Same deal as with my A Hero's Sacrifice: the following story is designed to be a game, and is already finished in script form. I'll be converting it into prose chapter by chapter whenever I find the time.
Enjoy!
occasionee
P.S. Translations for all Al Bhed spoken will be provided at the bottom of each chapter.
"Just where in Spira have you been?" Lulu bluntly confronted Wakka the instant he came into sight from the forest road. What had begun as a 'stroll' in the morning had turned into a complete evaporation from the island by the nightfall, and she only had so much patience with the blitzer's caprices.
"Hmph," was Wakka's only reply as he absently passed her, heading straight towards his house. Lulu immediately gave chase.
"You heard me," she insisted.
"Ah, let it go, ya?" Wakka raised his arm in a frustrated gesture. "Rikku showed up."
"Oh. Well that's nice," Lulu said. "Is she staying the night?"
"Ha. Very much doubt it," Wakka muttered.
Lulu sighed and halted her steps, concluding this must be 'one of those days'. Only then did it occur to her to turn around.
"Hm? Isn't Yuna with you?" Lulu wondered as she squinted at the deserted village gate, having unconsciously assumed the girl had silently followed Wakka into the village. Yuna, as it happened, had left to look for the vanished blitzer a few hours ago, and had been just as missing ever since.
"…No," Wakka informed between unnatural chuckles, suddenly amused by the mention of her.
"So… where is she?" Lulu called to his receding figure.
Wakka shook his head.
"She's gone."
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It All Began When…
Chapter 1: The Theft
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In the darkness, Yuna's fingers traced a mini radiophone hanging on the side of her belt. With a slightly shaky hand, she lifted it to her lips.
"…Rikku?" she whispered into it.
The radiophone crackled for a while before a cheery voice replied.
"Yup, still alive! What is it, Yunie?"
"I'm not so sure this is a good idea," Yuna spluttered in a low voice, very slightly opening the heavy curtain separating her from a long flight of stairs. On the bottom of the stairs stood an enormous, loudly chattering crowd. Most of them had their back towards her, as if they were expecting something to happen in a whole other direction. At least two guards were placed along the stairs, although Yuna could only make out one side of it.
She squinted at the flow of sunlight coming in. "There are just so many people outside… far more than I imagined there would be."
On the other end, there was a loud giggle, slightly distorted by the crackling.
"Oh Yunie, you're just too much…"
"Any sign of certain bigwigs over there?" asked a second, far calmer voice.
"I… can't say," Yuna replied, squinting on as she lifted the curtain a little bit more. "If they see the curtain moving, they'll realize I'm here. I want to make sure you two get safely in first."
"If there's a lot of people, just get the show on the road," the calm voice advised. "Or we'll all have grown beards by the time you're done."
"Paine's right, Yunie!" Rikku agreed. "We'll be fine, I promise!"
"…I guess you have a point," Yuna admitted. "I'll just begin, then. Well… good luck!"
Taking a deep breath, she switched off the connection and made towards the curtain again. This time, she lifted it so that it revealed a small, planar machina on the wall, and reached out for the uppermost button.
No sooner had hundreds of lights lit up on the ceiling of the Luca stadium, than the noise outside escalated into gasps of happy anticipation, and Yuna stepped forth from the speaker's stand.
"I hope this works," she whispered to herself, stepping down the stairs into the sea of cheers and applause.
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"Gone?" Lulu pressed on and resumed the chase. "And may I ask where?"
"To look for him."
"Him?"
"Tidus."
Wakka continued to chuckle quietly as he lifted the doorway blankets and entered his house, leaving Lulu to stand stunned outside.
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"Over and out," Rikku informed in her usual cheerful manner. "Good old Yunie. Always worrying for others."
Her companion snorted, glancing over her shoulder down the Highbridge, at the beginning of which they were standing.
"…While failing to realize her own anxiety," she added. "She gonna be alright?"
"Oh, have a little faith in the High Summoner!" Rikku snapped, mockingly offended for Yuna.
"Sure," Paine shrugged, then snorted again. "As if we're the ones with the easy job."
Rikku took a sprint ahead, then wheeled around and replied with a giggle, "Well, we might just be. Only one way to find out!"
They set off towards the main entrance of the temple, Rikku bouncing along cheerfully, Paine following in her wake at a calmer pace. The sun was shining bright and warm above them, and this part of the city seemed somewhat quiescent today; only the distant everyday bustle of the nearby marketplace could be heard from somewhere behind the towering temple walls. It did not escape Paine's notice that Rikku seemed very pleased with herself.
"See?" Rikku sang at the entrance to the temple yard. "It's working!"
Paine gave her a lazy glance, unconvinced. And indeed, as it soon turned out when they entered into the yard, her doubts were not without reason – a single guard was keeping watch at the main door. The girls hid behind a corner.
"See?" Paine said in turn. "It's not."
"Oh, we can handle him," Rikku assured her.
"He'll remember us," Paine pointed out.
"He'll remember a pair of funnily dressed of ladypeople with no connection whatsoever to the High Summoner!" Rikku retorted. "Get your Garment Grid."
Paine first gave her an incredulous look, then one that indicated that she saw her point, but didn't quite approve of the plan. But Rikku had already taken out hers; namely a palm-sized, flat machina with a simple grid figure carved into it. She pressed a few buttons, slid her finger across it, then stopped at one of orb shapes placed around the grid.
And at that very moment, amazingly, her appearance began to change, as her bright-colored Al Bhed style top and shorts swiftly transformed into a long, beautifully adorned white robe with long sleeves and a hood. Paine snorted as she then casually stretched her arms, as though this magical metamorphosis had been the most mundane thing to do.
"This even covers my hair, see?" Rikku said happily, brushing the rim of the hood. "Come on, you too!"
Grudgingly, Paine obeyed, choosing a dark orb in the middle of the grid as she worked the machina. Immediately, her black leather attire began to change into something almost as dark, but considerably more conspicuous; a mostly black and dark blue, flowing sort of outfit, with a large and blue pointed hat.
"Good choice!" Rikku complimented once the transformation was complete, disregarding Paine's mildly repulsed expression. "You can hardly see your face under that thing. Plus, it's bound to be memorable. Well, shall we?"
Expectedly, the guard stopped them at once as they came close enough to the temple entrance, and indeed shot a quizzical look at their unique apparel.
"…Afternoon, ladies," he greeted tensely. "What brings you to the headquarters of New Yevon?"
"We're here to see the boss," Paine informed.
"Praetor Baralai?" the guard said in puzzlement. It was now that they noticed that for someone left singlehandedly in charge of guarding the yard, he looked rather unsure of himself. "B-but I believe his Lordship... uh, Praetorship… that the praetor is absent for today."
"That can't be!" Rikku exclaimed, exchanging knowing glances with Paine. "He promised us an audience!"
"T-there must be some mistake," the guard stuttered, and a tinge of bitterness flashes across his face as he continued, "you see, as I understand, most of our staff are unavailable on this particular day…"
"…Which is why we scheduled for today especially," Paine said casually. "So we could speak with him in peace."
"Indeed?" the guard wondered. "A-and why, if I may ask, have you come to speak with…"
"His Praetorship?" Rikku snapped, starting to run out of patience. "Um, hello? To join the group, of course!"
"But first, we wanna see if it's really just a bunch of pushovers that can't think for themselves."
"As we've been told."
"And well, judging by you alone…"
"…we might just wanna try the Youth League."
It was hard to tell whether the guard was more upset or confused by now, but it was clear that their tactic was working.
"N-no, good grief, I assure you, there's no need…" he spluttered, making frantic arm motions. "My apologies, I must be mistaken then. His Praetor will… I mean, the Praetorship will… Praetor Baralai will see you immediately."
The guard ceremoniously moved his spear out of the way, and Paine walked past him in a queen-like manner.
"Thank you."
"Terribly sorry for the inconvenience."
"Just don't let it happen again!" Rikku giggled as she scurried in Paine's wake through the door.
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"…I beg your pardon?" she finally managed to splutter, when Wakka stuck his head out the doorway, his expression suddenly far more carefree.
"You know, the star player of the Zanarkand Abes."
With that, he withdrew back inside and burst into another mirthless chuckling fit. Lulu, no longer willing to put this down to a bad day, almost slammed the blankets aside to follow him.
"It's not funny," she said sharply and turned him around by the arm. "Be serious. What are you saying, Wakka?"
"Wha? Still haven't made myself clear?" he snapped, trying to turn away.
"No, not really," Lulu snapped back. "Tell me. What's going on?"
Wakka seemed reluctant, but Lulu did not let go of his arm until he finally gave a deep, yielding sigh and waved off her hand.
"She," he began worriedly, "she told us about this sphere, ya?"
"Yuna did?"
"Nah. Rikku."
"Sphere," Lulu repeated. "Of what?"
"Him."
"…Tidus?"
"Uh-huh."
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The inside of the temple was completely quiet, and one brief scouting through the rooms was enough to tell them that no living soul was present. The entrance had brought them to the main hall, previously mainly used as the Yevon courtroom, but apart from its function, the premises had not really changed at all since the fall of Yevon two years ago. Yet something seemed to be giving it a more eerie feeling now, and it could have just as easily been the absence of the Hymn as the absence of the staff.
"It's working!" Rikku rejoiced. "We really have emptied his place!"
Paine shot her a dry glance, motioning criticizingly towards the door.
"Well, apart from that poor chump that his buddies bullied into staying."
"Of course," Paine said and snorted once more. "Free tickets… to think they'd fall for something that obvious…"
"Whose plan are you calling obvious?" Rikku snapped, "Less talk, more haste!"
The girls walked further into the hall, near the elevator to the second floor. It was floating above an abyss into the underground, covered in a layer of mist, which rose from the depths of Bevelle all the way up into the room.
"So… where exactly did you see that sphere?" Paine asked.
Rikku pointed over the elevator, to the second-floor terrace to where it took its passengers. Up there stood a large door.
"The back room in the corridor behind that door. That's where Gippal, Baralai and, uh, that other guy were watching it."
"That doesn't mean it's also where the sphere is kept," Paine reminded her.
"I know," Rikku said, "but it's worth checking out. Let's go!"
The girls got on the elevator, and it steadily floated its way up to the terrace. Rikku couldn't help but crane her neck to try and look down into the void, but the haze of mist was simply too thick to see through. Paine rolled her eyes at how silly she looked, and had to pull her up by the shoulder when the elevator reached its destination. The two of them jumped off and made straight towards the door.
Paine tried the handle.
"It's open!" she exclaimed.
"So?" said Rikku and opened the door wide while Paine still hesitated. "It was open the last time, too."
"...This has all been far too easy," Paine called after Rikku when she was already halfway into the corridor.
"So why are you complaining?"
Somewhat reluctantly, Paine stepped into the corridor. Keeping up her guard, she followed Rikku all the way through to the door standing between them and the back room. The corridor was of the same ornate, reddish design as the outside of the temple, giving it a more ceremonious feel than that of the ghostly hall.
This time, Rikku grabbed the handle. The door was locked.
"And this one was open as well?" Paine asked.
"Unlocked, yes. I just sneaked in and hid behind the furniture."
Paine looked up and down the door.
"…We break it?"
"Um," it was Rikku's turn to hesitate, "is there any other way?"
"Yes," said Paine casually, "I'll break it."
"W-wait!"
By reflex, Paine reached out to draw her sword, but she had hardly even lifted it when she gave a frustrated grunt and put it down.
"I've been wondering this for a while," she muttered, holding out the weapon to Rikku, "but what's with the stick?"
Rikku looked at the staff in her hand, then at the one she was holding in hers.
"Oh, right," she laughed innocently. "The Garment Grid alters your weapon of choice. But you do know some magic, don't you?"
"…Some, yeah," Paine replied lazily as she turned to the door again and raised her leg into a kicking stance. Before Rikku could stop her, she had already smashed it down at her first attempt.
"Not something I can take pride in," she added, between curses at her impractical clothing.
"Brute force is more your style, huh?" Rikku commented half-angrily.
The girls stepped into the room. It was almost as ornately decorated as the corridor, but felt more like a private bedroom than part of the official temple. Besides a bed, a table and a bookshelf, the room had a large sphere screen on one wall and a long, narrow window with a view to the Highbridge on another.
Paine went straight to the window. Almost immediately, she stepped away.
"…I sure hope it's yours, too."
"Huh?"
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There was a long silence as Lulu studied Wakka in disbelief, trying to think of a rational enough response.
"It… was recorded two years ago, right?"
"Nope," Wakka said quickly.
"Why not?" Lulu demanded.
"…Uh, well," he began with far less confidence, "that's what Rikku kept telling us, anyway. And still… she swore it was him, ya? And somehow… I believe her."
Wakka's voice tailed off hopefully, but Lulu sighed and shook her head.
"Wait!" she then exclaimed. "You said… Yuna went looking for him?"
"Yeah, that she did, 'long with Rikku," Wakka replied with a snort. "Just like that, can you believe it?"
Lulu stared at him for a while before turning away, and gazing up into the ceiling.
"No… I can't. Not until I have seen this sphere myself."
"Mmh," Wakka mumbled in agreement. Another long silence followed as they both just stood there for a while, Lulu sinking deep into thought, Wakka grunting quietly while trying to fix his chronically stiff neck.
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It all began when we lost a friend. A trustworthy friend.
In the outskirts of Luca, near the stone steps leading to the Highroad, four characters stood in wait, trying to keep their distance from the multitudes milling about. Even as the sun was starting to set, but the bustle in the city had still not quieted down, and the air around them was growing more and more anxious.
"Where is she?! Where is she?!" Rikku panicked, motioning with her hands.
"If I knew, I woulda told you an hour ago, ya?!" Wakka snapped, looking twice in the same direction without realizing it. "Freakin' late is where she is!"
"Should we go look for her?" Rikku suggested.
"There's no need," said Paine coolly, nodding her head towards the bypassing crowds. "Listen."
"Aw, I knew I should've skipped work and come earlier!" a nearby young man lamented. "I catch one glimpse of her and bam! She's gone."
"At least you saw her," his friend grunted. "Man, I woulda sold my left foot for that glimpse."
"She'll be back tomorrow though, won't she, Mom?" a little girl behind them demanded. "Won't she?!"
"The lady is very busy, dear, you must understand…"
More and more voices of disappointment followed as the horde moved ahead, replacing the cries of joy and satisfaction that could still be heard just moments ago. Lulu gave a knowing smile.
"I see," she said calmly. "She's already on her way."
"But just how is she planning to get through that unnoticed, huh?" Wakka pointed out, looking over the fence down into the marketplace, where an even thicker and louder crowd still persisted.
Paine's eyes then seemed to catch something, and she stood up on her toes to peer over the masses.
"I don't think 'unnoticed' is the word for it…"
Rikku, Lulu and Wakka all turned to look. Something big, clumsy and whitish was pushing its way through the crowd toward them, much to the irritation of everyone but the children around.
"Ouch!"
"Hey, watch it!"
"Careful there, fatty!"
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" a falsely low voice kept apologizing.
"Mom, Dad!" cried the children. "Is that a real Moogle?!"
"A Moogle?" Rikku echoed.
Finally, the mascot stopped to pant in front of the party, and suddenly their surroundings began to clear out as people thronged away, and parents were busy trying to drag their children along. That's when they began to see something familiar about the creature.
"…Yuna?" Rikku exclaimed in surprise, holding back a giggle.
"What?!" Wakka cried.
"Shhhh!" the Moogle-disguised High Summoner hushed her friends as a few heads were turned around them.
"I-I mean," Rikku said quickly, still half-giggling, "Yu-you know, you're in our way!"
"That's the best you could find on the Garment Grid?" Paine grunted.
"Well, it's certainly the most disguising," Rikku laughed.
"And yet hardly the least conspicuous…" said Lulu, also mildly amused.
"It's not funny," Yuna said with a defeated tone. "This is the only one they don't recognize me wearing." Seeing that there was hardly anyone around them anymore, she ventured to remove the headpiece.
"Shocking," Paine joked.
"That's right… fatty," Rikku giggled on, poking at the costume's round belly.
"Hey!" Yuna protested.
"Oo-kay, enough of jokes, now," Wakka cut in. "Well, you three? Did the plan work or what?"
Yuna and Rikku exchanged awkward glances. Paine simply sighed.
"Well, partially," Rikku finally said, scratching her head.
"Yes, it seems most of New Yevon accepted the free tickets," Yuna added. "But as for the leaders…"
"I knew we should've just done the concert…!" Rikku muttered, prompting Yuna to look away with a sound of embarrassment. "Now there's something they wouldn't have missed even without…"
"I don't think that would've helped much," Paine cut her off.
"E-enough of regrets…!" Yuna interrupted. "So you didn't get the sphere?"
A moment of silence passed as Rikku and Paine turned to stare at Yuna, looking mildly offended.
"Huh?" Rikku said. "'Course we did."
"R-really?" Yuna's face lit up.
"It was a close call, though," Paine said grimly. "We were practically caught red-handed. And there's always a possibility they recognized us."
"What happened?" Yuna asked.
Rikku grinned innocently, tilting her head.
"Wellll…"
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Rikku hurried to the window.
"…They're coming back!" she gasped. Paine had already proceeded to search the room feverishly.
"Wait," Rikku then said as she got a better look at the party marching along the Highbridge, "it's just Baralai, a couple of soldiers and…" She squinted down as hard as she could. "…and the guy who was watching the sphere with him… I think?"
"That's four against two," Paine reminded her. "Let's find the sphere, quick!"
The girls rummaged and rummaged around the room, but as it soon became evident by the sparse furniture alone, the sphere was nowhere to be found. But they kept on looking persistently, until they heard the sound of swift footsteps approaching from the corridor.
Paine stood up quickly.
"We gotta fight them."
"And leave without the sphere… this is great," Rikku moaned.
"'Leave' being the best case scenario…"
Nodding at each other, the girls ran back into the corridor, immediately to face the stupefied praetor Baralai and his soldiers.
"O-outta the way!" Rikku yelled.
"Oooh, so you're the young ladies that 'looked so nice to me'!" one of the soldiers taunted. "Sorry, but you might have just ruined your chances of joining New Yevon... burglars."
"That's enough," praetor Baralai said, his voice suddenly very calm and collected. He drew out his weapon. "I believe this matter will be quickly settled."
At that very moment, a horrifying realization struck them both.
"…P-Paine," Rikku whispered, "you do realize we… cannot change back?"
"…Don't worry," Paine assured her, although with a worried look. "Sword or spells, when it comes to this guy, I…"
"Huh?"
"I mean, let's go!"
Even though the girls had a hard time adjusting to their new fighting techniques, the two soldiers were hardly a match against them, and fell easily. Baralai, however, was a considerably tougher opponent, and it was only thanks to their relentless teamwork that they were finally able to bring him down.
A moment before falling to the floor, unconscious, the praetor cast a frightened look at them, trying to catch a glimpse of their faces, but they both quickly turned away.
Immediately, Rikku crouched down over the unaware Baralai and searched his pockets.
"Oooh, now what do we have here, huh?" she sang triumphantly as she pulled forth a familiar-looking sphere and showed it off to Paine. Paine shook her head.
"Good job… I guess. Now let's get out of here."
"Think they're gonna be alright?" Rikku wondered, glancing at Baralai and the soldiers.
"Just fine. Come on."
The girls hurried through the corridor as fast as they could, but just as they were about to reach the door to the terrace, it suddenly flew open.
The fourth man of the party stepped forth. Getting their first close look at the man, they noticed that he was very young, possibly only around Yuna's age. The elaborate white and blue robe he was wearing indicated a high position in New Yevon. He had thick, shoulder-length fair hair and dark blue eyes that could have looked gentle, had he been wearing a less harsh and battle-ready expression on his face.
He motioned towards the glimmering orb in Rikku's hand.
"I'll be taking the sphere, if you don't mind."
"We do mind!" Rikku declared, closing the sphere tightly in her both hands.
"Then have it your way," the stranger said with a calmness comparable to Baralai's, drawing – to the girls' shock – both of his weapons of choice, a light longsword and a staff. And as it soon became all-too clear, his fighting style involved the seamless, masterful usage of them both.
The battle was nothing like the previous one. The girls could barely keep up a decent defense, let alone go on the offensive. They were soon reduced to simply using their staffs as shields as the stranger swung his sword in quick, powerful arcs towards them. His spells were no less overwhelming, and reluctant as the girls were to give in, the odds were looking less and less to their favour by the minute.
"We can't…" Paine groaned, glancing towards Rikku. "Not like this…"
Rikku answered with a knowing nod, which seemed to suggest that they should try and escape as soon as they possibly could. But at that moment, as her attention briefly diverted from warding off the man's attacks to making this gesture, the man saw his opportunity and struck as hard as he could towards Rikku's sphere-holding hand. Startled, Rikku managed to hold onto the sphere just barely, and instead, something else slipped from her possession.
It all happened very fast. Rikku's Garment Grid crashed loudly as it fell to the floor, and in the blink of an eye, she had reverted back to her normal form, with bright-colored Al Bhed clothes, long golden hair and twin blades equipped as weapons. The girls gasped in horror, and the man seemed stunned – so stunned that he took a step backwards, both of his weapons dropping to his sides.
After the initial shock, another expression crossed his face, and it was impossible to say whether it was a flash of recognition or merely a realization that the uninvited guests had been in disguises all along. But the girls had no time to dwell on this; instead, they immediately took advantage of the situation: with her dual blades, Rikku stripped him of his weapons, and Paine elbowed him against the wall, clearing their way to the exit.
It was only when they reached the end of the Highbridge that the girls dared to look back, and saw to their relief that there were no pursuers.
"Wow, I guess you smacked him pretty hard, huh?" Rikku commented between pants.
"I… guess so," Paine said quietly, a puzzled frown on her face. Even as Rikku turned on her heels, happily juggling the sphere between her hands, she remained gazing towards the temple for a while, unable to shake off a feeling of anxiety.
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"Wakka… there's something about this sphere you're not telling me."
Wakka turned to face her with exaggerated surprise.
"Huuuh? I haven't seen it, have I?"
"Quit playing dumb."
Wakka stared at her incredulously, as though to insist he had no idea what she was talking about, but Lulu was again determined to glower at him as hard and as long as it took for him to drop the act.
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It all began when we lost a friend. A trustworthy friend. I suppose that's true in more ways than one.
But the one I'm referring to is Fahrenheit, our airship. Yes, the one you and Rikku found in the bottom of the sea, and that we rode all around Spira, and finally inside Sin two years ago. We could hardly believe it just went and refused to fly any longer.
By the end of the story, Yuna seemed shaken.
"All that on my account…" she whispered, then bowed as deep as she could. "I'm so sorry!"
"Don't even start, Yuna," Paine snorted. Rikku only gave a mischievous giggle, making Yuna lift her head in puzzlement.
"Sorry," Rikku laughed, "it's just a little hard to take you seriously in that get-up."
"Ah…!" Yuna finally took the hint and changed back into her normal look. The area had emptied of people now, and sun had almost set into the gold and pink horizon.
"But still," she continued, "you even lost your Grid…"
"Yunie, Yunie," Rikku cut her short, "now you're just being silly!" She hesitated a moment before she added, "We all miss Tidus, you know? And you're doing this for him too, right?"
Yuna raised her eyes, and at first she simply nodded. A silence fell among them. Then, after a while, her expression suddenly changed and she turned to Rikku again, "Wait. What do you mean?"
"Huh?" Rikku said at first. "What do you mean, what do I…" Then the realization hit her, and she exchanged looks with Paine, Lulu and Wakka.
"She still doesn't know, does she?"
"Well, maybe that's 'cause you made a point of only tellin' me, saying she should see it for herself?!" Wakka snapped.
"I did?" Rikku said sheepishly.
"You might have," Paine said dryly.
"What?" Yuna cut in. "Everyone, what's going on?"
Rikku stepped closer to her, an apologetic look in her eyes.
"I'm sorry, Yuna. I really meant to tell you, but it was… just a bit hard to say. To you, I mean."
"…What was?" Yuna asked quietly.
Rikku sighed.
"Come on. Let's get back to the airship."
Yuna gave a tense nod. Rikku took a few running steps ahead, beckoning them forward.
"So," Wakka began, desperate to change the subject, "you did get your friend to fix it, then?"
Rikku nodded, "Yup! But let's handle it with care, just in case."
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In the end Rikku decided to turn to an Al Bhed man called Gippal, a childhood friend of hers, who is now the leader of the Machine Faction, a group of Al Bhed who build old machina anew. If anyone could help, he could.
Night had almost fallen when the five of them walked across the city, its streets now mostly quiet and deserted. Silence would have most likely reigned over them as well, had Wakka not been so determined to fill it with aimless chatter.
"The blitz season starts in a few weeks, ya?" he rambled, looking up at the stadium they were passing. "I wonder how my boys are doin'… they didn't do too well last year without a proper captain, ya? Maybe I abandoned them too early… but then again, can't really see myself diving back into the pool after this long of a break, ya?"
But as it turned out, Gippal wasn't to be found at the Djose Temple, the Machine Faction headquarters. The Al Bhed there said that he was visiting Baralai, the praetor of New Yevon, in Bevelle. They even asked her to go there and check up on him, as he had apparently taken his time.
"…And besides, I hear the Goers are startin' to lose their touch, ya? If you ask me, they should just up and fire that dolt they call coach, I mean, heck, in the semifinals last year…"
"Wakka, please," Lulu butted in, sensing the suppressed agony on everyone's faces.
"Whaaat?" Wakka protested. "You were there, you remember how he threw a fit when the referee…"
"…Wakka, please," Yuna repeated emphatically, and Wakka's voice lowered into embarrassed mumble.
The city of Bevelle had not changed a bit - what with everyone asking who Rikku was, and what business she had there. She said she was lucky to actually make it to the temple. While the monks looked away, she crept in and found Gippal in one of the inner rooms. He was with the praetor and some other man. The three of them were watching a sphere.
A sphere… of you.
Reaching the airship, parked at Dock 5, the five of them climbed in. Rikku almost had to pull the rest of them by the hand to steer them away from the bridge, but just as they were about to enter the cabin instead, she saw that this had not helped.
"Yuuuuna!" Brother sang, materializing out of nowhere. "Welcome baaack!"
"T-thank you, Brother," Yuna spluttered, slightly startled.
"Hud huf, behrayt*," Rikku brushed him off, pushing him away by the face.
"Aqlica sa*?!" Brother protested, but left them alone as they proceeded into the cabin.
Rikku said she heard them talking afterwards, saying that no one was to know about the sphere or its contents. I wished to confront them about the matter, but Paine said there was no trusting these men, who were so bent on keeping the whole thing secret. On some level, I agreed. I came to realize that if I ever wanted to get just a glimpse of that sphere, I would have to act and not wait. Put it bluntly – steal it from them.
Yuna observed Rikku closely as she delved into her bag and took out the sphere. She let it rest on her palms for a while before giving a soft smile and holding it out to Yuna.
"…Well, this is it," she said. "Whenever you're ready, Yunie."
Yuna nodded, and slowly closed her hands around the sun-colored crystal ball, lifting it from Rikku's hands with a deep breath.
The three of us devised a plan: I would give an interview and hand out autographs in Luca, while Rikku and Paine would sneak into the temple and seize the sphere. All members of New Yevon would be provided with free tickets to the event, so as to make sure the two of them would find the temple empty. It really felt embarrassing to charge the rest of Spira at hearing me speak, even at the mere sight of me, but we agreed that all proceeds would go to charity. We even promoted it as a charity event.
With a hesitant motion, Yuna switched on the sphere. The others gathered close around her.
At first there was only crackle and rustle, and a hazy, wobbly view into somewhere pitch black and constricted. Then, little by little, a youthful male figure began to take shape amidst the darkness. He appeared to be down on his knees, and holding something in both of his outstretched hands. The details of his face were blurred by the poor quality of the footage, but the overall impression was of an angry expression.
"This is ridiculous!" he then began to shout, his somewhat high-pitched voice distorted by the crackling. "I don't know who you are or what you're playing at, a-and you're lucky I don't even care to know! Just let me out, now! …Are you listening? You've got no right to keep me here!"
Yuna's heart sank. What the man was grasping in his hands were a pair of bulky, unyielding bars, closing him inside a dim, narrow prison cell. His plea falling on deaf ears, he lowered his head and slouched down in desperation.
But at that moment, the film abruptly cut into something else entirely. Suddenly, the screen was dominated by a colossal, ominous-looking machina, built to resemble a massive monster with long, curved horns.
"Huh?" Rikku gasped, indicating that this part was new to her as well. The beast-like weapon was stationed at the end of enormous dark hall with a high ceiling, and guarded by what had to be at least a dozen soldiers.
But hardly had the party taken in this menacing vision, when the film was again disrupted, and clips of the prisoner and those of the colossus began to alternate. This lasted only seconds, however, and then, all at once, it all dissolved away in a white flash.
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"Well, uh," he mumbled, "it's just that he, uh… well."
"Yes?"
"Well, I mean," Wakka scratched his head, "he… he was in a bit of a trouble, ya?"
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A small, sad smile rose on Yuna's lips, and she turned away from them and spoke quietly, "So... that's why. It... it puzzled me, you know? Why he never came to see me... assuming he really had come back. That's why."
"Yuna, I'm so sorry…" Rikku whispered, moving closer to her.
Wakka was not convinced.
"Now hold on a sec, ya?" he cut in, an assertive tone to his voice. "Let's just not jump into conclusions just yet. You sure this didn't just happen two years ago?"
Rikku shook her head eagerly.
"No, it couldn't have."
Lulu seemed to agree.
"…I think a more appropriate question would be… is that really him?"
Awkward silence followed the reasonable, if rather cynical remark. Rikku could no longer take Yuna's silence, and she placed her hand compassionately on her shoulder.
"You alright, Yunie?"
Nodding reassuringly, Yuna turned back to them.
"...Y-yeah. Just a little shocked, I guess."
Finally, she lifted her head to reveal a smile, and took a deep breath before saying, "Well, no time to waste! After all... it looks like he needs my help."
This brought tentative smiles on the others' faces as well, with the possible exception of Paine, who was still regarding Yuna in a rather matter-of-fact manner.
"Mm. Just tell us where to start."
Yuna considered this for a moment, then gave an embarrassed laugh.
"Well, that's just it," she said. "I have absolutely no idea…"
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Rikku: "*Not now, pinhead"
Brother: "*Excuse me?!"