Ureta Tsumi (A Ripened Sin)
Chapter Ten: There's No Place Like Home
By: NurikoLuver (Trudy Haley)
Author's Notes: Blarghadesh! X_X Brother *ISH* Rikku's brother. Added a little snip about where Brother was when Renuoige was taking care of his sister. Hmmm, maybe we'll see more of him once I can think of something decent...hmmm...
Surgeon General's Warning: This chapter surpasses the Reccomended Daily Allowance of Gameplay Dialogue. Please skip around if neccessary.
BTW, sorry it's a little tardy. @_@ Forgiveness, please! ^_~
"Oh! Hey guys! Where's Yunie?" Back to acting mood. Oh well. It beat them worrying about her.
"Gone," Tidus shrugged.
"Gone...some guardian I am," sighed Lulu.
"Umm...there's something I wanna tell you, but promise not to say anything..." She looked intently at the glaring Wakka. "No glaring, either! I know where we are. We're on Bikanel Island. There's a place us Al Bhed call home around here. Yunie's there, I'm sure of it! Some other Al Bhed must've come and rescued her!"
"Rescued! You mean kidnapped!" Wakka retorted.
"What does it matter, as long as she's safe?" Tidus asked.
"That's right! Anyway, I will take you there if you promise...that you won't tell anyone about it. Especially not Yevonites, okay? You know they don't like us Al Bhed. Who knows what they'd do if they knew?"
"Gimme a break! What are you accusing Yevon of this time?!" Wakka scoffed.
"Yevon did something really bad to us before," Rikku explained.
"Well, you Al Bhed must've deserved it."
"Argggh!" Tidus shouted. "Can't you two talk about this later?!"
"Just promise you won't tell anyone about the island. Promise?"
"Wakka, come on!" Tidus was growing impatient.
"All right, I promise. Lead the way!" Wakka gave in quicker than Rikku expected.
"You got it!" Rikku faked a smile. "This way!"
"We...found some of these while we were traveling." Auron handed Rikku some Al Bhed Potions. "They don't appear to be NORMAL potions."
"That's right. It's a special potion only *I* can use. Heals everyone. Very useful," Rikku explained. "Al Bheds are very considerate of travelers."
Auron nodded. "You'd better lead the way. Tidus looks as though he might have a seizure if we don't find Yuna soon."
Rikku nodded, slipping one of the Al Bhed potions into her pocket. Suddenly, she felt a sudden bout of nostalgia. Again.
Three years ago...
"You really shouldn't blame yourself," Renuoige explained. "Brother's always been like that. Just because he blames YOU for mom's death doesn't mean you should beleive him."
Her first meeting with Brother didn't go as well as planned. He was MUCH older than Rikku, and preferred traveling rather than sticking close to family. Rikku was so excited about meeting this much older brother, hoping that maybe he'd remember more than Renuoige about her mother. Now she was regretting this meeting. He didn't like her. Not at all.
"It's also how you look. You look like mom. It hurts him. He was much older than the two of us when mom died. He knew her better than the both of us. Don't worry, Brother'll warm up to you," Renuoige reassured his sister.
But he didn't.When Brother got himself a bride, he settled across Home from where Rikku lived, just to avoid her. Whenever they saw each other in the streets, he'd cast his eyes downward, not even bothering to mutter a 'hello.'
But Rikku tried avoiding him too. All those bad memories, those feelings of guilt and worry would rise up inside of her every time he saw him. Every time she looked into those eyes, every time she looked at his face, all what she could think about was how he blamed her for mom's death...
Suddenly, Auron took her hand, releasing her from her nightmarish memory. He didn't bother asking if she was okay- he already knew the answer. She was 'fine.'
"We have awhile to go before we reach Home. You might want to make sure you're all properly equipped- there are lots of dangerous fiends in this area." Everyone suddenly checked their gear. Good.
"'Place is hot, yah," Wakka commented, wiping the sweat from his brow.
"You get used to it after awhile," Rikku said.
"How do you keep cool in such a hot place?" Tidus asked.
"We have special machina that can control the temperature indoors..."
Seven Years Ago...
"It's sort of hot here, don'tcha think, pops?" Renuoige stepped off the ship with a prejudgement of Bikanel Island. Just being there for a few minutes, it proved to be a dangerous place with fierce fiends and an even more ebullient climate.
"Yeah, but that makes it even a better place to settle. Who would expect Al Bhed to inhabit an island like this?" Cid laughed. "Perfect."
"Even so, it IS kind of hot," Rikku complained. "I don't think I'd like to be hot all the time!"
"I'm sure there is a machina that SOMEONE could think up that could keep the temperature down," Cid mused.
"Well, if that's so, I say I'm all for it!" Renuoige cheered.
"Good. Bikanel Island: The New Home."
He squeezed her hand. "Which way?" Auron asked.
"Oh. Just straight forward. We're getting closer..." Rikku was obviously preocuppied. Even Tidus seemed to notice it.
"Hey, Rikku, you okay? You're sort of out of it..."
"Yeah, I'm fine," Rikku nodded, as if confirming her wellness.
"If you say so..." Tidus wasn't fooled so easily.
"We're almost here..." Rikku stumbled over the last sand dune before everyone else only to see something she'd prefer not to have seen.
Home- was nearly completely decimated. The sky was clouded with smoke pouring from the inner chambers. Fires that had erupted burned fiercely. Al Bhed soldiers struggled to fight off the fiends, sacraficing themselves for their families.
Her legs began moving on their own. Rikku couldn't beleive she could ever run this fast, but here she was, running, running, running. Her hometown- in ruins. AGAIN.
As she reached the entrance, she saw Renuoige. Her brother.
Clutching his stomach, Renuoige to the ground. Rikku ran to his side, "Renu! Renu! Who's attacking us? Fru tet drec du oui?"
"Yevon...Guado..."
"Renu...Renu...hold on, hold on...I'm sure I've got a Potion around here somewhere...She pulled the Al Bhed potion from her pocket. "Drink this...Renu...? Renu?!"
Rikku was now conciously aware that the rest of the group had joined up with her with the sound of Lulu's voice. "A war? Between Yevon and the Al Bhed?"
"Dryd ec fnuhk! Guado ku vun dra summoner."
"Vydran..." Rikku turned around to the sound of her father's familiar voice.
Cid knelt down next to Rikku, checking for Renuoige's pulse. None. Nothing.
Rikku scuntched her toes up tighter. Tighter. No. No. No. No. Renu wouldn't want you to cry. He wouldn't want you to cry. He'd want you to be brave... With those words, she managed to surpress the tears. With the pain of her toenails stabbing into the palm of her foot, she was able to focus on the physical pain- and not the emotional.
"You Rikku's friends? Well, just don't stand there, come on! Let's go kick those Guado out of our Home!" Cid shouted.
As everyone else hurried off into Home, Rikku clutched her brother's limp hand.
"Who...?" Tidus had stayed behind.
"Cid." Rikku let go of her brother's hand and stood up. "Leader of the Al Bhed...He's my dad."
"Let's go."
"Yeah...we have to save Yunie!"
"Not only Yuna, right?"
"Right!"
As they entered home with the sound of Wakka's familiar voice. "Yuna! Where are you?!"
Suddenly, they were assaulted by a Guado Soldier and three bombs. Rikku sat on the sidelines, but this time, she didn't mind. All what she wanted was to just do nothing. To just have some time to numb herself entirely. Fighting only made it worse. All the killing, all the death, all the destruction...it was just making Rikku lose herself. She couldn't take it any more. She wasn't cut out to be a guardian, just like she wasn't cut out to protect her own town.
Focusing on the floor, Rikku realized the battle was already over. Auron grabbed her hand and pulled her up. "We have to go."
"What in Yevon's name are those Guado thinking?!" Wakka shouted.
"This...this is terrible." Rikku shut her eyes, allowing Auron to blindly escort her with the rest of the group to the next room. Auron nudged her to open her eyes. As much as she didn't want to, she did.
"Drec pedac! Rikku! Oui nayt sa? Oui ku ihtan, duu! E ys majamehk Home! Yht dra fiend fedr ed!"
"Oh, no!"
"What did he say?" Wakka demanded.
"We've got to get underground!"
Auron pivoted his head downwards to Rikku. "Where's Yuna?"
"The Summoner's Sanctum. This way!" As much as she wished she could just close her eyes, she knew that she would quickly have to grow up- for the sake of her friends.
After finishing off another fiend that was stupid enough to challenge the group, Rikku led them down a flight of stairs. "Over here!"
As she walked down the stairs, she stopped in mid-step. Everything...everything was in chaos and ruin. The walls were burning, people were screaming, people were dying. It was almost impossible for her to block it out now. Watching as her next-door neighbor fell to the claw of a large fiend, or seeing that childhood sweetheart swept underway by a sudden explosion of fire. It was almost too much for Rikku to bear.
"This place is done for," Wakka commented.
"You're right. You're right, Wakka. We Al Bhed, we... we weren't always like this," Rikku said. "Sin destroyed the island where we all used to live. After that, we were scattered to every corner of Spira. But then, my dad brought the Al Bhed together again. If we put our minds to it and worked together, then we could make a new Home. Everyone worked hard, we had our Home back again... But now... Why did things have to turn out this way?"
"Rikku..." Wakka sighed. "Damn those Guado! What are they thinking?!"
Rikku started to feel dizzy, and then nauseous. She wasn't sure if it was the smoke making her sick- or herself. She watched as the team finished off a pair of monsters that had them surrounded, then stumbled down the stairs.
"Rikku, what is the Summoners' Sanctum?" Lulu asked.
"The Summoners' Sanctum is where we keep the summoners. We keep them safe there."
"You kidnapped them."
Rikku nodded numbly. "I know it's against the teachings and all that..."
"I get why you did it, but..." Wakka's voice trailed off, overun by Tidus' angry rant.
"Well, I sure don't get it, Wakka. They might get hurt on their pilgramage, so you kidnap them? I mean, if the summoners don't do their job, then who will defeat Sin? You want to protect them, I know. But guardians are there for that. If guardians do their job right, the summoners will be safe."
Tidus was greeted with silence. Rikku couldn't beleive he didn't know. Why hadn't anyone told him?
"Right?"
Silence, again.
"Right!?"
The air was thick enough to cut with a knife. Kimhari interupted the silence, "It quiet. Kimhari go now."
Rikku looked at Tidus, and he stared back at her, as everyone else proceeded to the Summoners' Sanctum. She couldn't stand the look in those eyes. Had the truth killed him too? The way she had killed Seymour?
She didn't want to be here anymore. She didn't want to help Yuna get the Final Aeon. She didn't want to be a murderer. She didn't want to put her people in danger, the way she had by provoking the Guado to assualt.
She ran after the others. "Yuna, please be here!"
Rikku shut her eyes the second she saw the result of the attack on her people. Those familiar faces only took a second to permanantly imprint themselves into her mind...her next door neighbor, Sauf, and her son, Meuh, who Rikku remembered learning battle techniques from. Mayd, Frake, Nafai, Sona, Tyres- all those emotionless faces- all of them had names and personalities- all of them that Rikku knew. All of them gone-- one minute, minding their own buisness, the next...woosh. Dead.
"Yuna!" Kimhari cried out.
"She's not here...Hello again. Wait until we've performed the sending." Dona, was it? Rikku scrunched her toes up tighter and opened her eyes. These memories, someday, she might have to remember this story. Her story- to tell someone else. No use shutting your eyes to the truth.
"They died...Protecting us," Issaru said. "The least we can do is give them a proper sending."
Rikku watched as the small Pacce ran up to Tidus. "Hey, what's 'sacraficed'? The Al Bhed said summoners were being sacraficed. That summoners shouldn't have to do a pilgrimage!" She couldn't beleive it. This little boy, a guardian to her older brother, had no idea why he was protecting his brother. No idea he was protecting his older brother, only for him to die meaninglessly at the end of his pilgrimage. No idea.
"The pilgrimages have to stop!" Everyone turned in surprise. No one expected Rikku to speak again. "If they don't, and they get to Zanarknd...They might defeat Sin...Yunie could...but then she...Yunie would die, you know? You know, don't you? Summoners journey to get the Final Aeon. Yunie told you, didn't she? With the Final Aeon, she can beat Sin...but then...If she calls it, then the Final Aeon's gonna kill her. Even if she defeats Sin, it will kill Yunie too, you know?" Rikku couldn't help it. It was just too much to bare. Everything pounded on her at once, all the thoughts all the guilt she had been withstanding for the past few weeks, everything, just poured out of her at that one moment. She held it in too long, and now its ill-fated effects were taking their hold on her. She fell to the ground in anguish. Tears burned her eyes, but for once, she didn't care. Everyone else would understand, right? Maybe if she cried, they wouldn't be as worried if she didn't. Maybe.
"Was I the only one who didn't know?" He approached Rikku. "Tell me why! Why were you hiding it? Why didn't I know?"
"We weren't hiding it..." Wakka started.
"It was just...too hard to say," Lulu finished.
Tidus fell to his knees, shrieking. It only made things worse, for everyone. Rikku suddenly felt a stab in her heart. How could she tell him? Maybe it was better for Tidus to be ignorant to the true identity of the pilgrimage. Atleast then, he could still hope. Atleast then...
"Lulu! How could you? How could you? Isn't she like a sister to you? I thought you were family! Why don't you do something, Wakka?"
"Don't you think we tried to stop her?" Lulu asked. "She follows...her heart."
"Yuna, she knew what she was doing when she chose to become a summoner. To face Sin, ya? Yuna knew!"
Rikku held back a sob, wiping away her tears. "But, Wakka, that's just totally wrong! Summoners shouldn't have to sacrifice themselves...just so the rest of Spira can be happy, right?"
Rikku watched as the pyreflies of the fallen formed a Wendigo. How sad that her people could form something so vicious after death...
"But that is our choice," Issaru said.
"We all live in fear of Sin," Dona continued. "You know that."
"A world without Sin...That is the dream of all Yevon's children. And we will use that power, even if it means our lives!" Issaru declared.
Stifling her tears, she watched as the two summoners joined forces and summoned Ifrit. Tidus suddenly spoke for the first time since his breakdown.
"And I've been telling Yuna...'Let's go to Zanarkand together!' I told her all the things...we could...we could... But Yuna, she'd...just smile." What...what was that in his voice? The way he spoke about...about Yuna...Rikku shook her head. It couldn't be true. He...he couldn't. No way. No way!
But the more she thought about it, the more practical it sounded. Tidus, Tidus was always around her. He always had that ring in his voice, the ring Rikku would use when talking about him. It was...wasn't it? He loved her? Was that it? It had to be...but...no!
Rikku didn't recall much after that. Numbing her mind was so much easier when she tried not to focus on anything. Those few minutes in between then and boarding the airship seemed more like a fading dream than reality. Even days after that, she questioned it, wondering if really she was mixing up her dreams and reality again: her imagination re-creating her own memory.
It was pretty horrible- they must have thought she was really upset. Even Wakka tried to cheer her up. But all what she needed was the comfort only a quiet room and sleep could provide.
Tidus...Renuoige...Seymour...HOME.
She had managed to find an unoccupied room. Laying down on the bed, she sought the refuge that only sleep could bring. Maybe sleep would help her forget...
Blargh, what a way to end. More boring dialogue. Promise next chapter will be uber-cute. Maybe not HARD-CORE Aurikku, but trust me, it's coming...Mwahhaha!
Chapter Ten: There's No Place Like Home
By: NurikoLuver (Trudy Haley)
Author's Notes: Blarghadesh! X_X Brother *ISH* Rikku's brother. Added a little snip about where Brother was when Renuoige was taking care of his sister. Hmmm, maybe we'll see more of him once I can think of something decent...hmmm...
Surgeon General's Warning: This chapter surpasses the Reccomended Daily Allowance of Gameplay Dialogue. Please skip around if neccessary.
BTW, sorry it's a little tardy. @_@ Forgiveness, please! ^_~
"Oh! Hey guys! Where's Yunie?" Back to acting mood. Oh well. It beat them worrying about her.
"Gone," Tidus shrugged.
"Gone...some guardian I am," sighed Lulu.
"Umm...there's something I wanna tell you, but promise not to say anything..." She looked intently at the glaring Wakka. "No glaring, either! I know where we are. We're on Bikanel Island. There's a place us Al Bhed call home around here. Yunie's there, I'm sure of it! Some other Al Bhed must've come and rescued her!"
"Rescued! You mean kidnapped!" Wakka retorted.
"What does it matter, as long as she's safe?" Tidus asked.
"That's right! Anyway, I will take you there if you promise...that you won't tell anyone about it. Especially not Yevonites, okay? You know they don't like us Al Bhed. Who knows what they'd do if they knew?"
"Gimme a break! What are you accusing Yevon of this time?!" Wakka scoffed.
"Yevon did something really bad to us before," Rikku explained.
"Well, you Al Bhed must've deserved it."
"Argggh!" Tidus shouted. "Can't you two talk about this later?!"
"Just promise you won't tell anyone about the island. Promise?"
"Wakka, come on!" Tidus was growing impatient.
"All right, I promise. Lead the way!" Wakka gave in quicker than Rikku expected.
"You got it!" Rikku faked a smile. "This way!"
"We...found some of these while we were traveling." Auron handed Rikku some Al Bhed Potions. "They don't appear to be NORMAL potions."
"That's right. It's a special potion only *I* can use. Heals everyone. Very useful," Rikku explained. "Al Bheds are very considerate of travelers."
Auron nodded. "You'd better lead the way. Tidus looks as though he might have a seizure if we don't find Yuna soon."
Rikku nodded, slipping one of the Al Bhed potions into her pocket. Suddenly, she felt a sudden bout of nostalgia. Again.
Three years ago...
"You really shouldn't blame yourself," Renuoige explained. "Brother's always been like that. Just because he blames YOU for mom's death doesn't mean you should beleive him."
Her first meeting with Brother didn't go as well as planned. He was MUCH older than Rikku, and preferred traveling rather than sticking close to family. Rikku was so excited about meeting this much older brother, hoping that maybe he'd remember more than Renuoige about her mother. Now she was regretting this meeting. He didn't like her. Not at all.
"It's also how you look. You look like mom. It hurts him. He was much older than the two of us when mom died. He knew her better than the both of us. Don't worry, Brother'll warm up to you," Renuoige reassured his sister.
But he didn't.When Brother got himself a bride, he settled across Home from where Rikku lived, just to avoid her. Whenever they saw each other in the streets, he'd cast his eyes downward, not even bothering to mutter a 'hello.'
But Rikku tried avoiding him too. All those bad memories, those feelings of guilt and worry would rise up inside of her every time he saw him. Every time she looked into those eyes, every time she looked at his face, all what she could think about was how he blamed her for mom's death...
Suddenly, Auron took her hand, releasing her from her nightmarish memory. He didn't bother asking if she was okay- he already knew the answer. She was 'fine.'
"We have awhile to go before we reach Home. You might want to make sure you're all properly equipped- there are lots of dangerous fiends in this area." Everyone suddenly checked their gear. Good.
"'Place is hot, yah," Wakka commented, wiping the sweat from his brow.
"You get used to it after awhile," Rikku said.
"How do you keep cool in such a hot place?" Tidus asked.
"We have special machina that can control the temperature indoors..."
Seven Years Ago...
"It's sort of hot here, don'tcha think, pops?" Renuoige stepped off the ship with a prejudgement of Bikanel Island. Just being there for a few minutes, it proved to be a dangerous place with fierce fiends and an even more ebullient climate.
"Yeah, but that makes it even a better place to settle. Who would expect Al Bhed to inhabit an island like this?" Cid laughed. "Perfect."
"Even so, it IS kind of hot," Rikku complained. "I don't think I'd like to be hot all the time!"
"I'm sure there is a machina that SOMEONE could think up that could keep the temperature down," Cid mused.
"Well, if that's so, I say I'm all for it!" Renuoige cheered.
"Good. Bikanel Island: The New Home."
He squeezed her hand. "Which way?" Auron asked.
"Oh. Just straight forward. We're getting closer..." Rikku was obviously preocuppied. Even Tidus seemed to notice it.
"Hey, Rikku, you okay? You're sort of out of it..."
"Yeah, I'm fine," Rikku nodded, as if confirming her wellness.
"If you say so..." Tidus wasn't fooled so easily.
"We're almost here..." Rikku stumbled over the last sand dune before everyone else only to see something she'd prefer not to have seen.
Home- was nearly completely decimated. The sky was clouded with smoke pouring from the inner chambers. Fires that had erupted burned fiercely. Al Bhed soldiers struggled to fight off the fiends, sacraficing themselves for their families.
Her legs began moving on their own. Rikku couldn't beleive she could ever run this fast, but here she was, running, running, running. Her hometown- in ruins. AGAIN.
As she reached the entrance, she saw Renuoige. Her brother.
Clutching his stomach, Renuoige to the ground. Rikku ran to his side, "Renu! Renu! Who's attacking us? Fru tet drec du oui?"
"Yevon...Guado..."
"Renu...Renu...hold on, hold on...I'm sure I've got a Potion around here somewhere...She pulled the Al Bhed potion from her pocket. "Drink this...Renu...? Renu?!"
Rikku was now conciously aware that the rest of the group had joined up with her with the sound of Lulu's voice. "A war? Between Yevon and the Al Bhed?"
"Dryd ec fnuhk! Guado ku vun dra summoner."
"Vydran..." Rikku turned around to the sound of her father's familiar voice.
Cid knelt down next to Rikku, checking for Renuoige's pulse. None. Nothing.
Rikku scuntched her toes up tighter. Tighter. No. No. No. No. Renu wouldn't want you to cry. He wouldn't want you to cry. He'd want you to be brave... With those words, she managed to surpress the tears. With the pain of her toenails stabbing into the palm of her foot, she was able to focus on the physical pain- and not the emotional.
"You Rikku's friends? Well, just don't stand there, come on! Let's go kick those Guado out of our Home!" Cid shouted.
As everyone else hurried off into Home, Rikku clutched her brother's limp hand.
"Who...?" Tidus had stayed behind.
"Cid." Rikku let go of her brother's hand and stood up. "Leader of the Al Bhed...He's my dad."
"Let's go."
"Yeah...we have to save Yunie!"
"Not only Yuna, right?"
"Right!"
As they entered home with the sound of Wakka's familiar voice. "Yuna! Where are you?!"
Suddenly, they were assaulted by a Guado Soldier and three bombs. Rikku sat on the sidelines, but this time, she didn't mind. All what she wanted was to just do nothing. To just have some time to numb herself entirely. Fighting only made it worse. All the killing, all the death, all the destruction...it was just making Rikku lose herself. She couldn't take it any more. She wasn't cut out to be a guardian, just like she wasn't cut out to protect her own town.
Focusing on the floor, Rikku realized the battle was already over. Auron grabbed her hand and pulled her up. "We have to go."
"What in Yevon's name are those Guado thinking?!" Wakka shouted.
"This...this is terrible." Rikku shut her eyes, allowing Auron to blindly escort her with the rest of the group to the next room. Auron nudged her to open her eyes. As much as she didn't want to, she did.
"Drec pedac! Rikku! Oui nayt sa? Oui ku ihtan, duu! E ys majamehk Home! Yht dra fiend fedr ed!"
"Oh, no!"
"What did he say?" Wakka demanded.
"We've got to get underground!"
Auron pivoted his head downwards to Rikku. "Where's Yuna?"
"The Summoner's Sanctum. This way!" As much as she wished she could just close her eyes, she knew that she would quickly have to grow up- for the sake of her friends.
After finishing off another fiend that was stupid enough to challenge the group, Rikku led them down a flight of stairs. "Over here!"
As she walked down the stairs, she stopped in mid-step. Everything...everything was in chaos and ruin. The walls were burning, people were screaming, people were dying. It was almost impossible for her to block it out now. Watching as her next-door neighbor fell to the claw of a large fiend, or seeing that childhood sweetheart swept underway by a sudden explosion of fire. It was almost too much for Rikku to bear.
"This place is done for," Wakka commented.
"You're right. You're right, Wakka. We Al Bhed, we... we weren't always like this," Rikku said. "Sin destroyed the island where we all used to live. After that, we were scattered to every corner of Spira. But then, my dad brought the Al Bhed together again. If we put our minds to it and worked together, then we could make a new Home. Everyone worked hard, we had our Home back again... But now... Why did things have to turn out this way?"
"Rikku..." Wakka sighed. "Damn those Guado! What are they thinking?!"
Rikku started to feel dizzy, and then nauseous. She wasn't sure if it was the smoke making her sick- or herself. She watched as the team finished off a pair of monsters that had them surrounded, then stumbled down the stairs.
"Rikku, what is the Summoners' Sanctum?" Lulu asked.
"The Summoners' Sanctum is where we keep the summoners. We keep them safe there."
"You kidnapped them."
Rikku nodded numbly. "I know it's against the teachings and all that..."
"I get why you did it, but..." Wakka's voice trailed off, overun by Tidus' angry rant.
"Well, I sure don't get it, Wakka. They might get hurt on their pilgramage, so you kidnap them? I mean, if the summoners don't do their job, then who will defeat Sin? You want to protect them, I know. But guardians are there for that. If guardians do their job right, the summoners will be safe."
Tidus was greeted with silence. Rikku couldn't beleive he didn't know. Why hadn't anyone told him?
"Right?"
Silence, again.
"Right!?"
The air was thick enough to cut with a knife. Kimhari interupted the silence, "It quiet. Kimhari go now."
Rikku looked at Tidus, and he stared back at her, as everyone else proceeded to the Summoners' Sanctum. She couldn't stand the look in those eyes. Had the truth killed him too? The way she had killed Seymour?
She didn't want to be here anymore. She didn't want to help Yuna get the Final Aeon. She didn't want to be a murderer. She didn't want to put her people in danger, the way she had by provoking the Guado to assualt.
She ran after the others. "Yuna, please be here!"
Rikku shut her eyes the second she saw the result of the attack on her people. Those familiar faces only took a second to permanantly imprint themselves into her mind...her next door neighbor, Sauf, and her son, Meuh, who Rikku remembered learning battle techniques from. Mayd, Frake, Nafai, Sona, Tyres- all those emotionless faces- all of them had names and personalities- all of them that Rikku knew. All of them gone-- one minute, minding their own buisness, the next...woosh. Dead.
"Yuna!" Kimhari cried out.
"She's not here...Hello again. Wait until we've performed the sending." Dona, was it? Rikku scrunched her toes up tighter and opened her eyes. These memories, someday, she might have to remember this story. Her story- to tell someone else. No use shutting your eyes to the truth.
"They died...Protecting us," Issaru said. "The least we can do is give them a proper sending."
Rikku watched as the small Pacce ran up to Tidus. "Hey, what's 'sacraficed'? The Al Bhed said summoners were being sacraficed. That summoners shouldn't have to do a pilgrimage!" She couldn't beleive it. This little boy, a guardian to her older brother, had no idea why he was protecting his brother. No idea he was protecting his older brother, only for him to die meaninglessly at the end of his pilgrimage. No idea.
"The pilgrimages have to stop!" Everyone turned in surprise. No one expected Rikku to speak again. "If they don't, and they get to Zanarknd...They might defeat Sin...Yunie could...but then she...Yunie would die, you know? You know, don't you? Summoners journey to get the Final Aeon. Yunie told you, didn't she? With the Final Aeon, she can beat Sin...but then...If she calls it, then the Final Aeon's gonna kill her. Even if she defeats Sin, it will kill Yunie too, you know?" Rikku couldn't help it. It was just too much to bare. Everything pounded on her at once, all the thoughts all the guilt she had been withstanding for the past few weeks, everything, just poured out of her at that one moment. She held it in too long, and now its ill-fated effects were taking their hold on her. She fell to the ground in anguish. Tears burned her eyes, but for once, she didn't care. Everyone else would understand, right? Maybe if she cried, they wouldn't be as worried if she didn't. Maybe.
"Was I the only one who didn't know?" He approached Rikku. "Tell me why! Why were you hiding it? Why didn't I know?"
"We weren't hiding it..." Wakka started.
"It was just...too hard to say," Lulu finished.
Tidus fell to his knees, shrieking. It only made things worse, for everyone. Rikku suddenly felt a stab in her heart. How could she tell him? Maybe it was better for Tidus to be ignorant to the true identity of the pilgrimage. Atleast then, he could still hope. Atleast then...
"Lulu! How could you? How could you? Isn't she like a sister to you? I thought you were family! Why don't you do something, Wakka?"
"Don't you think we tried to stop her?" Lulu asked. "She follows...her heart."
"Yuna, she knew what she was doing when she chose to become a summoner. To face Sin, ya? Yuna knew!"
Rikku held back a sob, wiping away her tears. "But, Wakka, that's just totally wrong! Summoners shouldn't have to sacrifice themselves...just so the rest of Spira can be happy, right?"
Rikku watched as the pyreflies of the fallen formed a Wendigo. How sad that her people could form something so vicious after death...
"But that is our choice," Issaru said.
"We all live in fear of Sin," Dona continued. "You know that."
"A world without Sin...That is the dream of all Yevon's children. And we will use that power, even if it means our lives!" Issaru declared.
Stifling her tears, she watched as the two summoners joined forces and summoned Ifrit. Tidus suddenly spoke for the first time since his breakdown.
"And I've been telling Yuna...'Let's go to Zanarkand together!' I told her all the things...we could...we could... But Yuna, she'd...just smile." What...what was that in his voice? The way he spoke about...about Yuna...Rikku shook her head. It couldn't be true. He...he couldn't. No way. No way!
But the more she thought about it, the more practical it sounded. Tidus, Tidus was always around her. He always had that ring in his voice, the ring Rikku would use when talking about him. It was...wasn't it? He loved her? Was that it? It had to be...but...no!
Rikku didn't recall much after that. Numbing her mind was so much easier when she tried not to focus on anything. Those few minutes in between then and boarding the airship seemed more like a fading dream than reality. Even days after that, she questioned it, wondering if really she was mixing up her dreams and reality again: her imagination re-creating her own memory.
It was pretty horrible- they must have thought she was really upset. Even Wakka tried to cheer her up. But all what she needed was the comfort only a quiet room and sleep could provide.
Tidus...Renuoige...Seymour...HOME.
She had managed to find an unoccupied room. Laying down on the bed, she sought the refuge that only sleep could bring. Maybe sleep would help her forget...
Blargh, what a way to end. More boring dialogue. Promise next chapter will be uber-cute. Maybe not HARD-CORE Aurikku, but trust me, it's coming...Mwahhaha!