Summary: Not what you think! A/U...what if Yuna and Tidus had decided to ditch fighting Sin because of a sphere they found of their fathers? Who would take over? Dona has lost her will to continue as a summoner when Barthello reaches a tragic demise...that leaves only Isaaru.
Category: Romance/Drama
Pairing: YAOI! *Sounds an alarm.* Isaaru/Rin
Rating: PG-13. SUBJECT TO CHANGE IN FUTURE CHAPTERS!
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or locations mentioned. They are property of Square Enix. Sue if you wish, but you'll get a gum wrapper and a receipt from Hot Topic if you're lucky.
Read and Respond, please!
~
Rin was very much in shock.
"What do you mean 'she has quit'?" His voice was faint, a vague shadow of his usual confident self. "The...the Lady Yuna cannot quit, she's vital to the future of Spira..."
"It has to do wid her fadda, ya?" Wakka, one of Rin's patrons and the Lady Yuna's most comical guardian had been selected to share the news with Rin. Auron assumed that it would be proper to tell Rin, as they would no longer be making purchases from the Al Bhed. Rin couldn't have cared less about the patronage. He had genuinely enjoyed when the summoner and her guardians had come to stay in one of his many Travel Agencies. They would always sit up late and tell stories, drinking the exotic tea that Rin would always bring in.
"Her father?" an Al Bhed woman, Nhadala, piped in, curious. Nhadala had come into the Macalania Travel Agency, midway through the conversation, to help Rin stock some new supplies that he had ordered. "Her father's...well, Braska's dead, isn't he?"
"High Summoner Braska to you, ya?" Wakka replied irritably.
Nhadala shrugged, and decided not to tell the fiery haired Besaidian that she had been a good friend to both Cid's sister, and her husband, Braska.
"She saw dis sphere...we found it not too far from here, ya? Back in da woods. Lord Braska, Sir Jecht, and Sir Auron were on it. Lord Braska told Yuna dat it was his greatest wish for her to have a family dat prospered, and Sir Jecht said dat he missed his boy, and didn't want him gettin' into no trouble, ya? ...We asked Sir Auron. Auron said dat...Lord Braska wouldn't wanna see his baby girl in da Farplane."
Rin was lost. He didn't know what to say, at all. Seymour obviously had no intention of sacrificing his life to defeat Sin...who was left?
"Who's left then?" Nhadala said hopelessly.
"Dona?" Rin suggested, having a seat on the floor.
"Naw, Dona quit. Her guardian was mauled to death by a Chimera. She lost her will to go on after dat. So dat leaves us wid...what's dat kid's name? Da one who's always wid his bruddas..." Wakka couldn't remember the kid's name for the life of him. He was very well dressed, with brown hair and light eyes...
"Isaaru?" Nhadala chirped. "That really cute brunette with his two younger brothers?"
Rin looked up, his heart racing slightly. Isaaru had often come to stay in the Travel Agencies. He would stay up late to talk to Rin after his brothers had gone to sleep. Rin often gave him discounts on food and healing goods, as the the three were always on a budget. Isaaru knew of Rin's bisexuality, as did most of Spira, and once, as a reward for a generous discount, he had kissed Rin briefly on the lips.
Rin had always been nothing but smiles whenever he saw Isaaru and his guardians thereon out.
"Isaaru? But his brothers..." Rin became downcast again.
"He'll just have to get some more guardians, ya?" Wakka shook his head. "He'll use the second oldest as his Final Aeon, so the little one will be left all alone."
Rin felt as if he was going to throw up. "Thank you, Wakka."
"See you, man." Wakka waved glumly and exited the Travel Agency. Nhadala then proceeded to round on Rin.
"Rin...what's your problem? What's wrong? You look ill." Nhadala helped her friend to his feet and brushed him off, frowning slightly. "It's Isaaru, isn't it?"
"It is...it's everything, Nhadala. Sin. It's Sin." Rin clenched his fists and sighed. "We had better get back to work."
~
Isaaru was making his way through Macalania, albeit slowly. He had been injured from behind, and Maroda proceeded to beat himself up for it, lecturing himself, and the younger Pacce.
"I'm ashamed of my insolence, Isaaru." He had begun winding down. Isaaru was used to this by now; it happened often. "You may dismiss me now." Maroda thought that maybe he was being slightly ridiculous. Isaaru would never dismiss him, but it didn't stop him from feeling that he had failed his older brother.
"Don't worry yourself over it, Maroda. I do believe we are almost out of here...and there's a Travel Agency we will rest at before heading to Macalania Temple." Isaaru suddenly stopped, smiling. He closed his eyes, tilting his head back and sniffing the air. "Mmm."
"What is it, Isaaru?" Pacca asked, turning to look at his elder sibling.
"Rin's at the Agency. I can smell his cooking."
"You can recognize him by his cooking?" Maroda asked grimly. He had never much liked how close Rin and Isaaru seemed to be.
"Of course. It's very unique. He fries sliced potatoes and battered gull meat in boiling vegetable oil. Don't you smell that?" Isaaru was on the move again, moving much faster. He seemed much more eager to get to the Agency now that he had confirmed Rin's presence.
"It does smell really good, Isaaru." Pacce chirped, clinging to Maroda's arm.
"That's what I ate back at Mi'ihen, remember? Maroda thought it was Al Bhed poison and about fainted when I began to eat it." He winked at his younger brother who sniffed indignantly.
"Well, Isaaru, Rin is an Al Bhed. He really can't be trusted, so says Yevon."
Isaaru rolled his eyes. "Oh, hush, Maroda. You know well that Rin is a good man, Al Bhed or not. Not all Al Bhed are evil, you know." In fact, Isaaru had never met a truly evil Al Bhed. Only a few highly irritable ones.
"I don't know. Maybe he's only biding his time, and his money."
Isaaru laughed as they came to the exit of the woods, into the snowy territory, the Agency now in plain sight. "Well, look at this, Maroda, we're here. You may ask him yourself, if you're so eager to know."
Maroda blushed. He hadn't really meant it. He rushed to his brother's side and helped him limp to the Agency.
~
"Goodbye, Rin!" Nhadala beamed as she walked to the door.
"Thank you much for your help, Nhadala, m'dear." Rin bowed to the woman and waved as she exited. He sat down and sighed, his mind wandering to Lord Isaaru...Mm. He was much younger than Rin, that was for sure. But he was quite mature for his age. Rin imagined that brief kiss they shared, and he imagined again pressing his lips to Isaaru's, maybe deepening the kiss a bit.
Just as Rin's thoughts began to turn dirty, the door swung open. Rin stood quickly, gathering his senses.
Rin was shocked yet again.
The first man through the door was Maroda, dark skinned and dark haired. Then, the little Pacce, who's hair was also dark, but his skin pallid. Finally, Isaaru entered. Isaaru wore a smile on his bright face, but he looked sick. Probably a cold, Rin deducted. He had also not eaten in a while. It was a good thing Rin had made food not too long ago...
"Rin!" Isaaru beamed. "How are you?"
"I'm doing quite well, Lord Isaaru. Have a seat, you look ill." He led the young summoner to a chair beside the fire and draped a blanket over his shoulders. Maroda and Pacce both nodded their approval. Rin cleared his throat, putting on a most gentle smile as he surveyed Isaaru. "May I get you something to eat?"
"Oh, please....and my brothers?" Isaaru looked at his purse sadly.
"I wouldn't charge you right now for the world, Isaaru. Relax. The night's on me."
Maroda deducted that Rin was their new best friend. He had never met a person, let alone an Al Bhed so selfless. He looked at the three brothers with an expression of genuine admiration.
"There is one matter I would like to discuss with you, though, in private. If, of course, it is all right with your guardians?" Rin took a glance to Pacce and Maroda. Pacce nodded immediately, but Maroda hesitated until he saw Isaaru's intense glare. "I thank you." Rin bowed politely to the two younger brothers.
~
Dinner was wonderful. Maroda had never tasted something so wonderful. The three brothers chattered excitedly of the adventures they'd had thus far been on. Rin listened enviously, cooking his own dinner. Rin knew there was no easy way to approach Isaaru about a pressing matter that had to be addressed. He even became shaky.
After dinner, Isaaru hustled his brother's off to bed. He then approached Rin, hands on his hidden hips. "Well, Master Rin? What's this all about?"
Rin glanced around, understanding how easy it would be for Maroda to overhear their conversation, something Rin didn't particularly want. "Please. May I invite you to my private quarters? This is a very important issue..." Rin fidgeted. Isaaru looked startled.
"Well, uh...I assume so. I don't see why that would be a problem."
"Please, then. Follow me." Rin got up and led the young summoner down the hallway to the last room, unlocking the door.
Isaaru was impressed.
The room wasn't too much more elaborate than the guest rooms. The sheets were a fine, satin material, and the rug in front of the bed was rich and white, very soft in appearance. There were several pictures up on the wall, two young girls and one young woman.
"Who are they?" Isaaru asked, curiously, pointing to the two pictures.
Rin turned and looked at the wall. Two little girls, both almost identical in appearance, and one young woman beamed back at him. The woman's hair was short, and blonde, a trait all Al Bhed shared. Her skin was pale, and her lips pink, stretched in a wide smile over perfect white teeth.
The two little girls were maybe a year or two apart. Their skin was the same rich mocha that was Rin's. Their hair, long and blonde. They had Rin's unusual aqua, not green, eyes. The littler one was missing her two front teeth, and showed it off proudly. The older one had lost her front teeth already, and she was still growing into her new, adult teeth.
"My wife and daughters." Rin's voice was quite.
"Oh!" Isaaru yelped, suddenly feeling awkward, remembering that kiss.
"We were in Kilika, some ten years back. They were drowned in a tidal wave when Sin attacked." Rin's voice cracked when he mentioned Sin. "My wife's name was Meera. My babies were Varra and Saare." It never hurt this much, Rin thought, until he spoke of it. He preferred to keep his life secret. Rin covered his mouth and crouched, laying his other arm over his stomach.
Isaaru's hand also went to his mouth. He hadn't any idea...it made sense, though. Rin had been around since Isaaru was a baby, selling goods in Bevelle to those who actually trusted the Al Bhed. It made sense that he might have had a family.
But Rin was alone, now. Everything had been ripped away from him, and yet he insisted on being pleasant to everyone he met.
"I'm sorry, Rin." was Isaaru's whispered reply.
"It's not your responsibility to be sorry!" Rin snapped. Isaaru jumped, his lip trembling. Rin had never frightened Isaaru before, but that tone in his voice...it was so...acidic. As if every bit of dismay he had ever felt towards any Al Bhed hater just came out, there, slamming into Isaaru.
Rin softened again. "I'm sorry, Lord Isaaru. It is not my place to snap at you like that." He stood up, drawing a hand across his eyes.
"It's..it's nothing, Master Rin."
Silence.
"About why I called you here." Rin crossed over, pulling out a seat from his desk, motioning for Isaaru to sit. "I spoke with my friend, Nhadala, and one of the Lady Yuna's guardians today. We spoke of you."
Isaaru blinked. Should he be flattered, or frightened?
"We spoke of you...and your brothers. Your fates."
Isaaru felt a muscle in his stomach squeeze, hard. This wasn't even something he had been willing to think of, not just yet. However, if others were worrying themselves over it, maybe it was about time that he began to make arrangements.
"I believe you would be wise to have one more guardian." Rin suddenly looked up, staring Isaaru in the eyes. "I am offering my services as a guardian, up until the Final Battle."
END CHAPTER ONE...