Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Final Fantasy X - This is Our Story ❯ A Fond Farewell ( Chapter 3 )

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

It was nighttime. The moonlight shone down on the island of Besaid, illuminating everything just enough for two certain someones to sneak around. Even though their path was darkened, and they could barely see, they knew what they were doing. The two shadowy figures continued running, the sound of their footsteps mixing with the noisy cracking of twigs as they made their way through the beach.

Finally, they reached their location. On the beach of Besaid, there was a sandy area surrounded by rock walls and palms, making for the perfect hiding spot or, in this case, conclave. The shorter figure, who was leading the way, pushed the palms back, parting them to allow his taller companion entrance. He followed not too long after, looking around before doing so to make sure they were alone.

The person who had just entered the hiding spot leaned against the rock wall, resting his head against it. “Where’s that boat?” he wondered aloud, his voice impatient. The other runaway turned to him, clasping his hands together and holding them to his heart.

“Everyone will find us... This feels so dangerous!” he squealed, turning on his heel and walking around the hidden grotto excitedly. He moved about their hidden den, his hands clasped behind his back as he paced back and forth anxiously.

“You sure you want to do this?” the other absconder asked quietly, closing his eyes as he continued to relax against the rocky bulwark.

“You will...take me to Zanarkand? Just the two of us?” the other asked in return, his face darkening with the reds of a blush. He hoped with all of his heart that his companion would say yes.





After the previous night’s going away party, and a lot of well-deserved rest, the awakening sun shone down its gift of light to the village of Besaid. The rays of warmth rained down on the temple, on the village square, the market, and then, it entered the blinds of Shana’s hut.

As the light of dawn snuck past the window and into the shack, Shana groaned in his sleep. He was stretched out over his queen-sized mattress, his blankets thrown off the bed and his limbs sprawled out everywhere. Finally, his eye twitched, and he opened them groggily. He yawned, sitting up and scratching his head, trying to get his hand through the mess of chestnut waves. As the light began to flood his small hut, filling it with the warmth of morning, his mind slowly began to awaken. He finally remembered what today was.

“Carp! I’ve got to get up! I’ve, I’ve got to get ready!”

He hopped off of the bed, becoming a blur of white and brown as he dashed for the clothesline running through his home, grabbing his robes and shirt from the rope. He hopped around his house, trying to put the clothing on as he blitzed to get everything else he needed. He attacked his wooden dresser, pulling out all of the drawers and tossing all of his clothing out of them.

‘My pilgrimage starts today!’





A small group had gathered around the little shack Shana called home. Briruru, donning another all black ensemble, was standing around patiently with her hands on her hips, pinching the material of her short skirt absently. Meanwhile, Aaroka was pacing back and forth slowly, his arms folded in front of his chest.

“What’s taking Shana so long?” Bilus wondered curiously, tugging on the clothes the temple had given him. Since his old clothing was tattered, torn, and stained, he really could go for a new outfit. He did realize he had liked the battle-worn look, and made sure to rip a few holes in his new jeans: one on the left knee, one on the right ankle, and one on the left, just below the seat of his pants.

“He’s prolly fixin’ his hair...” Aaroka snickered, taking one of his guns out of their holster. He practiced aiming the old looking weapon, obviously becoming very bored. “We’d prolly get in trouble if we like went on ahead to the boat, huh?” The dew-ragged guardian knew the moment Briruru turned around to face him, her furious glare plastered to her face, that he had messed up.

“No shit, Sherlock,” Briruru sighed, rubbing her temple as she tried to keep her patience. “Shana lived in this village for seventeen years, even after his father left to guard High Summoner Lord Way,” Briruru began, folding her arms as she took a breath to continue. “He’s always been like a brother... But, he had that same talent Lord Way had. He became an apprentice, and now, he’s a summoner,” Briruru stated, closing her eyes and sighing one more in an agitated manner.

Bilus hummed in reply, nodding. “This is our journey. We should leave together, right?” Briruru nodded, resting her gloved hands at her sides. Bilus smiled, happy that he was already beginning to understand his new comrades. The dark-haired Crusader was feeling more and more like part of the team every moment, and he hoped that his journey would be a fun one.

“Yeeeah, yeah. I know. I was just kiddin’ anyway...” Aaroka mumbled, trying to recover his dignity as a guardian. Briruru turned her back on him, and walked farther away from the two men.

“I’m going to tell him you wanted to leave without him!” she threatened, smirking over her pale shoulder and twitching her hips as she stood with her back to the two male guardians.

“Baaah. Stupid wench...” Aaroka muttered under his breath, kicking at the ground. Bilus chuckled, tugging at his new gray and orange shirt. Even if he had only been in the village for a day, he could tell that the two guardians secretly got along, even if they enjoyed butting heads.

Finally, the door to Shana’s hut opened, and he grunted as he struggled to get out of the door. He was attempting to pull something out of the hut, but was failing. He stepped out of his house, and leaned against the bamboo walls, panting. “Sheesh... This suitcase is heavy! Aar! Help!” he pouted, bracing one booted foot on the wall while he pulled on the suitcase’s handle.
Briruru tried to stifle her giggles, attempting to keep her composure as she called out to her charge. “You really don’t need all that luggage!” Shana looked over his shoulder, glaring at the gothic guardian. That did it for the girl; she burst out into a fit of laughter. Shana keened pathetically, tugging once more on the large suitcase with his foot firmly planted on the wall, causing the slit in his robe to ride up to his thigh.

“She’s right, Shana. This isn’t a vacation!” Aaroka stated unwaveringly, looking over to the summoner. Shana growled in reply, conjuring all of his strength as he placed the other foot on the wall, pulling on the large case with all his might.

“But... They’re honestly not my things! They’re... Uhm... Gifts! Yeah, for the temples!” the boy fibbed, tugging on the box once more. He grunted and growled, pulling harder and harder until finally... “Awe, carp!” The suitcase was freed from the doorway, sailing a few feet before hitting the dirt roads of Besaid. Shana fell flat on his rear, making an ‘oomph’ sound on impact.

The luggage had opened up in mid flight, causing several bundles of clothing to be tossed into the air. Shirts, robes, and things better left unsaid were slowly making their way to the ground, while Shana stood there on the ground, mortified. His face was growing pinker and pinker each second, and finally reached its peak as a skimpy looking undergarment landed on his head. He groaned embarrassedly, covering his face with the sleeve of his robe.

“‘Gifts’, huh?” Bilus laughed. The darker skinned boy stepped forward, offering his hand to the blushing summoner. “Here,” he said, getting the summoner’s attention. Shana giggled in spite of himself, and placed his pale hand in the guardian’s gloved one.

He froze. Something sparked between them, and he felt it deep within himself, near his heart. He could feel something drawing them together, but he didn’t know what. He looked up, daring to meet his guardian’s eyes. The stormy horizon met the brown of the land as they stared into their eyes, Shana’s grays losing themselves in Bilus’s browns.

“Uhm...” Shana stuttered, his face growing even hotter as he struggled to get to his feet.

“Good! You’re still here!” someone yelled from the back of the village. He was saved! Shana quickly took his hand back, and hopped to his feet, forcing a ditsy giggle. He turned to their visitor, clasping his hands together and against his chest, trying to will his blush to fade. He was failing.

It was Father Leon, with his wife Rhonda not too far behind. They were both wearing their usual robes, but Rhonda had her blondish brown hair up in a ponytail instead of down like she did the day before. She also was carrying something, but Shana couldn’t tell what as she was standing behind her taller husband.

“Father! I’m glad we could see each other before I leave!” Shana said cheerfully, bringing his clasped hands to his face.

“We brought you some things. Show ‘em the stuff, hon,” Father Leon compelled, waving his hand toward the summoner.

Rhonda lifted her baggage, holding it out toward the young summoner. “We thought these things might come in handy...” It was a rucksack, and a heavy one at that. Stashed securely beneath the bag’s lid was Shana’s long, aquamarine staff with the complex looking gold design at the top, which he had completely forgotten to run by the temple and pick up in his haste to get ready. He took the bag in his hands, pulling the top of it back some to see what was inside. The backpack had several potions, a few blankets, and many other items that would indeed come in handy. He put the bag on, bowing in thanks and losing his balance slightly because of the staff hanging out of it. Luckily, his guardian the Crusader stabilized him before he could fall. His other guardians and the older couple laughed at the sight, while Shana managed an uneasy giggle.

“And you forgot this...” Rhonda said, holding her other hand up to her daughter. At the end of her reach was Juliette, smiling wickedly with her yellow eyes full of mischief and other creepy things to irk Shana out. Rhonda shuddered, turning away from the frightening little marionette.

“Jule!” the girl screeched, grasping the frightening doll and nuzzling against it affectionately. “How could I forget you, hmm?” Shana subtly snapped his fingers, wishing that his guardian had forgot the doll. His eyes widened in fear as he noticed the doll’s head was turned in his direction, and he did not remember it being so. Slowly, he stepped behind Bilus, peaking out from behind the shorter guardian’s arm.

“Thank you so much, both of you,” the summoner said, bowing and performing the Prayer of Yevon to the priest and nun, while still hiding behind the Crusader. “I can’t thank both of you enough for all you’ve done for me... Besides teaching me the art of white magic, and...even how to summon! You both practically raised me! Words cannot express my gratitude,” the summoner stated, his voice filled with tears.

The purple robed woman held her hand up, silencing him. “Now, don’t go getting all emotional on us. Save your goodbyes for the dock, you hear?”Rhonda ordered gently, leaving no room for argument. She then elbowed her husband in the side, clearing her throat, hinting something to him.

Father Leon looked over to his wife, perplexed. “Wha? Oh!” He turned to his daughter, looking her in her green and brown eyes. “Don’t forget what we talked about last night...” The girl growled bitterly. “And that we love you,” he continued, placing a hand on his daughter and dragging her over to her parents. They both embraced her, and she reluctantly returned the favor.

“I love you, too...” she whispered, before letting go of her parents and stepping back some.

“Now, we have to go take care of a few things back at the temple,” Father Leon began, “but rest assured, we’ll be at the dock to send you off like the rest of the village. C’mon, Rhonda.” With that, the robed couple began walking back toward the temple at the back of the village.

‘If there was anything I was going to miss, it was going to be Bri’s parents. Daddy... I never saw him after High Summoner Lord Way’s pilgrimage. I assumed he had died... And momma, well... She just didn’t last very long with daddy gone. The old lady across the street said that when a lovebird dies, its partner dies too. Since then, I always thought of Father Leon and Rhonda as my surrogate parents. And there was no one I’d rather have as a little sister than Bri. Even if she’s only five days younger.’
Shana suddenly realized that one of his guardians was missing. He felt rather stupid, since he hadn’t noticed it until now. The summoner turned around, facing all directions before he figured out the missing protector was no where to be found. “Hey...where’s Kim?” he inquired, placing one hand to his chin, and holding his arm up with the other.

“Kim...that’s the tall girl with the weird ears, right?” Bilus asked, recalling the day before when he had entered the room outside of the Chamber of the Praying Child of the Fayth. Aaroka had later told him that room is called the ‘Pilgrim’s Hollow’, where guardians are designated to rest while summoners, the only ones allowed to enter, pray in the Chamber.

“That’s Kimari, all right,” Aaroka sniggered, placing his hands in his faded coat’s pockets. Briruru walloped him with Juliette, knocking the guardian off balance and onto the ground, hard.

“Ahem...Kimari left to practice after you summoned the Aeon yesterday. She said she’d meet us at the place of prayer,” Briruru stated, fixing her doll’s disheveled hair and cradling it like an infant. Aaroka struggled to his feet, stroking his head soothingly where he had been beat with the doll.

The summoner giggled, moving toward the village exit, his Crusader guardian not too far behind. “We’ll meet her when we meet her, then,” Shana replied cheerfully. If he didn’t know the warrior so well, he’d worry something had happened to her. But this was Kimari. He had reasons for trusting in her abilities.

“Waaait!” Aaroka wailed, jogging quickly to his charge. “I have something I want to give you, before we leave,” the gunner mumbled, fumbling around in his pocket. “Found it!” He pulled out a silver necklace, which shimmered in the morning sun’s light. Attached to the necklace was a depiction of the sun and the moon, overlapping each other. It was beautiful, and the boy was at a loss for what to say.

Briruru stepped forward, folding her arms. “That’s the necklace you were going to give...” she began, but was cut off by the other guardian.

“Well I never got to give it to her, did I! Anyway... I’m sure you’ll meet someone interesting on the trip, so if you like ‘em a lot, give this to them! It’s supposed to depict true love, or somethin’...” he said sadly, placing the necklace in the summoner’s hands and stepping back, his eyes glued to the ground.

“Oh... Aar... I can’t possibly...” he said, holding the necklace up and looking at it closely. “Thank you. I’ll do my best to find someone to give it to, and when I do, I’ll say ‘my friend Aaroka gave this to me!’, just so they’ll know what a great friend you are.”

The gun wielding guardian smiled, kicking at the stones in the Besaid road. “Awe, you don’t hafta do all that...” The summoner giggled, continuing his walk to the exit of the village. His guardians made sure to make him feel protected, forming a secure circle around him without making him feel swamped.

“Okay! Away we go!” Aaroka cheered. Shana smiled, and turned to get one last look at his hometown before they went past the purple spires serving as the village entrance and exit.
‘And now, we begin the pilgrimage... Yevon be with us.’





The party of four had been walking for a few minutes now. “Do you remember seeing this place at all, Bilus?” Shana asked as they walked, stopping momentarily to smell some white, bell-shaped flowers blooming on the road. They smelled sweet, like honey. Briruru walked over to the boy, kneeling beside him to point out the flower.

“These are called ‘Wedding Bells’. My grandmother taught me about herbal medicines when I was younger. You should take some incase we run out of potions...” She said, standing up once again. Shana picked a few of the white flowers, placing them in his backpack before standing up once again beside the girl.

“No... I don’t remember anything about coming here. Sorry...” Bilus said quietly, fiddling with his sleeve idly. Shana gave him an apologetic smile, beginning to say something, but shrieked as he and Briruru were knocked over. Bilus and Aaroka gasped, hurrying to the two mages and helping them up. “Are you okay?” Bilus asked, steadying the summoner.

The teen nodded, dusting off his robes. The four turned, finding the source of the impolite push. It was a fiend, one of the monstrous denizens of Spira. This one resembled a dog, only a bit bigger and more ferocious looking. It growled and barked at the party, its tongue lolling out of its mouth and drool dripping from its fangs.

The summoner readied his staff, about to rush up to the dog-like creature and hit it, but Bilus struck first. He dashed to the monster, pulling out his crystalline sword and slashing at it right across the neck. Blood poured from the wound, and the fiend howled in pain as it fell over, slowly dying from its injury. Blood stained its orange fur red, seeping into the dirt of the road and turning it red, too. Soon, it became transparent, dissolving in an aura of pyreflies.

“Awwwe,” Shana pouted, sticking his lower lip out like a child. Bilus grabbed a palm leaf and wiped the monster’s blood from his sword’s beautiful blade, then patted the summoner on the head.

“Sorry. But wild fiends like that have to be killed as quickly as possible. Okay?” Bilus said penitently. Shana nodded, but still wished he could have helped out some. The two boys were walking back toward the other two guardians, when something sharp struck them from behind, clawing at them and knocking them off balance. Bilus fell, but caught himself, landing in a squatting position, while Shana flat out toppled over.

The cause for their falls was a flying fiend, which swooped down once more for the party. Shana groaned impatiently, lifting himself off from the ground and glaring at the large bird-like fiend. It was heading straight for him, and he prepared his staff like a bat, ready to hit it out of the park the moment it got close.
It was in sight. It was in range. He swung, closing his eyes and hoping for the best. He opened them immediately when he heard a loud sound, resembling the sound of...a gun. All he saw in front of him were a few blue and yellow feathers floating slowly to the ground. He turned his gaze to the ground, where the bleeding body of the fiend lay in what looked like an uncomfortable position. He looked up to Aaroka, who stuck his chest out proudly and blew the smoke from his gun.

“Tight, huh?” he said smugly, a cocky smirk on his face. His smirk soon disappeared as a rock hit him square in the forehead, causing him to fall backwards with a cry of ‘ow-ouch!’. He hit the ground loudly, sending up a cloud of dirt.

“Dammit, Aar! I coulda killed it!”





Shana and his entourage hadn’t been walking for more than five minutes before another fiend hopped out of one of the bushes of Besaid Road. It rushed toward Shana, jumping at and over the summoner. He looked back at his backpack, and noticed that the flowers he had put in it were gone. He then looked to the fiend. It had a gel like, see-through body that was blueish in color, and made a gross gargling noise whenever it moved. It also had about a dozen white flowers floating around inside it.

Shana reached for his rucksack, pulling his staff out and holding it in front of him, ready to strike. “That’s a Flan!” the summoner declared, stepping forward. He was prepared to fight the fiend, but his guardians soon got in front of him, forming a protective wall of bodyguards.‘Awe... I wanna fight too!’

“This monster’s body is nothing but pyreflies merging with the water from the waterfalls. Don’t get too close, or it’ll use magic on you,” Briruru stated matter-of-factly. Aaroka ignored her, running up to the blob of liquid and point his guns at it. He shot the fiend point blank, but was utterly confused when the bullets just floated around inside the monster’s water-like body. Suddenly, a puddle of water materialized beneath the gunner, rushing up beneath him and knocking him back a few feet.

“Told you so,” Briruru chided as the guardian stood up, rubbing his sore head. “It’s best to kill it by using its weakness to magic. Watch.” Briruru closed her eyes, holding her hand out in front of her. Juliette did the same. Magic swirled around them as the black mage chanted incantations. Meanwhile, the presence of static became apparent to the summoner and his other guardians, as electricity crackled in the air. “Thunder!” the girl cried, both her and her puppet waving their hands at the gel-like fiend, summoning a strand of electricity from somewhere above to strike the monster. It gurgled in pain, melting pathetically as it faded away, leaving a cloud of pyreflies in its wake.

“And that’s how it’s done,” Briruru said confidently, placing one hand in her hair and sticking her hip out, posing sexily for the boys. Shana giggled and clapped excitedly, while the other two guardians grudgingly put their weapons away. She walked over to where the fiend had been moments ago, and picked up the flowers that had fallen to the ground after it disappeared. She handed them to the summoner, who put the flowers to his nose and sniffed them, curiously.
“They smell...cooked...”





Finally, they were out of Besaid Road, and were now on a cliff overlooking the village. There were a few stones that were just right for sitting on, and a small statue with Yevonite symbols engraved upon it. From this point, you could look down over the cliff and see almost the entire island on the other side of the mountainous road leading to Besaid. Shana leaned against the rope railing surrounding the cliff’s edge, looking down at the tree-covered portion of land surrounding the village.

“Take your time,” Briruru whispered as she walked up behind the summoner quietly, save for a few clicks of her black stilettos, and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. The brunette nodded, saying nothing save for a mumbled thank you as he continued to admire his home from afar.

Aaroka, too, walked over to the railing and gazed out longingly at his home. The three Besaidians stood there quietly, their silence speaking volumes as they stared at their village. Bilus felt a little out of place, and stood a bit away from the trio, keeping quiet as they were lost in thought.

“You ready?” Aaroka asked, referring to the summoner. Shana looked over to the taller man, wiping his eyes on his robe. Shana smiled at his guardian, and reached over to him, wiping the dark-skinned man’s eyes with his sleeve as well. Briruru giggled lightly, walking over to the statue.

“What do we do now?” Bilus inquired, walking toward the statue as the other two walked to it, bowing. Shana said nothing, performing the Prayer of Yevon alongside Aaroka, closing his eyes and losing himself in prayer.

The dark clothed guardian was the one to reply. “It’s an ancient custom here to pray at the statue. It ensues a safe passage on the sea, and helps to make a good start to a long journey,” Briruru stated, performing the Prayer briefly. Bilus did the same. They glanced at each other a few times as Aaroka and Shana prayed for a few moments longer.

The two boys stood up, Shana dusting off his robes and Aaroka fixing his dew-rag. Shana walked over to one of the stones quietly, and took a seat on it. Aaroka walked to the stone opposite his, and sat down, reloading his guns of ammo while he whistled the Hymn of the Fayth.

“I want to wait here a bit longer... Kim was supposed to meet us here, right? Bilus, could you run ahead and look for her?” Shana requested, turning to face the shorter guardian. “You can’t miss her. She’s tall, and... Well... You’ll know her when you see her, trust me.”

Briruru laughed, adjusting her hold on Juliette as she moved to stand behind the summoner. “Look for the girl with a spear, if that helps.”
“Don’t forget the weird ears!” Aaroka mumbled, continuing reloading his gun. Briruru and Shana glared at him sourly, and he made a pitiful sound to let them know he’d stay quiet. Bilus laughed, walking down the path leading to the beach. Shana waved to him as he walked off.
“Be careful!”





Bilus reached an area covered in ruins of towers and buildings, which were now covered in moss and other plants. He could just picture this place being a market or something in the past, but now it was nothing more than a collection of decaying edifices. Bilus ran his hand over one of the ruins, hoping that someday Spira’s civilization could once again reach a level of such development.

There was movement above him. Leaves fell, and there was more movement, getting louder and closer each time he heard it. He looked up, and saw something racing down the structures scattered about the trees and mountain wall. Finally, it landed spear first a few feet ahead of him, and he realized it was a person.

The person stood up, and he realized it was a girl. A tall girl. She had animal hides wrapped around her chest, and a green and yellow loincloth around her hips, kept there securely by a red-rope. Could it be? He let his gaze go further up, and found that this tall, dark-skinned woman had not only long, elfish ears, but a metallic head ornament that went all the way around, and had a hornlike formation protruding from it. No doubt about it, it was Kimari.

She growled at the guardian, tossing her head to the side and popping her neck, causing her braided tendrils of black hair to move about as if they were alive. She readied her spear, before growling again, “Who are you? Why are you on Ruin Road?” She didn’t give him time to answer before she lunged at him, stabbing at him with her long spear.

Bilus dodged the swipe, ducking and rolling out of the way as she tried to spear him again. “Wait!” he shouted, pulling out his sword. She slashed at him again, but her weapon struck the fine ocean-like steel of his blade, sending a shower of sparks everywhere. He pushed back on her spear, knocking her away a few feet as he ran quickly out of her way.

“Get back here!” she roared, twirling her spear overhead. “You can’t hide! Dragon Jump!” She stuck her spear into the ground, wrapping one leg around it and kicking at the dirt with all her might with the other. She became airborne, rocketing into the sky like a projectile, before landing spear first a few feet in front of the shorter man, aiming her weapon at him. “Die!”

“STOP!”

Kimari lowered her spear, recognizing the voice. It was Shana, who was running toward the fighting pair as quickly as his legs would carry. Followed not too far behind were Briruru and Aaroka, trying to keep up with their summoner. Aaroka stopped, bending over and resting his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath. “That’s...enough...” he said in between shallow breaths.

Shana walked in between the two warriors, inspecting them both for signs of injury. Once he had looked them both over and found no sign of worry, he let out a relieved sigh. “Kimari! Why did you attack Bilus?” he chastised, shaking a finger at the taller girl.
“Kimari is sorry... Kimari thought he was an enemy. Thought he had done something with you... Kimari worried when you did not show up at the Promontory for a long time,” the girl said, turning her back on the summoner and his shorter guardian. “Kimari will go and wait on the ship.” The dark-skinned spear wielder ran off down the path, far faster than any other the others could run.

“What’s with her?” Bilus asked, placing his sword back in its sheath and rubbing his right arm. Briruru walked up beside him, stifling her laughter, badly. The girl looked over to him, finally getting her amusement under control.

“That was Kimari Grande, of the Ebon Tribe. She was once one of their greatest warriors, and she knows how to mimic fiends’ magics,” Briruru stated, avoiding Bilus’s actual question and stating facts that he hadn’t really asked for.

“That isn’t what I meant...” he mumbled, following Shana as the summoner began walking.

“Sometimes we don’t really understand her...” the summoner said, giggling. He ran a hand through his long chestnut hair, soaking up the breeze as it blew through the road. Aaroka laughed at his comment about the Ebon warrior, and he turned his head to give him a death glare. He shut up. “But...when she washed up on the shore, hurt and lost, the temple took her in. She has been our friend ever since.”





The group was out of the Ancient Road, and was now on the road known as ‘Waterfall Way’. Its name described the trail perfectly. The trail went along what appeared to be a mountain wall at first glance, but upon further inspection, it became apparent that it was actually the ruin of a large building, now covered with moss and trees. At the top of the ruin, time had caused a small creak to run through what was once a roof, and cataracts of water cascaded down the areas that indented with age, causing curtains of water to rain down over parts of the road. It was beautiful.

That was when a gigantic fiend slowly descended in front of them. It was another aerial being, only much, much bigger than the one Shana had tried to hit. Instead of being feathered, it looked as if it was furry, but the underside of its wings did have a few crimson feathers.

“Yeah! A bird, just my kinda target,” Aaroka said smugly. He pulled out his guns, cocked them, and took aim. He braced his feet in the dirt, readying the two handheld weapons, and fired. The bullets struck the large bird, but bounced off of it. Its skin was hard and tough, like armor. The bullets didn’t even graze it. “Shit,” the gunner mumbled.

Briruru stepped forward, flicking her hair at the dark-skinned gunslinger before she took her position, holding her hand out in front of her. “If you can’t kill it by force, it is best to make it suffer with magic...” she said, focusing. After chanting a few spells, she opened her eyes, as both she and her doll waved their hands at the monstrous bird. The air around it turned to flame, swirling and dancing around it as it singed its feathers. Sadly, the fiend was still alive. “Huuuh?” the mage shrieked incredulously.
“Okay, make way!” Bilus cheered, unsheathing his sword. He took a few breaths, preparing himself for the attack. After concentrating, he pounced, running toward the large avian beast and doing a frontal flip with his sword outstretched. He landed on the monster mid-spin, his sword striking the giant bird’s body, but not doing any damage. He just bounced off like a toy. He quickly ran back to his fellow guardians as the fiend angrily swiped at him with its large talons.

“Now what do we do?” Bilus asked, looking at the other two guardians. All three of them turned to face their charge, who was standing behind them, holding his staff.

“Oh. Nooow you want me to help!” Shana accused, pointing his staff at them accusingly.

“Shana! Aeon!” they yelled in unison.

“R-right!” he yelped, running into the fray. He waved his hands at the three, signaling them to get back. He began dancing about, moving his staff around rhythmically as the Besaid Glyph formed on the ground. It moved much like it had the day before, with the outer circle going clockwise, and the inner winged circle going the opposite direction. The beams of violet light merged together in the sky, parting the clouds and heralding the approach of the Avian Fayth, Valefor.

The large, bird-like Aeon hit the ground, sending up rocks and dirt as it came to a halt. Shana approached his first Aeon, nuzzling his face against the beast’s feathery neck, and stroking its beak. “Do good, girl,” he whispered, patting it on the beak and stepping aside.

The Aeon’s opponent flew upwards into the air, the veins on the underside of its wings glowing oddly. It let out a horrible noise that could deafen anything, and flapped its wings with all its might, sending a shockwave toward the smaller, slenderer Aeon. Valefor took the brunt of the attack, flinching and floating backwards a few feet. Valefor made an irritated noise, returning to the air and flapping its wings defiantly.

“Valefor! Energy Ray!” Shana cried, pointing his staff at the enemy fiend. Valefor ascended into the air higher than it was, screeching a powerful cry as it did so. Spheres of magic appeared all around it, slowly gathering and meshing together to form a single sphere of energy on its beak. It shrieked with all its might, sending the energy out in a single beam of focused magic, shooting it along the ground and through the fiend. All was calm for a few moments, until the new ‘fault-line’ along the ground began to erupt and detonate, as did the fiend. When the smoke cleared, all that was left a cloud of pyreflies.

Valefor made a happy, shrill noise, flapping its wings proudly. Shana stuck his staff up in victory, doing a little victory dance in his excitement. “See! I told you I could do it!” he cheered. He waved his weapon at the Aeon, dismissing it. Valefor went higher into the air before flapping its wings with all its might, flying toward the sky and out of sight.

Bilus whistled, clapping his hands. “Great!” he yelled, sheathing his sword.

“I coulda done that...” Aaroka grumbled.




Finally. The beach.

Everyone able to make the trip was waiting in front of the S.S. Liki, prepared to send the summoner off. Shana and his guardians were met with many a crying face, sad to see the hometown heroes go.

“Shana. It’s time,” Briruru said, urging the young brunette to continue on. The boy nodded, continue his walk from the beach to the dock. The sand beneath his boots crinkled as he walked over it, and the noon sun was shining directly in his eyes, but he pressed on.

Aaroka ran ahead, disappearing into the crowd, while Briruru and Bilus stayed at the summoner’s side. Suddenly, a middle-aged woman with her greying brown hair in a braid approached the group, reaching into a pocket in her earthen and gold colored dress. "I knew this time would come someday. I knew. Please, watch over Shana. Take this, you may find use in it," she said, retrieving three bundles of feathers from her pocket. They were the color of the sunset, and were kept in a snug pile by a rose-vine. The woman handed it to Bilus, patting his hand as he took hold of the three Phoenix Downs.

While this was going on, a man in green and red with baggy pants was chatting up Briruru, sobbing to her about something. "There's just so many things I want to tell him! But...he was smiling... I just couldn't. Take this, Bri. Give this to my baby," he said, sniffling. He handed the girl a purple bottle, and backed away from the girl, wiping his eyes.

"Baby? An ether? What?" Briruru had always wondered about her friend from the village, suspecting he had a crush on the summoner, but she guessed this confirmed it. "Wow."

Bilus was trying to catch up to Shana after the older woman had given him the items, but he was stopped by a balding priest from the temple. "May Yevon watch over our summoner! Here. A gift from the temple to sanctify his departure," the man said, performing the Yevon prayer. He handed a small blue bottle, probably a potion or some other medicine. Bilus tucked it away in his back pocket for safe keeping.

A dark-skinned man was talking to Aaroka, shaking his hand as he babbled on. "I can't believe ya really leavin'. Here. All yo dawgs in the village emptied they pockets for ya." He handed a bag of golden Gil coins to the gunner, stepping back as the bag landed in Aaroka's hand. Its weight meant it must've been at least 300 Gil, if not more.

All four of Shana's guardians had finally caught up with him, and they were about to board the boat when a young boy in red shorts all but tackled the summoner, clinging to his robes. "Lord Shana!" he sobbed, "Don't forget me! Okay? I, I promise to be good, and, and, here's a gift, from daddy!" He shoved a green item into the cleric's hands. It was another medicine, a remedy for most illnesses. Shana nodded to the little boy, patting his head as he joined his guardians on the ship.

Just as the ship was beginning to pull out of the dock, Father Leon and his wife ran toward the crowd. It was obvious they had ran the entire way, as they could hardly stand. “Goodbye! We love you! All of you!” the shouted at the top of their lungs, waving enthusiastically.
Shana couldn’t help it anymore. He was crying, and not just a little. He was flat out sobbing. He managed to perform the Prayer, though, and waved at the villagers. As all four of his guardians surrounded him, waving as well, he touched his fingers to his lips and blew a kiss to the harbor.

‘Goodbye, Besaid.’
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