Ocean and Sky (a Final Fantasy X fic)
Disc.: I will never ever own 'Final Fantasy X' or any of its' wonderful characters, Square Enix will so stop asking useless questions!
A/N: So, it's time to continue with this fic and Yuna's growing jealousy. I think I'll have her do something at Tidus and Seymour's wedding, but not sure what exactly that will be yet. Whatever she'll do, it'll surely be cause for shock…but that won't be for a little while, so you'll just have to be patient and wait for that event to come along.
Ch.9- Mt. Gagazet and Return to Zanarkand
The sun came up over the forest the next morning, the soft golden light making the crystals glow brightly and shimmer in the quiet atmosphere. Tidus was currently thinking of what lay ahead in the pilgrimage, his friends probably also wondering the same thing as Yuna spoke to her Guardians.
"We'll be heading to the Calm Lands, everyone. Then we'll cross through Mt. Gagazet, and from there we'll be going to Zanarkand."
The group of Guardians nodded as they all got up and walked out of the forest, a priestess meditating in the quiet stillness off to their right but no one made any move to disturb her. The brunette Summoner cast a glance at her blonde male friend, her eyes pleading but he was looking at the two Aeon Spheres attached to a chain on his hips. She knew that he was probably doing his best to avoid bringing up their conversation from last night, Yuna inwardly glad he wasn't saying anything as they kept walking through the forest until they reached an open grassy field.
"The Calm Lands. Long ago, the High Summoners fought Sin here. The road ends here; beyond this Land, there're no Towns, no Villages…only endless plains." Lulu stated matter-of-factly, the blonde Blitzball player listening intently to her words. Auron spoke up next, the dark brunette male adding onto what the raven haired woman had told them about the Calm Lands.
"Many Summoners stray from their path and lose their way here. It's not for those having second thoughts, because there is no turning back now."
Kimahri looked at his strong, handsome mate and nodded. His instincts were telling him to have his way with Auron again, but he did his best to subdue them until after the pilgrimage ended and they had time to mate again.
Yuna, on her part, fell onto the soft grass and sighed as a smile crept onto her face. The wind caressed her skin gently, her Guardians also enjoying the soft breeze blowing over them. The moment didn't last long because the brunette Summoner knew that they were close to completing the pilgrimage so she got up and dusted herself off, Yuna and her Guardians crossing the vast expanse of grassy terrain while dealing with any Fiends they came across.
When they all reached a tent with a woman in front of it, Lulu spoke up when a man she knew came into their line of vision.
"Father Zuke!"
The older bald man spoke to the raven haired woman with a tone of familiarity, a smile falling onto his face.
"Long time no see, Lulu."
Zuke looked at the other Guardians before his eyes fell on Yuna.
"You are Yuna? Forgive me for being so forward, but you certainly don't look like someone that attacked Maester Mika…but the fact that he's been quiet means that you've turned against him and Yevon. However, you should remain wary at all times. Bevelle, as of right now, is calm on the surface but beneath that calm lies a stirred up turbulence of negativity. Many will think that you attacked him before murdering Kinoc in cold blood and fleeing the City so do not be surprised if others come to try and kill you. It is also probably a good idea to avoid Temples until things calm down."
The brunette Summoner nodded determinedly at the older bald man, her eyes burning with ambition as she talked to him.
"Thank you for the warning, Father Zuke. But I will not be afraid of them, because my Guardians are here to protect me…I believe in them, because they're not just Guardians; they are my friends, and I will always be grateful for their presence on my pilgrimage."
"I see…then I wish all of you the best of luck in defeating Sin. All of our prayers and strength are with you, Lady Yuna." Zuke said before turning around and leaving. After standing around for another few minutes, Tidus and the others decided to traverse the Calm Lands before nightfall came.
After another day of crossing the Calm Lands, Yuna and her Guardians reached Mt. Gagazet…the place Kimahri called home. The blonde Blitzball player was surprised that they were in the main homeland of the Ronso, but was more surprised when he happened across a sign that had an ancient language written on it.
From what any of them could manage to translate, the sign apparently said something that made them all become shocked.
'Mt. Gagazet (formerly known as Mt. Mortal Dragon).'
"Mt. Mortal Dragon? I thought this place was called Mt. Gagazet."
"It was Mt. Mortal Dragon, but that was over 12,000 years ago."
Tidus and the others turned around at hearing a young voice to see a girl about Rikku's age, her hair in shoulder length pigtails that was the color of blue icicles. Her eyes were slightly rounded and dark blue, her skin pale peach and she carried a big hammer that was slung over her shoulders; she wore an exotic dancer's garb with wedge heel shoes as she smiled happily at the group in front of the sign.
"The name's Mera, at your service!"
"Nice to meet you, Mera. Can you tell us what that sign means?" Tidus asked the blue haired girl, a giggle escaping her lips before she answered the blonde male's question.
"Sure thing. This is something my great grandpa told me. About 12,000 years ago, this place was very different than how it is right now. There was a great war that raged between two very different races, and one of them was winning. The other race, outnumbered and outmatched, sought aid from the ones who called this place home: the Dragons. They all lived in this Mountain, and ruling over them was their King. He was imprisoned though because his power was too terrifying to control, and that war lasted for a very long time before it ended. This Mountain, at some point, was abandoned by the Dragons after the death of their King and the aftermath of the war waged around it. Anyway, that's about all I know about this place."
"Thanks for the help, Mera."
"No problem. If ever you need anything, stop by my house in Bevelle and I'll do what I can to help."
The blonde Blitzball player nodded at Mera before she ran off across the Calm Lands, all of them turning back towards the Mountain and traversing through it. Before they could reach the other side after crossing a wooden bridge, they were stopped by two Guado guards.
"Lady Yuna, we have orders from Maester Mika to bring all of you to him. Come with us at once."
The brunette Summoner frowned and then spoke up, her Guardians agreeing with what she'd said.
"We have nothing to discuss with Maester Mika."
"Maester Mika's orders are absolute; you will come with us, dead or alive."
Yuna was about to say something when heavy shaking happened beneath their feet, a large Machina appearing in front of them a minute later. Tidus, Auron, and Lulu decided to hold off the Machina while Yuna and the other Guardians escaped after taking out the two Guado blocking the way. Kimahri was reluctant to leave his mate to fight alone, but a nod from Auron gave him the reassurance he needed as they ran off towards Mt. Gagazet.
Half an hour later, the soaked and frost covered Machina fell apart before exploding…Tidus and his two friends running off towards Mt. Gagazet to catch up with Yuna and the others. The blonde Blitzball player was told that, while they were keeping the Machina preoccupied, Yuna had received the Aeon called Yojimbo from the Fayth located in a shrine at the bottom of the Valley when he caught up with the others.
When they reached Yuna and the other Guardians, Tidus, Lulu, and Auron found them surrounded by Ronso. Kelk Ronso was demanding that Yuna leave, but she refused to yield to him as Kimahri was caught in an intimidation staredown with another taller Ronso male named Biran. The older brunette male wanted to stand beside his mate and help him, but he knew that he couldn't interfere no matter how much he desired it…the Ronso Maester asking Yuna why she kept going on her pilgrimage and what she was even fighting for as the brunette Summoner straightened up before answering, her posture showing strength and determination.
"I fight for Spira. The people need the Calm, and I can give it to them; it's all I can give. Defeating Sin, ending pain…this I can do."
"Even if it means sacrificing yourself?"
"Yes."
The Ronso Maester could see that the brunette Summoner was absolute with her words, Kelk nodding and telling the other Ronso to allow them to pass. Auron was proud of his Ronso mate, Kimahri walking up to him and pulling him close as a deep purr rumbled from within his throat. The sound was soothing to the dark brunette warrior's ears and he smiled happily, Kelk himself smiling at the two mates. Yuna and her friends headed into Mt. Gagazet after another few minutes and managed to traverse the huge Mountain. The dark blue furred Ronso stayed as close to Auron as possible without making him feel crowded, the two mates walking side by side through the Ronso Village behind the brunette Summoner.
The other Ronso were more than glad to help Yuna by standing against their enemies as they left the Ronso Village and headed into the deepest part of the Mountain, the other Ronso fighting as hard as they could to make sure no one stopped Yuna and her Guardians.
The inside of the Mountain held a path that led to a large shrine that held the Fayth, all of them dreaming. The blonde Blitzball player approached them and when he made contact, he passed out in front of his friends. Tidus found himself in Bevelle, the blonde male hearing the sounds of laughter as he saw a young girl no older than 8 or 9 years old running up to someone Tidus knew all too well.
"Seymour?"
He watched as his Guado mate picked up the little girl with a smile on her face, her blue tipped blonde hair falling into her face as she smiled widely at the blue haired Guado man. Tidus was feeling shock and betrayal as he listened to them talk happily, the girl's slightly high pitched voice holding excitement in its' tone.
"Daddy, when's Papa gonna be home?"
"As soon as he finishes his Blitzball practice, sweetie. You know how much your Papa loves the game, but not as much as he loves us."
The scene was enough to make the blonde wonder what they were talking about as he watched what happened next. He saw himself dripping wet and walking up to Seymour, the blonde's hair having grown out to his shoulders as he approached the blue haired Guado male and kissed him on the lips.
"Hey you two, did you miss me?"
"Only the whole time, Tidus."
Tidus smiled happily as he took the little girl from Seymour, the blonde girl giggling as she was held by her Papa.
"So, Shaila, were you good for your father while I was away?"
"Yes, Papa. Can I watch you practice next time?"
"I don't see why not, if you and your father don't mind making the trip."
The blue haired Guado male smiled down at his beautiful mate, the two of them sharing a quick kiss before he answered Tidus' response.
"For you, I daresay that I don't mind at all in the slightest."
The blonde would've kept watching the happy moment before him but he was awakened by Yuna calling for him as he woke up from his place on the ground.
"Are you alright, Tidus?"
"Yeah…I'm fine."
"What were you dreaming about? You looked so happy that you were smiling in your sleep." Rikku said, the blonde Al Bhed girl waiting for her friend to answer her question. When none of them thought he would, Tidus spoke up before he stood up.
"I daresay that it was the most wonderful dream I ever had in a long time…a happy dream."
"You were dreaming of Seymour, weren't you?" Lulu asked her blonde male friend, his smile directed at her now.
"Well, yeah…but also something else. I dreamed of us, and of the future we'll be sharing together for the rest of our days after we get married."
Tidus decided to leave the conversation at that as he walked ahead of his friends, all of them curious but not bothering to ask anymore questions as they eventually got out of the Mountain and reached the summit.
What they saw when they looked down over the edge of the Mountain was definitely not what they were expecting.
Lying below them was a ruined city, one that'd been dead for a very long time.
Zanarkand, the city whose souls never sleep, never rest, and never stop dreaming.
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T.B.C.- So, I thought I'd work in a reference to one of my most favorite PS1 RPG games of all time: Legend of Dragoon. Mera is Meru's descendant, as most of you probably couldn't already tell. The story she told Tidus and the others was a bit of the history of the Dragon Campaign, which was supposedly 11,000 years ago, so it would stand to reason that it's been at least 12,000+ years since that happened. Also, I'm gonna have the Zanarkand that you normally go to in FF10 be the ruins of Mayfil the Dead City from Legend of Dragoon. It won't turn into a crossover fic, it will just borrow certain elements from that game…and I hope you guys like the subtlety of those choices.
For now, just stick to the drill and I'll see you guys in the next chapter.