I must say, I'm very disappointed that A)no one reads my authors' notes or B) no one knew the answer to my question. I'll give the answer in case you people actually waste your lives reading what I'm saying.
Q. "Hit me with your best shot" Who sings it?
A. Pat Benetar (no clue if I spelled that right)
Enjoy
---------------------------------
"Ah! I can't believe we lost!" Wakka yelled.
"Sorry, Wakka." Yuna giggled.
"I'm not!" Rikku yelled.
She was bent over, squeezing the water out of her hair.
Yuna did the same.
"Oh, come on…it's just a bit of water." Tidus laughed.
"Oh, right! Do you know how long it takes our hair to dry?" Rikku demanded.
She flipped her hair up and grinned at him.
"You looked like you were having fun out there." she said.
"Okay, I admit it. I can't just quit Blitzing. It's part of my soul." Tidus said.
"Great! You gonna join the Auroch's, then?" Wakka asked.
"I dunno…I got a pretty good offer from the Goers." Tidus grinned.
"That's cold." Wakka said, grabbing him and rubbing his fist in his hair.
"Ah! Stop it!" Tidus yelled. He grabbed Wakka's arm and lurched forward, flipping him over his back.
"I don't know…we'll consider It." he said, grinning at him as he groaned on the floor.
"We?" said Wakka, pulling himself up.
"Yuna and I." he said.
"Oh, right."
"See, why don't you always ask my opinion?" Lulu asked Wakka, hitting him lightly across the chest.
"You see? You're getting me in trouble." Wakka muttered.
Tidus laughed.
"We would've won." Wakka said.
"What?"
"If you weren't on their team, we would've won." Wakka said.
"Oh, right!" Rikku yelled.
"We would've!" Wakka argued.
"We could have beaten you with or without Tidus! It's just a matter that Paine refused to play!" Rikku yelled.
"How many of your sixteen goals did he score?" Wakka asked.
Rikku went slightly red.
"I…I don't remember." she muttered.
"I remember." Paine smiled wickedly.
"Really?" Wakka asked.
"Yeah…Tidus scored 11 times, Buddy scored twice, and Yuna scored three times." Paine said.
"Yeah, you're pretty good Yuna, I'm impressed." Tidus said.
Yuna smiled.
"Besides, He used the Jecht shot! That's like…cheating." Wakka protested.
"Okay, I have to agree there. No one else can do that shot. I'm the best." Tidus grinned, quoting his father.
"Well, that was pretty arrogant." Paine said.
"Just quoting my old man."
"Maybe you're just getting old." Tidus suggested to Wakka.
Wakka glared at him.
"I should've left you on Besaid Beach." he grumbled.
"If you'd have done that…just think of how different things would be. Besides, the reason you helped me out in the first place was because you wanted me to help you win the tournament." Tidus grinned.
"Are you guys heading back to Besaid today?" Yuna asked, cutting off Wakka's remark.
"Yeah. Can't stay away for too long, ya know?" Wakka said.
"Well, you should ride back with us. We've got things we need to discuss." Yuna said.
"Okay." Lulu agreed.
"Lets go, then." Wakka said. They walked to the airship, and boarded quickly
"We got everybody?" Buddy asked.
"Lets see." Yuna ran over a list of names quickly, and then said, "Roger!"
Okay, lets go!" Buddy said.
The ship lifted off the ground quickly.
Buddy, Brother, Shinra, and Rikku went up to the bridge while Tidus, Yuna, Wakka, Lulu, and Paine went down to the cabins.
They all filed out of the elevator and sat around in various chairs in the cabin.
"So, what's going on, Yuna?" Wakka asked.
As soon as Yuna opened her mouth to speak, brother let out a shrieking cry over the intercom.
"Gullwings! Report to the Bridge!"
Yuna and Paine stood up.
"I'm guessing our trip to Besaid is going to be delayed." Yuna said, apologetically.
"It's all right, do what you need to do." Lulu said.
"Come on." Yuna motioned to Tidus.
"I'm not exactly a Gullwing." Tidus said.
"Well, you are now, let's go." Yuna said, grabbing his hand and pulling him out of the room.
They made their way up to the bridge in silence.
"What's up, Brother?" Yuna asked, as they came through the door.
"I'm picking up Sphere waves in Zanarkand, but it's strange…" Buddy trailed off.
"What?" Yuna asked.
"The sphere waves are very weak…I think that the sphere may be under some of the ruins." he said.
"You mean like…a sphere from Zanarkand? A sphere from something in the city before?" Yuna asked.
"It might just be." he said.
"That's cool." Tidus said.
"So, to Zanarkand?" Paine said.
"Sounds good." Yuna said.
"To Zanarkand!" Brother yelled, then he let out a flurry of inaudible words in Al Bhed as the ship shot forward.
"Yuna!" Lulu said, coming through the door.
"You should see this." she said, turning on the sphere screen.
Shelinda appeared on the screen, her eyes excited.
"Yes, you heard me right, High Summoner Yuna, who married Maester Seymour two years ago, is getting married again." she said.
Yuna went pale.
"Before the Blitzball game, before the High Summoners team, the Gullwings, took the cup from the two year champions, The Besaid Aurochs, this reporter spoke with the High Summoner for a few seconds before she left quickly to get to her game. But not before waving! Watch the clip." Shelinda said.
"Lady Yuna, we hear that you are playing in the game today? Is there anything you'd like to say to our viewers?" Shelinda asked.
Yuna was on the screen, looking a bit annoyed.
"Uh..." Yuna trailed off wearily.
"Sorry to disappoint you, but we need to get going. Lots of things to do before the game." Tidus said, appearing on the screen.
"Sorry." Yuna said, waving at them and running.
"There! You see?" Shelinda said, running the clip back and pausing it as Yuna's hand waved. She made the sphere screen close in on her hand and circled the ring on her finger.
"We don't know for sure, but the rumor is that she is marrying Sir Tidus, her guardian on her pilgrimage to vanquish Sin." Shelinda said.
Tidus's picture appeared on the screen.
"No one knows…" Yuna turning off the screen cut off Shelinda's voice.
"It's great that my marriage is the latest gossip! And why'd they have to bring him up?" she snapped.
"You are the Summoner that defeated Sin. It's the big news. Spira needs someone to look up to…and you are the perfect person." Lulu said calmly.
"I'm not even twenty yet!" Yuna wailed.
"I'm still a teenager. Why can't they look up to the powerful people of Spira? Gippal, Nooj, Baralai! Why me?" she said, her eyes tearing up.
"You are the most powerful person in Spira. You've saved everyone twice. You are a young, beautiful, girl and you signed yourself up as the protector of Spira the day you became a summoner. Even more so the day you decided to stray from the teachings and permanently defeat Sin. You give Spira hope and they need you." Lulu said.
"I know…I just wish that I had been able to tell my friends myself instead of having it broadcasted all over Spira." she said, her eyes tearing up.
Tidus wrapped his arms around her and stroked her hair.
"Hey, don't cry. It's all right. They would have found out eventually and spread it everywhere." Tidus said quietly.
"Yeah…but still." she whispered, burying her face in his chest.
"I know it may feel bad now, but all that matters is we're in love, we're getting married, and we're spending forever together right?" he asked.
"I suppose you're right." she sighed.
"When did you get so smart?" she asked, giggling slightly.
"Oh, thanks." he grumbled.
She laughed and kissed him. He wrapped his arms around her waist and leaned against her.
"Hey! Get a room!" Wakka yelled.
"You could always leave." Tidus grinned at him.
"Oh come on!" Wakka exclaimed, turning away.
"Tidus!" Yuna laughed, hitting his chest.
"Yeah, okay that has to be a girl thing." Tidus said.
"What, the hitting of the chest thing? Yeah, I think it's a wife thing." Wakka said.
The exchanged a knowing smile.
"You know…maybe you could learn the Jecht shot." Tidus said.
"You think?" Wakka asked.
"Maybe…if you're willing to not start whining after you can't do it the first hundred times." he grinned.
"Deal." Wakka grinned.
"On the deck, then?" he said.
"All right. I'll grab my ball and meet you up there." Wakka said.
Before they could move though, Tidus heard a voice.
"You cried." he stopped short, turning and looking around.
"What?" he said.
Yuna looked at him and gasped lightly.
"Bahamut!" she said.
Sure enough Bahamut stood on the stairs of the Celsius, staring at them.
"What are you doing here?" he asked.
"This latest mission you are going on…you are going to need help." the young Fayth said.
"What more help can we get then we already have?" Yuna asked.
"If you believe it strong enough, we can get you help." he said.
"What do you mean? Aeons?" Yuna asked.
"Not Aeons. You will meet up with your helper in Zanarkand, City of the Dead." he said, and began to disappear.
"Wait!" Yuna called.
The Fayth looked at her.
"What is it, that thing that was calling me?" Yuna asked.
"It is an unsent Fayth." he said.
"What?" Yuna gasped.
"This Fayth was…not like the rest of us. This Fayth could not provide an Aeon, and therefore was forgotten by the summoners. But now, it is trapped here alone and it is going crazy. It needs to be sent. She has been trying to reach someone since she awoke, around the time us Fayth lost control with Vegnagun. Her calls for help have spread onto the fiends, surely you have noticed? They are strong, and incredibly hard to kill. They fight to the death, even if they have not been attacked or provoked.. It is not the way of the fiend. Soon though, this craziness will spread to the Farplane, then to the Fayth. That must not happen. I have told you all I know. We are giving you help, but that is all we can do." he said.
"Bahamut? I have one more question." Yuna said.
"Will Tidus still disappear if I send this Fayth?" she asked.
"We have given Tidus back to you, and his tie to Spira makes him more real then a dream can be…but if the Fayth are reached, we will have to call him back. We will not be able to keep him here if it reaches that extreme. If you don't send the Fayth…he will disappear." Bahamut said.
"I…understand. Don't worry. We'll stop this." Yuna said.
"How do we know who our help is? Apparently the Zanarkand ruins are a tourist trap now." Tidus said.
"You'll know." the Fayth said, disappearing on the spot.
"Yuna? What's going on?" Lulu asked.
"Well, that's what I needed to talk to you about." she said.
She recounted her dream again for Wakka and Lulu. When she was finished they stared at her.
"So…what do you say? Would you like to be my guardians one last time?" Yuna asked.
"Of Course." Lulu said as Wakka said,
"You know it."
"So about this 'help'…do you really think it will be that easy to figure out who it is?" Paine said.
"If it wasn't, Bahamut wouldn't have told us we'd know…would he?" Yuna said.
"I suppose we'll figure it out when we get there, huh?" Rikku said.
"I guess."
"How are we supposed to know where this Fayth is?" Tidus said.
"I have no idea." Yuna said, her head in her hands.
"Lets just take this one step at a time. We'll find this 'help', find the sphere, then go from there." Paine said.
"Good idea." Lulu said.
"It'll take us a day to get to Zanarkand." Buddy said, leaning back in his chair.
"Lets not worry about it now, then. We'll just get back to what we were doing." Yuna said.
They all nodded. Lulu, Rikku, and Paine went down to the Cabin, while Tidus and Wakka went up to the Deck to learn the Jecht shot.
later
"You've almost got it, Wakka. Don't get discouraged. It really is a hard move. I didn't learn it until I turned seventeen and I saw the move almost everyday for my whole life." Tidus assured him as they walked into the Cabin.
"Ah, I guess you're right." Wakka said.
"I'm guessing the Jecht shot didn't go as well as it could have?" Lulu asked.
"Ah, no…he's actually getting it pretty well. It's just the last part he can't nail." Tidus said.
"We're in Zanarkand." Buddy's voice came over the intercom.
"Hey! I am captain! Only I can touch the intercom!" Came Brother's voice in the background.
The group assembled into the lift and went to the bridge.
"You guys ready for this?" Buddy asked.
"Yeah, I think so." Yuna said.
"I think we can stay behind for this one." Lulu said.
"It is only a sphere hunt after all, and we'll probably slow you down."
"Okay…you sure you don't want to come?" Yuna said.
"Yeah, you'll be fine for now." Wakka said.
So the girls and Tidus left the ship and walked along the long, winding road to the Zanarkand ruins.
After almost twenty minutes Rikku started whining. Why did he drop us off here?" she whined.
"Stop whining Rikku." Paine snapped.
"But we've been walking forever." she said.
"Brother?" Paine called.
"What is it?" he asked, his voice coming form a tiny speaker clipped to her shirt.
"If I kill Rikku, will you miss her much?" she asked.
"Can I help?" he asked.
"I'll think about it." Paine said.
"You guys!" Rikku whimpered.
She jumped up and down, glaring at Paine, and then suddenly, she disappeared. Or rather the ground crumbled beneath her feet and she fell through.
"Rikku!" They yelled.
"I'm okay!" Rikku called up.
"It wasn't a long drop…" there was a pause and then,
"I found the sphere!"
"Go Rikku." Tidus said, jumping down after her. Paine followed, then Yuna.
They were in a dark room. There was rubble on the floor everywhere, some things overturned, but a bright blue sphere sat on a pedestal in the corner.
Rikku ran forward and grabbed it quickly.
"Another score for the Gullwings!" she exclaimed.
"It almost seems too easy." Tidus said, looking around suspiciously.
"You're right." Paine said.
"You guys are just paranoid." Rikku said.
"Paranoid or not…keep your weapons out." Yuna said, pulling out her guns.
Tidus and Paine unsheathed their swords at the same time, in one swift movement. Rikku reluctantly pulled out her twin blades.
"Come on lets…" Paine cut her off.
"Tidus!" she yelled. Too late. He felt himself knocked off his feet and against the wall.
"Are you okay?" they yelled.
"I'm fine!" he gasped, pulling himself up. He let out a small gasp. In front of him was a giant Bicocette.
"It's huge!" he said, swinging a hit at it.
It pretty much deflected his blade.
"It's another one of those infected fiends!" Paine said, swinging her sword and smashing its face, but not doing much else. Yuna and Rikku finished changing dress spheres. Yuna now wielded a single gun and wore a blue and purple outfit. She changed the magazine on her gun and fired a shot off. The fiend actually stumbled, but regained itself instantly.
Rikku swung Auron's katana at it, but was caught in the chest. She slammed into the wall, conscious, but unable to move.
Her sword stuck into the ground, as if someone had placed it there purposely. Paine pulled out a small red sphere with a small puff of black smoke in the middle.
"Charon may be the only thing to stop it." Paine said.
Then out of the blue, a familiar voice said, "Enough!" There was a giant clash and the Bicocette fell to the ground, and then disappeared.
They all turned slowly to look at the owner of the voice. Tidus was sure Yuna was as unsure it was real as he was.
There he stood. The long red overcoat hanging off one arm, covering his black leather armor, the katana Rikku had dropped balanced on his shoulders. He no longer had a scar across one eye. The large collar he usually wore to try to conceal the scar was gone too. His long black ponytail hung over one shoulder. He looked younger. He looked twenty years old again.
"Auron?" Rikku whispered.
"I assume they couldn't let me die in peace?" Auron said, his voice sounding less gruff then the group was used to.
"I think I figured out who our help is." Tidus said.
"Okay...I know why they sent me here…but why did they send me here?" Auron asked.
"I do not know." Yuna said.
"But it is very good to see you again, Sir Auron." Yuna said, regaining some of her old submissiveness and bowing to him.
"Rikku." Auron said.
She looked up at him, her eyes watering with happiness.
"I heard you." he said, allowing a small smile to pass over his lips before he turned and faced the last person of the group.
Paine and Auron stared at each other for a long moment before Paine finally said, "I'm Paine."
"I know who you are." he said.
"I'll bet you do." Paine said quietly.
"The daughter of a priestess, if I'm not mistaken." he said.
Paine just stared at him and walked off.
"Paine! That's not very nice!" Rikku yelled at the woman's retreating back.
"Something gives me the feeling you know her." Tidus said to Auron.
"Mind your business." Auron said.
Rikku suddenly stopped and hugged Auron. Tidus saw Auron stiffen, then watched as he relaxed and wrapped his arms around Rikku's small frame.
Yuna raised an eyebrow at Tidus, who just shrugged.
"Welcome back." Rikku said.
"I…can not stay. I am here to help, then I will go back to the Farplane." he said.
Rikku pulled away from him, ready to cry again.
"I am a dead man, Rikku…There is nothing that can be done. You know this." he said.
"My job, first and foremost, is to protect Yuna." he said.
Rikku's face fell as he walked away.
Tidus cast Rikku a sympathetic glance.
"Am I…missing something?" Yuna asked.
"It's nothing Yunie…I'll tell you later." Rikku said.
"That was pretty cold Auron." Tidus said, catching up with the older man.
"I am not here to hurt her." he said.
"Sending me back here was a mistake. I do not belong here. Rikku will just become more confused…and it will be harder on her when I leave. Harder then before." he said.
"But it won't only be hard on her." Tidus said.
"Mind your business." Auron snapped.
They reached the hole they had jumped through.
Tidus and Auron pulled themselves up first, then helped pull up the girls. Tidus had to pull up Paine himself, because she refused to touch Auron. He wondered what had happened between them in the past. He didn't bother asking though, because he knew he'd get the same answer.
As they boarded the airship, Yuna called up on her speaker and said,
"We found our helper."
"Who is it?" Lulu's voice asked.
"You'll see." Yuna grinned.
The lift came to a stop and the doors opened.
They all filed out, Auron last.
Wakka and Lulu gasped.
"Sir Auron!" they said.
Auron nodded at them.
"But you're…"
"Dead? Yeah, we've been over that." Rikku snapped, leaving the room.
They all stared after her.
"Where is she going?" Wakka asked.
"Probably the deck." Tidus said.
"Should I…" Yuna trailed off.
"I'll go." Auron said.
"Do you know what is wrong with her?" Yuna asked, slightly surprised.
"It's a long story." Auron said, turning and leaving the room again.
They all looked at him.
"What?" Tidus exclaimed.
"You know what's going on?" Wakka asked.
Tidus groaned.
"God, if he wasn't already dead…" Tidus muttered.
Tidus began to tell them everything he knew, and when he finished there was a shocked silence.
"Well…that was the very last thing I ever expected to hear." Lulu said, slowly.
Paine's face was clouded over.
"What is your connection to Auron anyway, Paine? Why do you hate him so much?" Tidus asked.
"It's none…"
"Of my business? Yeah, I've been getting that a lot lately." he said.
"You really that interested?" Paine asked.
"Yes."
"Too bad, it's none of your business." Paine.
"You are exactly like Auron. It's a wonder you don't get along."
"You take that back!" Paine snapped.
"What?" Tidus asked, slightly taken aback.
"I am nothing like him, you hear me?" she hissed.
"Okay." Tidus said, holding his hands up.
Paine left the room in a cloud of anger.
"Right." Tidus said.
"Want to watch the sphere?" Shinra asked from his seat.
"Yeah, okay." Yuna said.
They assembled behind him and watched as the picture appeared on the screen. Yunalesca stood there, speaking to a man. There was a giant stone wall behind them and rich red carpet on the floor. But oddly in the corner of the room was a giant pile of snow.
"What's she saying? Turn it up." Wakka said.
"Audio is broken." Shinra said.
Yuna let out a frustrated sigh.
The sphere stopped playing.
"That was useless." Yuna muttered.
The group broke up.
"So…onto our next problem...where are we supposed to find that Fayth?" Lulu said.
"I don't know. I'd assume it was in a temple, but I've been to every temple in Spira and I never saw anything." Yuna groaned.
"Well, you weren't looking properly, were you? I mean you weren't thinking about a lost Fayth when you were looking through the temples…you were more worried about obtaining the Aeons." Tidus said.
"Are you saying there may be more then one Fayth in one of the temples?" Lulu asked.
"I don't know. I guess it's always possible. Besides…how do we know we went to every temple? Anima, Yojimbo, and the Magus sisters temples were hidden." Tidus said.
"You're right. This might be harder then I expected." Yuna sighed, rubbing her eyes with her fingers. She suddenly looked very tired. Lulu obviously saw it too because she sighed and put an arm over Yuna's shoulder.
"You should get some sleep. You look very tired." she said.
"I think I'll do that." Yuna said, yawning wide at the thought of sleep.
"Good night." she said, kissing Tidus on the cheek then going to the lift.
"Will you go get Sir Auron, Tidus? We'll let him watch the sphere and see if he knows what it is about." Lulu said.
"Yeah, sure." Tidus said, bounding to the lift. He pushed the button for the deck and leaned against the wall as it ascended. The door opened and he bounded
up the steps. Rikku and Auron were at the end of the deck, kissing each other fiercely. For once in his life Auron didn't look tight and stern. He looked relaxed and…happy. Rikku looked purely blissful, wrapped in his arms, her hands on his chest. They looked very much in love. Like they belonged together. Maybe they did. Tidus wondered if that was what he and Yuna looked like when they were together like that.
He cleared his throat and Auron jumped away from Rikku. They both looked toward him. Nothing showed on Auron's face but Rikku's had enough annoyance for both of them and then some.
"Uh…sorry to interrupt but Lulu sent me up to ask Auron if he'll check out that sphere. See if you catch something we didn't. We don't know what is going on, because the Audio is broken." Tidus said, suddenly embarrassed. Auron nodded and walked away from Rikku toward the lift. Rikku followed, casting Tidus an angry look. He shrugged at her. They entered the lift, riding down in silence, the only sound coming form the whirring Machina all around them. The lift came to a stop at the bridge and they filed out, still silent. Wakka caught Tidus's eye and raised an eyebrow. Tidus couldn't help but grin guiltily. His friend grinned and tried to keep from laughing.
"Lets see that sphere then." Rikku said.
Shinra played the sphere and Auron and Rikku watched for a moment in silence before Auron said, "Stop."
Shinra stopped it. The picture froze in place.
"Can you close in?" he asked.
"Yes."
"There." Auron said, pointing to a blurred place on the wall.
Shinra closed in, the picture clearing up as he did after a few moments Rikku let out a gasp.
"What is it?" They all gasped.
"It's the sign of Yevon…It's a temple!" Rikku said.
"It's none of them temples I've ever seen." Tidus said.
"Me either." Lulu and Wakka answered as one.
"Nor have I." Auron said.
"None of us has seen it? That's strange…" Tidus said.
"Where's Yunie? Shouldn't she be seeing this?" Rikku asked.
"Yuna has over worked herself…she is sleeping." Lulu said.
"Could this sphere be connected with the Fayth?" Rikku asked.
"It's always a possibility.
"Lets ask Yuna when she wakes up." Wakka said.
"Until then we can think on it." Lulu finished for him.
"Yeah…stop doing that." Tidus said.
"What?" they asked together.
"That! The whole talking at the same time, finishing each other's sentences. It's weird." he said.
They smiled lightly at each other.
Tidus yawned suddenly. It was a very random thing, but he suddenly felt as if he couldn't keep his eyes open.
"I think I'm going to sleep too." he said in a yawn.
Lulu nodded.
"Perhaps you should get some sleep too, Rikku?" Lulu asked.
"Nah, I feel nice and energized." Rikku grinned.
Tidus left the room, going down to the cabin.
All the lights were off in the room and it was very dark. He tried to navigate his way through the dark and cursed lightly when he walked into a chair. He made it up the stairs okay, until he tripped over the last one. He hit the floor pretty hard. A figure in one of the beds shot up and he heard the click of a gun being cocked.
"It's me, Yuna." he said.
"Oh." she said, her voice tired.
"Is it time to get up?" she asked.
"No, no. Go back to sleep. I'm just going to get some sleep myself." he said.
"Lay with me." she said whispered.
He walked past the sleeping Paine and sat next to her. She shifted over so he had room next to her and he lay at her side.
He rested an arm over her waist as she buried her face in his chest and wrapped an arm around him. He leaned his face into her hair, taking in the sweet scent of vanilla. His eyes dropped closed and he slept.
Rikku
She stormed up to the deck, her heart pounding.
"He doesn't love me." she whispered harshly, sitting down letting her legs dangle over the side. She let out a flurry of curses in Al Bhed.
"Why did I bother?" she asked herself out loud.
"Why did I think he cared? Why did I believe he loved me?" she felt like crying now.
"He does love you." came a voice. She stiffened and turned to look at him.
"Liar." she snarled, turning away from him.
"Rikku I…" he trailed off.
She sat motionless, waiting for the excuse to come. It was always the same. Always excuses. Guys.
"I have no excuse." he said finally.
She heard his footsteps grow lighter as he walked away from her.
"I…just want to be with you. Even if it is only for a little while." she spoke up.
The footsteps stopped. She knew he was listening to her. That was one of the things she loved about him. Even though he hardly spoke, you could always tell he was listening.
"I knew you were unsent…ever since Guadosalam. I knew it, and still I could not stop myself from falling in love with you. It's something I couldn't control and now I'm just being a nuisance to you. I'm sorry." she said.
"How…did you know?" he asked.
"I thought it was strange when Seymour asked why you were here. When he said that Guado had a keen scent of the Farplane. Then, when you didn't go into the Farplane with the others, I didn't think much of it at first but as I sat there I thought it was weird. I thought you'd have wanted to see Uncle Braska and Sir Jecht. When Jyscal tried to escape the Farplane I remember that you sort of…freaked out when Yuna sent him…then it kind of just…clicked." she said.
"You are a very smart girl." he said.
"But that is the problem. You are just a girl, with a full life ahead of you. Me, I'm older then you by fifteen years…"
"That doesn't really matter now, does it? I mean, you're only three years older then me now!"
"That is true…but…"
"So what is it you're worried about? Your reputation? You're worried that people will think down on you because you're in love with a young Al Bhed? Is that it?" she yelled.
"I can't be with you again and then go back to being alone in the Farplane." he yelled back.
She was amazed. He never lost his temper. His words suddenly hit her. She felt horrible…but maybe…
"I can't do it…not again." he said.
"I could go with you! I could…" she said, excitedly, ready to reveal her plan.
"No Rikku, don't say that, please." he begged her.
"I'm not worth that."
"But you are! I love you. I don't want to be alone anymore." she sniffed.
"Please, don't Rikku. Just move on with your life. Find someone who can be with you forever, find someone you really love. Not me. Not with so many odds stacked against us." he begged.
"I'll wait for you forever if I have to." she said, her eyes deep and serious.
He had never seen her so serious before.
"Please Auron, don't push me away." she begged.
"You're not going to give up, are you?" he asked.
"No." she said.
"Just remember this when you fall in love with someone else." he said.
"Never. I know we're meant for each other. Don't you feel that?" she said, looking into his eyes.
"What?"
"You're heart…it's fluttering like crazy, isn't it? That's because you and someone you care about are connected. We're connected." she said.
He nodded.
"I feel it."
"Kiss me?" she said, more as a request.
He placed his hand under her chin and pushed her face up lightly. He pressed his lips to hers and her heart felt like it would explode. His hand left her face and his arms snaked around her waist. She placed her hands on his chest, loving the feeling of his closeness.
"I love you." he whispered to her.
"I love you." She whispered back, grabbing the front of his jacket and pulling him to her again. She could feel him smile slightly at her actions.
He was usually so stiff, but she loved that she could feel it when he loosened up. She loved him. It wasn't right that he had to leave. She would go after him. She would. Just to be with him, it would be worth it. She wouldn't even need to be sent. She had already accepted death. A long time ago. They would be together. She would make sure of that. Nothing would stop her.
She pushed against him more, not breaking the kiss. She didn't want it to end.
They stayed there like this for quite a while before they heard someone clearing their throat. Auron practically jumped away from her. Tidus stood there, looking slightly embarrassed.
"Uh…sorry to interrupt but Lulu sent me up to ask Auron if he'll check out that sphere. See if you catch something we didn't. We don't know what is going on, because the Audio is broken." Tidus said. Auron nodded and walked away from Rikku toward the lift. Rikku followed, casting Tidus an angry look. He shrugged at her. At least she knew now he really did love her. He really did. She rested her finger against her lips for a moment, then dropped them quickly, fighting the urge to grin.
Yuna
Yuna woke up, wrapped in Tidus's arms. He was still asleep. He snored softly but he looked very much at peace. She kissed him lightly, causing him to smile and crack an eye open.
"G'morning." he murmured, kissing her back lightly.
She traced little circles on his chest with her finger, perfectly content with just laying in his arms, the sun shining through the window and across the two of them. He seemed to think the same thing.
"Lets just…stay here all day." he said, smiling again.
"Sounds good." she murmured, settling her head against his chest again.
They fell asleep again.
Tidus
"Hey come on, get up. Lu will hurt me if I come back and tell her you're still sleeping." Wakka prodded Tidus.
"Huh?" he grumbled, turning to look at him.
"Get up, the both of you. You've practically slept the whole day away." he said.
Yuna sat up.
"What? Why didn't you wake us up? What time is it?" she asked in a panic.
"It's fine, you needed your sleep. It's two in the afternoon, a nice Friday afternoon and it is seventy-five degrees outside." Wakka grinned.
"Thank you, channel ten." Tidus said, standing up and stretching.
Yuna and Tidus made the bed as Wakka said,
"There is food downstairs when you're done." and walked down the stairs.
"Food." Tidus groaned.
Yuna laughed. They finished making the bed and walked down the stairs. Brother, Buddy, Shinra, Paine, Rikku, Wakka, and Lulu sat at the table, each eating something, while Auron stood in the corner, watching them. Yuna and Tidus sat between Paine and Buddy and pulled something from the table towards them and began to eat.
"Sir Auron found something on the sphere that we missed." Lulu spoke up.
Yuna stopped eating and looked up.
"What was it?" she asked.
"Yunalesca…she is standing in a temple of Yevon. Apparently a temple we've never seen before." Auron spoke up.
"And there was snow in the room which means…" Rikku trailed off for dramatic effect.
"Gagazet!" Yuna exclaimed.
"Awww." Rikku whined.
"I wanted to say it."
"Now all we have to do is…find this temple." Yuna said.
"Gagazet is a big place." Paine said.
"Yes but…it would only be in one place if it hasn't been found since Yunalesca, right?" Yuna said.
"The Fayth scar. It's sacred to the Ronso, right? So no one would know it was up there." Tidus said.
"But summoners have traveled through there for a thousand years. Someone would've seen it, ya?" Wakka asked.
"Maybe…it's hidden in the rock. I mean the ruins of Gagazet were hidden for a thousand years as well." Yuna said.
"We're heading back to Gagazet, then?" Buddy asked.
"Yes. To Gagazet." Yuna said.
"Well, we'll be up in the bridge then." Buddy said as he and Brother stood up.
"Okay." Yuna said, turning back to her food.
The two men walked away, talking quickly in Al Bhed.
Rikku yelled something in Al Bhed after them and laughed as Brother shot her a dirty look and Paine half laughed half coughed into her bowl.
"What did you say?" Tidus asked. He hadn't been paying attention.
Rikku just grinned.
"Oh I see the way it is." he said, pouting.
"Trust me, you don't want to know." Paine said.
"So, how are we going to search the Fayth scar? I thought people weren't allowed up there." Tidus said.
"Kimahri is the elder now, I'm sure he'll give us permission." Yuna said.
"Then there is the matter if actually finding the temple." Auron said.
"Right. We are pretty sure it will be up in the Fayth scar, maybe in the walls somewhere…but if that is the case, how will we ever find it? Why would they even make a temple that difficult to find?" Lulu asked.
"It would be difficult, wouldn't it? The very last Aeon before the Final summoning. Finding the temple is the trial. Us summoners…we can…well, it's difficult to explain, but we can sense the magic of the Fayth. To some extent at least. That may be how we find it. I can search for traces of Fayth magic." Yuna said.
"It is worth a try." Lulu said.
"Yeah, we've got nothing to lose…" Rikku stopped at a glare from Yuna.
"We've got nothing to lose?" she hissed.
"I'm sorry, Yunie. I wasn't thinking! I didn't mean it." Rikku said quickly.
"That is pretty cold Rikku." Paine said.
Rikku looked at her in surprise.
"Did I do something to you, Paine?" she asked.
"Oh, I don't know. Maybe." Paine snapped, throwing a glare in Auron's direction.
Auron avoided her gaze, but Rikku looked confused and a bit hurt.
"What's this got to do with Auron?" she asked.
"None of your business." they said in the same breath. Tidus had an urge to point out their likeness again, but decided against it. Rikku looked suspiciously between the two. She opened her mouth to speak but Yuna cut her off.
"What is going on? I want to know why you are being so cold toward each other!" she yelled.
They both stared at her, identical looks of shock on their faces. Now that he thought about it, they kind of looked alike as well.
"I hardly think this is your business." Auron said.
"You aren't involved." Paine agreed.
"If I have to put up with you two constantly icing each other, then yes, it is my business. I want to know." Yuna said.
"Fine, but we drop the subject after." Auron said.
"Oh, so you're just going to tell her then? Just tell her everything?" Paine snapped.
"I suppose she should know, she is obviously concerned."
"Well, make sure you don't leave anything out. Nothing. Not the randomly leaving, don't leave out the fact that I never even met you before two days ago." she snapped.
Tidus's head was spinning…wait…it couldn't be…could it?
"Then how'd you know it was me?" he asked, amusement in his voice.
"How could I not? I'd heard of 'Sir Auron' I've seen spheres of you. My mother told me who you were. But I'd never seen you once! Not a letter, not anything! Now I discover that you died protecting my best friend? That sinks me so low. I didn't know! I didn't know anything! Nobody ever told me!" Paine was screaming, tears streaming down her face. They all stared in amazement, but Tidus was kind of reminded of himself, two years ago. When he stood in Home and he discovered Yuna would die.
"You know what? I don't know why I am so worked up. It's not like you care." she snarled.
"I didn't know." he said quietly.
"What?" she snapped.
"I didn't know you existed until the Farplane. I saw you there one day, and I just knew. You look exactly like your mother." he said.
Paine paled.
"She…didn't tell you?" she asked, amazed.
"No…she didn't. I assume she told you I just up and left? Actually she sent me away." he said.
Fire burned in Paine's eyes.
"I'll kill her." she muttered.
"It's not worth it. I was just a child. It is probably for the best." he said.
"For who? For you, for her? Not me, that's for sure. Your age didn't really matter did it? I needed you. I needed my father." she said.
------------------------------
Oh Snapples! Bet ya didn't see that one coming! (maybe you did, I dunno) Anyway, review