[#016] Renewal & False Faith (Final Fantasy X | X-2)

[danko_kaji]

 

Theme Prompt: #016 - Little White Lies
Title: Renewal & False Faith
Fandom: Final Fantasy X | X-2
Rating/Warnings: PG, angst
Word Count: 1000
Summary: The dead are in need of guidance, peace of mind, but then Yuna wonders whether she wants to be responsible for the living, too. Post-Will-, serves as a direct lead-in to my one-shot Under A New Moon.

 

Yuna kneels in the middle of the chamber, dwarfed by the silence and flickering darkness. During her long, aimless trek here through the frozen walkways, feeling her way along the cold and dust of an abandoned temple, she listened to the low, heavy hum of active machinery (no voice of the Fayth to guide her, no weight of their presence to fill the empty crevices they left behind).

There are no more Gods to pray to, only the woman who vanquished them along with their maker. At least the people have someone to pray to, their hero and holy savior, but not her. She has never felt so alone, not since the defeat of Sin, and all because of the fleeting love she wants to preserve above all else.

And now Yuna understands the onset of Shuyin’s suffering.

“Lady Yuna?”

She feigns concentration.

Why should she be surprised he found her when no one else would dare trespass upon this forsaken place?

His hand on her shoulder startles her, and she flinches, too familiar for comfort.

Baralai must be conscious of it, because he retracts his hand, taking a step back. “My apologies for interrupting you in the middle of your prayer. You have been gone for hours, and people are starting to worry.”

Yuna unclasps her hands, and moves to stand, keeping her back to him. “How did you know I was here?”

“Well, given your association…” He opts for a wry tone, but drops it soon enough, too tired to try at proper humor. “In all actuality, I’ve instructed the others not to go looking for you as I sensed that you wanted time alone.”

“Baralai…” She drops his title, turning to face him. “What has been happening in the world? I really believed that the Eternal Calm would last this time, but something else always-- and I, I know you called me here, but I… I don’t know what I’m supposed to do…”

“I don’t know,” he says at long last, a far cry from his usual confident self. They are no longer in the presence of their hopefuls to keep up appearances, and so they can finally speak without cause for pretense. “I honestly don’t know what to tell you. When you finally chose to answer my summons, I was surprised and relieved. But then, before Chuami departed for Besaid, she delivered a rather… disconcerting report. That you intend to combat Sin using the Final Aeon. Is it true?”

“...Yes. Are you disappointed?”

“To be honest… I am more so confused than angry. Why, Lady Yuna? You know full well the fallacy behind such a thing. You decried its very existence, actually, and overthrew the Church upon proving that truth wrong. So, why?” When she does not answer, avoiding eye contact, he continues. “I received reports from a nun stationed in Besaid Temple detailing what you informed the clergy. Apparently, Sin ensured its return after every Calm by stealing the Final Aeon of a High Summoner to use it as its core. Fortunately for us, the Sin we are confronted with now is the result of a Beckoning, so it can disappear at any time, for any given reason. But if we decide to use the Final Aeon after all, we provide it with the very means to tether its existence to the physical realm, thus repeating the cycle.”

“I know that!” Yuna yells, tears of frustration brimming in her eyes. She had expected a scolding, maybe a kind warning, but not this -- being treated like some depraved, washed-up individual suffering from Sin’s toxin. But then again-- ‘I brought this onto myself.’

“I know that. I’m not stupid…” Yuna wipes her eyes, ignoring his look of guilt and concern. “It’s never worked before, so… why would it work now?”

“Then why do you act like you’ve known no other way? It’s a complete regression of your character.”

“…I don’t expect you to understand.”

“Lady Yuna, do you… have a death wish? Have you truly lost the will to live?” He takes her admission of silence as one of guilt and he frowns, strengthening his stance. “Then, I won’t allow it. I don’t know what happened in the year since we last saw each other, but that can’t be a reason to give up.”

“Easy for you to say." She bites back. "You weren’t there.”

“You are right. I wasn’t. I cannot to presume to understand how milady feels. As much as I wish I could, to pretend otherwise would accomplish nothing." Baralai pauses, his eyes downcast, but then he re-gathers his resolve somehow, initiating eye contact. "What matters now is the present, and what I can do for you.

“Lady Yuna, you are not alone.”

~

“And she will not be alone.”

Baralai steps forward to stand by her side, and the crowd falls into a reverent hush.

“The Council is doing everything in its power to learn the truth. Not only to confront the sudden appearance of Sin, but to discover a permanent means to end this Beckoning epidemic that is plaguing Spira. For if we restore the balance, the dead can finally be put to rest and the living can finally move on. Sin is just an illusion, but the fact still remains that someone strongly wished for it to exist. It’s a bitter reminder that we are still in the process of healing. But I assure you, Sin will not haunt us for long, and neither will the deceased.

“We are not alone in this world, for we all have each other to lean on during these dark times. We have united against such terrors before, what is stopping us now?”

Righteous anger roars in answer to his challenge, and Yuna stares, stunned by everyone’s energy. Sensing his eyes on her, she turns to face him.

Baralai smiles, holding her timid gaze in his own, and holds his hand out to her.

Yuna takes it, drawn to the strength and kindness in his eyes.