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They crossed the Moonflow, but as soon as Yuna stepped onto land, she was surrounded by admirers and well-wishers. Seeing how they wouldn't be moving at all, Max decided to walk a bit ahead to check out the road with Tidus. As they were walking, they noticed a person lying on the banks. Quickly running up to the body, they noticed that it was actually Rikku who was laying there.

"You're.. not dead?" said Tidus, making Max slap him on the head.

"Seriously, the person who saves us washes up and that's the first thing on your mind?" said Max.

Rikku suddenly stood up before unclasping her shoulder pads. The boys were confused until she started to pull on the zipper at her back.

'Is she undressing!?' thought both of them. They started to panic until they saw that she was wearing an orange tank top underneath the wetsuit and relaxed. She wore short green pants and had blue streamers attached to her shirt on the back. She took off her goggles and helmet, showing all of her face and hair for the first time to them.

"Ah! I thought I was done for, back there," she said as she collapsed back to the ground. Her goggles were hanging around her neck.

"Rikku! You're Rikku! Hey! You're okay! How you been?" asked Tidus.
"Terrible!" she muttered.
"Yeah, you don't look so good. What happened?" asked Max.
"You guys beat me up, remember?" she said accusingly.
"Oh! That machina… That was you?" said Tidus.
"Mm-hm. That really hurt, you know. You big meanies!" said Rikku as she started to cry a bit.
"Well you did attack us," said Max.
"Nuh-uh. It's not exactly what you think," said Rikku.

"By the way, still got my baton?" asked Max. Before she could respond, a voice rang out.

"Yo! Friend of yours?" asked Wakka as he walked up with Yuna and the rest of the party behind him.

"Something like that," said Max.

"Pleased to meet you! I'm Rikku!" she said without any hesitation.

"Yuna, Lulu…I told you about her, remember?" said Tidus, "She was the one who helped us before we were washed up on Besaid! She's an Al Bhe…beh…" his voice trailed off. He just remembered that Wakka hated Al Bheds, and if he knew, he would instantly hate her. It just didn't seem fair to be judged for their looks.
Yuna and Lulu suddenly understood what Tidus was trying to say.
"Wow, so you two, like, owe her your life! What luck meeting here, ya? Praise be to Yevon!" said Wakka as he did the Yevon prayer. Rikku scratched her cheek dubiously at that. Luckily, Wakka didn't notice that.
"So, uh… Rikku… You look a little beat up! You okay?" Wakka asked, not knowing he was one of the causes for it.
"Uh, Wakka…" said Lulu. Wakka turned around, confused.
"There's something we need to discuss," said Yuna.

"Oh, go ahead.," said Wakka, not understanding why they couldn't just say it out loud.

"Girls only! Boys, please wait over there!" said Rikku. "Right. Sorry, Wakka," said Lulu. Wakka was just confused at this sudden arrangement. Let it be known that he was not the brightest sometimes.

Lulu, Rikku, Yuna, and Paine stepped away to talk. Rikku seemed to be explaining to them about something. After their chat was over, Yuna walked over to Auron.

"Sir Auron…I would like Rikku to be my guardian," she said firmly. Auron looked at Yuna for a second before striding over to Rikku.

"Show me your face. Look at me," he commanded.

"Oh, okay," she acknowledged but had her eyes closed. Auron merely coughed before Rikku was willing to open her eyes to let him show that her eyes were green with a dark swirl, showing the mark of an Al Bhed. Max wondered how Wakka hated Al Bheds but didn't even know how to identify one. He concluded that most of the Al Bhed had their eyes covered to hide such a mark, so it wasn't popularly known.

"As I thought," he murmured.

"Um… No good?" Rikku asked nervously. Auron continued his sentence, though, "Are you certain?"

"A hundred percent! So, anyway… Can I?" Rikku said.

"If Yuna wishes it," said Auron. Yuna nodded in confirmation.

"Rikku's a good girl. She helped us a bunch!" said Tidus, trying to give her some recommendation. Max quickly added his own comments.

"I'm for it! The more, the merrier!" said Wakka.

"Righto! Then I'll just have to be the merriest!" said Rikku, happy to join.

As they all walked towards their next destination, Rikku ran up next to Max.

"I still have your item, but ever since you gave it to us, it stopped working. What did you do to it?" Rikku asked, pouting at the lost chance of using the item. She didn't dare disassemble it due to the fear of losing the chance of making the item work forever. A fiend came charging by missing them all. Rikku grabbed a few items from her pouch before putting them together and shaking it. She threw at the fiend, which promptly exploded. Max and Tidus thought that it was a grenade when it exploded again... and again.. and again at least five times. The fiend burst into pyreflies after taking in so much damage.

"Wh-what did you just do!?" exclaimed Wakka.

"I can combine items and use them like this. It's not that tough, really," replied Rikku. Most of them were still surprised except those of stoic faces. Max was impressed and already thinking of how he could use her expertise on his items. It also didn't hurt that she was kinda cute.. wait, WHAT?

Max shook his head at that thought process. Curse his own hormones for locking onto her. Yuna was claimed, Lulu was slightly claimed, and he didn't really have anything on Paine except the fact she was Auron's niece and her attitude wasn't much to his liking. Max decided to bury that particular feeling for a bit. The only upside was that he wasn't dating, so it wouldn't be cheating.

They continued forward, down the path and finally arrived at a strange town. The town seemed to be intertwined into the caves and trees. As soon as they entered, a stuffy looking Guado walked up to Yuna.

"We have been expecting you, Lady Yuna. Welcome to Guadosalam. This way, my lady. This way," he said, trying to pull Yuna with her.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" said Wakka as he intercepted the Guado's hand.
"Oh, I beg your pardon. I'm called Tromell Guado. I am in the direct service of our leader, the great Seymour Guado. Lord Seymour has very important business with Lady Yuna," said Tromell as he introduced himself. His tone made it seem like he didn't like being stopped from being able to complete the given task.
"Business with me? Whatever could it be, I wonder?" said Yuna.
"Please, come inside the manor. All will be explained," said Tromell. He turned to the guardians, giving them a quick scan. "Of course, your friends are also welcome," he stated, though Max and Tidus felt like Seymour wanted to be with Yuna alone. Not like they would comply with that. Tromell guided Yuna and the rest of the party to the manor.
"Twist our arms why don't ya!" muttered Rikku. Tidus could only agree as they decided to follow. Max purposely hung in the back with Rikku.

"Rikku, do you still have my item?" Max asked. Rikku nodded and passed him his sheath that they had confiscated. Taking a quick look at it, Max was relieved they didn't try to do anything drastic to it before unlocking the weapon with his fingerprint, making sure Rikku didn't see what he was doing. Max swung the sheath, allowing it expand again into a stun baton. Looking over Rikku, he saw that she didn't really have any weapons except for the claws she had. Frowning, he made a decision.

"Rikku, you can use this weapon for a while. It'll probably be better than your claws," said Max as he passed the baton back to Rikku.

"Really? How do you use it? Can you make more? How did you make it work again? I want to-" Rikku started to babble again until Max just held his finger onto Rikku's lips.

"It would be best not to be so loud or let Wakka know of this. He hates Al Bhed, though I'm surprised he hasn't caught on that you're one."

Rikku blushed and nodded. It was then that Max noticed that he had put his finger on her lips and blushed while quickly withdrawing the finger. He quickly walked forward to catch up with everyone. He saw Tidus smirk and knew Tidus wouldn't leave him alone now. Groaning, he prepared for the worst.

They entered the manor with Tidus teasing Max. Max's eyebrow was now twitching rampantly in annoyance until they both agreed to stop for a bit. There was lead past the entrance hall into a room, where there was a feast waiting for them.

"I will go inform Lord Seymour. Please wait here," said Tromell as he left. After he left, They all just decided to wait for a bit. Everyone except Rikku, who promptly started eating. Max stared at it before grabbing an apple to eat a little. He went over to Kimahri, figuring he never really spent time getting to know him.

"So, what's this person want with Yuna?" Max asked. Kimahri didn't speak for a little until he sighed.

"Kimahri not sure. But Kimahri not like Maestor Seymour," he replied.

"I get you, man. He gives me a bad vibe, too. What's with Seymour, though. He doesn't seem to be like all the other Guados," Max asked. Lulu decided to answer that.

"Seymour's mother was a human. Seymour is the child of a Guado and a human," said Lulu. Max nodded.

Meanwhile, Tidus was next to Auron and Paine.

"Stay on your guard," he warned them.
"Why? This guy's just a priest, right?" said Tidus.
"Those with power use that power. Maesters have power," said Auron.

"Yea, like Wen Kinoc. Sends us on a suicide mission, and tries to execute us for living," commented Paine.
"Wait… You sure you don't have something against Yevon?" said Tidus to Auron, understanding why Paine didn't like Yevon.
Auron just chuckled darkly, "I lived a long time in Zanarkand." Tidus just nodded at that and left them, letting Paine ask a few personal questions on Auron.

Tidus approached Lulu, who automatically started explaining the city of Guadosalam. He chuckled, causing Lulu to raise an eyebrow on that.
"I didn't even ask a question and you're explaining things," explained Tidus.
Lulu huffed, "You'd rather I say nothing, then?"
Tidus shook his hands and waved his arms, "No, no! Maybe you finally believe I don't know anything about Spira. And maybe that means you believe me about Zanarkand, too?"
Lulu paused for a moment there, gathering her thoughts. "Well… There are many things I do not know. Your Zanarkand is one of those things. I suppose I can't say what I think either way. Still, be careful. You shouldn't tell other people." Tidus nodded at that.

Soon, Tromell finally returned, "Truly, it is good to have guests again. Since Lord Jyscal passed away, these halls have been too quiet."

"The death of Lord Jyscal was a great loss for all of Spira," replied Yuna. Tidus had to ask Wakka who Jyscal was, while Max was listening in on it.

"Truly, a loss for us all. But now a new leader, Lord Seymour, has come before us. Lord Seymour is the child of a Guado and a human. He will be the tie that binds our two races together. But that is not all, I think. Lord Seymour" praised Tromell as he started to spread his arms, "He will surely become the shining star that lights the way for all the peoples of Spira."

"That is enough, Tromell. Must I always endure such praise?" said Seymour as he entered the room. He turned around and bowed to them. "Welcome!"

"You…wanted to see me?" asked Yuna hesitantly.

"Please, make yourselves at home. There's no rush," said Seymour warmly.

"Please, keep this short. Yuna must rush," Auron replied bluntly

"Pardon me. It has been a long time since I had guests," apologized Seymour, "Lady Yuna, this way." He pointed to the dais behind him.

While she was about to step forward, Max quickly whispered to Tidus, "Stay near her. I don't trust Seymour at all." Tidus nodded and decided to stand next to Yuna. She was surprised but relaxed as she felt him near her. Max took the chance to look at Seymour and saw bits of anger float through his eyes. The room went dark as soon as they all stood on it. Soon, beneath them, a deep blue light spread across the room. Max instantly noted that this was a hologram machine and was impressed. The rest of the party was enjoying the view of what seemed to be the galaxy.

"This sphere is a reconstruction created from the thoughts of the dead that wander the Farplane," explained Seymour.

Soon, the view changed that made both Max's and Tidus's heart leap. The view was a huge city on water. They would recognize this scene anywhere.
"Zanarkand!" Max and Tidus exclaimed.
"Correct. Zanarkand…as it looked one thousand years ago. The great and wondrous machina city, Zanarkand," said Seymour. "She once lived in this metropolis," he added mysteriously. Auron snorted at this.

The two Zanarkand natives felt their heart ache. Their home was so close, and yet so far away. They both shook their heads out of this reverie. Spira was their world right now. It didn't mean they wouldn't try to find a way back, though. Wakka was amazed at the city, while Rikku was jumping with joy. Lulu watched with interest, while Kimahri and Auron just remained stoic. Surprisingly, Paine was also admiring the view.

The scene suddenly changed into an ornate chamber, where a scantily clothed silver-haired woman was sitting on the bed, her hands in her lap.

"Lady Yunalesca!" Yuna exclaimed.

"She was the first person to defeat Sin and save the world from its ravages. And you have inherited her name," said Seymour. Max snorted. Seymour was definitely trying to be suave and muscle his way in a relationship. Too bad Max had already planned for Tidus to be with her and started to make plans.

"It was my father who named me," replied Yuna.

"Lord Braska 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. To defeat the undefeatable Sin…it took an unbreakable bond of love– of the kind that binds two hearts for eternity," said Seymour.

Everyone watched as a well-armored man enter the room, walking right through Yuna and embracing Yunalesca. As everyone was watching this scene, Seymour made his move. He bent down and whispered something to Yuna right as the scene ended. Yuna hurried off the dais and grabbed a cup of water, drinking it all in one gulp. As she turned around, she ran towards her group. Tidus, Rikku, Lulu, Wakka, and Max gathered around her, wondering what was wrong. She was blushing heavily.
"Wow! Your face is beet red!" commented Rikku.
"You okay?" asked Tidus.
Yuna stuttered, "Mm…ahh… I… He…he asked me to marry him!"

Inside Max's mind, he was now considering how to kill Seymour without being framed. Was this bastard trying to get in the way of Tidus? 'Not on my watch buddy!' thought Max, 'It's obvious they like each other, and I'm gonna make sure you stay out!'

Tidus was running thoughts similar to Max before he decided to talk.
"You serious?" said Tidus.

"You know what Yuna must do," said Auron sternly.
"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 all Spira. She must be a leader for the people. I proposed to Lady Yuna as a Maester of Yevon," explained Seymour.
"Spira is no playhouse. A moment's diversion may amuse an audience, but it changes nothing," said Auron.
"Even so, the actors must play their parts. There's no need to answer right away. Please, think it over." said Seymour charmingly.

Max was now really pissed. One thing that he was stubborn on was the fact the marriage should be out of love, not political bullshit. The fact that Seymour was trying to pull this was making Max think of breaking out his bow and shooting Seymour in the face.
"We will do so, then. We leave," said Auron, leaving no room for argument.
"Lady Yuna, I await your favorable reply," said Seymour.

'I got your reply right here!' though Max and Tidus. As they were about to leave, Seymour popped another question directly at Auron.
"Why are you still here, sir?" Auron just paused for a bit. "I beg your pardon. We Guado are keen to the scent of the Farplane."

Tidus was tempted to sniff Auron for a scent but thought better. Max had at least drilled him to respect the proper distance, and sniffing someone wasn't one.

They were all gathered outside the manor, near a fountain. Yuna was still recovering her wits from the sudden proposal.

"Yuna, the high summoner's daughter. Seymour, the 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," said Lulu. "Sounds just like a passin' daydream, like Auron says," commented Wakka.

"Come on, let's just get on with the pilgrimage! I mean, marriage?" said Tidus quickly.

"Hmmm. Jealous?" nudged Rikku. Tidus wanted to deny, but couldn't really do so. He was indeed jealous.

"He sure picked a fine time to lay this one on us," said Wakka.

"Maybe it is a fine time," said Yuna, looking up at them.

"You serious?" said Max and Tidus. "If my getting married would help Spira…if it would make people happy…If I could do that for people…maybe I should do what I can. I never imagined doing anything like this. But, I won't answer till I know what's right," said Yuna.

Max was trying to come arguments on why not to marry Seymour. The first reason was that he was a git. "Seriously?" asked Tidus, jealousy reaching into his tone.

"You could always just quit your pilgrimage and get married," said Rikku eagerly. "I will…go on. I'm sure that Lord Seymour will understand," said Yuna. "I am a summoner! I must fight and defeat Sin." "Like Braska before you," said Auron. Paine nodded from behind.

Tidus had to resist the urge to shout, 'WHY THINK ABOUT IT? JUST REJECT HIM!'

"I'm going to the Farplane. I'm going to see my father and think on this," said Yuna.
"Go on, we'll be right behind you," said Lulu. They all walked towards some sort of huge dome that was the Farplane.

Tidus decided he needed to ask first, "Question! About this Farplane…When somebody dies, a summoner sends them to the Farplane, right? So their souls, or whatever they are, they go to the Farplane, right? But that's the Farplane we're going to, right? And Yuna's old man's there, too? Do dead people live there or something?" Instantly, both Max and Tidus had images of ghosts and shivered.

"You'll see once we get there," said Wakka.

They walked up the stair to the entrance when Tidus and Max noticed Auron stayed behind. The rest of them entered the Farplane. Tidus and Max pestered Auron on why he wasn't coming but ultimately were ignored. They were surprised the Rikku was also staying behind. Seeing there was nothing else to do, the duo entered the dome. They entered in to see a circular room, where people were gazing out into the mist. The mist parted slightly allowing Max and Tidus to drink in the view. A full moon hung in the twilight sky, and pyreflies danced around in a field of various multi-colored flowers what seemed to be a river. Tidus and Max looked around to see various members of their party looking at what seemed to be spirits of people. They saw Wakka talking to a spirit who seemed to be related to him.

"Yo, Chappu! Meant to come see you earlier, ya? Sorry! I know you won't hold it against me." Wakka bowed to the spirit. Max and Tidus took a good look and saw some similarities to Tidus. They understood now why Wakka and Lulu were shocked when they first saw Tidus.

"I gave up the game. I'm a guardian from here on, you know?" Wakka continued to talk to the spirit. "This guy–looks a lot like you–showed up. Traveling with him, I thought, maybe…you were still alive somewhere, ya? But, then again, here you are on the Farplane. Guess your place is here. So, how you been? Oh, that guy I just told you 'bout, I gave him your sword. He likes it."

Tidus moved his hand towards his sword. He felt thankful that Wakka entrusted such a precious sword to him. As if responding to his emotions, energy surged through the sword a bit, surprising Tidus. It felt lighter now and more durable. Meanwhile, Max had approached Lulu.

"He is dead, and I am still alive. Coming here really makes that clear. I should focus more on what I have to do now," said Lulu. Max raised his eyebrow on that.
"You all right?" asked Max. Lulu laughed lightly before replying, "I'm not even sure what I'm saying."
"I think it means your trying to move on with your life. I'm sure Chappu was great, but he wouldn't want you to always think of the past. There are others who can fill that void," said Max after thinking about it.
"Hmm… That's a possibility," said Lulu.
"What about... Wakka?" said Max.
"What, me? With Wakka?" said Lulu, surprised at that suggestion.
"Yea. You two get along pretty, and I'm pretty sure you two care for each other. Plus, you both have connections to Chappu, so you two could live on in his name," said Max.

"No. Not even possible. We don't have that sort of feeling for each other," replied Lulu stubbornly. Max just coughed while saying locker rooms, causing her to blush.

"You know?" asked Lulu, mortified that he knew that they were in the locker rooms just admiring each other.

"Yuna told me you took quite awhile inside the locker rooms alone with Wakka. Just...think about it," said Max as he left.

Lulu gazed at the echo of Chappu one more time before whispering to herself, "Goodbye, Chappu. You always said I looked grumpy. But those were the happiest days of my life."

Tidus saw Paine looking at an image that seemed to be her mother, but decided not to risk interrupting her. Instead, he went to Yuna, who was gazing at her mother and father. Max quickly went over with him, wanting to convince Yuna what not to do.

"So…Yuna?" said Tidus, hesitantly.
"I've decided." said Yuna firmly.
"Oh? Really? That's good," said Tidus, dreading her answer.
" I remember, when I was only seven years old, in Bevelle that day. My father had defeated Sin, and the whole town was out in the streets. Everyone was laughing. They all seemed so happy. If I defeated Sin, that would make everyone happy…wouldn't it?" They nodded in reply.
"I must do what everyone wants, not just what I want," said Yuna.

"Soo you're going to say no, right?" asked Max. Yuna nodded. "Let's go back! You gotta tell Seymour," said Tidus, happy that Yuna was declining.

"Before we do anything, I just want to say something," said Max, putting his plan into action. "Look at your parents Yuna. A summoner and an Al Bhed, together. Most of Yevon would deem that as heresy, right?" Yuna nodded. "And yet they still went through it and had you. You may not remember, but did they seem happy together?" At this, Yuna thought for a bit before nodding again. "That's all I wanted to say for now. We should probably head back now."
"Before that… Call Sir Jecht. Give it a try," said Yuna eagerly to Tidus. Tidus was surprised at this request. "Don't worry. He won't come," said Yuna.

Tidus was trying his hardest not to think of him, but of course, it just made him recall him even more. "See, told you!" said Yuna, seeing no echo of Jecht. Max and Tidus sighed. It was true he wasn't dead, but that was because He's Sin now. "That means he's alive, you know?" said Yuna, seeing them frown. Tidus couldn't help think, if Jecht was Sin, how would he tell everyone. Well, it wasn't his responsibility, to be honest.
"I'd rather never see him again," said Tidus, irritated.
Yuna was surprised at this response, "What makes you hate him so?"
Tidus scoffed, "Everything he does just makes me mad. It was his fault that me and my mother…" he trailed off when an image of a woman suddenly appeared. "Ah… Mom?"

Yuna gasped in surprise while Max was shocked. He didn't expect anyone from what people claimed was false to be here.

"I-It's her!" gasped Tidus. Yuna nodded, happy to see a relative of Tidus.

"She's very pretty," Yuna complimented.

"But… Wait. No one ever performed the sending for her," said Tidus.

"True, but we don't really have many fiends at our place, either Tidus," said Max. "I don't think we ever had sendings before."

"She must've accepted death while she was still alive," explained Yuna.

"That.. would make sense. Sending is for those who haven't accepted the fact death comes to everyone and have died, right?" asked Max.

Yuna confirmed his answer. Tidus continued to stare at the echo of her mother before suddenly having a revelation.

"Ah. I think I just figured something out," said Tidus.

"What?" asked Yuna.

"Why I hate my old man," replied Tidus, remembering his past. Before he had met Max, he recalled being very lonely. Every time he wanted his mom to help him with something, or even yearned for attention, she ultimately ignored him for Jecht. It soon became envy, and with envy came resentment. When Jecht had disappeared, his mom seemed to just have given up in life. Most likely she accepted death in hopes she could reunite with him in the afterlife. Yet in reality, anytime Tidus wanted his mom, it was always his old man that told her to go to him. After explaining it to them, he scratched the back of his head.

"Oh, man… I must sound so stupid," said Tidus. Yuna shook her head in denial, "I don't think so."

"Ditto," said Max.

"What about you, Max? Why don't you think of your parents?" asked Yuna. Max grimaced and looked away at that question. Tidus was the one who had to answer for him.

"Max... doesn't remember his parents. He was found in front of the orphanage one day, and so can't really recall what his parents even look like. There was merely a note apologizing for the inconvenience and something about not being able to take care of him due to their jobs."

Yuna was horrified and immediately apologized to Max, who just waved it off, "You didn't know."

"Hey! I wonder if we can see Lenne and Shuyin," said Max. Soon as he said that they appeared in front of them, smiling. "Well, that answers that question. They look happy together."

Yuna and Tidus stared at that image. They both remembered the advice the ghosts gave to them before disappearing. Tidus and Yuna wanted to act on that advice, but before they could, Lulu and Wakka came up to them.

"Well? Need some more time?" asked Wakka.

Yuna shook her head and they all proceeded to exit the Farplane. Max took one last glance at Shuyin and Lenne to see them smiling still. Before they disappeared, they winked, causing Max to stumble a bit. He regained balance and manage to play it off as just clumsiness. He felt like it was a sign that Yuna and Tidus really did belong together.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter. No epic fights, sorry. Next up, Thunder Plains. Reviews are appreciated!