"The people adore you, Lady Yuna. I know it's a hardship, but if you could spare us a few more days before your return to Besaid, it would be a joy to all of us."

"I... I don't know." Yuna bowed her head. Kimahri was by her side, implacable and silent, and she could feel Wakka and Lulu at her back, even though she couldn't see them. Rikku too, unusually quiet. But she had offered to clobber anyone who bothered them - that had really cheered her mood, even when she knew this responsibility would be pushed on her.

Another few days would lead to another, and another, until she would not be able to leave at all for fear of breaking the peoples' hearts. That was the way of things. They didn't want to let go of her, but she certainly wanted to let go of them, at least for now. Even summoners deserved time to mourn. Her victory was sweet, but she couldn't help feeling that the price had been a little too high.

"They expect something." Her tormentor took a step closer, but refrained from another at Kimahri's grunt. His voice lowered. "I cannot speak for you - you are the one who defeated Sin. You lived. They want to hear from you."

"I'm not a summoner anymore." She shook her head, made herself look back up. "I'm tired. I just want to go home and live a normal life now. I promised that I would try."

Greatly daring, Isaaru reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder to grip it tightly. It was in his eyes that he understood, but his words made it seem as if he was just as ignorant as the others. "Even so, it is still your responsibility. I have mine - you have yours."

"If..." Yuna sighed, and her shoulders slumped in defeat. The weight of his hand almost became a comfort, and also a burden. She wished they had sent someone else to do this - she liked Isaaru. It wasn't fair that she be forced to see him as another opponent to contend with.

He smiled, and even though it seemed strained, it was genuine. "You will be able to go home, Lady. I'll make sure of it personally."

Isaaru really was a warm person, she realized. He managed to do what few could do right now - make her smile in return, not because she was trying to cover up her sadness, but because she truly felt it. They'd never had time to get acquainted during their pilgrimage, but it was obvious that even if he had jumped into Bevelle's politics and taken part in them, he was not like the maesters. He did not think of her as a sacrifice, maybe because once, they'd thought the same about him.

That made her feel better. Here was someone who could understand her on a level no one else could, and she felt that she could trust him, at least as an ally. 'Friends' would stretch things too far right now, and past deeds still hung between them, but she had hope that in time those wounds would be healed.

Yuna hesitated only a few more seconds before nodding to him and offering a shallow bow to satisfy the formalities of their situation. High Summoner and... what? Isaaru's position in Bevelle was unclear, except that he was in charge for the most part. She would have to ask him about that later, after this task he wanted her to complete.

"I'll do it." She kept her eyes down and clasped her hands together. It was an image that endeared her to people, and such a solid habit now that it was natural to her. The temple would have been proud of the humility they had trained into her. "I understand how important it is."

"Why?" Lulu's voice broke in for the first time since the conversation started, bringing all of the irritation Yuna was afraid to show with it. "She's done so much for Spira - why can't she be allowed to rest?"

Oh Lulu... Leave it to her to voice what the summoner could not. But it was too late - Yuna had already agreed, and right now she wanted to avoid conflict. She was tired of fighting - just tired of everything right now.

Isaaru was already responding, so Yuna pressed her lips together to hear him out. "It was Yuna's hand that defeated Sin," he repeated, his voice carefully neutral. "You know this Calm will be forever, and I know it..." His eyes flickered to her for a moment, and she straightened, "... but the people won't believe it until they see the living, breathing evidence of our claims. Surely you want Spira to be rejoicing for the right reasons, after all that you have been through?"

The sorceress wasn't convinced. Her eyes only narrowed further into a glare that made most people squirm. It was the expression she reserved for fiends, when she was contemplating an especially harsh punishment. "And once this is over, will you also wish to call on her to take care of Yevon and his church? Will she have to make another announcement, or take another break from her life to help you tear it down and rebuild it?"

The summoner met her gaze evenly, and it was clear that only courtesy kept him from responding in kind. Yuna itched to stand between them and make some sort of peace, but it seemed the wrong time to do so. "That will be my task." Yuna shivered.

"Hm. But I'm sure Lady Yuna is invited to help out, then?"

Isaaru turned his back on her, and bowed to Yuna with his hands tucked in his sleeves. He kept his head down as he spoke. "Lady Yuna, you are welcome to join in the restoration of Spira, but if you wish to remain in seclusion on Besaid, I will understand. No one will disturb your peace." He looked up and smiled through fine wisps of chestnut hair. "I must go now - we have an assembly to arrange."

"Thank you." She heard Lulu hmph behind her, but she granted Isaaru another smile as he turned to go. There was no reason to be cold to him, when the source of her anger was elsewhere. Her friends' concern was heartwarming, but there was no point in sending the other summoner away on such a sour note.

"Are you sure about this, Yuna? I thought you wished to go home."

"I'm sure. She turned around to spread her smile to her friends, nodding at Lulu's skeptical look. "I'll do this one, last thing before I leave. I'm sure no harm will come of it."

"Well, it's not too bad, ya?" Wakka shrugged and pat her shoulder reassuringly. "At least we get a blitz game after it."

"Wakka..."



Notes: Hmm. This one isn't any better than the last one. I wouldn't have posted it, but silly me, I told myself that I'd post every fanfic or tidbit I write on my page. I figure, people should be able to see the bad as well as the good. And really, I don't expect these tidbits to be any good - they're practice after all. In this case... an excuse to introduce myself to Yuna. My mistake here, as in a lot of my writing lately, is that I pay too much attention to what they're doing, and not enough to what they're thinking and feeling. There's no character in this scene. It's just me being afraid that I'll get Yuna wrong, and ending up with exactly what I was afraid of. With any luck, these jitters have been purged from my system so my next Yuna attempt will be better.

Finished: some indeterminate time on 07-01-02. I think.
Listening to: the rambling of my friends. ^^