Calamity Trigger - Sin (World: Spira)

Ima waved an enthusiastic goodbye to Yuna. She was really nice, and she was really happy to have her as a friend. The little girl made a mental note to try harder to be everyone else's friend too, especially Zora and Raven.

Sometimes the alien wished she could sleep like them, if just to see what it was like. And see what dreaming was like in particular. She had heard interesting stories about dreams...

At Takato's question, Ima nodded. "Of course!" She said as she smiled at him, reaching into her pocket and handing the weapon over without hesitation. "Do you need it for something?"

"Yeah,"

Takato held the strange weapon curiously and lifted it up, eying it with open thought. He brought up his free hand before nodding to himself. It was certainly far beyond what he knew, but he would give it a try. He glanced back down to the small girl and placed a hand on her shoulder, flashing her a small smile, "Thank you. I'm going to use this to help Zora. My magic alone might not be enough, but I've seen you use it quite a lot so maybe I can find some way to combine the two," In all honesty he didn't know if he could actually do that, but he was going to try either way. He fixed the weapon to his pocket and began to move in the direction Yuna had gone, only he was obviously planning to go down the right path where the temple held patients of Sin's toxin.

"Ima, I asked the temple for a bed or two. I know you're...different, but I want you to relax and..." He paused and moved the rucksack over his shoulder, opening it to openly dig something out for the small girl. A shiny, thin piece of parchment. It didn't look normal if one where to study it deeper, a blue string holding it wrapped into a scroll form. He held it to her with a few parting words, the smile he possessed growing a inch larger, "I promised I would teach you how to read and more, so I'm going to do just that. I made this at Killika, something I thought you could use. Open it in private, you'll understand, okay?"

She would be in for a surprise when she opened it up and looked upon it for the first time. Takato actually had to hold back a small laugh for what would come ahead as he waited for her to take it, "Can you do that for me?"

Elsewhere, a certain Summoner couldn't help but be a tad concerned for and about the silent gunner hovering by the temple. She took a few gentle step forwards and brushed aside strands of falling hair, her soft features being graced by the light cast off by the flaming lanterns on the temple walls. His blue and green eyes studied the man with hidden interest and growing hint of redness across her pretty cheeks before she hid it, bowing to him nervously as she made to enter the temple. Wakka had told her to stay away from this man and Tidus, another young boy that caused a delightful feeling in her stomach, seemed a tad jealous to even her naive awareness. Still, there was nothing wrong with a small chat, was there?

"G-Greetings, I..."

Her words caught in her throat before she bowed to Raven again, gaze oddly shy,

"...I-I never thanked you for helping us on the boat."

Ima blinked. Different? Just HOW different? She got a funny feeling throughout her whole body wondering that, but pushed aside the thought and let the genuine happiness and curiosity about the paper show instead.

"Yay!" She cheered as she took the paper from Takato, promptly giving him a quick hug right after. "Thank you Takato! I can do it!" The child bounced in place a bit. She was really really happy.

She paused though. "Should I go look at it right now, or may I come with you to see Zora?" Ima asked her friend. She really was worried about her, enough so that it took higher priority than satisfying her curiosity.

And for any child, let alone Ima, that was saying something.

Appreciation? Well, that was surprising, It would have been nice to hear without the cloud that hung over the Huntsman's head. He said nothing for a passing time, letting the song of the wind take him away. He took in a drawn out breath, then returned his focus to the sparkling overhead. Yuna's emotions were flared, but she seemed to always be in a stress. He could hear her heart from where he rested.

"Your nerves will get you killed, M'lady."

Raven sat up, turning his head to pass a glance to the quivering summoner. The gray of his eyes reflected the dullness growing in his thoughts for this world, a tint of burning crimson still remaining from the fight earlier.

"Thanks whispered through cell bars go silent, but either way, you don't have to thank me. I only did what was right."

Takato froze at that slightly, his amber eyes meeting the small girl before he ran over a few small things in his head while taking in the cute hug she had gifted him. He didn't really want her there in the room when he actually began, especially considering that what he planned was more or less an experiment that could go dangerously wrong if he wasn't careful. Still, maybe she could help. He didn't know much about the strange weapon he planned to use to help Zora, but perhaps Ima could provide a bit of info when they reached the room and situation itself. All in all, the Magi lifted his real hand and ruffled the blonde hair of the small girl while nodding softly,

“Okay, you can come. Just be careful okay? Untamed power is not uncommon with advanced magic...”

A part of him slapped his head, fully knowing he probably couldn't say no to Ima anyway.

Yuna herself was in a bit of a pickle. Her beautiful eyes blinked slowly at the words being uttered to her silent form, a hand lifting up to her soft lips within a shy piece of moment. She was both wonderfully puzzled and interested at the same time. She felt something strange too, something one such as her was not used to. A certain amber eyed Magi inspired hope and a sense of safety within her, such as that of a hero in books she had once read while small. Raven caused something different. A echo of mystique and intrigue, a flicker that caused her feminine nature a hint of strange wonder she had rarely felt. Hard to describe to the Summoner herself, but she couldn't help but enjoy it slightly, “I see....”

Her head bowed, strands of hair falling over her pretty features,

"...I-I just wanted you to know I'm truly thankful what you did."

Her gaze suddenly snapped up, red cheeks sparkling prettily as she moved to enter the temple itself,

"Do...you plan to stay in Killika awhile? Are you..heading to Luca?"

"That, Ma'am, seems to be up to you."

Raven moved to the edge of the slab, pushing himself off and landing with a light thud on the bottom of his boots. He rolled his neck, loosening the tightened muscles. He adjusted the crimson and ebon trench coat that only clothed his torso, and then turned back to grab his sword which leaned against his resting place.

"While it would be in my best interest to find my way home, just as the others."

With a whip through the air and a swift spin, the silver-haired weapon master returned the blade to it's home on his back. Another breeze caught the two before he turned back to the Summoner.

"But my oath was to fight the forces of Sin. While the word may carry different meaning in this realm, it would be against everything I stand for to turn my back. Like it or not, I'm seeing you through to the end of this pilgrimage."

He bowed his head to her, then cracked a light smirk.

"My weapons belong to you until this journey is over."

The room that Takato and Ima entered in was small and had only two beds inside: A simple room only meant for travelers to rest and recooperate. On one of the beds was the familiar, blue haired demon girl sleeping soundly. Her body was covered in bandages all except her wounded right arm, which wa understandable because the people were so afraid of her and her power.

Ima was understandably saddened at the sight of Zora. She didn't like seeing people she liked hurt, and it always seemed to happen to them. Humans were too fragile. The alien never quite understood why they were made that way, and wished that they weren't quite often. Far too fragile with far too small a sense of self preservation and far too short a life span.

What was the word for what she was being again?

Right. Hypocrite. Such a funny word...

Then again, it was all those traits that made her like these people so much.

Ima went over to Zora and patted her head like others so often did to her. She always liked it when they did that for some reason. She turned to Takato with a questioning gaze then. "What should we do?" The child asked her friend.

"Stand back for a moment, that's what I advise."

That was the only warning he gave the small girl as he placed the weapon on a nearby table and turned to the down Zora, a blue light flowing from his body in a flash. Could he really do this? Advanced Magic was incredibly difficult for him, but this small experiment would make it even worse. Still, he had little choice. The Magi did something had not done in a long time, opening his lips to speak the words of his activation key, "Ubi Concordia, Ibi Victoria," At those few latin words, it happened. A bright golden light suddenly formed within the room as a large glyph shape phased alive below his feet upon the stone floor. His hands began to let loose an intense spark of pure white color, his arms parting from each other and coming to focus just before his mid-section with an increasing growth of magical energy. His amber eyes pulsed with a change and a single one gained an echo of blue, almost similar to that of the girl nearby.

Where There Is Harmony, There Is Victory

"Fragrantia Floris, Meis Amicis Vigorem, Vitalitatem, Auram Salutarem!"

The Fragrance of a Flower, a Wind that will fill my friends with Vigor, Vitality, and Health

A small shiver of air expanded off around his body and spat outwards at the downed Zora like a circuit of unseen electricity. Seconds ticked by and whatever he was doing seemed to be rapidly draining the Magi considerably, the small light show growing larger in the process. A thought struck him mid-use of this healing spell and Takato looked up, blue eyes meeting those of Ima. They were certainly a matched pair now, "Ima, grab your weapon. Place it on that healing mode and point it directly at my hands, then shoot it. If I'm right, I should be able to divert whatever power that thing possesses and magnify it ten-fold with my own healing spell. Are you ready?""

He sounded oddly worried.

&&&&&&

"What..?"

Yuna was stunned, a part of her shocked at his words as she stared at him with wide blue and green eyes. Her pretty features were easily painted with said shock and stood out in the light, a gasp echoing over her soft lips before she could stop it from escaping her fully. It wasn't the first time she had been shocked by this man, but it had been the first time she actually had to gather herself. A delightful warmth spread to her pale cheeks as she took in what he meant, taking a step closer to the temple door with a sense of openly shy nerves,

"T-Then..."

She should have not even thought of what she was about to ask, especially with the outright denials caused by Wakka and the keen eye of her Ronso protector. Still, she just couldn't stop herself. His selfless words had sparked something inside her that wanted to respond. A certain Magi had already refused her question multiple times, but maybe this man would be different? She had to defeat Sin. For such a thing to succeed, she needed unspoken help from the strongest of the strong. Besides, a piece of her mind wanted him around, much like another piece wanted to keep that cheery boy from Zanarkand close by,

"...Would you please be my Guardian?"

Ima stepped back as Takato said to, but couldn't help but stare in awe. His magic was always so fascinating. There was nothing like it back home and he always made the neatest things happen with it.

The child doubted that she would ever stop learning about or being fascinated by things like these, and truly hoped that she never did.

She nodded to Takato and grabbed her gun from him (as he still had it) before adjusting the beam and setting herself in stance to fire. The alien shot the human a bright grin. "Ready. You can do it!" She told him, hearing the worry in his voice. She didn't know why it was there, but she trusted that he could help Zora, wholeheartedly.

She fired the green laser straight into Takato's waiting hands.

Takato was shakily forced back by the sudden power shot into his hands, the energy he had already gathered greedily meeting the blast and fusing with it into a swirling orb of light. It was quite beautiful if one didn't take in the amount of focus such a thing required to craft. He lifted up the orb and placed it up above the unresponsive Zora before forcing it down slowly, almost pushing the spell into her body through the skin like, well, magic. His little light-show shattered the instant the ball of light had vanished fully into the girl, his eyes gaining their natural color and the upturn of markings below him fading into numerous strands. Two latin words were uttered before he finished,

"Divinus Refectio."

Divine Recovery

He sighed and shook his head, looking down at his gloved hands before Ima could fully see. The gloves themselves were torn and simply cut at the palms, revealing hints of burnt skin beneath where the said opening had been yanked alive. He honestly didn't expect to come out of it with so few wounds, but he was glad he had succeeded. Somewhat. The combination of his magical power and the gun usage of Ima had literally created a new type of healing spell. It required the little girl more or less blasting him with the healing ray at his hands, leaving him unable to use it alone, but in the end they now had a A-rank healing spell at their fingertips.

A shocking thing, considering a single B-rank Lightning spell could leave him completely drained,

"It's done. She should be awake by morning if all has gone to plan.,"

Takato paused and sighed, slipping his hands into his pockets before the alien girl could catch a sight of the damage he had caused parts of his skin, "Sadly, I couldn't silence that arm. Whatever nature it possesses completely rejected whatever modification I could do to it. All I managed to do was heal the rest of her body, including what that thing itself caused," He chuckled and shook his head, a bit disappointed in himself all things considered. Either way, he was just glad he had done something to at least ease the burdens her body was going through.

Not seeing his hands, Ima clapped her own together and smiled happily at Takato. "See! I knew you could do it!" And she did. There had been no doubt in her mind that he would be able to help Zora. And he did!

Feeling that he was a bit disappointed, the alien floated up to him and poked his face with a giggle. "Don't worry, Takato. Even if we can't completely help her now, we'll find a way to do it. I know we will."

She grinned. "I promise we will."

With a quirk of his eyebrow Raven took in the question he had been asked. Guardian? Like those brainwashed zealots that followed her around like sheep? That didn't sound like his style. The ball and chain to a faith he refused to follow would never be his place. His answer was an easy one. His rebellious nature built up inside, unleashing in the powerful word....

"Ok....."

He shrugged, hands out to his sides, palms to the celestial. He was needed on her quest. With their beliefs blocking their minds, her other protectors were going to get themselves killed. He understood why she needed him, cannon fodder, maybe, but nonetheless the extra weaponry could help. He wanted to say no. he really did, but the tone in her voice couldn't hide her plea.

"There's something about you, Yuna."

He placed his hands on the back of his head, looking away and up to the stars.

"You're facing almost certain death.....and you keep moving forward. You've got gus!"

He laughed, looking over his shoulder with a smirk.

"So let's get this party started! I want to see how Sin enjoys a bullet in the eye!"

.....Morning greets the fearful world once more....

The Temple was oddly quiet considering that things were quite chaotic the day before. With the scattering of Sin itself and the battle of the forest, thoughts about the wandering group were many indeed. Yuna had left the Gunslinger with nary a word after his accepting of her request, having merely smiled as she went to sleep with her guardians once again. Zora had been left to rest and heal by the Magi, as there really was nothing more than he could do for her sadly. Still, he had tried his very best and hopefully her eyes would greet the sky in the coming hours. Anything but that darkening silence around her body would be better really.

Takato was currently dressed back within his original outfit, one that he had washed during the night and almost groomed for this day. He had only acquired a small amount of the world currency, so his clothing options were quite limited at the moment. He wasn't about to complain though, such things would either become better with time or he would see if there were any gambling stations around. Magi were always the best when it came to dancing with lady luck after all. He had found that out after running into a nasty fellow with silver hair and a wide smile back in their world. Past thoughts and memories aside, the echoing growl of his stomach gave alert where his focus really was,

Gah, he was no good at cooking. He slowly stood up off the bed and blinked away any remaining fatigue without a word, giving his nearby rucksack a small kick to alert his hidden companion. Two rather annoyed fox-eyes peeked out from the object, furred ears twitching before the creature casually flipped out and began to trot in-front of him. The Magi just chuckled and shook his head, following his familiar with the same need for food. Luckily, Al was a pretty good cook when it came to the simple things. He had just better make sure she didn't try to go nuts with the magic, like last time. That Ramen stand had never looked at him the same way again, and neither had that whiskered boy come to think of it.

Besides, it was a good time to see what intel she had gathered.

Ima was currently floating above the cloud barrier.

She hadn't really come up this high in a while, she realized. It was a really pretty view, and the sun seemed much closer and brighter here. Unfortunately it was also colder, she observed as she played with the frayed end of one of her sweater sleeves. Though it really wasn't much a sweater anymore, ever since Fate had tried to burn her face off with his magic. More like a thick T-shirt now. The child needed a new one.

How sad. She liked this one a lot...

The alien was also in the clouds because Takato had told her to read the scroll in private. Ima figured that up here had the lowest probability of someone trying to read over her shoulder way up here.

With that in mind, Ima reached into her pocket and opened the scroll.

The scroll was blank. Utterly blank. There wouldn't be a surprise if she was either shocked or a little sad with the present, especially considering the excitement she felt at the start. Yet, there seem to be something odd about the scroll after a few moments of it being open. Seconds ticked by before something happened, a shudder of barely living light flaring alive around before becoming dull once more. It had indeed been blank. Now, it was no longer. Staring straight at her were a sequence of blank, black letters. Letters that would connect to her mind in such a way that even the process of thought would give her some understanding of them. They were not English, they were not Latin, they were not anything that the human tongue could even utter.

Hello, Ima.

She would understand these words. As in reality, they were not really words. They were thoughts, voices, memories and images. A connection to her alien mind that would allow some form of understanding. Perception. Much like how she could understand and hear what her friends said without becoming too confused, the scroll was allowing her to read something in a way that would actually work. Her eyes did not need fixing, but a magical pair of glasses had almost been placed over that cute blue gaze as long as she stared at the piece of parchment she held. Yet, that was not all this scroll contained. The words themselves had appeared out of nowhere and had seemingly registered her living being. As if the words themselves were actually alive.

Close, but not exactly.

I created this little scroll in hopes it would help you learn to read, write and gain a number of skills in the future. I realize I cannot teach you constantly with our journey being as it is, so this little object should be much more useful than I can be when busy. I, or this scroll, can be named as a Horcrux, It took me awhile in creating it, but I figured it out after gaining quite a bit of control over our lightning friend inside my mind. To put it bluntly, I have split a piece of myself and placed it in here in hopes it will guide you. Don't be too surprised, but I can also hear you. Kind of. Place your finger on this scroll and speak, I will indeed respond to you. Now do you happen to have any questions?

Doubtful if a scroll could become stunned, but 'it' would be if she didn't.

The temple grounds had served as a suitable bed for the night. The night air had lulled Raven to sleep far past the rest of the party, waking up to the sights and sounds of the mid-morning day. He sat up, taking in his surroundings, and leaped to his feet. With a stretch, he made his way to the temple, hands behind his head.

It was time to see how guardian status would treat him.

Ima, to be completely honest, squeaked and dropped the scroll a few feet as her initial reaction. She caught it before it fell any farther.

After staring at the paper for a while, the child curiously poked the paper with her finger and started asking questions. Her hesitance could only contain her wanting to know for so long after all.

"Hi! And yes. Do I call you Takato or Mr. Her...Ho...Horcra...Horcrux? Did splitting your mind hurt? Was it dangerous? How did you do it? Or is it some big magic secret? If it's only a part of your mind, can the other part hear me? Am I asking too many questions?"

She paused.

"What is sin?"

As the sun rose to introduce the morning, a pair of red eyes flickered opened, wincing at the sudden bright lights as Zora moves her hand to block it out. She starts sitting up and looks around, realizing she was all alone in the room.

"The hell am I...?" She mutters, holding onto her head with her right arm as she places her feet on teh ground. Suddenly, it hits her all at once: being attacked by the Sin Spawn in Magnolia Town, appearing in Spira, and tehir current position in Kilika right now. Bah. She was hoping that all of that was a dream, but her aching, strained arm says otherwise as she stood up, stretching slightly and being careful of her movements (She doesn't know how much she was healed). Once she starts to relax a bit, she heads out of the room in a hesitant manner, fearing that the Cerberus that she defeated was still out here (Yes she forgot they beat it()

You may call me whatever you wish. I am Takato, yes, but at the same time "Mr Horcrux" fits me quite well if you think about it. To answer your question, no. It didn't hurt. Splitting my mind might have been difficult and admittedly a tad dangerous, but it never once caused me pain. scratched out the scroll, the words swiping over the paper in the same magical nature and as quick as they possibly could. She wouldn't be able to hear anyone writing, but it almost looked like the words were being written by hand, bit by bit, just at a pace that any normal wrist would strain to keep up with. Her questions and voice obviously went through if the response was anything to go by.

While admittedly unable to truly hear what the words were saying, one could almost taste the small essence of smiling and chuckling that her barrage of words had caused. Explaining the details of how I did it would take a long time, Ima. But I will try my best. Simply put, it is like looking in the water and seeing your reflection. I have taken that reflection and simply implanted it in something. A piece of me, into this little scroll. It wasn't all that difficult thanks to a certain Lightning creature currently inside my mind. Magi normally use Horcrux for simple things, like self-crafting journals or simple reminders for every day tasks. I've just expanded on that.

The words seemed to pause before writing more out for her last questions,

No and no. I am Takato Rutherford, but I am only a piece. In the future when you have finished with the scroll, this piece will return to the Magi you see wandering about. This might be far off, but in the end I will rejoin and remember all the experiences that we have had together. I will hear all this one day, but at the moment I cannot. Also, you are not asking too many questions. This scroll was created to help you learn, in writing and more. Ask what you desire, I will answer to the best of my ability. Just remember, Takato Rutherford only knows so much~<3

Yes, the scroll actually wrote out that heart. Twas' quite odd.

Sin, eh? In what nature do you mean, Ima? Humans have a habit of naming events and creatures after many words, so you could be referring to quite a few things. Do you mean Sin as "that big creature that popped out of the water and attacked the boat" or do you want to know what the word "sin" means? Either way, I can answer that question, if that is what you wish~

Ima nodded to the small paper. So Takato would eventually know of these things. She would have to be careful with what she asked and said then.

She also giggled at the heart.

"I'll call you Mr. Horcrux then." Decided the small child. "It would be very confusing to have two Takatos. And I know that Sin is the big monster thingy. But I've heard sin used in ways that didn't seem to fit the conversation, even if I didn't understand all of it. So, the word, I suppose."

The alien had other questions as well, but figured she should wait until this one was answered to continue.

The word then, eh? Very well. Sin is a tricky word. Religion used it in meaning that would go against that relgion, something that would violate a "good" rule within it. Humanity have adapted to using it when describing something 'bad' or 'wrong' - Evil, in essence.

The words came to a halt before continuing,

But don't let that word fool you. I have looked at this "Yevon" religion since arriving in Spira and have found something I don't like. They believes tools not crafted by their '"god"' is a sin against mankind. This means that they believe my arm, your gun and even my bike back home are a sin. Things like this are called 'forbidden machina' here. Odd, eh?

Ima didn't have to be a genius to see what a certain thing meant. This really was all knowledge Takato knew, meaning she really could ask only so much.

"Oh..." Ima hummed thoughtfully. "I suppose we all have sin then..." With that thought she paused. "Is that what the fight was about when you told me to never be like them? Kinda stupid..."

She never understood why humans could never look past their own cultural and personal differences and get along despite that. She herself watched people, even Takato, go against one of the most important rules of her kind, near daily, and she still accepted and cared about them.

But then, she did not truly understand humanity, did she?

The child continued with her rain of questions. "How does that Pa...Packy...Pactio thing of yours work? Do you still want to do it? Do you think I could maybe learn to do that neat magic stuff you do some day? Do-"

Ima stopped herself. That question was too risky. And some of the other questions she had were probably too personal to ask...it was going to be hard not to ask the wrong things.

"Do...you think Fate will come back?" She asked instead.

Pactio. It is a piece of magic that all Magi have to learn to become Magister Magi. Simply put, it is a contract based on emotion and affection. A link or a bond. After a simple ritual the Magi of the bond may activate the gifted magical card with a command phrase, giving their own magical power to the person they made the pact with. This will awake the 'innate' power within the contracted person, which can result in many a number of things. Al, for example, has a Pactio card which gives her a human form and enhanced physical abilities, all gifted for her to protect me while I cast a large, lengthy spell, droned the scroll, the words rapidly forming with each passing second, giving her the info she wanted,

Yes, you probably could. Everyone has magical power, just not everyone has learned how to use it. If we formed a Pactio, you would instantly receive some sort of magical power whenever I activated the card. Admittedly, you would have to find my 'full' self and tell him of your want to form a contract. It requires a small, brief ritual which can be done through a number of ways. Either by the use of a small kiss or the meeting of blood. I do not know what power or card would be given to you though. I have seen a partner gain a book which could read the weather, accelerate their growth or simply give them wings. Once again, it is up to you finished the scroll on that particular question.

It was only until the last one that she got a different response. The words actually stumbled and became smudged for a moment, as if being erased. It took several seconds for her answer to be given to her by this magical item,

Yes. Fate Averruncus is a Magi, like myself. Only far stronger. It will take much more than that to defeat him. If he returns though, we will be ready...

Ima blinked. "Kiss?" She asked simply. What was a kiss? The word sounded familiar, but she couldn't recall what it was...she missed her old memory sometimes. And sharing blood was absolutely positively out of the question. Not only would it give her away in a heartbeat, it would hurt Takato and probably not work at all.

Ah, she wondered if her kind could even use magic at all. She would be very sad if she couldn't.

The child blinked at the part about Fate. Why had it gotten all smudgy? Was it unsure?

"I hope we will be." Ima replied. She truly did. She did not want to be weak and malfunction again. But Fate had seemed to be able to make her that way with seemingly no effort on his part. He had brought up all of those thoughts and feelings that she had pushed into the back of her mind all at once, and she wasn't able to control them.

Emotion was scary.

"Do...do you think Fate really was just lying?" The child asked softly. She really wanted to know the truth. She needed to know if he had been honest or not.

But she was scared to learn the truth.

She was so scared...