A/N: Wow, this is certainly a fun story to write. Because I know I love a good mystery, myself, it's good to be on this side, with all the facts. ;)
Xenolion: Believe me, it's a lot of fun to write.
Mandy I Am: It's fun to hear what you guys wonder about. Here's another chapter for you, but I'm afraid it doesn't offer a lot of explanations.
Ogro: I didn't hear a lot of theories in your review this time, but I'm sure I'll get some after you read this chapter. ;)
Pray for Rain:
Chapter Thirteen:
"Awkward"
'My best memories are here.
Wakka, Captain of the Aurouchs.'
'My journey begins here.
Vidina, son of Wakka'
"So, where are we headed?" Scintilla asked as the trio left the blitzball stadium.
"What kind of a question is that?" Nyeha snapped.
"Well, if I'm going to be your self-appointed navigator, I'll need to know where we're going."
"Where did the navigator part come from?" Vidina asked, sounding far less bitter than Nyeha.
"Well, its obvious neither of you has ever left whatever rock you've been hiding under, so you can't even hope to navigate the Spiran mainland without someone who knows the ropes." Scintilla said, taking care to look at Nyeha.
"She's right, Nyeha." Vidina said, as Nyeha raised her index finger and opened her mouth to retort.
"So, where are headed to?"
"Bevelle." Vidina answered.
"The capital city?" Scintilla asked eagerly, a hungry look in her eye. "I've never been to the capital before…"
"So you won't be any more help than either of us." Nyeha pointed out, but Scintilla didn't seem to take notice.
"Why are we going to Bevelle?" Scintilla asked curiously.
"To—to meet someone." Nyeha jumped in, lest Vidina say something stupid.
"Who?" Scintilla's relentless questioning was tiring Nyeha, and her patience was running dangerously low.
"Paine. Baralai, too."
"From the Gullwings?" Scintilla asked, incredulous. Nyeha nodded. "Ooh, how exciting! When are we leaving?"
"Let us get our stuff from the hotel, and we'll set off on the Mi'ihen Highroad, if I'm not mistaken." Nyeha said, and Vidina wasn't exactly sure how she knew that. He decided to ask her later.
"Alright, well, hurry back, and I'll meet you at the Mi'ihen Gate!" Scintilla dashed off.
The duo walked back to the hotel, able to breathe a little easier without Scintilla being clingy.
"So, how did you know we were traveling on the Highroad?" Vidina asked curiously.
"I saw a sign for the gate, when we were on the way to the game." Nyeha admitted, shrugging her shoulders slightly as they entered the hotel.
"How do you plan on getting along with Scintilla, until we reach Bevelle?"
"You think I can't handle it?" She said, but her tone was innocent enough and there was a smile on her face. Vidina sighed.
"We won't have much time to ourselves, once we get going." He said, as they reached the room.
"I know." Nyeha said shortly, awkwardly, and it made Vidina wonder if something was up. He shook his head slightly, knowing that she wouldn't tell him anyway, even if there was. There was something distinctly strange about her behavior, but he decided that she would probably shake it once they got on the road again.
"Where is your daughter?" The guard thundered, and Rikku stiffened slightly before answering.
"She disappeared not too long ago. You should ask my son about it." She grabbed the ten-year-old, large-eyed blonde boy beside her, who turned and asked,
"Sudran, fryd ec dra syh cyoehk? Ec ed cusadrehk ypuid Nyeha? ((Mother, what is the man saying? Is it something about Nyeha?))" He asked innocently, sounding slightly scared.
"Oac, ra'c ycgehk ypuid ouin cecdan. Damm dra kiynt fryd rybbahat, Mekred. ((Yes, he's asking about your sister. Tell the guard what happened, Mekred.))" Rikku said slowly, bending down to his eye level. He nodded slightly, still looking scared. He turned to the guard, and began,
"Fa fana uid cymjykehk machina—((We were out salvaging machina--))"
"In Spiran, you useless heathen!" Rikku spun on the guard, as he shouted.
"He doesn't speak your filthy language. Would you like me to translate, or do you not trust me?"
"Of course I don't trust you." The guard turned to the hallway. "Can we get a translator in here?" He shouted, and his words echoed half a dozen times down the metal hallways of the prison. At once, a small, skinny man with brown hair and round glasses came rushing into the room, clutching a small book. Glancing around the room, he pushed his glasses up his nose nervously, and the bulky guard clanked in his armor as he turned and asked, "Are you our translator?"
"Y—yes, sir."
"Have I seen you before?"
"N—no, sir. I'm new."
"Where did you come from?"
"I—I was a s—scholar, in Bevelle."
The guard harrumphed, and turned to Mekred and Rikku, the latter still crouched to the former's height. "This young man has a story to tell us."
"V—very well then. P—please begin."
Mekred, still unsure of what they had been saying, turned to Rikku uncertainly, who said quietly, "Ku uh. ((Go on.))"
"So cecdan yht E, fa fahd uid du cymjyka machina, mega fa ymfyoc tu. ((My sister and I, we went out to salvage machina, like we always do.))" He paused, and waited for the translator to relay his message to the guard.
"He-he says that he and his sister went out to s-salvage machina."
"Yes, well, go on." The guard said gruffly, making it clear he didn't have any patience with any of the other occupants of the room.
"Fa raynt dra sandstorm, pid fa ryt ymsucd naylrat uin xiudy vun dra tyo, yht fa druikrd fa luimt uidnih dra cduns. ((We heard the sandstorm, but we had almost reached our quota for the day, and we thought we could outrun the storm.))"
"H--he said that they had almost reached the quota when they heard a s--sandstorm, but they thought they could outrun it."
Before the guard could comment, Mekred continued, "Fa fyedat ihdem dra mycd sehida, pid dra cduns lysa vycdan dryh fa druikrd, yht fa pineat dra pyk eh dra cyht, cu fa luimt lusa pylg du ed. ((We waited until the last minute, but the storm came faster than we thought, and we buried the bag in the sand, so we could come back to it.))"
"T--they waited until the last minute, but the s--storm came faster than they t--thought, so they buried the bag of m--machina in the s--sand."
"Yes, yes."
"Frah fa fana ypuid rymv y sema yfyo vnus Nara'c crylg, Nyeha cyet dryd cra luimth'd mayja dra sylrehy byndc uid drana, yht cra nyh pylg du kad du dra sylrehy. ((When we were about half a mile away from Nara's shack, Nyeha said that she couldn't leave the machina parts out there, and she ran back to get to the machina.))" He paused. His face had gone pale and he was shaking, "Cra--cra teth'd lusa pylg... ((She--she didn't come back...))"
"W—when they were about half a mile to—" He paused nervously, having forgotten the name already,
"Nara'c"
"N—Nara's shack, his sister turned back to get the machina and didn't return."
"Ask him if he has seen her since." The guard said to the translator.
"B—But he said that—" The translator said, but the guard cut him off.
"I DIDN'T ASK FOR YOUR OPINION, DID I?!" He thundered, and the now shaking translator pushed his glasses up his nose again.
"N—no, sir." He cleared his throat, and spoke in a flawless Al Bhed, "Ryja oui caah ouin cecdan cehla cra tecybbaynat? ((Have you seen your sister since she disappeared?))"
Mekred looked at him strangely.
"Cdibet xiacdeuh, rir? ((Stupid question, huh?))" The translator asked quietly, smiling. The two Al Bhed smiled back at him, momentarily.
"Hu, E ryjah'd caah ran. ((No, I haven't seen her.))" Mekred replied, taking on a serious tone once more, "Ev E ryt caah ran, cra fuimth'd pa seccehk... ((If I had seen her, she wouldn't be missing...))" He added in a whisper.
"Well, what did he say?" The guard asked, feeling distinctly like he was missing out on another conversation. Maybe when he was done with this, he would start studying Al Bhed. It might come in handy when he was dealing with nutcases like this.
"H—he said he hasn't s—seen her."
The guard harrumphed again, when the conversation was interrupted by the opening of a door, in the back of the room. In stumbled a tanned blonde girl wearing a green shirt and a black skirt, with green eyes and sand in her hair.
"Nyeha! Oui'na pylg! ((Nyeha! You're back!))" Mekred rushed and embraced his older sister. The translator raised his eyebrows, and the guard mumbled something about calling off an alarm into a microphone on his left wrist.
"At last, you've returned safely." Rikku said with a proud look on her face, standing up once more.
The girl blinked, looking slightly confused, but she said mistily, "U-uv luinca E ryja... ((O-of course I have...))"
As Nyeha gathered her things, she mumbled, "Tysh, E byet vimm bnela vun drec nuus, yht fa teth'd ajah cdyo y fruma hekrd. Fa'na hud aqyldmo nummehk eh gil, rana... ((Damn, I paid full price for this room, and we didn't even stay a whole night. We're not exactly rolling in gil, here...))"
"Drec ec Luca, Nyeha. Drehkc'mm pa lrayban uhla fa'na uid uv dra ledo. ((This is Luca, Nyeha. Things'll be cheaper once we're out of the city.))"
"Wow." Nyeha said, slightly stunned, "You sound almost like a fluent Al Bhed. Minus the accent, of course." She winked, and Vidina had never been so self conscious about his Besaidian accent. "But you've certainly made a lot of progress."
As he helped her with her bag, he replied, "And I bet you didn't believe me when I told you I was a quick study."
"No, no I didn't. But you proved me wrong, apparently." At Nyeha's reply, there was a long silence in which Vidina was lost in thought. He cocked his head, examining her.
"What is with you, Nyeha?"
"What kind of a question is that?" She asked, looking confused.
"Something's different. You're acting strange. What happened?"
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"All of this getting along with Scintilla, all of this smiling and winking, and admitting you're wrong. It's not like you."
"You barely know me. Who're you to decide what's 'like me' or not?" Nyeha replied defensively and angrily, as they left the hotel room.
"There. That's better." Vidina said, as they walked down the stairs, and Nyeha glared at him.
"Hey—Hey! Guys! Over here!" The two heard a voice as the approached the stairs to Mi'ihen gate. As expected, they turned to see Scintilla who was standing beside—Cahake? "Is it alright if Cahake comes too?" The Kilikan in question was on crutches and sporting a cast, and Vidina wanted to point out that he was in no shape to journey with them to Bevelle, but Nyeha jumped in with her new 'good mood' voice.
"I don't see why not, as long as he's okay with it."
"Well, I'll be honored to join you, Nyeha. To tell you the truth," he began sadly, "I need something to do. With this leg, I'm out for the season, and I just can't stand to be in Luca during all the games and knowing I can't play."
Nyeha smiled sympathetically at him, as Scintilla said, "I know, I couldn't resist his face, either." And Nyeha did something that shocked him more than anything thus far. She turned and smiled at Scintilla, as well, and winked for the second time in an hour. Something was seriously wrong with Nyeha, and he was going to figure out what.
"Well, we'd best be off." Vidina said, and the group began to journey up the stairs. Cahake was quicker on his crutches than Vidina had expected. When they reached the top, he saw an overhang that looked upon the beach below, and he felt the need to stop and look over. As he walked, he saw that Nyeha had meandered over to the balcony as well. And he could tell she saw the vision, too, of Yuna and Tidus standing side-by-side, sixteen years ago, on that very overhang.
"If we should get separated, just whistle. I'll come running. I promise."
And Vidina knew that she, too, thought back to their earlier vision, of Yuna standing on the dock below, whistling.
And very, very alone.
A/N: My all time favorite character from this story: the stuttering translator.