Chapter Thirteen:
I Think We Have an Emergency

Note: I am beyond sorry for the long time it's taken to update. I've been really, really sick and busy with school, but everything's fine now. Exciting chapter ahead!

Disclaimer - This is really unnecessary. I don't own FFX!

'I'm fine, I'm fine,

These words are all I've got to hide behind,

So get behind me.'
-"A-OK" by Motion City Soundtrack

Ashlin took a walk shortly after that. She said it was to clear her mind when, in fact, it was to see if Gippal was among the escapees. She moved from compartment to compartment; the airship had a surprising amount of twists and turns. Eventually, she reached a compartment that branched off the main hallway and found Dona standing inside. "Well, if it isn't one of Yuna's circus members."

"I have a name," pointed out Ashlin.

Dona smirked. "I believe you." After a moment, she said, "I think... that I will give up my pilgrimage."

"Really? I thought you were so determined to beat Yuna..."

"I was, but it's not worth it. After what happened in the Al Bhed Home, I have no reason to help those types of people."

Ashlin nodded. "You sent those Al Bhed that died protecting you, right? That was very kind of you."

"It was right," replied Dona, surprising Ashlin. She had thought that Dona was some egotistical bitch, but, apparently, there was a tiny bit more to her than that.

"If you quit, who will defeat Sin?"

At this, Dona chuckled quietly. "Yuna, naturally. I suppose that she wins this round; I'd rather move somewhere quiet with Barthello anyway." Ashlin smiled.

xxx

Ashlin returned to the bridge feeling defeated. She had not found Gippal and expected that she would not. Hopefully, he had escaped into the desert. Rikku ran up to her immediately; the bridge was buzzing with activity. "We found Yunie!"

"Really? Where?"

"Bevelle," answered Lulu. "It appears that Seymour and Yuna are to be wed."

Ashlin raised her eyebrows. "Wh-what? But we killed Seymour."

"He is Unsent," remarked Auron as he also entered the bridge. "His attachment to this world kept him from the next."

Rikku turned toward him with a nervous expression. "So is Yunie trying to send him?"

"It is likely."

"And dangerous," added Lulu before turning toward Cid. "How long will it take to get there?" .

Cid answered, "A while yet. You kiddos better prepare for battle. Those guards look like they mean business."

The ship shook abruptly, and everyone looked around in alarm. Before they could recover, it lurched again. Outside, the sky was darkening and rain was beginning to pour down. Ashlin immediately thought of the wedding but sincerely doubted that, even with it pouring, Seymour would call it off.

Rin entered the bridge. "Some fiends seem to have jumped aboard, probably before we left Home."

"How can you be so calm?" demanded Cid.

"I am always calm," responded Rin. He inclined his head to Ashlin and Rikku in greeting.

Cid stroked his chin. "Well, I guess we're just gonna have to-"

"Blow up the ship?" finished Rikku before shaking her head. "No way, pops! Come on, you're looking at the best guardians ever to walk Spira! We can take care of 'em!" She pumped one fist into the air before gesturing at herself with her free hand. "Uh, right?" she added to the others.

Tidus also pumped his fist into the air. "Uv luinca!"

"My gosh," gasped Ashlin. "He can be taught!"

Rikku jumped onto her. "Hallelujah!"

"Stop screwin' around and take care of them fiends!" ordered Cid.

"Yeah, yeah," agreed Rikku with the roll of her eyes. "Let's go!" They exited the bridge and started out corridor after corridor, eventually meeting Isaaru.

Isaaru nodded to them. "Nice to see you all again. I have this section taken care of, and Dona has that compartment. Up ahead is all yours."

"Thanks," replied Ashlin.

"I... apologize for not believing you," he added to her.

She blinked, having just about forgotten the meeting with Isaaru at Djose. "Oh, yeah, that!" Ashlin rubbed the back of her head and smiled. "I've put it out of my mind."

"Good luck." Then, they continued into a rather large, open compartment, which Ashlin had not journeyed to before. They walked up a staircase that led to a level with windows on either side. The most Al Bhed she had seen so far seemed to all be gathered there. Except, there was no Rupin and, even worse, no...

"Gippal," mumbled Ashlin. Rikku looked like she was going to question her for a moment, then they all became distracted by something that was flying alongside the airship: it was a thin, red serpentine with pink-colored wings.

Tidus pressed his face against the glass. "What is that?"

"The mighty guardian of Bevelle, the great wyrm Evrae," answered Lulu. "It would seem that Seymour is prepared to stop us."

Auron chuckled. "The red carpet has teeth."

"I've never seen such a thing in my whole life," mumbled Ashlin. "Wow!"

Auron glanced back at Rikku, who was shifting her weight from leg to leg. "Still the best guardian to walk Spira?"

Rikku looked like she was not sure, so Tidus answered, "Yeah, of course! We can do it!"

"I don't think I want to," mumbled Ashlin.

"'Course you do," replied Tidus as he took one of Ashlin's arms and gestured for Rikku to take the other. Once Rikku had grabbed the right arm, the two of them began to drag Ashlin to the lift.

Wakka rubbed the back of his head. "They're... unfocused, ya?"

"Maybe not," replied Lulu; Wakka looked at her with surprise. "I can only speculate, but I imagine the way they act is because they're trying to push thoughts of the future out of their mind."

Auron inclined his head somewhat. "Worrying about things that can't be changed is futile." Wakka, Lulu and Auron hung back for a few moments to buy items from Rin but, Tidus, Rikku and Ashlin were already on the deck. The wind was ferocious, and the blue-green ribbon came loose from Ashlin's hair before the wind whipped it around violently.

"Ugh," mumbled Ashlin as she tied the ribbon around her arm and pushed her hair out of her face. Once her vision was clear, she was surprised to see Gippal standing farther down the bridge. She immediately broke away from Tidus and Rikku's grips (which was easy since they were distracted from searching for the serpentine dragon) and ran over to Gippal. He turned toward her at the last possible second as she jumped at him, her legs hooking around his waist and her arms thrown around his neck.

Gippal nearly towered over. "That's quite the hello. Nice to see you, too, Ace."

"Ace?" she repeated. "Why Ace?"

"Now that there are two Al Bhed guardians, I didn't think the old nickname was so special," he remarked. "So, happy to see me?"

Ashlin released him. "I had no clue where you went."

"Same here. You just sort of disappeared into Home, and I couldn't find you."

"I got lost," she admitted.

He nodded. "Heh. I'm not surprised. I knew you'd be hopeless without me." She punched his arm lightly.

Rikku and Tidus joined them promptly. "Gippal! I haven't seen you in-"

"Cid's girl! Someone's all grown up," he commented. "And sold out her Al Bhed values."

Rikku groaned. "Oui'na cu yhhuoehk..."

Ashlin blinked. "You two know each other?"

"You two know each other?" echoed Rikku.

The airship made a sudden movement, and they all fell to their knees. It was so slippery that it was quite possible that they would fall. "Rikku! Do you hear me?" Cid's voice boomed over the intercom. "Something's wrong with the lift, so it looks like you four are gonna have to handle the wyrm until someone fixes it. We'll back you up, but we have to keep our distance. Tell me when you want to move in and out."

"Roger!" agreed Rikku as she moved to the edge of the airship and looked downward for Evrae. The serpentine suddenly flew from down under, making Rikku fall back onto her hands.

Ashlin and Gippal stood to the left of the fallen Al Bhed while Tidus stood on her other side. "I was worried about doing this when it was going to be all of us. Now we're only four people, and I'm terrified," admitted Ashlin.

"Gotta have faith, right?" asked Tidus with Brotherhood at his side while he looked up at the dragon. Lightning struck in the distance.

"Huh. Seems like a bad omen," remarked Gippal.

Rikku glanced up at the sky. "As long as it doesn't strike us..." She shuddered. Right! Ashlin had nearly forgotten Rikku's phobia.

'This could be the worst thing to ever happen...'

The dragon adjusted its head and exhaled suddenly. Something green and rotten-smelling exited Evrae's mouth and struck them all. A sick feeling filled them. Rikku managed to shout, "Vydran! Suja pylg!"

"Fyed!" replied Cid over the intercom.

"Things are looking up," mumbled Gippal as he raised his revolver and attempted to push the pain of the poison out of his mind. "Piece of cake!" He shot a few rounds at Evrae, who growled in pain as the magical bullets hit it.

Ashlin forced herself to stand and ran at the dragon. It was an odd feeling, leaping into the air and slightly off the edge of the bridge with the knowledge she could plunge thousands of feet below, but she tried to forget those facts as she sliced at Evrae and landed safely. When she landed, she felt ten times worse than she had before. The sick feeling concentrated in her stomach and her head became heavy. Holding up her body felt like a chore. A quick glance at the others showed her that no one else seemed to feel the same as her. Why was that?

Then, she remembered. "Moving makes the poison spread faster." Unfortunately, though they could all cast a little bit of magic (although not as well as Lulu), they all used weapons which required movement - excluding Gippal - particularly since they had to move over the edge of the ship to attack the dragon.

Evrae looked directly at Gippal as its eyes flashed. Stone began to encase the Al Bhed, starting at the bottom of his boots. He lifted up his feet, but the movement caused the spell to spread faster. "The only person who doesn't need to move much to fight..." mumbled Tidus as Gippal became a stone statue. The wind became more vicious, and the rain began to fall even harder.

Rikku dug into her pocket as the airship moved away from the dragon and uncorked a bottle before throwing it over them. The stone cracked, freeing Gippal, and curing them all of poison. "Alright! Now... Tidus and I can't attack the wyrm thingy."

"You can," pointed out Tidus. "Can't you mix together a bunch of items to make new stuff?"

Rikku could have smacked her forehead. "Oh! You're right!" She patted Tidus on the shoulder. "Well... you're on healing duty, then!"

Tidus nodded. "Leave it to me. I guess I'll test out some of the white magic I've learned..." He raised his left arm suddenly, and a golden light fell over Rikku, whose breathing increased and body began to sway from side to side two times faster.

Gippal stared at the younger Al Bhed. "What the hell did you do to her?"

"A Haste spell?" asked Ashlin. "On Rikku of all people?"

"People using guns shouldn't be on Haste." Neither of them argued with Tidus' logic.

Gippal lazily raised his revolver and fired a few rounds at Evrae, whom screeched in the distance. "So much for a guardian. He hasn't even moved..." It almost sounded like Ashlin was complaining, and Gippal accused her of as much. "I am... Well, yeah, I am. The only thing I can attack it with as long as it's far off is this pistol. I can barely shoot something five inches in front of me, let alone five hundred feet." She raised the pistol, closing one eye as she took aim. The gun shot once and missed the guardian wyrm by a mile.

Gippal sighed and put a hand to his forehead. "Geez, how'd you ever manage to get by on your own?" He threw his revolver to Tidus, who jumped a little as he caught it. "There, use that. It'll stop you from casting anymore potentially deadly spells on Cid's Girl."

"It's not deadly..." argued Tidus.

"I have a name!" reminded Rikku as she looked up from sifting through her items. Her voice was unusually high, like a chipmunk, and her sentence sounding more like one word.

Gippal gestured to her. "My point exactly." Tidus silently agreed as he held up the revolver, staring at it with confusion as Gippal instructed Ashlin to hold her arms out straight.

"Are you sure it's a good idea to have Tidus, who has never used a gun in his life, to use your very complicated one?" wondered Ashlin as Gippal put his arms around her and placed his hands over hers.

"As long as he doesn't shoot us it doesn't matter," answered Gippal. He raised their arms a little. "The bullet should be able to make the distance, but you have to compensate for the air flow that it's gonna lose while traveling, so shoot a little higher than your target... What?" Ashlin was staring up at him funny. "What?"

Ashlin bit back a laugh. "You sounded... smart."

"Don't let my looks, romantic charm, and sense of humor full you. Underneath here," he pointed to his head, "there's a ton going on."

"I totally believe you," agreed Ashlin. He raised their arms again, and they shot a little over Evrae's head. As Gippal had said, the bullet lost some momentum, but it still managed to make contact on Evrae's chest. She pumped her fist into the air. "Success! Well," she said as she turned toward Gippal, "I guess I do believe you, since you were right."

Off to the side, Rikku was all but throwing her items into the air in her frenzied moments while Tidus pointed Gippal's revolver at the ground. His finger accidentally grazed the trigger and several rounds were fired into the top of the Fahrenheit. "Hey! Watch it!" shouted Cid.

"Sorry..." Tidus threw the revolver back to Gippal, who eagerly received it.

Ashlin raised an eyebrow at Gippal. "See?"

"Better the ship than one of us..."

The intercom rang again with Cid's voice. "Not so sure about that one!" A pause. "Alright! We're hitting it with all we've got!" The numerous cannons that had opened from the top of the ship and the side now roared with the sounds of missiles being shot through the air, and there were a lot of them. Evrae reared and roared but was completely unable to avoid the missiles. "Yeehaw! Nailed 'im!"

Once the smoke cleared from the attacks, they realized that Evrae was gone. Rikku, her body still moving too fast to be normal, abandoned her item search and peeked over the side of the ship. Tidus and Ashlin did the same, and Gippal held up his revolver as he glanced from where he stood. Then, Evrae surged up from beneath the ship and knocked them all to their feet with its exceptionally long tail. Everyone but Gippal nearly fell off of the ship.

On his way down, Gippal shot a round at Evrae's neck, catching it by surprise. At the same time, Rikku, who had combined a few grenades with a fish scale, threw the finished item at Evrae as it prepared to breathe poison. The concoction resulted upon contact, and a dangerous burst of water continuously exploded on it. Then, Tidus cart wheeled and twirled in midair before slicing across the wrym's chest. The lift door opened suddenly, startling Ashlin into shooting one of Evrae's wings.

"Whoa!" They heard Wakka exclaim.

"You can gawk once we've finished," reprimanded Auron as he and the others joined Tidus, Rikku, Ashlin and Gippal. No one questioned Rikku's appearance.

Ashlin rested the pistol against her shoulder. "Then there won't be anything to gawk at."

Auron glanced at her. "Exactly." He raised his katana and rushed at Evrae, stopping at the edge as he raised the katana to the side. Then, after gathering some energy, he swung it and hit Evrae.

Lulu raised her moogle as she sized up the guardian dragon. A black and purple sphere appeared in Evrae's chest and expanded outward, causing it to roar in pain. Ashlin and Tidus jumped and sliced at either of Evrae's wings. "Move," ordered Kimahri suddenly. They all parted for him. He inhaled deeply then breathed outward. Instead of breathing out air, he breathed out something dense and grey. When it touched Evrae, it began to slowly become covered in stone.

Wakka jumped upward and hit his ball at Evrae before it was completely encased, and it began to fall out of the sky. "One more time!" shouted Cid. More missiles shot out of the side and top of the ship, but mostly glanced off Evrae's body. They watched the dragon fall until they could no longer seeing it, knowing it would shatter into a million pieces once it hit the ground or anything else.

Rikku's body finally began to slow down. She jumped up several times and pounded her fist into her palm. "Yes! We did it!"

"If we'd had Kimahri, we never would have had to fight, or get hurt, in the first place," noted Ashlin. "But that's okay. Seeing Tidus shoot the ship was worth it."

"How'd you guys finally manage to join us?" asked Tidus.

Lulu answered. "A few Al Bhed fixed the lift."

"We're losin' power fast!" announced Cid as the ship shook and veered violently, causing them all to fall down. "Bevelle!" Ashlin, Rikku, and Tidus crawled to the very front of the deck and peered down at the city. Wedding bells chimed down below as Seymour and Yuna walked side by side down an aisle, despite the rain. Guards and what looked like robots also decorated the aisle. Pyreflies floated above Bevelle, their light piercing through the darkness.

Yuna looked beautiful beneath her long veil, which covered almost her whole body but was still not good enough to stop her hair from being plastered to her face and neck. Her wedding dress was strapless and, in the front, cut at the knees with a long train that trailed behind her. She clutched a bouquet of flowers in her shaking hands and was staring intently at them. "She doesn't want to marry you, yccruma!" exclaimed Ashlin.

Wen Kinoc looked up at the pyreflies and gestured to the guards, who raised their guns - "Guns?" shouted Wakka. "They're not... They shouldn't..." The guards aimed at the ship as it hurled toward the red city.

Rikku raised her head from the ship in order for her voice to carry better. Lightning struck in the distance and thunder rumbled; she tried not to notice it. "Vydran! Namayca dra rynbuuhc!"

Ashlin looked at her. "What are you planning?"

Rikku was grinning. "You'll see!"

"Fyed vun dra nekrd susahd!" replied Cid.

Wen Kinoc ordered, "Fire!" Rikku rolled her eyes. They were going to crash very, very soon, black smoke was emitting from the tail of the ship, and they were being shot at.

"No time like the present, Pops!" remarked Tidus. Below, Seymour yanked Yuna up a staircase to the altar where they were to be wed, and the ship sailed past them. Then, it did a u-turn and sailed slightly higher into the air as a few harpoons shot out of the side of the Fahrenheit and sank into the aisle below. Everyone peeled themselves off of the top of the ship. "Let's go!" cheered Tidus.

Ashlin turned toward Gippal, who rubbed the back of his neck. "So, I guess this is goodbye?"

"Not goodbye," he replied. "Not exactly. We'll see each other again, but I see duty calls. I'd like to pick a fight with Yevon myself, but... it would just be kinda stupid of me."

"You are kinda stupid," pointed out Ashlin, "so you may as well."

Gippal grinned. "Nah, not this time round. I'll let you have all the fun, Ace. Get your summoner back. Make me proud."

Ashlin nodded. "I can't hug you because that would mean goodbye, so..." She held out her hand. Gippal chuckled but, after a moment, took it and shook it.

"Alright. Good luck."

Ashlin moved toward the line after Rikku. "No such thing as luck." Then, she stepped onto it and began to slide down. On the line beside them, she noticed Kimahri holding onto Lulu as they slid, something that Wakka, she thought, should have done. Tidus was in the very front, jumping from one line to the next. As they moved more at an angle, their bodies moved faster, and Ashlin clenched onto Ashlin. "I don't like this...!" The sentence began normally, but 'this' ended in a scream.

They gracefully touched down into the middle of the aisle, halfway through it, and found themselves immediately surrounded. "Run!" ordered Lulu.

They dodged the guards, Kimahri and Auron attacking some of them as they ran. Guns were fired at their backs. Finally, they were halfway up the staircase to Yuna when too many soldiers got too close to them. "Yuna!" shouted Tidus.

Yuna turned toward him immediately with a look of relief that was immediately replaced by one of horror as the rifles were raised and pointed at her friends. Kinoc stared at them. "This foolishness has gone on for long enough. Stop here or be shot to your deaths."

The horrified expression faded as Yuna took one hand off her flowers and put it behind her back. Her rod appeared into it in a flash, and the bouquet dropped to the ground as she made her weapon's presence known. In response, Kinoc pointed his rifle directly into Tidus' face.

"Tidus!" yelled Ashlin. She made a move to grab her pistol but stopped immediately as a rifle was pointed at her arm and throat. "...Oh."

"Big meanies!" cried Rikku.

Seymour chuckled at his bride. "You astonish me, Yuna. All this," he gestured to the wedding, "just to Send me? I feel I should be honored. Your resolve… It is truly amazing. I am honored to take you as my wife."

Yuna scowled. Ashlin was not quite sure she had ever seen the expression the summoner's face before. "Do not pretend like I had a choice," she murmured. "I was forced into this."

"No one was holding a gun to your head," replied Seymour before chuckling at his own, twisted joke. Yuna began to twirl the rod, and a few pyreflies began to float around Seymour. The rain seemed to fall even harder.

More guns were turned onto them, and Ashlin felt her head swim a little. She swayed a little, and the gun in her arm pushed in deeper. "Stop now! Do you not value your friends lives? Send Maester Seymour and they will all perish here, at your feet. Is that what you want?" demanded Kinoc.

The rod dropped harmlessly from Yuna's grip, sailed down the stairs and stopped at Tidus' feet. She dropped her head somewhat. Ashlin and Rikku were whispering to one another. "Good girl," remarked Seymour before stepping closer to her. He put his hands on her shoulders, and she begrudgingly looked up at him just in time for him to thrust his face into hers. His lips crashed against hers, and wedding bells rang while the guards and Maesters clapped. Lulu gasped, Wakka made disgruntled noises, Kimahri growled, and Tidus looked pissed. Seymour continued the kiss, and Yuna's hands balled into fists. Tidus became even more pissed.

While the guards remained distracted, Rikku had fished Ashlin's pistol out of her belt and handed it over to her. Seymour looked over at the group with a cold, detached expression. He smiled. "Kill them."

Kinoc looked at Auron. "I apologize. This is… for Spira, for Yevon."

"Aren't the rifles forbidden by Yevon?" wondered Auron.

Kinoc chuckled. "We make exceptions."

"You would make exceptions for yourselves," mumbled Lulu. Kinoc's rifle moved from Tidus' and was then shoved into Auron's. Ashlin and Rikku growled under their breaths.

Seymour grabbed Yuna's arm. "Come, my wife and I do not have all day."

Ashlin raised her right arm a few inches. "Hey, Seymour!" He looked toward her at the same time as her hand squeezed the trigger. The bullet shot into his shoulder. The guard with the rifle pressed into Ashlin's arm fired and she cried out. "Vilg!" Rikku quickly cast a protect spell on them, so when all of the other guards fired, they were not injured.

Seymour's injury and distraction allowed Yuna to pull away and move toward the ledge. "Stop! Don't hurt them or I'll…" She glanced down past the ledge. "I'll jump!"

Seymour cover his wound with his hand. "Don't be foolish. If you jump, you will die." Yuna smirked somewhat at him, another first.

Kinoc lowered his rifle and looked at the guards with a somewhat panicked expression. "Lower your weapons!" After a moment's hesitation, they obeyed him. Tidus grabbed Yuna's rod and moved to the top of the stairs with Rikku.

"Yuna!" breathed Tidus.

Yuna shook her head. "Hurry up and go! I'll be fine."

"But, you'll get hurt," cried Rikku.

"I won't," promised Yuna as a smile appeared on her lips. "I can fly."

Ashlin covered her arm the same way Seymour had as she climbed up the rest of the stairs and approached Yuna, passing up Tidus and Rikku. She stopped beside Yuna. "I'll come with."

Tidus shook his head. "No, neither of you are jumping!"

"If you jump, I jump," said Ashlin to Yuna.

Yuna nodded. "Alright." She looked at Seymour and purposely wiped her lips. Seymour rolled his eyes. Ashlin released her arm and took Yuna's hand as they took a few more steps backward. "One, two… three!" They fell off of the ledge and plunged into the city; Ashlin's eyes were closed and her grip was painful for Yuna. Tidus, Rikku, and the rest of the guardians looked over the side at the same time as Seymour, Kinoc and Mika did the same on the opposite side. "Let go, trust me," mumbled Yuna. Ashlin did so but still did not open her eyes. Yuna's hands opened up, and a bright light emitted from the sky.

Valefor let loose a loud cry as she soared down to catch the two teenagers. She pressed her wings against her body in order to drop faster and turned beneath them with her wings out. Ashlin and Yuna landed safely, and the rain ceased as the grey clouds died and the sun shined.

The guardians turned away from the ledge. Lulu was rubbing her temples and looked both stressed and extremely relieved. Rikku dug into her pocket. "Cover your eyes!" she ordered the others. Once they did so, she threw a grenade. Smoke fell over the area.

"Wh-what's that?" coughed Wakka.

"A flashbomb," answered Rikku.

Auron grabbed hold of Tidus as he charged at Seymour. "Lemme go! I'm gonna kill Seymour!"

"Let's get out of here while we still can," remarked Lulu. They broke through the crowd, with Auron dragging Tidus, and did not stop running until they were in a different area, before a tall, red building.

Auron finally released Tidus. "Where'd they go?" he demanded.

"We're in Bevelle. They can only be in one place…" Lulu trailed off.

Tidus nodded. "Of course, the Chamber of the Fayth!"

Uv luinca! - Of course!

Oui'na cu yhhuoehk - You're so annoying...

Vydran! Suja pylg! - Father! Move back!

Fyed! - Wait!

Yccruma - Asshole

Vydran! Namayca dra rynbuuhc! - Father! Release the harpoons!

Fyed vun dra nekrd susahd! - Wait for the right moment!