The Fantasy Games (Final Fantasy Fanfiction)

Chapter Twelve: Darkness

The sunset... It happened when the sun was setting... She used to love sunsets, it used to be just the two of them watching it together. She was reminded of her every time she watched the sun sink down behind the hills, not to be seen again until the next morning. She used to love those quiet peaceful moments, those moments filled with silence, safety and tranquillity. She thought those moments would be eternal, that she'd have a never ending supply of them, but then... it happened.

"Yuna..."

Brown, orange, yellow and red... The colours of a sunset... The colours of the saddest day in her life... She'd never felt so empty after that day, as though she'd been broken in half and discarded harshly. Her hours of meditation and prayer did nothing to help find her other half and mend it together, the feeling of utter emptiness remained. She felt as though she had searched for the other half of her soul for eons but deep down she knew where it resided and she knew that nothing could ever return from the Farplane... alive.

"Yuna..."

Brown... her long straight hair... it was always the glossiest shade of brown... and her eyes... Orange... the colour of the small shiny flecks in her irises... reflecting the warmth she held in her heart... as warm as the sun....

"Yuna... wake up..."

Yellow... the colour of the sun and... their carpet... the carpet upon which she laid... Red... the colour of the setting sun... the end of the sun's life as the cold moon takes over and... also, the colour of the blood... that gushed from her wrists...

"C'mon Yuna..."

Lenne...

"Yuna... please... open your eyes..."

The light shone brightly before her closed lids allowing the darkness of her deep sleep to brighten slightly. She groaned in discomfort, wanting nothing more than to keep on sleeping soundly however the cold hands that came into contact with her bare skin had other plans for her.

Cracking her blue eye open hesitantly, she shut it immediately as the light pierced through her vision and made her head throb angrily. Another groan escaped her dry lips and she thought about casting a sleep spell upon herself but she simply didn't possess the energy to even make an effort so she tossed the thought aside and lay still once more.

The cold hands came back, grabbing her shoulders carefully as though she was a porcelain doll, easily breakable and delicate. She was shaken gently while a soft voice urged her to return to reality even though she didn't want to.

"Lenne... it's too early... five more minutes," she pleaded with her twin, finding a small amount of strength to push the ice cold hands away and tried to let the darkness take her once more. It was funny really, she'd always considered darkness to be cold and damp but really it was warm and comforting, it could hide her away from the world.

Why had she ever wanted to find light in the darkness? Why would she ever want to return to the cruel brightness of reality? Why would she ever even think of such foolish desires?

Because she knew the truth behind darkness, because she'd been taught why she could never let it envelope her. Darkness was cold; it numbed its prisoners and masked their pain, making them feel warm and comfortable so that they'd never want to leave. It was like they were unsent.

And she was a summoner; it was her job to provide light, to banish darkness, to deliver hope. The same way it was her job to guide the dead to the Farplane. She knew she couldn't stay in the blackness' embrace; she had a promise to keep.

Light in the form of fluffy white feathers pierced the darkness and Yuna bravely reached out to them, gradually regaining her senses once more. She could feel a blanket beneath her recovering body along with a stone hard-ground beneath the material. Her head was also cushioned by some fabric and she was sure there was a wet piece of cloth on her forehead. The wind whistled around her and seemed to echo in the atmosphere, as though it were bouncing off stone walls. A smell of dampness and smoke invaded her nose, leading her to believe a fire had recently been doused.