An Unexpected Visit

Tidus didn't want to believe the insane sender, but something about the way he'd said it, and the fact that Yuna kept avoiding the question made him further his theory that he was the one to blame for all of this. The Farplane acting awry, the hybrid fiends, the destruction of Spira. Now, Tidus was starting to see why Yuna was hiding the truth from him. As he walked, he kept looking at his hand. It faded and then stopped in the same second for no apparent reason. Yuna kept glancing at him, questions in her mind.

The families were overjoyed when they saw the crowd. They praised Yuna over and over again for her kind efforts. Despite their cheers, Yuna didn't feel like a heroine.

"You were so brave, Lady Yuna!"

"Way to slay those monsters!"

"You're our hero!"

Yuna laughed nervously. "It was nothing, really."

"Don't be so modest, it must've been difficult."

"I had some help from my friends."

"You and your crew have done a marvelous job, Lady Yuna. I thank you." Yuna turned her head towards Lucil who was exhausted and overworked on her restless chocobo. Yuna approached her.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm doing rather well, actually, why do you ask?"

"You don't look too well."

Lucil watched over the gathering of people. They'd gotten over so much anger and resentment when they joined together with their families. Lucil was more than grateful for Yuna's actions.

"It hasn't been easy for any of us." Lucil said, sighing. "When word had gotten around that these half-human fiends were lurking around Spira, we were sent from the Council to defend the residents. We discovered that this mist had come from Guadosalam, and wherever it was located, those hybrid fiends would appear. The Council gave us the order to prevent anyone from entering areas containing the mist."

"We haven't heard from them ever since." Elma said.

"When did they last speak to you?"

"It had to have been only a couple days ago. We've heard that Sin has returned, but we haven't seen it, nor have we been able to leave our post."

"You haven't rested in the past couple days?" Yuna said.

"Don't worry about us, Lady Yuna." Elma said. "We expected it would be a while before we could return to the palace, so we came prepared."

"Well, if you come with us, we can give you even more supplies. It'll probably be best to overstock than not, right?"

"We appreciate your gesture, Lady Yuna, but we are not to leave the vicinity until further notice." Lucil said.

"Are... you sure?" Yuna asked.

"Yes, we are to remain here." Elma said.

Yuna could've kept insisting, but she'd be getting nowhere. They were loyal to their duties. The crowd was happily rejoicing over being together again. Yuna was satisfied she could at least give them that. She saw Maroda sitting by himself, disappointment clear on his face. Yuna felt sorry for him.

"Are... you alright?" she asked.

"My brother... he's out there somewhere. I should've been better at guarding him like I used to be."

"Don't blame yourself for this. Wherever Isaaru's at, I'm sure he's okay." Yuna said. Maroda didn't respond for a second. He got up and looked the opposite direction where the horizon seemed endless.

"I'm gonna go look for him. I'm gonna make that asshole pay for messing with us."

"Would you like our help?" Yuna asked.

"No, that's okay. I can see you've already got enough to worry about."

He started towards his path.

"Hey wait!" Yuna said. Maroda stopped in his tracks.

"I just wanted to wish you luck."

He nodded. "Right back at you."

Tidus walked out of the Farplane mist, this conundrum deep-rooted in his mind. As soon as he stepped out, a surge of pain went through his body, from his side to his left shoulder.

"You okay?" Wakka asked.

"No..." he groaned.

Yuna ran over to him.

"What's wrong?" she asked, cupping his face.

"I don't know... my side... hurts..."

"Can you stand?" she asked him.

He gave her a small nod. He got to his feet and slowly rose in the air. The pain was so great that he fell back to the floor.

"Here." Yuna wrapped an arm around him and helped him stand up.

"I'm fine, Yuna, really." He still let her help him walk. He liked the feeling of her arm wrapped around him.

Yuna turned towards the rest of the crowd. They were content in each other's company, and Lucil and Elma were there to keep an eye on things.

"Let's go back to Rikku's tent and get you some medicine." she said.

When they returned to Rikku's tent, they paused. The place was ransacked and Chuami and Brother were both passed out on the floor. Shotgun shells were scattered all over the ground. Yuna stepped in and sniffed the air. It was the notorious knockout gas. She pulled Chuami out from the tent and set her down outside. She tried moving Brother, but he was too heavy for her arms.

"Help me move him." she told the crew, her face covered with her sleeve. Tidus stepped forward and helped her pull his body outside. His shotgun was still attached to him.

"What happened?" Tidus said.

"He came here." Yuna said. She looked around the tent for Kurgum, but he was nowhere to be found. Chuami stirred awake and coughed heavily. Yuna knelt next to her.

"Kurgum..." Chuami mumbled.

"It's... it's alright..." Yuna said.

"Kurgum..." Chuami opened her eyes slowly. She was still hazy from the fumes.

"Where is he?" Yuna said.

"Kurgum!" Chuami sat up, her head rushing.

"It's okay." Yuna said.

"No, it's not, he was kidnapped by that jerk!" Chuami tried standing up, but her legs were weak.

Lulu looked around the tent. "Where are the children?"

"That creep chased them away. We tried to fight him off, but he was too swift. He was using this black magic, or something. He grabbed Kurgum, and then I smelled something weird before blacking out."

Wakka palmed his face.

Rikku popped out of the hatch.

"Hey, guys! We got something! We're one step closer to-" she took a look around the tent. The crates were smashed, the tent was torn, and her brother was unconscious. Her friends looked like they'd been in battle. She wondered how long she'd been underground.

"Woah! What happened here?! Where have you guys been? I told you to keep an eye on the tent, Wakka!"

"Hey, we had to take care of something first, ya?" he said, crossing his arms.

"Rikku, Kurgum is missing." Yuna said.

Rikku's eyes opened wide. "What? How? What happened?!"

"It was that damn crazy sender!" Tidus yelled. Rikku looked at Brother. He was barely waking up before she walked over to him, kneeling close. She poked him.

"Brother? Brother? Come on, Brother, get up!" he sat up abruptly and almost hit Rikku in the head with his.

"Vydran! E'mm bnudald dras! Huputo femm rind ic ykyeh!" he got to his feet and aimed his shotgun, mistakenly pointing it at the crew.

"Woah, woah!" Wakka put his hands up.

"Brother! Snap out of it!" Rikku yelled.

He looked at them like they were evil intruders. His breathing was shallow and his adrenaline was high. He looked at Yuna and he realized who he was facing. Embarrassed, he sobbed loudly and ran inside the tent, climbing down the hatch and slamming it shut. Rikku explained to the crew that someone was flying the spare airship located in Bevelle and she sent a message to the driver. She told them that Yuna and her crew was located in Luca and needed assistance. They responded that they were on her way. Yuna filled her in on the fight against Eiren. While they waited, Tidus noticed Chuami was sitting by herself, a sad look on her face as she watched the sun set. Tidus walked over to her.

"Sunsets like this happen in Bevelle?" he asked.

"Nope, not even close." Chuami replied. Tidus sat next to her, holding his side.

"You got that troubled look on your face. What's eating you?"

"I mean, I did just see my closest friend, who's been like a brother to me practically since I was born, get kidnapped when I'm supposed to be watching over him. He's not the strongest, or smartest guy, so I should be even more freaked out than I already am about it."

"Hey, we're gonna fix this."

"Yeah, everybody keeps saying that."

"'Cause it's true."

"Whatever you say."

Sometimes, Tidus was paranoid when he saw large waves appear in the ocean. Sin liked to hide in the water and surprise a town with its attacks. Tidus shivered. The voices from Sin's interior still stuck with him.

"Hey, can I ask you something?" Chuami said.

"Hmm?"

She continued staring into the ocean. "What... was it like, fighting with... Sir Auron?"

"Oh... well, he was such a hard-ass, always trying to keep everyone in line. He was cranky, old, cranky... and he was always pressing for time. He never stopped to appreciate everything around him. He was tough on Yuna, too."

Chaumi hugged her knees to her chest. Tidus sighed, remembering the time Auron spent scolding them for wasting time on Yuna's pilgrimage. Even though Auron gave him a hard time, he would be lying if he said he didn't miss it.

"But... he was also super loyal, especially to..."

"To?"

"Well, you know, his friends. He did what he did because he wanted us to find the truth. He wanted us to see the nonsense behind the sacrifice of summoners. He really helped me... I mean, us, a lot."

"Huh."

"Why do you ask?"

"No reason, I just heard a lot of stories about him. I wanted to hear from someone that knew him well, you know?"

Tidus heard the sound of the airship arriving. He stood up and saw the same purple-colored airship with what looked like teeth on its underside. It looked beat up on its sides and some of the paint was scratched up. There was also a hole on one of its propellers, but it was still functional.

"Everybody on board!" Rikku called to her friends.

Gaia eyed the Al Bhed contraption.

"Another one? Does every trip we make have to be in the air?" she asked.

"Yup, better get used to it, ya?" Wakka said.

Gaia sighed heavily.

"Hey, I don't like air travel either, but I sure don't wanna stay here and this ship's our only way out." he told her.

"Right, right."

"Now let's go."

Before Rikku left, she took one last look at the tent. In her mind, she told herself to ask Brother if he wanted to come, but she remembered Shinra saying he wanted to protect the tent. She told herself that now that she had the ship, she could easily come by if either of them needed help. She scrambled to get on board. The ship was just as they'd left it the first time. The oscillo-finder in the middle, glitching slightly, and some of the controls blinking. Rikku ran around the flight deck.

"Gippal? Gippal? Are you here?"

She heard footsteps emerging from the cabin.

"Gippal! You're alright! I was so worri-" the person that came into view wasn't who she was looking for. Tidus eyed the man wearing the gaudy yellow jacket, the goggles, and the long blonde hair.

"Greetings, Miss Rikku," Rin said. "I'm glad you're out of harm's way. I see you were expecting someone else."

Rin's jacket was torn and his face was bruised. His goggles were cracked.

"I... I was... uh... is Gippal here?" Rikku said.

"I'm sorry, Miss Rikku, but he isn't on this ship."

"Oh... how'd you get here?" she asked. Rin sat on one of the chairs, sighing heavily.

"I received a call from the Council several days ago, asking if I could help with a certain project. I was skeptical, but I accepted. This person sounded as if it was urgent, and who am I to go against the Council's wishes? However, I arrived and there was no Council at the palace. It was one man wearing a black cloak with Yevon's emblem. He asked for my assistance in helping him reestablish this machine hidden under the palace. I asked him why he chose not to include the Machine Faction, as they would also have the necessary skills and resources. This man said he didn't want any member of the Council knowing about this project."

"And you refused?" Yuna asked.

"I wasn't too keen on conspiring with this person who was going against the Council for his own benefit. When I rejected this proposal, he didn't accept it. The next thing I knew, I was forced into a prison cell. He kept me chained while I worked on this contraption, and I'd be forced into starvation, dehydration, and worst of all, these horrible machines with whips for hands, if I didn't do as he asked."

"That's terrible!" Rikku said.

"How'd you escape?" Yuna said.

"The machine was finished, and I assumed it meant I was free to go. This man had the face of someone on the verge of insanity. He said he was going to keep me here until his mission was complete. I tricked the machines into breaking my chains, and fled. The spare airships belonging to the Machine Faction were located in that underground facility. With it, I flew out of Bevelle, and that's how I ended up here."

Everyone was silent for a minute, thinking about this information.

"What does this machine do?" Yuna said.

"I don't have the slightest idea. When I asked, this man told me it was none of my concern. It looked rather perilous."

"Was there anyone else there?"

"Not that I could see. As far as I know, we were the only people in that facility. Why do you ask?"

Rikku plopped on a chair, resting her tired body. Wakka breathed in deeply, relaxing his muscles. Yuna walked closer to the oscillo-finder.

"That man you mentioned, he's been traveling all over Spira, hunting down the former summoners, including me, and a sender that's been traveling with us. He's obsessed with their abilities, and wants to use them for this 'glorious mission', as he calls it. He must be using this machine for it, but I'm not sure how. If he's located in Bevelle..."

She walked up to the window, gazing at the passing clouds and the vermillion-colored sky. Her hands were folded behind her back.

"We must go back there. We have to rescue the summoners, find the Council members, and put an end to this plot. His intentions would only bring chaos and misfortune to Spira. It already has."

"But Yunie... what if he's expecting us there? He'll trap you and try to use you." Rikku said.

"That is a risk I'm willing to take. It's the only way we could stop him."

"But... what if it means... your life?" Tidus asked.

Yuna turned and locked eyes with him. His brow was furrowed and his ocean-blue eyes were fixated on Yuna's. She walked up to him.

"I have to put Spira's future ahead of my own."

"But..."

She gave him a small smile, like she always did. Tidus knew he wasn't going to change her mind about this. He couldn't anyways, when the world was at stake. He sighed.

"Okay."

"Then it's settled. To Bevelle we go." Rin said.

The day turned to night and the airship continued on its path. Rikku put it on autopilot but she still stayed awake, making sure there weren't any threats ahead. Occasionally, her head would nod and she had to shake herself awake. Wakka and Lulu were trying to rest in one of the rooms, but neither of them were comfortable closing their eyes. They didn't want to talk about what happened earlier that day. They just wanted to forget the entire thing. Wakka was laying on his back, his hands behind his head, staring at the ceiling. Lulu laid on her side, breathing softly and calmly. Both of them were experiencing memories of Chappu. Wakka thought about when he saw Chappu leave with the Crusaders and when he heard about his death. Lulu thought about the same thing. After a while, he sat up on the edge of the bed, glanced at her, and got up. She turned her head to watch him leave.

He went to the cabin to clear his head and he saw Gaia staring out the small window.

"Can't sleep either?" he asked.

"Who can sleep with all this crap going on?"

"Probably a good idea, ya?"

"Nah, it's not like I need to anyway. I mean, I'm dead."

Wakka sat on the bench, his elbows on his thighs. Gaia felt bad about constantly reminding him she wasn't a live person. She thought it probably made him feel bad, but it helped her detach herself from this world. She knew she was probably growing on him, but she wanted him to remember she wasn't going to be on this world much longer. Sometimes, even she tended to forget that fact. Acknowledging it made it easier to die, she figured. Still, he was already mourning. She sat next to him on the bench.

"Hey, listen... I'm... sorry about your brother." she said.

"It's okay."

"Really, though, I... it must've been... hard."

Wakka nodded.

"Are... you okay?"

"Yeah, I just don't wanna talk about it anymore..."

"Okay, sorry."

They sat in silence for a bit. Wakka kept telling himself that he had to do it, or else Chappu would be in this state of misery, anger, and hate, but he felt like he'd just committed murder. He wished the others weren't around to see it, that way he could've just lived with believing it was all in his head. Most of all, he hated himself for letting Lulu see it. She didn't need protection from the harsh world, but he didn't care. Gaia was thinking about the name, over and over again, and why it was significant to her. Then, it hit her. She groaned in pain as the aching in her temples returned.

"You okay?" Wakka asked.

"Yeah I just..." she massaged her head. "I... I remembered something..."

"What?"

"There was a name on that memorial... I saw it and it reminded me of someone important to me... Chappu..."

Wakka's eyes opened wide and he leaned in close.

"Chappu?" he said.

"Yes..." Gaia's eyes were closed while she continued rubbing her head. "Before I fought Sin, I... I was holding my baby son. I remembered that I was taking a walk through the grassy fields with my other kid, and everything was nice until... well, you know how it goes. We ran, but we were bringing Sin closer to the village. I gave my baby to my other child, and... I told him 'take care of your brother'. I said... 'take care of Chappu'..."

Wakka sat up straight and looked at her, complete shock on his face. She was deep in thought as she continued talking.

"That was the last thing I remember before I died. I was stupid to think I could even scratch Sin. Not even the machina could, so... I guess I was just throwing myself to it. Now, seeing that... Chappu had to go and be a Crusader, I wish I didn't. Maybe if I'd lived, he wouldn't have gone. I could've protected him. I didn't get to see him, or my other child grow up. I wonder if... they were happy."

"He was." The comment snapped Gaia out of her daze.

"What?"

"I... I mean... Chappu was happy."

"How do you know?"

"He was... someone I used to know. We grew up together on Besaid. He was my best friend. He seemed pretty happy growing up with all of us on that island. He had a pretty good life."

Gaia stared at him. His eyes were focused on the window. She breathed in deeply.

"My other kid is out there somewhere. I'm gonna go out and look for him. Before I go, before I get sent, I need to tell him... I'm sorry." She got up and started towards the entrance to the hallway. Wakka sat for a second before standing up.

"Gaia?" he said. She turned her head.

"I... well... it's just that... if your kid was here, I bet he'd say he knows why you did what you did, ya? And... he'd say he would've done the same for someone he loved, too."

She pondered this for a second before giving a small nod and leaving him alone with his thoughts.

Tidus was sitting in front of the window, keeping an eye on Rikku. Every time she'd come close to falling asleep, he'd shake her awake. He told her he'd be okay with guarding the ship while she slept, but she really, really wanted to be the one to do it. Tidus was feeling tired, but not enough to sleep. The rest of the crew had gone to bed an hour ago. The ship was cruising through the night sky and the area was clear. Tidus could see the moon reflecting off the ocean below. He looked at his hand. It didn't fade anymore after he noticed it the first time. He was starting to think he imagined it. He did remember crashing into the forcefield, and practically burning his hand trying to make a hole in it. The same happened to Gaia. He didn't know anything. When he looked at Rikku, her face was smashed against the controls and she snored loudly.

"Hey," he lightly slapped her face.

"Huh? What? Oh..." she yawned.

"You sure you wanna be sitting here all night?"

"Positive!" She tried holding her head up with her arm. "I'm the captain... remember?"

"Yeah, right." Tidus said, getting up. "I'll be right back. Are you gonna be awake while I'm gone?"

"'Course!" she was already nodding again. Tidus rolled his eyes. He went down the hallway where the guests' rooms were. He opened one of the doors slowly. Yuna wasn't in bed. He looked around, confused. He knew this was her room because she tied a pink ribbon around the knob.

"What's up?" Tidus turned to see Wakka.

"Uh... did you see Yuna go anywhere?"

"Uh... yeah, I saw her head up to the roof."

"Thanks."

The waning moon reflected off Yuna's peach-colored skin. She was enjoying the cool wind and she listened to the sound of the engines roaring. She hadn't seen Farenheit in three years. It'd gone through some aging, but it was still the colorful memory that stayed with her. Tidus smiled. She looked stunning under the night sky, her hair blowing across her shoulders. He didn't want to interrupt her, but the questions still swarmed his mind. He walked up to her side.

"Hey."

She jumped. "Oh, hi."

"You seem kinda tense. You okay?"

"I guess, whatever 'okay' really means."

They watched the ocean pass underneath them, taking in the crisp night air. The stars were twinkling and the moon was waning. Tidus eyes each of the stars, seeing if any of them moved.

"It's okay, you know." Tidus said.

"What?"

"You looked terrified after you made that thing appear, but you know, you really helped us fight that thing. You saved a lot of lives."

She looked at her palms, the tingling feeling still present. The eyes of the corrupted aeon haunted her.

"Sometimes the better option isn't always the best."

"Huh?"

"It's just, if I use that power, whether it's to fight monsters, or stopping somebody from doing further harm, I'm no different than that sender."

"What? Yuna, don't start telling yourself that. No matter what you do, you'll never be at the same low as that jerk."

She lowered her head.

"If only you knew..." she said, hoping he didn't hear her. He looked at her before gently grasping her hand.

"Yuna, I know a lot of people around you try to make it seem like you did the wrong thing by defying Yevon, but what do they know? They've never seen what we've seen when we went on your pilgrimage, and they never will."

"Yeah..."

"And so what if you used the same ability? You sure as hell didn't cause people's deaths like he did, and you didn't cause people to come back from the dead and turn into fi-"

"I get it." she said, sternly. He was confused.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing..."

He let go of her hand and studied her face.

"You sounded upset. Is there something bothering you?"

"No... it's that..."

"Is it me?"

"No, of course not."

"What is it?"

She sighed, staring at the scratched paint underneath her.

"Nothing."

"Really?"

"Yes." she sounded annoyed.

"Come on, Yuna. I know you well enough to know what you sound like when something's on your mind."

"It's only that I feel responsible for everything that happened. I was the one that started all of this."

Tidus stared at her. "What are you saying?"

"I..." she saw his expression. He was almost shocked, putting pieces of the puzzle together. She turned around.

"Where are you going?" Tidus asked.

"Back inside."

"Are we just done talking?"

"It's getting cold." She started towards the entrance to the ship.

"Come on, Yuna. Don't shut me out again."

She swiftly turned to face him. "What do you mean 'again'? When have I ever shut you out?"

"How about all the times I tried to talk to you on Besaid, or even on this trip and you just kept ignoring me?"

"Well, that's not really fair, because as I've told you before, I'm a high summoner, and a Yevoner priestess. I have duties, responsibilities, people are still depending on me as their source of comfort."

"Five minutes."

"What?"

"All I ask is five minutes of your time and I can't even have that."

She was starting to grow impatient. "Well you have it now."

"Why are you keeping secrets from me again, Yuna? Why can't you just trust me enough to tell me the truth? I thought we could tell each other anything."

"I have my reasons."

"And what kind of reasons are they?"

"If you knew half the things I knew, you wouldn't want to, that's why."

"That's not good enough."

"I'm sorry, but that's just the way it has to be."

She continued towards the ship.

"What's a relationship if there's no trust?" Tidus said. Yuna kept walking. Tidus couldn't take it anymore. He didn't want to enter another period of silence between them. He reached for her hand but his arm faded through her body. Yuna froze, her eyes wide. Tidus looked at his hand. It was peculiar because it wasn't the hand that previously touched the barrier around the temple. He felt a wave of anxiety overcome him. Yuna looked at him, experiencing the same feeling. Her mouth hung open. Something stirred within her when his arm made contact with her body.

"What am I, Yuna? I'm fading again, I'm a dead man, I... that sender said I needed your powers to walk on this world. What's going on? Was I created the same way that aeon... and your fiend was?"

Yuna shook her head, but no words escaped her mouth.

"Was I summoned?" he asked. She didn't respond. Her eyes shifted to avoid his gaze, tears appearing at the corner of her eyes. Tidus started to hear the voices again. He thought he was dreaming, or perhaps he was experiencing some post-traumatic stress from Bevelle. From the way Yuna was staring in horror at the monstrosity behind him, Tidus knew he wasn't hallucinating. He slowly turned around and came face-to-face with the gargantuan creature that was his father.