. I certainly got more than my fair share out of that bargain, especially once I became privy to more of Yevon’s secrets- in particular those held by Maester Seymour. I’ll admit it now, there was something very unnerving about the half-Guado, something almost sinister. But the temple had taught me to always be respectful, and so I was, playing the loyal minion for this strange man. I overheard whispered rumors that he planned to wed the daughter of Lord Braska, who was a Summoner in her own right… but for what purpose, I didn’t know. At least not then.

Then I began to learn more about what lay at the core of Yevon. Forbidden machina in use beneath Bevelle, let alone the horrifying truth of the Unsent Maesters or the lurking, menacing presence of Vegnagun beneath the palace… still I acted the part of the loyalist, though it secretly sickened me. I wondered if there was any way, any possible way, to expose the fraud for what it was and start over again… but with the threat of Sin looming over all, it seemed as though any attempt would leave the masses at the mercy of an immortal evil. I began to wonder if it all was truly hopeless.

It wasn’t, of course. But it took a rag-tag band of Guardians and their Summoner to prove it. When I first heard the rumors that Braska’s daughter Yuna- one already branded a heretic at that point- that she was taking on Sin without the Final Summoning, I’ll admit that I was flabbergasted. How could the fiend be eliminated without the Final Aeon? As imperfect a solution as it is, the Final Aeon is the only thing that can stand up and quiet Sin… That’s all I could think of at the time. Then the word came down of a great plan, using everyone’s devotion and the Hymn of the Fayth. I was still doubtful, but also hopeful. Perhaps it had a chance of working after all. And it did.

Since that day, a lot happened in my life. I was one of the first to join up when Lord Trema created New Yevon, hoping that perhaps the faith of the people might be restored. Also, knowing the secrets of Yevon the way I did, I knew I would be able to warn the others of the dangers beneath the city. However, it was a daunting task before us all; we had to create a sense of order without eradicating everything familiar about Yevon at once. Many people had known Yevon all their lives, and now that its lies had been exposed, we had to find a way to appease the restless masses. That’s when it really began to hit the fan.

I never expected Trema to disappear, along with his son, pushing me into the position of Praetor. A position I still hold, still not entirely used to giving orders rather than following them. I was trained as a warrior and a priest, not a leader of men. Nor did I expect new political factions to crop up, led by my old Squad members, of all people. It’s still hard to believe Trema was the one responsible for the Youth League as well as New Yevon, almost as if he wanted two sides to fight it out with one another. The reappearance of Nooj, of course, was unsettling to say the least. I needed some answers, and I needed them soon.

Those answers nearly caused a war between the Factions, and almost doomed Spira to a fate worse than Sin. All because of one malicious Unsent.

I still curse myself for being too weak to shake him off, that spectre I had only witnessed once before in the Den of Woe. I barely even recall what I did under his possession… but during that time, I realized that this was what had betrayed us. It wasn’t Nooj’s doing, it was this Shuyin person.

It was like… like falling into darkness with steel claws clutching at the very fiber of my being. All my doubt and anger being drawn to the surface, feeding the entity that had taken away my free will. I can only speculate that Nooj felt much the same way. I tried to fight it, but I kept falling deeper and deeper into Shuyin’s memories, his despair, his fury at being separated from the one he cared about more than any other. A fury that almost matched my own at being ripped away from my friends.

And then the fury was gone. I didn’t know how, but all at once I was freed from Shuyin’s control… and a dear friend of mine was standing before me.

Sometimes I wish I’d said more when I saw Paine for the first time in two years, when she and the Gullwings first visited Bevelle prior to all hell breaking loose. She was just the way I remembered, still bearing that aloof attitude of hers, but with a glint in her eye suggesting a fire within. But there was so much happening at the time, what with temple business and all… and I got the feeling she didn’t want High Summoner Yuna to know about what we had been through. She had been very private before, so I decided to respect that privacy and let her make the first move.

When she and the others freed me from Shuyin’s power, I knew I’d made a mistake. I should’ve said something to her at our first meeting, even if it was little more than “hello” or “how are you”, or possibly “thank the Fayth you weren’t killed all those years ago.”

I don’t know… I guess I’m just not that good at expressing my feelings. I may be able to sense other people’s feelings, but when it comes to me, I’m all thumbs. The others, I could tell them just about anything… but not Paine. I may have made the odd bit of conversation during our time with the Squad, but I couldn’t bring myself to talk with her on a one-on-one basis. I guess I figured she wouldn’t want to spend time alone with an average guy like me, so I kept our relationship on a friendly level and didn’t push anything.

Still… there’s something about her that strikes me deep inside. I’m not sure what, but it’s there.

It feels like things are changing a bit for her, too. Just a short while ago, she and the others arrived in Bevelle after leaving a message saying they were dropping in for a visit. At the time I was awash in paperwork, what with the new alliances we’re creating with the Youth League and Machine Faction, so a break from bureaucracy was welcome. I was still a little disappointed that Lady Yuna had declined our offer to take part and become one of Spira’s leaders, but it was her decision and I still respect it. Then the three of them made their entrance via their airship, and I was shocked when I realized there were actually four of them.

I almost had a heart attack when I saw the fourth one; I thought for a second that Shuyin was back from the Farplane and out for blood! Yuna must’ve seen my reaction because she immediately launched into an introduction, stating first- repeatedly- that the man before me wasn’t Shuyin. At first I wasn’t sure, but then I took a closer look. I couldn’t remember much about the Unsent, but what I did remember were eyes clouded by anger, a face set in a perpetual sneer. This man’s eyes were bright, and slightly confused.

Eventually it dawned on me that it wasn’t the same person, and I let myself hear more about who he was. When he introduced himself as Tidus, I realized I’d heard his name before- rumors had been abounding that he was instrumental in the Aurochs’ victory at the tournament two years past. I’d been so busy with the Crimson Squad that I’d missed the game, so never got a chance to see him in action. Then I learned that he’d been the one to see beyond the Final Summoning, the one who’d inspired Yuna to face Sin without the Final Aeon. The one man she’d waited for all these years, refusing others’ advances all the while.

We talked for quite a while after that, threading our way through some of the palace gardens, and I could tell the two of them shared a powerful bond. She told me how his energy had kept her smiling during the hardest parts of the Pilgrimage, while he talked about all the world had to offer besides Blitzball, and how she had opened his eyes to it. It was easy to see why she had waited for him after all this time; they were a perfect match.

I still didn’t quite understand what it was that separated the two of them for so long, but I felt it wasn’t my place to press the issue. I could tell it was something they both didn’t want to discuss. So we talked about other things- the plans in motion to unify the Youth League and New Yevon, the concept of developing a general assembly to govern the lands of Spira. Both of them seemed to think it sounded like a good idea, and Paine pointed out that she felt I should be one of those at the top. I backed off at first, and then she reminded me of the conversation we’d once had about airships. She told me that I’d once seen myself as a navigator… so why not become one, and not just for a ship, but for the people of Spira?

It did make sense… but honestly, I’m not sure how ready I would be for the task of guiding so many at once. Then again, with the others alongside of me, maybe it could work out. Before, we were leading our own individual groups, and now we have a chance to lead many more as a team. It’ll take an awful lot of work, but the way Paine smiled when she said I could do it makes me think it’s not an insurmountable challenge.

I’m still keen to find out more about this Tidus person, where he came from, why he looks so similar to Shuyin, what his plans are for the future. For now, though, it appears that Yuna wants to show him the sights of the city, so I can wait a while longer. Rikku seems to have vanished, something about an ‘appointment’ shortly after the four of them arrived in the city. I’m in no mood to go back to paperwork right now, so I’ve left it in the care of one of my secretaries. Gippal’s people haven’t installed a new Commsphere at Djose, so I haven’t heard from him. Can’t contact Nooj; the Commsphere at Guadosalam appears to be turned off, probably his lover’s doing. That LeBlanc is a strange one…

Maybe while I wait for Yuna and Tidus to come back I can have a talk with Paine. I’d like to know what she’s been up to in the last two years. Perhaps I can even open up a little more to her…

I guess I’ll just have to find out.




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