A/N: Hey all, it's been a very, very long time since I posted anything to . Things have really changed for me in the last decade. I'm mostly working on original stuff now and I've even self-published two novels. (okay, not that exciting versus trad published but hey, I'm happy.) Word of warning, this isn't really me jumping back into fandom. I finished this story and wanted to share. So, yes, you're getting all of it at once.

This story addresses (I hope) a lot of the issues I've had with Final Fantasy X/2 and Last Mission. I've had the idea bouncing around in my head for the last decade and in a recent bout of exhaustion wrote it out in about 2 weeks. There aren't going to be any in depth explanations of the back story here. If you don't remember what happened in X or X-2, go bone up. I tried to make it as canon compliant as I could.

Now, in the past, I've been accused of character bashing when I've used beloved canon characters acting canonically to whatever version I was writing having conflicts with other beloved canon characters. In this story, Rikku, Yuna and Paine are at odds with each other. This isn't character bashing. This is old fashioned girlfriends getting into conflicts due to miscommunication, misunderstandings and older than dirt jealousy. Life is messy. If you don't like that type of thing, then this story isn't for you.

Otherwise, this story is completely self-indulgent writing for me. I do have other stories that I'm working on outside of my original novels. They're more Narnia and X-Men related. If I ever finish them, (eyes Narnia that keeps spawning AUs, I may have bit off more than I could chew there,) I'll be back to share. Once again, probably all at once.

PS: I posted a bunch of art to Deviant Art for this story. Check it out under my username prettygothgirl.

Old School Standard Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy X/X-2/Last Mission. It is the property of Square Enix and all other copyright holders. This is a transformative work and I, prettygothgirl, am making no money off of it.

Lady of Fortune

Prologue

Listening to the mournful calls of the pyreflies, Rikku walked through the Farplane Glen. Purple flowers brushed her knees, bobbing their heads as she pushed the aside with her feet. Her hands clutched to her chest, in them, a simple child's toy. The metal couldn't creak under the pressure but if she had the strength she would have deformed the metal shaft that held the circular formed blade with three bent blades coming from the middle. A string dangled between her fingers, one pull and the blade would be away.

One last promise, one last thing and she'd be done.

Rikku peered into the mist. "Toorop!" She called, trying to form the image of him in her mind. It was difficult. She kept trying to merge the little boy she'd known one thousand years ago with the boy who she knew by association now. "Toorop!" Almost as difficult as it had been not to run forward and hug him whenever he appeared nearby. Tears clogged her eyes and her throat almost closed. "Toorop." She whispered and sank to her knees.

"I know you."

Rikku's head jerked up. "Toorop."

The pyreflies continued their moaning. He stood in front of her, dark of skin, dressed in blues and purples. His dark purple hood covered half of his face and was trimmed in gold. "I know that name."

She smiled at him, tears drying on her cheeks. "It's yours." She reached up and pushed the hood back. "I gave it to you, a long, long time ago, my Toorop."

The aeon form blinked bright green eyes that hadn't looked out from under the hood for a thousand years. Swirled green eyes full of confusion. "I don't understand."

Rikku looked down at the toy still clutched in her hand. "I know." She inhaled and looked back up at him. "I know I don't look the same or have the same voice. It's been one thousand years, but I'm still your mother and I still love you."

Bahamut, no Toorop took a step back. "You talk nonsense."

She sighed. "It's difficult to explain."

"Shiva's gone, the Magus Sister's are gone. They are all gone and I remain. I don't understand."

"Shiva's not gone. Shiva," Rikku sighed and brushed her hand across her face wiping away the tear tracks. "I'm doing this all wrong."

"I was supposed to fade away. I want to rest!"

She reached out and grabbed him, her hand changed between one distance and another, from a golden tan to a pure pale gold, she grew taller, her hair became lighter and mixed with greens and purples in large braids down her back. "Toorop!"

He stared at her, his eyes wider than the gil she wore on her person. He stuttered. "Who- who are you?"

Magenta eyes softened. "I'm Luck and I'm your mother."

Toorop tugged on his arm trying to get away. "My mother was Al Bhed."

"I was and I am."

"Let me go!"

She didn't dare, for fear he'd disappear. "You haven't faded because you're my son Toorop. It's not your fate to fade and I won't change it."

He bit his lip. "But-"

"One thousand years ago, I was born into a mortal body of an Al Bhed woman. That body grew up, fell in love, married and had many children and you were one of them. I thought- I thought I knew your fates, even though the war had broken out and Sin had come. I knew that all of you would survive and all of you would be happy." Luck ducked her head. "I was wrong and you, my son, paid the price."

She stared at his bare toes and tried not to smile, even as more tears threatened, how like her son. He hated shoes of any sort.

Her voice shook and she continued. "I tried. We all tried to get you back. We almost died in the trying and they took you from our reach, twisted you, manipulated you, told you lies until you believed them to be truth and then-" She looked up and stared at him. "When you were full grown, they did this to you. They killed you all for the sake of the undead city, all so Yu Yevon could continue to summon on and on for eternity. By the time I died and could change your fate, there was nothing I could do. It was too late and you had a long hard road to travel alone until I could return and set you free like I promised."

Toorop stopped trying to run. His eyes narrowed. "You promised? And what of Shiva?"

"Shiva," Luck inhaled. "Shiva is Death. She tried to end it sooner, became an Aeon and got caught herself. She tried to help me set us all free from the path that fate had set for us."

"You're Fate."

"Yes. No. At times." Luck sighed and held his hand loosely. "I try not to get too involved in that portion of self. If you change things too much, circumstances have a way of coming back and," she shrugged. "Bad things happen."

Toorop didn't move. "Why now?"

She looked up. "Because you had to be ready to go. You had to stop believing the lies that they fed you. You had to become stronger than those who had taken you." She looked down at the toy, now cradled loosely in her other hand. "You were always Al Bhed underneath. They couldn't change that."

Toorop hung his head and smiled. "No. I am Al Bhed, now and forever. I knew deep down that someone had loved me and was proud of me and that someone was Al Bhed."

Luck smiled. "The Al Bhed have always been my favored children." She squeezed his hand. "You have a choice now." She held out the toy. "Your fate is in your hands."

He took the toy and for a moment, what looked like a glowing string flared to life and then faded away again. "Why?"

Luck reached out and ran her fingers through his close-cropped blond curls. "I love you. Things weren't supposed to be like this. You now have the power to make that decision."

"Because of you."

"No, because you are an Aeon." She cupped his face.

"The others?"

"Gone, they gave up their essences as Aeons to bring Tidus back. So that Yuna may be happy. Now, it's your turn to decide what will make you happy." Except Shiva, Death, she had returned to the world and was carrying out her long neglected duties. But now, she was free from any influence that say, someone like Shuyin would try to put onto her because she had been an Aeon.

Toorop looked at the toy and pulled the string. The circular blade rose into what passed as the Farplane sky. "Mega Flare." He whispered.

Luck watched it go up and come back down. She leaned in and kissed his cheek. "It's up to you now, baby."

"Mama?"

"Yes."

"Will I see you again?"

"I'll be around," she blinked. "Everywhere." The golden glow faded and Rikku knelt in front of him. "I just can't help it, I'm popular."

Toorop replaced the blade on the toy. "Thank you." He whispered and faded away.

A tear fell from Rikku's eye and she wiped it away. "You're welcome." She whispered back. She surged to her feet in a rolling motion. Looking around one last time, she walked out of the Glen and back towards the pathways that would take her home. Her promises kept, she could move on with her life.

Rikku jumped onto the path and frowned a little. Not that she had anything important to do with said life. She sighed and started walking upwards. "I guess it's time I found a husband."

In the dark of the night, a golden glow sat on top of the Celsius under a dome of stars. Luck reached out a yellow hand and stared at the gil in the palm of it. It was the moment of truth. She put a spark of power in the coin, set it on its edge on the decking and started it spinning.

Round and round it went, she counted the turns, hope flaring as the numbers increased.

The gil stopped.

Wobbled.

And fell over.

Luck slapped a hand over it. "No." She whispered. Her eyes turning wet. "No!" She'd done everything! Everything she knew she had to do to save Spira. What did the powers expect from her!

But Spira was still doomed.

It was longer. She'd pushed it further away. Before, there had only been a handful of turns before the coin fell. She'd been rushing against a deadline where the end result was certain doom and death and it'd been rushing towards her quickly.

Now, she had time.

She still had to save the world.

Too bad she didn't know where she was supposed to start.

But she was Luck, Fortune, Fate and Destiny. If she was to have any part in saving Spira, no doubt she would be set upon the right path when she least expected it.