Anyways. I had a lot of fun writing this chapter. This one was really the first of drama. Plus, I had planned some of this chapter a long time ago, and I finally got to write it out. Plus, I introduced in a lot of the FFX2 characters, and one of my own!
So, thanks for the reviews! Chapter 3, enjoy!
Connection
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"Hey. Come here a sec."
"Hello? Baralai?"
"...zzzz..."
"Oh God. He's asleep again?"
"I know. BARALAI!!"
Baralai jumped out of the chair where Shinra used to sit, startled by the woman's loud voice. After rubbing his eyes to adjust his vision, Baralai's first sight was the two before him, snickering.
"Baralai, you really need to stop playing online Sphere Break. That's the second game you've played where you fell asleep on your turn."
Nooj prodded Baralai's forehead as he teased the sluggish Yevonite. Baralai swiped at him in a childish manner in retaliation. He was right though, Sphere Break was mind numbingly monotonous to him.
"Alright Nooj. Uh...why are we in the Celsius?" Baralai asked confusedly, standing and stretching while viewing his surroundings.
Paine gave him a gaping gaze, while Nooj closed his eyes and smiled, on hand on his hip while the other scratched the back of his head. You could've sworm you saw a 'confusion drop' hovering next to their eyes.
"Are you serious, Baralai? You were awake when we boarded!" Paine said as she threw her arms in the air. How does he not remember?
"Heh...heh." Baralai rubbed his left arm in embarrassment. "I guess I slept it outta me."
"Boy...and you're the Praetor?" Nooj joked as he lightly slapped Baralai's right arm.
"Anyway...it got too foggy in Mi'ihen to be on hovers, so Brother and Buddy picked us up. He said they were heading for the Moonflow too."
Paine slowly walked over to the decorative red wall by the stairs. She took a deep sigh and gently tapped it with her palm.
"It's been a while. I sure do miss this thing."
"So when are we gonna reach the Moonflow?" asked Nooj.
"It'll be a day or so, thanks to this weather. Probably tomorrow afternoon." Brother answered as he turned his upper body from his seat in the cockpit to face Nooj.
"Tomorrow afternoon?! He may have left by the time we get there!" Baralai angrily objected.
"Luum ed, bnaddo puo. Oui kud yhudram fyo du kad drana vycdan?" (Cool it, pretty boy. You got another way to get there faster?) Brother joked to the young Praetor.
"No, but we all know Gippal. He can be a quick one."
Baralai pounded his fist firmly against the wall opposite Paine.
"Hey now, that's my baby you're pounding on." Buddy intervened. "She don't like to be hit."
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Rikku sat on her hover, venturing around to marvel at the catastrophe before her.
This was too unreal.
She slowly moved towards the temple door. Tears felt to be coming to her eyes. It reminded her too much of Home. What was going on? Why does this always have to happen to her and her culture? Did they do something wrong? Did she do something wrong? This was unbearable.
Rikku stepped off her hover as it landed on the ground. The temple entrance seemed to be the only area without any sharp rocks. Hands on her bladehandles, she gradually made her way towards the doors. As she began to push them open, a rustling sound by the rocks became prominent.
Rikku turned around and pulled out her blades in a split second. That same chilling feeling from earlier at the temple returned, only three times more intense. She stealthily made her way towards her hover.
"For some reason, I don't think I'm-"
"Alone?" a shady voice called out.
Rikku saw a shadow, a bit taller than Paine, emerge behind a piece of the tent. Who in Spira...?
Rikku didn't even want to finish her though. She used what strength was left in her shaky legs to run onto her hover and speed towards the bridge.
But she wasn't quick enough.
The sound of a gunshot was heard, followed by the clanking of metal and malfunctioning of wires.
'I've been shot down.'
The hover fell from underneath the girl's feet, causing her to fall hard onto the sharp rocks below.
"She should have known I was a sharpshooter, a modern day Irvine Kinneas, if you wish." the shady voice chuckled to himself at his joke. "It's a shame I only got the machina and not the brat herself."
The mysterious man creeped towards Rikku's limp body on the cold rocks. He crouched down and lifted her arm, checking her wrist for a pulse.
"Pity."
He dropped her arm from his grasp so that it fell over her stomach.
"The pathetic thing is still alive."
He picked up her body and held her only by the small of her back, so that her head and legs dangled.
"I suppose I'll just have to dump her somewhere to di-"
A clicking sound.
The man turned around to see the outline of another man behind him, pointing a large weapon towards him.
"GET THE HELL AWAY FROM HER."
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"Uhg..."
"Yuna?"
"...owww..."
"What...are you okay? That was pretty random."
Yuna found herself kneeled on the ground, hand clutching her heart and leaning over so that her forehead touched her knees. That pain...it was so random. She had never felt anything like that before.
"...Yuna?"
Tidus.
"You still there?"
He was kneeling next to her now, one arm over her back as he pulled her hair behind her ear in order to see her face.
"Yeah. That was so weird."
"About how random that was?"
"Mmhmm. And the pain...it wasn't a physical pain as much as it was a spiritual one. It was like all my bad memories took form and yanked my soul, just for a split second. Do you...kind of get what I'm saying?"
"...Rikku?"
"...Yep."
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"You know the bed's over there, right?"
"Shut up."
"Hey, just say-"
"Shut. Up."
Brother shrugged in defeat.
"Women..."
Paine stood from where she had rolled off the bed. She rubbed her elbow and clasped her heart as she plopped back down on the bed.
'What the hell?'
"You gotta cramp or somethin'? Go talk to Barkeep, he's got remed-"
"E ghuf, yenrat, e mejat rana oui ghuf!" (I know, airhead, I lived here, you know!)
"Ugyo, ugyo." (Okay, okay.) he finally retorted. "You alright?"
"Yeah. Well it didn't really hurt. And it wasn't a cramp." Paine rolled her eyes. "I just had this quick sensation of every hurtful memory flashing before me and tugging at my emotions."
"Hmm...yeah, no idea what you mean."
Brother jumped off the bed balcony to the floor below. "It's only six in the morning, we won't land in the Moonflow 'til about three, so you might wanna go to sleep." He waved behind him as he left for the bridge.
"Yeah, sleep...I'll try."
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"And who are you?"
"I'll be your death dealer if you don't get your damned hands off the girl."
He cocked his large weapon again, as if to threaten the stranger.
"Well, well, well. There's no need for such foul language, now is there?" the stranger taunted. "You might want to get some help for that mouth of yours, if you make it out alive, that is."
"Shut up!!"
He held his weapon towards his eye as he yelled, pointing it towards his enemy. The shadowed man pulled out his pistols as well.
"Now, now. Are you completely sure about that?" the shadow man smoothly said as he put Rikku down and stepped forward.
"Two against one, let us-"
A loud gunshot, followed by clanking.
"You seem to have miscounted. I only see one gun in your hands...you might want to get help for that brain of yours. How 'bout graduating kindergarten next time?" the armed man said with a slightly cocky tone. He began to move forward, his eye still looking through the crosshairs.
"I'M SURPRISED YOU SEE AT ALL!!!"
Another click, followed by several hollow ones.
"Dammit!"
"Out of bullets?" the armed man lowered his weapon and leaned against it. "Sucks for you. Your other gun is shot, too. Wanna give it up, now?"
The shadow man withdrew his gun and set it back in its holster.
"...Very well. For right now, this brat is yours. Don't know why you would do anything for her, though..."
The other man felt a wave of fury rise through himself.
'Because she's my friend. I would do the same for any of my friends, and I'm sure she would do the same for me.'
"...I will return!"
The shadowed man began to disappear into the darkness.
"You and the girl will surely get what you deserve from me, Gippal!!"
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Tidus watched hopelessly as his girlfriend ran rampant around their hut.
"Oh, come on!" Yuna shouted in frustration. "I KNOW there's one around here somewhere!"
She tossed the contents of her treasure chest aside as she searched, again unaware of Tidus's near presence.
"H-hey! Yuna!" Tidus said as he jumped over a rolling picture sphere. "What are you-looking for?"
"My CommSphere! I just saw it before I left the hut, and now it's just gone!!"
Yuna continued to worry frantically, but now she had given up searching and began to pace around.
"Uh...is this...it?" Tidus asked confusedly.
"Shut up!" Yuna replied jokingly towards the sight of the CommSphere. "Where'd you find it?!"
"Outside...by the center of the huts...where it's always been..."
Yuna gave herself a mental slap in the face.
"Why do you have it?"
"I was gonna ask you what it was."
"Fayth boy does it again!" Wakka shouted as he ran away from where he was evesdropping.
"Wakka, you crazy-!"
Tidus ran out, jokingly chasing after Wakka.
Yuna took the CommSphere from its place on the table and placed it on her lap. She let out a sigh of relief and worry;
finally, it's found...but what if it doesn't work?
She brushed her hair away from her face and flipped the switch.
Blank.
"Come on! Work for me!"
Distortion.
Yuna now began cheering the CommSphere on like it was competing in a Blitzball game.
"Yes! Now give me a picture! Come on!!"
Finally. Picture.
Yuna faintly saw a bright red ceiling with an array of colorful tattooing. She thought she heard voices, but just the thought filled her with hope.
"Brother! BROTHER!! It's Yuna. Are you there?" Yuna shook the CommSphere like it would somehow help him respond.
"Not if Tidus is there, I'm no-"
Clank.
"Oww! Fryd dra ralg?!" (What the heck?!)
"Don't worry about him Yuna, he's a little dopey today." a feminine voice responded, though her image was unclear.
Yuna knew anyway.
"...Paine!"
Fweeeeeeee. Long chapter.