InsaneJournal

Organic [Final Fantasy X-2: Nooj/Gippal/Baralai/Paine, G]
Word count: 532
Prompt: Final Fantasy X-2, Nooj/Gippal/Baralai/Paine: Forgiveness - After Vegnagun "Where do we go from here?"



If they had tried to plan it, it never would have occurred. Someone, most of them, all of them would have come up with an excuse to not show up, and nothing would have happened. Instead it just unfolded, like a delicate Moonflow lily: one petal at a time, until all four were shining.

Paine had come to Mushroom Rock to talk to Nooj about some rebellious former Youth League members, only to find that he wasn’t there. “He said he wanted to say goodbye to some memories,” Lucil told her. Paine nodded, and, in her mind, she decided she would leave him alone and wait.

Her feet had other ideas, and they led her to the chocobo pen. Her mouth liked the feet’s idea and requested a bird. By the time she could think again, she was staring down the natural steps that led to the second level of Mushroom Rock Road. She paused until her chocobo warked a question that she didn’t have an answer to. With a rather human-like shrug, the bird hopped down and headed towards the Den of Woe.

Nooj turned stiffly, his mechanical parts slightly out of synch with his remaining human ones, but didn’t seem all that surprised to see her. They nodded at each other, and then looked at the entrance. Nooj cleared his throat. “I understand you went in there.”

Paine nodded. “It was… painful. But we learned what Shuyin did to… how he could possess others – “

“That’s no excuse,” he interrupted bitterly.

“Aww, man, you’re STILL beating yourself up about that?” a raucous voice asked, and Gippal stepped through the narrow portal. “I heard enough of that on the Farplane, do I have to hear it out here, too?”

Nooj tried to turn away, but Paine found herself reaching out and touching his real arm. “Don’t…” It was hard to talk like this after so long.

“Don’t shut us out again,” came a soft male voice. Baralai was magically there, coming in quietly and unannounced, and suddenly time seemed to both stop and go backwards in the same breath.

Several things happened, one right after another: Nooj’s proud shoulders slumped; Paine’s shaky grip tightened on his arm; ragged breaths from four beings hurt beyond most’s comprehension sounded; Baralai’s gentle hands came up to cup Nooj’s face; Gippal’s strong arms were somehow around them all in a crushing hug; and then the only thing they could do was cry.

Baralai carefully brushed his lips over Nooj’s forehead as Gippal’s grip lessened. Nooj just nodded, carefully pulling Paine closer and finally letting himself notice how her scent hadn’t changed. Gippal wiped his face on his sleeve, and then asked the most obvious question: “Where do we go from here?”

Paine smiled and pointed to the sky. “Back to the living. We don’t need the dead anymore.”

Gippal’s laughter was the perfect confirmation.

Nooj inclined his head to the open cave. “One last thing… this doesn’t need to stay open.”

The four stood together, aiming Magic and Machina at the arch above the entrance. It crumbled easily. With smiles, the four turned their back on the dark past and rode into the brightening future.