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Hope you enjoy this chapter! Please review!

DISCLAIMER: Final Fantasy X, its characters, locations and plotlines are owned by Square Enix. I do not claim to own any of these. However, I do own my original character Sakura, also known as Suki. If you wish to use her in any form of media then please ask my permission first.

Chapter 35 – The Thunder Plains

"I hate lightning, I hate lightning, I hate lightning."

I gritted my teeth. Rikku had kept up this mantra ever since we'd started to leave Guadosalam. She was now clinging onto my arm, her nails digging into my skin and very nearly drawing blood. This was getting ridiculous.

"Rikku, I swear if you don't let go on my arm right now I am going to go abandon you on the Thunder Plains and run away without you," I threatened.

Rikku practically hissed at me. "Don't you dare, you pedlr!" she grumbled.

Wakka raised an eyebrow. "Did she just call you a pedlar?" he asked.

"No, she called me a…" I started before remembering who I was talking to. "Never mind. Cousins thing," I claimed.

I slapped Rikku round the back on the head as Wakka walked off. She knew the unspoken rule: no Al Bhed around Wakka. She nodded sheepishly but still didn't let go on my arm. I sighed but kept walking after the others, having to practically drag her full dead weight.

"The Gandof Thunder Plains," Lulu announced as we came close to the first lightning rod which marked out the safest path through this treacherous stretch of land, the heavy rain making me wish I had a hood.

"What's a 'Gandof'?" Tidus asked.

"Gandof was a High Summoner, right?" I checked.

Wakka nodded. "He herded all of the Qactuar fiends here from the Djose continent before he sealed them into different stones all across these plains. That's why they're named after him."

Rikku peeked round from behind me. "Qactuars? They have needles don't they? I hate needles…"

Tidus chuckled. "Lightning and needles? This really isn't the place for you, is it?"

He stopped laughing and stepped back slightly when he saw the look Rikku was giving him.

"Let's go," Auron said. Everyone nodded – except for Rikku who still wasn't letting go of my arm – and we began to walk across the plains, keeping as close to the lightning rods as possible without getting struck by it ourselves.

Since we had to fight fiends as we crossed Rikku did eventually let go of me, but she still kept very close and refused to look up from the ground.

At one point we were passing one of the towering rods just as lightning struck it. It happened so suddenly that Tidus, Yuna and I all screamed in shock.

"Whoa! That was a close one!" Wakka said, started to laugh.

Lulu rolled her eyes. "Stop kidding around."

"Yes ma'am," Wakka conformed, but kept grinning.

Suddenly there was a rather eerie laugh coming from behind us. We all turned to see Rikku looking down about ten meters behind us, the creepy noise coming from her.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Wakka asked.

Rikku didn't respond. She just kept up the creepy soft laugh.

Tidus impersonated her. "You're giving me the creeps!" he said.

Lightning flashed and thunder rumbled through the air again, and Rikku screamed and crouched down on the ground, her hands clamped over her ears. She then flopped down on all fours and everyone flinched. She awkwardly scrambled forwards and clung onto Tidus' leg since he was the one nearest to her.

"Hey, whoa!" he cried in surprise.

"I wanna go home!" Rikku announced. "I hate lightning! I hate thunder!"

"No news there," I sighed, and she glared at me before nodding over to a building behind us.

"Let's go rest over there, please?" she begged, sounding like a little kid.

None of us had really noticed the travel agency since we'd all just presumed we were going to plough through the Thunder Plains and we'd rest when we got to the other side. Apparently Rikku had other plans.

"This storm never stops," Auron informed Rikku, but not unkindly. "Better to cross quickly."

Rikku swallowed. "I know…but just for a little while?"

I sighed at my cousin but I did feel guilty. I knew how terrified she was of thunder and lightning. I turned to Auron.

"Can we rest for a bit?" I asked. "If she can just sit down for a little while she'll find it easier to cross the rest of the way."

Auron shook his head. "We keep moving."

Wakka, Lulu, Yuna and Kimahri all shrugged and kept walking. Tidus couldn't since Rikku was still attached to his leg.

"I now understand why you were getting so annoyed at her earlier," he grumbled at me.

I patted him on the arm. "I feel your pain," I sympathised.

"Can't we just rest for a while?" Rikku called to the others. "Please? Pretty please?" When nobody stopped or turned round she resorted to yelling. "I'm too young to die! You're all mean! Your moms would be ashamed of you! Are you having fun doing this to me?"

I heard Auron actually groan before he stopped and turned around. "Fine. We rest. She's worse than the storm."

Rikku's face lit up and she bolted into the travel agency. I rolled my eyes as Tidus and I followed her in, the others coming in after us, Wakka making no comment this time about it being an Al Bhed establishment.

As we walked in, Yuna spoke up. "I'm…a little tired." She walked up to the desk to speak to the clerk. "Do you have a room available?"

The young Al Bhed woman smiled. "Ah, Lady Summoner. Yes, right this way."

As Yuna was shown to a room, Wakka frowned. "Um…Yuna?" he called after her, but she didn't turn back.

Lulu also seemed worried. "It's not like her to want to rest…"

A familiar figure then walked into the lobby area. Rin smiled as he saw us.

"Good to see you again!" he said. "Welcome to the Rin Travel Agency."

He spotted Rikku and his eyes widened but Rikku shook her head. Translation: Don't mention the Al Bhed thing. Rin understood and nodded once before he looked around and spotted Auron.

"Would that be Sir Auron by any chance?" he asked me and Rikku. We nodded.

"Ah, as I thought. I had been wondering since I saw him at the Mi'ihen Highroad branch," he mused before walking over to Auron.

Auron – who had been looking out of the window - turned around when he heard him approaching.

"Sir Auron, I wonder if you remember me," Rin said. "Ten years ago at the beginning of Lord Braska's Calm."

Auron nodded once. "Yes. I should thank you."

Rin shook his head. "Not at all. I could not leave a wounded man to die. However I was surprised when I saw you gone the next morning. That wound…an ordinary man would not have been able to walk."

Auron glanced away from Rin for a moment before looking back up at him. "I'd rather…drop that subject Rin."

Rin still looked somewhat suspicious but he nodded and bowed slightly. "As you wish."

Auron and Rin continued to converse as did Lulu and Wakka. Kimahri was standing at the door as quiet as ever and Rikku was shivering in fear in the corner, jumping every time lightning flashed through the sky. With everyone else busy Tidus came up to me.

"I'm worried about Yuna," he confessed.

"Me too," I said. "Should we go see if she's okay?"

Tidus nodded and we both managed to sneak off without anyone else seeing us.

As we approached a room we heard a male voice, so we started to walk on but then we heard the unmistakable sound of Yuna sighing. We both stopped and looked at each other, frowning. Yuna should be in there alone…so who did the other voice belong to? It sounded weirdly like Jyscal Guado…but that was impossible.

Silently we both leaned against the door, trying to listen in. Unfortunately Yuna hadn't locked the door and we both tumbled in as the door gave way, Yuna gasping at the two unexpected guests in her room.

Yuna stared at us in shock before looking over at the table she was standing next to. She gasped and fumbled with something, which when I stood up I saw was a sphere.

Yuna looked over at us both sharply. "Yes? Can I help you?"

"Um…" I mumbled, looking over at Tidus and silently praying he had thought of a good excuse.

Of course he hadn't.

"Well… um…it was nothing really…we just…" he stumbled.

Yuna looked down, her face bright red but less angry. "Um…"

I elbowed Tidus to get him to shut up before I spoke. "We're sorry," I said. "We shouldn't have come in."

We both headed for the door before Tidus stopped suddenly, causing me to crash into him. He stepped back into the room and pointed at the sphere. "Hey, wasn't that that Jyscal Guado guy?" he asked.

Yuna looked surprised but after a pause she nodded. "This sphere is his will," she explained. "It says 'Take care of my son.'"

I frowned. "His son…but that means Seymour," I said slowly.

Yuna nodded once while Tidus smirked. "Well, I know one way to take care of him."

If Yuna hadn't looked so sad and confused I would have laughed. As it was I kept quiet.

Yuna swallowed nervously before blurting, "I'm sorry," and running from the room.

Tidus and I both looked at each other, silently agreeing to not go after her. From the looks of it she needed her space.

We both looked over at the sphere on the table. I was about to activate it when suddenly Tidus and I were both hooked round our necks.

"What do you two think you're up to?" Wakka's voice said.

Tidus and I both struggled against the surprise attack. I managed to slip out of his hold so he tightened his hold on Tidus.

"Yuna…Yuna was acting funny so…" Tidus tried to explain in between choking coughs.

"Yeah yeah!" Wakka replied. "She'll tell us when she's ready so hold your chocobos!"

"Alright alright alright!" Tidus cried, finally managing to pull away from Wakka's head-lock.

Wakka sighed. "Auron's booked rooms for us all now since Rikku's in such a state. Go get some sleep."

He began to leave the room before looking back at Tidus, a slight grin on his face. "And hey, no trying to sneak into girl's rooms anymore, yah?"

Wakka then ran from the room, chased by an angry Tidus.

"It's not stopping, is it?" Rikku moaned.

Auron sighed. "Don't tell me you were hoping it would."

The next morning we were all well-rested, but the storm hadn't let up just like Auron had said, much to Rikku's dismay.

Another crash of thunder caused Rikku to scream and Auron rolled his eyes. "Fine. Stay here," he said before walking out of the building.

Rikku sighed, slowly following him out. "Alright already…but you didn't have to say it like that you know!" she complained. "You could be more comforting or something! You know, try to cheer me up. You just don't get me at all, do you?"

Rikku finally seemed to realise that Auron wasn't responding and she pouted. "Hey, are you even listening?"

I rolled my eyes. "Rikku, he's hardly going to listen to the ranting of a scaredy-cat," I pointed out.

Rikku scowled. "I'm not scared…" she muttered, before repeating herself louder. "I'm not scared!" she yelled before running out of the travel agency.

The rest of us followed her out, and as we exited the travel agency we were momentarily blinded by a bright flash of light. At first I thought it was lightning but when my vision cleared I saw a young man running off, a camera clutched in his hand.

"What's his deal?" Tidus asked.

Nobody knew, so we ignored it and just carried on walking through the second half of the Thunder Plains.

A long walk, many fights and multiple yelps from Rikku later, the end of the Thunder Plaines were in sight. However, Yuna stopped walking before we reached it.

"Everyone…wait," she said softly.

"What's up?" Wakka asked.

"I have something to tell you," she said.

I bit my lip nervously. I had a bad feeling about this.

Lulu raised her eyebrow. "Here?"

"We're almost outta here!" Rikku said, flapping her hands about. "Let's go!"

"I have to say it now!" Yuna said sharply, causing Rikku to stop.

Auron looked round and nodded towards to closest lightning rod.

"Over there," he said. "Less chance of us getting hit, and it's out of the rain."

We all walked over to the rod, and I kept looking at Yuna. Her eyes were down and her fists were clenched. Whatever it was she had to tell us, she wasn't happy about it.

Once we reached the rod Yuna took a deep breath before looking up at us all. "I…have decided to marry."

Somehow my bad feelings always come true.

Lulu sighed and shook her head. "I thought so…"

"But…but why?" Wakka asked. "Why'd you change your mind?"

"For Spira's future, and Yevon's unity," Yuna said. "I thought it would be the best thing to do."

I clenched my fists. She didn't want to marry Seymour. She felt like she had to.

"That's not good enough," Auron said, echoing my thoughts.

Lulu looked up at Yuna sharply. "Wait. Is it…is it because of Lord Jyscal?" she asked.

My eyes widened. "That sphere!" I remembered.

Auron looked over at me before walking up to Yuna. "Show me," he commanded.

Yuna looked him in the eye. "I can't," she said. "I must speak to Maester Seymour first." She looked down again. "I truly am sorry but…it is a personal matter."

Wakka sighed. "You're kidding, yah?"

Auron turned away from Yuna. "As you wish," he said. "Just…one thing."

Yuna spoke before he could. "I won't quit my pilgrimage," she promised.

"Then it is…fine," Auron responded, although the way he said 'fine' didn't sound like he meant it.

I realised then that Auron was in the same boat as the rest of us. Although he may not show it as often as everyone else, he cared about Yuna too. I highly doubted that Auron was happy with Yuna marrying someone for political reasons, but for some reason he didn't want to voice those thoughts.

Tidus however apparently didn't realise this and held his hands out to stop Auron from walking away, grabbing at his collar.

"Hold on a second Auron. You don't care? You're not going to stop her?" he asked, desperation slipping into his voice.

"No, I'm not," Auron answered. "As long as she is willing to face Sin, all else is her concern. That is a summoner's privilege as long as she journeys."

Tidus slowly looked round at Lulu and Wakka. When they both nodded he slowly let go of Auron.

"But that's…" Tidus mumbled. He almost sounded like he was welling up.

I squeezed his shoulder but he didn't respond. I remembered his conversation with Lulu back in Guadosalam.

"I shouldn't have to say this, but don't fall in love with her."

"…It's too late."

Tidus had fallen in love with Yuna. And I was fairly certain that Yuna had also fallen in love with Tidus, or at least was in the process of falling in love with him. No wonder he was upset…

"Yuna, just one question," Wakka started. "Can't you just talk to Maester Seymour? You got to marry him?"

"…I don't know," Yuna said very quietly. "But I think it's the right thing to do."

Wakka nodded slowly. "…Okay I guess…"

Rikku walked up to Yuna with a very upset expression on her face. "Yunie…" she mumbled sadly, resting her hands on Yuna's shoulders.

A clap of thunder resounded through the air but instead of jumping or screaming Rikku looked up at the sky and yelled, "Quiet!"

She turned back to Yuna who now had a small smile on her face.

"I wish we could help somehow…some way…" Rikku said, echoing what we were all thinking.

Yuna squeezed one of Rikku's hands. "It's okay," she promised. "I'll be fine."

Rikku sighed before nodding slowly and stepping back, and then looking over at me. I was still watching Yuna and it took a sharp nudge from Tidus to make me realise I was actually glaring at her. Yuna either hadn't noticed or just hadn't acknowledged that she had.

Wakka, Lulu, Tidus and Rikku all seemed upset by Yuna's decision. Auron was too even though he hadn't shown it, and although Kimahri hadn't reacted outwardly at all I was sure he would feel at least slightly sad about it.

Me on the other hand, I didn't feel sad. I felt angry. Not only at Seymour, but at Yuna as well. I wanted to scream at her for not being honest with herself. For doing what she thought was best for other people even if it meant she would be miserable. Yes, I knew she was naturally selfless and no matter what it cost she would always think of others before herself, but I just wanted her to be selfish for once in her life.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned expecting to see Tidus or Rikku, but when it was Auron I wasn't all that surprised.

"Stop looking angry," he said quietly so nobody else could hear. "It doesn't suit you."

"I can't help it," I said honestly. "I just want to yell at her."

"I know. But you can't. It's her decision."

"It's a stupid decision," I grumbled, very aware I sounded like a spoilt child.

Auron chuckled. "Although that may be the case, it is still her decision to make. And screaming is not going to get you anywhere. Nobody is happy about this, not even Yuna herself."

I sighed. "I know. That's what makes it worse. She knows that none of us will be happy about it and that'll make it harder still for her to do. As if she didn't have enough pressure on her already by being a summoner."

"That was also her choice," Auron reminded me.

"Yeah, but I bet she didn't expect all this would happen!" I pointed out. "I highly doubt the Maester of the time proposed to Lord Braska during his pilgrimage!"

Auron chuckled at that thought, and that then made me crack a smile.

"I'm sorry," I said. "I'm just worried about her."

"I know. We all are. And we'll always be there for her no matter if she marries or not," Auron promised.

I nodded and smiled. Auron may have seemed like an unlikely ally in this situation but somehow he had become my confident. He was become the father-figure of the group.

I suddenly remembered how Auron had looked like he was going to collapse in pain back at the entrance to the Farplane when Yuna had sent Lord Jyscal, but before I could ask him about it he turned back to the group.

"Next we're going to Macalania Temple," he said. "Yuna can talk with Seymour there. We guardians will wait until they're done, and plan our next move. Understood?"

We all nodded, knowing from his tone that his last sentence wasn't up for debate.

Yuna was the first one to walk back out into the rain, followed by Kimahri. I hung back, planning on walking with Tidus and Rikku like normal but Auron shoved me ahead.

"Hey!" I cried in protest.

Auron nodded towards Yuna and Kimahri. "Go talk to her," he said. "Before we get to Macalania."

I wavered for a moment, but I nodded and ran out in the rain towards her.

"Yuna!" I called.

Yuna stopped and turned around, smiling sheepishly.

"Hey," she said. "Are…are you angry at me?"

I hesitated before I sighed. "Honestly? Yeah, a little bit. Cause you're not being honest with yourself. I know you don't want to marry Seymour. I know you love someone else."

Yuna's face turned pink as she looked down in embarrassment. "It doesn't matter if I do," she murmured. "It's the best thing for Spira."

I rolled my eyes and sighed. "You, luiceh, are too nice for your own good."

Yuna giggles lightly, and Kimahri chuckled behind us.

"You know I love you Yuna," I said. "And that isn't going to change if you marry Seymour. I'm not going to stop reminding you of how bad an idea I think it is, but I'll still love you no matter what."

Yuna smiled and hugged me. "Thank you Suki."

"Sakura is wiser than normal 13 year-old," Kimahri said, a small smile on his face.

I grinned as I pushed my wet hair out of my eyes. "I'm gonna presume that's a good thing?"

Kimahri chuckled again and nodded. "It is a good thing."

Suddenly I got jumped on by Rikku.

"Um…I still don't like the lightning. And I'm soaking wet. Can we move? Please?" she asked, clinging onto me.

I laughed. "Yeah yeah. We're going!"

"To Macarena Temple!" Tidus said.

"Macalania!" Yuna, Rikku and I all said together before laughing.

Yuna and I might have been okay again, but I still had a horrible feeling that something was going to go very wrong very soon.

And like I said, somehow my bad feelings always come true.

AN: Hope you liked this chapter! Please review!