Final Fantasy X and PlayStation are owned by Square Enix and Sony, respectively, meaning they do not belong to me. I am in no way, shape, and/or form claiming to be the owner/creator of these concepts, though I do claim any characters not apart of the original Final Fantasy X storyline (such as Rayne and Marcus) mine. As such, I would appreciate fellow authors and readers to give credit where credit is due and not steal any of my characters and/or concepts. Thank you, and have a pleasant day.
(Adding a New Player to the Game)
When the party had finally reached the rest stop, Rayne automatically headed for the save point. Tidus had the same idea, too. They both touched the blue sphere at the same time, and they were both plunged into darkness.
When Sebastian finally stopped playing, he followed Michael into the kitchen where they both sat down for a glass of soda and a bowl of chips.
"Dude," Seb said after a few moments, "That has got to me the freakiest and most convoluted game I have ever played." He tipped his glass at Michael. "I feel for you sister."
Michael just shook his head in disbelief. "I can't believe she… she kissed Auron."
"Who could blame her?" Seb asked, shrugging, "She's been trapped in that game for ten years. Hormones had to kick in some time."
Michael groaned and slammed his head on the table. "She kissed him."
Seb laughed. "Dude. Chill. Auron seems like an O.K. guy, and I don't think he'd hurt her or anything. Anyway…" He took another drink of his soda. "That 'Rikku' girl is pretty cute."
"She kissed him!" Michael shouted. "I mean, come on! The dude's gotta be what… seven years older than her?!"
Sebastian shrugged. "Better than some. Did you hear about that one couple? The guy was like, what? thirty years older? And the other couple where the lady was twenty years older? and the kid was still in high school? Man, these days, seven or even eight isn't that much." Seb thought about it, rubbing his chin. "Which would make Rikku perfectly legal…"
Michael pursed his lips, "She's fifteen. We're nineteen."
"Bah!" Seb waved him off, taking another drink.
There was a moment of silence, followed by Seb asking, "Mike, what're we doing?"
Michael blinked and looked at his friend. "What?"
Sebastian shrugged. "What're we doing? If your sister really is stuck in that game, why are we playing it? I mean, what'll we accomplish?"
"We might be able to…" Michael trailed off and stared at his soda. Might be able to what? Bring Rayne home? By winning the game? Was that it? Even if it was it, what if she was still as old as she was in the game? What then? And how would they explain her and her appearance to their parents?
"Never mind." Seb shrugged and smiled when Michael looked at him. "Forget about it. We'll worry about it when we win."
Michael smiled tipped his glass in his friend's direction, taking a long drink. 'I'm glad I have a friend like Seb.'
They continued to drink their sodas and eat chips, talking and joking about life, school, and the future, trying to forget the game for a moment. They both froze, though, when the doorbell rang.
Michael and Seb looked at each other, eyes wide and both asking the same thing. "You expecting anyone?" Well, they both took that as a 'no' and stared at each other a bit more, jumping when the bell rang again.
Michael jumped to his feet and muttered, "I'll get that." Sebastian silently followed him.
At the door, Michael froze, trying to think of all of the people it could possibly be. The person on the other side, though, had a different idea and cut off his thinking time by ringing the bell again. Before Michael realized it, he felt the cool metal of the doorknob beneath his hands and was opening the door, smiling and forgetting all of his worries at what he saw on the other side.
Hazel eyes looked up at him brightly, a smile shining in them. "Hi, Mike." Long chestnut hair ran between his fingers as he pulled her into a hug, breathing in her scent of pine needles and dried oak leaves.
He smiled serenely and set his chin on top of her head, breathing her in. "Hey, Heather."
She giggled and hugged him back. "I missed you."
He sighed and nuzzled her head. "I missed you, too."
"Oh, GAG ME!!!!"
Michael rolled his eyes and Heather giggled, wriggling out of his arms and walking into the house. "Hi, Sebastian."
Michael shut the door and turned to his friend and girlfriend. She gave Seb a brief hug, "You here helping Mike on the work he has to do for his father?"
Seb threw Michael a look and haltingly answered, "Uh, y-yeah. Work for his old man, lots of paperwork. Very important."
She smiled, "That's so sweet of you." She then turned to Michael. "So, can I hang around and help?" Without waiting for an answer, she spun and glided towards Michael's dad's office, the two boys following and sputtering after her.
"Actually, Heath," Michael said, "We got it pretty much covered. We split the work and got it all laid out in an organized fashion. Kinda too late to change it now."
She looked inside of the office, taking notice of the disarray the computer was in. "That's alright. I'll just help you on your stuff, Michael. Where are you two working, anyway? The guest room?" She shut the door to the office and flitted off to Rayne's room.
"Actually," Seb said, jogging to catch up with her. "Mike's pretty much done with his stuff. He's just gotta file it, and that's basically a one person job."
"Then I'll help you." She opened the door to the 'guest room' and found it empty. "The kitchen, then?"
The boys looked at each other, panic on their faces. They then ran after her as she spun down the hallway, Michael calling out, "Seb's not much of a 'help me' guy. He likes to do things on his own, and he might get mixed up if he has help."
Heather waltzed through the living room and into the dining room/kitchen, taking no notice of the PlayStation. "Then I'll just sit back and watch. If you two are hungry, I could make lunch." She frowned as she looked around the bare kitchen. "Where exactly did you say you were working on all of this paperwork, anyway?"
Michael looked at Sebastian. "We didn't."
She turned to face Michael and tilted her head. "Then let me ask: Where are you working on your father's paperwork?"
Michael spun his hands in little helpless circles, slowly drawling out, "Weeee, aren't."
She crossed her arms and frowned. "Are you two trying to get rid," she trailed off a bit when she finally noticed the TV was on and the PlayStation was sitting in front of it, flashing. "Of me…" She finished. She then looked at Michael pointedly, looking a bit upset. "Are you playing a video game?"
Michael coughed and lifted his hand, tilting it in a teeter-totter motion, "Kinda… maybe… sorta… not really…" He noticed her look and dropped his hand and his head. "Yes."
Heather rolled her eyes and sighed, "And why wouldn't you tell me?" She paused, then her eyes grew wide and she ran into the living room. "Unless its one of those filthy nudy women games, or the one with string bikini volleyball!"
"Hey!" Sebastian exclaimed as she began to dig around for something. "Don't bash beach bikini ball madness! It's a perfectly—"
"Repulsive game. Aha!" Heather exclaimed as she pulled out the game case from beside the TV, holding it up triumphantly and looking at the cover. "Well, Michael, what do you have to say about this?!"
"What are you—?" He looked at the game case and blinked. It was pure white, no pictures or even a title whatsoever.
Sebastian walked over to Heather and took the case from her hands, turning it over and over as if to make something appear by magic. "… The frick?" Michael walked over and joined him in staring at the blank game case.
Heather rolled her eyes and bent over the PlayStation, making sure it was off before opening it and pulling out the disk. The boys stared at it with wide eyes; the disk was white, too!
"So," Heather drawled, standing and spinning the disk on her forefinger, "Do either of you care to explain."
"It's not what it looks like!" Michael immediately yelled. He then smacked his forehead. "God, that is one of the worst lines, but I swear it's true!" He exclaimed, seeing Heather's skeptical look. "I swear, Heath, it's just a game! A-an adventure game! No sexual innuendos whatsoever."
She stopped spinning the disc and sighed, smiling and shaking her head. "Alright, Mike. If you say so, I trust you." She handed the disc back to him, then sat on the sofa. "So, is it alright if I hang around and watch you guys play?"
Michael stared at her for a moment, then began to shake his head slowly and smile, "I really don't deserve you."
Heather giggled, "I know."
Sebastian took the game from his twitterpated friend and put it back into the PlayStation. "You want me to keep playing, Mike? Or do you want to?"
Michael shook his head and sat on the ground. "I'll take over." Once the game booted up and the music started to play, Heather stopped him before he could click passed it.
"It's such a sad song." She observed, staring at the screen dreamily.
Seb nodded, flopping down onto the other sofa. "It's a sad game."
Heather nodded, "I can tell…" She then looked at the characters as they appeared on the screen, gasping when she saw one in particular.
Michael turned away from the screen and stared at her. "What is it, Heather?"
She shook her head, "It… it's just…" She slid off of the sofa and crawled over to the TV, pointing to one of the characters. "She looks so familiar…"
Michael and Sebastian looked at the screen and blanched. Heather's finger was pointing to Rayne. Coughing, Michael haltingly asked, "How so? Where do you… remember her from?"
Heather frowned and sat back, shaking her head. "That's just it; I don't remember. Hmm," She tilted her head, "I… kinda remember her from… here…" She looked at Michael, confusion on her face. "Do you have a cousin who looks like her… or a relative I met once?"
Michael and Sebastian stared at her, then looked at each other. Michael scooted closer to Heather and handed her the remote. "Here, why don't you play for a bit?" When she was about to protest, he began to point to the different buttons, "…And the 'X' is the action button. Now, we load the game," He pressed on her finger and made her load it, "And then you just start playing." He backed away and left her to her own devices, staring between her and the screen.
Rayne felt a jolt as she was pulled back into the game, her conversation with Valefor about their preference between Dill and Sweet pickles cut short. Frowning, she walked away from the rest of the group and stared up at the sky, where she figured the camera was staring at her. "DAMN IT, MICHAEL, WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT WARNING ME WHEN YOU'RE GOING TO PAUSE AND UNPAUSE?!" She then paused, shaking her head at the odd feeling that was possessing her. It had happened once before, when Michael had apparently let Sebastian play. This feeling, though, wasn't Michael or Sebastian. It was something softer… more feminine… Rayne stared back up at the sky and called out incredulously, "HEATHER?!"
Both of the boys watched wide eyed at the Rayne on the screen as she yelled at her twin brother, then correctly guessed the current player of the game. Speaking of the current player…
"OH MY GOD!!!" Heather jumped to her feet and threw the controller at the screen, backing away from the TV wide eyed. "Michael, what is that?! Artificial intelligence?! How did you program it to see me?! Why didn't you warn me?!"
Michael jumped up and pulled Heather into a hug, still staring at the screen. "Heather, honey, there's something I have to tell you." He moved to the PlayStation and picked up the controller, pausing the game. He then pulled Heather down beside himself and pointed to Rayne on the screen. "Do you know who that is?"
Heather frowned, "I only just started playing, but if you mean do I remember where I recognize her from, no. I already told you that."
"No, Heather," Michael turned her to face him and looked right into her eyes, panicking. Would she believe him? "Heather… that's Rayne. That's my sister."
Heather stared at him silently for a moment, then looked and stared at the character on the screen. The character, Rayne, had the same look of confusion that Heather had. After a moment, Heather stood and walked over to the PlayStation, hesitantly picking up the controller. She stared at it for a moment, then pressed the 'Start' button and continued playing the game.
Michael and Sebastian exchanged glances, then relaxed on their sofas and watched the story play out, assisted by the newest player.
Rayne balked and shook of the nauseous feeling of being unpaused.
Nearby, she heard Wakka shudder loudly and say, "Sin's acting up today, ya?"
She just shook her head and walked back to the group. 'More like my brother's girlfriend…' She then frowned and dug out her Sphere Grid, absentmindedly noticing how long it had been since she had upgraded it. She was too busy thinking about Heather.
Heather had always been a… a… a perfect girl, in Rayne's eyes. A sort of 'girl next door' type, only… better somehow. She had always been marginally nicer to Rayne than most girls were, and noticeably nicer when she found out that Rayne was Michael's brother, but they had never really… talked. Sure, Rayne had been introverted, but even if she hadn't she and Heather were really a bit too different for them to consider being friends, unless serious circumstances made it otherwise.
But they never had. And Rayne and Heather had remained as they always had; vaguely aware of each others existence, but largely indifferent about it. So, why was Michael letting her play the game?…
Rayne heard mention of her name and looked up, seeing Yuna, Lulu, and Wakka conversing with a Bevellian monk, Father Zuke. Rayne vaguely remembered the priest; he had been from Besaid and had asked Wakka, Lulu, and herself to be his guardian. Rayne had seen the lackluster approach he took to being a summoner, and she knew that he would never finish the pilgrimage. As such, she refused. And she had been right; Zuke had quit here, on the Calm Lands. He hadn't even bothered to come back to Besaid.
He saw her as he walked off and nodded, which she returned. Rayne looked at the group and noticed Auron standing a ways off from the other, which wasn't all that unusual. What was, though, was the melancholy look he had on his face. She then heard the others talking about Kinoc and felt a pang for Auron. She walked over to him and stood beside him.
They stood in silence for a moment, then Auron said, "He was just too devoted to Yevon."
"Power, Auron. He was devoted to power."
He sighed, "I know."
After another moment of silence, Rayne said, "He wasn't always like that, was he?"
Auron closed his eyes and shook his head, "There was a time when he was an honorable warrior monk. I was… glad for the opportunity to serve beside him." He sighed, "Ten years, though… it's almost guaranteed to change a person."
Rayne thought about it, "Do you suppose I would have liked the old him?"
Auron smirked and nodded, "You would have."
Rayne looked at Auron seriously, "I'm sure that, even though you were on opposite sides of the playing field in the end, he still… considered you his best friend."
Auron looked at her and smiled halfheartedly, "Thanks."
Rayne nodded, then stood and walked away, looking around at the rest of the party. She noticed Kimahri standing off alone, staring at their destination.
"We'll be at Mt. Gagazet soon." The Ronso looked down at her and nodded. She nodded back and looked in the direction of the mountain. "Are you… ready for what you might face there?"
The Ronso nodded. "Kimahri is always prepared."
Rayne smiled and nodded. "Of course… Kimahri, can I see your Grid for a moment?" The Ronso handed her his Grid and she brought out her own, crossing both of them over to each other. She then ran over to Auron, taking his from him without him noticing. She crossed Kimahri's and Auron's as she walked back. When she was standing beside the Ronso again, she handed him his Grid. "Now, you have plenty of time between here and Gagazet to at least touch up a bit, and I expect you to do it. Am I clear?"
Kimahri stared at her, then nodded and began to make adjustments on his Grid. Rayne knew that that was as close to gratitude that she was going to get, and accepted it wholeheartedly. Suddenly inspired, she began to walk around and advise everyone on crossing over their Grids, smiling at the joy on Tidus's face in finally being able to use Auron's Grid. When everyone had crossed over, Rayne walked into the shade with her Grid and Auron's and worked on them both.
When she was done, she walked back over to Auron and handed him his Grid, ignoring the glare she received when he realized that she had taken it. She then walked to the edge of the rest stop, petting the head of the chocobo that was waiting for her. "What do you think, Boky? Are you ready to move on?" When Boky let out an excited 'Kweh!', she turned to the group and shouted, "Alright, let's move out!!!"
When the group formed at the edge of the rest stops boundaries, Rayne turned to the chocobo woman, who had been waiting expectantly. "Outfit everyone but me with chocobos, and make sure to pack them well. We're going to be on the Calm Lands for a bit."
Soon, the group was equipped with the best endurance/travel chocobos the woman had, with Kimahri getting a special chocobo that was also bred for weight bearing. Rayne hopped up on Boky and led him in her selected destination, the group following and realizing that she was leading them back the way they had come.
"Uh… Rayne?" Rikku ventured.
"I know, Rikku, but I want to look at something."
"What?" Auron asked.
Rayne stopped her chocobo and pointed at something along the mountain line. "Look."
The group did and saw nothing. Then, when they looked closer, they noticed a faint break in the wall, like a passage. It wasn't far from the path back to Bevelle.
"I think that that's where the Temple of Remiem is."
They all exchanged glances, Yuna asking. "How can you tell?"
"This," She lifted the necklace that Belgamine had given her. "I don't know what it does, but it only does it whenever I look in that direction. Just… call it a six sense."
Unable to question her further, the group followed her back the way they had come, in the assumed direction of the Temple of Remiem.