Love Her and Despair Remaster [27]

[auronlu]

Title: Love Her and Despair
Chapter 27: "Nightmare in C Minor"
Final Fantasy X/X-2 (Yes, both. AU.)
Characters: Auron, Isaaru, cast
Rating: PG
Word Count: 3000
Previous Chapter | Next Chapter | Map/ToC

The Story So Far: Shuyin, a vengeful ghost, has possessed a new host and eluded his pursuers. Isaaru and his guardians resume the chase. Meanwhile, the estranged Crimson Squad members join forces to protect Vegnagun, the doomsday weapon Shuyin seeks.

The Cloister of Trials groaned and shuddered like a sinking ship. Bursts of sparks rained down. Auron cast a wary eye upwards, surveying the lattice of struts and moving light-paths.

Maroda, still squirming from his brother's parting shot, snatched up his spear and pelted towards the exit. "Pacce! We're right here! Pacce, wait!"

"Wake Elma," Auron said, blocking Isaaru's path.

Isaaru tried to shove past him, a rare, shrill note of anger in his voice. "While my brothers try to kill each other?"

A distant concussion rocked the tower's foundations. High above, a long span twisted loose with a squeal of shorn rivets, banging off others all the way down until it crashed to a halt just overhead, wedged between the wall and a support beam. Most of the pathways winked out, leaving them in near-darkness.

"You'd leave her here?" Auron stepped away from him with a scowl. "Rikku. Hurry. This place isn't safe." Then he began to run, vaulting most of the stairs and vanishing through the archway.

"Gee, thanks," she said, crouched by her father with her first aid kit. Soot concealed the extent of his injuries, but his limbs were slashed and bleeding, and his face was burnt. He spluttered curses as she applied Al Bhed ointment to his blistered scalp.

Isaaru took two steps towards the exit before Auron's words penetrated. His hands moved in a feeble prayer before he shuffled back towards the crumpled Crusader.

Rikku looked up. "Oh, for goodness' sake. Go on! Find your brothers! I'll take care of choco-lady!"

"Nay, milady, tend to your father." His voice steadied as he poured himself into the soothing mantra: Esuna, Esuna, a timid lullaby in that vast, alien hall.

Elma stirred and rolled onto her side, planting her face in the summoner's robes. "Huh? Oh!" She popped to her feet with a woozy salute. "Orders, sir?"

"Follow me. Sir Auron and Maroda are on Pacce's trail. Elder Cid, can you travel?"

"We're right behind ya," Cid said, slinging an arm around his daughter. "I don't fancy getting flattened by your damned temple."

"Manners, Pops!" Rikku said. "Yevon just saved your butt, you know."

"I'm tryin' not to think about it, kiddo."

They fled none too soon. As they reached the archway, all the lights failed. They were forced to feel their way along a dusty tunnel. Ominous creaks and bangs echoed down the narrow passageway, magnified by the great drum of the cloister. They hurried away from the sounds of the tower settling, towards an archway of light at the far end.

Cid was wheezing as they stumbled along. "Hell. I shot up Bevelle pretty bad, didn't I? I don't care what you do to me, Isaaru, but don't take it out on the Al Bhed. They had nothing to do with this."

"The blame is Shuyin's," Isaaru said. "And the toll is less grievous than it could have been. Bevelle was evacuated ahead of Sin. Homes, as you say, can be rebuilt."

"You got that right." Cid harrumphed in oblique apology. "After this is over, my people could help with repairs."

"I fear Shuyin's attack may rekindle Yevon's suspicions of the Al Bhed," said Isaaru, sounding drained. "But I pray the maesters accept. Thank you."

"Oh!" Rikku said. "Hey, Elma. Speaking of suspicions. Sorry I smacked you with a nightcap. We thought Shuyin was getting to you!"

"'S'okay. He almost did, actually." The Crusader gave a ragged laugh. "I told him to piss off. Maybe Lucil really is dead, but no way is some crazy unsent gonna tell me what to do about it!"

Emerging into the guardians' antechamber, they found that Pacce's pursuers had not gotten far. Auron was on his knees and Maroda on his face, both lashed by a flurry of sword-cuts. Blood pooled in the cracks in the floor around them. The stone portal of the Chamber of the Fayth stood open, its fanlike inner barrier torn to shreds.

"In Yevon's name." Isaaru hurried over to Maroda, raising his hands to cast Curaga.

"Don't waste magic," Auron rasped. "You'll need it for sending."

"What the heck was that?" Maroda pushed himself up with his spear. "He didn't learn that move in basic training!"

Auron frowned. "Tidus called it 'Slice and Dice.'"

"Tidus?" Rikku said.

"I don't know, Rikku." Hefting his sword, Auron trudged towards the entrance to the Chamber of the Fayth. "He went in here."

Maroda followed, but stopped short just inside the doorway. "Dammit. Where'd he go?"

"Inside, all of you," Isaaru said, noting Elma's double-take. "You, too, Commander."

The heavy door of the Chamber of the Fayth dropped behind them. They halted to catch their breath, bemused to find themselves in a bubble of calm after the chaos of the past several days. Beneath the glassy floor sprawled a titanic form bathed in golden light, its outspread pinions forming a swirling mandala. A disembodied child's voice soared above, piping out the Hymn of the Fayth with heartbreaking purity. Hanging tapestries bearing Yevon's crests seemed crafted to evoke epiphanies. Despite the party's urgency, they found themselves lulled by a false sense of peace, insulated from the struggles taking place outside.

"Well, I'll be," Cid muttered. "It's not half as creepy as Baaj."

"What now?" said Maroda.

"Search," Auron said. "There must be a hidden exit."

While his guardians circled, Isaaru knelt and prayed. The tension in his posture bled away. "Lady," he said, inclining his head to Rikku. "The fayth says you and your father may rest here. The warrior monks dare not profane his sanctuary, although they may barricade the door."

"Um, tell him thanks for us, okay?" Rikku scratched her cheek. "You're bustin' all kinds of rules for us, aren't you?"

Isaaru gave a wan smile. "I learned much from your cousin, milady."

"What the—?" Maroda said. "Yo! I've found it!" His spear had disappeared halfway into the wall behind a tapestry.

"Let's go." Auron looked at Rikku, brows knitting. "We'll come back for you."

"But—” Rikku's eyes darted between her father and friends disappearing though the illusory barrier. She raised her voice. "No getting yourself killed, Auron, you hear? Wakka's gotta whup you for making me break Yuna's sphere!"

After they had gone, Cid scooped Rikku into a fierce hug, face puckered with the effort of holding back tears. "Dammit, kiddo, I've never been so glad to see you! That creep had me convinced I'd sent you to Mother."

"Nope! All better, see?" she said, patting her stomach. "Isaaru's pretty good with white magic."

"He'd better be." Cid shook his head. "That Shuyin's liable to carve them into scrap metal. Good thing you're stayin' here with your old man."

Despite thirteen years and three gunshots, the former Crimson Squad members quickly slotted back into their customary orbits. Baralai shortened his stride to match Nooj's limp. Gippal kept pace beside Nooj so casually that it seemed an accident when he was there as a brace against the tower's death-throes. Juno, guarding the rear, observed them in keen silence.

Baralai threaded a path through the warren of barracks and prison blocks beneath the Court of Yevon. When he entered a cell, Gippal balked until he spotted the crack between the floor and the threshold. Inside, Baralai tabbed the keys of an ancient control pad. He pressed his pistol against Nooj's hip as the room began to descend.

"C'mon, Baralai, put that thing away," said Gippal. "What if you sneeze?"

Baralai shrugged. "Then we're even."

"Not quite," Juno said. "Three sneezes."

"Hey," Gippal said. "That's not funny, Dr. J."

Nooj's gravelly laughter rolled out. "I see. If I'd known all I had to do for forgiveness is serve as a maester's handkerchief, I'd have come back sooner."

"There may be a few other requirements," Baralai said.

"If you think of any, let me know." Nooj was smiling— by his standards, the man was practically giddy— but quickly sobered. "About Vegnagun. Are you sure you know how to operate it? There's no margin for error."

"I'm well aware of that, Nooj," Baralai snapped. "With Sin on its way, we have little choice. I've worked out the basics using its training program, but there's a lot I don't understand, and a lot more I haven't dared touch. Gippal, I'm counting on your expertise."

"It sounds pretty advanced," Gippal said. "I may not be able to help much."

The elevator lurched. They leaned against the walls for a sickening moment of free-fall before it resumed its downward crawl.

"Damn." Baralai glanced at Juno, but her expression was masked once more by her helm. Reluctantly, he turned to Gippal. "Nooj was working in salvage operations, right? You said he had a knack for ancient machina."

"Correct," Nooj said. "But most of that was Shuyin. Now that he's not inside my head—"

"Shuyin?" Juno said, suddenly intent.

"An unsent," Nooj said, "killed in the Machina War when he tried to hijack Vegnagun. His lust for vengeance was the only thing keeping him from turning into a fiend. He touched your mind, too, Baralai. That's the vision of Vegnagun you saw."

"It's true, Bar," Gippal said. "I was there when Shuyin popped out of him. Pyreflies all over the place. Everybody was acting twitchy. Then Cid walked in, freaked out and started shooting us. Just like in that cave."

"An intriguing story," Baralai said. "If that's true, how do we know Nooj is free of this 'Shuyin'? Most of the Crimson Squad was affected."

"You don't," said Nooj. "He could be influencing you, too."

"Hm." Baralai lowered his pistol, but did not holster it. "Touché."

"Nooj," Juno said. "If Shuyin's been haunting you all this time, what made him leave you?"

"Guess." Nooj gave her a wry look. "When Sin attacked Home, I saw a chance to be free of him. I made sure to be left behind when the Al Bhed evacuated. I hoped no one would find my body. Unfortunately, I still have friends."

"Sucks to be you, Noojster," Gippal said.

A chime sounded. Juno steadied Nooj as the elevator shuddered to a halt. Baralai shot her a perturbed glance. Gippal let out a whistle, but not at them.

The doors had opened on an enormous shaft with ribbed walls stretching out of sight. Spanning the abyss was a metal bridge, widening to a circular platform near the middle of the chamber. Looming over it was a monstrous horned head, its sweeping tusks forming a sort of balustrade around the platform's perimeter. Below, the bulk of Vegnagun's body clung to the platform's central pillar with squat legs the size of sand worms.

"Mog on a frickin' shish kabob," Gippal said. "That thing could eat Gagazet for dessert."

Baralai exhaled. "Nooj? I could use your help as well."

"You've got it."

A low, throbbing hum began to build. Floodlights came on and swiveled towards them, blinding them. Baralai strode forward, raising a hand and speaking in the reassuring tones of a chocobo handler. "Easy. It's me. They're friends. Don't be afraid." The lights dimmed slightly. The behemoth trembled, sending vibrations through the platform where they stood. Wisps of dust rose in the gloom.

"Looks like Baralai's got a friend," Nooj said.

"A pet," Juno muttered, frowning.

"Hot damn." Gippal sauntered after Baralai. "Shinra'd give his left nut to see this thing."

Juno looked back at Nooj. "You coming?"

"Sorry." Leaning on his cane, he limped after her. "I've dreamed of this thing for thirteen years. The nightmares didn't do it justice."

Baralai scaled a short ladder and swung himself into the cockpit in the crown of Vegnagun's head. "All right, gentleman, let's get to work. Juno, keep watch. We may have visitors."

"Understood." She drew her sword and rested the point on the floor, facing the elevator. "They won't get near you guys."

Gippal helped Nooj up the ladder, and they squeezed in on either side of Baralai. "Man." The Al Bhed stared at the curving bank of blank keys and translucent tubes rising in a curtain behind them. "I don't even know what I'm looking at. Is this a dashboard or a pipe organ?"

Baralai took a steadying breath, spread his fingers, and set his hands to the keys with a gentle caress. Colors rippled to life, blue-white bars of light spreading out from his fingertips, mirrored by the pipes above. Lonely notes in a minor key began to spiral outward as his fingers wandered, molding motion into chords, phrases, scales. The drone of engines grew louder. Leaning forward in rapt concentration, Baralai launched into a wild skirl of notes, arpeggios chasing each other in a rising tide.

Gippal's jaw dropped open. "Holy..."

"It's both," Baralai said in a reverent whisper. "Don't look at the light panel. Look through it, the way you'd look into a sphere."

"Unbelievable," Nooj said. "Armageddon delivered by music without a soul."

"No, that's just the bridge." Baralai was having trouble speaking as he played. "Relax your minds. Listen. Watch. You can't control Vegnagun. You have to let it control you."

Nooj stiffened. "That's asking a lot."

"I see it!" Gippal said. "I've got it now. It's like... Vegnagun's my own body. I can see the whole city. Man, the Fahrenheit got utterly trashed. Will Vegnagun get confused, with three of us linked in like this?"

"Juno and I... used to practice together. I'm bringing up the navigation simulator. That's where I'm stuck. Flying's easy. But there's some way to... cut through the Farplane. Jump in, jump out. Otherwise the launch will tear Bevelle apart."

"You in here with us, Nooj?" Gippal said.

"Not yet," Nooj said, jaw clenched. "Go on. I'll try and catch up."

Gippal flinched away from the viewscreen. "Um... Baralai? Company."

"I see it." Baralai was sweating. "Take over flight controls."

"What is it?" Nooj said.

"Sin," Gippal said, reaching for the lower bank of keys as Baralai shifted to the upper. There was a painful discord of clashing notes. "Dammit. I can't do it, Bar. I don't have the foggiest clue what you're doing with the keys."

"Don't try to play anything," Baralai said. "Just relax. Vegnagun guides you as much as you guide it. I'm switching to weapons. I've got to keep overriding them manually, or we'll drop out of training mode into active combat. See if you can get through the simulation without crashing or triggering the self-defense systems."

"I'm already dead," Gippal said. "Touchy, isn't it?"

"Try again. If it decides it's being hijacked, it'll kill us."

Juno listened with silent longing to the rise and fall of old, familiar voices: Gippal's irreverent banter and Nooj's incisive remarks, Baralai's soft-spoken earnestness. When Baralai began to play, it was difficult not to turn around, climb up to watch them together. It was easy to picture Gippal agape, but Nooj— no, she dared not look, nor even to imagine his expression.

Vegnagun's clashing music drowned the elevator's chime, and she missed the indicator lights until the doors opened. Chiding herself for carelessness, Juno strode towards them. A stocky figure stepped out. The tufts of black hair bristling around his ear-flaps were instantly recognizable. Soot streaked his armor, and there were tear tracks below his cheekguards.

"Pacce. This is a restricted area," she said. "Why aren't you with Sergeant Wedge?"

"C-Captain Juno!" Pacce snapped a salute. "The prisoner's escaped! The rest of my squad turned back. I-I lost him in the temple. I'm very sorry, ma'am."

"Did you see anyone else with him?"

"N-no, ma'am."

"All right." She lowered her weapon. "Help me keep watch."

"Aye, Captain." Drawing his sword, he raised his eyes to the behemoth pounding out unearthly music. "I don't suppose you can tell me what's going on?"

"Absolutely not," she said. "And you are forbidden to tell anyone what you've seen here. Not Wedge, not your own brothers.”

"Paine!"

Nooj's shout gave just enough warning for her to turn into Pacce's attack, taking the brunt of the strike on the front of her shinguard instead of the back of her knee. She barely had time to think Idiot before her chin struck the floor. The world went white. Her awareness narrowed to ringing pain and the taste of blood.

When her vision cleared, Nooj was lying on the deck beside her, metal arm warding Pacce's sword away from his own throat by failing inches. The belts securing Nooj's artificial leg had been sliced through. It lay twisted under him at a distressing angle.

"Trying to save her this time?" Pacce laughed. "Pathetic. To think I was forced to wear you for thirteen years."

Turning her head, she closed her fist over the hilt of her sword. Pivoting the blade upwards, she set the point against Pacce's stomach, finding the seam under his breastplate. "Leave him alone."

"Go ahead," he said. "Kill the boy. Your student, isn't he? I'll find someone else. One of your friends, or..."

"No!" Baralai shouted behind her. "Gippal, put the gun down!"

Vegnagun growled and lurched, driving Juno's sword-point an inch into the leather. Pacce jerked back with a snarl.

"Baralai!" she called. "Hurry!" She rolled to her feet, parrying a flailing blow as he whirled to face her.

"So, you're Paine." The youth's chubby features twisted in an alien smirk. "I should thank you."

She swung at his legs, forcing him back a step. "I don't think so."

"Nooj thought about you often." A swipe sent her skidding sideways. "It made it easier to control him, ride his pain."

"Don't listen," Nooj said, furiously impotent. "Anger is his path into your mind."

The mocking laughter in Pacce's voice was jarring, a wild braying above Vegnagun's ocean of sound. "Anger, despair, love: in the end, they're all the same. Aren't they, Juno?"

"Shut up." She smiled grimly as he spun away from her slicing blow and pivoted to strike back. "All right, Shuyin. Let's dance."

---

Next Chapter: "Otherworld"

---

Author's Notes

Chapter title reference: "Nightmare in a Cave", piano arrangement of "Vegnagun Awakens" from FFX-2 OST.

Chapter Renumbering: Originally Chapter 31, posted August 2009.