Destiny: Memories of Water Chapter 6
They Call Him Hawkeye
By IceWolf645
The dragon ship was nearing the island at a remarkable speed for a ship like itself. Waves roared along its side as it skimmed through the water gracefully. I was awestruck. I loved the water, and to travel over the oceans on a vessel with such grandeur would be an honor. I wondered why Oryon hated Ryuu so. Was he, perhaps, jealous that whoever this person was had gotten a higher title than him? It seemed to me that anyone who could command all of the Crusaders should be competent enough.
I heard the sound of feet pounding the sand behind us, and turned to see some of the villagers, most of the Crusaders, Wakka, and Lulu arriving. They'd probably seen the ship from Besaid. I noticed that Rikku and Yuna hadn't come, and I remembered that Kimahri had been wounded in the battle. They were probably taking care of him.
Something clicked in my mind as I watched all of the Crusaders that had been in our village lining up, Oryon in front of them. I leaned over to Ruka and asked, "Hey, Ruka, how did these people get here so fast?"
"You were asleep for two days after the attack. We called the Crusaders for help via one of our newest creations, a Sphere Messenger, and soon enough they came by one of the new airships Grandpa Cid's been making. It's so much easier traveling on airships, but most of them, other than the one momma came here on, are even smaller than a boat. That's why Ryuu and his fleet are coming on the 'Draconis'," she replied, staring out at the enlarging vessel. 'Draconis' was definitely a proper name for it.
"I never knew that Ryuu was coming. It was only an overgrown fiend, ya know?" Sanya said.
Wakka, who had made his way to us with Lulu, laughed dryly and said, "Heh, I'm not surprised. There hasn't been a reason for the Crusaders to get so worked up in twenty years. People panic when they hear about this stuff, ya? I don't know what everyone'd do if Sin ever came back!"
Lulu nodded gravely. "This is a big deal in a world where there had been no trouble for a decade, not counting minor fiend attacks, but those were dealt with quickly."
"Ya. There's also that aeon, but I'm sure they'll bring that up when the time's right," Wakka agreed. I turned away and felt myself blushing. I didn't really want to delve into that topic either. I still didn't really think that I could've summoned the beast. I was a girl with hardly any memories of my own family, how could I possibly remember how to unleash a golden dragon onto a serpent? I was filled with confusion, and I wanted time to sort my mind out before we got down to what they thought I'd done. Not to mention that the little Sphere Shot episode only a while before had boggled me enough.
I turned away from my thoughts and saw that the ship was docking. The Crusaders filed forward and stop a few meters away from the docks. There were only about twenty of them. Each one of them looked proud, strong, and noble. Their armor glinted in the sunlight and they stood upright in a dignified manor. I saw the wimpy guy from before, the guy that I'd thrust out of my way because he'd shoved me. I snickered to myself. He was lagging a bit behind.
The ships anchor lowered and a little ramp was set up to it by a few eager villagers, a few of them girls who were chattering in anticipation of seeing Ryuu up close.
"Oh! He's so cute! I've seen pictures of him."
"Wouldn't it be nice to have a Crusader like him for a husband?"
Almost all of the little shouts and squeals were in the same manner. Sanya grabbed my hand and dragged me to the front of the crowd. Ruka was right by her side.
"Look! There he is!" one of the many girls surrounding the 'Draconis' shouted crazily. She was waving her hands in the air and jumping up and down like a kangaroo.
"Where is he?" I asked Sanya, peering up onto the deck, searching the many Crusaders' faces for any trace of a certain style that would mark him off as the leader. Ruka, who was acting like the girl who had shouted earlier, pointed.
"There! There! There he is! Ooh!" she screamed, all thought of Oryon lost from her mind. I followed her finger, and saw the man that stood in front of all of the others. And like Oryon said, I knew instantly why they called him Hawkeye.
A man with an arrogant smile and piercing golden eyes stared out at the crowd. His medium-length black hair swayed softly in the breeze, sometimes letting his bangs get in the way of his fearsome eyes. His glare was intense, like that of a hungry raptor searching for its prey. He wasn't as well built as Oryon, and he didn't look as solemn and tough, but he had the kind of air that made you want to believe every word he said. He didn't have to look like a leader, he felt like a leader.
"Hello, hello," he said, stepping forward and descending the ramp. With a motion of his hand fifty or so Crusaders followed. One of the girls was standing right in front of him, frozen where she stood with wide eyes and a trembling body. "Well, now, what pretty thing do we have hear?" Ryuu asked, and he kissed her hand. She almost fainted, and she moved out of the way.
"He kissed me!" she said excitedly to her jealous looking friends. They sighed and pouted, all wishing in their minds that it could've been them.
Ryuu walked up to Oryon and the latter saluted. Ryuu nodded at him and the order was given that all Crusaders were to stay where they were. Ryuu began pacing through the ranks, checking each of the soldiers, checking that they were in adequate health, etc. He passed through the soldiers that stood nearest to me and paused for a moment. His golden eyes locked in with mine for a split second, and then with a small smile he broke the connection. I shuddered. I didn't like him. I wasn't impressed by him at all, and I felt sorry that I'd doubted Oryon's judgment. He felt, in a way, the same as Oryon had the first time I'd seen him, though. I had this strange feeling that I knew him, and I knew deep down that I hadn't liked him at all. I watched as he walked back to the front of the Crusaders, and he waved his hand. They instantly relaxed.
"Very good," he said, "Oryon has been keeping you all in nice condition." He nodded at Oryon, and the serious-faced Crusader relaxed his tensed muscles as well. "I certainly hope you've been keeping Besaid safe. I'd be sorely disappointed if such a rapidly strengthening bunch hadn't." He turned to the villagers, and all of them nodded happily, some blushing to have his fearsome gaze upon them. "Good," he said. He had a strong voice. It was one that people liked to hear. "Then let's go and see what more we can do for Besaid."
As he finished speaking, the people broke out into applause and began cheering wildly. He smiled at them all, causing the girls to giggle madly. I did nothing.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Everyone went back to the village, Sanya, Ruka and I included. It was quite crowded with so many people, but work was beginning to go a lot faster. I wasn't needed, so I followed the two friends into the temple, where Kimahri was resting.
I walked through the doors slowly and saw Yuna on her knees tending to the giant feline-like creature. A large bandage was wrapped around his waist and was slightly crimson from where a bit of blood had leaked through. Kimahri was awake, and his yellow eyes followed us as we came in.
"Hi Kimahri," Sanya said, kneeling down beside him. Ruka and I followed her example. Rikku walked slowly into the room with a jug of water and let Kimahri have a drink. He groaned as he sat up and took a small swig.
"Hello," he said after lying back down.
"How're you feeling?" Ruka asked gently.
Kimahri sighed. "Kimahri feel better. Be better soon."
"That's good," Ruka said. She patted the Ronso on the arm and grinned. Kimahri let his gaze fall on me.
"Yuna say Destiny summon Dragon, save village, save Kimahri. Kimahri thank," he said. He smiled a slightly scary smile and turned away.
I didn't know what to say. I couldn't say 'you're welcome' because I didn't really believe it myself. I found myself wondering whether it was true. Had my dream been more real than I'd believed it? I smiled meekly back at him and placed my hands on my lap.
Who am I?