FFX. Kimahri. 069. Thunder
Oct. 14th, 2006 12:53 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dagas_isaTitle: Fear of Thunder
Fandom: FFX
Characters: Kimahri, Yuna
Rating: G
Word Count: ~1130
Summary: Kimahri gets exasperated at Yuna's fear of the Thunder Plains.
Forty-eight. Forty-nine. Fifty.
Yuna's counting carried over the thunder and the lightning. Every time a bolt hit the crater marked ground around them, she shrieked and then counted as if nothing else had happened in the past two seconds.
"Kimahri, when can we leave?" Her hand tightened around his fingers as yet another bolt crashed down, not even two feet in front of them. She screamed again. "Fifty-one."
She feared the lightning and the rain, just as a Ronso might fear the snow of his mother, at least until he started his warrior training. This is Yuna's training, he told himself, or at least the start of it.
"Kimahri and Yuna walk here to go to Besaid. Thunder Plains end soon." It didn't. A map of Spira, bought at the Macalania Travel agency indicated many more miles to go. "Travel agency up ahead soon. We stop there."
"But Kimahri, we could go back. I swear, we could live in Macalania. It'd be nice and cold for you, and I could play in the snow all the time. And we could chase butterflies."
Kimahri shook his head. "Yuna dreaming."
"Please Kimahri, I don't want to--" Crack. Scream. "Fifty-two."
"Yuna needs to go to Besaid. South." Kimahri pointed to the inn in the distance. "See there. We rest. Dry off."
"No!" I want to go back." Yuna stopped in her tracks, refusing to budge as Kimahri stepped forward.
He considered acquiescing. The rain soaking through his fur, the peace destroying thunder and screams, the constant pressure of negotiating with a human-child seeking to cause as much trouble as possible on her journey to freedom, he brought all of that to the forefront. Then, he remembered a dying man, so intent on keeping his promise that he bequeathed it to Kimahri, and then beyond that the memories of a Ronso cub, fearing snow and wind on the mountain. He balanced, weighed everything in his mind, the man, the Ronso, where they both were now.
It was through Yuna's shouts of protest that he picked her up and slung her over his shoulder. "We dry off there." Lightning and thunder struck at a spot just around them, almost hitting them if not for his reflexes. Yuna screamed, fearful this time.
"Fifty-three." Kimahri muttered as Yuna forgot to say it aloud.
***
A fire crackled cheerfully in their room, and bright music cycled through a sound system. Unfortunately, those were the only happy things as both travelers dried off in silence.
"Yuna..." Kimahri said.
"I'm not talking to you." She sat on the bed, facing away from Kimahri, her arms crossed in front of her, and surely a masterful pout on her face.
"Kimahri knew a Ronso boy. Hated snow. Feared snow. Like Yuna's thunder. Ronso boy feared climbing Gagazet with the other boys to become warriors. So what did Ronso do?"
"I said, I'm not talking to you. La la la."
"Ronso boy went to elder and refused to climb the mountain so he wouldn't have to feel the snow or risk getting lost in a blizzard. Yuna know what elder said?"
Silence.
"Elder said Ronso boy can stay at the bottom in their mother's embrace. Ronso boy would never be warrior. Ronso boy would lose his horn if he lacked bravery. Elder raised his spear to Ronso boy's horn. The boy feared the spear, but faced it. He could live hornless if he did not have to face the snow."
"So we can go back to Macalania? I don't have a horn. I could live hornless."
Kimahri shook his head. "No. Elder pressed spear against horn and told Ronso boy if he could face being a hornless coward without quaking, he should ask what snow is compared to that.
"Snow is water, elder said. Ronso drink snow water to live. Ronso body is strong and furred, he said, to bear burdens of snow. Snow is a gift from Gagazet to make her children strong and healthy. Ronso do not fear the snow so much that dishonor is better."
"Oh. What happened to the boy?"
"Ronso boy climbed mountain after fellow youth. He hated snow, but he climbed. Everyone knew his fear, but when he climbed, they praised his bravery. Ronso boy became a warrior Ronso."
"Okay. I still want to go to Macalania."
"Yuna loves father, would obey his wishes?"
"I love my father, and I would do whatever he asked me to. I just don't want to go across the Thunder Plains anymore."
"Yuna's father wants her to go to Besaid. Thinks she'll be happy there."
"Kimahri, stop it. I'm not going to change my mind."
Kimahri heard the fight deflating from her voice. "Kimahri sorry. End conversation now." He curled up by the fireplace, letting the heat penetrate his fur and warm him. Shamefully, he fell asleep like that.
***
Yuna was not in the room when he woke up. The bed was empty, and made, though a few corners looked out of place. He grabbed his spear and rushed out the door, intending to find Yuna before she could get too far, or eaten by a fiend.
She didn't go far, and in fact, Kimahri felt a little stupid panicking when he saw Yuna sitting at a table in the lobby looking over the book with the blond woman who worked there.
"Kimahri, did you know that we're halfway through the plains already? And we went through the worst part, too." Yuna looked down as she said that, seemingly intent at looking at the map.
"It's true, you are." The woman said. Thunder and lightning cracked outside, but the walls muted the sounds. "She was very brave to make it so far."
Kimahri nodded, "Yuna very brave." Her eyes lifted and her smile responded to his statement. "I was, wasn't I? Like that Ronso."
"Very brave," he confirmed.
"I think I could go to Besaid."
***
"My father told me about the Aeons once. Did you know there's one for all the elements but water?"
"Yuna tell Kimahri about Aeons."
"Well, there's Ifrit of fire, and Shiva of ice. And then there's Valefor who controls wind and sound. And Bahamut who lives in Bevelle. And then there's Ixion. He controls thunder and lightning, and my father said that Ixion looks like a horse who runs across the sky and channels light with a horn that grows from his forehead. And a horse is like a chocobo except not a bird." She paused for a breath, "and since he's an Aeon, he watches over summoners and maybe everyone. So I'm going to say that thunder is Ixion running across the sky."
The Aeon ran across the sky again, light pouring from his horn and his hoof beats passing overhead. Yuna screamed again and clutched Kimahri's hand. "Sixty-seven."
Fandom: FFX
Characters: Kimahri, Yuna
Rating: G
Word Count: ~1130
Summary: Kimahri gets exasperated at Yuna's fear of the Thunder Plains.
Forty-eight. Forty-nine. Fifty.
Yuna's counting carried over the thunder and the lightning. Every time a bolt hit the crater marked ground around them, she shrieked and then counted as if nothing else had happened in the past two seconds.
"Kimahri, when can we leave?" Her hand tightened around his fingers as yet another bolt crashed down, not even two feet in front of them. She screamed again. "Fifty-one."
She feared the lightning and the rain, just as a Ronso might fear the snow of his mother, at least until he started his warrior training. This is Yuna's training, he told himself, or at least the start of it.
"Kimahri and Yuna walk here to go to Besaid. Thunder Plains end soon." It didn't. A map of Spira, bought at the Macalania Travel agency indicated many more miles to go. "Travel agency up ahead soon. We stop there."
"But Kimahri, we could go back. I swear, we could live in Macalania. It'd be nice and cold for you, and I could play in the snow all the time. And we could chase butterflies."
Kimahri shook his head. "Yuna dreaming."
"Please Kimahri, I don't want to--" Crack. Scream. "Fifty-two."
"Yuna needs to go to Besaid. South." Kimahri pointed to the inn in the distance. "See there. We rest. Dry off."
"No!" I want to go back." Yuna stopped in her tracks, refusing to budge as Kimahri stepped forward.
He considered acquiescing. The rain soaking through his fur, the peace destroying thunder and screams, the constant pressure of negotiating with a human-child seeking to cause as much trouble as possible on her journey to freedom, he brought all of that to the forefront. Then, he remembered a dying man, so intent on keeping his promise that he bequeathed it to Kimahri, and then beyond that the memories of a Ronso cub, fearing snow and wind on the mountain. He balanced, weighed everything in his mind, the man, the Ronso, where they both were now.
It was through Yuna's shouts of protest that he picked her up and slung her over his shoulder. "We dry off there." Lightning and thunder struck at a spot just around them, almost hitting them if not for his reflexes. Yuna screamed, fearful this time.
"Fifty-three." Kimahri muttered as Yuna forgot to say it aloud.
***
A fire crackled cheerfully in their room, and bright music cycled through a sound system. Unfortunately, those were the only happy things as both travelers dried off in silence.
"Yuna..." Kimahri said.
"I'm not talking to you." She sat on the bed, facing away from Kimahri, her arms crossed in front of her, and surely a masterful pout on her face.
"Kimahri knew a Ronso boy. Hated snow. Feared snow. Like Yuna's thunder. Ronso boy feared climbing Gagazet with the other boys to become warriors. So what did Ronso do?"
"I said, I'm not talking to you. La la la."
"Ronso boy went to elder and refused to climb the mountain so he wouldn't have to feel the snow or risk getting lost in a blizzard. Yuna know what elder said?"
Silence.
"Elder said Ronso boy can stay at the bottom in their mother's embrace. Ronso boy would never be warrior. Ronso boy would lose his horn if he lacked bravery. Elder raised his spear to Ronso boy's horn. The boy feared the spear, but faced it. He could live hornless if he did not have to face the snow."
"So we can go back to Macalania? I don't have a horn. I could live hornless."
Kimahri shook his head. "No. Elder pressed spear against horn and told Ronso boy if he could face being a hornless coward without quaking, he should ask what snow is compared to that.
"Snow is water, elder said. Ronso drink snow water to live. Ronso body is strong and furred, he said, to bear burdens of snow. Snow is a gift from Gagazet to make her children strong and healthy. Ronso do not fear the snow so much that dishonor is better."
"Oh. What happened to the boy?"
"Ronso boy climbed mountain after fellow youth. He hated snow, but he climbed. Everyone knew his fear, but when he climbed, they praised his bravery. Ronso boy became a warrior Ronso."
"Okay. I still want to go to Macalania."
"Yuna loves father, would obey his wishes?"
"I love my father, and I would do whatever he asked me to. I just don't want to go across the Thunder Plains anymore."
"Yuna's father wants her to go to Besaid. Thinks she'll be happy there."
"Kimahri, stop it. I'm not going to change my mind."
Kimahri heard the fight deflating from her voice. "Kimahri sorry. End conversation now." He curled up by the fireplace, letting the heat penetrate his fur and warm him. Shamefully, he fell asleep like that.
***
Yuna was not in the room when he woke up. The bed was empty, and made, though a few corners looked out of place. He grabbed his spear and rushed out the door, intending to find Yuna before she could get too far, or eaten by a fiend.
She didn't go far, and in fact, Kimahri felt a little stupid panicking when he saw Yuna sitting at a table in the lobby looking over the book with the blond woman who worked there.
"Kimahri, did you know that we're halfway through the plains already? And we went through the worst part, too." Yuna looked down as she said that, seemingly intent at looking at the map.
"It's true, you are." The woman said. Thunder and lightning cracked outside, but the walls muted the sounds. "She was very brave to make it so far."
Kimahri nodded, "Yuna very brave." Her eyes lifted and her smile responded to his statement. "I was, wasn't I? Like that Ronso."
"Very brave," he confirmed.
"I think I could go to Besaid."
***
"My father told me about the Aeons once. Did you know there's one for all the elements but water?"
"Yuna tell Kimahri about Aeons."
"Well, there's Ifrit of fire, and Shiva of ice. And then there's Valefor who controls wind and sound. And Bahamut who lives in Bevelle. And then there's Ixion. He controls thunder and lightning, and my father said that Ixion looks like a horse who runs across the sky and channels light with a horn that grows from his forehead. And a horse is like a chocobo except not a bird." She paused for a breath, "and since he's an Aeon, he watches over summoners and maybe everyone. So I'm going to say that thunder is Ixion running across the sky."
The Aeon ran across the sky again, light pouring from his horn and his hoof beats passing overhead. Yuna screamed again and clutched Kimahri's hand. "Sixty-seven."
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no subject
Date: 2006-10-14 06:35 pm (UTC)It's good to be back and reading excellent fic, although once again I find myself unable to offer any constructive criticism, since I simply enjoy your writing. You have Kimahri's mannerisms down so beautifully. Also, so very realistic to make Yuna a real child who is stubborn and afraid and screams at lightning!
My favorite part is her listing of all the Aeons at the end, because I'd not really thought about that "all the elements except water" aspect, a bit ironic considering water is such a strong visual element of the FFX game!
I
Date: 2006-10-14 07:42 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-10-15 05:33 am (UTC)I have a random question about your LJ name: is it from the futhark alphabet? I'm sorry, I think of these things :)
no subject
Date: 2006-10-15 01:37 pm (UTC)And yes, my LJ name is from the futhark alphabet. ^.^