paixaorpg | To Meet Again [active]

Entry tags:

To Meet Again [active]

Character(s): Braska and Yuna
Content: Father and daughter reunite
Setting: Cafe Ersesat near the Niflheim gate
Time: Early Evening
Warnings: Holy cute and... probably a little sadness. :<

It had taken him long enough to work up the courage to speak with her over the journals; he wasn't sure how he worked up enough to meet her face-to-face. He'd been thinking about it ever since he'd stepped out of the hotel he had been staying in and even now he had no idea what to say or even where to begin. Ten years without seeing her... She had grown so, so much, nevermind all that she had done in that time. Although... he supposed she would have a wealth of questions of her own for him to answer. It was all so exciting and yet so terrifying. It was so difficult not to look at her and see the seven-year-old he had left behind so long ago.

The walk there seemed at once far-too-quick and painfully fast. He stood (rather awkwardly) in front of the restaurant, searching for his daughter, fidgeting nervously every minute or so.

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Of all the people Yuna had expected to meet in this strange place, her father had been the last on that list. It had been 12 years since she had seen him, since he had died on Spira, given his life to battle Sin. Of course, he had done it because it was the only way he knew of to defeat Sin. She hadn't. Yuna hadn't gone that route because her faith in it, her faith in Yevon's teachings and beliefs had been shattered by the time she reached Zanarkand. Finding out that the Final Summoning wouldn't defeat Sin permanently had been the final straw for her.

But how did one go about explaining all of that to one's father after 12 years?

Yuna sighed to herself as she made her way to the cafe. She'd found the way pretty easily and so she wasn't too late in getting there, but as soon as she turned the corner and her eyes fell on that familiar figure and face, she stopped. It was as though time had turned backwards, and for a moment she thought she was 7 years old again, watching her father walk away from her in Bevelle. But soon she snapped out of it and stepped a little closer so she could be sure he saw her.

"Father?" she called quietly to him. "I'm here."

He heard a soft voice nearby and lifted his head, looking in Yuna's direction, and, as his eyes landed on her, he couldn't look away. She had grown into such a beautiful, strong young woman (although he couldn't help but wonder what in the world she was currently wearing), and yet he couldn't help but see her as the seven-year-old little girl he had left behind.

He took a few hesitant steps forward, swallowing hard and suddenly finding it much harder to hide his nervousness now that he was meeting her face to face. Anything and everything he could have thought to say he had suddenly forgotten, and he started and stopped every time he tried to speak.

"Yuna..." It was... poor conversation to be sure, but it had been difficult enough to get out on its own.

It was so strange, watching her father for the first time in twelve years. Yuna had thought she'd never see him again, that he'd gone on to the Farplane to rest in peace. She'd even seen him when she'd gone to the Farplane to visit during her pilgrimage, but that had been pyreflies. That hadn't actually been her father there. Not like he was here now.

Her eyes darted away for a moment before they came back. She wanted to show him how much she'd changed, how she'd missed him, wanted to explain how she'd followed in his footsteps for so long. He'd been her greatest role model... and now he was here in front of her again.

"It's... really good to see you again," she murmured, a smile playing on her lips finally. Finding the right words was hard, but she needed to at least try. "So much has happened..."

Braska bowed his head before lifting it back up again. It was too long to be considered a nod, but still spoke of the same acquiescence. He wondered if he should take her into his arms or if that would be asking for too much. He had been gone for ten years of her life, had missed her childhood, her growing up, the long journey that she had lead. He couldn't ignore those years, pretend that they hadn't existed, and he had no intention of doing so.

But what could he ask? How are you? How have you been? What have I missed? He couldn't very well just ask outright. It didn't seem... right, somehow, and he couldn't help but wonder if it was even his place to do so.

But this sort of thinking wasn't getting him any closer to making a decision. He could wonder all he wanted and get nothing done, but in the end, he would have to take a chance sometime, wouldn't he? He pushed his thoughts to the side and did his best to keep them from appearing on his face, though some of the fear may have leaked into his eyes. "That it has. But... I hope you will help me catch up?"

How weird it must have been for Braska to have left his daughter when she was seven, only to find her again when she was nineteen. For her, it was just as strange, though she was trying to forget that.

Smile still in place, she nodded in answer to his question and glanced towards the entrance to the cafe. "I will," came her gentle answer. "Maybe we can go inside and I'll explain as much as I can there."

She was looking forward to really talking with her father again, not so much the entire topic. But he was her father and most of it she wasn't ashamed of. He did have a right to know what she'd done with her life.

Smile still in place, she moved to walk past him and into the cafe, where she waited to be shown a decent place to settle in.

"Oh, yes. My apologies for not suggesting it sooner," he replied, embarrassed. He hadn't meant to forget his manners, but he had just been so caught up in the moment... Well, what was done was done and at least one of them had been kind enough to offer the suggestion, hm?

He was still worried, he couldn't deny that, but he was also rather excited. What had she seen? What had she done in her childhood? He had heard that she had made friends; what were they like? He headed toward the door, holding it open for her and waiting until she had come in before following her inside.

Yuna couldn't blame him for not thinking of it sooner. She hadn't until just now after all. The smile she gave him as they were led to a table close, but not too close, to the entrance showed that she didn't mind.

"It's all right," she replied once they were seated. "I was preoccupied." Very preoccupied.

Thanking the hostess, she picked up a menu with the pretense of looking through it for something to munch away her nerves with. In reality, she was trying to think of where to start this explanation.

"I guess I should start after you left." Yuna couldn't bring herself to mention when he'd defeated Sin because that meant admitting he'd died. He was here in front of her, though. Maybe if she convinced herself he was an unsent, it wouldn't be as awkward?

"Unless you have a specific question."

So she was just as nervous as he was. He supposed he should have known she would be (the situation was likely just as strange and frightening for her as it was for him, after all), but he had been so focused on his own feelings he had hardly thought of hers. That in itself was far more more embarrassing than forgetting to offer to go inside.

Braska kept his eyes on the table, his hands clasped on the table in front of him as he thought to himself. Did he have anything in particular to ask?

He shook his head and looked up from the table. "Not at the moment," he replied. "Although I find it fair to warn you that I will likely have too many to count by your tale's end."

Yuna let out a soft chuckle. She had expected something of the sort. Her two-toned eyes glanced back down at the menu before she placed it back on the table and looked back into her father's eyes. She had missed him so much over the years, wondered how he had handled his pilgrimage. Now they were here to talk and she'd be able to tell him how hers went.

It was going to be... a very interesting tale.

"I don't mind interruptions if you have a question in the middle," she told him with a smile before finally continuing. "I'm still not entirely sure how or why, but after... you defeated Sin, a Ronso by the name of Kimahri came to find me. He said he was asked to take me to Besaid to live. He was kinda scary at first, but I agreed and that's what he did, though he tried to leave until I protested." She smiled almost sadly as she remembered her years in Besaid.

"I grew up with Kimahri, Wakka, and Lulu watching me. Lulu and Wakka were like my... older brother and sister. They just wanted me to be safe. They tried to forbid me from becoming a summoner, but... I did it anyway. I wanted to follow in your footsteps. I wanted to become a summoner and save Spira from Sin, even if only for a little while."

She was sure her father would understand that wish. After all, it had been so close, if not exactly the same, as his own.

((OOC: if i need to add more for him to reply to, just let me know. i didn't want to go too fast in case you wanted to reply))

Braska couldn't hide the smile that spread across his face. He imagined he would likely be amongst those attempting to keep her from becoming a summoner had he been there to hear of it. Of course, he knew he would have relented after some time, but she was still his daughter and he would always worry about her. For her to have grown up with such wonderful friends... Braska was happy that he had chosen such a place for her to live. He would have to thank Auron later, he decided. No doubt it was he who had told the Ronso to take Yuna to the island.

He understood her desire completely. She had grown to be such a good person, a daughter he would always be proud of.

Braska nodded, bidding her to continue.

((Nope! You're good!))

The smile on Braska's face encouraged Yuna a bit as she paused to give him a chance to reply and herself a chance to breathe. It was quite a long story, but she wasn't going to cut too much out. Her father deserved to hear most of it anyway.

She took a sip of her drink as she tried to gather up her thoughts. She was pausing now because this was the first of many turning points. Her story had been straightforward up until the point where she'd met Tidus; and she had to tell Braska about the son of Sir Jecht.

"Before I get too far... there's something you should know." She paused again as she considered exactly how to say this. "After I left the Chamber of the Fayth in Besaid, I met a young boy. He was kind, though excitable." She laughed softly at the memory of Tidus and tried to put it behind her for now. "No one knew who he was and he couldn't remember anything but blitzball and... a city, a city made of lights that never sleeps." She was using her hands now to convey the enormity of the city she was describing.

"A city... called Zanarkand." Her gaze met her father's then as she tried to see if he figured out who she was talking about, and the resemblance to his situation with Sir Jecht. After a slight pause, she told him anyway. "His name was Tidus and his father was Sir Jecht. At the time, I thought it was the blessing of Yevon, but now..."

Now, she knew better. The whole thing had had nothing to do with Yevon, not the Yevon they'd worshiped for so long.

A playful grin spread across Braska's face as she spoke. "Ah, yes, I have heard about this. If I remember correctly, you became quite taken with him, didn't you?" he teasingly asked. He could understand how she could find it a blessing. It truly was a remarkable coincidence that Jecht's son and his daughter could find and travel with one another, not to mention the similarities between Tidus's arrival and Jecht's.

He had to wonder just how much of it really was coincidence. Fate, maybe?

"How much like his father is he?" Braska asked curiously. He hadn't met the boy, only heard stories from his father and Auron.

Yuna was surprised her father knew of her feelings for Tidus and she blushed bright red, ducking her head for a moment to hide her surprise and embarrassment. When she had the grin on her face controlled again, she lifted her head.

"He was very sweet," she answered hesitantly, wondering if her father would catch onto her choice of verb tense. "Enthusiastic, as though nothing bothered him. He was so optimistic. Nothing bothered him. He was kind, like Sir Jecht, but... gentle." She shook her head a little and sighed. "He helped me smile when I didn't think I could. I owe him a lot."

Yuna glanced away for a moment, gathering her thoughts again, before redirecting the subject back to her journey. She didn't want to spend a lot of time missing Tidus today. It had been two years, after all...

"In Luca... when you were traveling... was the blitzball tournament being held?" She looked back at her father, curious. She could remember the day when he'd left her, but she couldn't remember what season it had been. Was Blitzball going on? "When I left, we had to stop in Luca for a tournament. Everyone was there, even Grand Maester Mika. Wakka and Tidus had to play in the tournament, so we waited for a day."

Her tone was difficult to read when she mentioned the Grand Maester. It was hard to tell exactly what she was feeling.

He couldn't help but laugh as she blushed, and he offered her an apologetic smile afterward as he finished, his hand still half-raised to cover his mouth. "I have not heard everything, but I have heard enough to know," he replied. "I too was your age, after all." But as she continued, his smile faded. He had indeed caught the choice of tense. His heart went out to her, knowing as he did what it was like to lose the one you loved, but he had a feeling she knew that too. He may have lost a wife then, but she had lost her mother, had she not?

He averted his eyes a moment, a way to give her some measure of privacy while she thought on her loss. It was never his intention to bring up such memories, but he supposed it was, to some point, inevitable.

Turning his gaze to the ceiling, he thought back to that day and nodded. "I think it was. I remember Jecht telling Auron to capture one of the matches on the sphere." He nodded again. "Yes, it was."

He was a little confused by the way she spoke of the Grand Maester. He understood the situation regarding the Maesters, yes, but he wasn't sure exactly how the Grand Maester himself fit in. But he had a feeling it would soon be explained and so decided to wait before he asked. He was only slightly surprised at Tidus's inclusion in the tournament. Jecht had mentioned that his son was also interested in blitzball. He wondered whether or not Jecht knew how far the boy had come. "How did they do? Did they win?"

It didn't occur to Yuna right away that her father would understand her feeling of loss after Tidus had disappeared from her life. After all, he'd lost his wife, Yuna's mother. They'd experienced the same pain and the smile she sent him was both loving and apologetic. She'd been expecting the memory, so it hadn't hurt as much as she'd thought it would, allowing her to continue soon after.

"They did win." She smiled at the memory, folding her hands on the table and leaning forward slightly. "It took a while, since the Al Bhed decided they wanted me to visit their ship. Lulu, Tidus, and Kimahri found me and after that, Tidus helped the Aurochs win the tournament. They even bested the Luca Goers!" Yuna wasn't sure if the Goers had been as good in her father's day as they were in hers, but such a feat had been unprecedented and cause for a huge celebration.

"Besaid, Kilika, Luca..." She counted off the first three stops on her pilgrimage on her fingers. "Kilika was my first sending, and we only stayed long enough for me to do my duties as a summoner. After that was Luca and after that we headed down the Highroad to Mushroom Rock Road."

She paused a moment and frowned as she thought of Maester Seymour and Operation Mi'ihen. In all honesty, that whole time had been really difficult for her. She hadn't been able to do anything at all to help; she'd only been able to watch in horror as so many people lost their lives and then had sent them to the Farplane. Seymour had confused her at that point in time. She could understand why he didn't think she had the power to do any damage to Sin, but that didn't mean his refusal to allow her to try didn't hurt any.

So she stopped to think and allow her father to ask her questions if he had any.

It was an old wound, and, as such, it did not hurt as much as it would have before, and not as much as he imagined it hurt her, but Braska was grateful for her smile and he returned it with one of his own.

He laughed as she described the game. If her excitement was any indication, it must have been a match to see. "I believe I remember hearing about them. They were becoming very good if I remember right. I cannot remember if they were the ones who played that day."

Her first sending... That must have been difficult. His own had been... difficult to swallow to say the least. There had been so many dead, and though he knew they had made it to the Farplane when all was said and done, it did little to ease the vision of seeing so many caskets gathered in one place. It was one thing to watch a summoner perform a sending, it was another thing entirely to be the one doing it.

She had paused. Of course, she had done so quite a bit to allow him some time to speak, but from the look on her face, it was obvious enough that that wasn't the only reason she had become silent. Something had happened at Mushroom Rock. "And... what happened there?"

"The Goers were the best team in Spira when we visited Luca," Yuna continued, smiling with pride at the fact that the Aurochs had beaten the best team in Spira. Their first tournament win and they'd beaten the Goers. It had been surreal.

Her smile dropped again and she glanced down at her menu, pausing a little to gather her thoughts as the waitress arrived again for their orders. She placed hers, a fish platter, and waited for her father to make his before she would continue.

"A lot happened there," she answered, eyes on the waitress as she finished picking up their menus. "I guess you wouldn't know about Operation Mi'ihen." She paused again, turning over how best to describe that fateful day. "You know how Sin always returns for the Sinspawn, right?" She figured Sin had always had the same tactics, though she asked to be sure.

Braska ordered only a cup of hot tea. It was quickly becoming a favorite drink, especially with all of the storytelling he seemed to be around lately. Not that he minded, at least in this situation. Even if the memories were painful, he was happy to know what she had faced.

He nodded to her question. "Yes," he replied, somewhat confusedly. He wasn't sure what that had to do with anything.

((Sorry for shortness. >.O))

Yuna paused for a short moment as her father answered. She felt a little strange eating in front of him if he wouldn't be getting anything, but she had to admit she was a bit hungry. Glancing away for a moment, she gathered her thoughts and continued.

"Operation Mi'ihen was designed to make use of that. The Crusaders worked together with the Al Bhed to capture Sinspawn all over Spira and bring them to Mushroom Rock Road. Sin returned for them and the plan was to distract it long enough for the Al Bhec machina to blast a hole through it. Well..." She paused again, sighing. "It didn't work. So many people died that day. I was the only summoner there. My guardians and I were the only people outside those directly involved in the operation who were allowed inside the area, so I had to perform the sending." That had been one of the hardest things she'd had to do, even now. Seeing so many people die giving their lives for a cause that had no way of succeeding had solidified her desire to go through with her pilgrimage. She had to succeed where they had tried and failed.

"I knew I had to go on after that. Even through that pain and horror, I had to keep going. Summoners really were... Spira's ray of hope. If I let something like that stop me, how could I allow myself to live a happy life?"

She paused again, before raising her head and offering her father a small smile.

((OOC: It's okay; I didn't give you a whole lot to work with ._. <3?))

Braska closed his eyes as she began to describe the mission. It was good that the two groups had come together for a common goal, but he couldn't help but wonder what had given them the idea in the first place. Surely they had known the mission would have gone poorly. He admired their determination, but even he had to admit it was a foolish move. There was no reason why so many people had to die. Why had no one tried to stop them?

No, that was a poor question. They were as determined to rid Spira of Sin as any summoner had been. They probably wouldn't have backed down no matter how loud the protest. At least Yuna had been there to send those who had fallen, though he didn't envy her. It must have been difficult.

Braska opened his eyes and looked back at her with a smile mirroring her own. "I had suspected that would be the case. You are strong," he told her.

Yuna knew what her father was thinking. She herself had questioned it at the time and later on in her life she'd been faced with that same question. Her answer had been the same as theirs.

"They did it because they wanted to do something." The girl offered Braska a small smile at his compliment, eyes warming slightly at his words. "I was faced with a similar question much later..." She paused, not sure if she should add to that or continue with the pilgrimage in a linear fashion. Eventually, she decided and continued her train of thought, glancing away as she explained one of the hardest things to happen in her life.

"When I found out that Maester Seymour had killed his father, Maester Jyscal, I knew I had to stop him, but I wanted to do it myself. In doing so, I alienated my guardians, but they came through for me at Macalania, confronting Maester Seymour alongside me. We..."

Was there an easy way to admit you killed a Maester?

"We thought he would be... through at that time, but the Guado called us traitors of Yevon and chased us out. Seymour, he...." She paused again and glanced back up to her father's face, trying to judge his reaction. "He became an unsent and followed me from then on." Quickly, she looked away again, a clear sign that she was hiding something, as her voice dropped in volume. "We were eventually sentenced to the Via Purifico for harming a Maester... and I discovered what Grand Maester Mika really was."

Wanting to do something. When she put it that way, he understood. Sin had been Spira's sorrow for a thousand years. One thousand years and no end in sight. Of course they would have wanted to try. It was what every summoner did every time they undertook their pilgrimage, wasn't it? None of them knew whether or not they would be able to defeat Sin, and they were even less certain of whether or not it would be defeated forever.

It made sense. And while he still didn't agree with their course of action and all of the lives lost, he could understand.

Braska frowned as she began her story, not at her, but at the name. He knew he had heard it somewhere before. "Seymour..." he whispered to himself, hoping that by saying it aloud, the answer would come to him.

"He was here," he realized suddenly. "He... created another Sin here. We all managed to defeat it, but... I suppose that is because it was not as strong as the one we knew, and we had a large group working together..." Braska shook his head. He had a feeling he wasn't making a lot of sense at the moment. In any case, that was in the past. From the Maester's actions in Paixao, the high summoner couldn't say he was surprised Seymour had killed his father, but that didn't mean Braska didn't still wonder what reason the man could have had for his actions.

In any case, there was another matter that bothered him. "What Grand Maester Mika... was?"

Yuna was slightly surprised to hear that Seymour had been here before her, a realization that sent nerves coursing through her body, but she pushed that away, glad that the maester was no longer around. She wasn’t sure what she would have done had he still been there.

“His power is great,” she murmured, turning away for a little, “to return somewhere after being sent. I don’t pretend to understand this place, though, but I can only hope he doesn’t return again.”

Yuna was glad that the topic swapped again, though she wasn’t entirely sure if she preferred this subject or the other. The topic of the former Grand Maester was… not a comfortable one, though it was unnerving for other reasons. Lifting her head back up to face her father, she sighed. This would be difficult. She didn’t know if her father had ever been friends with Maester Kinoc, but she was certain they’d known each other. “Grand Maester Mika was … an unsent, as was Maester Seymour by that point. Maester Kinoc knew of it, but didn’t care. Only Maester Kelk Ronso was surprised and he eventually left the order of Yevon.”

“We were the first who ever escaped the Via Purifico,” she continued, smiling slightly with a hint of pride as she said that. It had taken quite a lot of strength and endurance, but she was proud of her friends and guardians for helping her to make it out and making it out themselves. “We continued past the Calm Lands and up towards Mt. Gagazet. The Ronso stopped us at the entrance and we talked for a while.”

She remembered clearly the day she’d personally spoken with the Ronso leader. She’d had to prove to him, and all the other Ronso, that her resolve was strong. She fought for the people of Spira, not the religion they’d all thought was the only way and she explained this to her father. Yuna was strong at heart; of that, there was never any doubt.

Braska frowned. To return after being sent? A part of him wondered whether or not the Maester would return to Paixao again if that were the case. It had been difficult enough to send the man to begin with. What if he unleashed another Sin on the city? At least... At least they had more people who knew about the monster to take care of things now.

"He was... an unsent?" It came out as a shocked whisper, and Braska slowly shook his head. To some point it made sense. The Grand Maester had had a long reign, longer than many would find possible. But why would they keep someone from rest for so long? Unless Grand Maester Mika had wanted to continue his rule for some reason... He just couldn't understand.

"That is quite an achievement. How did you manage to escape it?" he asked her curiously. He also wondered what she talked with the Ronso about, but he had a feeling a part of him already knew. As devoted as the Ronso people were to Yevon, with Maester Kelk Ronso's departure, and with everything that had happened to Yuna over the course of her journey, there was bound to be some hesitation among them on letting her through.

Yuna could only hope that she would never see Seymour again. All those times she’d fought him as a summoner had been more than enough. She didn’t want any other chances.

A nod accompanied her father’s shocked whisper and she glanced back down. She understood his shock. She’d felt it herself when she’d found out. But Grand Maester Mika had been good for the people of Spira up until Yuna had discovered Yevon’s lies. Then, his place in the world had been taken away and she had vowed not to allow him to continue the façade of hope. She’d given the people true hope, a hope that didn’t hinge on other people’s sacrifices.

Her hope hinged on the ultimate destruction of Sin. And she had been determined to find a way.

“He was a good maester, which is probably why he stayed even after he died,” she continued carefully. “After he called me a traitor of Yevon and sentenced myself and my guardians to the Via Purifico, I… lost my faith and decided I would rather continue to help the people of Spira rather than because it was expected of me by Yevon.”

She paused again, mind on the Via itself, before taking a deep breath and plowing onward. “Escaping wasn’t as difficult as I had expected. I took the time winding my way through to train my aeons a little more. At the end, I was challenged by a fellow summoner, someone who was still controlled by the maesters, and defeated his aeons. We left the Via after the aeon battles and stayed as far away from the temples as possible.” She’d been lucky to have gotten all of her aeons before that point in her journey, so avoiding the temples wasn’t as detrimental as it could have been.

Braska clasped his hands in front of him and pressed his forehead against them. What an ordeal to go through... It pained him to think that he hadn't been there for her. But he had known all the consequences of his actions before he had started his journey, hadn't he? It had been difficult enough to leave Bevelle to begin with, hence why he had preferred a short goodbye. Of course, not many would have shown up even if he had wanted a larger one. He had still been rather... disliked then.

They had achieved the delightful irony he had talked about so many years ago, and yet he couldn't help but wonder if the cost outweighed the outcome. It was a foolish thought, he knew, and he desperately tried to shove it from his mind. That was in the past, and he had every opportunity to make it up to her now. He needed to remember that instead of focusing on the time lost. It was silly for him to keep going back to it.

And there was no need for her to have to deal with these feelings of his, either. She had a bright future ahead of her--a real one this time. She needn't have the worries of a dead man hanging over her head, especially when he had every opportunity to rid himself of them now. And besides, she had yet to finish her story. She hadn't even made it to Zanarkand, had she?

"And so you went to Gagazet?" He looked up at her once again, any trace of his earlier thoughts absent from his face.

Yuna didn't blame him at all for not having been there. As sad as she'd been when she first realized that she'd never see him again, she'd always known what he had fought for and why he'd gone off to do what he'd done. And then she'd followed in his footsteps, which meant she knew exactly what he'd done and agreed with all of his reasons. She'd done it not to be famous, but to help people, the reason she was sure he'd followed earlier.

"Mhm... The Ronso weren't so happy to let us pass, but they did eventually. The mountain allowed us passage, even when Seymour threatened my pilgrimage once more." She didn't go into much detail regarding that, though, preferring to go on about the fiend Yunalesca had sent to test them at the top. "We paused until sunset and then continued on to Zanarkand. When we arrived..."

Yuna faltered then, unsure of how to continue. This was the part where she'd changed paths, stopped following the traditional path of the summoner and broken away from the Final Summoning. How could she tell her father that she'd done away with something they'd both thought was the only way for so long?

"I thought Zanarkand would be the end, you know? I thought Lady Yunalesca would end the cycle... but after everything that had happened with Yevon and the temples... I knew that her way, the Final Summoning, was not the way I could choose. We fought and defeated her... because we believed there was another way to defeat Sin, a way that would not require a sacrifice of summoner and guardian nor a new Sin later on."

She paused again and looked at Braska, to tell him that she didn't blame him for the choice he had made. He hadn't had the opportunity, nor the way that she had.

Braska nodded. It still hurt to some point, knowing he had only prolonged the cycle, but there was little he could have done with the knowledge he had. The Final Summoning was the only way he had known, and all he knew about it was that it was Spira's only hope of defeating Sin. That was what he had always been taught, and he had never once thought to question it. What reason had he to? Yuna... Yuna had much more reason.

It was a strange coincidence now that he thought about it. As long as they had followed the teachings Sin had always returned, though the one time a summoner chose to go against the teachings--the teachings they had always been told would save them one day--and try another way Sin had been defeated. How truly odd it was was.

"And that is why I am proud of you," he told her, a small smile creeping its way onto his face. "I remember making a sphere while climbing Mount Gagazet... I do not know whether or not you received it, but in it I said no matter what path you chose, I would always be proud of you. You chose the right path, that much, I think, is obvious enough in the eyes of everyone in Spira you haved saved by your actions." He paused, reading the look in her eyes and looking back down at the table, his smile lingering. "I hope that, had I the same information as you, I would have thought to do the same."

Braska chuckled, shaking his head before looking back up at her. "Circumstances can breed such strange results for two people on the same path, can't they?"

The comment that Braska was proud of her made Yuna's cheeks go pink momentarily. She'd found that sphere, but to hear it in his own voice in person was what really meant a lot to the young High Summoner. She offered him a wavering smile as she attempted not to let her emotions get the best of her.

It was almost as though no time had passed at all. Their conversation was making things so smooth for the both of them. She couldn't help but think that she got her nurturing nature from both of her parents. Given the same knowledge she'd had, she was certain her father would have chosen the same path.

"I am sure you would have... just as you did what you believed was right," she answered softly. "In the end, we defeated Sin permanently and Yu Yevon as well." But at a terrible price. Her smile slipped off her face momentarily before she forced it back. Now was not the time to dwell on things like that. She was trying to be happy for her father, happy that she could see him again after so long apart.

"I am glad it's over, you know? It was hard... watching everyone who suffered from Sin's attacks. I'm glad to know that they can all live peacefully now."

She was sure her father would understand. After all, he'd become a summoner before she had, so he'd have seen as much sorrow in the world on his journey as she had on hers.

It would be nice to think he'd have done the same thing, and maybe he would have. But, having not been there, having not seen everything that she had, he didn't want to assume. High Summoner or no, he was just a man, a man as prone to mistakes and doubts and fears as anyone else.

"It must be wonderful," he mused, "To live in a world permanently free of Sin..." Braska could only imagine how many smiling faces there were in a world like that. The only experience he had in that sort of world was in Paixao itself, and even then it too, however briefly, had been touched by Sin. Then there was the Organization...

Perhaps he would never be able to see that world. A matter of fate, or of irony of the cruelest sort. But he could hear about it now and he could envision it himself, and that was enough. It was more than he could ever have asked for.

That was probably enough of a tale for now, Yuna decided. The things that had happened afterwards, why she was wearing these clothes for one, could wait for another day. For now, she smiled and offered a nod in return.

"It really was," she answered. "It was everything I could have hoped for. Everyone was so happy and no one had any cause to be sad day after day or to worry constantly like they used to." And really, that was what made it worth it for her.

She glanced at her watch then. "Oh gosh! I didn't mean to keep you so long!" It was nice, to be sure, but the blush that crept up her cheeks betrayed the fact that she was still a bit nervous of messing up somewhere.

Had it really been so long? Braska glanced out the window. It was dark now; the sun had long since set. He had hardly noticed, but, then again, neither had she, it seemed. "There is no need to apologize," he reassured her. "It's understandable that time would get away from us, and it was time well spent besides."

"I only hope I've not bored you during this time," he continued, standing up. "Or... to have brought up too many unhappy memories."

Yuna stood when her father did and she shook her head emphatically. "It was a very interesting conversation and I'm really glad we had it. I hope... I didn't bring anything painful up for you."

And because she couldn't help it, she reached out to give him a hug. It had been too long and she'd missed him so much.

"I hope we can see each other again. Soon."

"No, it is fine. It is only fair that you would have questions," he said. "And after all of my own, it is only right that I answer them."

Braska seemed surprised at first as he was hugged, but slowly he wrapped his arms around her, and for a moment he imagined he was holding the little girl he had left behind all those years ago. He shut his eyes, allowing himself to keep that feeling for awhile longer. She was grown now, but she would always be his little girl. "We will," he assured her, "I would not let you go so soon."

Yuna pulled back with a smile bordering on sad, though she tried to keep that particular emotion out of the expression. There was no need to sour what had turned out to be a rather nice meeting.

"I'm glad. I guess I'd better get back home, though. Maybe we can walk together for a little... And sometime soon, we'll have to go out for lunch again."

Because she'd missed her father and was curious to know what he was like to her older mind. He'd always be the father she'd known as a child, but now they had a few years to make up for and the opportunity to do so.

Braska nodded, attempting to keep his disappointment out of his expression. Even having been around one another for awhile, it still almost felt too soon. But she had her own life to lead and it wasn't his place to get in the way of that. They had time now, did they not? And, as she said, they could walk together or go out to lunch again soon. There was no need for disappointment.

"I look forward to it. Anytime you wish, let me know."

"Thanks. And if you need me... just call for me." Yuna smiled at her father, glad she'd finally gotten the chance to really talk to him, even if it was in a strange place like this where nothing was guaranteed. The time they'd spent together had been more than worth it and she hoped they could do it again soon.

With a final smile, she turned to head outside and into the evening.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

To Meet Again [active]

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fff I totally forgot I hadn't tracked this yet |D; whoops!

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sdkhjkdf I hate school somedays @.@

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HolycrapIdon'tknowhowthisslippedthroughthecracksaaaah

they do that XD - WHUPS WRONG PLACE

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/faaaaails sob

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