"Okay, Wakka," Nabiki said. "You got me: I'm an Al Bhed! That's why I'm wearing this outfit. Rikku just learned the language from me. Satisfied?"
Wakka glared at the middle Tendo sister. "I'm not as stupid as you may think, Nabiki. If you were an Al Bhed, then why aren't your sisters? Besides, I already know you and Ranma are not from here."
Nabiki giggled nervously. "Well, that's good to hear, but they... they made me an honorary member of their tribe, see? Yes, that's correct... that's why I understand them..."
"It's okay, Nabiki," Rikku said quietly. "You don't have to lie for me."
She looked into Wakka's face. "I'm an Al Bhed. And that guy just now... was my brother."
The others let out sighs. Wakka looked around. "You all knew, didn't you? Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because we knew how you'd react," Ranma replied. "Think about it, Wakka: If we told you right at the moonflow who she was, you would have never accepted her as part of the group."
"I can't believe this..." Wakka looked down. "I've been travelling with an Al Bhed... a heathen..."
Rikku shook her head. "You're wrong! We don't have anything against Yevon."
"But you use forbidden machina," Tromell angrily said. "Yevon forbids them. Al Bhed are traitors to Spira. Sin was born because of those." He pointed towards the snowmobiles and Nabiki's gun.
"You got proof?" Rikku yelled angrily. "Show me proof! Yevon says this, Yevon says that! Can't you think for yourself?"
Tromell didn't response. Shaking his head in anger he turned around and walked towards the temple.
"If not the machina were the reason Sin came to life, what was it then?" Wakka asked her.
"I.. I don't know," Rikku answered.
Wakka smirked. "See? You just bad-mouth Yevon, and that's all you can come up with?"
Nabiki interfered. "Wakka, would you shut your trap for a while? She's right, you know? If the people just listen to the teachings without thinking, nothing will ever change."
"Nothing has to change," he shouted back.
"Oh yeah?" Now Nabiki got furious herself. "So you want Sin to come back every time he's defeated?"
"Sin will be gone once we atone for our past mistakes," Wakka said confidently.
"Why... why... why do I even bother?" Nabiki snarled angrily and turned around.
Yuna looked sad. Truth was, she had been listening to Yevon's teachings her whole life, and now she realized more and more that no one ever thought about questioning them? Are they really the only solution?
"Let's just... go to the temple, okay?" she said after that.
"Yeah," Tidus said sarcastically. "Ol' Seymour will be waiting for his bride..."
'And now Tidus is questioning my actions too,' Yuna thought. 'Can I really do this? Can I confront Seymour alone? Can I defeat Sin?'
They mounted the snowmobiles, even Wakka did, although under protest. He shared a snowmobile with Auron, while Kimahri sat with Tidus. Nabiki shared with Yuna and Rikku, and Akane sat down behind Ranma.
They drove off, passing Tromell in the ice canyon that lead to the temple. He looked upset and grim when he threw them a stare.
----
"Let me see Maester Seymour, kupo," the little winged teddy-bear said. "And bring me some hot water."
"Look, little guy," the nun sighed. "Maybe Lord Seymour is your idol or something, but I just can't let little furry guys like yourself into the chamber just because you want it."
The moogle got red with rage. "Out of my way, woman," he shouted in his squeaky voice. "I'm acting on direct orders of Lord Seymour. If you don't get out of the way, I'll have you punished."
Shelinda's face darkened with an angry frown. "Now I've just had enough of your ranting. I'm a disciple of Yevon, but enough is enough." She grabbed the moogle by his pompom and swung him around several times.
"AAAAaaaaaAAAAAaaaaaAAAAAhhh, let me goooOOOOOooooOOOOoooOOOO..."
"Well, if you insist..." She let go, and the little guy flew like a missile through the temple, out of the front door and into the cold snow outside.
Dizzily Goba stood up. His eyes were spinning circles. "Why won't the world stop spiiiiiiinning..."
He took several steps and then, fell headfirst into the snow. "Good night..."
From out of its nearby hiding place, the tiny Alpha Fiend could only snicker.
----
'Do-do-dooooo! Do-do-dooooo! Do-do-dooooo! Do-do!'
A little scrub was sneaking along the main entrance of the temple. From time to time it stopped, looked around and scuttled further. A little red pompom was sticking out of it.
'Do-do-dooooo! Do-do-dooooo! Do-do-dooooo! Do-do!'
A moogle stuck his head out of the scrub. 'I'm so clever,' Goba thought. 'They'll never detect me like this. So I'll have the chance to sneak inside, go for the priest's chambers, fetch some water, turn back into normal and ask for an audience with Maester Seymour.'
He vanished back into his camouflage and scuttled further ahead.
'Do-do-dooooo! Do-do-dooooo! Do-do-dooooo! Do-do!'
Goba gritted his teeth. "Will you finally stop humming that stupid theme?" he shouted as quietly as he could.
The Alpha Fiend stuck his head out from behind a pile of snow. 'Sorry, boss! Don't know either how I came up with that song. But it kinda fits, doesn't it?'
Goba shook his head and vanished back into his scrub. The top secret agent moogle had to find a way inside.
Sadly, he couldn't see very much because of his leaves.
On his way inside, he bumped against something.
"What the heck...?" he muttered and looked out of his scrub.
And looked right at the feet of a certain nun...
She wagged her finger. "I thought I told you to stay outside..."
[GRAB
[WOOOOSH!
"Whaaaaaaah!" shouted a living moogle missile as it flew outside into the snow.
----
Some time after that, the pilgrimage group arrived at the temple. They hid the snowmobiles behind an ice pillar and walked towards the entrance.
A priest stopped them. "The likes of them are not welcome in these holy halls," he grumbled while looking at Rikku and Nabiki.
"Oh boy, not this again..." Nabiki sighed.
"She... she's my guardian," Yuna explained.
"An Al Bhed... a guardian?" The priest seemed shocked. "Preposterous!"
"I only want to help and protect Yunie," Rikku said sternly.
"And that's all one needs to be a guardian, correct?" Auron added.
The priest looked down at the cute little girl. "Ummm... who are you?"
Auron-chan smiled and twirled around her giant blade. "I'm a guardian too, what else?"
The priest shook his head. When Al Bhed and little girls became guardians, he really didn't want to know about Yevon's future. What comes next, a chocobo joining the crusaders?
----
Somewhere else, Ukyo sneezed.
"Bless you," Clasko said and gave her a tissue.
Ukyo smiled. "Thanks, Clas-chan."
----
A thin rope got thrown to a small window whose shutter was opened.
The moogle made sure that it was hanging safely, then he carefully climbed along the rope.
'Do-do-dooooo! Do-do-dooooo! Do-do-dooooo! Do-do!'
"I thought I told you to stop this, kupo" he shouted back to the ground.
The music stopped.
Goba almost reached the middle of the rope, when the face of a girl appeared in the window, surrounded with red hair and a green hood.
'Crap,' Goba thought.
Shelinda smirked. "Oooh, what have we here? A little cat burglar, it seems." She took the hook of the rope into her hand.
"Nonononono," the moogle stuttered in panic and hold tightly on the rope. The nun nodded. "Oh yeeeesssyesyesyes!" She took a good grip on the rope and twirled it around.
"YoooOOOOoooUUUUUuuuuu'll paaaAAAAAaaaaAAAyyyyyYYYYYY for this," the cat burglar moogle cried as he was hurled through the air. Finally, his little paws slipped off the rope and once again, he was flying through the air.
Satisfied, Shelinda closed the window.
The Alpha Fiend was rolling around the ground laughing while his master's little legs stuck out of the snow and struggled wildly.
----
Another Guado welcomed Yuna and the others in the main hall of the temple. Every wall was decorated for the wedding, and many guests were standing around. Even a music band was playing.
"When we're in the Cloyster of Trials, tell the others what we've seen," Ranma whispered to Nabiki and Akane. The Tendo sisters nodded.
"Please, Lady Yuna," the Guado said. "Lord Seymour is waiting for you in the Cloister of Trials."
Yuna nodded and turned around to her guardians. "Please wait here. I'll come back once I talked to Maester Seymour."
She wanted to follow the Guado, but Ranma stepped forward. "Hey, wait for me. I have to go to the Chamber of the Fayth as well, right? Why shouldn't I simply join you? After all, I'm a summoner, and visiting the fayth is a summoner's privilege, correct?"
The Guado seemed uncertain. "Well, Lord Seymour told me to only bring Lady Yuna..."
Yuna looked at Ranma with a grateful smile. She turned around. "Please, can't you make an exception? He's right, he's a summoner. And he's also a good friend of mine."
The Guado sighed. "Well, okay. If he's really such a good friend, he may join you in your hour of bliss. Please, follow me my lady, my lord."
Ranma looked back at Akane. "Hear that? He called me lord?"
Akane smirked back. "Go already, you stupid baka!"
"Uncute!"
"Pervert!"
"Kitchen Destroyer!"
"Hey, that's Shampoo's line!"
The Guado sweat-dropped. "Um, sir... if I may... we have to go. Lord Seymour is waiting."
"Okay, dude," Ranma grinned. "Lead the way."
While leading Ranma and Yuna to the trials, the Guado shook his head 'Dude? Is that supposed to be an honorary title? I better remember it...'
----
'I think you should just give up, master!'
The moogle angrily got up on his feet. "No, kupo! I will succeed. No stupid nun is preventing me from serving my master. Kupo! Plan C will commence: Operation Air Raid!"
'I'll get the parachute...' the tiny fiend mumbled while shaking his head.
----
The Guado led them through the Cloister of Trials. Finally, they reached the antechamber in front of the Chamber of the Fayth.
"There, my lady, my lord... Maester Seymour is waiting for you in the chamber..."
Ranma grinned at him as they walked past him. "Thanks, pal!"
Pal? Another title he had to memorize.
They entered the chamber. Seymour was standing in front of the fayth's statue, his back turned towards them. "You're late, Lady Yuna." he said without turning around. "I expected your arrival much earlier."
"Because it's because certain maesters like to plot behind the backs of the summoners, eh Seymour?" Ranma said.
Seymour turned around. "What...? What are you doing here? I gave order that Lady Yuna should come alone."
"Well, too bad," Ranma replied. "I thought I should join your little date and be the odd one out."
"You have no right to be here. Leave us alone, now!"
Yuna stepped forward. "Maester Seymour, is it true that you... killed your father?"
Seymour closed his eyes for a second. "So, you know it. Well, what should I say? People die everywhere in Spira. It happens."
"You're a jerk, Seymour," Ranma snarled. "A coward. I don't really like how my father treated me when I was a kid, but I never, never thought about killing him. You're nothing but a bastard!"
Seymour didn't respond anymore. Instead, he stretched out his arms and fired an ice spell at Ranma.
"Carbuncle", Ranma quickly said. And Carbuncle appeared, faster than any Aeon had appeared before. He surrounded Ranma and Yuna with his Ruby Light, and the ice spell got reflected from the magic wall. Seymour shielded his face from the stinging cold and furrowed his brow. "I'll show you. I'll be the one that frees Spira with the power of death, and I will..."
He wasn't able to finish the sentence, as Ranma grabbed his arm violently and hurled him out of the room.
"Never saw a summoner that can fight back, huh Seymour?" He jumped after him.
Yuna wanted to follow him, but then the fayth appeared... the image of a beautiful woman, with skin as pale as snow. "Yuna, quick. Take this sapphire and give it to Ranma. It contains his new Aeon. And for you, I have the power to summon the icy guardian angel of this temple..."
She spread her arms, and Yuna could feel a cool breeze blowing over her skin. She felt a little exhausted, but not as much as before. She gave the fayth a final smile and hurried out of the door.
----
Seymour was leaning against the wall, breathing deeply. On the corner of his mouth, he bled slightly. Ranma was facing him, standing in his battle stance. Carbuncle floated next to him, in the same stance.
Seymour smirked when he saw Yuna. "Lady Yuna... if you knew these things... then why did you come here?"
She looked at him with determination. "I came here... to stop you."
He just snickered. "So, you came to punish me, then? What a pity..."
Suddenly, Ranma's and Yuna's guardians came running into the room.
"Seymour," Tidus yelled while grasping his sword.
"Ah, of course," Seymour smiled. "'Protect the summoner even at the cost of one's life'. The code of the guardian. How admirable."
"How... how can this be?" Wakka muttered. "We... opposing a maester... we'll get in major trouble..."
"Stop that whining," Nabiki snapped. "Everyone who kills his own father is a bastard in my eyes. Even if he's a maester. Even it he were to tell me I've won the lottery jackpot, regardless of that, I'd still stop him."
Yuna gave Ranma his gem. "Maester Seymour, we don't know your plans... but in his testament, your father warned us... You're going to betray us, and even Yevon. And that is something we cannot allow to happen."
Seymour faced them all without showing signs of fright. "Well, if you're offering your lives, I will have to take them."
He rose his arms. "Feel my pain. Come, Anima!"
A portal leading to a dark void appeared above his head. Out of it, a giant anchor came flying, attached to a heavy chain. It smashed into the floor before their feet and created another portal.
And slowly, it began pulling something from its depths... a hideous head... scarred flesh... vicious claws, bound by wrappings and chains... the Aeon of pain, Anima!
When the anchor finished pulling it out of the ground, the abonimable Aeon let out a sorrowful screech of pain and glared at it's opponents.
"Stand back," Ranma said to his friends. "This is our battle. If we're having problems, feel free to intervene."
He grasped the blue gleaming sapphire. He could feel it... he could feel the Esper resting in this gem...
"I summon the great serpent of the oceans, the wild vortex of the sea... appear before me, Leviathan!"
A gleaming disc of light appeared in the air. Out of it, like it was a hole, a snake-like body slithered onto the ground. It was a featureless body made completely out of water. But when the whole shape had appeared, it changed into its true appearance: A giant, blue and purple serpent with broad, spread fins and a dragon-like head.
The sea serpent, Leviathan, ruler of water, called out a challenging cry against Anima.
Yuna gently hold her rod and whispered: "I call for you, maiden of the everlasting ice, princess of the cold... help us in our fight! Appear, Shiva!"
I big chunk of ice appeared before them. Within the shimmering facets, millions of faces seemed to appear, looking like a beautiful woman with blue skin. Then, the ice shattered and Shiva, the ice maiden, broke free. With an elegant gesture, her long hair fell down her bare back.
The three Aeons looked at each other for a moment of determination, then the battle started.
Anima screeched with its horrible voice and fired its deadly beam from its visible eye, right towards Leviathan. The beam hit the hard scales of the serpent and he roared in pain, but afterwards, they got ready to counterattack.
Leviathan flew up in the air and spun his long body around Anima's, while creating a trail of water that begun forming a violent maelstrom around the hideous creature. And when he reached his peak, the whirlpool formed an entire pillar of water which spread towards the room's dome-shaped ceiling. But before the water could flow away, Shiva concentrated her powers and threw a freezing shard of ice at the vortex.
The frozen missile trailed a cloud of snowflakes behind, until it hit its target. Instantly, the entire water pillar seemed to explode with the force of Shiva's power and formed an enormous spire of ice.
Leviathan floated down on the ground, next to Shiva. Inside the ice, they could see the frozen grimace of Anima.
Shiva smiled and raised her hand. She snapped her fingers.
And Anima's icy prison shattered in a violent shower of deadly shards.
Anima trashed around in pain. This pain was even greater than the pain it was feeling on a daily basis. It shot around its deadly eye beams, so that Yuna, Ranma, their friends and even Seymour had to dive for cover.
Shiva and Leviathan managed to dodge most of the beams. Skillfully, Shiva jumped, skipped and twirled around the shots, until she was directly in front of Anima's face.
She made a fist and punched it in his eye. Ice spread from her hand and surrounded the whole head. The beams instantly got stopped.
Leaviathan got ready for a last attack. He let out a mighty roar and curled up his body.
Then he flew at high speed towards Anima. Shiva jumped away in the last second, and Leviathan's massive head rammed Anima's stomach.
The ice around its head broke apart, and Anima let out a final wail, which echoed painfully through the big hall.
Then it collapsed and vanished back into it's own dimension, defeated.
Ranma and Yuna breathed deeply. The hard battle of their Aeons strained themselves enormously. "We won..." Yuna murmured.
Ranma wiped his brow. "Yeah..."
Suddenly, Tidus yelled from behind them: "Look out!!"
Ranma spun around, just in time to see Seymour dashing at them, a knife in his hands that was aiming for his heart. It was too late. He was too exhausted and surprised by Seymour's attack, he couldn't dodge.
But then Seymour stopped as if he had run against a massive wall. Next to him, Akane stood with flexed legs, the claws on her glove straightly spread out.
And they had pierced Seymour's heart.
She pulled out her bloody glove, and Seymour stumbled back. He crashed against the wall and fell to the ground.
Yuna slowly walked over to him as his life force slowly left him.
He looked up at her sad face. "Yuna..." he whispered. "You... would pity me now?"
Then his eyes closed.
The door behind the guardians opened. Tromell Guado stepped inside. Bewildered, he stared at the unmoving body of his master.
"What... what happened here?"
Wakka was nearly as stunned as the elder Guado. "What... what have I done?" he whispered.
"Wait a minute," Tidus shouted. "It's not our fault. Seymour struck first! He's the bad guy!"
"You did this?" Tromell looked up at them. His face was a grimace of sorrow and anger.
Auron stepped forward. "Yuna, send him," she said.
Yuna rose her rod, ready to send Seymour to the farplane. But Tromell interfered. "No! Stay away from him, you traitors!"
Two Guado ran in, picked up Seymour's body and carried it out of the room. Tromell threw them one last, hateful glance and left as well.
"Traitors?" Yuna gasped.
Wakka held his head. "We're finished..."
"What's the deal with them?" Ranma asked angrily. "Seymour killed his father. Seymour wanted to kill us as well. So why are we suddenly the traitors?"
"It won't be that easy to convince them," Auron remarked. "Let's get out of here."
They stepped out into the Cloister of Trials. Tidus spied ahead, but came back while shaking his head. "No way! There are dozens of them just waiting for us. They'll capture us for sure if we go that way."
"But there is no other exit," Yuna said in a worried tone. "What are we gonna do?"
"We have to stay and atone for our sins," Wakka said grumpily. Nabiki glared at him, but didn't say anything.
Suddenly the Aeons came out of the antechamber. In their hurry, Ranma and Yuna totally forgot to send them away.
'Looks like we have to melt a part of the temple's ice walls,' Leviathan said in a deep voice. 'You don't mind, do you, Shiva?'
The cold woman shook her head smiling. 'Go ahead,' she answered.
Leviathan turned to Carbuncle. 'We need some fire.'
'Got it,' the little imp nodded. He used his magic to cast a fire spell and threw it at the wall. Slowly, the ice melted into a big puddle of water. Leviathan rose his head and let out a small roar. Instantly, the water turned into a swirling whirlpool.
'Quickly,' the sea serpent shouted. 'Jump inside!'
"You're kidding, right?" Tidus asked while staring down into the water.
'It's an elemental passageway,' Leviathan explained. 'Every Aeon that is connected to an element can create one. Shiva and Fenrir can dig tunnels through the earth or ice, Ifrit could lead you through fire and lava without you being burnt. This water portal allows you to escape from here. Now, quick! We have no time!'
Ranma sighed. Water. Always water. It had to be water.
"Well, just my lucky day," he grumbled. He called back Carbuncle and jumped inside.
With a loud 'splash', he vanished.
The others looked puzzled at the point where he vanished.
'Hurry up, follow him,' the water Aeon urged them.
Akane shrugged and jumped after Ranma. One after another, everyone followed them. Yuna got ready to jump, then turned around to Wakka. "Wakka, are you coming?"
Wakka was upset. "If we run away now, there's no way they'll believe our story. I think I'll stay here."
Kimahri just walked over to Wakka, grabbed him and said: "Wakka is coming now."
"Heeeyyy! Put me down, ya?" the ex-blitzball player yelled. Kimahri just smirked and threw him into the water, then jumped in himself. Yuna called back Shiva and followed them.
Just before the priests and Guado came inside the room, the big serpent dove into the whirling waters himself, and the portals closed.
"Damn," a Guado swore. "We lost them."
Suddenly, Goba Guado appeared next to them. He finally found a way to enter the temple without being thrown out by a vengeful nun. And he found some hot water, too.
"Quick," he yelled. "We have to prepare Lord Seymour's body for the ritual. If we don't hurry, he'll turn into a fiend."
Tromell threw the rotund Guado a glare. "And just where have you been all the time? Lord Seymour could have used your assistance, and now see what they did to him."
'Of course, you old fool,' Goba thought angrily. 'That was Lord Seymour's plan all along. But you'd never understand this...'
"Enough of this," Goba shouted. "Just take Lord Seymour into his chamber, so we can start the reviving ritual."
'Oh yes, Lord Seymour will return... and as he faced death, he will be more powerful than before. Take care, pig-tailed summoner... for when you meet him the next time... you'll die!'
----
Ranma blinked and looked around. She was surrounded by sea water, but she could breathe freely. Also, it just felt like normal air to her.
When she looked down, she could see that she wasn't standing on solid ground, but on the back of an enormous serpent that was gliding through the sea.
"Leviathan?" she blurted out. "You... you've grown!"
'Inside the ocean I'm always much bigger than elsewhere,' came the reply. 'It's my natural habitat.'
Ranma looked around. Leviathan chuckled. 'If you're looking for your friends, they are behind you.'
Ranma turned around, and really, further behind her, she could see the others. She ran towards them.
"Hey, are you all right? She asked them. They were still amazed at the surrounding water and ocean life, so only Akane answered:
"Yes... yes, I guess so. Umm, where are we?"
'We are in the west ocean,' Leviathan explained. 'We're travelling towards Bikanel Island.'
"What?" Rikku asked. "To Home? Why?"
'Because... you have to be there.'
"Oh, come on..." Tidus sighed. "No more riddles, please."
"Care to explain a little more detailed?" Ranma asked the sea serpent.
Leviathan chuckled. 'No.'
Ranma grumbled. "Oh, for the... what's that supposed to mean?"
'Let's just say that our employer foresaw your destinies, and that on Bikanel island, there are several people that need to listen to reason.'
"I understand... I guess." Nabiki said. "And how much longer until we get there?"
'I'd say one day at most, perhaps even less.'
"But... what about our pilgrimage?" Yuna asked. "Even if Seymour is dead... and Yevon is after us... I want to continue my journey."
"Wait... wouldn't it be hard to visit the other temples without Yevon's permission?" Akane wanted to know.
"Perhaps," Auron said. "But not the priests or the maesters decide who is receiving an Aeon... only the fayth! And when I look at how Leviathan and Shiva were ready to help us, I'd say they are on our side."
'Indeed,' Leviathan confirmed. 'The priests may be blind to the plots of the Guado called Seymour, but we don't see why we shouldn't help two young promising summoners as Yuna and Ranma to save the world from Sin.'
"Well, I'm against it," Wakka snapped. "We are criminals and have to go on trial."
"Don't you still get it?" Nabiki shouted. "Being a priest or maester doesn't mean someone can be corrupt. And Seymour wanted to kill us, for heaven's sake. Did you prefer to die then to defend yourself?"
Wakka didn't respond.
"After this is all over, we should go to Bevelle and speak to Maester Mika," Yuna suggested. "We should tell him of Seymour's plans. I'm sure he'll understand."
"Well, let's just rest until we reach Bitchanel Island," Tidus said.
"It's Bikanel Island, stupid," Rikku pouted.
They all sat or lay down on Leviathan's broad, scaly back as comfortable as it could possibly get.
Rikku stood next to Ranma and looked at Nabiki. "I really admire her," she said in a quiet voice.
"Really?" Ranma asked. "Nabiki? Why her?"
"I don't know," Rikku replied. "She's just so... mature, I guess. I admire her for handling every situation that easily. Without her, I don't know if I managed to live through all of this until now."
"Hey, wait until you get to know her better," Ranma smirked. "And better make sure you don't owe her any money..."
"Still, I wish I could be more like her," Rikku sighed while sitting down.
Kimahri, who overheard their conversation, stepped closer. "Only those who try will become," he said.
"Huh?"
"I guess he means you have to work hard if you want to be like Nabiki," Ranma explained.
"Oh, I will," Rikku nodded.
Kimahri shook his head. "Kimahri think Rikku should stay Rikku."
"Hey," Rikku shouted while standing up. "Are you saying I'm never gonna be like Nabiki? Kimahriii!"
Ranma just laughed at that.
She sat down and stretched her arms. 'Oh man, I'm really tired after all this,' she thought.
'Rest for a while,' Leviathan advised. 'Afterwards, you'll feel better. I'll wake you when we reach Bikanel. And don't worry: Ocean fiends won't dare to attack me. They really wouldn't stand a chance.'