Silver Wings

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Chapter Twenty-One:  1000 Words

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The
silence permeated the cave as Shuyin sat in a daze staring at the cave
wall.  Lenne wanted to hold him and tell him it would be okay, but she
knew he’d only feel cold just like the fayth had said.  She didn’t want to
add to his discomfort. 

She
sat memorizing his face and all the fine dips and curves that made him the most
handsome man she’d ever laid eyes on.  Crawling closer to him, she
whispered, “I finished the song I wrote for you.  I was going to sing
it for you…but…well, you know what happened.  So why don’t I sing it for
you now?”  Lenne crawled in front of him and stared into his eyes
silently praying that he’d see her, but all he did was stare blankly in front
of him.  She needed to reach him.  She needed to try and let him know
how much she loved him.  She would only have a few more minutes with him
and needed to know that he could sense her there. 

She
would sing the song she wrote and her words would reach him.  That was the
only chance she had.

-----------------

I know that you're hiding
things

Using gentle words to shelter
me

Your words were like a dream

But dreams could never fool me

Not that easily

Shuyin’s breath became ragged as
he suddenly climbed to his feet and began clawing frantically at the rock, “Let
me out!!  Let me out!!” he shrieked, “I don’t want to die in here!!!”

Lenne ran to him and placed her
mouth close to his ear.

I acted so distant then

Didn't say good bye before you
left

But I was listening

You'll fight your battles far
from me

Far too easily

Shuyin calmed down slightly and
backed away from the wall.  His fingers grasped the golden locket around
his neck before screaming in anger, “Damn Bevelle!  This is their
fault!!!”  He spun frantically around, “There’s got to be another way out
of here!” he shrieked as he began running toward the back of the cavern. 

Lenne watched in tears as Shuyin
desperately began scraping at the back walls of the cavern.  She stepped
closer to him and wiped a tear from her cheek.  Shuyin sank in despair,
“Lennie….” He sobbed, “Lennie…”

Save your tears 'cause I've
come back

I could hear that you whispered
as you walked through that door

But still I swore to hide the
pain when I turned back the pages

Shouting might have been the
answer

What if I cried my eyes out and
begged you not to depart

But now I'm not afraid to say
what's in my heart

His sobs stopped suddenly and he
stood with a smile on his face, “My phone!” he cried.  He reached into his
pocket and thanked the heavens that they hadn’t confiscated his phone. 
Running back to the front of the cavern, Shuyin turned it on and moved it
around…and around…and around, “Shit!” he screamed, “No damn signal! 
Shit!!”

Oh a thousand words

Have never been spoken

They'll fly to you crossing
over the time

And distance holding you

Suspended on silver wings

In a fit of anger, Shuyin threw
his phone across the cavern and watched it shatter as it hit the rock
wall.  His panic rose again as he scrambled on hands and knees over to the
phone, “Shit!  What did I do that for?  Now I can’t call
anybody!”  He frantically tried to piece the phone back together and Lenne
watched as his desperation rose.

And a thousand words

One thousand confessions

Will cradle you

Making all the pain you feel
seem far away

They'll hold you forever...

His fingers cradled the locket in
his hands again and he gently removed it from his neck.  Opening it
slowly, he ran his fingers over the picture inside, “I’m so sorry, Lennie…” he
whispered, “I’m sorry I let you down.”

The dream isn't over yet

Though I often say I can't
forget

I still relive that day

You've been there with me all
the way

I still hear you say,
"Wait for me I'll write you letters"

Shuyin rose to his feet and began
to wander around the cave.  Luckily there was light streaming in from
holes in the cave roof, but Lenne worried what would happen to him once night
came.  He traveled toward the back of the cave again, this time going more
toward the right.  His feet were dragging and he was getting tired and
hungry.  He didn’t pay attention to where he was walking until his foot
caught on something and he landed on his stomach.

I can see how you can stand
there with your eyes to the floor

But still I swore to hide the
doubt when I turned back the pages

Anger might have been the
answer

What if I hung my head and said
that I couldn't wait

But now I'm strong enough to
know it's not too late

Shuyin pushed himself up, “What
the hell…?” he asked as he climbed to his feet.  He turned to look more
closely at what he’d tripped over and immediately let out a horrified scream.
 Shuyin backed away frantically and Lenne ran over to see what the matter
was.  She gasped. 

Lying in a crumpled heap on the
ground were two bodies.  One was President Reiber Ackmard with a bullet
wound to his head.  The other…was Allyn.  Shuyin started shaking as
he backed into a wall and slid to a sitting position.  He couldn’t tear
his eyes from the bodies and Lenne went over to him.  She wanted to badly
to hold him but instead resorted to finishing her song.

'Cause a thousand words

Called out through the ages

They'll fly to you

Even though we can't see

I know they're reaching you

Suspended on silver wings

“Damn Bevelle…damn
Bevelle…damn Bevelle…” Shuyin chanted in a
monotonous voice as his eyes continued to caress the bodies that lay before
him.  He grabbed at the necklace again and opened it to look at Lenne’s
beautiful face.  He frowned, “They killed you too…” he said quietly.

Oh a thousand words

One thousand embraces

Will cradle you

Making all of your weary days
seem far away

They'll hold you forever...

“Reiber…Allyn…Skirpa…Bruttam…Wargna…and
my Lennie…” he whispered, “They killed you…my Lennie.  But it was my fault
too.  I should have protected you.”  His eyes took on a dark look
that Lenne had never seen before.  She shivered unconsciously.

Oh a thousand words

Have never been spoken

They'll fly to you

They'll carry you home and back
into my arms

Suspended on silver wings

“I’ll make it all better.” He
hissed to himself.  He silently closed the locket and placed the necklace
firmly back around his neck, “I’ll make them pay.”  He sneered, “They killed
my friends, my Lennie…now me.  I’ll make them pay.”

And a thousand words

Called out through the ages

They'll cradle you

Turning all of the lonely years
into only days

They'll hold you forever...

Lenne
looked deeply into Shuyin’s eyes.  She knew that her time was almost up
and could hear the fayth calling to her.  Shuyin let a few salty tears
fall from his eyes and whispered hoarsely, “We were supposed to be together
until the end, Lennie, but I failed you.  I failed us.”

She
wanted desperately for him to hear her as she leaned closer to him, “Not
until the end…always..” She whispered, “Shuyin…I love you.  I love
you always.”

She
turned and joined the fayth in the bright white light that was streaming down
from above.  A quick glance over her shoulder proved to her that Shuyin
didn’t see the phenomenon that was happening before him.  She let a tear
slip at the thought of what lay before him, but took solace in knowing that his
suffering wouldn’t be forever and that they’d be together again soon. 

The
light vanished without Shuyin even realizing it was there and the young blitzer
looked at the locket again, “I’ll make them pay, Lennie.” He whispered
menacingly, “They’ll regret what they’ve done to us.”

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THE END

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NOTE:  I know that this is a ‘cliffhanger’ but
since we all know what Shuyin does in FFX-2, I thought ending it like this was
appropriate.  Silver Wings 2 is in production.  It is NOT a FFX-2
novelization but rather a post FFX-2 fiction (like an FFX-3).  I’ve worked
out the basic plot of Silver Wings 2 and what exactly is “wrong” with Tidus and
where Shuyin comes into it all.  Lenne will also be featured briefly in it
and there will be more of an explanation behind the whole “fayth/reincarnation”
thing that was talked about in Chapter 20.  I hope that you all enjoyed
the ending to Silver Wings and I hope that you’ll enjoy its sequel just as
much.  Thanks for all the great reviews!  They really mean a lot.