Chapter 1: Arrival
The heat was intense in Miami, even though it was only ten in the morning. A young man walked down the sidewalk next to a small harbor. He had a blue bandana keeping his short, spiky blonde hair out of his face, a white muscle shirt that clung to his athletic frame, black swim trunks with white skulls, and black sandals. Blue eyes stared out at the boats in the harbor from behind dark sunglasses. In one hand he paper bag with several bottles of liquor, and in the other was the handle to a large drink cooler full of beer.
"Yo, CJ!" The young man looked toward the far end of the docks where another young man stood waving at him. The man looked to be the same build as CJ, with the exception of slightly broader shoulders. A folded orange bandana kept his spiky orange hair out of his eyes. The man had on yellow swimming trunks that had an orange stripe going down each thigh and a matching yellow tank top. He stood on the deck of a large white boat. The boat was fifty feet from bow to stern and thirty feet from port to starboard. She had a two foot thick black line that ran around right below the deck. On the back end, in big white letters was written 'The Zephyr'. It was his parents boat, and they were kind enough, aka they were bugged enough, to let Chappu and himself use it for a week.
"Hurry up and get your ass down here, ya?" The man yelled.
"Shut up. I'm the one who had to pick up the alcohol." CJ called out.
"You just wanted to hit on that hot cashier!" Chappu shouted with a cheeky grin.
CJ shrugged as he walked down the dock to The Zephyr. CJ stepped onto the boatand took a deep breath as he stretched. He and Chappu had been planning on this get away for several months and now they had the chance to leave, if only for a week. He carried the cooler and the paper bag to the kitchen and pulled two bottles out before heading back up.
"God it's great to be out here again!" CJ said as he tossed a Lager to Chappu.
"You can say that again brudda." Chappu replied as he twisted off the cap.
"Here's to the start of a great summer!" CJ said as he raised his bottle.
"And to a great week at sea!" Chappu said enthusiastically.
CJ started up the engine as Chappu pushed the boat away from the dock. "Let's get this baby out on the ocean."
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The two friends travelled twenty miles out to sea to a pre-determined location. As they drew closer, they could see seven other boats. Two were smaller than The Zephyr, three were the same size or bigger, and the last two were houseboats in the center with the other boats forming a half circle around them. CJ eased up on the throttle and slowed down as he drew closer. He and Chappu heard a shriek and watched one of their classmates, Susan Johnson, get thrown off the top of a house boat. Some of the upper classmen from the University of Miami had decided to have a week-long event out at sea and invited some of the sophomores and freshman to join.
Chappu clapped CJ on the back and grinned. "Time to get our party on, ya?"
CJ smiled as he took a swig of his drink. "Fuck yeah!"
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Later that night the party really started. Chappu and CJ swam to the larger of the two houseboats and climbed aboard. They could hear music from the top level and headed up after grabbing food from the kitchen. As they got to the top, they recognized many of the attractive women that were grinding against each other as they danced to the music. Chappu tapped CJ's shoulder and pointed.
"Look bro, there's Rylee?" CJ looked to where Chappu was pointing. Rylee was dancing with several of her friends but he could see her eyes shift over to where he was standing. CJ had first talked to her in his English 101 class during his freshman year at the University.
CJ tried to protest but he was pushed by Chappu. He glared at his friend who just gave him the thumbs up before heading off to dance with some girls on the other side of the boat. Rylee looked up with a smile as he approached.
"Oh hey CJ, what's up?"
"I was just wondering if you would like to dance." CJ asked as he flashed her a smile which made her blush.
She smiled. "Of course!" She stood up and pulled him to the 'dance floor' as the music changed to a slower song. Rylee wrapped her arms around his neck as he placed his hands on her hips before moving closer and closer, swaying to the music. CJ closed his eyes and took a deep breath, savoring the smell of the perfume Rylee was wearing. After several minutes she pulled away slightly and looked up, giving him a dazzling smile.
"What?" He asked curiously. Her smile got bigger as she stood on her toes and kissed him deeply. His eyes widened in shock but before he knew it, he was returning the kiss. They broke apart as the music ended and they were both red from lack of air. Then the music changed into a faster, more upbeat song. After several songs Rylee pulled CJ over to the bar.
"So what made you do that?" CJ asked as he poured them both a shot. They took their shots before Rylee answered.
"Well you're very attractive, and I'm attractive. I think we should be attractive together." She said with a wink. "And this just seemed like the best time to show it."
CJ grinned before pouring another shot. A couple hours later, most of the people had passed out or gone to their own boats. CJ had just turned off the music when Rylee grabbed his hand and pulled him downstairs towards the deck. She pulled off her shirt and pants then dove in the water.
When she surfaced she flipped her hair back and gave CJ a seductive grin. "Why don't we finish the party at your boat?"
He grinned and followed her in. They swam to The Zephyr where she immediately took him to the bedroom.
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For CJ and Chappu, the week had gone by quickly. Too quickly for their tastes. CJ took a sip of his last Boston Lager as he eased The Zephyr away from the other boats, waving at Rylee as he left. She blew him a kiss before disappearing in the houseboat. He looked off onto the deck and saw Chappu at the front of the boat staring off into space. Even though he wasn't facing toward the top deck, CJ had a good idea what his friend was thinking about.
"Hey, Chappu!" CJ called out. "What's the matter bro?"
"It's nothing." Chappu replied.
CJ snorted. "Bullshit. You were thinking about them again, weren't you?"
"It's been Six years brudda. Six damn years…"
"It's not your fault."
"I know, but that doesn't make it any easier, ya?"
CJ shrugged. "Shit happens bro. At least you made the best of it."
Chappu chuckled. "I'm still surprised you and your parents found me."
It was CJ's turn to chuckle. "Yeah I am too. But I'm happy we-"He was cut off as a large wave slammed into the side of the boat, knocking Chappu off his feet. CJ looked to the port side and his eyes widened in shock. He watched as three huge fins emerged from the water, heading right for them.
"What the fuck are those?" CJ shouted as he pointed at the fins. Each one had to be over 1000 feet tall and was a sickly yellow color. In front of the fins were two large, white horns.
"It's Sin!" Chappu shouted in disbelief.
"What? I thought Sin was in Spira!"
"It is! At least, it's supposed to be!"
"Well we need to get the hell out of here!" CJ said as he punched the throttle.
Chappu stood on the deck starting at the large creature. 'Sin shouldn't even be here!' He thought.
"We're almost there!" CJ yelled. He stared forward at the docks which were quickly approaching. "I'm sorry baby." CJ whispered, not slowing down. The Zephyr's hull crunched as it slammed into the dock, sending the two best friends to the floor. They quickly stood up and leapt out of the boat before bolting down the dock. They watched as buildings, cars, boats, and people all around them were sucked into the sky above Sin.
"Watch out!" CJ shouted a warning but it was too late. A large piece of wood flew through the air and smashed into Chappu, sending him crashing to the ground. Before CJ had a chance to help him, he was sucked into the air.
"Shit! Chappu!" CJ screamed as he watched his best friend fly into the air. He grabbed onto a wooden pole and held on for dear life, but it was in vain as the pole broke. Both the pole and CJ were pulled into the sky. CJ's last thought were 'If I don't make it out of this alive, I'm kicking God's ass!'
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When CJ woke up his head was pounding and he felt like he had been run over by a car. He groaned as he opened his eyes to see a bright sunny sky. He remained motionless for several minutes until his eyes adjusted to the light. He slowly got to his feet and looked around. He was on a beach with white sand next to a crystal blue ocean.
"There's no way I'm in Florida." CJ muttered to himself as he looked around. About fifty feet behind him was a tropical forest. Deciding that would be his best chance at finding civilization, he headed into the tree line. After walking for close to a half hour of trudging through the sweltering jungle, he almost walked right off a small cliff into the rocky water below.
"Fuck!" CJ shouted and quickly grabbed on to a nearby tree. His heart raced as he looked down. He guessed the drop to be forty or more feet down into a lagoon. In the water he could see many jagged rocks jutting up through the surface which would have cut him to pieces. CJ took in the sight as he tried to calm down from his near death experience.
Meanwhile, unknown to the young man, several people on the far side of the lagoon had spotted him using their binoculars. There were three men who wore yellow overalls and goggles, and one young woman with blonde hair which was mostly held back by a blue bandana, but had several braids with beads interwoven were hanging around her face. Around her neck was a long scarf which hung down to her knees. She wore a yellow swimsuit top that covered her ample bust, and a pair of small green shorts that exposed long tan legs and a pair of black boots. On her hips were several pouches and a pair of daggers.
"Is that... a person? All the way out here?" One of the men asked in a strange language as he peered through his binoculars. The man next to him grabbed the looking glass and looked to where the first man pointed.
"It is! Who would be crazy enough to come out here? Other than us." The second man said with a slight chuckle as he finished his sentence.
"Let me see!" The young woman grabbed the binoculars from the second man and held them up to her eyes. She zoomed in enough to see the young man who was currently holding on to a tree and looking down the side of the cliff he had almost walked off. "Hmm… He doesn't look like he came from the mainland. Hell, he doesn't even look like a Yevonite." She commented to the men, and then quietly to herself "He is kind of cute though."
She lowered the binoculars and turned to the three men with her. "We don't need him wandering into our camp and disrupting the excavation. We should catch him and lock him up so he doesn't interfere." The men nodded as they hefted their gun-like weapons as they moved out.
On the other side of the lagoon, CJ was slowly making his way around the body of water while being extremely careful to not accidentally walk off a cliff. He had become aware of what looked like a pack of dogs following him through the jungle, but wasn't quite sure what to make of them. He was well aware that wolves had a habit of attacking humans, same with wild dogs in Africa and dingoes in Australia, so he kept his guard up. A bit later as he was walking CJ tripped on a root sticking out of the ground and the dogs made their move. As he hit the ground two dogs dashed out from the bushes intent on making a meal out of him. His eyes widened and threw out his right hand. Electricity crackled to life and shot out from his open palm which hit the first dog then branched out to the second. Both animals cried out in pain and retreated back into the woods.
CJ got to his feet and stared out at the forest, lightning forming over both of his hands. "Come on you fuckers! Don't be pussies!" He called out in anger. He heard snarling from the forest before three more dogs darted out from the undergrowth. He lashed out with a kick which connected with the first dog sending it flying, and then sent a blast of lightning at the second dog. The third lunged and attached itself to his arm. CJ gritted his teeth in pain before charging his body with electricity which shocked the dog and forced it to let go. The three dogs backed off and began to circle the man, snarling and snapping their jaws.
CJ smirked. "Let's see how you like this!" He stomped his foot on the ground and three spikes made up of rock shot up from the ground, impaling each of the dogs. They all cried out in pain and began whining before they evaporated into nothing, leaving only small fairy-like things to fly around before disappearing into the trees. "What the fuck?" CJ muttered to himself as he stared in curiosity as the flying objects disappeared. He kept staring for a minute before shrugging and turning around, only to have three gun-like weapons pointed at him. He stared for almost a minute at the three men holding the weapons.
"Um, can I help you?" CJ asked as he raised an eyebrow at the men.
"Who are you?" The man directly in front of him demanded in a language CJ had never heard.
CJ kept his eyebrow raised. "I'm sorry, but I have no idea what you just said."
"Who are you and what are you doing here?" The man took a step forward and shoved the muzzle of his gun into CJ's chest which made the man's eyes narrow.
"I'm going to suggest you don't do that again." CJ said with warning in his voice.
The man turned to the other two men with him. "Let's get him back to base. Rikku will want to interrogate him." The man looked back to CJ. "On the ground!"
When CJ didn't comply with his demand, the man pushed CJ in the chest with his weapon a second time. CJ noticeably frowned and crossed his arms. "I'm gonna give you one more chance man."
"Get on the ground now!" The man pushed CJ one more time and he snapped. CJ grabbed the man's gun and pulled him forward into a vicious headbutt which sent him to the ground. CJ then threw out his arms sending lightning from his fingertips and shocked the other two men into unconsciousness. Looking down, he realized the first man was also out cold.
"Wow that was way too easy." CJ said and was almost disappointed. He turned and made to walk away when he heard a female's voice from behind him.
"What did you do to them?" He spun around and saw a thin, attractive blonde entering the small clearing. He looked her up and down, taking in her long tan legs and rather curvy body. She was wearing a pair of small green shorts, boots, a long scarf around her neck, and a yellow bikini top. Her hair was a mess of braids held back by a blue bandana and on her hips were a pair of daggers. The blades were quite long and at the base it spread out to a circle with the handle in the middle. When he looked at her face, he saw that her eyes were green and had a black spiral that started on the outside of her sclera and stopped as it met her pupil.
"I'm assuming you're with these guys?" CJ asked as he motioned to the men lying unconscious on the ground between them.
"Oh I'm sorry! I didn't realize you don't speak Al Bhed." She said with a small giggle before turning serious. "Who are you?"
"Shouldn't I be asking you that question? You guys are the ones who attacked me!" CJ said and crossed his arms and cocked his head in confusion. He had never heard of a language called Al Bhed.
The young woman placed her hands on her hips where CJ saw two large daggers. "Well you're the one who came out of nowhere to our island. You're trespassing!"
CJ shook his head. "Look I don't even know where I am, alright? I woke up on the beach maybe an hour or two ago. Can you tell me how to get back to Miami?"
"Miami? Where is that?" The girl tilted her head in confusion as she stared.
"You know, Miami, Florida. In the United States." As she kept staring at him in confusion, he groaned. "Where the hell did I end up, Oz?"
"No silly! You're in the Southern Seas. We're almost a hundred miles south of Luca, and about fifty miles from Kilika."
'Kilika? Luca? Where have I heard that before…?' Then it dawned on him. He had heard those names from Chappu which meant "Fuck, I'm in Spira aren't I?"
The girl giggled again. "Where else would you be silly?"
CJ rubbed his head as he felt a headache coming on. "Shit…" He looked up at the young woman who was still staring at him. "Any chance I could hitch a ride to Luca? Or anywhere for that matter."
The girl put a hand up to her chin and looked thoughtful. "I dunno about that. You did just knock my brother and our friends out." Seeing CJ about to respond, she waved her hand. "I'm sure we can drop you off somewhere. But only if you help us out a little bit. We're checking some ruins for old machina."
"Machina? That's like, technology that's forbidden right?" CJ asked. Never did he think he would be grateful for the history lessons Chappu gave him about Spira.
"Yup!" The girl said with a nod of her head. "Yevonites don't really like us Al Bhed because we use machina. To them, machina is the reason Sin was created."
"Well that's stupid." CJ said with a snort. "Back home, every single country uses technology in some way, shape, or form. Everything from basic household appliances and entertainment, to transportation and weapons. But I don't see why I couldn't help you dig up some old machines."
The girl gave him a big smile. "Great! Now let's wake these three up and we'll get on back to camp." She crouched down and woke up the man nearest to her, while CJ nudged the other two until they awoke. As soon as the men saw CJ they jumped to their feet and scrambled for their weapons. The girl jumped between the men and CJ while and raised her arms.
"Wait! It's okay! He's going to help us dig out the machina in the ruins!" She exclaimed confusing CJ due to the language switch.
"He attacked us Rikku!" The first man shouted in Al Bhed at the girl in front of CJ.
""He didn't mean to! You guys were threatening him and he doesn't even speak our language! Shame on you Keyakku!" The girl glared at the man and he lowered both his weapon and his head in shame. "He promised he would help us find more machina in exchange to be dropped off in Luca, so that's what we're gonna do!"
"But, Rikku-" The man started to say but the girl cut him off.
"Father left me in charge here Keyakku." She said sternly and put her hands on her hips. "This is what I've decided. Now be nice to our guest."
The man sighed then stepped forward and put out his hand. CJ stared at him for a second before reaching out and shaking the man's hand. The man stepped back and put his hand to his chest. "Keyakku." He said and CJ could only assume that was his name.
CJ put his hand up to his own chest and replied "CJ."
The man nodded and turned to walk away, the other two men following. The girl gave CJ another big grin. "Since everyone is getting introduced, I'm Rikku!" CJ couldn't help but find her energetic personality infectious and cracked a smile. "Now let's get this show on the road and get back to camp. Follow me!" Then she turned and began jogging to catch up the men with CJ following close behind.
He followed quietly behind Rikku and the other Al Bhed until they reached the Al Bhed camp. All around the camp were Al Bhed clamoring around numerous machina which were either being repaired or had maintenance work done. The camp was on the side of a large crater and CJ saw ruins at the bottom, with more Al Bhed working with machina in the process of excavating the site.
"So what are you guys doing here exactly?" CJ asked as he watched the men working.
"We're trying to find more machina to help us in the fight against Sin." Rikku said with a smile as she watched him take in the sight.
As they walked through the camp, they heard several people shouting and turned to see a large machina that looked like a crab begin to fall off the lifts the Al Bhed had put it on to hold it up. CJ saw that it was about to land on two of the workers who were currently underneath the machina doing a repair and acting quickly. He stomped on the ground and several large pillars of earth shot up and took on the weight of the collapsing lifts, sparing the workers from being smashed. The men looked up and saw the machina maybe a foot away from them, but it was now stuck in place by the rock pillars.
"What was that?"
"Incredible!"
Rikku turned to CJ in shock at what she just witnessed. "H-how did you do that?"
"I'm an elemental!" CJ replied with a large grin. "I can create and manipulate lightning, fire, and earth. Lighting is my primary element so that's my bread and butter, but I can do some cool stuff with the other two."
"That's not possible! The only people who can do anything close to that are mages!" Rikku exclaimed.
CJ just chuckled and scratched his head. "Well like I said, I'm not from here." Rikku suddenly got a sparkle in her eye as she realized how much help he would be in excavating the ruins. As she stared at him with s large grin, CJ began to get nervous. "Uh, yes?" He asked cautiously as he slowly took a step back.
"This is gonna be great! Let's get you down to the ruins!" Rikku said as she grabbed him by the arm and started to drag him towards the ruins in the crater. "There's a ton of machina down there that we can't get to because of all the dirt. You can help us with that!"
"Wait! I can't work in this!" CJ stopped and gestured to his clothes. He was still wearing swimming trunks, a tank top, and sandals.
"No problem!" Rikku then proceeded to drag him to the main tent that was set up for the camp. Over the next fifteen minutes she managed to scrounge up a pair of yellow and black overalls that fit, a shirt, pair of goggles, and black work boots. He put everything on but decided to ditch the shirt as he would be working in the sweltering heat; even if the work was underground he was sure he would work up a sweat. He walked out of the small changing room that was thrown up and turned to Rikku.
"How's this?" He asked as he looked down at himself.
Rikku blushed as she saw him walk out. He wasn't the most muscular, but he was toned and in good shape. "I-it's good. Now let's get you down to the pit!" CJ groaned as she grabbed him by the arm again and began to lead him out of the tent. Minutes later they entered the ruins where she showed him to a large room. As they entered he saw that the ceiling had been partially collapsed and there were tons of dirt and slabs of rock covering more crab-like machina. CJ rolled his head from side to side with audible cracks then stretched his arms.
"Let's get started then!"
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Over the next week things for CJ had definitely improved. Since he did not know Al-Bhed and only Rikku knew enough Basic to hold a conversation with him, she was the one he spent the most time with. She had taken it upon herself to teach him the Al-Bhed language and he took to it like a fish to water. By the end of the first week he could now speak enough to get by in a conversation. What CJ was fascinated by with the language was how they didn't exactly have their own words; it was more like they took the alphabet and mixed up the letters. What would normally be an A was changed to a Y. The Al-Bhed language would spell Apple as Ybbma and it would be pronounced 'ae-bae-baemah'. When CJ would speak to Keyakku to other Al-Bhed, most of his time was spent trying to decipher the words be didn't know and matching up the letters and pronunciation.
"Hey, CJ!" The elemental was pulled from his thoughts by Keyakku who came jogging in to the room he was working in. He was currently in the process of removing more dirt and rocks from a large room that looked like it used to be an armory. "Rikku haatc you in the main dahd."
"Haatc? Dahd?" CJ was able to understand everything except those two words.
Keyakku nodded. "Haahah-te-ku, deah-ha-de." He pronounced the words slowly. CJ closed his eyes and imagined the Al-Bhed alphabet and began trying to figure out what he was being told. As he stood there, Keyakku waited patiently. He would never say it, but he was impressed by this stranger that Rikku said is not from Spira. First the man easily took out Keyakku and his friends, and then somehow convinced Rikku that he wasn't a threat. The most impressive part was how he can move the elements and was willing to help them, even though they attacked him. Then to top it all off he wanted to learn Al-Bhed and grasped the language very well!
"Tent! Dahd means tent!" CJ exclaimed to himself. "So Rikku wants me in the main tent?" He asked Rikku's brother.
Keyakku grinned and patted the elemental on the back. "You're getting better!"
CJ made a so-so motion with his hand. "Yes, but I still have trouble with some words." He replied slowly as he made sure to pronounce the words correctly.
"You're still doing better than any other uidcetan!"
CJ frowned as he and Keyakku left the armory. "That means… outsider?"
"I told you that you're doing great!" Keyakku and CJ made small talk with the Al-Bhed assisting him when he said a word that CJ didn't understand. They made their way out of the underground fortress and entered the camp. As they walked to the main tent, many Al-Bhed waved to the pair as they walked by. CJ had become quite popular after he helped many of the Al-Bhed over the last week. There were more than a few of the Al-Bhed that began calling him 'Luz' since that was the exact translation of his name into Al-Bhed.
"CJ! What took you so long!" Rikku called out from the door of the main tent. She was standing with her hands on her hips and tapping her foot in annoyance. As they drew closer to the smaller Al-Bhed she rounded on Keyakku. "I send you to do one thing; get CJ! You took forever just to do that!"
Keyakku just shrugged as his sister poked him in the chest. "We were talking about things and I was helping him with translations. Sorry that we didn't run here as fast as possible." Rikku huffed before spinning around and going back through the tent. CJ made a face that made Keyakku laugh before they went inside. There they found Rikku standing in front of a large hologram of what they mapped out of the underground fortress.
"Some of the mappers found something down near the bottom level."Rikku said as she pointed to a large section towards the bottom. "We're not sure what it is honestly. But there is a huge stone door with several internal and external locks."
"Why are you telling us this?"Keyakku asked as he studied the hologram.
Rikku grinned. "Because the three of us are heading down there! We're going to find a way into that room to uncover its awesome secrets!"
"I feel like this plan is going to end with us running for our lives."CJ muttered to Keyakku who chuckled.
"More than likely." Rikku glared as she smacked her brother upside the head.
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Many hours later, CJ and Keyakku stared at the enormous door that the mapping team had found in the depths of the fortress. Around them Rikku was running all over the large room trying to figure out how to open the door. On the door they could see several large locks and what looked like a keypad to the side where Rikku was now standing.
"Guys! I think I can get it open!"She called out to CJ and her brother. As she fiddled with the keypad CJ took note of several areas where there were cracks. To him it looked like something inside had been trying to get out.
"Rikku, I don't think that's a good idea."CJ warned as he started to cautiously walk over to her, keeping an eye on the door the whole time.
"Almost…there…" Rikku said quietly as she furiously tapped on the key pad. There was a loud ding which seemed to signify the door code being passed. "Got it!"
Suddenly, as the locks started to turn, they heard a loud roar before something large crashed in to the door from the inside. Dirt and chunks of rock fell from the ceiling as CJ ran to Rikku. He grabbed her by the hand and started pulling.
"We have to get out of here!" He shouted as the roaring became louder. The group of Al-Bhed began to follow Rikku, CJ, and Keyakku out of the large room when there was another roar and crash, one that caused the door to completely break apart and fall to the floor. CJ's eyes widened as he saw the massive fiend that was locked away. To him the monster looked similar to a Rancor from Star Wars. It was a large, bipedal creature with short legs and long arms. It had a thick neck attaching its head and body and its beady black eyes locked on to the group in front of it. It bellowed an ear shattering roar and began lumbering towards them.
"Run!"CJ shouted and the Al-Bhed took off. As she ran, Rikku noticed CJ wasn't with her and Keyakku. She spun around and saw him at the entrance of the room standing ready to fight the monster.
"CJ!" She screamed and made to help him but Keyakku stopped her.
"Rikku! We need to get out of here!"He yelled and started pushing her up the stairs.
The feisty Al-Bhed punched her brother hard but it wasn't enough to stop him from picking her up and carrying her away. "No! CJ needs our help!"
"Do you not trust him? He'll be fine!"Keyakku shouted back and continued up the stairs. Tears came to her eyes as Rikku watched CJ dash into the room right before a large fist came crashing to the ground where he was just standing.
CJ rolled to his feet before running as fast as he could to the remains of the newly demolished door. The monster was faster than it appeared. He spun to face the monster and stomped his foot on the ground. Two pillars of stone rose from the ground, picking up two chunks of the door and sending them flying at the beast. It roared in pain as it stepped back then grabbed a piece of debris and threw it. CJ's eyes widened before he jumped off the boulder rubble he was on, barely avoiding the stone. He rolled on the ground until he came to a stop next to a broken pillar.
The monster lumbered forward and brought its claws down, intent on smashing him into the floor. He quickly jumped to his feet before ducking between the monsters legs and taking off towards the stairs. He heard the monster roar again and didn't have time to dodge. The beast swiped at him again, this time catching him in the side and sending him flying into a wall. His head cracked against the wall causing him to momentarily see black before a wave of nausea hit him. As he sluggishly pulled himself up, he saw the creature once again bearing down on him. He just managed to avoid one swing which crashed into the wall behind him. As the huge fist hit the wall, CJ saw water begin pouring through the cracks and had an idea.
He turned and ran as fast as he could; feeling a sharp, stabbing pain in his ribs indicating something was broken. He turned around and met the monster face to face.
"I hope this kills you, you ugly piece of shit." He panted. The creature roared and took one step before CJ made a hard pulling motion. Due to the cracks in the wall, the foundation was now compromised. This let water to begin leaking through the wall. Using both his earth abilities, CJ manipulated the elements to break away a large hole from the wall and a huge torrent of water began rushing in. The water blasted into the monster, which let out a shriek and tried to move to the staircase where CJ stood.
"Not today." CJ glared at the monster then jumped into the rapidly rising water. Seconds later he released the built up energy from his body in the form of electricity. The beast let out an ear piercing scream as it convulsed, thrashing around in the water. CJ held up the shock for ten seconds before cutting the power and pulling himself onto the staircase. He looked back at the creature that was lying in the water, its chest slowly rising in labored breaths. He shook his head and painfully made his way up through the ruins, noting the rising water behind him the whole time.
Once he reached the surface he was greeted by a crowd of cheering Al-Bhed, led by Rikku and Keyakku. He smiled at them as he collapsed onto the ground. "How much of the ruins are built underwater?" He asked Rikku as she drew close.
"Over eighty percent, but all of the ruins above ground have been excavated. Why?"
He grimaced in pain as the resident healer began poking his ribs. "I kind of broke the wall and caused a flood."
Rikku glared at him for several seconds before sighing. "Oh well I guess. We were close to being done anyway, so we can pack up a couple days early." Then she brightened up. "But we can make it to Luca in time to see the Psychs play the Aurochs!
"What are those, sport teams? Ow!" CJ cried out as the healer tightened the bandages he was putting around the elementals waist. Rikku's eyes brightened as she realized he didn't know about Blitzball. She quickly launched into a lengthy explanation of the sport leaving CJ regretting ever asking the question.
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Two days later CJ was on the deck of the ship standing next to Rikku as they arrived in Luca. He stared at the city in amazement and whistled. "Wow, this place is pretty big! A lot bigger than I thought it would be."
"If you think this is big, you should see Bevelle! It's the capitol of Spira." Rikku giggled and stared out at the city. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the feeling of the wind. CJ turned to look at his first friend in Spira and smiled. He was quite lucky to have run into the Al Bhed first, rather than some of the nastier fiends Rikku had told him about. He could honestly say he would miss being around both the Al Bhed, and Rikku. Once the ship finally docked at one of the city ports CJ followed Rikku and some of the workers down the ramp.
"Well, I guess this is where we say goodbye huh?" Rikku said and gave the elemental a sad smile
"Nah, no goodbyes." CJ said with a crooked grin. "I'll see you later though."
Rikku noticeably perked up and smiled. "Sounds good!" Much to his surprise, she then pulled him into a hug making him wince in pain.
"I'll miss you too Firecracker." He said before pulling away. "Hopefully we'll run into each other somewhere around Spira."
"Oh! One last thing." Rikku pulled out a decent sized bag from one of her hip pouches and handed it to him. "This is some money to get some clothes and weapons. It's dangerous out there on the road."
CJ accepted the bag and put it in his pocket. "I'll pay you back when I can."
"Don't worry about it!" Rikku said with a wave of her hand. "Just stay alive so we can meet up down the road."
"Thanks, Firecracker. I appreciate it." CJ said with a smile.
"Just consider it payment for anything I need help with down the road." She said with a smirk before looking down. CJ looked at her questioningly then she quickly stood on her tip toes and kissed him on the cheek. "I'll see you later, CJ!"
CJ smirked as he watched her run back to the ship before turning and walking down the pier. Rikku stood next to the railing of the deck and watched as CJ disappeared into the crowd.
"Too bad he left." She heard someone speak in Al Bhed and turned to see her brother Keyakku. "Why didn't you convince him to stay? We sure could have used his help with mining. He's great at it! Not to mention he's a mechanic too!"
"You know he's trying to find his best friend." Rikku replied as she turned to look back at the crowd where CJ had disappeared. "If I were him, I wouldn't stop either."
"That's too bad. He's just like us." Keyakku shrugged as he grabbed a backpack. "He's the only man I would ever approve you to be with."
Rikku rolled her eyes at the thought but watched CJ's back until he disappeared into the crowd. 'Hmm…'
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CJ was slowly making his way through the busy streets of Luca. As he walked, he noticed the dirty looks people were giving him and realized it was because he was still wearing the Al Bhed clothing he was given. 'Man, these people really don't like the Al Bhed. Religions are so retarded.' He thought to himself. After roughly thirty minutes he managed to find a clothing store and went inside. He quickly found a yellow shirt, a black sleeveless jacket with a hood, plain black pants, and a pair of boots. After changing, he grabbed an extra of each except the boots then made a discovery in the back of the store.
There looked to be some sort of an armory with various types of armor as well as weapons. He grabbed a set of metal leg guards that covered the top of his boots all the way up to his knees, as well as basic metal arm guards for his forearms. Next he decided on grabbing two rather large combat knives that looked similar to a Kukri, knives that the Ghurka from Earth use and as an afterthought he also grabbed a plain black backpack to store his extra clothes in, and a set of flint and steel. He took everything up to the counter where the man gave him a dirty look.
"We don't serve your kind here." The man spat while glaring.
"My kind?" CJ asked even though he was sure what the man meant.
"You filthy Al Bhed! I want you out of my store now!" The man's voice was quickly raising and he stood up from his seat behind the counter.
CJ raised his hands as he tried to calm the man down. "Whoa, whoa. I'm not an Al Bhed. Do you see my eyes?" He had spent the last week among the Al Bhed and quickly found out they all had the same green eyes with a spiral.
"I don't care! You came in wearing the same clothes as those heathens so you must be associated with them!" The clerk slammed his hands down on the counter before pointing towards the door. "Get out!" CJ turned to leave but smirked and grabbed everything he was ready to pay for and darted out the door. He heard the store clerk shouting from behind him but CJ quickly disappeared into the crowds. He ran for several minutes before stopping to catch his breath and looked around to make sure no one had followed him.
"Racist motherfuckers." CJ muttered as he shook his head. He disappeared into a side alley and quickly changed into the clothes he acquired before rejoining the main crowd. Everyone around him was talking about the Blitzball tournament and seemed to be heading in the direction of the stadium so he went with the flow. He paid for his ticket, surprised by how much money Rikku had given him, and soon found his seat. Looking around he saw that the entire stadium was made of stone which made him question their choice. After all, stone isn't the most comfortable seat.
The first match was the Al Bhed team versus a team called the Besaid Aurochs. One team member, when they showed him on the large screens all over the stadium, looked very similar to Chappu. CJ actually felt kind of bad for the orange haired man because all of the Al Bhed seemed to be trying to take him out of the game. The game ended in the Aurochs favor as they won the game 7-4. CJ could see that, despite hating the Al Bhed, a majority of the people in the stadium were rooting for the Psych's to win and were disgruntled at the Aurochs victory.
After the game as streams of people began heading for bathrooms and food stands preparing for the next game is when the screaming started. All around the stadium fiends of all shapes and sizes began appearing and attacking bystanders. As he stood up several fiends nearby decided he looked like a tasty snack. A large lizard fiend hissed and jumped at him, forcing him to jump down several benches. As he landed on the bench, he slammed his fists into the stone. All around him pillars of rock jutted from the stadium and impaled many fiends. He turned and began shooting bolts of lightning at bird-like fiends he saw flying around then started making his way to the closest exit.
CJ had ducked under a wolf-like fiend then kicked it away when he heard it. To him it sounded like the T-Rex from the Jurassic Park movies and for a moment he had the sudden urge to urinate. That moment quickly passed as he saw a huge fish-like creature that was covered in bandages. He watched as dark purple energy seemed to be drawn from the surrounding area before it was unleashed, disintegrating fiends within a certain radius. CJ quickly had to duck under a large armored lizard and hit it with a blast of lightning. The creature screeched and smashed its tail into CJ, knocking him into the bleachers. He cried out in paid as the blow impacted his ribs. He looked up and saw the creature rear back on its hind legs, ready to bring its claws down and end his life but suddenly burst into pyreflies.
He looked around and realized the fish monster had probably just saved his life. "Shit…" He ran around the stadium, killing a few fiends before leaving. He grabbed a map from a nearby tourist booth and opened it up searching for the best way out of the city.
'Mi'ihen Highroad huh? Why not.' He thought as he put the map in his pocket and took off.
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"Highroad… Highroad…" CJ said to himself as he walked around the north side of Luca. He had been searching for the road that would hopefully lead him to his best friend for roughly thirty minutes but was not having any luck. "Where the fuck is it?!" He yelled in frustration before dropping himself onto a set of stairs. He closed his eyes and laid back and closed his eyes, trying not to focus on the pain of broken ribs. Several minutes went by before he heard someone call out his name.
"CJ!" His eyes shot open and from an area above him at the top of the stairs, he saw a familiar head of orange hair. He slowly got to his feet and shook his head.
"Chappu! Where the fuck have you been?!" CJ shouted and as his friend ran down the stairs. Chappu hugged his friend and laughed.
"I ended up on Besaid brudda!" Chappu grinned. "How did you get here?"
CJ shrugged. "Oh you know, met up with a hot Al Bhed chick and her friends, helped them out, then they dropped me off here in Luca." He heard a cough and turned to see a young woman with short brown hair. She had one blue eye and one green eye and was wearing what looked like bandages wrapped around her waist and chest and up around her neck with a black shirt underneath. She had a sash wrapped around her waist and stomach that was tied in a bow on her back, and two white sleeve-like pieces of cloth tied on her arm with a drawstring.
Next to her was a man who looked to be in his mid to late twenties and had orange hair that came up into a horn on the front of his head. He had on a headband and was wearing a yellow Blitzball uniform, but the man wore no shirt. Then there was another woman with long black hair and wore a black dress which was covered in different belts and buckles. The last, person, was tall and looked like a large blue feline. It was very muscular and carried a large spear. On its head was a long, very sharp looking horn. They all stood at the top of the stairs and along the railing, looking down at the two friends.
"What's up guys? My name is CJ." The elemental introduced himself with a wave.
"Who's dis Chappu?" The other orange haired man asked. CJ recognized him as the Aurochs player that was targeted by the Al Bhed during the game.
Chappu clapped his friend on the shoulder. "This is CJ guys. He's the one I told you about. Turns out he got sent here too, just to a different place." He turned to CJ. "This is my big brudda Wakka, Lulu, Kimahri, and our Summoner Yuna." He introduced the group to CJ and pointed to each person. "There's another kid but he's running a little late."
"No I'm not!" Everyone turned as a voice spoke up. Coming up the stairs was a young man, a couple years younger than himself. He had spiky blonde hair and blue eyes. He was wearing black overalls that were missing the right leg, a yellow jacket that exposed his muscular chest, and an odd looking metal arm guard that encompassed his whole left arm. Behind him was a man who maybe an inch or two shorter than CJ with brown hair and a scar across his right eye. He was wearing a large red coat, black leather armor, black sunglasses and had a large sword across his back.
"Yuna. I wish to become your Guardian, do you accept?" The man asked.
"You serious?" Wakka asked in shock.
"You refuse?" The man asked with a raised eyebrow.
"No! We accept, right everyone?" Yuna asked the group and everyone nodded their heads, except CJ.
"But why become Yuna's Guardian?" Lulu asked the man.
"I promised Braska."
"You promised… my father?" Yuna asked incredulously. Then she bowed. "Thank you Sir Auron, you're welcome to join us."
"And," Auron said as he grabbed Tidus by the arm and pulled him forward "He comes too."
"Hi guys." Tidus said sheepishly.
Auron took a few steps forward. "This one I promised Jecht."
Yuna gasped. "Is Sir Jecht alive?"
"I can't say. I haven't seen him in ten years." Was Auron's stoic reply.
"Oh… I see…"
"You'll meet eventually."
"Yes. I'm looking forward to it." Yuna said confidently.
Auron turned and stared at CJ who raised an eyebrow and stared back. "Yes?" CJ asked, not breaking eye contact.
"Are you one of Yuna's Guardians?"
CJ shook his head. "Nope. I got separated from Chappu here and just met up with him. I didn't even know he was a Guardian until now."
Auron nodded in understanding. "Well, if you will excuse us. We must accompany Yuna on her Pilgrimage."
CJ watched as everyone except Chappu turned to leave. "Why don't I come with you guys?"
"No offense brudda, but I don't think you can handle being a Guardian." Wakka said with a laugh.
"But you'll let a kid like him," He gestured to Tidus "Join? Really?" He turned to Chappu. "Dude, help me out here. You know what I can do."
Chappu nodded. "Yuna, CJ here does know how to fight. In fact I bet he can beat Lulu and Wakka." Seeing Wakka's look of disbelief, Chappu shrugged. "I'm sorry brudda, but like he said I know what he can do."
Auron looked deep in thought before he spoke. "CJ, if you can beat Lulu and Wakka, and if Yuna agrees to have you join us, then you can become a Guardian."
CJ nodded. "Let's do this."
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The group had travelled down the road for several miles before finding a large clearing next to a small patch of woods where Auron decided the fight would take place. It was apparent to everyone that CJ was in pain and the elemental was pleasantly surprised when she used her magic to heal his ribs. He jumped up, being pumped for the match which would be CJ versus Wakka for the first fight, then against Lulu. The elemental and Blitzball player stood facing each other in the clearing as Yuna stood with her hand raised.
"Is everyone ready?" CJ and Wakka both nodded. "Begin!"
The orange-haired man quickly charged his Blitzball with electricity and sent it flying at CJ, who ducked before dashing forward. As he approached, Wakka quickly drew out a small knife from the small of his back and slashed at CJ. The younger man quickly grabbed Wakka's hand and twisted it backward making him drop the knife. CJ held on to the hand and kicked Wakka twice in the chest. The hum of electricity made him turn his head to see Wakka's Blitzball coming back at him. He quickly spun Wakka in front of him as a shield, forcing the Blitzball player to get shocked by his own attack.
Wakka cried out in pain as he was shocked and CJ let go, jumping back. "Done yet?" He asked with a smirk. Wakka gritted his teeth and grabbed his Blitzball.
"Let's see how you like this!" The Blitzball was suddenly covered in fire and Wakka let it fly then shouted "Thundara!" CJ quickly ducked under the ball and threw his right arm out, catching the spell in his hand which formed into crackling ball of electricity. Wakka's eyes widened at the sight.
"How did you do that?!" He exclaimed. CJ just grinned and closed his hand, making the ball disappear. "I'm an elemental. While most of us only have control over one element, which does make them more powerful" At this point the Blitzball came back. CJ stomped on the ground and a wall of earth rose up, blocking the ball. "I have control over three. But my main element is lightning."
Wakka shook his head. "I give up. As long as Yuna says so, I'm happy to have you with us brudda."
CJ grinned then immediately had to dodge a large icicle He looked over and saw Lulu standing across from him with a smirk. "You still have to defeat me."
Without giving him a chance, Lulu began casting spell after spell. CJ's eyes widened as he starting dodging the multiple icicles, fireballs, and bolts of lightning. He jumped to the side to avoid the barrage of spells and ran off into the tree line. Lulu narrowed her eyes as she charged a Thundara spell, ready to fire at a moment's notice. Meanwhile, CJ had his back up against a tree catching his breath.
'Man, she can really throw those spells around!' He thought. Chappu had told him stories of fighting fiends alongside his brother and Lulu, and just the stories of the mage impressed him. Actually facing her was something completely different. As he mentally ran through his options, he quickly climbed the tree he was hiding behind. From his new vantage point about twenty feet above Lulu, he observed the mage who was staring out at the forest.
"Come out!" Lulu shouted. "This is supposed to be a test of your fighting skill, not your ability to hide!"
CJ made up his mind and used the flint and steel in his pocket to ignite both his hands in fire. He jumped from the tree and sent a large wave of fire at Lulu, who quickly countered with a Waterga. The two attacks clashed and caused a small cloud of steam to cover the area and CJ took the opportunity to sink into the ground. Lulu saw him disappear into the ground and stared in shock. She spun around several times as she tried to figure out where the elemental had gone but did not see him reappear.
"Fissure!" Lulu called out as her spell caused the beach to start to shake and a crevasse appeared, splitting the beach in half. Behind her, CJ jumped out of the dirt and sent more fire in her direction. Her eyes widened and threw her most powerful Waterga spell, causing the clearing they were in to be covered in a thick cloud of steam. Hearing footsteps in the grass, the mage spun around and launched a Thundaga but did not seem to hit anything. She stood there, stiff as a statue, waiting for any sign of CJ and not noticing the dirt that was slowly creeping up her legs and dress. After a minute the steam cleared to where she could see the rest of the Guardians and Yuna standing off to the side of the clearing, and directly in front of her was CJ, kneeling down with his hands buried in the ground. Lulu smirked and tried to raise her hand to fire off a spell, but looked down and saw that her hands and lower body were covered in a layer of dirt which held her in place.
"Looks like I win." CJ said with a large grin and stood up. As his hands left the ground, the sand that covered her body fell to the ground.
Lulu nodded, conceding her defeat. "That was… Impressive. I've never seen someone with that kind of control over an element before."
Yuna, Wakka, Tidus, Chappu, and Kimahri quickly ran over and joined the pair. "So am I a Guardian now or what?"
Yuna nodded and smiled. "Yes, I accept you as one of my Guardians."
"Great!" CJ smiled and did a small handshake with Chappu. "What's on the agenda now?"