“I felt it near here. I think the fayth is in the base of the tree.” Auron pointed out a large tree, with a stream arcing across one side of it. 

Auron was not unsympathetic to Yuna’s pain. He lost friends to the constant cycle of death that is Spira. He himself died in it. But he could not let his story end without safeguarding his closest friend’s daughter. 

And that meant getting to Yunalesca, and ending this once and for all. 

There is, perhaps, something watching them? Well hidden, but definitely there.

Auron senses it, the thrum of power. He’s not sure what it is, but it’s definitely paying attention to them. 

He guides Yuna to the fayth, but keeps half his mind on the source of power. 

The fayth is small, a boy trapped beneath glass. Yuna feels a thud of pain, of guilt. Without his sacrifice, she could not destroy Sin, and yet he was so young.

Tidus was young too, though not as young as the fayth. She still makes the connection, and her tears are harder to ignore. 

Lulu wraps an arm around Yuna’s shoulders, squeezing softly. “Take your time,” she says. 

After a moment, Yuna leans into Lulu’s touch, and then steadies herself. She kneels by the fayth, closes her eyes, and focuses on that tendril of connection. 

“Yevon, spirit within, hear my prayer,” she whispers. 

-Whatever's watching is closer now, on edge. The woods themselves seem almost panicked.

“We’ve got its attention.”

“How can you tell?” Yuna says, and looks where Auron is.

“Concentrate.”

Yuna returns to praying, but the hair on the back of her neck stands up. 

Flames light over the surface of the stream.

Yuna gasps, and flinches away from the stream, but doesn’t stop praying, hanging onto that little bit of connection. 

Lulu prepares a water spell, not sure how much good it will do, since the water was on fire. 

Kimhari growls, and readies his spear. 

“Something is here. Something that doesn’t want Yuna getting the aeon.”

“And what gave you that impression?” Lulu says drily, though inside she’s worried. 

-Did the fayth's eyes just open?

"You won't have me!"

There's far more fear and panic to the words than any certainty at all.

The fire isn't attacking them. Not really. It's just-

Trying to get them to leave? To drive them away from the tree and the fayth it contains?

The fayth...is awake? 

Yuna gasps and falls back, her heart in her throat. “The fayth is awake!”

“How?” Auron frowns staring at the raging, yet contained fire, one hand on his sword. 

“I don’t know. I didn’t know it was possible!” Yuna leans forward, pressing one hand onto the glass. The fayth’s eyes were open, and she did hear it speak- does he seem scared? 

“I promise I’m not going to hurt you. I need your strength to defeat Sin.”

"You'll just useuseuse, and hurthurthurt."

And it's panic, and resignation, and a sense that that's what everyone does.

The flames surge upwards, twisting together anxiously.

“No! I would never! My aeons are precious to me. I would never cause any of them harm!”

She can feel every single one of them, pressed to her heart. She loves them, they are her friends. Through her connection to the fayth, she sends that feeling, the love and comradery and friendship.