Return of Light
Chappu sighed as he ran a hand through his raven's wing-colored hair, deep blue eyes dulled slightly with fatigue as he bent again to study the paper on the desk in front of him.
"Accident, my ass. That drunken fool wouldn't know a shoopuf from a chocobo," he muttered, shaking his head. He sighed and dropped the paper dismissively onto the polished wooden top, eyes roaming instead to the setting sunset on the Zanarkand beach.
At 21, Chappu still had all the features of the 18-year-old man/boy who had helped reinstate the Eternal Calm to Spira—including the black and silver blade currently resting peacefully on display in the glass case in the corner of his room. The Spirit Keeper.
A tentative knock on the door startled Chappu out of his reverie and his eyes darted to the movie sphere on the shelf before turning to the door.
"It's open, Zeo," he called.
The Black Mage entered, the door closing behind, her eyes wide. "How did you know it was me?"
"Lucky guess," Chappu said, shrugging. "What's up?
"Well, Yuna wanted to know if maybe you would return that movie sphere," Zeoron said, turning her head to stare out the side window, watching him out of the corner of her eye.
A pause. Then—
"No."
Zeoron sighed heavily, pivoting fully to face Chappu, her normally placid eyes cold and hard. "Chappu, you have to let her go. She's not coming back. She sacrificed herself to save all of us… you have to understand, Chappu. She—"
" 'She' has a name, Zeo!" Chappu cut in, his eyes flashing as he slammed a fist down on the desk, sending a few objects flying to the floor.
Zeoron sighed again and nodded; Chappu was as stubborn as an untrained chocobo. In some ways, it was a blessing; in others, she just wanted to take his head off, shake it really good, and then put it back on backwards.
"Go, please," Chappu said tersely, lowering his head to stare dejectedly at the desktop. "Just go."
Zeoron spun on her right heel and swiftly and quietly exited the room, the door clicking shut behind her.
Chappu plopped back into his chair, shaking his head. His eyes fell to the movie sphere still resting on the shelf. Sighing, he shook off Zeoron's near-lecture and moved to grab, instantly bringing it to life.
"The sunset at the Moonflow isn't what I intended to use, but I guess it will have to do since we're not in Zanarkand. There's nothing like a morning sunrise on the beach in Zanarkand. I remember Mama telling me that when I was little." A laugh. "And you know what? She was right; there's nothing more mystical like it."
Chappu closed his eyes, already picturing the soft-voiced speaker: long, slim athletic legs, snug waist, lightly toned abdomen, shapely chest, slightly muscled arms, shining blue and green eyes, glistening blond hair…
Oh, how he missed her.
"Chappu… I never thought I would make this far. Thank you for helping to me to get back to my mother. Thank you for everything. For your love. Know that I will love you always… forever, Chappu, and please, any dreams that are broken or faded or people that you have lost… never forget them. Never forget me."
—
"Stupid moron," Zeoron muttered, slamming the door to her own room and striding purposely to the marble and bordered gilded gold grand stairs. She stalked down them, pausing only once at the sound of raised voices coming from her left.
Sighing, Zeoron stepped down one final time and moved to the door on the far side of the entrance hall. She pressed her ear to the wooden door and closed her eyes, focusing her energy.
"I'm not—"
"Oh, be quiet, Tidus!"
"But Yuna—"
"I said shut up!"
"Yuna, I—"
"He can't keep that sphere forever, Tidus! That was my baby's gift to us!"
"To all of us, Yuna. He and Tida loved each other!"
"I don't ca—"
"Yuna, don't you remember how you felt when I left? Chappu feels the same way—except this time, Tida's … gone." Tidus's voice nearly broke, but instead grew softer and Zeoron suspected he had come up behind Yuna, wrapping her in his arms. "I wasn't; I had the chance to come back. Please, Yuna, understand how he feels."
"Oh, Tidus, I miss my baby girl so much. I found her at last only to lose her again." Yuna's voice was barely a whisper and Zeoron had to strain to hear it.
"I know, Yuna, I know. Still, you—"
"What are you doing?"
The sharp voice behind Zeoron startled her and she jumped, tripped, and fell flat on her face. Groaning, she raised her head to view the hem of a black dress and moved higher to view Lulu, hands on her hips and a stern look covering her dark features.
"Well?" Lulu demanded.
"Um…" Zeoron grinned sheepishly as she pushed herself up and got to her feet, dusting off the navy blue shorts and white blouse she wore.
Lulu sighed and shook her head, one hand coming up to her forehead. "What am I going to do with you, Zeoron? You're almost as mischievous as Rikku—and she's a lot older than you!"
"Sorry, Lulu," Zeoron apologized, giggling somewhat nervously. She picked at her blouse and rubbed the toe of one brown boot into the tiled floor.
"It's okay, Zeoron. I mean, we all miss her, Chappu most of all. To lose her like that…" Lulu broke off, clearing her throat. "Why don't you go to the beach? Rikku's out there building sandcastles with little ones."
"Thanks. I think—I think I will," Zeoron said, giving a slight bow and spinning on her heel, jogging toward the front door. She looked back over her shoulder and exited; now smiling.
Lulu, too, smiled.
* * *
Chappu stared pretentiously at the newly restored—and newly remodeled—Zanarkand Temple. Sighing, he ran a hand through his dark tresses and placed one black-booted foot on the first step leading inside.
"I must be crazy, but…" Chappu sighed and threw his hands up. "What the hell?"
Chappu shrugged away all doubt and ascended the rest of the stairs, his hands moving up to push against the two blue, silver and gold embroidered doors. He stepped inside, the doors closing behind him, and Chappu found himself bathed in a gentle glow of light falling down from the skylight in the ceiling 50 feet above.
Soft blues and purples swept across the walls in weaving strokes, gold trimming placed intricately here and there. Tall white columns extended to the tiled ceiling, a total of four on each side of the circular room. Chappu looked straight ahead at the doors across the way; three, as always there was in a temple: two rooms to either side of the main stairway and then the door to the Cloister of Trials. Those, of course, had remained the same.
Chappu slowly descended the steps and onto the plush white carpet that lead directly to the way across. He strode forward, ignoring the seemingly discreet gawking stares.
The priest attempted to intercept him but Chappu brushed him off with no more than a simple lift one hand. His eyes were only for the doors leading into the Trials. Slowly but steadily, he climbed the carpeted steps to the double doors and gave them a gentle push. They swung open, revealing the fist puzzle room of the Zanarkand Cloister of Trials.
Instantly, Chappu's feet moved his body around the room, doing the familiar dance of slinking around and lighting the correct floor panels that opened the door. Once done, he began lighting the other panels and pushing the statues only to light up more squares.
At last, he was finished and moved to the center where the elevator now patiently awaited to take him down into the lower depths of the temple. Chappu jumped easily onto the platform and it began its descent.
Once to the bottom, Chappu strode off and pushed through another set of doors, these leading into what should have been the Chamber of the Fayth but was now instead just a brightly lit room with a glass dome in the center enlightening the fayth of Yunalesca's Final Aeon.
Chappu ignored everything in the room and pressed on through the second set of doors on the far side, decorated in weaves of blue and silver. These particular doors were normally shut but at his touch they sprang open and Chappu passed on. The doors shut soundly behind him and Chappu looked up, ahead.
"What brings you here to this place, Chappu?" Yunalesca's voice was soft and mellifluous.
"I wanted to talk to you," Chappu said, bowing slightly, his eyes never leaving her face.
Yunalesca smiled and shook her head. "I have told you before, Chappu. I do not have to power to bring her back nor can I find a way to. She died her own way and not by the hands of others. I am sorry."
Chappu sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He'd known better than to come and ask again but it seemed he just couldn't accept that Tida wasn't going to come back… wasn't going to return to him.
"No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have come. It's just…"
Yunalesca's smile showed sympathy but her voice was stern. "Lady Tida did not die for you to moan over losing her for the rest of her life—to grieve for her always! She died for you to live life. Please, do not let her have died in vain, Chappu."
Yunalesca turned away from his, one hand clenched into a fist. Chappu lowered his head and stared dejectedly at the floor. After a few moments, he looked to Yunalesca's back.
"You're right. Forgive me."
Chappu turned to go but Yunalesca's voice halted him in mid stride.
"Visit her, Chappu."
Well, here you go. Chapter 1 of the sequel to "Final Fantasy X: Journey." I hope you like it, really. I kinda think it starts out bad, but I also feel that it gets better as it goes on. A lot of things will be explained so you'll understand more of Journey's unopened questions. Lata!
Angel of the Faith