Chapter 25 : How To Crash A Wedding.

Yuna was almost ready to vomit when they put her in her wedding dress, which Seymour had already picked out for her. It wasn't too ugly and it fit her form and personality rather well so she couldn't complain. At least she would look good during what was about to transpire. Their wedding would take place without a rehearsal since Seymour was in a big hurry for the end of the world. Johnny was considerate enough to go over some of the rudimentary procedures with her while she was being dressed. Apparently she would not have enough time to learn them afterwards as this ceremony was being rushed. The two black mages who had hovered over her ever since she came to Bevelle would continue to supervise her and make sure she couldn't call her Aeons for help. If she were as powerful as Lulu was with offensive magic she could take a chance to debar their hold over her. Since Yuna's primary specialty was in summoning and her secondary discipline was white magic all she could do was hope that they would be standing in a spot where they would be killed immediately.

Seymour had his aides dress her in her room. She had enough time to hide her gun before they came in. Hopefully they would leave her alone long enough to give her a chance to retrieve it as she might need it since it was her only means of defense. For now she focused on what was ahead of her while clumsy fingers tried to make her look more ideal according to Seymour's tastes. Seymour wanted to walk arm and arm with her to the chapel. They would then proceed to the balcony which overlooked the entire city. It was there that the actual wedding would take place. Many of the soldiers under Solidus' command would be there. A new unit specializing in magic would also be on site to accompany the traditional soldiers. Additionally, Seymour's own men and women were on security detail. Only handpicked guests were allowed inside the chapel. The other witnesses to this act of legal monogamy were carrying guns and an arsenal of deadly spells. There were already a few of them inside the chapel sweeping it for potential traps and unwanted spectators. Whatever rescue attempt Snake had in mind could be compromised at any second.

She suspected that they had only been partially finished with whatever plan they were acting upon when they came to tell her the sparse details that they had. For all Yuna knew they might destroy the entire city. These worries caused her to sweat even though it was relatively cool outside. She also trembled at sporadic intervals. Everyone she dealt with ignorantly attributed these nervous jitters to the wedding. Plenty of them joked about her having cold feet. Yuna wished she had enough gall to spit in their faces for being so ferociously annoying. She knew that those who were smart enough saw these signs of distress for what they really were.

After her maids finally got her inside of the dress and had applied an unnecessary layer of makeup to her face they left her alone for a moment so they could all tell Seymour she was ready for the laborious trek. Johnny exited after them, somewhat less enthusiastic about the whole facade. This gave her just enough time to reclaim her USP and fasten it to her hip before the mages came in and beckoned her to follow them. People were running around Seymour's house like mad and trying to clean up the party from the previous evening while at the same time preparing for a new party right after the wedding. A grand feast of mythical proportions was being prepared. Seymour wasn't about to let his reputation for stuffing people until they couldn't move slide when this was a perfect opportunity to reinforce it. Even the general public had been invited to a specially arranged dinner complete with more than enough guards to police all of the participants and food served by waiters with assault rifles.

The public hadn't quite been fully briefed on the situation as Seymour saw it so far. He merely told them that the great degree of security was essential to keep Yuna from getting abducted again. There was also talk about a retaliatory strike from the Al-Bhed or several other unsavory possibilities all of which involved the disruption of this festive occasion. Yuna already knew that Seymour had blown up Home. Cloud had told her while they were in jail together. Such cruelty enacted on a peaceful society full of people who believed differently was unforgivable. Seymour was waiting for her at the door flanked by Solidus and a mixture of the two units they commanded. Solidus looked like hell. He appeared to be especially irritable on this fine morning. The burn scar Lulu had given him two weeks ago had been almost completely healed off of his face. Such heavily damaged tissue would take at least three more specialized sessions with a mage specializing in white magic. The weakness he had shown her last night was gone, but his disgruntlement was as evident as ever. She still hadn't decided if saving him would be a good idea. As she approached Seymour, Solidus' radio beeped loudly. He ripped it off of his side and put it next to his ear.

"What is it?" Solidus demanded.

"Everything is in place." a heavily worn voice announced.

"Why are you telling me this? Shouldn't you be talking to Seymour instead? I don't even trust you."

"Relax. You're no longer a threat to me. You never were. Besides, hasn't my arrival changed things for you?"

"Not by much."

"Solidus?" Seymour called. "Would you mind taking such matters outside? I want to put business aside for at least one whole day. Tell our new friend that there is no need for another update."

Solidus gave him another one of his dirty faces. This one seemed to meld in naturally with his complexion, which certainly didn't get that way by him smiling at all hours of the day. He took a good look at Yuna with the same frustrated glare. She inadvertently perked up to receive his approval. As a response, Solidus turned his back on her and stormed outside.

"She'd look better with a bouquet of blue roses, Seymour." Solidus said provokingly as he walked away.

Seymour gave Solidus the look of death. If this kept up they would wind up killing each other at some point, possibly over something trivial.

"Yes, well. . .someone go get lady Yuna a bouquet of blue roses before we start our march." Seymour ordered calmly.

Several servants tripped over themselves to comply with his request. They ran through the crowded streets as if their lives depended on it. A mass of people had gathered outside to watch the two as they walked toward the chapel. Though no barrier was in place, they still aligned themselves correctly and provided Seymour and Yuna with plenty of room. A servant eventually returned with a bouquet of blue roses in under ten minutes. Seymour took them from the man and handed them to Yuna. The roses were fresh and quite a sight to behold. Yuna considered them a gift from Solidus since he had thought of them. She held the bouquet in both of her hands against her chest. A maid came into the entrance with a veil that she helped Yuna put on. Once that was finished it was time for both of them to leave.

"Shall we?" Seymour asked.

The second Yuna set foot outside with Seymour she knew the rescue operation had begun. Her Guardians could be anywhere in the crowd, but Yuna figured they wouldn't show themselves quite yet. If anything, they would strike at the last possible moment available to them. Until then they would have to remain hidden. She still had a long way to go before she would see any of them. Solidus followed in behind their procession alongside Johnny. The morning itself betrayed any sign of impending doom. It was a perfect day to be married. Not too humid, not too cold, and without a cloud in site. Some would consider it auspicious. She heard Solidus' radio beep again, but he ignored it and continued to march forward grimly.

People threw all sorts of junk at them as they went forward. Rice, popcorn, candy corn, flowers, and even salt pelted them as they continued onward. Yuna's veil came in handy and Seymour blinked profusely to avoid having to wipe out whatever got stuck in his eyes. Their spectators were idiotically overjoyed at what should have been a private affair. Why they cared to invest their personal time obsessing over those of higher standing was a perplexing question. Yuna's marriage to a Guado was politically significant, but she didn't think it deserved the level of attention it was getting. The cheers were positively deafening. It seemed like an eternity before they finally reached the chapel. The Tengu's couldn't possibly hope to contain a crowd of this mass so most of them were on the inside where their presence counted for something in case someone tried to sneak in and disrupt the ceremony. Two temple aides opened the doors for them well before they reached the entrance.

Bevelle's chapel contained all of the facilities that the traditional temples had with a few enhancements to accommodate for the many people living in the city. The Cloister of Trials was directly underneath it as opposed to a part of it. Summoners had to pass a mysterious puzzle in order to gain the approval of Bahamut. Apparently it took up a great deal of space and was built over a bottomless pit. Worshiping took place as it normally did elsewhere. Troubled individuals prayed to statues of former summoners in order from the first to last that had defeated Sin and hoped that their pleas would be answered. What made Bevelle special was the statue of Yevon. No other place in Spira was allowed to have one. In order to pray to Yevon himself, worshipers had to flock to Bevelle. This accounted heavily for why prices of certain goods were so inflated in the city.

Yuna had only been here once as a part of her training. The room holding Yevon's likeness was a lonely chamber with a cold cement floor and no seats. Followers were expected to kneel down with their heads on the floor as they addressed Yevon. What had once seemed fair now felt troubling. The chapel overlooked the Macalania forest as it was built at the edge of town. A scenic view of the mountains awaited them at the balcony. They ascended the steps inside the empty chapel and headed for the coveted balcony with the spectacular view. Seats, banners, and other miscellaneous decorations made for quite an elaborate display. The area was covered with guards. Fifth-teen people occupied the twenty seats. Yuna recognized some of the nobles and all of the other Maester's. A fat priest dressed in yellow robes waited for them at the head of the balcony and stood behind a wooden altar that had to have been carried in.

His name was Kinoc and since he was a member of the priesthood he had enough power to formally marry couples. From what Yuna had been told he hung out around a lot with the Maester's and kept looking for handouts. He figured that by subjugating himself to the position of a lackey he might one day be promoted to a higher rank if he humbled the right people. This seemed to be the complete opposite of what he should have been doing, which was going around and killing the people he could succeed. Kinoc obviously didn't want to take any risks and hoped his paper thin charisma would someday rocket him to someone of more importance. They came to a stop in front of the altar. Yuna heightened her senses and was able to pick out Lulu's nearly indistinguishable thread of invincibility. A rather ornate staff was leaning innocently up against the altar, cloaked in a spell so complex that none of the mages stood a chance at ever finding it unless they knew Lulu like Yuna did.

Solidus stood to Seymour's right and crossed his arms impatiently. Johnny stood to Yuna's left. He wouldn't be her first pick as a bride's maid, but he would be invited along as a guest if this were a normal wedding. Johnny was carrying a fancy box containing two rings. Everything was in place and Yuna's nerves were frayed beyond any hope of recovery. She wanted to look around and see if any of the soldiers were behaving oddly or seemed different when compared to the rest of the militia, but she knew that would risk alerting them that something was up.

"Friends, we are gathered here today to oversee the wedding of Yuna and Seymour. It is a blessing directly from Yevon that such a union is taking place today."

Seymour sighed so hard that he almost sucked the altar through his nose. Yuna blinked in rapid succession. This didn't seem like it was going to be over any time soon. Kinoc first launched into a poem about some bird that died while trying to cross an ocean. He tied that into their relationship and how pure it was. Then he said something about how summoners should feel honored to find love before they sacrificed themselves and related it to the life cycle of a tree. Yuna was sure he was just making stuff up at this point because she couldn't possibly entertain the notion that he had written any of it down. Either way, he was not reading from a script and he did put emphasis in his speech that helped convey his message elaborately. By the time he started rambling on about purity Yuna had already spaced out and was busy smelling her roses. Seymour's eyes were still open, but they were glazed over. Johnny kept varying what foot he balanced his weight on so he could keep standing. Solidus scowl steadily deepened until his eyes could barely be seen. Yuna tuned in and out through the course of the speech and snapped to attention when it seemed as though he was finally wrapping it up.

"And so it is with great pleasure that I wed these two today. Ring bearer, please present the rings."

"They said being a soldier would help build my character." Johnny whispered to Yuna.

Johnny stood in between them and opened the box containing the two rings. Yuna reluctantly picked up the golden band studded with exotic diamonds while Seymour chose the silver ring complete with blue sapphires. Their arms crossed symbolically as they did this. Yuna could have pointed out that gold was worth more than silver and how that seemed related to their positions in marriage, but they wouldn't be together long enough for that to bother her. Seymour eagerly grabbed Yuna's hand before Kinoc thought of something else to say. At that moment her adrenaline reached a peak her body couldn't handle and she tensed up as Seymour slid on the ring with ease. In less than a minute the chapel would turn into a war zone. Now that they could face each other formally Seymour looked in her eyes and stared down into her soul. Yuna attempted to fool him again by appearing unwilling and bored.

Seymour broke his posture and began searching the crowd sharply. Her bluff hadn't worked. Snake's plan obviously wasn't quite as original as he had hoped. Even Seymour was on to it. Seymour knelt down beside the altar and clutched the invisible staff. It instantly became visible in a shimmering glow as light began hitting the object again. By the look on his face he appeared to have been expecting this. Yuna grabbed him by the back of the irritating blue robe he always wore that looked like a set of pajamas and hauled him to his feet. She seized Seymour's hands and forced on the ring so hard that it cut his skin. The audience was beginning to stir in confusion. Kinoc didn't know what to do other than proceed with the wedding. Yuna gave Seymour a witty little smile as she sunk her nails into the wrist she had in her grip.

"Then by the power invested in me by the temple. . ." Kinoc began.

Yuna tore off her veil and threw her bouquet of luscious blue roses directly at Solidus. He took a step back in surprise as they came flying at him. Solidus caught them right where his head had been a second ago just in time to watch as the sniper bullet came tearing through them mercilessly. The flowers were ruined. Solidus' mouth began moving but no words came out. Yuna slapped Seymour across the face hard enough to leave a bloody bruise and knock the spit out of his mouth. To add insult to injury she kneed him in the groin. She then turned away from him as the second bullet was fired. It hit Seymour in the side of his skull, killing him instantly for a third time and covering Kinoc and the back of Yuna's dress in the stuff Seymour kept his ideas in. His headless body slumped to the floor. The crowd began panicking as Yuna tackled Solidus and brought him to the floor just as a third bullet was about to take him out.

"What are you doing?" Solidus demanded.

"I'm giving you another chance!" Yuna said. "Stay down and don't interfere!"

Two of the soldiers used their rifles against the other soldiers. This massive betrayal caught everyone by surprise. A familiar older gentlemen wearing a gas mask and a blue sneaking suit came marching up the stairs to the balcony with a grenade launcher in his hands that he began firing off indiscriminately into the crowd. Stun and tear gas grenades exploded in enough places to allow for a hasty capture of the balcony. Snake reloaded and spun around on his heels and began filling up the stairs down into the chapel with grenades. Yuna knelt down in front of Solidus' body and pried the staff from his grip. She then began the sending, which would take at least five minutes to properly complete if she didn't miss a step.

"Everyone stay down!" Raiden said from behind his Tengu helmet.

All of Seymour's guests laid out on the floor with their hands on their heads, whimpering like the silly fools they were. Snake continued spamming the only entrance to the balcony to keep the other mercenaries in the chapel where they were while a second squad consisting of Yuna's other Guardians and the converted Tengu soldiers who now wore a crimson arm band to signify their alliance with the greater good battled with them. Almost immediately the newer mage unit began setting up protective spells on as many soldiers as they could. Some made the mistake of casting a spell a second late and protecting a corpse instead of an ally. These spells deflected all of the bullets fired from their guns so long as they were active. For a moment the soldiers under Solidus and Seymour had the upper hand and confidently advanced on the spies who had somehow managed to slip quietly into their group over the past few days. Surely this was the mark of a true tactical espionage action specialist. They all agreed that none of it would have been possible without Snake. While they hid behind pews, altars, statues, and still within the enemies own ranks, Lulu abruptly appeared from her invincible concealment and sent a wave of fireballs at Solidus' men and women.

The mage soldiers responded by casting nullifying wards on everyone, but not before seven soldiers were baked like Christmas gooses. Lulu cast the same protective wards on her own teammates. This created a small paradox. Both forces were now immune to bullets and the use of offensive magic would be a guessing game. For a moment, the gunfire ceased. Smoke and bits of dust rose up from the ground while the tension in the air built to unprecedented tautness until a great eruption of laughter came from those who were there to rescue Yuna as they pulled out their secondary weapons and charged the soldiers for an all out brawl. Auron and Tidus lead them. The Tengu's, who were carrying katana's and could only hope to properly defend themselves physically against other soldiers, quickly turned around and retreated. This was hilariously futile as they were soon brutalized by the members of the rescue team carrying swords, lances, volleyballs, possessed dolls, and a poisonous arm claw thing. One Tengu tried defending himself with a candlestick only to get it rammed through his eye socket by Kimahri.

"That is the way to use a lance." Kimahri said to the cadaver.

Meanwhile, Yuna was still performing her sending. Her dance was sloppy and rushed. She had little reverence for the recently deceased nitwit so sticking to the basics was good enough for her. Kimahri came charging up the steps to the balcony and jabbed his lance right through Seymour's back to prevent him from moving around whenever he decided to come back. Snake tossed his grenade launcher to Raiden and took out his M4. He then ran over to Solidus, who was pretending to play dead. Snake stood over his brothers' body and almost laughed at how his eyes were closed peacefully while he clutched a battered bouquet. He aimed his gun right at Solidus' forehead and intended to finish what the sniper had started.

"Don't!" Yuna yelled.

"What?" Snake asked.

"Don't kill him!" Yuna said, almost tripping over herself as she continued her little dance.

"Why not?" Snake demanded.

"Because I'm such a nice guy." Solidus said as he stood up.

Solidus handed what was left of the roses to Snake, who accepted them dubiously and tossed them aside. All the guns on the balcony and Kimahri's fists were promptly aimed at Solidus, who surveyed the scene to see how badly they had him cornered. He'd never seen a wedding wrecked quite like this. Johnny was on the floor with both of his hands over his head and his ass raised up in the air. He was the only person Solidus had control over so he exerted his authority to make himself feel better about the whole mess.

"Johnny, for once in your life, will you lay down correctly? If your stomach isn't touching the ground then you're just asking for it!" Solidus said.

"Sorry about that, boss!" Johnny said as he flattened himself against the floor.

Solidus sighed and turned his attention to Snake.

"You know. . ." Solidus began as he looked behind his shoulder. "I think someone might have taken out your sniper."

Auron and Tidus joined the entourage on the balcony.

"We've taken the chapel." Auron said. "They have troops that can use magic now."

"Are they a threat?" Snake asked.

"They reminded me of pumpkins." Tidus replied.

"How's the sending going, Yuna?" Auron asked.

"Not good! He's too strong. I'll need a little more time, but I can send him."

Snake looked over at Seymour's speared body and noticed he was more transparent than he had been before. The pyreflies inside of him were moving around furiously as if they were about to erupt from their invisible bond. His head was starting to reshape itself again and Seymour was breathing shallowly.

"Why can't I ever manage to get rid of you people?" Seymour asked in a distorted tone.

"I can't speak for the fruit loops, but Snake and his friends have always been rather annoying." a familiar voice declared.

Even before Snake turned around to meet the newcomer his blood had gone cold. In the corner tucked out of sight next to a few potted plants a man wearing a stealth camouflage clip decloaked. While everyone was sufficiently distracted, Solidus used one of his retractable tentacle arms to snatch Yuna's staff away from her, which prevented her from successfully sending Seymour. He hurled it over the side of the balcony where it fell to the street below, killing an elderly gentlemen with no family while he was on his way to the market. Yuna was so shocked that she could do nothing but stand frozen in place with her mouth agape in stupefied disbelief. She had truly wanted to believe that her gesture of kindness would be rewarded by Solidus turning the other cheek and perhaps joining their side. Then again, she really hadn't had a chance to sit down and talk with him about those urges yet.

Her teammates took their attention off of the figure gaining visibility for a moment and focused on her distress. Solidus pulled Kimahri's spear from Seymour's body. His body gradually became solid as his pyreflies settled down. He was far too weak to stand up and had to kneel on the ground while he slowly waited for his strength to return to him. By his appearance it seemed as though Yuna had almost succeeded in overpowering him, which was quite a feat indeed. She was modest when it came to taking credit for her skill when in fact she was incredibly proficient at just about anything she cared to invest her time in. However, Yuna was not in the mood to pick diamonds out of coal and considered this blunder to be an unacceptable failure. The gun on her hip weighed heavily against her body. Even if she were to shoot him he would only come back again. Seymour's superiors had to know that he had died and there was usually no support given to the unsent. He must have been allowed to roam free due to his status or perhaps there were those in power above him that knew of his plans and had agreed to them. That made the most sense. Given that they might stand trial for this all sorts of ugly secrets were bound to pour out.

Snake turned his attention back on the figure who had finally become visible. Nobody needed to tell him who it was. His voice was positively unmistakable. It was a rasp filled with a hidden agenda on the edge of death from old age and kept anyone from thinking that he was actually Russian thanks to all those classes on pronunciation and dictation he'd taken. Revolver Ocelot had switched out of the outfit worn by the Gurlukovich army. He had neglected to braid his hair like the little girl he was and now had it flowing majestically down the back of his head like it was the only part of his body he really paid any attention to. His mustache had been trimmed and was no longer curled. Beneath the stereotypical trench coat he had demeaned himself by dressing in he had on what looked like a beige suit complete with matching slacks and a red tie. The cowboy boots with spurs confirmed that it was Ocelot if there happened to be any room for doubt, but the sunglasses he wore made Snake wonder if someone else was at work inside of his brain.

His coat was open just enough to expose one of his signature Colt Single Action Army revolver's. He usually carried two. Snake assumed his pockets had been stuffed to the breaking point with speed loaders. Without hesitating any longer he fired his M4 at Ocelot without bothering to aim. Any part of his body would do just so long as Snake could pump ten bullets into it. None of them managed to hit him and instead went flying off in a random directions. Raiden launched a grenade at Ocelot, but it didn't explode and instead rolled to a stop next to his boot. Ocelot merely laughed at their feeble attempts to kill him. He reached inside his trench coat and pulled out the device that Fortune had worn which made it impossible for him to get shot. There was no real reason to get rid of such a handy gadget until the newer model was released and only then if it were actually affordable.

"Hah. Cute. Get him Kimahri." Snake ordered.

Ocelot's smug attitude immediately turned into a mask of horror as the beast charged him. He activated his stealth camouflage clip and dove out of the way just as Kimahri's fist struck where his head had just been. Kimahri punched through the wall so hard that his fist stuck out the other side. Even though Ocelot was invisible they could still hear his spurs chinging as he ran around the balcony. Seymour cast a spell on Kimahri that made the barriers Lulu had put on him visible to the naked eye. They warped in on themselves and shattered. He did the same to everyone else. There wasn't anything they could do about it since he hadn't become physical yet. Thankfully he had to at some point, but obviously not before he rendered their barriers useless until Lulu could set them up again. Kimahri was not impressed by this and did not halt his pursuit of Ocelot.

While this was going on, Snake peered down into the chapel and saw that everything was as it should be. In the streets beneath them he spotted soldiers swarming to their location. While they could easily take out a small unit it would be more difficult to fight against an actual army. Lulu was probably almost spent and ether wasn't exactly healthy in large quantities. She was also their only black mage and if someone managed to take her out they would be in quite a bind. It was time to cut and run before the situation took a turn for the worse. Solidus, Seymour, and Ocelot would live another day, but at least they had managed to rescue Yuna.

"Leave him, Kimahri!" Snake shouted. "We've got to get going!"

Kimahri growled in disgust but complied just as Ocelot crashed into the altar and sprained his ankle.

"Can. . .can I go with you?" Johnny asked feebly.

"No!" Snake shouted.

"What's this? Another Ocelot? As if one weren't more than enough!" Solidus said.

"Lies! Nobody can be me quite like I can myself." Ocelot said as he decloaked and stood up. "Your confidence is overwhelming. Surely you. . ."

"Invisible Tengu's!" Lulu shouted from the chapel.

A scream of pain coming from her followed shortly. Five Tengu soldiers decloaked almost right next to the six men holding the balcony. All of them were equipped with flamethrowers that were primed and ready to use. One false move or two stray farts would be enough to ignite them. Snake found being threatened with death by fire very ironic given what he had done to his father.

"You idiots!" Ocelot hissed. "You were supposed to wait for the whistle!"

Off in the distance, Snake heard a mechanical screech and knew it couldn't have come from anything else but Metal Gear Rex. No matter how hard they had looked the other night none of them managed to find where the Rex's were being hidden. While their appearance was an extreme disadvantage for them it might reveal their locations to the people Snake had told to watch for. Three Rex models navigated clumsily through the streets until they all came to awkwardly positioned stops at designated spots within the city. Only a few buildings had been knocked over, but the streets where the Rex's had walked would need to be repaired. Each Metal Gear had a missile ready to fire from the rail gun. Seeing that everything was in place, Ocelot whistled anyway just for the hell of it. The soldiers he had planted nodded in response. Gunfire and frantic commands were coming from the chapel as Snake's peeps suddenly found themselves outnumbered and taken by surprise by the massive influx of Tengu soldiers.

"And now for the guests of honor!" Ocelot declared.

Two young women who were both dressed in elaborate religious robes came walking up from the chapel with two black mages flanking them. Both bore the symbol of a summoner on their backs. This meant that they could obviously summon and if they could obviously summon they could surely performing sendings as well with the nifty staffs they carried that resembled naginata's.

"If anyone here tries anything funny they won't be around a second time to try it again. Ever. Those twins will make sure of it." Ocelot said.

They nodded in affirmation of their duties and smiled to themselves.

"Drop your weapons." Solidus ordered.

Snake saw no immediate way out of this so he took apart his M4 and tossed the two pieces at Solidus. He then threw his bag over the side of the balcony just to be an ass. Raiden did the same thing. Tidus and Auron merely dropped their weapons to the ground. Solidus rolled his eyes at their gall and looked to Johnny who was still cowering on the ground with his ass back in the air. That position must have come natural to him for whatever reason as he never failed to revert to it even when he was sleeping on his stomach, which was unhealthy.

"Johnny, we're in control again!" Solidus shouted. "Gather their weapons. Snake and Raiden were dicks and threw theirs off of this balcony. Make sure you get everything as I want to see what they're packing."

"Yes, sir!" Johnny said.

He jumped to his feet and gathered the two swords, spear, and disassembled rifle that were nearby. Johnny then went downstairs so he could get outside to fetch the two bags.

"So now what? Are we captured?" Raiden asked.

"Yes, but don't be too sore about it." Ocelot replied. "I believe Snake has a backup plan he hasn't told anyone about. It runs in his family. I'll get that out of him soon enough."

"Really." Snake said. "You kind of look different, Ocelot. Like maybe you're taking after Liquid, or something."

"Don't even start on that." Ocelot warned sternly. "I got rid of that damn arm before Liquid could do any further damage. My new one is a cyberized prosthetic."

"I am not convinced. What if he's still hiding in you? What if he's waiting for the right moment to reawaken? What if next time he decides to stop by for a visit he gains total control of your body? Or maybe you're just schizophrenic."

"Nah, that can't happen." Raiden said dismissively. "The way I see it is that their two personalities will merge into one singular shared identity."

"God forbid." Ocelot muttered.

"Why were you stupid enough to put his arm on, anyway?" Raiden asked.

"It's a really good story. It goes back to my father and several things I've never cared to mention about myself. I'll tell you about it sometime when I've finished cutting your face off with a piece of glass."

"Don't think he's joking. I've seen him do it." Solidus vouched.

"What are you even doing here?" Snake demanded. "Do you love Metal Gear's so much that you have to be wherever they are?"

"I should ask you the same question! Anyway, my presence here is for an obvious reason. Gate travel." Ocelot answered. "It's truly a magnificent thing. Who would have thought that all of the experiments in teleportation could have been avoided if we had really gone looking for what was already available? I wonder what else is hidden on Earth. . .and Spira."

"If Ocelot says he's here for gate travel. . ." Raiden began. "Then that must mean he's here for some other reason."

"Magic. He wants the magic." Snake said.

"Maybe." Raiden said. "How long does it take to be as good as Yuna and Lulu, anyway?"

"At least three years with the user gaining proficiency every four months afterward if they choose to expand their spells, which all of them do." Auron replied.

"Three years, eh?" Ocelot said almost to himself.

"Do you think you can learn to do anything properly within a week?" Auron asked critically.

"No, but that was an interesting bit of information."

"I thought you and Solidus hated each other." Raiden said to Ocelot. "Change of heart?"

"No. He's simply not a threat to us." Ocelot said. "If he thinks that he can get anything done with his current plans, then that's fine with me. But that's enough talk for now."

Raiden gasped like the murderer had just been revealed.

"Could the Patriots be planning on fueling an armed insurrection against the world to further their own ideals through Solidus or a some other super terrorist?"

"Super terrorist. . ." Solidus repeated while shaking his head in shame.

"That's got to be it! Solidus, Ocelot's been. . ."

Ocelot pulled out his revolver in the blink of the eye and shot Raiden in the knee. Raiden collapsed to the ground and clutched his wound, which had been lessened by the protective layer of his suit but still hurt like hell anyway.

"See?" Raiden asked. "I'm right! He wants you to do what you're doing!"

"You've got it all wrong, carrier boy." Ocelot said. "I've been wanting to shoot you since the day I met you. I just haven't been given the opportunity to do so until now."

"Six bullets." Snake mocked in Ocelot's voice. "Well greased chamber."

"Quiet!" Ocelot shouted. "The Patriots have no need for Solidus or any of you."

A group of Tengu's came marching up the stairs behind Yuna's guardians. They were carrying handcuffs and electrical riot shields with them. Resistance would be futile. Everyone but Kimahri was restrained in the standard fashion. The Ronso was knocked out by a sleeping spell and lifted up by ten Tengu's who waited for further orders.

"Were you really intending to just waltz right on in and snatch Yuna away?" Solidus asked. "I'm almost certain that he's hiding something. Not even Snake could be that stupid."

"He was probably planning on escaping by air using an airship." Seymour said. "A clever and yet daring idea, if I may say so. It could have worked if we hadn't mobilized the Metal Gear's in time. Their fleet is somehow stronger than our own."

"Well, maybe you shouldn't have blown up Home like an asshole and then we could have learned how exactly they build their ships." Solidus said.

"No worries. We'll just get the ships' location out of Snake. And other things too." Ocelot said.

"Ocelot, I think you've pretty much established that you're going to interrogate us so you can stop with your silly little hints." Snake said.

Yuna's scream of frustration interrupted their playful banter. She turned to Solidus with rage in her eyes.

"I just saved your life!" Yuna shouted. "And this is how you repay me? You don't even like Seymour! Is everything you told me last night some kind of lie? Did you only come to me because you knew I'd be willing to listen despite the fact that you tried to kill me?"

Solidus narrowed his eyes at her.

"What are you talking about?"

"What am I talking about?" Yuna repeated in shock. "What. . .I'm talking about everything you told me last night when you were drunk! From it I believed that you needed a second chance and I ignorantly figured that saving your life would trigger something that would help you get better, but you just took that with a grain of salt and now you're forcing me back into a position that you don't even agree with! Don't you remember? You were drunk, but even I can remember what I do when I'm intoxicated so you being the manly man that you are can surely say the same for yourself!"

Solidus laughed at her.

"Are you kidding me? What did I say to you?"

"You told me about your wife, your father, those Patriots, how much you hated Seymour, how much you respect your men, and so on and so on. Then you told me about that loyalty to yourself or loyalty to others concept that I found so fascinating. You must have talked for nearly two hours in that hallway next to Seymour's bathroom. I couldn't even get a word in edgewise because you kept pouring out your problems on me and I just sat there and took it because I thought I was doing you a favor!"

"I honestly don't remember any of it. I remember the drink I had, but my head was killing me so badly this morning that I forgot everything else." Solidus said neutrally.

"Look, let's just get to the point, alright?" Yuna said through her tears. "I am trying to defeat Sin so Spira can thrive for another ten years. It's not much, but it's all we have. This Fiend here wants to use Sin to kill everyone on Spira and I could shout it to the heaven's and nobody would believe me except for the people who already know about it. Who do you think is right?"

She took a moment to gather herself and wipe her tears away. Some of the crowd had stirred at the mention of Seymour's plan. Seymour saw this as an insignificant development that could be corrected by propaganda. He would simply say that Yuna had been corrupted by a batch of ignorant Guardians who were slowly leading her away from the path of Yevon. The beliefs of the Al-Bhed girl were beginning to rub off on her so she would be temporarily unfit to continue the pilgrimage. While all this gossip was still fresh and her Guardians rotted in their cells, he'd marry her in a less elaborate wedding and take an airship directly to Zanarkand. Tradition dictated that the march to Zanarkand was to be done on foot, but he wouldn't be around to be reprimanded for it.

"Seymour's business is his own." Solidus said.

"Solidus, do you really want to use coercion and nuclear weapons to bring down the Patriots? You don't have to. Just talk to Snake. Do the same to him as you are doing to Seymour. You two would make a great team. What if you're wrong about the Patriots? Maybe they want to use you to bring chaos to the world. Blowing up countries seems more their style, don't you think? It's just like Raiden said."

There was another moment of silence as Yuna gave Solidus the chance to think the matter over.

"You have control over these Tengu's, don't you?" Yuna asked.

Solidus nodded.

"They were given to me by Seymour and they're coming back with me." Solidus added.

"Then tell them to let us go." Yuna asked. "I would be honored to have you and all of your men as Guardians, Solidus. Let's all go to Zanarkand together. You're not heartless like Seymour, are you? Trust me and let us go."

He sighed heavily.

"I'm sorry." Solidus said. "You saved the wrong person."

He turned to his soldiers.

"Take them away."

"Except for Yuna." Seymour said as he began whole again. "She comes with me."

"No!" Yuna screamed. "Do you think that I'm some sort of pawn you can push around?"

Yuna cast a barrage of protection spells on herself in quick succession. She then tore through her gown with strength fueled by frustration and pulled out her USP.

"Oh, no not again." Seymour said as she aimed the sites at his head.

Yuna pulled the trigger and sent a .45 caliber bullet right into Seymour's brain, who fell to the ground dead again with a face contorted in endless frustration. Ocelot pulled out one of his revolvers with a blinding amount of speed and aimed at Yuna.

"Don't! If you shoot her then she won't be able to complete the pilgrimage!" Kinoc said.

"Is that a problem?" Ocelot asked.

The two other summoners present began running through the motions of calling up an Aeon. Yuna put two bullets into both of their legs and then turned her attention on the black mages who were charging her. Although she couldn't directly tell it seemed as though these two were specifically the one's who had watched over her. They put barriers up over themselves before Yuna had a chance to shoot at them. Since neither of them were armed they decided to try and restrain Yuna physically. Her CQC sessions with Snake came in handy. The black mages were not trained in Krav Maga so one wound up with three broken ribs while the other had his jaw cracked by the butt of the USP as Yuna slammed it into his face. Ocelot chuckled at her proficiency and decided to charge Yuna himself. Ocelot put up a fair amount of defense as the two searched frantically for an opening. Yuna lured him into a trap that allow her to deliver an uppercut to his jaw. Ocelot stumbled backward and fell to the ground on his rear.

"Damn Judo!" Ocelot cursed. "I guess I should have paid more attention."

Yuna then trained her gun on Solidus. Snake wished he could have helped her, but the flamethrowers carried a lot of weight. Yuna's aimed wavered as the Tengu's slowly began advancing toward her.

"No, it's no good." Yuna said. "I can't do it."

Yuna tossed the USP aside.

"I was wrong about you. I hope you never forget what you've done to me and to Spira. Maybe if I'm lucky you'll eventually regret it like everything else in your pathetic life! Go declare war on the world and pretend to be happy! You're no better than Seymour, you worthless coward!"

Solidus turned his back to her as his men quickly moved in to restrain her.

"Get them out of here now!" Solidus ordered.