Song for this chapter was 'Coming Back to Me Now,' by Meatloaf. Just to warn you there will be no Auron/Rikku. Lol. Rikku/Gippal forever!
Rikku.
Tidus
We departed from Djose Temple not long after that. There wasn't any reason to stick around, and we had to cross the Moonflow before it got dark. Lulu said it would take a while to get there by walking, but I didn't mind. The weather was mild, and being in the company of my friends was enough of a distraction for me.
"So, the Moonflow?" I asked aloud. Lulu smirked.
"Yes. We have to cross it to get to Guadosalam." I grinned and punched a fist in the air.
"Alright! Moonflow, baby, here we come!" Auron chuckled lowly at my enthusiasm, and Wakka caught me around the neck for a slap across the head. We walked for barely any time at all, when we came across two Ronso that I recognised as the ones who had threatened Kimahri in Luca, before Yuna had been kidnapped by Al Bhed. I groaned as we approached. I wasn't really in the mood for fisticuffs with a bunch of Ronso troublemakers. One shouted out at a worried looking guy, who was running away from them.
"Look! There another of Kimahri friends! Looks just like him!" he yelled tauntingly. I couldn't not ask. I tried, but it just came out.
"What?"
He turned to me, and gave me a cold sneer, as he jested Kimahri.
"Both follow Summoner on all fours. Hornless goat-lings!" he said, loud enough so Kimahri could hear the cold taunts they aimed at him. They began to laugh cruelly at him, pointing their long furry fingers, their deep, rumbling laughs echoing up into the sky. Kimahri frowned, and was at my side in an instant.
"You come to insult Kimahri?" he asked, his voice portraying no emotion whatsoever. The Ronso stopped laughing, and the one with the straw like hair sneered again.
"Wrong. We come to warn little Kimahri," he said coldly, glancing at the other Ronso who nodded his great head.
"Summoners disappear. Never return," he said, his voice like the scrunching of gravel beneath ones feet. A shiver ran down my spine, and I shuddered at the thought of that. "Next, will be Kimahri Summoner." The other laughed at him.
"Poor Kimahri! Lose his horn, now lose his Summoner! Pitiful Kimahri, howl alone, howl alone!" he jeered, both of them dissolving into fits of cold laughter. Before I knew what was happening, they'd picked up and taken off, running down the pathways and trails that scattered these hills. I glanced up at Kimahri, curious.
"Those two… got something against you?" Kimahri closed his eyes and shook his head slowly. I frowned. "What? They were just picking on you?" Kimahri sighed, and remained staring after them, not glancing at me.
"Kimahri will deal with them." I sighed, and then an idea lit up my head. Kimahri was always so self-dependent. I'd show him he had true friends, friends he could definitely rely on.
"I'll help!" I shouted, trying to cheer him up.
"Kimahri alone."
I was about to retort, and tell him my previous thoughts, but Wakka cut in, tugging me away and surveying me wisely.
"It's Kimahri's problem. You can't interfere, Tidus! It's a rule," he stated seriously, and the non-joking tone and stoic face made me want to laugh. Wakka was never so serious!
Lulu however, was a different story completely. But she wasn't speaking to me, she was addressing Wakka when she next spoke, folding her arms and watching him with ruby eyes.
"I'm worried," she said quietly. Wakka sighed, throwing his hands in the air.
"Let the Ronso deal with Ronso problems, ya?! That's how it's always been," he said, not budging from his point, looking a little like a stropping child who couldn't get his way. Lulu sighed, and walked to him, and I watched his exterior melt as she did so. I almost laughed. It was unbelievable to see just how much Wakka really adored Lulu.
"I mean, about those Summoners disappearing," she said, raising a brow at his idiocy. Auron's voice was cold.
"They aren't just disappearing into thin air." I sighed, and tried to maintain my upbeat look on the whole issue. The answer to this problem seemed blindingly obvious to me!
"Hey, if we Guardians do our jobs correctly, then no problem, right?!" I asked, smirking at Auron who raised both brows. Wakka drew in breath sharply and a smile tugged at Lulu's lips.
"Confident, are we?" she asked, and rolled her crimson eyes at me. I grinned cheekily, ignoring her.
"Yeah!"
The rest of the way was short, and we didn't meet another person along the road, so we were each left to our own thoughts. Mine were idle, mostly about what was so special about the Moonflow, what Guadosalam looked like, how cold Macalania was… Until finally, we reached a parting in the trees, which led out towards the Moonflow. I gasped in wonder the first time I saw it.
It was like a gigantic lake, but it didn't seem to be just water flowing through it. A mixture of greens, pinks and purples sifted in and out between the gentle current, pyreflies fluttering lazily just above the surface before totally dissipating away into the sky. Lilly pads rested on the surface of the water, each with it's own unique quality, one shimmering green, the other sun in the sky yellow. I couldn't help but gape at the sheer beauty of it, at the tantalizing smelling vapour that was spiralling gently up from the surface. Lulu smiled as she stood beside me, taking a deep breath in.
"This, is the Moonflow," she told me, as I continued to gape. I noticed huge purple flowers dancing on the water, and watched as the pyreflies were emitting from them, continuing the flower's majestic dance to the sky. Yuna leant down and reached her hand towards one, stroking the petals.
"These are moon lilies. They say that at night, clouds of pyreflies gather above them…" she trailed off dreamily, gazing at the moon lily. Lulu nodded, sounding faraway too as she imagined it.
"The entire river glows… like a sea of stars," she said softly, gazing at the moon lilies.
"Really?" I murmured, too becoming lost in the beauty of the lilies. Then, a thought hit me. I leapt up, grinning widely.
"Hey! I got an idea!"
"We're not waiting till nightfall," Auron droned, totally bursting my bubble. I sighed, dejectedly.
"Awwh…Well, then once we beat Sin-! We're coming back!" I said finally, smiling at everyone. Kimahri's face remained stony, as did Auron's. Lulu gaze became sad as she watched the lilies, and Wakka purposefully avoided my own eyes. I glanced at Yuna, worried. What was the matter? She was staring fixedly at the lily she had toyed with a moment ago, eyes lost as she thought. The lily spurted a cloud of pyreflies up, and they caught her hair, making it flicker around her shoulders, the pyreflies only adding to her beauty. Something was wrong- why couldn't we come back to the Moonflow?! Wakka cleared his throat and placed a hand on my shoulder.
"Hey, we better hurry, or we'll miss the Shoopuf," he said, obviously trying to distract me. Stupidly, I fell for it, grinning broadly.
"Shoopuf? That some kind of boat?" I asked, confusedly. Wakka nodded, pointing over to a built up area near the edge of the Moonflow. I couldn't see right, because a thick clump of trees hid most of it from view, so we moved along from the riverbank towards it, to catch the supposed 'Shoopuf.'
We emerged into the clearing, and I spotted the Shoopuf. It was really kind of hard to miss.
"Whoa!" I yelled, smiling broadly at the sight of the great and gentle beast. It was a big, lumbering green thing, and had a mottled shiny green and blue nose that curled all the way around stretching the length of a Blitzball stand. It's head was huge and docile, eyes lazy and half open. It was shuffling towards the Moonflow, it's great feet making thundering noises as they hit the earth beneath my feet. I noticed it had a big travelling carriage strapped to it's back, and figured that's were we would be riding on. I was so excited all of a sudden!
"This is a Shoopuf!" Wakka said happily, pointing up at the gentle beast. I grinned hugely.
"C'mon! Let's ride, let's go!" I begged, eager to get onto the damn thing already. I glanced at Yuna who was smiling softly.
"I can't wait to go back on one!" she said, happily too. I gasped. She'd been on one before?
"You've been on one of these things?" I asked her, incredulously. She smiled, nodding.
"Once, ten years ago with Kimahri," she turned to her big blue Guardian. "You remember?" Kimahri smiled, and nodded his great head.
"Shoopuf move, Yuna fall in water. Shoopuf scoop Yuna out of water with long nose. Yuna jump in three more times for fun." He seemed like a disapproving parent in that moment, and I laughed with Yuna at his face.
"Kimahri worried. But Yuna have fun. Kimahri happy." I couldn't wait another second then, so together, we boarded the Shoopuf, and I prepared myself, as it slipped easily into the deep, vast waters of the Moonflow, slowly bobbing along. It was awesome.
"Hey, take a look down below," Wakka said to me when we were barely two minutes into our ride. I shrugged and stood, leaning over the side of the carriage.
"Whoa!"
Beneath the surface of the water, was crumbling ruins, towers, streets, houses and halls. Algae and mould grew thick on the rock, and the majestic waters of the Moonflow bathed the ruins in it's mysterious glow, illuminating it in a wondrous light that made if seem even more foreign and ancient. I gasped.
"A sunken city?" I asked Wakka. He nodded.
"A machina city, a thousand years old. They built the city on bridges above the river," he began, but Lulu cut across. I think she really enjoyed telling me all of Spira's facts.
"But the weight of the city was too much, and it sank to the bottom of the river," she said, gazing at Wakka who smiled back at her. I tilted myself further over the side to look harder at the city beneath us.
"Right, it's a good lesson," Wakka stated. I frowned.
"A lesson?"
"Yeah! Why build a city over a river?" he asked me. I pouted, trying to think of an answer.
"Uh… well, it would be convenient with all that water there," I attempted to reason. Wakka sighed and shook his head, like the answer was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Nope, that's not the reason! They just wanted to prove they could defy the laws of nature!" I sighed and pulled back. I seriously doubted that had been why they built the city over the Moonflow. I mean… we weren't that obnoxious and evil a thousand years ago… were we?
"Mm… I don't think that's the reason," I said slowly, hoping I wouldn't offend Wakka. He refused to listen to me.
"Uh uh. Yevon has taught us, that when we humans get power, we just use it to our advantage, and don't think of anyone else!"
Somehow… I got the feeling Yevon wasn't telling the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Humans didn't just use the power they received to 'defy the laws of nature' as Wakka put it, or to play all day while their inventions worked. Humans used new techniques to heal, and cure. Although White Magic was good for that sort of thing, Yuna had told me it was a dying art. Not as many people were learning it, so they must be doing more research into the care of others. And when they learnt that information, they wouldn't be using that power to defy the laws of nature. They would be using to help others. I wondered if somehow, that had been why the city was built over the Moonflow. Maybe they were trying to use the magic from the Moonflow to heal, or work or something. I glanced at Wakka.
"Don't you use machina too? Like, the stadium and stuff," I pointed out, going to sit back down again. Lulu spoke instead of Wakka.
"Yevon decides. Yevon chooses which machina we may use, and which we may not," she told me, watching Wakka warily. Well that didn't make any sense. That was just stupid! They yelled at the Al Bhed all the time for using machina, and then flounced off and used whichever ones they deemed acceptable!
"So what kind of machina may we not use, then?" I asked, wondering aloud. Wakka snorted.
"Remember Operation Mi'ihen? That kind," he said coldly, fists clenching at the mere thought of it. Lulu rested a hand on top of his fists and looked up at me.
"Or war will rage again."
"War?!" Yuna answered my question this time. I vaguely noticed I was still standing around like an idiot.
"More than a thousand years ago, mankind used machina to kill," she said softly, eyes sad. Wakka nodded.
"They kept on building, more and more powerful machina!" Lulu nodded in agreement, her long black lashes fluttering against the wind hitting us.
"It was thought they could destroy the entire world." Yuna's face was distraught as she relayed to me how Spira had become undone, and how Sin had come to be born.
"The people feared the destruction of Spira-"
"But they did not stop!" Wakka cut across her, angry now, gritting his teeth, as he thought of those people, who threw away all hope of a peaceful future for Spira, just because they liked building machina.
"W-What happened next?" I asked cautiously, wondering if I really needed to know. Yuna sighed.
"Sin came. And destroyed the machina, and their cities." Lulu smirked coldly, eyes faraway as she contemplated it.
"The war ended. And our reward was Sin." I distinctly heard a bubbling noise beneath us, like the whirr of a motor, like the clank of machinery. I tried not to pay attention to it, focusing on all of the people's faces, from Wakka's furious one, to Yuna's upset one.
"So, Sin's out punishment for letting things get outta hand, eh," Wakka said, folding his arms. My nose wrinkled and I rubbed the back of my head.
"Whoa. That's rough," I said quietly. "But… the machina can't all be bad…" Lulu nodded her head, agreeing with me, although watching Wakka carefully.
"Only as bad as their users," her voice was soft and emotionless as ever, and Wakka pounded his fist onto his knee.
"It's because of people like the Al Bhed, screwing everything up!" he yelled, his hatred for the Al Bhed seeping out. I saw Yuna flinch, and bite her lip a little, shutting her eyes, her glitteringly hypnotising green one fading from view.
Suddenly, the Shoopuf gave a huge lurch, and giant banging and clanking sounds were heard. All of us leapt up, Wakka peering over the side. He swore.
"It's the Al Bhed!" he yelled. Auron turned to Yuna, forcing her down.
"Sit down!" he commanded. She blanched.
"Sorry-ahh!" Yuna was halfway to her seat, when a yellow gloved hand reached forth and grabbed her around the neck, muttering something to her in Al Bhed. The man tugged Yuna back down with him, holding her hands clasped behind her back, and his hand firmly over her mouth. I didn't think twice, before diving headfirst in after them, my only intention, my only goal- that of saving Yuna. I hit the surface of the water with a resounding splash and heard Wakka do the same. The lights of the pyreflies and the mysterious colourful water loomed and ebbed around me, but I wasn't concentrating on the beauty of the Moonflow anymore. I was focused on Yuna, swimming as hard as I could after her and the Al Bhed man.
The machina that was before us was huge. It's whirring motors were old and rusted, but the exterior of it, resembled that of an octopus, the end of it's copper tentacles glowing balls of light. Yuna was being held in the centre of the machina, a round electric, sizzling force field separating her from us. She was doing her best to try and break through, but to no avail, so she prayed instead, casting Haste on the both of us for luck. The Al Bhed didn't hesitate to launch a full blown attack, the second Wakka aimed his Blitzball. The machine's side split in two, bright white missiles firing out towards Wakka. He dodged, but was grazed heavily on the shoulder by one of them, and blood stained the water. I tried my best to launch an attack, swimming forth and jabbing the machina with my sword. Wakka recovered quickly, not wanting to waste any time in saving our Summoner.
I thought hard. We need something to help get this thing down quick. The longer Yuna was away from us, from me, the more I needed to have her back. I remembered Auron telling me about a technique he called 'Overdrive'. He had told me to centre myself, to focus all of my energy on the task at hand, what I wanted my White Magic and sword to do for me. I thought hard, gathering my strength, thinking of when I was preparing for a big hit in Blitz. I imagined my sword charging itself full of magic, being sizzling with the stuff, ready to devastate the machina. After a moment of this, I leapt forth, the Haste spell Yuna had cast working to my advantage, allowing me to dodge a jab from the machina, and launch my Overdrive at it. It dealt a considerable amount of damage and Wakka gave me a thumbs up, before hitting the machina with his Blitzball again. I felt drained and weak after my Overdrive, and knew I wouldn't be able to perform one for a good while. So, I settled with quick swipes of my blade, and Wakka pumping his Blitzball full of Black Magic before launching it at the Al Bhed machina, and causing it to shudder and whirr uncontrollably, obviously malfunctioning. I swam forth as fast as I could, the force field down.
I snatched Yuna around the waist, and she fastened her white arms around my neck, helping me kick towards the surface and clamber back onto the Shoopuf, out of breath and tired. We were all sopping wet, Yuna's dress sticking to her skin, my hair plastered to the side of my face, Wakka's absorbent Blitzball uniform the least scarred of us all. Lulu leapt up, and was at Yuna's side in and instant, smoothing back her hair from her face, Kimahri putting his great, furry arms around her in an attempt to warm her up.
"Are you alright?" Lulu asked, voice high and worried. Yuna smiled softly.
"I'm fine, thanks to Wakka and Tidus. Tidus did one of those Overdrives you were talking about, Sir Auron," she told her oldest Guardian. Auron quirked a brow at my panting form.
"Is that so?" Wakka growled, yelling up into the air.
"Urrghh! Damn those Al Bhed!" he raged, stamping his foot. The guy riding the Shoopuf called back to us.
"Ish ebbiboty okay?" Yuna leapt up, upset that she had caused him trouble.
"I'm sorry! We're all okay now!" Auron sighed, and addressed her curtly.
"Yuna!" She sat back down, staring at her hands, Kimahri fixing his arms around her, me and Wakka trying to dry ourselves off, even a little.
"Shoopuf, full shpeed ahead!" the little man called out. Wakka sat down.
"Damn the Al Bhed! Why are they after us? Could it have something to do with Luca? What are they after Yuna for?" he asked himself, sorting through all the facts in his head. I saw Yuna's eyes flicker to the side and meet Lulu's. The Black Mage sighed and continued brushing Yuna's hair.
"I know! They're mad about losing the tournament! No, wait, I know! They're mad about Operation Mi'ihen! No, no wait! I know-"
"I wonder… didn't Kimahri's clansman say something? About… Summoners disappearing?" Lulu cut across him, calm exterior reapplied, gazing at Yuna with relief still clear on her handsome face. I nodded and glanced at Wakka, who looked like he'd just had a revelation.
"Ahh! So the Al Bhed are behind that! Those sand-blasted grease monkeys!"
My laughter burst out of me, in a sharp bark. Grease monkeys? How long had it taken him to come up with that?! Everybody was so tense, so I leant back in my chair.
"Hey, Wakka, there's no use complaining about the Al Bhed now, right? We'll protect Yuna from anyone, anywhere. It's that easy. That's all I need to know," I said, jabbing myself in the chest with my thumb. Wakka sighed and looked at the ground.
"I guess so." Lulu nodded in agreement.
"You're right."
I glanced at Yuna, and winked. She smiled, a proper Yuna smile, and it made me dizzy, the light that she seemed to emit when she did that. Her beautiful, hypnotising green eye shone, as she mouthed 'Thank-you!' at me. The Shoopuf ride didn't take that much longer, and soon, we were on the North bank, ready to move onto Guadosalam, which was only a short walk up another trail. We wandered along absent-mindedly, me dilly-dallying along behind everybody as usual. They walked on ahead of me, up towards the forest, but something caught my eye. Or rather… someone I thought I'd never see again caught my eye, and drew me over to her.
Her petite little form was sprawled out across the bank, her shiny red jumpsuit still intact. I gasped.
"You're… not dead?!"
I stepped back, as she peeled herself from the ground, and started undoing her armour, her buckles and clasps on her jumpsuit. She tugged at a long zip on the back of her suit, and I gasped. Why was she taking her clothes off?! Two blue ribbons fell out from her back, and I saw her clothes beneath the suit. An orange tank top, showing off her golden tanned midriff, and tiny green shorts, decorated with green frills at the ends. Her boots were big, black and hard wearing, grenades strapped to the sides of them. One of her gloves was small and black, showing off her chipped yellow nail polish, a red cross on the back. Her other glove was thick and yellow, and strapped to her thigh was a black strap, holding more gadgets and little machina grenades and healing potions. I noticed that she had a little blue necklace, frighteningly similar to Yuna's. Her golden blonde locks of hair were up in a tail at the back of her head, two long plaits coming down over her shoulders. Finally she took her goggles off, and I think I finally realised where all the distrust in the Al Bhed had first formed. Yuna's green eye had always mesmerized me. But seeing two of them, side by side, lighter green swirling in with the black pinprick pupil, how the eyes seemed to have glitter scattered across them, the stars placed within the green depths to sparkle and hypnotise. I swear, I almost fell into her I was gazing so hard into her eyes, when she smiled, her cute, pretty little face lighting up. She placed a hand on her forehead, and swayed a little.
"Man… I thought I was done for back there!" She fell to her knees, and I couldn't help but laugh at her dramatic entrance.
Rikku glared up at me, the full force of those eyes hitting me like a punch in the gut.
"Rikku! You're Rikku! Hey, you're okay! How ya been?!" I cheered, bending over and grinning like a fool. She was alive! Sin hadn't destroyed her, ruined her, and I figured Al Bhed must be made of tough stuff. She shook her head, bringing her face back to gaze at the ground.
"Terrible." Her voice was sweet as honey and high as a kite as always. I frowned, and got closer. I could smell the spices and pineapple scent that radiated from her hair.
"What happened?" I asked, stupidly. She growled, and jabbed an accusing finger in my face.
"You beat me up, remember?!" she said huffily. I raised a brow, getting up off the ground.
"Huh? Wait, that machina?! That was you?!" I asked, incredulously. She stood, and I noticed other little things, like her orange belt and little black arm bands and straps.
"Mm-hmm. That really hurt, you know! You big meanie!" she said, her pout adorable. I frowned.
"But- no! You attacked us!" I stuck to my guns. Rikku shook her head, eyes wide, and folded her arms, pout still there on her bubblegum lips.
"Nuh-uh! It's not exactly what you think," she said knowingly, smirking at my confused expression.
"Yo!" I would have heard Wakka yelling from a mile away. He walked up, followed by Yuna and the rest of her Guardians. Her eyes widened, and I thought she looked like she was going to burst with happiness. Wakka glanced at Rikku. He frowned.
"Friend of yours?" he asked curiously. I babbled and then nodded my head, pointing her out to all of my friends.
"Uh… yeah! This is Rikku." She grinned all the same.
"Pleased to meet ya! I'm Rikku!" her smile was wide and innocent. Lulu tilted her head in thought beside Yuna.
"Lulu, Yuna, you remember I told you about her…? She's the one that helped me before I got washed up on Besaid! She's an Al Bh-" Lulu shot me the Death Glare (as I had so christened it), and shook her head in a sharp jerk. She pointed at Wakka. Ooh… he didn't like Al Bhed. But what sort of an idiot did you have to be to not realise her golden hair, tan, or those freaking green eyes? Wakka raised his eyebrows.
"Whoa! So you like, owe her your life! What luck you meet her here? Praise be to Yevon," he bowed, and I heard Rikku giggle sweetly. "So, Rikku, you look a little beat up. You okay?" Lulu cut across him.
"Uh, Wakka?" He turned to her, to see Yuna's eyes shining bright as she gestured for Rikku to come to her side.
"We need to discuss something." Silence.
"… Okay, go ahead," Wakka said slowly. Rikku shook her head, her cute smile wide.
"Uh-uh! Girls only! Boys, please wait over there!" she chimed, pointing over away from them with her chipped yellow nail. They talked for a little moment, Yuna smiling hugely, Lulu watching judgmentally, Rikku talking animatedly. Soon, they walked up to Auron, who watched Yuna warily.
"Sir Auron? I'd like Rikku to be my Guardian," Yuna said quietly. Auron nodded and walked to Rikku, towering over her as she ducked her head down, avoiding his eyes. He smirked a little.
"Show me your face." Rikku jerked nervously.
"Huh? Oh… okay." She tilted her head up, keeping her eyes tightly shut. Auron's smirk widened.
"Open your eyes," he said slowly, as if to a little child. Rikku visibly sighed, and cracked one of her lids open a tiny bit, before opening them fully, hitting Auron with her eyes. He didn't seem as affected as I had been.
"As I suspected." Rikku sighed, and folded her hands.
"No good?" she asked sadly. Auron frowned.
"Are you sure?" he asked slowly, watching Rikku's face carefully. She nodded, bouncing.
"One hundred percent! So, anyways… can I?" I thought she was going to stick 'pretty please with sugar on top' on the end of that sentence, but thankfully, she didn't. Frankly, I think Auron would have had a problem with that.
"If Yuna wants it," he said. Yuna nodded, smiling broadly. Wakka made a little noise of disapproval, and I laughed nervously.
"Hey! Rikku's a… good girl. She helped me a bunch!" I said happily. Wakka nodded, shaking off his last disgruntled little noise.
"Well, I'm for it! The more, the merrier!" Rikku grinned wildly, dancing around.
"Righto! Well, I'll just have to be the merriest!" she chimed, hugging Yuna tightly. Yuna's face was both shocked and happy, as she hugged Rikku lightly back. Guadosalam was only five minutes away from our current position, but already, Rikku's presence had made all of us slightly happier. Except Kimahri. He looked kind of annoyed when she asked him for a piggy-back.
Guadosalam was amazing. Roots and bark was basically all it was made up of, spanning a small area, but still, it was wondrous to look at. The ground was deep brown, green roots spiralling around, houses built in among tree trunks, lanterns hanging peacefully from branches, swaying softly. It had a rich, earthy smell that was a delight in my nostrils, and filled my head with lazy thoughts.
A Guado man greeted us. He rivalled Kimahri's height, his arms falling like the branches of trees down past his knees, his long, spindly fingers grazing the ground. His nose was long and hooked, and his hair was thick tendrils of green, moss growing along the side of his face. His eyes were like black beetles, shining, and he had yellow robes on, embroidered with red patterns along the sides.
"Lady Yuna! We have been expecting you! Please, come this way," he made to grasp Yuna's arm, but Wakka and Rikku leapt in front of her. Wakka eyed the man. He bowed deeply.
"My apologises, my Lady! I am Tromell Guado. I am in the direct service of our leader, Lord Seymour Guado. Lord Seymour had very important business with Lady Yuna," Tromell said in his lumbering voice. Yuna frowned.
"Business with me?" she glanced at Lulu who shook her head, not understanding either.
"Please, come inside the manor! All will be explained. Your friends are obviously also welcome," he said nervously, glancing at me with worried eyes. Taking no time to wander, he led us down the steep bank that was in front of the manor. The manor seemed like it was part of the wooden wall, bark and vines entwined with the front of it, a big red door shining. Seymour's humble abode, it so seemed.
The inside of it was basically exactly the same as the outside, all like the forest had become overgrown and had infested the homes of the Guado. I was beginning to think that they themselves were part of the forests however, with their appearances. I walked up a small flight of stairs, Lulu and Wakka close behind me, curious to see the portraits on the walls I had spotted. They all seemed to be of one, serene looking man.
"These are all the past leaders of the Guado," Lulu told me, keeping her voice quiet. I grunted.
"They all look the same," I mused, reaching out to graze the surface of one of the green portraits with my fingers. Wakka frowned.
"Maester Seymour don't look like them, though," Wakka said thoughtfully. Lulu's thin brows raised and she leant over to Wakka a little, pulling him closer to her. I leant in two, not wanting to miss this.
"Don't you know? The last leader of the Guado was Maester Jyscal. He wed a human woman. She was Seymour's mother," she told us, thick purple lips hardly moving as she muttered the words. Both Wakka and I made noises of understanding, and Lulu nodded, her mouth quirking in a smile. Tromell emerged then from two grand doors that led through the Seymour, I guessed. He bowed.
"This way, please," he motioned politely for us to walk through. Auron tugged me towards him, and whispered in my ear.
"Stay as close to Yuna as you can." Kimahri nodded.
"Kimahri not like Seymour." Myself, Kimahri and Auron moved in right beside Yuna, hardly giving her enough room to breathe. Lulu, Wakka and Rikku flanked the sides of us, Rikku walking first. We were led into a huge room, tables laden with food of every kind, and Tromell excused himself to summon Seymour. I walked close to Lulu who, gestured for me to come closer to her.
"There's no temple here in Guadosalam. Usually, Summoners just pass on through," she told me, smiling at my face as I took in yet another piece of trivia concerning Spira. I laughed, realising something. Lulu raised a brow, and instantly became sharp. "What?" she snapped. I grinned, putting my hands up in mock defence.
"I didn't even ask a question and you're telling me things," I said, grinning at her. Lulu frowned and pouted a little, and I almost laughed, thinking of Rikku and her both pouting.
"You would rather I didn't say anything?" she asked coldly.
"No! No! it's just… maybe you're finally beginning to accept that I don't know anything about Spira… And maybe that means you believe me about Zanarkand… too?" I asked cautiously, rubbing the back of my neck. Lulu watched me for a moment, before closing her eyes, and thinking. She folded her arms, and shot an annoyed glance at me.
"Well… there are many things I do not know, Tidus. Your Zanarkand is one of those things. I supposed I can't say what I think either way," she said slowly, thinking of every word before she spoke it. "Still… be careful. You shouldn't tell other people." I nodded. They would think I was some sort of nut.
"Yeah, I know."
She shooed me away then, as Rikku had just discovered about the proposal between Lulu and Wakka, and was squealing in delight, begging to be allowed to plan the wedding. I went to Auron, who was leaning against the wall, counting the exits, taking in his surroundings.
"Stay on your guard," he muttered. He left then to tell Rikku to act like a Guardian, as not only was she squealing, she was stuffing her face full of the food. I almost laughed out loud, but something about this whole encounter with Seymour made me uneasy. I mean, the guy had never made me feel comfortable before, but this time… I got the feeling he'd called us to his manor for more than just a bite to eat and a little bit of gossiping. Suddenly, Tromell entered, Seymour following close behind him. We moved in towards Yuna again, but not so obviously he would think we were on to his conniving little mind.
"Welcome!" he bowed to Yuna, who bowed nervously and bit her lip.
"You wanted t-to see me?" she asked softly. Seymour sighed and swept his hand grandly around the room.
"Please! Make yourselves at home! There's no rush!" he said in his smooth way. Auron coughed.
"Please keep this short. Yuna must hurry," he stated coldly, hand flinching to the hilt of his sword. I nodded, and Kimarhi grunted. Seymour raised his hands in apology.
"Pardon me. It has been a long time since I had guests. Lady Yuna! Please come this way," he swept his hand politely holding the door for Yuna to walk through. We rushed up to her side, not letting her get away.
The room was dark at first. Yuna stepped forth, and the ground lit up where her feet brushed, sending bursts of light, not unlike those of when she Summoned, whirling around her, illuminating her beautiful face. My heart caught in my throat, and I had to try and stop myself from running to her. What was wrong with me?! What was going on with my head?! Lately, I'd just had these urges to reach out and touch Yuna, to hold her, tell her it would be okay. I glanced up to try and see the roof of the room, but instead, I saw the night sky, stars littered across it, great planets taking up vast areas of space. Pyreflies danced from here to there, glittering, teasing me with their carefree movements. Yuna gasped, and her face lit up in smile, as the light from the stars caught her eyes, making them dazzle. I dared not look intro Rikku's eyes, for fear I might not be able to look away. Lulu seemed to have some unearthly dark quality about her, that in contrast with the light of this room made her look unreal. Wakka's tanned skin glowed, and Kimahri looked like a great, majestic king. Even Auron seemed to shine, the silver hairs that littered his dark chestnut locks shimmering a little. Seymour walked up behind Yuna, smiling as she clapped a hand to her mouth in wonder.
"This sphere, is a recollection from the thoughts of the dead that wander the Farplane," he told us, gazing himself, as suddenly, a great city appeared before us out of nothingness, and we were thrown into the thick of it all, getting a first hand glance at the wondrous sights. Rikku tried to catch the streaks of light, the pyreflies, but they flitted through her hands like nothingness. I realised where we were standing. The bustling crowds, the busy workers- I glanced above and below to make sure, seeing above us, penthouses, a great stadium, and walkways from building to building. Downwards, I could detect a foul smell, ebbing up from the shrub layer, and I could see the hard working people of the lower canopy, trying to find food.
"Zanarkand?!" I asked, incredulously. Seymour nodded.
"Indeed. Zanarkand. As it was a thousand years ago." Lulu looked at Wakka, who gaped back at her, mesmerized by the city I had grown accustomed too. Suddenly, we were on the emergent layer, speeding along the monorail I so often had ridden, and Seymour sighed in content. "The great machina city of Zanarkand. She once lived in this metropolis," he said, sounding faraway. I heard Auron laugh cruelly, a smirk on his face. Yuna momentarily broke her stare at Zanarkand to look at Seymour, and ask him a question, her voice soft.
"She who?"
Suddenly, we weren't in Zanarkand anymore, and the memories faded, leaving only the true sphere before our eyes. In the centre of the room, was a woman, or what looked like a woman. I soon realised she was a dream. Her hair was long and flowing, a deep silvery colour, her eyes the same unsettling icy blue as Seymour's. She barely wore any clothing at all, a small bikini and bottoms, her feet clad in delicate silver sandals, twirling up her pale legs. Yuna gasped.
"Lady Yunalesca!"
"She was the first to defeat Sin. And save the world from it's ravages," Seymour explained, pointing Lady Yunalesca out. Yunalesca? That must have been who Yuna was named after! I watched Lady Yunalesca. She didn't look very happy. She seemed… depressed. Must have been another trait besides her name Yuna inherited. The ability to worry about everyone but yourself constantly. I wondered if Yuna was okay now. Was Seymour making her uncomfortable? Should I say something? Gah! What is the matter with me?!
"And you have been graced with her title."
"It was my father, who named me," Yuna told Seymour, smiling at the ground. Seymour nodded, smiling at her.
"Your father was entrusting you with a great task. He wanted you to face Sin, as Lady Yunalesca did. However, Lady Yunalesca, did not save the world alone…" I heard Lulu and Wakka let out sharp gasps, Rikku clench her teeth, and Auron raised a brow. Kimahri growled, and made to move towards Yuna. Who had she saved the world with?! What had happened?
"To defeat Sin, it took an unbreakable bond of love, the kind that lasts for eternity." Seymour bowed in prayer. My heart panged at that. … What, did I think I could help Yuna with that or something? I swept the thought aside, focusing on Seymour once more.
A man, another memory, entered the sphere then, sweeping through Yuna, a large crown on his head, his cloak billowing as he walked. He went to Yunalesca, who leapt up and clasped his hands, staring at him, so much devotion and adoration in their eyes, it made my heart hurt. Why didn't I have someone like that? …Because Auron was right. I'd never tried to find someone like that back home. What had I done? Partied and… slept around. I was snapped back into the present time, when I saw what Seymour was doing. He had his lips pressed close to Yuna's ear, whispering something softly to her. Her eyes grew wider than dinner plates, and I was about to march right forth and grab her, but Auron was there, holding me back, eyes dark. We went hurriedly back to the room with food, and Yuna ran straight to the drinks table, downing a glass of water in seconds, looking like she needed something much stronger. I ran to her, not caring about Auron anymore. She had her hands rested on the table in front of her, and I fixed my arms around either side of her, so she had no chance of escape. She gasped at the sudden close proximity of me.
"Yuna? What's the matter?" Rikku was at my side, and span Yuna around, giggling gleefully at the colour of her face.
"You're beet red!" she said happily. I stomped on her foot, earning myself a put-out pout, as she tugged my arms away from Yuna. Yuna began stuttering, searching desperately for the right words, trying to speak coherent sentences. She glanced at Seymour, and I brushed my fingers against her face, earning myself a full on look from her.
"He- he asked me to marry him," she whispered, her voice terrified and barely audible.
Suddenly, anger was pounding through my veins. I don't know what happened. I just saw red, and instantly, something snapped within me, making me want to run over there right away and wring Seymour's neck with my bare hands. My eyes flashed darker than normal, and Yuna blanched even more at my anger. I fisted my hands together, and gritted my teeth, resisting the temptation to lash out and break something. What was wrong with me all of a sudden? Why was I so mad?! So FURIOUS?! Auron pulled me away from Yuna, growling at Seymour.
"You know what Yuna must do," he said darkly, fury clearly apparent in him as well. I don't think it was as strong, or as animalistic as mine though.
"Of course! Lady Yuna- no, all Summoners, are charged with bringing peace to Spira. But this means more than just defeating Sin. She must ease the suffering of Spira. She must be a leader for the people! I proposed to Lady Yuna, as a Maester of Yevon-"
"Spira is no play-house," Auron cut across the dramatic Seymour coldly, his gaze never flinching from burning holes in Seymour. He gave a quick smirk in the direction of Auron, seemingly ignoring him. Auron continued, still cold. "A moment's diversion may amuse an audience, but it changes nothing." Seymour nodded, smiling at Auron now, in a cocky fashion.
"Even so, the actors must play their parts."
I was getting angrier now. What, he thought marrying Yuna was just some sort of show?! He thought they were actors, performing a play with the hope of getting good reviews? He didn't really, truly love her. It was impossible, the hungry, evil stare he gave her, the sick, sadistic smile that lingered on his lips when she said something innocent, something meaningful. He made me want to throw up, and it disgusted me that he would just marry her for fun!
"There's no need to answer right away. Please, think it over," Seymour suggested, Auron answered instead of Yuna.
"We will do so. We leave," Auron said, and began to move. Seymour nodded, smirking.
"Lady Yuna- I await your favourable reply," he said smoothly, causing Auron to stop dead in his tracks, and come back for Yuna, taking her delicate arm gently, and heaving her shocked form out of the Guado manor. It took all of my strength to walk out with them, and not turn back and run Seymour through right there. I didn't understand! Why was I so furious?! Suddenly, Seymour turned and tilted his head to one side, watching Auron.
"Why are you still here sir?" Auron stopped, and I thought he was gonna run Seymour through too. Seymour smiled pleasantly, and bowed. "My apologies. We Guado are keen to the scent of the Farplane." And he left just like that, not a goodbye to us, just walked out and left us to show ourselves out. Not only was he an obnoxious insert-awful-word-here, but he was a RUDE obnoxious insert-awful-word-here!
Outside, Yuna sat down, and Lulu was speaking. It seemed… she was trying to actually convince her to marry that bastrard!
"Yuna… the High Summoner's daughter, and Seymour Guado, Leader of the Guado married in the name of Yevon… Overcoming the barriers of race… It would give Spira something cheery to talk about, for a change," Lulu folded her arms, and I was about to yell at her. How dare she force Yuna into this?! It was clear she wasn't interested!
"Sounds just like a passing daydream, like Auron says," Wakka agreed. I sighed, trying to stay cool.
"C'mon! L-Let's just get on with the pilgrimage! I mean… m-marriage?" Rikku smirked, and poked me, tilting her head to one side, sweetly.
"Hmm… jealous much?" she chirped.
I hesitated.
And that was all it took.
One moment of hesitation, and all eyes in the house were on me, Wakka's huge, Lulu's knowing, Kimahri's wise, Auron's dark, Rikku's smug and Yuna's… happy. I gaped like a fish. I was… jealous? That was why I was a-angry? I was jealous of Seymour marrying Yuna because I…? No! No, that wasn't the reason! I didn't- Yuna was my- we were just-
"N-no! We… gotta defeat Sin! R-Romance can wait," I said, trying to sound nonchalant. I failed, miserably, and Rikku's smirk was the smuggest look I think I've ever seen. I kicked her in the shin.
"Owie!"
"He sure picked a fine time to lay this one on us," Wakka said, tearing Lulu's attention away from me.
"Maybe… it is a fine time," Yuna spoke quietly.
"You serious?!" I asked, before I knew what was happening. She nodded.
"If my getting married will make the people happy… If I can make them happy, by just getting married? Then I should do what I can," she said keeping her eyes away from my own, refusing to look up from her fingers. "I never imagined doing anything like this, but I won't answer till I know what's right."
"Seriously?!" I repeated. Rikku dropped to her knees, trying to look Yuna in the eye.
"You could always quit your pilgrimage and get married?" she asked, slightly hopefully I thought. That puzzled me. Rikku wanted Yuna to quit? Yuna kept looking at her hands, a smile in her voice.
"No, I will go on. I'm sure Lord Seymour will understand…" Yuna trailed away, sadness clouding her words. Rikku sighed, and fiddled with one of the tassels on her shorts.
"Um… I guess so…"
"I am a Summoner. I must fight and defeat Sin," Yuna's eyes were determined, and I watched as she clenched her fists on her lap, looking more serious than I'd ever seen. Auron nodded, happy with that statement.
"Like Braska before you." Yuna stood up, and addressed Auron, bowing a little, but her voice was still strong, mind made up.
"I'm going to the Farplane. I'll go and see my father, and think on this," she told him. Lulu nodded.
"Go on. We'll be right behind you…"
A question sprung up in my head, and I wondered why none of the others had ever asked Yuna, "Do you love Seymour?" Do you even like him? It didn't make any sense at all to me. There shouldn't have been anything to think about. The minute he asked her, she should have said no, denied him, and then went with us through the Thunder Plains, on her pilgrimage, like we'd always planned. Now, we were off to this Farplane place, to speak to Yuna's father, who was dead, so he could tell her what she had to do with her life. I resisted the urge to just yell, and ask if anybody was thinking straight.
I still didn't understand why I had been so angry, why I felt so strongly about Yuna marrying Seymour, why I was so opposed to the notion. Rikku seemed like she wasn't totally sold on it either, but she didn't say anything, and I knew for a fact that Lulu and Wakka were against it too. But they just smiled, and didn't give Yuna any advice at all.
I would have… but it wasn't my place.
Please review! :) ... I thought I'd like this chapter more, but alas, I'm not 100% satisfied. Sorry guys if it's a bit crappy :) But, I'm serious, I just wrote my very favourite conversation of all time EVER in the next chapter, between Tidus and Lulu. God, it was AWESOME! :)
Okay, enough of my random talking... oh WAIT! I almost forgot.
Random fact of the day that I thought up right here on the spot: My brother is very tall. Next to him I'm very small. But not really. :)