Disclaimer : I don't own anything.
Note : I honestly don't know how much I have left, but we're getting close.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Al Bhed Airship)
As we walked onto the bridge, we noticed Cid and Brother still in their respective places. Tori looked a little nervous as she walked up to the bald Al Bhed with the others, and I felt a little bad for her. Though this man wasn't really related to her, he was Spiran Tori's uncle...an uncle she'd never met until now.
"Frana du huf? (Where to now?)" Brother called excitedly.
Cid snorted as he looked at everyone, staring at Tori the longest with a confused look on his face that quickly faded with a shrug. "Aren't we the jappy lookin' bunch?" he questioned sarcastically, noting the saddened and confused looks on most of our faces.
Brother bounced in his seat. "Frana? Frana? (Where? Where?)" he cried.
Dustin glared at him coldly and sneered. " 'Where? Where?' Is that all you can say? Why don't you think of something?!" he yelled.
"Well? Any good ideas?" Cam asked us all, now talking about how to defeat Sin permanently.
I shrugged. "Come on, help us?"
He sighed and folded his arms over his chest. "What do we know... Sin is Jecht. That means, you have a link...a bond with Sin. That may be our key."
Because I was his son, in a strange way. I may have been from a different world, but I was still Blake Bradley. "So what do we do?"
"We think, and we wait." Cam stated wisely as he leaned against a nearby wall.
Great. "Two things I'm bad at." I mumbled.
Tori sighed and headed out of the bridge, Hunter following behind her with a worried look. I noticed Dustin walk over to an empty console and went over to him. "You ok?" I asked quietly, recalling that the last time we were on this airship, his home was destroyed.
He sighed and turned to look at me. "Sometimes...When I have a lot on my mind...It just helps to go, AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!" He let out an ear shattering scream that sent me back a couple of feet, coverng my ears and wincing.
Blinking a moment in shock when the scream died down, I looked around to notice everyone staring at the Al Bhed in shock, and the sheepish grin he gave them all. "What the hell was that about?!" I yelled, rubbing my ears and wiping away the pained tears that had fallen. Shit that hurt!
He shrugged a bit and turned back to the console, and I walked out of the bridge with wide eyes as I rubbed my now aching temples. "Damn!" I muttered. Dustin sure had a hell of a set of lungs, that's for sure!
Heading up to the upper deck, I noticed Tori looking out a window with a sad expression on her face, and Hunter looking at me with a raised eyebrow. "We heard that scream from all the way up here." he put in dryly.
Tori giggled and turned, her sad expression melting away as she looked at me with amusement. "I should've told you Dustin can be a little...strange." she managed to say through her giggles.
"Too bad I had to find out the hard way." I mumbled as I shook my head.
With a sigh, Tori turned back to the window. "I'm no good." she said quietly.
"What're you talking about?"
"All this time, I've been thinking about how to defeat Sin. But I...Beyond the teachings of Yevon, I don't know anything. I'm sorry.."
Hunter shook his head. "Don't apologize."
"Huh?" Tori turned to the blonde black mage and frowned.
"Apology is running. Tori, you don't run. If the answer doesn't lie in Yevon's teachings, it must lie outside them."
She nodded. "Bot what's the plan?"
"Mika knows. We'll find him and make him talk."
I nodded with a grin. "That's it!" That's where the answer had to be. "Hunter, bro, you rock!" I cheered as we headed back down to the bridge.
When we got back to the bridge, we found Shane and Dustin talking animatedly. As they saw us approach, they grinned and walked up to us, obviously having some good news for us...for once.
"Hey guys! We just had a great idea!" Shane called.
Dustin nudged him slightly and gave him a mock glare. "It was my idea! Let me tell them!" he insisted.
Shane didn't seem to hear him as he continued. "It's like this ya?"
"I just thought-"
"The Hymn is the key." Hunter cut in, looking thoughtful.
Raising an eyebrow, I turned to look at him. From the expressions on Shane and Dustin's faces, he'd hit the nail on the head, but if he was with us, how did he know, unless there was something I was missing. "The Hymn?" As in, the voices that sang at the temples?
"Sir Jecht likes the Hmn, correct?" Hunter asked me.
Why ask me? I thought darkly. I didn't know the guy, but I guessed he did, if the way Sin was sitting outside Macalania was any indication. "I guess." I answered, not really knowing what else to say.
Dustin nodded with a grin. "That's why he was listening to it in Macalania!" he chirped, following my thoughts.
"Sin...violence incarnate...listening peacefully." Hunter mused out loud.
I felt myself frown at that. Sin was known as violence incarnate, yet I also knew there was still a human side to him. A gentler side.
"If we attack Sin head on, we've little chance of winning. However, if he hears the Hymn of the Fayth, he will become docile."
That made a strange kind of sense. It brought a whole knew meaning to the saying 'music hath charm to sooth the savage beast'. If Sin was docile, we'd stand a much better chance of beating it, but then, there was still the whole rebirth thing.
"Yeah! That's when we make our move! It might be against the rules, but who's keeping track, ya? Ya?" Shane put in excitedly
Dustin nodded. "Yeah! It could really work!"
"Yeah." I muttered. I still knew there was more to it than that, but played along until I knew the time was right. "Yeah! It's worth a try!"
Going to Cid, I told him we wanted to go to Bevelle. He gave me a strange look, but nodded slowly and told Brother. In no time, we were hovering over the very city that almost killed us. The very city I hoped never to see again, after Tori's almost marriage to Lothor.
(Bevelle)
When we teleported down to the blue glowing sphere at the end of what the others called, the Highbridge, I looked back at the sphere, raising an eyebrow. I'd thought they were only good for healing, but as I'd just witnessed, that wasn't the case. Apparently, they also served as points we could teleport to, to save us a hell of a lot of walking.
Heading up the Highbridge, to where we fought Lothor, we were met by two heavily armed guards who quickly aimed their weapons at us and snarled.
"Infidels!" one cried.
Shane shook his head and sighed. "Man, don't these guys ever give up?" he groaned.
"You will regret showing your face here!" he continued as he aimed his weapon at Shane's face. "We'll strike you down in the name of Yevon!"
"Blah, blah, blah." I mocked as I sighed. "Yeah, so? Guys?"
Dustin fixed his claw and glared at the guards. "If they want a fight, let's give 'em one!" he called out.
"Prepare to charge!" The guard yelled to his companion.
That's when Ashley appeared, running towards them. "Stop!" she called, halting their attack.
The guard who had spoken up, turned to find her running up to him and frowned as he lowered his gun. "Captain?"
"Lady Tori is not to be harmed!" she called as she slowed to a stop in front of them. "She's no traitor! That is an evil rumor spraed by the Al Bhed!"
Dustin's eyes widened before they narrowed dangerously, and only Shane's hand on his arm kept him from charging at the girl. "What?" he hissed angrily.
"Maester Mika himself told me." she informed everyone.
I frowned at that. Was it possible he was trying to get rid of Dustin, or perhaps, he was trying to help us get past and just didn't know that one of Tori's Guardians was an Al Bhed?
"Then...what are we to do?" The guard asked unsurely.
"Stand down!" Dustin called, still glaring at Ashley.
Seemingly unaware of the glare, she nodded. "As he says!"
The guards lowered their weapons and walked away, leaving her alone withour group.
"What was that about evil Al Bhed?" Dustin growled angrily.
Ashley offered him a small bow and a shake of her head. "I... truly do not understand it myself. All Yevon seems to be in a state of confusion. Why, yesterday, they called me out of the blue and made me a captain of the guard!"
"Short on believers?" Cam asked in a smug tone.
She didn't seem to notice it. "Yes. The chaos in the temples is worse than I'd imagined. It's horrible! And all the priests do is blame each other! I worry what will becomes of Yevon, but no! I must be the rock that stands against the swirling tides, right? Lady Tori, I must tell you, your courage has been a great inspiration to me."
I snorted and held back from rolling my eyes. "Yeah. That's great and all, but we came here to see Maester Mika. Is he in?"
"Yes. I will arrange an audience. Please go wait in the courtroom." she said before bowing and running off.
"Hey, hey, wait! What was all that about the Al Bhed lying and stuff?" Dustin called after her with a pout.
Cam shrugged. "Simple. Tori has become Mika's last hope."
Frowning, Dustin hesitantly nodded. "Oh, ok."
"Just what does he think he can get away with?" Hunter said angrily as he crossed his arms over his chest.
"Time to teach him some manners!" I growled.
Tori nodded with an angry look in her eyes. "Yes, let's!"
Heading to the courtroom, we didn't have to wait long to find Mika come rushing in to meet us. He looked terrified, and we knew why.
"Why are you here? You must go and defeat Sin, quickly!" he cried in terror as his whole body shook. "You have obtained the Final Aeon from Lady Victoria, have you not?"
"Well, we did go see her." I began hesitantly, not sure how he'd take the news.
Tori seemed to opt for the direct approach. "We fought and defeated her." she said evenly.
"What?!" he cried angrily.
Cam shrugged. "Summoners and Guardians will be sacrificed for the Final Summoning no more!" he insisted firmly.
"You have profaned and subverted a thousand year old tradition? Fools! Infants! Do you realize what you've done?! You've taken away the only means of calming Sin!" he shouted.
I snorted and took a step forward. "Hey! Maybe that's not the only way! We think we've got another!" I shot at him.
He looked at me a moment and his eyes narrowed in confusion before he shook his headn and groaned. "What...preposterous! There is no other way!" he insisted loudly, his body beginning to fade slightly.
"The Grand Maester, running away?" Cam put in smugly.
Miks shook his head angrily, but with a hint of sadness. "Spira has lost it's only hope. Destruction is inevitable. Yu Yevon's spiral of death will consume us all. I have no desire to watch Spira die." he said more calmly.
"It won't die!" Tori insisted angrily as she took a step forward.
"Who is this Yu Yevon guy?" I asked curiously.
Hunter nodded. "Yes. Lady Victoria also mentioned him."
"Wait, gramps!" Dustin called loudly. "Who's Yu Yevon?"
With a sigh, Mika solidified somewhat. "He who crafts the souls of the dead into unholy armor. An armor called Sin. Clad in it, Yu Yevon is invincible. And the only thing that could have pierced that armor, you have destroyed! Nothing can stop it now!"
With those final words, Maester Mika faded away into pyreflies, ceasing to exist on Spira.
"Disappear on us, will ya? Rotten son of a shoopuf!" Shane swore.
Ashley ran in and stopped, looking around in confusion. "Where...where is the Grand Maester?"
"He, um..." Tori looked to the others for help, knowing that no one else seemed to know that he was unsent.
Cam sighed and took a step forward, masking his face with irritation. "He's not here yet." he lied to her. "How long must we wait?"
Frowning, Ashley shook her head. "That's odd..." she mumbled to herself. Straightening up, she looked at the rest of us. "I'll go look for his grace." With that, she took off out of the room, and as soon as the door shut, the red headed Fayth of Bahamut appeared in his transparent form.
"It's you." I said as I looked at him.
"Come to my room." he said simply with a nod.
Tori, who stood beside me, nodded back and looked at me. "Yes." she confirmed.
He disappeared and the others looked at us. "Who you talking to?" Shane questioned curiously.
"Oh. Uh, no one." I said as I scratched the back of my neck nervously.
Tori nodded. "I must go see the Fayth." she said firmly as she headed out of the room.
"I see." Cam muttered to her back.
I watched he for a moment before sighing and running after her. Whatever he wanted, I wasn't sure it was good, but I was curious to know what he had to say.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The next chapters might be longer or shorter and might contain more than one place. I think, these are fillers and explanations to the story. I hope you like them.
LOL. Dustin screaming...I got that from when Tidus speaks to Rikku and she screams.
Ahem...anyways...I hope you like this chapter.
R+R please.
Thanks everyone.
Tenshi.