Destiny: Memories of Water Chapter 8

Starlight and Rain

By IceWolf645

I smiled to myself as the grand ship's sails unfurled. The salty ocean air tingled in my nostrils as we began to sail away from the tiny island. I looked out into the horizon and saw what looked like an eternally long sheet of cerulean. I leaned over the side to see if I could spot a dolphin, or maybe a seal, swimming gracefully near the glassy surface.

"You're going to fall in if you lean over any further."

I pulled myself up and turned. Oryon stood a ways behind me with a smirk on his face. His muscular arms were crossed over his chest and he chuckled. "When you lost your memory, you must have lost any caution you might have had with it."

"I'm not afraid of the ocean," I stated, turning back around and peering out to see if a splash that I'd heard was what I'd hoped.

"You should be. The sea is home to some of the most deadly fiends," Oryon said, walking over to my side.

I clicked my tongue and asked, "There can't be many more like that snake, can there?"

He laughed. "Think what you want. The sea used to be Sin's home. There are more deadly things than sea serpents out there."

I frowned. "Like what?"

He appeared to ponder the question, and then answered, "The last time I was on this ship, the largest fiend ever sighted in a decade passed right under us. There were rumors of it being a water dragon, but we never got that close of a look at it. Luckily, it was either blind or wasn't very hungry. Normal dragons are nasty beasts. That thing is probably still out there somewhere. We've been keeping an eye out for it, but the sea is vast. Most likely it'll never be seen again."

I chewed my lip for a second. A fleeting image of the majestic Bahamut passed through my mind. Could that great creature of such beauty and magnificence be the dragon Oryon had seen? I had, after all, met the beast while standing in the sea.

"Are you okay?" I heard Oryon ask. I snapped out of my little daze.

"Oh! Yeah, I'm fine, I was just thinking," I said, feeling my face turn red. He chuckled.

"Despite your looks, you must be a deep thinker. I called your name three times," he said with a teasing grin.

I put my hands on my waist and said with mock anger, "Despite my looks? What, I don't look like the intellectual type?"

"Maybe," he chuckled, "if you're comparing yourself to that Ruka girl."

"Aww, that wasn't nice," I said. He just laughed.

~*~*~*~*~*~

I wished, as I walked through the crowded Draconis, that there weren't so many people on the ship. The trip would've been so much more fun if it had been simply Sanya, Ruka, Wakka, Rikku, Lulu, Yuna, Oryon, Kimahri, and me. I could do without Ryuu and his little swarm of fans. It made me sick to see how they all worshipped the ground he walked on. I spent a lot of time with Oryon, who held the same hatred towards the unnervingly calm man as I did. Ruka and Sanya were a part of Ryuu's fan group, so I couldn't hang out with them unless I wanted to follow him around, and most of the adults spent their time with Kimahri, whose wounds hadn't quite healed yet, though he was strong enough to walk around then. Every once in a while Yuna or one of her ex-guardians would sit down and talk with me about things that had happened in the past twenty years, seeing if they could maybe spark a memory in my deprived mind. It was at one of those times that I got Yuna to tell me her version of the 'Final Pilgrimage', as it was called.

I learned of how she'd felt so close to the boy, Tidus, even when she'd first met him. She told me that for almost two years after Sin had been vanquished, she had stood on the dock of Besaid every day, whistling and waiting for her lost love. I wondered whether I'd ever been in love, as I sat there, tears rolling down my face. She hadn't cried, but I could see that it hurt her to talk about it, so I didn't urge her to go any further than she did. She seemed grateful for that.

"I never dreamed that Spira would ever see me as a leader, but they do, so I do my best," she said. "I was strong for them, and they took after my example and learned to be the same."

I wiped my eyes and stared out into the night, where the stars sparkled innocently, and wondered if the souls in the Farplane that had been torn from life by that abominable creature, Sin, matched the number of those heavenly objects.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The ship lurched as storm clouds gathered above it and the sky grew gray. Raindrops began pattering down onto the wooden deck of the ship, causing a few moans from playing children and a frown from the elders.

I didn't move from my spot on the deck. Rain didn't bother me in the least. It felt good, in fact, and I relished the nice cool feeling I got from the little droplets.

"Yo, Destiny! Get somewhere dry, ya? You wanna get shocked or something?" Wakka called from under the stairs. I sighed and walked over to him gloomily as a fork of lightning passed overhead and thunder rumbled in the distance.

'Great,' I thought, 'a little bit of rain and it has to turn out to be a thunder storm.' We headed below deck and I wondered over to Sanya and Ruka, who were pouting in a corner.

"Why does it always rain when you're doing something fun?" Ruka asked.

"Fun? You mean like chasing Mr. Yellow-Eyes?" I said, winking at her.

"Hey, I can't help it if you don't have any taste in guys," Ruka joked.

"Please! Ryuu's about as attractive as a frog with chicken pox," I said.

"You gotta get out more, ya? Ryuu's one of the best lookin' guys Spira's seen since Yuna's old boyfriend, and he was a cutie too," Sanya said, looking a bit exasperated with me. I shook my head and rolled my eyes.

"What about your boyfriend, Nathan?" I asked.

Sanya blushed. "He won't care if I follow Ryuu around for a while, especially if he doesn't know about it."

I began to laugh, but I was thrown forward when the ship rocked violently to the side. A great thud was heard from the outside. I sat myself up. "What was that?"

My question was answered as one of the shipmates ran down the steps, looking scared out of his mind. "Fiends! They're trying to get on the ship!"

Everyone panicked. The villagers started screaming and babies began to cry. Children tried to cuddle closer to their mothers, as a roar echoed from above. Oryon appeared with his massive sword strapped across his back. "Everyone, stay calm and stay where you are!" He began up the steps, followed by a few other Crusaders and, not long after, Ryuu himself.

"We'll handle this," Ryuu said calmly. "There's nothing to worry about." He headed up to the deck with a brave smile on his face, and I heard Sanya and Ruka whispering excitedly behind me.

"If Ryuu says that everything'll be alright, then I'm not worried!" Ruka said with a grim smile.

I shook my head. How could they possibly trust that man so much?


Chapter 9

Final Fantasy 10 Fanfic