paixaorpg | Someday the Dream Will End (Closed / Active)

Entry tags:

Someday the Dream Will End (Closed / Active)

Character(s): Yuna, Auron, Jecht
Content: They FINALLY get to Zanarkand!
Setting: Zanarkand
Time: Backdated to Week 27
Warnings: Sobness?

An Eternal Calm, a slightly chubby Wakka, and her 2 minutes, forty-one seconds. For Yuna, seeing Zanarkand again, a Zanarkand free of tourists and monkies, was like an odd slap to the face. It reminded her of everything she'd lost, everything she couldn't have if she ever went back home to the real Spira. From the moment she'd found herself walking out of Mount Gagazet's caves, she couldn't help closing herself off again. She knew Auron would be able to read her like a book and know something was wrong, but she didn't want to talk about it. Instead, Yuna just kept going, pointing out that they were truly almost to the dome and she didn't want to stop until they were there.

She didn't want to give herself time to think.

Every fight was just another way to avoid talking about what was bothering her. By now, she knew Tidus and Rikku were in the city, but that didn't mean the former would be there if they ever went home. She didn't like that thought. She didn't want to fight any more battles that she would have to lose in order to win. She didn't want any of this.

She missed her father, had missed him so very much, and had missed Auron as well. Two years had passed since she'd lost everything in order to save the world. Everything. Her aeons, her father's legendary guardian and her mentor... him.

Great job, Yuna, indeed.

Once they got to the dome, though, she paused even longer, trying to work up the nerve to enter again. She'd gotten too used to the two years later version of Spira. Everything here was just a memory, but it was throwing her off with every step and she wasn't sure how to deal with it anymore. So she did the best she could. She kept quiet and tried not to think too much.

Who would they find in the Chamber of the Fayth? Would the corridor at the end of Lady Yunalesca's room exist? Yuna took a deep breath and started forward.

"We're almost there," she murmured, more to herself than anyone else, but loud enough for her companions to hear quite easily.

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Since the last temple... Jecht had remained relatively quiet. Perhaps that was one way of knowing something was truly bothering him, though he'd deny it until the end of time. He noted that Yuna seemed a little more somber as well. Suddenly, coaxing her into coming along with them, something he wondered if he should have maybe -- encouraged a little less -- brought on an overwhelming sense of guilt. He frowned as she spoke but -- he certainly wasn't the type to go on prying, either.

He touched the Save Sphere at the end of the hallway, all of this feeling like a bad déjà vu. And the fact that they still hadn't found Braska on the way... was definitely upsetting.

"Yeah," he agreed, "almost there." He paused in his tracks, and brought a hand up to his neck, leaning his head from side to side as though to crack it. A bit of a nervous habit... "Y'know, if -- you guys don't wanna go. Now's the time to decide."

They were lucky to only have one pilgrimage worth of memories of this place. A selfish thought, Auron knew, but it was the truth. Every step they had taken in Zanarkand brought with it a memory, a talk with Braska or Jecht, Tidus or Yuna. And now he walked with both Yuna and Jecht. The past and present combined.

He had noticed the silence that hung over them all on the way here, a heavy weight on their shoulders. There had been no need to say anything then. He had been with them both on the journey here.

And yet experience could not prevent hesitation. Auron stared up at the dome, lost in his thoughts, a part of him deep down fearing the memories held within--what would show, what they would see. All these years and he still couldn't shake the feelings of guilt. But that excused nothing. "You know we can't," he said, glancing over at Jecht. "Not now." They had come too far.

But what Auron didn't know was that Yuna had more memories than just that one trip. She could still see the tourists climbing the hill where Tidus had stood, or Isaaru in the dome, Uncle Cid making the whole place a tourist's trap, Rikku telling him off about it, and a lot of other less pleasant ones. Yuna knew what this place was supposed to look like, whether she wanted it to or not.

She shook her head when Jecht spoke, her usual determined look returning. No matter what she felt, she had to keep going. "There's no turning back now. I have to see it for myself."

Something in her wondered if they would have to complete the Cloister of Trials or if the guardian fiend would still be there... or if they would see pieces of her new memories. Part of her didn't want to have to explain those memories, but part of her didn't know how to go on with everything inside her still.

Yuna leaned back, shading her eyes for a moment before nodding to her two companions and trying to put on a smile. "Guardians," she murmured, trying to lighten the mood a little, "don't forget to smile." Auron would remember that line. Whether it was a good memory or not remained to be seen. Without letting herself stop to worry about it, Yuna turned and began to walk inside the dome. It was time to face her fears.

He did know it. There wasn't any going back from here. There was a tingle in his fingertips. Anxiety, was it? Nah. He brushed it off, forming a fist to crack the knuckles.

When Yuna spoke, he turned abruptly, losing himself in thought for a moment. Braska. Were you smiling too, back then? Knowing her words were for encouragement, he turned forward again, a grin spreading across his lips. "Let's go."

A brief smile, hidden by his collar, ended up appearing on Auron's face at the memory. Smiling... It was something difficult to do even now, even moreso when facing memories impossible to smile at. The smile fell again and Auron stared ahead at their goal. Jecht would have to be the one to do the smiling for the both of them. Auron just... didn't have the strength.

He nodded once and followed behind Yuna in silence.

The last time Yuna had been inside the dome had been months and months ago, back before Isaaru had taken the hint and closed the place for good. The monkeys had taken over and she know they would take care of the place for her. Even so, even as she felt a welcome familiarity with this place, it still felt strange to her. This wasn't how it was supposed to be. Not anymore.

Yuna's smile faded as they entered the dome. It looked... much the same as the last time she'd been in it, with one exception: there were far fewer monkeys.

"Hm. No monkeys," she mused to herself. Shrugging a little, she continued forward. "I guess it's time to see what lies within. The fiends haven't changed much... at least they hadn't in the real Zanarkand."

The path ahead of them was long and twisting, and she couldn't help looking for Isaaru among everything as they went.

"The only thing that really had changed was the monkey population." And somehow she managed to keep a straight face while saying that. It probably had to do with the fact that she was mostly responsible for that.

"Uh. Monkeys?" Jecht questioned, hoisting an eyebrow high on his forehead. A bit of a strange comment, but then again, a lot could happen in twelve years.

Looking ahead, part of him still hoped that they would seee Braska waiting for them, but -- as they continued forward, that faith was diminishing with every step. He frowned at this development, but did not voice his concern.

Auron glanced over at Yuna too, just as confused as Jecht by the sudden comment about monkeys. The ruins of Zanarkand were barely hospitable for humans much less monkeys--or that was what Auron would have assumed. It seemed a rather large change to him.

Yuna should have known they'd ask about the monkeys. She sighed, more to herself than to her companions. "After the Eternal Calm came, a couple of people-" Who shall remain nameless for now. "-decided to turn Zanarkand into a tourist area. I didn't like that very much-" Understatement of the century. "-so, Rikku, Paine, and I decided to... help the monkeys fall in love. When we came back, the monkeys had multiplied and driven off all the tourists."

Her expression was hard to read by then, a combination of longing, misery, and annoyance. So much had happened, more for Jecht than Auron, and she didn't know quite how to explain it all. By the time the monkeys had taken over, Cid had at least come to understand why she was so peeved at him about it and at least Isaaru had closed the dome. That meant something at least.

"It's nice to see Zanarkand like this again. It's much more peaceful now."

She said it as her expression slid back into a comfortable smile. It seemed she was trying to uphold her earlier comment. They couldn't forget to smile. Sometimes that was all that kept them going.

Edited 2011-01-17 17:56 (UTC)

"TOURIST AREA?" Jecht nearly spat. "Sheesh. Wonder who had that bright idea," he muttered, tossing a glance towards Auron. "Good plan makin' it off limits again," he seemed to agree with the method Yuna and her friends had used. He, too, would have hated to see a place like this overrun with people that couldn't fully appreciate it.

As he moved forward, he found himself stopping, staring ahead at the blank screen where the Clositer's puzzle had once been displayed. "Tch," he scoffed, memories of his frustration with the thing come back full force, "glad we don't have to go through all the hoops an' ladders this time."

Auron scowled and locked eyes briefly with Jecht. While Auron may have held little love for these ruins, there was still a certain amount of respect he had for them. For the people who died here, for the people who gave their lives in an attempt to save Spira. The entire idea spat on their memories. "Odd as the methods were..." he began, and looked at Yuna. "It is appreciated."

Auron spared a passing glance toward the screen and walked a little further into the room, stopping around the center. A sliver of the elevator to the inner chamber could be seen at the end of the short hall connecting the two trial rooms, and Auron suddenly became aware of just how tense he had become.

This place... This place had always made him that way. Even when it was just a replica made of memories it was the same in that.

Yuna knew whose bright idea the tourist attraction Zanarkand had been, but she kept quiet on it. She knew they would take it about as well as she had when she'd found out and they didn't need to worry about anything else. Not yet. So she just smiled and nodded once to their thanks, trying not to think about how much had changed in the temple as well.

A quiet Cloister was what Yuna had gotten used to and what she liked now. If it had been active still, she would have known the memories that had built this place were very old. Even with what they'd already seen and passed, she had to wonder if these were her memories. Maybe they were... Who knew? Who really wanted to know?

"Right. Time to go down to the inner chamber. Guardians, are you ready?"

She was trying to keep spirits up and boost the morale drop she'd experienced, and been guilty of helping, since they arrived in Zanarkand. It was the least she could do after delivering so many less than savory tidbits about the future.

"Let's go!" Once she was sure Jecht and Auron were ready, she headed inward, stepping onto the platform that would take them downwards into the inner chamber and further to what had once been the room Lady Yunalesca used to create the Final Fayth.

"Mnh!" he nodded, stepping onto the platform. He punched a fist into the opposite palm. As the elevator descended, he suddenly became aware of his own heartbeat in the silence. It kept getting louder and louder, faster and faster, until he was sure it was all he could hear.

Jecht refused to let these -- feelings get the best of him. The last time -- he'd made the right decision, hadn't he? Becoming the Final Aeon? Defeating Sin and... ... It had been the right thing to do -- hadn't it? He swore hard and fast that there had to be another way. That Braska didn't have to...

But yet, he...

A loud clunk shoved him back into reality as they reached the bottom, the blitzer looking up sharply.

Auron was painfully aware of the ride down, but by the time the lift came to its rest at the bottom of the chamber, his feelings about this place had dulled to a numb reminder at the back of his mind, still there but lying dormant. The only thing left lurking just barely above the surface of that numbness was a hint of fear. Fear of what might come, fear of what might be shown... For an instant he turned his head to look at Jecht, but just as soon turned away. One of the things he had not told his friend... It was something that had been too hard to say at the time. Something still too hard to say.

Funny that of all the things about this place to fear, that was what it would come down to. A little sad, too, now that he thought about it.

Auron ignored the empty statue that lay on the ground in front of them and looked to Yuna. "Yuna," he said, the "are you ready?" implicit in his tone. He was sure to disguise any trace of trepidation that might have found its way into his voice or expression. Now was not the time. Few were the occasions when it was ever the time.

Yuna was ready, as ready as she would ever be for this. As Auron spoke her name, she turned towards him and nodded once. She was ready. She had to be.

"Let's go," she murmured as she moved past the empty statue of Lord Zaon. It meant nothing to her anymore, just a memory, a marker of one thousand years of Spira's history, and more than a thousand resulting deaths.

If only her father could have been there with her now... She pushed her thoughts of him aside, vowing not to dwell on what she couldn't change yet. Taking a deep breath, she moved forcefully forward, through the opening separating Lord Zaon's chamber from the inner chamber and up towards Lady Yunalesca's chamber. She half-expected the lady to appear, as she had expected Lady Belgemine to re-form in Remiem. Now, though, all she could see were pyreflies.

Pyreflies reminded her of so much she couldn't have, so much she had lost. When would it end?

The click of heels on stone would alert the three who had entered the chamber to the arrival of a woman not easily forgotten. Pyreflies drifted lazily about Lady Yunalesca as she came to a stop halfway down the steps. She looked at the three with a warm smile which neither reached her eyes nor showed any hint of recognizance.

"Welcome to Zanarkand," she began, spreading her arms. "I congratulate you, travelers. You have completed your journey through this place. I will now bestow upon you that which you seek. The way to freedom... will be yours. Now, choose. Now, choose. You must choose the one I will change... to become the key that leads to your exit and thus, your freedom."

Yuna wasn't sure what she'd been expecting, but this... No. No, no, no, a thousand times no! As soon as Lady Yunalesca stopped speaking, Yuna shook her head firmly, almost violently. She'd been down this road before; she'd seen what a false tradition the Final Summoning was. Whoever had taken their memories to create this place... How dare they use this against her again!

"No."

Her voice started out soft, but then grew stronger.

"I've stood here before and listened to you say this exact same thing. I've heard all of this before and I will not... I cannot, hear it again. Don't make me go through this again!"

She took a deep breath and faced the woman she'd been named after. ...No, this was just a memory, nothing more. The real Lady Yunalesca had been sent to the Farplane two years ago and there she would remain.

"This is wrong! I didn't sacrifice anyone for the Final Summoning when I first reached Zanarkand, so why would I do it now? I won't allow anyone to be sacrificed anymore! There must be another way!"

Yuna was crumpling inside, trying so hard to hold herself together, and yet feeling the weight of her losses anew. The fayth, who had been her friends and companions for so long, who had fought with her through so much, had died because it was the only thing they could do. Allowing the fayth to rest in peace had effectively killed them and their aeons... even though she'd been able to speak with Bahamut recently at home, and even though the aeons themselves had reappeared because of Shuyin and Vegnagun, she still felt their loss. Every day she felt it.

But at the same time, by the same token, she refused to sacrifice her friends here. No one else would die for anything. There would be another way.

"There must be another way. I will find it. I will not let anyone be changed like this."

Edited 2011-02-18 03:56 (UTC)

As soon as he heard those footfalls -- it was like he knew. Every inch of him tensed as Lady Yunalesca came into view, sending an invisible chill down through his body. He was restraining his body from jumping forward, forcing himself to listen to her little speech -- it was nearly the same. It was just like back then.

Jecht was near the boiling point, ready to leap into action -- but it seemed Yuna beat him to it, unleashing her thoughts and feelings. As the blizter stood there, watching her, he felt even more helpless. For someone that usually kept emotions like these under lock and key -- just like her father -- it was enough to send him off of the deep end. Seeing Yuna suffer is the last thing he'd wanted, even back then, on that day... he'd become the Final Fayth so that... kids like Yuna, they wouldn't have to suffer anymore. And he'd failed. This was living proof.

Unable to just stand there listening anymore, he finally leap forward. Instinctivly, one arm shot out behind him, as though to protect the two that stood behind it, and the other hand clenched tightly into a fist.

"Why are you even here?! This don't make any sense! This ain't the real Zanarkand! And what're you saying, our freedom? If you're sayin' that there's a way outta this damn castle, then just come out and say it!" there was a low rumble in his throat as he paused, and shot a quick look back at the party. "And if you're sayin' that one'uv us has gotta be changed in order to find that exit, then..." he trailed off, eyes first on Yuna, then over to Auron. He didn't need to say it, it was more than obvious, after all.

If a life is what she needed, then...

Something in Auron grew cold at the sound of Lady Yunalesca's footsteps. For a long time it had looked as though she wouldn't be here, that this place would be empty. They should have known this would be the case. Every time Yuna mentioned how this Spira wasn't like the Spira they had made, they should have known.

As Yuna and Jecht each said their piece, however, that cold feeling gave way to anger beginning to bubble within. It was Jecht that nearly made it spill over the edge. "No," Auron replied, eye blazing. The word came out harsh and forceful. He would not see this happen all over again. He had been unable to stop Jecht and Braska before, unable to stop them, too unconfident to keep to his convictions. And he had seen what Yuna was capable of--what all of them were capable of. Sin or castle, it didn't matter. It was all the same to him at this moment.

He took his gaze off of Jecht a moment to glare at Yunalesca. It was almost as though she didn't remember any of them. A memory--a bad memory--but whose he couldn't tell. Auron's scowl deepened and he tore his eye away at his killer to look at Jecht again. "We find another way."

It was out of line, a part of him reprimanded. While it was never official, he personally had let Yuna lead them through Spira, just as she had done during her pilgrimage. He had fallen back into the guardian's role, though it was a little different this time, he would admit. It still didn't feel like his place to disagree so vocally as this, and especially not in this manner.

But... this was different, wasn't it? He had witnessed change, and he had changed, too.

Yunalesca was strangely quiet during the entire argument, but now she chose to speak. "I will leave you to decide," she said with a small bow of her head. She seemed unbothered by what was occurring before her, her tone, for the most part, neutral. "Tell me when you have made your decision."

With that she retreated behind the door at the top of the red steps.

"No!"

Yuna's cry was aimed at Jecht, her expression one of anguish. She knew he was only trying to help the other people, all of them, get home, but she couldn't let him go through with it. She refused to allow this to unravel again. Not this way.

"I don't want anyone else to die for something like this."

She turned to face Auron and Jecht as Lady Yunalesca disappeared again, looking between the two guardians as though begging them to understand. Auron likely did, she knew, but Jecht... How could she make him understand?

"Two years ago, when my guardians and I defeated Sin-" Her eyes flitted back to rest on Auron for a bare moment before returning to Jecht. "-the aeons requested that I summon them. In order to allow them to rest, I had to send them." In essence, she'd killed her friends because she wouldn't allow herself or her human friends to be sacrificed so Spira would experience a limited Calm before Sin returned again. If that same spiral were to happen here...

No. She couldn't let it.

"The Final Summoning was destroyed because I didn't want to sacrifice myself or one of my friends for a cause that wouldn't defeat Sin forever. The cycle would continue, unhindered, and more people would die. I don't want that same cycle to be present here. I won't sacrifice anyone again!"

Yuna turned back around to face the doors leading to Yunalesca's chamber, holding in her pain as much as she could. The trouble was, not only had she made that decision without knowing how it would affect her aeons, she'd also managed to seal the fate of one of the most important people in her life. Tidus had disappeared, faded away after they'd defeated Sin, and now... Yuna didn't want to go home. She was afraid of losing him again. At least here he had a chance of returning, of staying. In Spira... there was no other chance.

A couple of tears slid down her cheeks as she clenched her fists at her sides. "I'm tired of these options. I don't want to lose my friends anymore."

Without waiting for Jecht or Auron to say anything, she started walking purposefully towards the last chamber. The former High Summoner had a bone to pick with the unsent's memory.

Edited 2011-02-21 03:27 (UTC)

Jecht cringed at both the sound of Auron and Yuna's forceful "no's" resounded in the chamber. Ever since he had made the decision to become a fayth, he wondered if it was the best one he could have made. He, too, had wanted there to be another way. Convinced himself that he and Auron could somehow do it even as they continued on... He'd wanted so badly to break the cycle.

What else... could he have done? "Tch," he scoffed, frustrated by his inability to make things in the past right.

As Yuna spoke, he was silent. He offered her his full attention as she said her piece, the things that Auron had shared with him when he had first arrived coming back now to haunt him. "Yuna..." he spoke, his voice soft for a change. What could he say to comfort her? "I..." but before anything else could be said, she had already made up her mind.

Jecht turned one last time towards Auron. How strange. When he looked back, he didn't see the warrior monk from the past, eyes full of concern. Now, the man that stood there gave off a completely different vibe.

Yes. Things would be different this time.

"Throwin' the match now'd be too easy, anyway!" he rose his voice again, turning and following after Yuna.

Auron shoved down the remainder of the bubbling anger he had had when Yuna spoke, and the rest of it slowly faded as she went on. What reason did he have to be angry now? Yuna, the one who had made the decision that broke Spira free of the spiral of death, had made that same choice now. The only thing left to be angry about was a memory, something that he was used to but an action that now made no sense.

Auron watched Yuna leave their group, only becoming aware of eyes on him as Yuna made it halfway up the stairs. He turned to face Jecht's stare, meeting his friend with one of his own. He couldn't help but wonder what Jecht saw of him now. What he thought beyond the jokes and jabs.

There was no time to ask or hazard a guess. Jecht made his statement and followed Yuna, and Auron couldn't help but shake his head with a distant smile. "Some things never change," he whispered, and followed after them both.

Yunalesca had been waiting for their arrival, and as Yuna stepped through the door, followed by Auron and Jecht, she lifted her head. "Have you chosen?"

Yuna heard Jecht's protest, knew she'd probably hurt him somehow and that she'd need to apologize and explain later. For now, though, she wanted to find out more about what this was all about. And if they had to fight Yunalesca again... then so be it. No one else was dying for this spiral. Not on her watch.

Jecht's final call actually released some of the tension Yuna was feeling and she glanced back at him with a determined nod, entering the final chamber. As soon as Yunalesca spoke, Yuna nodded, staring at the memory of the woman she had been named after.

"Yes. We have decided." More like Yuna had put her foot down, but really, it was all the same. "No one will be changed. Not now and not ever. There will be another way. We will find another key."

Whether Yunalesca allowed them to leave or not was an entirely different matter. Yuna was prepared for another fight. She knew how it had ended the first time and she didn't want to be caught off-guard this time.

The Inner Chamber. The last place he'd seen, before everything...

Catching up, Jecht came to a full halt just behind Yuna. He couldn't say how proud he was of her, standing up for herself, speaking out against a great injustice against what was once a 'superior.' He wore an expression that screamed 'yeah, yeah!' as she spoke to Yunalesca. Somewhere along the line, his hands had balled up into fists as he felt the tension rise, unaware of the fight that had once broken out on these grounds.

Auron heard Yuna begin her speech as he entered the room, coming to a stop behind both her and Jecht a little under halfway through. He shrugged his shoulder, coat slipping a little off his shoulder, but not enough for the sleeve to fall behind him. He, like Yuna, was ready to fight if necessary. They both knew how this foe fought now, and while it would be by no means an easy battle, it was one he knew could be won.

He stared down the unsent memory before them, letting Yuna speak for all of them. There was no more that Auron could add. She had said it all.

Yunalesca offered the party no answer at first. She was eerily silent, seeming to stare past them rather than at them. There was no hint of the distress and disapproval she had shown when she had been refused her offer before--only a blank expression.

Then she bowed her head.

A light shone behind her, starting small but growing in intensity to become nearly blinding, and when it faded the unsent summoner had disappeared and a door, looking completely out of place with its surroundings, stood at the end of the platform.

If one listened closely, they could hear a voice, distant and vaguely distorted. The final say of the memory.

"Fool. There is no other way. Even if there was... Even if you did destroy Sin... Yu Yevon the immortal would only create Sin anew."

And then it was silent save for the "song" of pyreflies echoing throughout the room.

Yuna had been ready for a fight. Her muscles were tense as she stood there, ready for anything. Yunalesca's distance was almost creepier than anything she had shone prior to that, in unsent life rather than memory.

As the light started to grow behind the unsent memory, Yuna pulled out her guns out of reflex, aiming them at Yunalesca as she prepared once again to face the oldest and most revered enemy she had ever faced.

But nothing came. No attacks swooped through the air. Only words, faint and distant, as though they had never actually been spoken. Yuna had to strain to hear them, and even then, she didn't hear them as much as she remembered them. And then the pyreflies were all that was left... pyreflies and a door. Sticking only one of her guns back in its holster at her hip, Yuna strode forward cautiously. She wanted to touch that door, see if it would open... if her companions and adversary would let her.

Jecht's hand creeped closer towards the hilt of his sword. The air was getting tense. He wasn't expecting to have to fight her but from the way that Auron and Yuna were acting... it wasn't hard to see that it was a definite possibility.

It was the lack of response that got to him at first, making him uneasy -- he tried hard to keep staring ahead when the light began to shine from behind her, bringing an arm up to shield the glow for a better view of what was going on. He needed to be ready to react.

As it faded, he stood staring at the door, his ears picking up the whisper that remained. Create Sin anew, were the words that stuck out.

"A door?" he asked the spots dancing in his sight started to subside.

Auron stayed on his guard even after Yunalesca disappeared, only allowing himself to relax once the last remnant of the summoner's voice had faded into the void around them. It was strange and a little disconcerting, he would admit, to see Yunalesca leave without a fight. There was no doubt Auron was thankful for the lack of one, but there was something not right about it, especially with those last, faded, familiar words that had hung in the air.

He examined the door that lay in front of them--the same type of doors that they had gone through on their way up here. It had always been obvious that this place came from memories, but this door only served to bring it home. It didn't belong here, didn't fit. Auron no longer belonged on Spira but he belonged here even less.

"Our exit," Auron affirmed.

It wasn't until after Yuna had spent a good minute trying to get the door to budge that she noticed a card on the floor near it. She figured the thing had dropped when Yunalesca had vanished and nearly blinded them all. It was the only way all three of them could have missed seeing it before now.

She squatted down and picked it up, holding it out in front of her so she could see it better. Evidently, the door took her action as a presentation of the card. Another flash of light had Yuna pointing the single gun still in her hand at the door. Eventually, the light disappeared and Yuna noticed that the card in her hand had vanished. She frowned at the door, wondering if it would open now.

Yuna turned back to her guardians. "I guess it is. Shall we take a look?"

Jecht offered a curt nod in response, as he stood back, arms crossing over his chest. The threat in the air had seemed to... dissipate along with Yunalesca as she faded. He was starting to feel better. The weight on his shoulders seemed to ease a little, though the lack of Braska's participation in this victory... somehow made it feel incomplete.

He'd been naive, thinking he would return if only they could take on the challenge. Twice... hadn't been enough to save him. Somehow, he doubted he'd get a third.

Jecht breathed a sigh of relief. They'd made it. Conquered the fierce memories of this haunted shadow of a world. Now, it was time to see what was ahead. He was sure they could handle it, whatever it was.

Auron nodded silently, but made no move to follow just yet. He cast a wary glance around the room they were in, half expecting ambush. To win like this without a fight, to give an answer and nothing more... Maybe it was best to leave before whatever forces granted them passage changed their mind.

His eye traced the cracks in the stone and scoured the void surrounding them one last time, a final pass to search for unseen enemies, and for the briefest of moments Auron's mind wandered. To the time he was here last. To the time he was here first. His gaze stopped at a particular spot on the ground and unconsciously Auron tensed. For a second, he felt a flash of anger and pain at the memory--its effect on him still had yet to dull with time--but it was quick to pass and Auron ripped himself away from the spot that marked the beginning of his death. He "hmphed" softly and began to walk toward the open door, uttering a quick, quiet "Let's go."

He only made it one or two steps before there was a flash of light and an all-too-familiar voice cut through the air behind him.

"No!"

Auron froze, almost in mid-step, but didn't dare turn to look at the scene unfolding behind him. Of course it would play itself out... He shouldn't have bothered to entertain the memory.

"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!" the image of a twenty-five year old Auron cried, his voice desperate and on the verge of breaking. It was useless... They had died for nothing! All of their dreams... Everything they had worked for...! Had it all meant nothing? Had any of it been worth it? Why? What was the point?

"They chose to die...because they had hope," was Yunalesca's answer. There was pity in her voice for the poor soul before her. He seemed unable to answer to reason. Did he truly not realize that there was no path to victory? All that could be done was to delay the inevitable. That rage in the young man's eyes... The poor soul.

Auron shook, hatred and grief bubbling up within him. Hope? Was that what she called it? The end of their lives... They had changed nothing! It was all a lie! And all she could tell him was that Braska and Jecht had died for nothing? And Auron... Auron had let them!

Auron's rage overtook him, blinding to all else but the wretched woman before him. It felt as though every part of his body shook with it save his hands, which remained steady, gripping the hilt of his sword tighter and tighter until they ached.

It happened in an instant. An anguished scream tore from the guardian's throat, rage and grief, hatred and despair, a man broken and lashing out personified in a single noise. He charged Yunalesca and leaped into the air to strike.

Before he could bring the sword down, she struck first, a burst of magic and light sending Auron flying backward.

A sickening sound like a mix between a crack and a thud sounded throughout the room as he hit the ground.

A loud, metallic clang against the stone floor followed, Auron's sword landing next to him.

Silence followed, and the pyreflies' illusion faded.

Yuna's hand was on the door when she heard something behind her. Whipping around and pulling out her guns in preparation for a fight, she realized she wasn't viewing a battle... she was viewing a memory. A second later, it clicked as to which memory, and whose, it was. Intentionally dropping one of her guns, she knelt down and picked it up, staying on the ground with her head bowed so she wouldn't have to see the memory again.

Once had been enough. And she didn't want Auron to worry about it again.

Only when the memory had faded again did she stand up. Glancing at each of her companions in turn, she silently asked them if they were okay and ready to move on.

"No!" Was all he heard at first, spoken in Aurons voice.

"Whaddya mean nnn-" the blitz king turned around, cutting himself off. Auron stood there, but behind him -- was something he was sure no one had prepared for. He knew about it, the thoughts and feeling of the pilgrimages before, memories locked in this place. He just hadn't expected -- to see Auron's.

He'd -- come back here? After Sin had been defeated? Coming to confront Yunalesca and extract vengence? In his name, and -- in Braska's... There was a dull ache, that had begun to work its way up in Jecht's chest as he scene before him played out.

Hope... It really -- made you do some funny things, huh?

As the young Auron lept forward, Jecht found himself completely intoxicated in the moment. He took two steps towards the image before he realized -- there was nothing he could do. This had already played out.

The young monk was sent reeling, and Jecht's eyes widened in horror, he reached out, the yell he surpressed producing a grunting noise in the silence.

He stood there, dumbfounded, arm slowly falling back into its place at his side, as his gaze fell on the Auron that stood before him now.

Auron never once looked back, nor did he look to either one of his companions. The only thing to show that he was even paying attention to the events unfolding behind him was a visible wince as the body--once his body--hit the floor, and even that reaction was quickly put back under the mask.

For a moment, Auron thought about looking to Jecht, about saying something, but he couldn't bring himself to do it, and instead began walking toward the door without a word.

Yuna let Auron pass her for the moment, not saying anything to him that would suggest that she'd heard or seen what had happened. Once had been enough. He knew that she'd seen it back then. They didn't need a rehash of that.

Shooting Jecht a closed sort of look, she turned back to the door and tried to think of something to say that might ease the tension.

"What do you think's back there? What kind of other worlds might be hiding on the next floor?"

His eyes tumbled to the floor. He didn't know what to say. What to do. Auron had come back to try and avenge them... To try and make sense in all the death. When Jecht had decided to give his life and become the fayth... Maybe he hadn't entirely realized the impact it would have on Auron. The only one to survive the pilgrimage. Only to be cut down here, in this place... by the very person who tossed around the word 'hope' like it was going out of style.

Yuna's voice brought him back into reality.

As the red coat moved to saunter past him, Jecht moved forward quickly, reaching out, and wrapping an arm around the monk's shoulders. He pulled his friend in for a moment, his eyes, and their tears, mercifully hidden by the shadow of the hair that had fallen in front of his line of sight.

"Let's go find out."

Auron stiffened when Jecht wrapped his arm around him. He hadn't noticed his friend catch up to him until Jecht was right in front of him, and Auron was unused to such displays besides. He turned his head away from Jecht after a moment, but let himself relax. Something told him that he should say something, but neither words nor conviction would come, and Auron doubted Jecht would like much attention to be brought to this besides.

Or maybe that was just him.

The moment Jecht let go, Auron would head for the next floor. He didn't care what lay ahead, as long as he was able to leave this place behind.

Auron didn't seem to want to say anything, and Jecht didn't know what, so Yuna did the only thing she could think of right now that might make everything okay again. She moved to the door and pulled it open. In front of them stretched a long, white hallway, similar to the others they'd crossed to get here. She took a deep breath and headed through the door to the next one.

"I guess we will find out."

Whatever it was, it had to be better than what they'd just seen, right?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Someday the Dream Will End (Closed / Active)

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blargh so short and crummy sorry

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augh, sorry for crappy tag.

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