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[FF] Final Fantasy X-3
03.01.04, 13:58:43
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Post #1 (permalink) |
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They say time heals all wounds. The one who came up with that line must've had all the time in the world. He forgot to mention how long wounds take to heal. Some wounds become scars that never fade. Time was like Yevon. I didn't understand Yunalesca's words when we were there, in the dream that was her grave, and he most likely didn't even want to understand them. I thought she prattled insane talk, persuasive eloquence. Same for Seymour. But their concepts of life weren't too far from that truth covered up by Yevon at that time. We actually are trapped in an infinite spiral of death. Auron knew it. Grand Measter Mika knew it. Yunalesca knew it. And now I know it, too. Time heals nothing. But it changes everything. The timeless wait and see their friends and beloved ones depart to the Farplane. Death is brought to most people, suspended on silver wings. However, the unsent live to see another day, driven by the things they want the most. Yu Yevon wanted Zanarkand. Auron wanted to keep his promise. I wanted him.
Sin was feared for his awesome power as it forced Spira's civilization to come to a complete halt. People lived out their lives in an environment built on misery and false hope. But wasn't it also like that the era before Sin first showed up? That most likely explains why the people were so eager to pick up where Sin had left. They couldn't live without the constant destruction. This makes it needless to say... Nevertheless, a few years after I destroyed Sin together with him, the war between Zanarkand and Bevelle resumed. Gagazet mountain soon turned into an extension of the Calm Lands. Vidina died there, fighting alongside his father. I sent them both. The war quickly spread over all of Spira, and I met my fate on the shores of Besaid. I drowned myself in my depressive mood, but I wasn't ready to go yet... I had left too much behind... I still hadn't found what I was looking for...
Auron was right, again. Being dead really does have its advantages. I moved through Spira as a ghost, dressed up like an Al Bhed, unrecognizable. It took them over a month to discover that I had disappeared, me, the big celebrity. The leaders of Neo Zanarkand and Bevelle were probably glad I was disposed of, at least, that's what their shark smiles tell me the moments before Auron's Masamune pierces straight through their corrupted hearts.
'I don't know if coming here was such a brilliant plan, Sir Auron', says Vidina.
'At least they are dead now. This war'll be over soon', smirks Auron.
'So now what do we do, Sir Auron?!' Panicks Vidina, wildly waving his arms about.
'We wait.'
'For what?'
'For the first squad of goons to get up here.'
The stench of the dead fills the room. Any Guado would pay for taking a big whiff here with a serious headache.
'Yuna, send them', commands Auron. He puts his sword back into its scabbard.
'Okay', I reply, while following Auron's movements with my eyes.
Before I even get the time to draw my ceremonial staff, the first squad of soldiers swarm inside, their weapons raised.
'Stop it right there!' shouts the head of the bunch.
'Promise us a safe passage and you won't get hurt', says Auron calmly.
The soldiers start to laugh, some make jokes about Auron's outfit. The leader is clearly not in control of these few troublemakers. One of the soldiers points at me, and the recruit next to him nods his head.
'Milady Yuna, what are you doing here?' asks one of the men.
'I... I'm stopping this war!' I say with a voice determined as possible.
I feel like Yunalesca. Back then, we were the ones pointing our guns at her. But she didn't get a chance to explain her side of the story. Just like now.
'Are you fighting for the Bevelle dogs?' asks the squad leader. He attempts to sound like an authority by raising his voice, but he doesn't really succeed in doing so.
'I...'
'Yes she is, got something against it?' boldly interrupts Vidina.
'Like father... like son', whispers Auron. He jogs his glasses.
Vidina reminds me of another person though, someone not much like his father at all. A person acting on impulses all the time. Ironically, he saved the day with his impulsive behaviour. Or at least, half of it. Much like him and Vidina, Patience obviously is the weakness of the head-goon. Suddenly, the sound of clicks and beeps echoed through the room. The sun is an obstruction to the sight of the aiming soldiers, coming through glass windows in the back.
'Some can't wait to die!' yells Auron, his hand in front of his face, sword drawn.
This provocative move causes triggers to be pulled. Too bad these people are fresh out of luck. The bullets pass through our bodies as if we are made of air. But thinking about it, we actually are.
'Oh yea! I can get used to this!' says Vidina, all excited.
'Impossible... They are... Unsent...?' stumbles the captain.
'The word is out. We're done here', says Auron. He turns his back on us and jumps straight through the glass window. Though the bullets passed through him, the window shatters. I follow him all the way down, the depths below patiently waiting to swallow us.
Auron looks at me with the old familiar look of his. He's just full of surprises. One moment he is dead, second moment he is alive and kicking.
'I know you have a lot of questions', he says.
'We were wrong to kill Yunalesca, weren't we?' I reply.
'We opened a Pandora's Box, one that is called human potential. It are always the fools that are on the throne.'
'I saw you depart to the Farplane...'
'I promised him to watch over you', he explains. He takes off his glasses and tries to remove the dust from it with his finger. He abandoned his exposed lifestyle a while ago, but now that the scar on his face is fully visible, he again looks like that young and unexperienced Auron. It is easy to tell that he is consumed by inner conflict.
'Who?' I ask.
'Braska.'
'My father...'
'If we had defeated it the traditional way, then Sin would've returned by now...', I say, talking a bit too loud to myself.
'You are thinking the wrong things, Yuna.'
He is reading my mind. But it is true. If I would've died battling Sin, I wouldn't have gone to the Farplane... I would've used Sin as a tool to go to his Zanarkand, where he would be waiting for me. Meanwhile, Kimahri would devastate Spira as the new Sin.
'Aren't you tired of this world?' I ask with admiration.
'Aren't you tired of looking for him?' Replies Auron.
'No...'
'Then our stories are no diffirent. Everybody who believes in free will is much like a Yevonite. If you are compelled to stay, you stay.'
Footsteps near and Vidina joins us around the camp fire. Macalania Forest is cold at night, but it is the ultimate hiding place. The butterfly spirits of the Guado are guarding us. They are still repaying the neverending debts Seymour left behind.
'Well, look at us being the happy dead bunch!' he cheerfully says.
'Yuna, send him', says Auron. I catch a quick glimpse of enjoyment on Auron's face.
'No! No! No! Just kidding, just kidding!' yells Vidina, acting all shaken up.
'Shall we go visit your mother in the morning, Vidina?' I politely ask to calm him down.
'She... She still isn't over the death of my daddy...', he replies.
'You shouldn't tell her about you... And me... And...'
'I need to pretend I am not alive.', finishes Auron. He looks at me while putting his glasses back on.
'Thank you, Auron', I kindly say.
That day, when he jumped from the airplane, I wanted to jump after him. I wanted to go with him to the Farplane. But I wasn't too sure he'd go to the Farplane, as well. Maybe he just went to some other dream. Besides, I couldn't leave my friends behind. They were everything to me. But on Besaid beach, I just felt the urge to leave this place. I gave up. But my cursed desire forced me to stay here. And now I'm stuck. I'm still fighting for other people's problems. My future is a dark one. The answers lie in the distant past, but that is a place I cannot go to. But I hang on to the thought that Auron succesfully went to Zanarkand, a place where others never went before. I desperately hope for... Sin... to... come back...
Zanarkand looked brighter than before. The city was built on the ruins of its grim past, in remembrance of the spirits that linger there. Regardless, the leaders were using the city's ancient machina to wage war. Neo Zanarkand started out as a trading outpost for tourists and merchants, but now it had turned into a bustling commercial center. But... that was 2 years ago, before the war started... Now Zanarkand is a Necropolis built on top of a graveyard. Zanarkand is no holy city, no shrine of hope. It is a city of doom, like it's always been. We had killed that which made the city a holy one, we killed her, Yevon's prophet. And then we became numb fools, thinking all was fine. It wasn't fine. I realized that my personal calm came to end the day Spira's calm started.
'What are you thinking about, Lady Yuna?' asks Vidina as he sits down next to me.
'Nothing... Personal stuff...', I say. I fold my hands together like I always do when I actually don't really want to talk. But he doesn't notice.
'You must mean that guy... That blitzball star!' he replies.
'Him, too, yes... it's funny how everyone always calls him a blitzball star'
'A blitzball star and a high summoner...', he sighs.
'Uh-huh...'
'Why don't you go look for him on the Farplane?'
'I don't know...'
The wind howls in a typical way. The wind is like my consciousness. It's here, but it doesn't know why.
'Surely he isn't here. You've travelled all over Spira!'
'Yes...'
The truth is that I'm scared, scared to death you might say. The Farplane might be a place that is no far from a maze. Loved ones are brutally seperated and instead you end up dwelling together with a former foe.
'Yuna...', says another voice. It's Auron's. He steps closer and claims his spot as a member of our trio.
'What is it...?' I ask cautiously.
'I think I have something you might want to take a look at', he continues.
Auron calmly unfolds a newspaper and hands the front page over to me. I expect something boring about me having disappeared... me having betrayed this and that... me being the bad high summoner... But...
'Hey...? This... This is...', I stumble. I almost drop the pages in my shock. My heart begins to beat an off-beat rhytm unknown to me.
'Do you recognize the city on that picture?' asks Auron, as if nothing is wrong. His cold eyes scare me. He knows that this news will turn my world upside down, once again.
'Lemme see it!' says Vidina as he grabs the paper. He clumsily toys around with the pages as he is strangled by them.
'What... How...?' I continue, dazzled.
'They excavated that destroyed city yesterday. More underwater ruins. But I do not think this is an ordinary ruin', explains Auron. He stares at the horizon.
'It's... That city... It was there that day... Sin...?'
I'm all caught up in emotion, I can't speak clearly. The city on the picture... It was on top of Sin the day we fought it on the airship! I thought it had vanished, but now that I see the picture, quite the contrary is true.
'But how?' I ask with a trembling voice.
'I don't know. Suddenly, it just popped up. I thought it went down with Sin more than 19 years ago...', says Auron.
'Hey! Let me in it! What's friggin' wrong??' interrupts Vidina.
'The city... the one on the picture... that city was on top of Sin the day we defeated it!' I quickly explain.
'So what! It must've fallen offa his back or something...' says Vidina.
'No way! I witnessed how Sin burst up in pyreflies!' I reply.
Suddenly a creepy feeling climbs my spine. Sin couldn't possibly be revived in any way! We defeated Yu Yevon and ended the cycle... It suddenly doesn't make any sense!
'We just have to get there, Auron!' I urge. I want to stand up and shout it out, but luckily, my sanity stays in control.
'I know', replies Auron hastily.
'Uncle Cid might be able to take us there!' I suggest. I'm almost, if not, yelling.
'Oh no... Not that crazy Al Bhed guy again...!' whines Vidina.
'Looks like it', says Auron.
I have to start being careful what I wish for. The city atop of Sin was destroyed when we killed Yu Yevon and ended his reign. Spira knows a lot of underwater ruins, and ever since Cid dug up that ancient submarine, the bottom of the ocean was being mapped. It won't surprise me if he was the original finder of the ruins. It won't surprise me either if he recognized the ruins just like us. But he does anything for money, and knowing that good old Uncle Cid, the moment he found those ruins, the money for this prime-story was basically already under way to his bank deposit. I just have to get there before the treasure hunters do. Hopefully, no gillionares have bribed him... yet.
The boat from Luca to Besaid is still in the same condition as it was the first I travelled on it. Even though it withstanded Sin's attack, it seems to have trouble with the waves in its path. The boat is more crowded these days, and we try to remain low to avoid commotion about our assissination mission. Although we seem to be succesful in doing so, around every corner, we hear people talking about our deeds. Some say that we are providing a service to Spira, others, especially the eldery people, clearly do not support the killing. But they do not support the war, either. Their opinions are like our lives, contradictory.
'We'll get there soon, but I am kind of worried...' starts Vidina.
'What is it?' I ask. It seems Vidina's excitement is negated by something that is bothering him.
'Some scent in the air is familiar yet unfamiliar to me... I don't get it!' continues Vidina. He stares in front of him as if he is on a place far away from here.
'It'll be fine, I think, really!' I say to cheer him up a bit.
'Dad told me about him taking a trip on this boat on his mission to defeat Sin! Tell me more!' he says, quickly switching the subjects.
'Well uhm... We took the boat from Besaid to Kilika first, and then we went to Luca! Your dad really was still a pretty stiff and insecure person back then, really... clumsy you might say!' I say while laughing to myself a bit.
'Clumsy?'
'Yes, yes clumsy! But not in the bad way, he was always very loyal to Yevon, me and the journey to Zanarkand. And he was always picking fights with your mom, that was pretty funny too!'
'Too bad he isn't here anymore...', says Vidina, falling back into his sad mood.
'Yes... But... What I don't understand is why you are still here... I sent you, didn't I?' I ask. This might not be the right time, but this question was on the tip of my tongue.
'I don't know, honestly... All I remember is that I collapsed and I woke up again when I heard your voice...', replies Vidina.
'So we're both stuck now, then', I say while smiling.
'Yeah, together with that old geezer!'
'I heard that', says Auron. He stands in the opening of the door.
'  ', says Vidina.
'You should get inside. There is a storm approaching', says Auron.
'Okay...', I reply as I turn around. Vidina gestures that he will follow me in just a little while.
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Rate it and I might continue. No use working on stuff that people won't like! |
Last edited by NegaSado : 03.03.04 at 10:52:50.
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| I'm sure how this fits with the storyline of X and X-2, but, it's a decent fanfic. |
______________________________________
Oh, snap. I'm back online.
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| I'll write you a Zemitra Report on this a little later. I'll PM you about it. This does look very good. |
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Sure, I read about your report in those sticky posts, I hope I get a fair and honest review! I would appreciate any tips and tricks in order to improve my writing. Since English is not my main languge, I'm having trouble enough writing in a grammatically correct way as is. Any corrections and explainations would most certainly be appreciated.
Meanwhile, I wrote some extra stuff down for ya'll to read. Hope you enjoy it! |
Last edited by NegaSado : 03.02.04 at 09:14:56.
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I have reviewed your story on the Zemitra Report. It's in the Top Ten at the moment, but then I haven't reviewed much yet.
I will be going back to look at the archives and review the old classics that I never got a chance to review before, but only briefly mind. |
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Well, it is not finished yet (not by far if it depends on me, ha!) and I'm currently busy correcting the story using your hints. You might want to review it again in some time when I make some progress 
About some of the things in the report:
- Yuna never selected anyone to be her final Aeon, but then again, we never knew who should we have chosen. Since I'm writing from Yuna's point of view, I can have her think things that might not make much sense to others, but still can be true. I assume that IF she would have had to make the choice back there, she wouldve chose Kimahri.
- The hide in the bush comment was indeed a misplaced one. I was reconsidering to placing it, but I just did. Now I replaced it with something more likely. Also, I'm turning Yuna in some kind of Max Payne here - 19 years have changed her. Auron also was a serious wuss when he was still young. Yuna has changed just a bit though -- her thinking only. She still talks in that unconvincing way, lol.
Anyway, more will come... |
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Ah ha.
See the Zemitra Report does work.
I may review it again in a month or two, but I won't make promises because I'm so busy. Plus I have other ZR's to make.
Thanks for writing and keep at it! |
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Well a top ten is there to be climbed, right? 
Besides, you basically are my spell check. And you're free as well. Saves me some $$$. Nah... Just kidding |
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