Chapter 4.

They were all walking around on the ship, wondering and planning on the next move. They were wondering if they should just go to Zanarkand to get the new sphere but Buddy made them change their minds. "There's a lot of people down there. They might swarm you." He told them. Yuna sighed folding her arms. She shook her head as did Rikku. Irvine was a little confused. He tilted his head staring at the girls.

"Why would they swarm us?" he asked. Everyone looked at him. Zell leaned against the wall. "Well, since we defeated Sin, it's obvious that we're still popular." He shrugged. "Not to mention, Yuna's High Summoner. I was a Guardian. So was Rikku. Just like other High Summoners and their Guardians, we'd be famous still." he told his cowboy friend who nodded.

Yuna and Rikku also nodded. "Yeah. A few times, we've had mobs and mobs of fans. Yuna's hand a marriage proposal one time." The Al Bhed said. Yuna went bright red from the memory. Everyone but Squall, Paine and Brother laughed. Infact Brother looked mad. Then Zell's eyes lit up.

"Hey, if we can't go to Zanarkand right this second then let's travel around Spira." He looked thoughtfully at Yuna. "For remembering things." he said. Yuna smiled with Rikku. "To remember and show your friends where've we been together?" The High Summoner asked. Zell nodded with a peaceful look on his face. Irvine grinned. "Yeah. I would love to see the old places Zell keeps blabbering about." He earned a nudge from Squall. The silent Commander stepped forward. "We have time to see those places anytime. All three of us are on leave for two months. So take as long as you want to decide our destination."

Zell could tell Squall's strange calmness unhinged Yuna a little. She seemed to be puzzled by his seriousness. But he also could see her eyes glazing over as if she was remembering something or someone. And Zell remembered Auron. The serious by kind swordsman who Zell had deeply admired. He remembered something Auron had once told him but shook it from his mind.

"Let's go to the Mushroom Rock Road."

Everyone looked at Zell with surprise. "Huh? Mushroom Rock Road? Why go there when we can go catch the sunset at the Moonflow?" Rikku asked. Zell looked down at the ground. "I just want to go there once and get it over with." He sighed. "To remember the Crusaders." He said. Yuna smiled faintly. "For Luzzu, right?" She asked softly. Zell looked at her and nodded. "Yeah. I was always fond of Luzzu. He had a father figure about him. Especially to Gatta." He said. Yuna nodded before looking at Buddy. "Let's go to Mushroom Rock Road." She said. Buddy gave her a salute. "Yes, ma-am." He said and he jumped into his seat while Brother jumped into his.

Zell went over to the side and looked out the window just watching the clouds fly by. He was remembering several things, several faces he missed so much. He gave a sigh and pulled out Tidus' necklace, he had recieved at the end of the journey. He looked at it with longing. He missed his friend so much that it hurt. They had been close ever since they first met each other and now Tidus was gone. He wondered if that one man from the sphere had been his friend. Zell was feeling frustrated. He had to know the truth. Who was that man and if he was Tidus, what was he doing in a cage?

He felt two arms wrap around his middle bringing him out of his thoughts. He looked down at who it was and saw Rikku. She gave him a warm smile. "You miss him, don't you?" She asked nodding to Tidus' necklace. Zell smiled and looked back at the object in his hand. "Course I do. He was like my brother. We got along, even better than Squall and me. And that's saying something. Squall's my best friend and had always been since our SeeD exam. He won't admit it but I think he considers me as his best friend too." He said. Rikku just smiled. "You guys seem close friends. I noticed how was looking out for you during some of the battles with fiends." She said. Zell smiled as he pocketed Tidus' necklace. "Yeah. He's always looking out for me. Always making sure I'm okay. He doesn't usually do that with anyone but Rinoa." He said. Rikku smiled up at him as she rested her head against his hard chest.

"Hey, Gullwings! We've reached the road. Prepare for departure." Buddy announced. Zell and Rikku turned around to look at the others. Yuna hurried into the room while the others walked away from their seats. "Gullwings, try and bring back a sphere!" Brother ordered. Irvine just looked at him with a raised eyebrow while Squall gave Brother his best glare making the Al Bhed back down, looking extremely nervous. Everyone snickered as they watched Brother cringe.

They walked along the Mushroom Rock Road while listening to Yuna explain to Squall and Irvine about what had happened there two years ago. The two SeeDs took in the information with care. And then the whole group froze in their tracks when they noticed the two crooks from before. The ones who travelled with the blonde woman, Leblanc. "Hey! It's those creeps again!" Rikku said pointing. Paine looked around then at Yuna with a shrug. "Maybe there's a sphere here." She suggested. Zell shrugged. "If there is, why don't we grab it." He said. Yuna nodded. "It's our turn to do the following." She said. Everyone nodded and began walking after Ormi and Logos. They were heading into the canyon when someone hurried forward.

"Good to see you again, Lady Yuna! You have forgotten me, have you?" The young man asked. Zell eyed the man with confusion. He remembered this guy from somewhere but he couldn't put his finger on it. Yuna seemed to remember him very well. She didn't look very comfortable but she was smiling. "Yaibal, isn't it?" Your with the Youth League." She said. The guy looked happy. "You really do remember me! I'm truly honored, Lady Yuna." He said happily. Zell and Irvine looked at each other dully. They were thinking the very same thing. This guy was an idiot.

"Since the day we spoke, the Youth League has been conducting a sphere hunt of our own. We, the Youth League..." A confused look appeared on Yaibal's face. As if he didn't remember what to say. "Hmmm." He glanced around for the closest person.

It was Clasko! The Chocobo expert! Zell was surprised to see him, and happy. He had liked Clasko. He always believed the guy had a big future lying ahead of him. "Clasko, take it from here!" Yaibal ordered the poor guy. Zell shot him a dirty look and clenched his fists, making his knuckles crack. He didn't like the way this Yaibal was ordering Clasko around. He knew that Clasko wasn't very independent about himself; and hardly stood up for himself. The martial artist was going to step in to intervene but he felt Squall's hand on his shoulder. "Don't even think about it, Zell." He heard him whispered. They watched Clasko sigh, looking very unhappy. He walked up to them and gave them a salute.

"We, the Youth League, to better our understanding of Spira's past, vow to remain viligant in our search...sigh for ruins and spheres." He said dully. Zell again looked at Irvine who looked back. Both of them looked worried. "Kind of unhappy fella, don't ya think?" The cowboy asked. Zell shrugged.

Rikku, however, began jumping up and down."Ohh! That's enough! Those two guys are getting away!" She said impatiently. Zell smiling seeing her so impatient. She hadn't changed that much. Paine nodded. "Did Leblanc's men pass through here?" She asked. Yaibal nodded. "Yes. They said they're here to take care of our friend problem. You see, the Youth League is in preparation for an important operation, leaving our patrols short handed. As a result the road the headquarters has been over run with fiends. Be warned. Unless you can defeat the fiends on the road you will not be able to pass. So are you ready to run the guantlet?" He asked. The group looked at each other then nodded. "Sure. Why not?" Zell said. Yuna nodded. "Sure, we're game." She told Yaibal. The young man nodded. "Understood! Expect to encounter fiends until you reach the vicinity of the lift. Fight your way through them and proceed to Headquarters. That's it. Good luck! Clasko?" He said looking around. "Clasko! Show them the way!" He ordered and walked away. Clasko nodded. "Of-of course. This way please." He said starting into the canyon. "Yeah! Let's hunt some fiends!" Rikku cheered, hurrying forward. Everyone walked forward. "Hey, Clasko. It's nice to see you again." Zell said stuffing his hands into his pockets.

Clasko glanced over his shoulder and then smiled when he saw Zell. "Sir Zell! My, I almost didn't recognize you. It's been so long." He said. Zell nodded. "Yeah it has. How you've been? You seem kind of down." Everyone nodded in agreement. Clasko sighed. "Well, a lot has happened since you brought us the Calm. I ended up following Captain Lucil when she joined the Youth League, so did I. But I'm still playing tour guide." He sighed again. "You know, all I want to do is ride on a Chocobo faster than the wind." He said. Irvine's eyes lit up. "Ah, so this is that fella you told me about." He said looking at Zell, who nodded. Clasko just shrugged and walked away.

The group of six walked through the guantlet, looking around. They tackled a few fiends as they went. The SeeDs got to see the girls change with their dresspheres during the battles and Zell just thought Rikku looked so hot in each of her outfits. He overheard Irvine muttering and checking them out. The blonde was on the verge of killing his friend for even laying his eyes on Rikku and Yuna in his way but Paine had did something about it. She must have caught him looking at her ass while she was in her Thief outfit. What she had done was knock the cowboy against the cliff wall and hold her blade close to his neck. "Keep your eyes to yourself or I'll have them removed!" She threatened. Irvine went pale and his eyes widen. Zell and Squall just smirked and shook their heads. The group kept walking until they came to a point where they had to climb down. The guys helped the girls down when they needed it. Though Paine wouldn't let any of them touch her. Then they walked through the small canyon, being very careful where they were going.

Finally they came to a dead end, yet they had found what they were looking for. The two men were standing in front of a large bronz door. It was the strangest thing the SeeDs had ever seen. The two men were holding several spheres and trying to push them into small slots in the door. The SeeDs and the Gullwings looked at one another as they all filed into the clearing. "This one ain't no good." The fat one, Ormi said. Logos shook his head. "Nor this one." He grumbled. Zell and Rikku looked at each other again before shrugging.

"What're you doing?" Yuna asked finally breaking the silence.

The two jumped and spun around, dropping a few spheres. "The Gullwings!" Both exclaimed, going for their weapons. The three SeeDs acted quickly, grabbing their weapons. And just seeing the deadly looking Gunblade, the two backed up. "Let's get outta here!" Ormi exclaimed recollecting the spheres. Logos eyed the three SeeDs with interest. "We must inform the boss!" He said. He fired his gun at the ground and smoke exploded around them. When the smoke disappeared, the two men were gone.

"Hey! They dropped something!" Rikku said rushing forward. She picked up a golden sphere off the ground. They all smiled, except Squall. He just slid his Gunblade away. "Finders keepers." He said smirking. They turned to leave but stopped. There was someone standing in the entrance way. They all tensed and waied to see if it was an enemy. But the intruder walked forward smiling. Zell's eyes lit up and he smiled right back. He knew this man. He had found him very friendly and quite a good guy. "Hey! Remember me?" The man asked grinning. Yuna nodded smiling. "Of course I do!" She said happily. Zell grinned back and nodded. "Yeah! Your Maroda!" He said. Maroda looked thrilled. "Glad to hear it." He said putting hsi fists on his waist. "It's good to see you too, Zell. Although, I must say. You look very different. If it wasn't for that marking on your face, I would haven't known it was you." He said. Zell just shrugged.

Yuna stepped forward. "How've you been?" She asked. Maroda shrugged. "I joined up with the Youth League and that's been keeping me pretty busy." He said. They all nodded. "Oh. I'm a sphere hunter now." Yuna told him. Maroda grinned.

"Ah, that's sounds great, trying out a new way of life." He walked forward looking at Zell. He knew how much the Ex-Guardian liked his little brother. "Actually Pacce's a sphere hunter now, too. He's the leader of the Kinderguardians. Be nice to him if you see him." He said with a mock of seriousness. They all laughed or smirked. "Don't worry, pal. We will. I like that kid." Zell said. Maroda nodded. "How's Issaru?" Yuna asked. A cross look appeared on Maroda's face. He looked away with a dark look. And Zell could tell that he didn't want to talk about it. Instead he looked around the dead end. "The Youth League discovered this place, you know. It's called the Den of Woe. It was sealed aroudn the time of Operation Mi'ihen." He told them as he walked past them, looking around the area. Yuna was now looking uneasy. "And Issaru?" She asked. Maroda went quiet again. He walked up to the door with his head slightly lowered. "But, uh, the seal can supposingly be broken with the right combination of spheres." He said Everyone was uneasy now. Zell and Irvine looked at each other, questioningly. "Um..."Yuna paused. Zell shifted his weight. "Maroda, what about Iss..." He saying.

Maroda turned around. "I'm afraid this place is off limits until we can conduct a more thorough investigation. So, I'll, um...have to ask you to leave." He winced. "I'm sorry." They could tell he was trying to be polite. Zell, however, was going to proceed in asking. He was starting to get irratated with Maroda avoiding the question. But then he felt a Silence spell fall over him and he glanced over his shoulder at Squall. The taller SeeD shook his head as if saying, Drop it. So they did.

As they walked out of the small canyon, Squall cast a Esuna on Zell to release him from his spell. "Why'd you do that?" The annoyed martial artist asked. Everyone looked at him in surprise. Squall just shook his head. "Maroda didn't want to talk about the guy, Issaru. Knowing you, Zell, you would have lost your temper on him and did something stupid." He said. Everyone remained quiet except Zell, who was just grumbling.

They went on through the Guantlet, getting rid of fiends until they came to a large elevator where there were three people standing guard. And Zell recognized one of them. He remembered seeing her a few times. And she appeared to be thrilled to see Yuna when she spotted her. "Oh, wow! Lady Yuna!" She said hurrying forward. "It's me, Elma! It's been so long! Wow, you've really changed!" She said happily. Zell rolled his eyes and folded his arms. "How are you?" Yuna asked kindly. Elma looked excited. "Never better! Now that I'm in the Youth League. I've always got something to do. Hey, you made it past the fiends! Nice work!" She turned from Yuna to the other League members. "Go on, step aside!" She ordered. The two nodded and moved aside. "Right away, Captain!" They said together. Yuna was impressed, the others weren't. "Wow, look at you." She said. Elma smiled. "Not bad, huh?" She asked. She motioned to the elevator and everyone climbed aboard. As soon as they were all on, they went up.

The group walked towards the Headquarters. Zell was looking around as they did. He was remembering several things that had happened there. He paused before stopping in his footsteps. Everyone stopped and looked at him. "Zell? What is it?" Rikku asked. Zell was looking towards the cliffs. "Nothing." He paused. "You guys go ahead. I'm going to stay out here for a bit." He said. The all hiesitated before nodding. "Okay." Yuna said. She took the two girls with her. Squall and Irvine stared at their friend. "Zell?" Irvine asked. Zell looked at him. "Go ahead, guys. I just need to remember a few things, that's all." He said. Squall nodded and the two left Zell to his thoughts. The martial artist walked over to the edge of the cliff and stared off. He was remembering the events of the Mi'ihen Operation. He remembered seeing all those people die. All of the Crusaders and the Al Bhed. He remembered he had started to seey Seymour's true colors. He felt his rage bottle up. His fist clenched tightly and he lowered his head, closing his eyes. He had remembered how Auron distrusted Kinoc and Seymour. He had known that they were not good. He could remember how Tidus had chased after Sin, yelling in rage. Then he remembered how Kimarhi had talked to him for the very first time. Zell smiled but felt a tear trickle down his face. So many memories were in that place. But there was more to come.

"Remembering things that hurt is a painful thing but can be a blessing. It makes you know how you survived." He heard.

He opened his eyes and turned around. There stood Paine. Her arms were folded and a serious look was on her face. Her pepper colored bangs were hanging over her cherry red eyes. She was looking slightly interest. Zell tilted his head and shrugged. "Yeah, guess so." He turned fully towards her. "What about you? Do you remember things too?" He asked. Paine turned and started to walk away. She wasn't going to answer him, but she stopped. She turned her head back around and looked into Zell's eyes. "I remember lots of things." Her voice was quiet and had a sad tone to it. "Not good things." Zell walked towards her. "You wanna talk about it?" He asked. Paine tilted her head away. "Not really. I keep to myself for a good reason." She said and walked away.

Zell watched her go before looking back at the horizen. He smiled softly before turning towards the cliff and gave a loud shrill whistle. He could almost hear people jump with surprise and knew that they were all looking at him. But it wasn't like he cared. He was enjoying himself. "Hey, Tidus. I'm home. Anytime you feel like coming from the Farplane to visit, feel free to." He said smiling.

'Ugh, how pathedic is that?'

Zell rolled his eyes and folded his arms. "Shut up, Diablos." He grumbled.

Just then there was another loud whistle. He blinked a few times before turning around and seeing a smiling Yuna. The others were watching them. Zell grinned back at her and nodded. "Let's head now. I'm done here." He said. Yuna nodded. "Okay. Let's go." She said. They all turned and walked away from the Youth League Headquarters. They met Clasko along the way though. He looked very disturbed. He was bending over looking like someone had just slugged him in the middle. "That's it! Every time I try something new, I screw it up. I just don't know what to do with my life. I don't know where I belong. I've spent my whole life drifting one failute to the next. But, I can't keep doing this forever. I know that there's a plkace for everyone in this world, even for someone as sad and pathedic as me." He muttered sadly. The whole group of six frowned. "Hey!" Zell and Irvine exclaimed. Clasko jumped and turned around. Both SeeDs stepped forward while Clasko gave a dark, disapproving look. "Ya talk like that, partner, and you really are sad and pathedic." Irvine said folding his arms. Zell shook his head. "Clasko, you can't put yourself down like that. I know you'd make it in something. You fancy chocobos, don't you? So why don't you get into it?" He asked. Clasko sighed. "I wish I could, Zell. But I'm afraid I'd fail that too. I wouldn't want to fail those wonderful creatures." He said. Irvine nodded slowly before stepping forward. He motioned for Clask ot come forward, who obeyed.

Then Irvine reached into his pocket and pulled soemthing out making his friends smile. "Selphie'll probably kill me for giving this to ya, but I can handle her. I want you to do me a favor, all right?" He asked. Clasko nodded. His eyes went to what was in the Gaian's hand and his eyes grew wide. "I want you to take care of this for me. I'm afraid if I keep carrying it around, it'll get smashed. And that would definitely upset my girl." Irvine said. Clasko quickly backed away. "No! I can't take that! I'll break it by accident or drop it! I don't want to hurt that poor thing!" He cried out. Yuna stepped forward and looked at the white orb in Irvine's hands. "What is that?" She asked. Zell looked at her, grinning.

"That is a chicabo egg. It's our chocobo, Boko's kid. At least one of ten of them anyway." He said. Rikku's eyes widened. "T-ten eggs!" She gasped. Squall shrugged. "Boko has five mates. They each had two eggs." He said calmly.

Irvine grabbed Clasko's shirt and pulled him back towards him. "Look, Clasko. I know you can do this. All you have to do is take care of the egg and make sure it hatches. I have faith in ya." He said. Clasko looked very hiesitant. But then he gently took the egg. "Okay. If you truly believe in me then I'll do it." He said. He looked from the egg to Irvine, smiling. "Thank you." He said. Irvine nodded before going back to the group. Clasko looked at Yuna. "Lady Yuna! I want to find my place. Please allow me to ride on your airship." He said. Yuna smiled and nodded. "The more the merrier." She said. Clasko looked delighted. "Thank you so much! I'll find my true calling, you'll see!" He said. Everyone nodded. They sent Clasko to the airship while they went over to the Djose Temple. And Zell never knew that he could get so annoyed by just one person. Besides Irvine.

They were just standing there in front of the temple staring back at the people. Once they had walked up everyone there turned and stared. "Everyone's staring." Yuna said. Squall shifted his weight uneasily. He hated it when people did that to him. Zell could tell that he was getting agitated. Rikku shrugged.

"You're famous, Yunie. Better get used to it."

Zell nodded. "Yeah. We did defeat Sin, after all. And lived to tell the tale. So you better get used to parties, celebrations and such." He said. Yuna sighed. "All I want's some peace and quiet." She said weakly. Squall looked away and folded his arms. "You and me both, Yuna." He said. Rikku slowly scooted over to Paine.

"Poor things. She's led such a sheltered life." She teased. Paine smirked. "Maybe she's getting old." She said. Zell and Irvine snorted with laughter. "Maybe both of them are getting old." The cowboy muttered. Both Yuna and Squall turned glares onto the other four. "Who's getting old!" The High Summoner demanded. Squall grabbed the handle of his LionHeart. "Irvine, I swear I'm going to cut out your tongue." He growled. A small heated arguement rose up between them.

Just then, a young man passed by them, glancing at them as they argued. He was a blonde and wore odd looking clothing very much like a pirate. He was quite handsome and had a boyish face, shaped much like Zell's. He wore an eyepatch over one eye. His good eye was bright blue. He had definitely caught everyone's eye. And Zell felt an annoyed wave roll over him. He was annoyed just by looking at this guy. He heard Rikku snort.

"That's Gippal, leader of the Machine Fraction. He can be kind of annoying but he's all right." She informed them. The man, Gippal, paused outside the Temple doors, turning around. "Okay, let's do some interviews!" He clicked his fingers and waved at them forward. "Bring it!" He said then went inside. Yuna giggled. "Yeah. He's seems all right." She said. Zell huffed folding his arms. "Yeah right. He looks more like a show off to me." He grumbled. Irvine and Squall smirked at each other while Paine rolled her eyes. Rikku just giggled. "Oooh. Am I sensing jealousy over there?" She teased. Zell snorted. "No! I can take that pretty boy anytime, anywhere, any place." He said. Rikku just laughed.

They waited for a while before it was their turn to go in the tent that was set up. They learned what the interviews were for. The Al Bhed of the Machine Fraction were looking for diggers. And after that, they were directed to go to the temple to see Gippal. Zell was grumbling about how he didn't want to even talk to the pretty boy. No one was listening to him though. They found Gippal talking to an Al Bhed in their language. No one but Rikku seemed to understand a word he was saying. But he stopped talking when he saw Yuna.

"Huh!"

Yuna waved at him. "Hello." She said sweetly. Gippal turned and walked over to them. "You, uh, here for an interview?" He asked unsurly. Yuna nodded. "Uh-huh." She said. Gippal scratched the back of his head. "The great High Summoner wants an interview?" He asked again. Zell gritted his teeth with annoyance. Yuna just held up a finger and said, "Former summoner."

Gippal shrugged. "Okay. Whatever you say." He turned and walked out. The group followed him outside. He didn't say anything until they were out on the bridge. He turned around and faced them again. His good eye on Yuna and only her. He folded his arms and leaned forward. She had to bent back a little to avoid collision. She looked very uneasy and it was making Zell growl again.

"Never been this close to a celebrity before." Gippla said looked her over. Zell clenched his fist cracking his knuckles but no one seemed to hear. "That's nice." Yuna said uneasily. Gippal stepped closer to straighten himself. He smirked down at her. "I could get used to this." He glanced over at Zell when he heard the martial artist start muttering. Yuna looked worriedly over at her friend then back at Gippal. "Let's not." She said.

Again, Gippal shrugged. He looked over at Rikku and grinned. "Well, if it isn't Cid's girl!" He winked at her. "How you been?" He asked almost in a flirting way. And that seemed to piss Zell off.

"Hey, I have a name." Rikku said with a small laugh. Zell nodded, stepping forward. He put an arm around her shoulders. "Yeah. It's Rikku. And I'm Zell, her boyfriend." He said defensivly. Gippal just smiled and held up his hands in his defense. "Ooh. Touche. Luum ed, dude." He said with a laugh. Rikku scowled at Zell. "Zell." He glanced at her. "What?" He asked as if he was being accused of something. Gippal laughed at him. "Heh, Brother doin' okay?" He asked. Rikku nodded. "Same as ever. Buddy's around too." She said. Gippal gave a low chuckle. "Same as ever is right." He looked over at Squall and Irvine, a small confused look on his face then he looked at Paine.

Immediately he looked shocked. "You!" He almost gasped stepping towards her. Everyone looked at Paine who glanced back. She folded her arms and nodded. "Paine. Nice to meet you." She said in a strange way. Zell squinted his eyes. Did Paine know Gippal? Gippal seemed to know her. He stepped back looking confused.

"Uh-huh?"

Paine rose her eyebrows and dipped her head a little. "We're here for the interview." She reminded him. Gippal chewed on the inside of his mouth and swung his arms as he backed away from Paine. "Right...the interview." He shrugged and folded his arms. His attention went back to Yuna. "Well, all we want you to do is go to Bikanel Island to the homebase. They'll tell you where to dig. We're just looking for some stuff that might help us." He tilted his head.

"You sure you want to dig? 'cause we're talking about the desert, ladies and gentlemen. Not exactly a picnic." He said. Yuna nodded. "We're sure." She told him. Zell shifted his weight. "Yeah. We can handle it. We're not some weakling." He said. Gippal looked at him raising his eyebrows. He looked slightly annoyed. But the blonde martial artist was giving him a daring look. "All right. You're hired. Welcome." Gippal said. Everyone blinked. "Huh?" Yuna asked. Gippal wiggled a finger in the air. "You. Are. Hired." He said slowly and spelled the words out in the air. He then shook his head. "Don't know why a superstar like you would want to play in the sand." He shrugged. "All well, do what you gotta do. Anyways, I've done what I can. Dig to hearts content." He said digging into his pocket. Yuna nodded. "Um, thanks."

Gippal scribbled something on a paper then held it out to her. "Show this letter to a woman named Nhadala. You'll find her in the Bikanel Desert." he told her. Yuna nodded. Then Gippal waved at them as he started to walk away. "Happy digging!" He then was gone.

Irvine rubbed the back of his head as he watched the Al Bhed walk away. "Man, that was weird." He said. Yuna shrugged. "Yeah it was. He sure seems nice." She said. Zell just rolled his eyes earning a light smack from Rikku. "By the way, you embarrassed me with your stunt back there." She said. Zell shrugged. "Hey! He was flirting with you, Rik. I didn't like it." He said. Rikku rolled her eyes. "Zell, he wasn't flirting. He's an old friend of the family. He was just being friendly." She said. Zell rolled his eyes again. "He was flirting." He argued. Rikku scowled at him before stomping away. Zell sighed. "Oh great. Now Rikku's mad at me. Just my luck." He said. Yuna shook her head. "Don't worry, Zell. She won't stay mad too long." She said. Zell's shoulders fell. "I hope not." Then they walked on towards the Moonflow.

Al Bhed Translation:

Luum ed: cool it.