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This is my Story We sat around the fire, the seven of us, the crackling, leaping, dancing orange flames reflected in our eyes. Our eyes showed no emotion, yet at the same time showed a weakness. We were all so tired, so weary. Our battles had been fought and won, and we had reached our destination: the holy city of Zanarkand. I felt fear clutching at the back of my neck, it's cold fingers gently stroking my skin. My mind was noticing everything with a perfect, crystal clarity that could hardly be described as ordinary. I had so many things that were running through my mind, and I could not order them and carefully consider each one, file it away. I drew my knees up to my chin and held them there, gently rocking my body backwards and forwards to clear my head, to keep myself from screaming. Tidus was sitting next to me, gazing into the fire with his head turned to one side and his eyes gazing intently at the flames. I looked over at him, feeling a wave of sadness descend over me. Suddenly he got to his feet, startling me out of my reverie. He turned to look at me, and then placed his hand on my shoulder It felt warm, safe. I lay my head on it, closed my eyes, dreamt... I felt so peaceful and safe when he was near me. Abruptly, his hand left my shoulder, and I opened my eyes, and turned around. He was slowly walking up onto the gravelly mound behind us and gazing over Zanarkand. All the time I had known him, he had stood by that one fact; he was from Zanarkand. I could only wonder what sort of thoughts were running through his head as he gazed silently at the Pyreflies, their beautiful aerial dance reflected in the shining, clear water below them. I wondered, briefly, what it would be like to be a pyrefly. 'Listen... listen to my story.' Tidus said suddenly, not taking his eyes off the scene in front of him. 'This may be our last chance.' he added in almost a whisper, turning to look at me. I saw sadness in his dark blue eyes, uncontrollable, unable to hide it or disguise it. He did not move from his place on the mound, instead, turned to gaze over Zanarkand again as he began to speak. He started with the blitzball game, the onslaught of Sin in Zanarkand. He then spoke of his awakening in the Baaj Temple, his discovery of the Al Bhed, and how he finally reached Besaid Island and how he came to meet me. He left out his feelings, simply told it in a very straightforward manner. All the time, I could not help but wonder what he would say when he reached the part where we kissed in Macalania.
He paused for a moment, after speaking about our escape from Bevelle to the refuge that was Macalania. Nobody in the group knew about what had occurred there, I was almost positive. But would he divulge the information to everybody? I cared very much for all my guardians, but I did not want them knowing about what had occurred. It was too personal.
'... I found Yuna, and I cheered her up.' he spoke easily. With those words, I saw Rikku nudge Wakka and engage in silent laughter, which brought a smile to the corners of my lips. Why could I not enjoy myself? Why could I not laugh along with them? I closed my eyes and remembered a song from the depths of my childhood, from so far away in time...
'We exchanged a promise there... that was to be our secret treasure.'
Finally, he stopped speaking, his voice trailing off and everybody was silent, the only sound being the Pyreflies singing as they flew carelessly through the clear night air. The sun had set, and the infinite, velvety black sky was dotted with a multitude of shining white stars. Oh, it was beautiful. So clear and unobstructed.
We got to our feet, stretching and yawning, preparing for the final part of the journey. Tidus came and stood next to me as we pulled our weapons from the ground. I clutched the smooth, silver handle of my staff tightly, and then turned to Tidus. 'Shall we...?' I queried, trying to keep my composure.
'You do not need to be afraid, Yuna.' he whispered. 'You don't have to be afraid.' Black, thick smoke rose from the dying embers of the fire, rising up, up, up into the sky where it soon joined the darkness and became indistinguishable.
I allowed myself to cry as we made our way to Yunalesca. A few silent, crystalline tears fell from my eyes, sliding down my pale cheeks before making their decent to the concrete below, making small, irregular shapes as they hit, darkened, and gradually dried up.
My tears were joining those of the other Summoners who had also trodden this path. Those tears embodied so many emotions, so many memories, good and bad. They were the essence of Spira, the spiral of death and pain, a world of corruption.
And yet, there were people out there who had risen above it all to take away the death and pain, sacrificing their own lives to save a world they loved so dearly, the people they loved so dearly. I thought of my father and the tears came faster.
I was soon to become a revered figure like them, my story becoming legend, myth, history, as theirs had.
The Pyreflies soared around me, their voices melding together in a song that was both haunting and beautiful. The End Maintained by: |
