Once the dream of the fayth had ended, the clouds shrouding Mount Gagazet dissolved like ice in water to reveal the Floating Ruins to which the Gullwings traveled in search of the source of the sphere waves they'd detected.
Landing right at the top seemed to unbalance Yuna, and she nearly tipped off the top just as she'd fallen from her abortive wedding ceremony to Maester Seymour in Bevelle three years prior—only this time there would be no Valefor aeon to fly to her rescue. Auron and Rikku dived to grab her.
"What's your status?" came Buddy's voice through the receiver.
"Disasterrific!" Rikku gasped as Auron struggled to heave up Yuna by her desperately gripping arm.
"'Disasterrific' is not a word!" Brother's voice spoke. "Say 'disastrous' like the rest of Spira."
"I'm not listening…" Rikku said through clenched teeth. Brother kept squawking as Auron and Rikku pulled Yuna up. The team surrounded her while they all caught their breath.
"Thanks, that was a little close," said Yuna.
"A little?" said Paine.
"Come in!" Brother's voice wailed.
Auron saw Rikku roll her eyes as Yuna reassured him. He looked away to hide his smile. Brother made no secret of the torch he carried for Yuna.
"Hey, don't tell me you've got vertigo," Paine said to Auron as they explored the Ruins, enjoying a nasty surprise in a malfunctioning elevator.
"Not a bit," said Auron. "You?"
Paine shook her head, fixing him with those impassive red eyes. "You seem… distracted."
He shrugged, keeping his face a mask.
"Thanks for the practice yesterday," she said.
"I told you it would be painful learning how to tuck and roll," he said. "I can only make my tosses so gentle."
"No, I really mean it," she said. "I hope we get more chances. Although until those bruises heal, I'd be grateful if you'd be willing to share some of those bushido moves you do." Her eyes flicked, betraying a little uncertainty, the first crack he'd seen in her cool exterior.
He grinned. "Glad to." He caught Rikku looking at him with a puzzled smile and gave her a wink. Far from lightening her look, her frown deepened and she looked away.
He had no more time to think; they found themselves face to face with the same woman they'd tangled with at the Luca docks.
"Leblanc," she finally introduced herself. "Remember that name well, loves!"
"Ah, the thief," said Yuna.
"Whatever do you mean?" said Leblanc. "That's what I hate about amateurs…"
Auron raised his eyebrows at Rikku.
"Maybe she'll go away if we ignore her," she suggested.
"You! I heard that!" snapped Leblanc. "Just as I was saying: amateurs! They have no concept of what it takes to be a true sphere hunter."
A laugh erupted from Auron. He adjusted the lay of his huge sword across his back and nudged Rikku, who giggled as well, sharing a private grin.
"Amateurs?" said Paine. "Weren't you following us?"
"Following? A mere coincidence," said Leblanc.
Her henchmen lumbered up behind her.
"You was right, boss, as always," said the shorter, tubby man.
"Indeed, following them has paid off splendidly," said the willowy gunman.
Yuna laughed. "I knew it! If it wasn't for these two sphere hunting wouldn't even be a thing, you know!" She jerked a thumb over her shoulder at Rikku and Auron. "You're not fooling anyone."
"Laugh while you can!" snarled Leblanc.
Paine gripped Auron's arm. "Toss me."
"Not until you've had more practice," said Auron, dropping to one knee with his hands cupped. As soon as his fingers met Rikku's boot was on them and he launched her. The fight had begun. Yuna, with her guns, looked to be having the time of her life.
Leblanc's group kept retreating to higher ground and calling forth a seemingly endless supply of goons, dispatched easily but irritating in their numbers. The Gullwings won out, reaching the top first, only to find it guarded by a huge fiend.
"Oh, now that's more like it," Rikku said, spinning her knives on her palms. "No stupid talk from this customer."
"Probably won't run away, either," said Auron, brandishing his sword.
"It comes!" said Paine.
Yuna's enthusiasm with her guns intrigued Auron, who switched dresspheres halfway through to try out Gunner. The pistols he wound up with were sleek, long black things that packed a hefty punch. The sphere had given him a long sleeveless brown duster, denim pants, absolutely zero shirt and tall brown pointed boots.
Rikku spotted his new outfit, grinned, and executed a change into Warrior, taking on a heavy sword to get in close. She really seemed to enjoy the hands-on approach to big fiends. Auron found a new thrill in the guns, even if the outfit didn't thrill him. The boots pinched and he longed for a shirt.
After the battle was when Yuna turned and saw him and laughed. He struck a ridiculous pose to go with the outfit. Rikku giggled as well.
"Let's see you in the Songstress Sphere!" Yuna cried.
"Yeah, c'mon, Auron!" said Rikku.
"Not on your life," said Auron. "And these boots are killing me." He transformed back to the comfort of Warrior.
"I'll do Songstress if you will!" said Rikku.
"No deal," he said.
Yuna picked up the sphere they'd come to find.
"It's obvious to the trained eye," Leblanc sneered behind them, with her henchmen. "That sphere's just a dud. Perfect for the Dullwings." She sailed off.
"Wow, amateurs," said Rikku.
Back on the Celsius, Brother had more histrionics and fawning over Yuna until Rikku kicked him. The sphere turned out to be one of Zanarkand, long ago, but just a glimpse of city life. Rikku sighed.
"Junk," said Paine.
"We can use it as a dressphere," said Shinra. "Black Mage."
He was interrupted by the sphere oscillo-finder again.
"Incoming data," said Buddy. "Gullwings, to your stations!"
"Never a dull moment," Auron muttered, grinning.
"How long do you plan on lying there?" Buddy said to the prostrate Brother, which got him up and grumbling in Al Bhed to the pilot seat.
"What is it?" said Yuna.
"The treasure sphere data you've been dying for," said Buddy, gazing into the angled readout of the oscillo-finder. "There's at least one on Besaid Island, and another in the Zanarkand Ruins."
"So, where to?" said Rikku, turning to Yuna. They all deferred to her, it just seemed natural. Even though they didn't talk about the sphere they'd brought her from the Scar of the Fayth, and they were all having an absolute blast sphere hunting, Auron knew it was Yuna's journey they were on. Much happier than the previous one, with a far less grave aim.
His eyes shifted to Rikku, thinking of the journey that had haunted her to the brink of sacrifice, similar to what Lord Braska and his daughter Yuna had both faced. He, Rikku, and Yuna were all lucky to be alive, all thanks to each other. All of Spira was lucky, to be basking in the Eternal Calm, to have the time and energy to be gallivanting around sphere hunting rather than fighting tooth and nail to live a miserable existence.
"Besaid," Yuna decided.