Down Time

"Okay, so I finally got an update on the situation. All that screaming earlier? Brother started freaking out that Yuna was in trouble, never mind Rikku or Paine, then went missing for a while. We found him but he was passed out, so I think everyone's just left him. The girls are back with a sphere anyway, though I watched it with them and it made no sense. Really the only thing I could get from it was that it was recorded in Zanarkand. Not the ruins, like the actual city a thousand years ago," I took a deep breath in and drank some water. "We still think the scar tissue's affecting my breathing. Got really bad when I went to the Thunder Plains. The cold from Macalania's spreading out; felt like I could barely breathe. I still want to go out and find the Guado, though. What Seymour did is his fault alone; sure the Guado were loyal to him but Seymour single-handedly attacked the Ronso, not every damn Guado there is... still, that doesn't give the Guado the excuse to run away from what they did."

I stood up, panning the camera around the cabin and walking slowly, gathering my thoughts.

"I thought I'd find some answers through the Farplane. I know I've said that a few times, but at least I could get to the Farplane back then. I don't know if the Guado leaving has something to do with or it's just some freak coincidence. It's still weird, not being able to see my mum, or Siren, or any of the others. I know I could really, you know, have a conversation with them, but them being there made me feel better." I paused again, slightly turning the camera to face myself but changed my mind, pointing the lens to the window. "One thing still gets me: pyreflies react to our memories of other people. In the Farplane it only shows us the dead. I've been thinking and... since I don't see Grace or Lysander, they can't be dead, right? But then I also keep thinking that what if they're unsent and I've just not been able to find them? I still don't know what happened; I've been looking for a year now. Nothing's really clear and I hate it. I hate that I don't know, I hate that I can't go home, I hate that I haven't got a damn clue about anything. I try not to think about it too much but... you know." I sighed and lowered the camera down. "I want answers and I don't even know where to start. I've been wandering around Spira, hoping that something would jump on me... I guess not."

I turned off the camera and put it away, slowly pacing the cabin. After we watched the sphere I came back to be alone, do some recording, wait until the Gullwings did all their business stuff. Hopefully they'd still take me to Besaid; faster than a boat anyway. I didn't know if Yuna would come but that was her choice in the end. I hadn't seen either Wakka or Lulu in that time so hopefully they weren't mad. But with Lulu being pregnant and Wakka panicking over being a father I'm not totally sure if the stress of Yuna running off would worry them even more.

"Chris!" I turned and walked to the banister when I heard Rikku's voice. She ran up to my level with an incredible speed. She always was pretty fast. "We've found a sphere on Besaid! We're heading there in the morning, so we'll stop by the village before we go off looking."

"You think you'll get to it that quick?" I asked and folded my arms. "Wakka and Lulu will probably fuss over Yuna at least until late afternoon. That's not even getting into the talking they'll give you." Rikku gave a giggle and rub the back of her head.

"It'll be fine," she said, a little unsure. "It'll be weird. Haven't really seen them a lot the past two years... a lot's changed, huh?"

"Yeah, it has," I agreed. There was a weird pause and Rikku shuffled absent-mindedly about the cabin. "Rikku? You ever think about back then? Not what happened but... the people we lost, I mean." She seemed taken aback by the question and started to fidget, walking up and down the cabin like I had done earlier.

"Well, of course, they were our friends, Chris. We lost a lot of them," she began. I had a feeling she'd go into her rambling thoughts. "I try not to, not out of badness or anything, but because I don't think they'd want us wallowing or thinking about them so much that we miss out on the world we saved. I still keep them close: Auron, Tidus, Grace," she looked down, lowering her hands from their fidgeting. "Ly too. I think about him a lot, really. I mean, he was one of my best friends and... sometimes I'm sad that he's gone... other times I'm angry that the idiot had to go and die like that. Then when I get mad like that... I think about what happened the last time I saw him. Something about it seemed so... final, you know? I think... I think he knew he was going to die... which sucks, you know?" Her voice cracked a little and she took a moment to gather herself. "I thought after we beat Sin we would be done with the sacrifices."

Approaching Rikku, I wrapped my arms around her and gave her a hug. She returned the gesture and took a deep breath, pulling away and giving a smile. The saddest thing was that Lysander said goodbye because, I guess no matter what the result was, the three of us would be dead to this world and alive in our own. But that's not what happened...

"Memories are just memories, right?" Rikku said, continuing her thought track. "Like I said, I don't think they'd want us moping around."

"You're right," I nodded. Rikku grinned wider and grabbed my hand.

"Come on, you're not hanging out here by herself. We're all on the bridge so join the party until we get to Besaid."

"Guess I don't have much of a choice," I smiled.

On the bridge, as Rikku had said, everyone was there. Yuna smiled and gave me a wave as we came in. Paine, along with the others, didn't really pay much notice. I went over to Yuna, being the most comfortable around her and Rikku. It wasn't that I was introverted, really, it's just... insecurities, I suppose.

"So, where did you learn to shoot like that?" I asked.

"Well, it's not me really, it's the dressphere," she said with a small laugh. "It's a weird feeling, at first, but you get used to it. The dresspheres let us use the abilities of a person who's recorded in it, and the Garment Grid helps focus that power."

"I can tell Rikku's probably used a sphere of her own making," Rikku pulled a face at my accusation but did nothing to deny it. "But... sorry, you and pistols are two things I'd never put together." We both laughed for a moment and then Yuna gave me a soft smile.

"I actually made the sphere to test out the Garment Grids," the young boy interrupted, turning around in his seat.

"Oh, sorry, Christie, this is Shinra. You haven't been properly introduced yet," Yuna then turned and pointed to the navigator. "And over there is Buddy."

"Nice to meet you," I said. "So, the dressphere Yuna has was made for this purpose? I take it it's an Al Bhed recording if it's to do with guns?"

"No. It was Lysander, actually."

"What?"

"I said I made the sphere; I asked him to do it," Shinra said. I guess that it made sense with the weapons and all.

"Well, as long as his emotions don't start affecting Yuna," I said, getting a playful push from the girl in question.

"Hey, maybe you should try one," she suggested. I didn't really think about the idea of wearing one; I knew how to fire a gun and I have happy with my own skills. I wasn't really great with magic of any class but I didn't have the talent for that sort of thing.

"I'll give it a pass for now. One of these days, maybe," I told her. "It does sound really interesting though, although we should be glad I'm not putting one on; we can all avoid my dancing for another day." A few of the group laughed a little. The atmosphere of the place was so relaxed, so different from what it had been the last time I was on an airship. It was for the better, most definitely. Again, I'm glad Yuna's enjoying it. She definitely needed the change and get out Besaid. Still she'd have to return and face the music someday, that day just happened to be today.