Chapter Twelve

"Gippal," Baralai said, rolling over in bed. "I want to leave the apartment today."

The very thought was offensive to Gippal's ears. "What?" he asked, propping himself up on his elbows. "Why would you want to do a thing like that?"

"I want to go to that graveyard," Baralai replied with an even tone. "I have to… see something."

Gippal tried not to frown in worry, but this was difficult to accomplish when Baralai was considering going to see his dead fetus self. "Do you want me to go with you?"

Baralai seemed to consider the idea for a moment, then nodded. "I would like it if you went," Baralai informed him. "This might be difficult."

Nodding, Gippal embraced Baralai around the midsection. "I'll be right there to make sure it turns out okay."

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Just as they were about to leave, a messenger came running down the hallway. She was waving a glowing sphere. "The Farplane has exploded open in Guadosalam!"

Gippal's stare met Baralai's. "Nooj," they said simultaneously.

"This is more important than the graveyard," Baralai asserted, turning back into his apartment and grabbing his bo by the door. "Are you ready to go to the Farplane?"

Gippal was certainly ready, but he just wished he'd had more time to prepare. Laying around in bed for several days did not make him physically fit, or aware, enough to do any sort of adventuring into the Farplane. Regardless, he reached into Baralai's closet and grabbed the knives that he had stored on the top shelf. Hooking them onto his belt, Gippal left the apartment for the second time. "Ready," he said, nodding to Baralai.

"Let's take Rin's airship," Baralai said, leading Gippal down the hallway. "We need to get there fast, before it closes again."

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The opening of the Farplane was the weirdest thing Gippal had ever seen, including pyreflies shooting out of Nooj's body and possessing Baralai. That was pretty weird, he had to admit, but this was weirder.

It was like watching the heat waves rise up off the sands of the desert -- except that where the air wavered, different scenery stood behind it. The sky was a different color and a path led off down into the darkness. It was strikingly like the time he and Nooj had followed Baralai into the Farplane when Shuyin—

No. No use thinking about that. Gippal stared at the explosion in the fabric of space, looking at the wavering image of the Farplane paths shimmering in and out of existence in front of him. It was like someone had painted a very realistic portrait, cut the canvas into strips, and was waving them in random directions.

It almost made him nauseous.

"Come on, before it closes," Baralai said, taking Gippal by the hand and pulling him forward.

Suddenly, Gippal felt an extreme revulsion from somewhere inside his body. An energy pulsed through his veins, striking many distinct emotions in him – among them was a fear of the Farplane because of what he had gone through the last time he had been there. Another emotion was a very strong sense of protectiveness. He wasn't entirely certain what he was supposed to be protecting – Baralai? But Baralai, clearly, could take care of himself.

However, Gippal had grown very fond of Baralai in the past weeks. They had been together for almost a month, and Gippal had gotten attached. Of course he wanted to protect Baralai. It only made sense.

Biting back the revulsion, Gippal followed Baralai toward the opening of the Farplane. Even as he felt himself about to retch, he stepped forward into the shimmering glow of the other world… and felt himself step out onto the hard stone path of the Farplane.

He sighed and looked at Baralai, noticing that the other's hand was shaking a little. "You okay, Lai?"

"Shuyin," Baralai murmured. "The last time I—"

"Yeah, but this time, we're here for Nooj, not Shuyin. Yeah?" Gippal patted Baralai on the cheek, protecting him from the terrible memories inside. "Let's find out what's behind this mystery."

Baralai's eyes met Gippal's gaze for a long moment. "Thank you for coming," Baralai said in a low voice.

Gippal smiled. "No problem. This place is neat anyway." He looked up at the dense blackness that surrounded them on the stone path. "Let's go."

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They encountered Nooj on the second large intersection of pathways on the descent downward into the Farplane Glen.

"How did you two get here?" Nooj asked, startling the couple as he approached.

Gippal turned and was the first to speak. "What do you mean 'how did we get here'? You opened the Farplane for us, remember?"

Nooj stared blankly at Gippal. It was then that Gippal realized that the other man was entirely whole again – his body was without machina – and he was male again.

"You mean," Baralai said, interrupting the staring contest, "that the opening in Guadosalam wasn't you?"

"No," Nooj replied, shaking his head and folding his arms. "But there is something strange going on down here. Why are you still a woman, Gippal?" Nooj seemed a little confused. "Change yourself back to normal – or have you become comfortable in your situation?"

Gippal hated it when Nooj asked questions like that. "I don't know how to change myself," he retorted quickly, "and, for your information, I'm not dead, so I probably can't."

"It doesn't matter," Baralai interrupted again. "Nooj, tell us, what is happening here?"

Nooj looked out at the expanse of blackness surrounding them. "There are levels," he informed the others. "Different… planes. It's difficult to describe." He paused and walked closer to the edge of the ledge. "Depending on where you wander to, what part of the Farplane Glen you jump off of, which of these paths you follow, you can view different worlds."

Gippal narrowed his eye. Did people lose their brains when they died, or what? "Different worlds," he repeated, hoping to get Nooj to elaborate in the silence.

"Yes," Nooj replied, turning to look at Gippal over his shoulder. "Different worlds. However, they are not all different. In fact, they all share the same horrible similarities."

"Wait," Baralai said, stepping forward. "Are you saying there are different… worlds… planets… out there?"

Nooj shook his head. "No," he replied, looking at Baralai sternly. "I am saying that it is possible to see a seemingly infinite amount of variations on the same world."

Gippal's heart leapt into his chest.

"Variations?" Baralai ventured.

Nooj nodded gravely. "The same people – I recognize them. The first one I saw was that Summoner friend of yours," he looked at Baralai, "Isaaru. I saw him as he appeared in Bevelle when I last saw you two. And I left the viewing point of the world – the place where the Farplane and the world connect and you can view different openings of the Farplane into the world like screens on the Commspheres – and went deeper within the Farplane. At another viewpoint, I happened to look in and see the same man – yes, he was a man – however, in a society of people who lived in trees instead of on the ground. Leaving that point, I went deeper, to another point – to see what I thought was you, Gippal, with two eyes and a set of wings. The more I traveled, the more of these different variations I saw."

A silence settled itself over the three men. Gippal and Baralai stared at Nooj like he was trying to fool them into falling for some gigantic practical joke. That's how Gippal felt – like Nooj was about to say 'just kidding' or something.

But Nooj didn't do things like that. Nooj wouldn't make up a story.

"So…" Baralai murmured, finally breaking the silence. "There are… more… people like us out there?"

"It seems to me," Nooj said, an amused smile on his face, "that there aren't more people like you out there… in fact, it seems more like there are many different versions of you existing in different places at the same time."

"Different… universes," Gippal said slowly, not believing what he was hearing. It sounded like something out of crazy fictional tales that some people were known to tell. "Like… we crossed dimensions, or something."

"Exactly," Nooj replied. "Allow me to show you something most peculiar."

Not having any choice, Gippal took Baralai by the hand and followed Nooj deeper into the Farplane.