Reunited

By the time the sun casted a glow upon the flat plains, Rikku decided it was time to head out. Everyone's eyes remained open that night despite all efforts to get any rest. Rikku looked in her satchel to count her items. One Phoenix Down, a handful of Hi-Potions, and a couple of raw ingredients to make partially useful things. She sighed heavily and picked up her claws. The others were sitting near the entrance as they kept a lookout for the two missing people. Neither Tidus nor Gaia were seen, and though nobody would mention it, none of the others believed they'd be seen again. When Rikku started towards the door, the rest of the crew raised a quizzical eyebrow at her.

"Well…" she began. "I guess we better get going."

They nodded and collected their things without a word. Eiren was still bound because the others didn't actually believe him when he said he no longer had his abilities. They dragged him along with Kurgum and Chuami keeping an eye on him. Without Tidus or Gaia, or anyone else that had been beyond the Farplane, navigating through the fog was much more difficult. Rikku tried remembering the amount of steps it would've taken from that Inn to get to the Monster Arena, but she didn't even know which direction was which anymore. She stopped the crowd and squinted her eyes.

"Rikku, do you know exactly where to go from here?" Lulu asked her.

Rikku was still trying to focus her vision, then she slowly shook her head. "No… not really… but I think I've been here enough times to know that it's that way."

She gestured forward with uncertainty. They didn't have much of a choice at this point. Besides, Rikku thought it was a good opportunity to pickpocket her way through several fiend encounters. As they continued, a dark cloud was still looming above, but this time, it was shadowing one person. Chuami kept to herself as mixed feelings clouded her mind. They were mainly about a certain legendary guardian that passed over to the Farplane without a single word to her. She wondered if Tidus was there right now, having a conversation with the man in the red cloak. She wish it were her, though and hadn't stopped thinking about Auron since the Farplane went out of control. If everyone else was able to reunite with an illusion, or something greater, of their lost loved ones, why couldn't the same happen to her? Was it because her memories of him weren't clear enough? Or maybe he was refusing to show?

Chuami sighed heavily. Maybe it's for the best. If I ever saw him… the first thing I'd ask is why he left us. Why he never came back…

"How you holdin' up, kid?" Wakka asked her.

Chuami's head jerked up. "Me? Well… I'm a little shaken up… still. Also, this sword's way heavier than it looks."

She slung Brotherhood over her shoulder. The sword was almost as tall as her petite body and she assumed it weighed more than she did.

"You sure you can carry that?" he asked.

"Yeah, it's just… I don't usually handle swords and weapons, or anything like that."

"Gotcha. But you know, you're doing a pretty good job with it, ya?"

"I guess… if you count almost falling over every time I use it 'doing good'."

"It just takes some getting used to."

Chuami gave him a weak smile. "I sure hope this doesn't go on long enough for me to become an expert."

Wakka nodded, turning his head towards Kurgum. "What 'bout you?"

Kurgum jumped slightly. "W-well, I'm okay, Mr. Wakka."

"You sure? You haven't said a word since all those crazy things happened. And you're still shaking a little."

Kurgum didn't realize how silent he'd become until he heard the sound of his own voice. "I… I'm… I'm fine, but I can't help feeling a bit… off."

"Off?" Chuami asked.

"Yeah, like… I can't really explain this feeling, but it's not an 'everything's gonna be okay' feeling."

Chuami walked closer to him.

"I know we're in a tough situation, Kurgum, but everything will turn out okay, eventually." She told him.

"Yeah, but…" Kurgum sighed. "I can't help but feel like I've failed. Like I should've been protecting Lady Yuna, but I didn't do my job right… and now she's…"

"Hey," Wakka cut in, stepping in front of the two teenagers. "We don't need that kind of talk. This thing… it's bigger than us. It's bigger than Sin. Don't go around blamin' yourself for what happened to Yuna. We're gonna get her, and she's gonna be perfectly fine, ya?"

Kurgum lowered his eyes to the ground. "Yes… right. Sorry."

It was miles of walking before Rikku stopped to confirm that they weren't going the right way. She looked down at the ground and saw the familiar sight of the "scars". The place where the final battle of Sin once took place.

"Wait… this isn't right," the young blonde said. "I was sure if we kept going straight, then we'd get there…"

"Maybe we steered in the wrong direction." Lulu said.

"Let's try going this way," Rikku pointed towards the left side.

The same result occurred, but Rikku was able to scavenge enough ingredients to create more potions. They reached a dead end of the trail against a large mountainside.

Rikku hung her head. "This feels like another maze, but there isn't even anything surrounding us! It's just flat plains…"

"Well…" Lulu turned to the others. "Any suggestions?"

Rikku opened her satchel and looked through her items again. She didn't have a sphere, she didn't have any helpful gems, nor did she have a map of the place. She cursed herself for not thinking ahead for this trip. She groaned in frustration and threw her hands up, plopping her rear on the ground.

"I have no idea where we're going!" she yelled, hearing her voice echo in the distance. Not even a second later, Chuami caught sight of what looked like a shadow in the fog.

"Hey, do you guys see that?" she asked the others.

Rikku hopped on her feet. "What?"

Chuami gestured to the figure a couple of feet away from them. It was a bit fuzzy, but it seemed to be moving. Rikku focused her vision on it and saw that it had a long neck. It's neck bent forward and back up again. Then it made a noise that sounded like a high-pitched chirp.

"It's a chocobo!" Rikku said. The creature took a couple of steps forward and Rikku started towards its path.

"Where are you going?" Lulu asked her.

"Come on, let's follow it!"

It seemed as if the chocobo knew it was being followed, and it also knew that the crew behind it was lost. It only took a couple of steps forward at a time and waited for the rest to catch up with it. Strangely, the chocobo didn't make any other sounds than that one chirp. Like a shadow passing through the night, it waded through the mist and was the only thing that could be seen despite the fog being thick enough to cover the next several feet ahead.

"Rikku," Lulu asked. "Why are we following that chocobo? Are we even sure if it is one?"

"It made a chocobo-y sound," Rikku said. "And it seems to be the right size to be a chocobo."

"But why are we following it?" Chuami reiterated.

"Well, do you guys remember Clasko?" Rikku asked.

"The Chocobo Knight?" Lulu said.

"Yeah, remember how he always said he had a dream to build a chocobo ranch and breed them for a living?"

The others remained silent. Apparently word of Clasko's dream didn't actually get around.

"Well…" Rikku continued. "When we were the Gullwings, we helped him out with that. We cleared out the Monster Arena for him and he started his own ranch there. Now he just breeds chocobos in peace. That one over there has to be one of his, and if it is, I think it probably knows where its home and its master are."

Her theory was correct as they made it to the entrance of the arena, but what was even more peculiar was the fact that the chocobo they were following somehow vanished into thin air. It was as if it didn't exist in the first place. The crowd was slightly unsettled, but there was no time to question it now. Rikku walked ahead of them.

"Wait," Chuami said. "Are you sure we should be entering someone else's property without caution?"

"Why not?" Rikku asked.

"Well, maybe Clasko might've set up an alarm system, or… I don't know, some traps for intruders."

Rikku waved her hand dismissively. "Relax. Clasko knows me well enough to-"

She was interrupted as a swarm of Cactuars suddenly arrived at the entrance. Right away, they had their heads pointed forward and their thorn-cannons ready to fire. Several of them towards the back of the crowd lept into the air and launched themselves at the crew.

"Get off me vile creatures!" Eiren yelled, unable to defend himself. The Cactuars seemed to like him the least.

"How'd these guys get here and multiply so fast?!" Rikku yelled.

The Cactuars' thorns stung badly and the green creatures kept attacking until the sound of someone's voice bounced off the walls.

"SHOW YOURSELF!"

Rikku would know that high-pitched male voice anywhere.

"Clasko! It's Rikku! These crazy things are attacking us!"

Clasko gestured to the Cactuars with his hands and that halted them. The crew was slowly plucking the needles out of their clothing when Clasko approached them. His hair was unruly, his clothing was tattered, and he looked as if he'd been awake for too long. Despite this, he gave his company a warm smile and laughed sheepishly.

"Sorry! I guess I'm the only one they can trust."

Rikku brushed herself off. "Where… where'd you get these guys? I thought this place was completely clear of monsters!"

"It was!" Clasko bent down to interact with the Cactuar that'd just appeared by his leg. Rikku winced upon seeing him pet its thorny body. "But well… a couple of them wandered in here several months ago, and I thought 'why not let them stay?'. And soon enough, they brought everyone in their whole entire family line here! It's gotten so crazy! But they've been really good company, and turns out, they're a really good security system!"

Several other Cactuars gathered around him and he started petting every single one. The crew exchanged looks and were starting to feel uncomfortable because Clasko was speaking words of endearment to them, and those words were similar to ones that a person would say to a puppy, or a parent would say to their infant child. Rikku cleared her throat and Clasko stood back up, his face slightly red with embarrassment.

"Sorry, now what brings you guys here today?"

"I'll just get to the point," Rikku said. "We need to borrow your CommSphere. It's an emergency."

"A life or death situation." Lulu said.

"What? Why What happened?" Clasko asked.

"Wish I could fill you in on the details, but we gotta hurry. We already took a very long time trying to find our way here." Rikku told him.

"Oh, um… well, I'd love to help, but…"

"But what?"

"Well, my CommSphere stopped working a long time ago… one of my chocobos must've stepped on it, or something…"

"Oh," Rikku said, trying to suppress her frustration. "Well, I can fix it for you."

"Are you sure? I don't have that many spare parts for it-"

"I'll manage," Rikku said.

He led them downwards to where the chocobo stables were located and most of his technology. The chocobos lifted their heads and chirped happily upon seeing their master. A few of them leapt into the air as far as they could and flapped their golden wings. Chuami felt a strange feeling tugging at her lips. A smile crept upon her face as she saw the elated creatures. She'd never seen such a happy chocobo, and after everything she'd witnessed, her heart lifted for once.

Clasko brought out the damaged CommSphere.

"See? I haven't been able to work on it because, well, I don't have the best mechanical skills. Plus I've been tending to my chocobos."

"What, this?" Rikku said. "That's nothing! Just give me some scrap metal and I'll fix this baby right up."

"Scrap metal?" Clasko said, and his body became tense when he saw Rikku's stern expression. "Oh, right! I uh... I think I have some right over here..."

He ran towards the back of the area where he kept most of his storage supplies. Rikku brought out her kit and began taking apart the device, muttering to herself of her frustration in Al Bhed.

While she was preoccupied, Chuami went to visit with the feathery creatures. Her smile was still plastered to her face as she thought of when she'd seen her first chocobo.

On that day, approximately thirteen years ago, her mother brought her on a trip to Bevelle, where the Chocobo Knights patrolled the area for fiends. A curious child, Chuami was fascinated by the creatures and walked up to one of the knights while her mother had her back turned. The chocobos were so tall that Chuami had to tilt her head very far back to look at them. She reached her little hands up to pet it but she stopped herself when she heard the sound of footsteps approaching.

"They are wonderful creatures, aren't they?"

If Chuami recalled the event correctly, it was a man that had said it to her. The four-year-old jumped at the sound of his voice. She worried she might've been doing something wrong, but the way that the man chuckled at her reaction eased her.

"Yeah! They're so pretty!" she said to him.

The man stood beside her and admired the soft feathers of the beast. He offered his hands to the little girl and she came closer to him. He lifted her off the ground and brought her closer to the bird's head. She was timid at first, but when her palm made contact with its beak, her grin widened as the chocobo chirped happily.

"Aww, can we have one?" she asked the man. He laughed, more heartily this time, and lowered her back on her feet. He knelt down and looked into her eyes.

"Someday, maybe you shall have one. When the peace restores itself again, and Sin is no more."

Chuami pouted and lowered her gaze. "But... that won't happen! Sin's always around!"

The man chuckled again. "I promise you, it will happen. Sin will be nothing but a memory."

Chuami brought her gaze up to the man's and she beamed. "You're right!"

He stood and held out his hand and she place her tiny palm in it.

"Tell me, Chuami, what is it you desire to be when you're older?"

Chuami thought for a second, pursing her lip outwards and rocking back and forth on her heels.

"I want... I want to be like you!"

That event happened so long ago that Chuami was almost completely convinced she'd dreamt it. She couldn't remember being so happy with the world around her, especially not with Sin still a common threat. After her mother died, she had no one else to turn to. Kurgum's family was generous enough to take her in, but all she could endure was anger and sorrow. It was something she'd never recovered from, and to this day, she still seethes with hatred knowing that this man, the one that should've stayed by her side through everything that'd happened, was bold enough to abandon her. She shook her head.

That's behind me now. Maybe... he had a good enough reason. Mom said she lost people to Sin, too. Maybe he... wanted to end that for her.

Despite telling herself this, the awful feeling stayed. She wasn't sure why she was thinking about all of this now and not years before. Her thoughts were interrupted by Kurgum's voice resonating throughout the hall.

"So... chocobos and Cactuars? Are they your only company?"

Kurgum was worried Clasko would take the question as an insult, but the sender was legitimately curious.

"Yeah!" Clasko called from his storage room. "I mean, I know they're not actual people, but hey, they really don't bother me at all. I like not being judged."

He came back with some wire and a couple of pieces of metal.

"Were people judging you?" Rikku asked.

"No... but now I don't have to worry about it at all! And I'm my own boss! I was so sick of being underneath somebody and always being told what I should and shouldn't do. Now I make the rules!"

"But don't you miss being in Bevelle?" Rikku asked him.

Clasko frowned a bit. "Yeah, I do miss Lucil and... Elma, and some of my other friends, but... every now and then I get a call on the CommSphere from them! Well... at least until the thing stopped working..."

Rikku got to work on the CommSphere while Chuami approached Clasko.

"You know, I bet we could use a chocobo ranch in Bevelle. We expanded the city already, and we've got plenty of space for it."

Clasko gave her a weak smile. "Thanks, but... after being away from Bevelle for so long, I don't think I can handle it..."

"You've only been gone for... how long?" Chuami asked.

"A year, at the most."

"I bet you'd get even more business there. And the city's not so bad, once you get used to it. This is coming from somebody that used to live in Kilika and moved to Bevelle right on the spot."

Clasko didn't really want to leave the comfort of this arena, but the more he thought about it, the more he missed having interactions with other people. Not only that, but he also had a strong desire to be out in the sunlight doing more than just watching the chocobos graze.

"Yeah... I guess you're right! Well, once this craziness ends, I'll get right on that! I don't know about you guys, but I've been seeing some crazy stuff happen out there!"

"What kind of crazy things?" Lulu asked him.

Clasko's face became very dark and he sat himself down, running a hand through his ragged hair. "Well... yesterday, I... was taking a step outside for some air, the sky was... unusual. The air was super foggy, but not like any fog I've ever seen. Then... out of nowhere, I saw this thing."

Everyone looked at the breeder.

"It sped through the sky, faster than any airship, or animal. I don't think I've even seen Sin travel that fast. I couldn't really make out what it was, but... it looked like..."

His voice trailed off. He shuddered at the thought.

"It was...?" Chuami asked.

"I... know it might sound crazy, but... I swear I thought I saw a giant... bird."

The others shared looks with each other.

"Did you see where this bird was going?" Lulu asked him.

Clasko shook his head. "Not really, I mean, I think it was going towards Mt. Gagazet. I literally blinked, and it was just gone."

Rikku stood up from her workplace once she was finished.

"Well... thanks for telling us. I think we know where to go from here..."

The breeder's head popped up. "Wait! Do you hear something?"

It sounded like the small cries of nearly a thousand fiends. Somebody's voice could also be heard struggling.

"My Cactuars! Somebody else is here!" Clasko yelled.

They all rushed towards the entrance and it only took no more than a couple of steps before the sound completely ceased.

"W-what?" Clasko said.

The others continued their way slowly, pointing their weapons towards the potential intruder, slightly unclear thanks to the creeping fog. Rikku held a grenade in her hand and signaled to the rest to hold for a second. She counted down from three seconds before all of them jumped forward to attack.

"AHH! DON'T KILL ME!"

It was that wonderful voice they all knew and loved. The blond blitzer, and legendary guardian, back in the flesh and looking as if he hadn't taken a single scratch since this whole ordeal began. They all lowered their weapons to the ground, astonished at the sight of the man. The Cactuars were circled around him, not making a single move.

All Tidus did at that point was scratch the back of his head and said, "Hiya."