Beachside Memories [PLOT]

[Yuna]

The warm rays of the sun, and the sound of the waves washing up and down the sandy shore. The peaceful scenery of Besaid was something she would never tire of. Even if the High Summoner were to see a thousand worlds, this would always be her favorite place. She had grown up here, where she had met her friends, and where she had met him. A fond smile crossed her lips at the thought of Tidus. It had been two years, but she continued to whistle every day. A small sigh escaped her lips, hoping he was alright, where ever he was. Maybe she was holding onto the past too tightly, but she missed him. Her grieving had never ended, despite the cheerful air she placed about herself. Yuna was happy, but a part of her was missing. Would she ever be whole again?

She was currently sitting upon the sandy beach, her bare feet sinking into the warm sand. Her head was lifted towards the sun's warm rays, and her brunette locks clinging damply to her ivory cheeks. Yuna had been practicing holding her breath once again. She could not hold it up for three minutes now. Anything monotonous to pass the time by. Her adventures may have ended for now, but she knew something was to happen very shortly. Something would happen soon, but that was all the young High Summoner knew. Yuna slowly looked down, bowing her head. The young woman once again wondered whether she would ever see Tidus again. The pain still ate away at her broken heart. Her family could only do so much to ease her sorrow.

Yuna would soon head back, before Lulu or Wakka worried. She had been distant lately, and she felt guilty for ignoring her friends. Yuna just knew the scolding look Tidus would give her for letting everyone worry. A small laugh escaped her, and she smiled once again. She should head back. Slowly, Yuna stood from her sitting position, reaching for her discarded boots. Deftly, the young woman slid them on, lacing up the knee high boots quickly. At least her new outfit was appropriate for this warm weather. With one last glance cast towards the setting sun, Yuna began to make her way back to Besaid.

[Rikku]

Now Rikku had begun to worry about her cousin. She was completely devoted to the Summoner after all. How could she not be? Yuna was everything Rikku wanted to be! Pretty, tall, smart, famous! That's right! Rikku looked up to Yuna a lot and fiercely protective of her thus the unwavering devotion. That seemed to happen a lot when Rikku grew close to people or found family. Unwavering loyalty to make Yuna happy! She had to be happy! It made the small Al Bhed girl sad when she saw her cousin sad. It always did. It wasn't fair to Yuna! She deserved to be happy!

At least that's what Rikku believed.

Now Rikku had of course grown worried when Yuna had been gone for a general amount of time. Lulu and Wakka seemed..."too busy" to go looking for Yuna as well as worry it seemed. So who had to go look for her cousin? Rikku of course! Who else but the machina expert to go looking for Yuna was qualified? No one! Well...she was sure there were people who were qualified to find missing people but that was beside the point darn it!

So Rikku had run off to the beach towards the direction that she had seen Yuna run off in. With a sigh she rubbed the back of her head. Now where had Yunie gone off to now? Ah! There she was. "]Yunie! There you are!" She called with a grin on her face as she ran towards the Summoner. Once she reached Yuna she put her hands on her hips and pouted slightly. "I was starting to worry!"

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[Yaxaven]

Why, hello there….

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Besaid island. A happy little place, ever-breathed on by sunshine and seawater. The smells there were nice, he remembered. The island was home to both fresh and salt water, the two scents twining and contrasting to someone who knew how to look for them. However, the water wasn’t what was most important here, not this time.

Besaid was the foothold for many stories. The great journeys, the perilous quests… many of those started at this island. So many important things happened on little, tucked away islands, and yet all the important-types kept their focus solely to the cities and the towns. How foolish of them. The pyreflies danced around Besaid, finding their way to a point, a point just beside the two girls: a Princess and a Thief. Ah, a good name for a story! For an interesting story, no doubt.

The pyreflies gathered together, letting out their ethereal cry, and by now the two had noticed. Then, in a flash of orange brilliance, he appeared. Black and white, white and black, a pale face set by long, vibrant green hair. He stretched his arms wide and looked to the sky, before looking back down and smiling.

“Well, well, well, what have we here~?” He asked, taking Rikku’s chin in his hand and staring at her eyes. “Ah, an Al Bhed! Please to meet you. My name is Yaxaven,” he added, skipping away with a bow and a flourish. He turned to Yuna and gave another bow, more regal and exaggerated, one hand tucked neatly behind his back. “Ah, yes, and here we have High Summoner Yuna, Little Princess of Besaid. I am so deeply honoured to make your acquaintance, milady. I heard your whistle, by the way. Such sorrow.”

He smiled again, a simultaneously cheerful and arrogant grin appearing on his face. Who he was, no one knew—this was the first any Spiran had ever seen of Yaxaven—but he seemed to have some kind of purpose, some kind of plan. That smile was a little too knowing, and the cheerful light that danced in his eyes seemed a little too planned.

Tick, tock, Little Princess, the hour draws near. Tick, tock.

[Yuna]

Already, Yuna knew Rikku was following her.

Call it intuition, or the sounds of her cousin's cheerful voice. She slowly stopped her walk, and she turned to glance at Rikku with a sheepish smile on her lips. Really, she had not meant to make anyone worry, but it seemed to happen anyway. Once again, the High Summoner felt that familiar guilt eat at her, and it showed within her eyes. Despite the smile she always wore, everyone could tell that she was sad and burdened. Even after two years, the burden and sadness from her pilgrimage had never left her. Yuna was strong, though, and she did not let it keep her down for long. Smiling cheerfully, she hid her sadness easily.

"I'm sorry, Rikku. I guess I lost track of the time," she replied with a nervous laugh. Her brow furrowed, though, as she sensed another presence nearby. Her form tensed just slightly, and as her gaze flickered, a bright, orange flash suddenly appeared before her. Eyes widened, and she took in the rather eccentric appearance of the mysterious man before her. He did not seem to hold hostility, but something about him made her wary. And his lack of physical barriers. Yuna narrowed her eyes as he suddenly grasped Rikku's chin, annoyed that he would do something without knowing either of them.

If she had ever met someone like him, Yuna would have remembered.

Startled once more, she watched as Yaxaven suddenly bowed to her with a flourish. Okay, he was starting to creep her out a little bit. Her heart skipped a beat as he mentioned her whistling. Yuna did not want anyone to know something so personal to her! Not when Rikku thought she had been doing so well, too! And everyone else, if she had fooled them at all. Inhaling deeply, she managed a polite smile to the green-haired man. Conflict was never the first choice, and he had not done anything, but he seemed to know something. Yuna was determined to find out what he wanted from her, and her gaze became steely.

"What do you know? And why are you here?"

[Rikku]

Rikku couldn't help but to grin at Yuna's apology. How could she ever stay mad at her cousin for long? She really couldn't. She just smiled happily at Yuna before moving to head back home. "We should probably head back! I heard dinner's going to be really good tonight!" Her stomach growled at the prospect of a good meal. She couldn't help but to smile sheepishly at her body's own reaction to the idea of good food. Could you blame her though? She really was such a child at times no matter how she dressed or tried to act.

Her head turned when the newcomer appeared. Her eyes narrowed and she immediately moved to place herself before Yuna just in case. The pyreflies' cry sent a chill down Rikku's spine. It was just...soul chilling really. The newcomer grabbed her chin and instinctively she growled. What right did he have going around and grabbing her face just so he could see her eyes like that? She rubbed her chin when he let go as if trying to wipe away the feel of his touch on her face. It was disgusting. When he bowed she found the opportunity to draw Rising Sun just in case.

"What do you want?"

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[Yaxaven]

Yaxaven smirked a little at the reactions of the girls. Yuna had managed a polite smile, ever one to resolve conflict, whereas the firey blonde thief had opted for a far less gentle course of action. He let out a sigh and shook his head, as if disappointed. Was a little unpredictability a little too much to ask sometimes? Just once he’d like to see a soft-hearted White Mage healer raze a town to the ground, or something. If creativity was the spice of life, Spirans certainly tended towards enjoying their food rather bland.

Such a let-down.

“What do I know, what do I want, and why am I here? My, my, you little girls certainly have an aptitude for asking typical questions. Wouldn’t it be more interesting to ask me my favourite kind of fiend? I wouldn’t even have an answer ready for that, now would I?” Yaxaven said with a laugh, folding his arms and leaning against something which apparently was there, even though he was leaning back on purely normal air. “As it is, I shall answer all of your questions, though not perhaps in the order you first demanded. Oh, and I would encourage putting that thing away, little Thief, it could cause ill feeling,” he added with a playful smile.

“Firstly, the reason I am here should be abundantly obvious: I want to meet you two. And meet you I have. Now, with respect to what I know, that is a topic which could span several volumes of encyclopaedias, my dears,” he said with a wave of his hand, “I fear you’ll have to be a mite more specific. As for what I want? Ah, that one is ever in flux, I must admit. But in the more immediate sphere it seems that I desire to converse with you on subjects which seem to possess almost no significance whatsoever. Of course, a far simpler answer is that I simply want to be entertained. Don’t we all?”

He leaned forward, off of the invisible barrier that apparently existed, and walked towards the water’s edge, letting one of his gloved hands skim along the surface. He took a deep sniff, then turned back to the two.

“However, I fear we have all neglected our manners. It is, of course, merely a chance happening that I should know your names, but I believe it decidedly unfair that I should possess this knowledge without you knowing my name in turn. As such, I am Yaxaven. Pleased to meet you,” He finished with a little bow. “How are you all doing, by the way? You two, Wakka, Lulu, Kimahri, all the old gang. Oh, and what’s his name… ah, yes, Tidus!”

[Yuna]

Yuna could feel the stirrings of a headache.

Each answer he gave was cryptic and vague. Everything and yet nothing at all. Her eyes narrowed, and the High Summoner would not allowed her emotions to be played with. Neither that of Rikku's. With a determination and authority she rarely used, Yuna stepped in front of her cousin in a protective gesture. Her smile was still in place, but she would not allow either Rikku or herself to played with. Yuna had settled into her life, and she would not allow a stranger to disrupt the peace of Besaid. This was her home to protect, where she would sacrifice everything to make sure her friends and family had a chance for peace. Perhaps she was getting ahead of herself, but she could feel the building emotions she had hidden begin to come out.

"Then what do you want with us? What would you have to tell me of Spira's future?" She did not know where these words were coming from, but the High Summoner felt them before she had thought of them. Yuna could sense a darkness looming over the horizon, perhaps the reason for her sudden restlessness. These dreams where all she could see was a darkness that ate away all of her friends. One by one, until she could hear that faint and familiar whistle of Tidus, before that, too, left her in her nightmares. Nearly shivering at the thought, Yuna kept herself strong and determined.

Yaxaven?

Her eyes widened, and Yuna felt a pain pass through her at the very mention of Tidus. Her expression flickered into one of raw sorrow for a moment. Each and every day, it never got easier. What did she have to sacrifice, until Yuna was allowed to find her own happiness? "They are all fine and happy," she whispered. Yuna still felt at a loss at there mere mention of him. She did wonder how Tidus was, and maybe if she ever went to the Farplane, she would see him. The thought alone was enough to send a sort of happiness and grief through her. It would mean he was truly dead, and Yuna did not think she could stand that. Not now.

[Rikku]

Rikku put her hands on her hips and frowned. She didn't like this fellow one bit at all! He just seemed off and he knew too much. How did he know all their names after all? It was curious for sure. She was not exactly a happy camper though. This guy was a mystery and she was determined to figure this guy out; one way or another. Her mind was racing as she stared at this creature, man, person thing who had this threatening aura. She almost started growling really. The thief resisted the urge to growl loudly at the green haired man.

"Alright then, since those were obvious, typical questions which I apologize for, what is your favorite fiend? What is your favorite color by chance? What about your favorite card game? Hmm?" Okay maybe she was taking it a bit far but still she was still upset. At the mention of Tidus, Rikku's fists clenched and unclenched. With a sigh, she nodded in agreement with Yuna. "Everyone's perfectly fine and happy!"

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[Yaxaven]

A smile curled on Yaxaven’s lips as the Little Princess stepped forward to protect the Thief, as if her occupying the physical space in front of her cousin would actually change anything. And still she smiled! That was a little amusing, at least, and he had to be grateful for that. His smile exploded into an outright laugh, lasting for several moments as Yuna asked him what he would tell them of Spira’s future.

“Absolutely no sense of drama at all! I will not simply tell you something regarding the whole of Spira’s future so outright! Now where would be the fun in that?” he asked incredulously, as if it were the most ludicrous thing in the world. He could see the darkness that haunted her heart, knew how heavily the future weighed upon her… as well it should. He smiled as she answered that all of her old friends were fine and happy. Perhaps the bit about Tidus had been a little cruel, but it had been worth it to see the Princess go wide-eyed and heartbroken in the space of a second. At least Yaxaven could always rely on Spirans to be deeply entertaining, as long as one pushed the right buttons.

The Thief was certainly proving that to be true. How easy it had been to upset her! He hadn’t really done much out of the ordinary, Yaxaven thought, anyway.

“Colour, fiend, and card game? All fairly ordinary questions, again, as I just brought the thing about the fiends up, but as you wish… grey, Tonberries, and I don’t play cards. Good to hear that you’re all so perfectly fine and happy, however! I would like you to come with me for a short walk, the two of you. I’d like you to see something.”

Yaxaven paused and smiled to himself.

“Something that will change the world. Again.”

[Yuna]

Yuna liked to consider herself patient, but her mood was quickly souring.

The High Summoner had no idea who he really was, but she was becoming anxious the longer his presence was here. Disturbing the peace of her home, and upsetting herself and her cousin. Slender finger clenched into a tight fist, and her expression became resolute. His mention of Tidus had been a breaking point for her, and she did not want to be reminded of the pain. Constant reminders that always had her crying in private, and hiding her true emotions from her family and friends. This Yaxaven knew far too much about her than a normal person would. It seemed as this were merely a game to him. Yuna felt anger at that thought, and her blue-green eyes blazed.

Her temper was not like a storm, raging and destructive. Her anger was quiet and cold, like the calm before the storm. Ready to be unleashed, but still deadly and violent in it's own right. Her expression had turned distant, a slight frown marring her lips. And yet he still seemed to hold that jovial mask to himself. Her heartbeat began to quicken at his next words, and only one thought occurred to her mind. Sin. Yuna took a step forward, once more resolute, almost seeming to ignore Rikku. Barely tethered to a reality as she thought of the one thing that had caused her so much pain and joy. With Sin, her father had died, along with countless others. Because of Sin, she had met Tidus.

So bittersweet.

"Then show us, Yaxaven," Yuna answered. Her tone held an authority she rarely used as the High Summoner. Now she was, because however rude this man was, however cryptic--he knew something. Yuna had to know, to protect her friends and her loved ones. What else could she do? Her life had never really been her own, had it? Was she to be the sacrifice to ensure everyone's happiness once more?

[Rikku]

Rikku's slender hands tightened into tight fists. Sure, she was angry and she was trying really hard not to show it so it wouldn't get her and Yuna in trouble with this guy whoever he was! It made her mad that this was going on, that he had mentioned Tidus just to hurt her cousin! That was just plain cruel! Unlike her cousin, her temper was like a storm. It was destructive and raging and she couldn't suppress it once it flared up. She was a very unhappy camper. This entire situation was making her cranky and twitchy, like her skin was crawling but not quite. It was like there was static electricity running up and down her arms.

It made her nervous.

Instead of yelling and lashing out though, Rikku forced herself to breathe deep and calm herself. Getting angry would do no good right now. Yaxaven obviously knew something about what was going to happen to the world and it would probably be a good idea if Yuna knew. If Rikku lost her temper then that knowledge might be lost to the both of them and what might happen would be expected and painful for all of them. When Yuna spoke and told Yaxaven to show them what he wanted to show them, Rikku just nodded before swallowing her pride. For her dear cousin. "Please."

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[Yaxaven]

Almost predictably, Yaxaven started to laugh. He bent over and rested his hands on his knees, laughing with such sheer mirth that he seemed almost insane. Then again, he probably was. Did they actually think they threatened him? That their rage would produce anything other than mild amusement? He certainly hoped not, or they would find themselves sorely disappointed. Ah, people were hilariously easy to goad, from time to time. Touch on a sensitive topic here, fling out the wrong name there… too easy. As such, picking fun at them always was such a temporary pleasure. His laughter ended shortly after it began, and he straightened, that mildly amused grin still on his face. Well, at least they were capable of overcoming their own pride and impulses, he had to hand them that.

“I am deeply grateful that you have agreed to accompany me on this fine day,” Yaxaven replied with a low bow, clearly enjoying himself. “Now, my ladies, follow me! I have quite the thing to show you.” And at that he set off walking, hands clasped behind his back, clearly expecting the two of them to follow. He was leading them to a little cliff, overlooking the beach, where they’d get a wonderfully clear view of the sea. When they reached the spot, he turned around to look at them directly, his back to the sea.

“You know,” Yaxaven said, giving his hand a little demonstrative wave, “The hand of fate is a curious thing, is it not? Ever pulling things one way and then the next… the fate of Spira was so certain for so long, so very boring. But things all changed when you killed Sin, Little Princess. And for that, you have my deepest gratitude,” Yaxaven added, giving another flourished bow. He looked up and smiled at Yuna, but this time the smile was somehow more knowing, somehow kind and malicious all at once. As if he pitied her, and yet found her pitiable state tremendously amusing. “Do not think of this as a return to the norm! No, no, for Spira has forever changed! Even in the face of an old foe, this is a new Spira, and where it goes from now is completely up to you and those others who would endeavour to change the world!” He threw his arms out and stood at his full height, still standing in front of them, back to the sea.

“Now, don’t neglect your manners,” Yaxaven said seriously, that wild grin still on his face. “Remember to say hello, remember your introductions. First impressions are everything!”

And at that, Yaxaven disappeared, in a flash of orange light and a dispersal of pyreflies.

Behind him, swimming in the distant sea water, its head and fins just breaking the surface, was Sin.