Chapter 3: Rikku's Secret
Their arrival at Guadosolam was welcoming. It seemed as if they were invited, that all of Guadosolam was in a state of happiness that Lady Yuna and her Guardians would grace the presence of this strange city. The caves in which the Guado lived were exquisitely crafted. The lights were vibrant and cheery; it seemed that they never were shut off and that this whimsical place was the most majestically crafted place than any other city in Spira. The seven of them entered the cool refreshing cave. The destination was unanimous; they would rest at the inn.
If it weren't for Yuna, they would look like a group of Crusaders who just manage to escape Sin's power. They had all been badly hurt in the previous battle, but thanks to Yuna's strength and undying compassion for her Guardians they were saved. Tidus caught a glisp of Yuna as they entered the inn. He saw how the pleated flower patern skirt swaying as her boots clicked the hollowed-out base of the cave. how her hair bounce with every step she took; he reveled at her beauty.
The walls and furnishings of the inn were a perfect match for the outside décor. The amazing part was that Guadosolam didn't even look like a cave at all, it looked like the Farplanes that were amazingly the prime destination for any traveler of these parts. The Farplanes was the place were all dead creatures went. Where all the fiends and sent gathered. The realization of it all was amazing; one could see their relatives, their love ones, their friends who died long ago at the Farplanes.
"Well I'm tired from all that walking, ya. I hope that they don't charge an arm and a leg for this." Wakka complained
Yuna had noticed a familiar face sitting in the waiting area of the inn. Her Yevoness robes hung low to the ground and the mousey voice that she heard may times was unmistakable; it was Shelinda. The first time the group had met this determined woman was on the Mi' ihen Highroad. She was enraged at the Crusaders, a group dedicating their lives for the banishment of Sin, for using Sinspawn to call Sin in an attempt to defeat with the forbidden Al Bhed machina. After that the young priestess had followed the group wherever they went, Yuna believed that the woman's destination was Bevelle, the holiest city in all of Spira and the destination of all priestesses.
"Shelinda"
The shy priestess looked up at the familiar Summoner's face
"Summoner Yuna. How have you been? Are you hurt I can heal all of you?"
"No need. We will rest for the night at this inn."
Shelinda changed the subject, instead towards the reason why they had all come here. "I hear that Measter Seymour would like an audience with you. Do you know what he desires from your sevcices, my lady."
"No, but knowing Seymour, he will help me in my journey." Yuna replied slighty blushing. Ever since they first met the Grand Measter, she had had a strange attraction for him. He wasn't as handsome as Tidus was, although she would try to never tell him that. It was just that the aura surrounding the half Guado was strange, almost enticing. She sat down on the comfortable sofa next to Shelinda.
"Tidus will you go get us a room, please." the flustered girl was getting embarrassed.
"Sure."
Tidus talked to the friendly Guado, and the proprietor made sure rooms were made available for the seven of them. "Thank you. How much will that cost?" The young warrior asked.
"No charge at all. Maester Seymour has requested an audience with Summoner Yuna, and all expenses will be paid, but the Maester would gladly appreciate it if you would talk with him now." the Guado replied, then quickly put in, as if not seeming rude. "if it is of no bother to you."
"Yuna?"
"Huh…oh yes, why of course we will see Seymour now."
Over in the corner, the quiet Mage requested, "I want to see Chappu."
"What?" Tidus was shocked. He was new to this world and 'his' Zanarkand was slighty different from Spira. He couldn't believe the rumor of seeing the dead was actually truthful. "I thought Chappu died."
Lulu was saddened. She knew that Chappu was indead dead and had moved on, but the image of him was never taken away. She couldn't believe what was happening. What Tidus was saying. Wakka saw that Lulu was about to unleash her tears, the only time that she would ever unleash her sorrow tears.
"The Farplane is a sacred place where we are allowed to see the dead, ya" Wakka quickly replied making sure that Lulu wouldn't lose her composure. "Chappu may have died before, but we are able to see him again in the Farplane."
"We are able to see the memories of the dead, Tidus." Lulu replied making sure she wouldn't lose her stern manner. Even though she despised the image of herself, she liked the authority that was given to her de facto.
"Really!!?" Tidus was overwhelmed at the thought. But then he remember that Jecht wasn't dead. He wouldn't be able to see his father. Jecht was Sin. The sheer agony of the pain of it all was too powerful.
"Yes, I will be able to see my mother and father again as well. That sounds like a great idea, Lulu." Yuna replied, a little hint of happiness in her voice.
Tidus was saddened by her reply. How could they all be happy that they could talk with the people that died, it wasn't the same, right. Jecht was Sin. Why couldn't Jecht be dead? Then maybe Tidus could've seen his father again. He ran out, his footfalls echoing as he disappeared back outside.
He was angry, furious. It just wasn't fair. Why did he have to suffer? The others, even though they lost people that they cared about, could easily see them again. The anger swelled up inside him. He wanted to punch something. He wanted to just scream, but that never worked. He ran back towards the entrance of the city and slammed his fist with so much aggresion that the mighty rock was scared. The wound look like it was part of a person. It burrowed deep into the depths of the rock.
"Tidus?" Rikku spoke slowly making sure not to enraged Tidus again. She had seen him leave the inn in a hurry and was becoming to be worried. She ran after him almost immediately while the others look on, conversing with each other and talking to familiar faces. "What's wrong, did we say something that offended you," the Al Bhed girl blinked her eyes to emphasize the sincerest sympathy as she quietly asked.
"It's not fair, why does Sin exist. Why do people have to die. Why!!?" The last outburst sounded more like a sob.
Rikku didn't care if Tidus was crying, men could cry when they wanted to, especially if death was the reason for their wallowing. "It's OK to be upset."
Tidus blinked at her, confused. He tried to calm himself down before he would have to go back into the inn to talk with Yuna again as if nothing ever happened. He hated that. The aggresion slowly receded back into his body and the pain from the impact of the wall started to throb. He hadn't felt the pain before because he was immune to it; that's what made him such a great fighter. In the heat of battle wounds were trivial.
"Hey, what if I tell you something. It might calm you down, OK?" Rikku nervously offered.
"Yeah…sure…whatever."
"Well I've never told this to anyone, but there was someone that I cared about, too you know. You could even say that I loved him." She blushed slighty. "He was strong and the best Al Bhed fighter there was, but one day when fiends insurrected our compound, Home, his strength wasn't enough. He may have been strong, but his aggresion made him stupid. Instead of listening to Cid not to go after the fiends headon, he did." A small tear formed at the corner of Rikku's eyes. "He was trampeled and beaten until he became a bloody mess on the ground." The tears were fervidly streaming down her face. "Don't you see, anger, it's…it's stupid. There's no point to it. It clouds our minds and makes us the same as the fiends."
Tidus wrapped his arms around the poor distraught child and realized that what she was saying was important. Fighting was a necessity, aggression and stupidity weren't. His storming out of the inn and trying to bring all the sorrow onto himself wasn't right. Rikku may have seemed immature to him at first, but her intelligence and true-to-life ways matured her in years Tidus couldn't dream of. He knew that a stupid comment wouldn't sanctify the parameters of the conversation, so he just held her in his arms. Whispering to her, "You're right…you understand everything…everything that you say is the truth."
She was so wrapped up in Tidus affections that she forget the others were looking. She quickly jumped up and blurted out something. "Tidus is so courageous. I think I lost it, I was so scared Yuna, that I came out and cried from the terror of everything. Tidus came and held me in his arms and told me that everything would be alright. He calmed me down. I didn't know what to do." The cover-up was very much appreciated by Tidus. He, like Lulu, had images that they needed to keep. They couldn't lose their tempors easily in the face of adversity.
"Oh. Well I'm just glad that you're OK. Don't run out like that again, I thought something bad happened to you guys" Yuna replied sympathetically.
As Tidus got up, he whispered into her ears, "Thank you."
They walked up the stretching walkways towards the Farplanes. Auron was uneasy, he had to avoid them. What would he do? What could he do? Thoughts raced through his head of Yunalesca, of Braska, and of Jecht. What would he do?
Their arrival at Guadosolam was welcoming. It seemed as if they were invited, that all of Guadosolam was in a state of happiness that Lady Yuna and her Guardians would grace the presence of this strange city. The caves in which the Guado lived were exquisitely crafted. The lights were vibrant and cheery; it seemed that they never were shut off and that this whimsical place was the most majestically crafted place than any other city in Spira. The seven of them entered the cool refreshing cave. The destination was unanimous; they would rest at the inn.
If it weren't for Yuna, they would look like a group of Crusaders who just manage to escape Sin's power. They had all been badly hurt in the previous battle, but thanks to Yuna's strength and undying compassion for her Guardians they were saved. Tidus caught a glisp of Yuna as they entered the inn. He saw how the pleated flower patern skirt swaying as her boots clicked the hollowed-out base of the cave. how her hair bounce with every step she took; he reveled at her beauty.
The walls and furnishings of the inn were a perfect match for the outside décor. The amazing part was that Guadosolam didn't even look like a cave at all, it looked like the Farplanes that were amazingly the prime destination for any traveler of these parts. The Farplanes was the place were all dead creatures went. Where all the fiends and sent gathered. The realization of it all was amazing; one could see their relatives, their love ones, their friends who died long ago at the Farplanes.
"Well I'm tired from all that walking, ya. I hope that they don't charge an arm and a leg for this." Wakka complained
Yuna had noticed a familiar face sitting in the waiting area of the inn. Her Yevoness robes hung low to the ground and the mousey voice that she heard may times was unmistakable; it was Shelinda. The first time the group had met this determined woman was on the Mi' ihen Highroad. She was enraged at the Crusaders, a group dedicating their lives for the banishment of Sin, for using Sinspawn to call Sin in an attempt to defeat with the forbidden Al Bhed machina. After that the young priestess had followed the group wherever they went, Yuna believed that the woman's destination was Bevelle, the holiest city in all of Spira and the destination of all priestesses.
"Shelinda"
The shy priestess looked up at the familiar Summoner's face
"Summoner Yuna. How have you been? Are you hurt I can heal all of you?"
"No need. We will rest for the night at this inn."
Shelinda changed the subject, instead towards the reason why they had all come here. "I hear that Measter Seymour would like an audience with you. Do you know what he desires from your sevcices, my lady."
"No, but knowing Seymour, he will help me in my journey." Yuna replied slighty blushing. Ever since they first met the Grand Measter, she had had a strange attraction for him. He wasn't as handsome as Tidus was, although she would try to never tell him that. It was just that the aura surrounding the half Guado was strange, almost enticing. She sat down on the comfortable sofa next to Shelinda.
"Tidus will you go get us a room, please." the flustered girl was getting embarrassed.
"Sure."
Tidus talked to the friendly Guado, and the proprietor made sure rooms were made available for the seven of them. "Thank you. How much will that cost?" The young warrior asked.
"No charge at all. Maester Seymour has requested an audience with Summoner Yuna, and all expenses will be paid, but the Maester would gladly appreciate it if you would talk with him now." the Guado replied, then quickly put in, as if not seeming rude. "if it is of no bother to you."
"Yuna?"
"Huh…oh yes, why of course we will see Seymour now."
Over in the corner, the quiet Mage requested, "I want to see Chappu."
"What?" Tidus was shocked. He was new to this world and 'his' Zanarkand was slighty different from Spira. He couldn't believe the rumor of seeing the dead was actually truthful. "I thought Chappu died."
Lulu was saddened. She knew that Chappu was indead dead and had moved on, but the image of him was never taken away. She couldn't believe what was happening. What Tidus was saying. Wakka saw that Lulu was about to unleash her tears, the only time that she would ever unleash her sorrow tears.
"The Farplane is a sacred place where we are allowed to see the dead, ya" Wakka quickly replied making sure that Lulu wouldn't lose her composure. "Chappu may have died before, but we are able to see him again in the Farplane."
"We are able to see the memories of the dead, Tidus." Lulu replied making sure she wouldn't lose her stern manner. Even though she despised the image of herself, she liked the authority that was given to her de facto.
"Really!!?" Tidus was overwhelmed at the thought. But then he remember that Jecht wasn't dead. He wouldn't be able to see his father. Jecht was Sin. The sheer agony of the pain of it all was too powerful.
"Yes, I will be able to see my mother and father again as well. That sounds like a great idea, Lulu." Yuna replied, a little hint of happiness in her voice.
Tidus was saddened by her reply. How could they all be happy that they could talk with the people that died, it wasn't the same, right. Jecht was Sin. Why couldn't Jecht be dead? Then maybe Tidus could've seen his father again. He ran out, his footfalls echoing as he disappeared back outside.
He was angry, furious. It just wasn't fair. Why did he have to suffer? The others, even though they lost people that they cared about, could easily see them again. The anger swelled up inside him. He wanted to punch something. He wanted to just scream, but that never worked. He ran back towards the entrance of the city and slammed his fist with so much aggresion that the mighty rock was scared. The wound look like it was part of a person. It burrowed deep into the depths of the rock.
"Tidus?" Rikku spoke slowly making sure not to enraged Tidus again. She had seen him leave the inn in a hurry and was becoming to be worried. She ran after him almost immediately while the others look on, conversing with each other and talking to familiar faces. "What's wrong, did we say something that offended you," the Al Bhed girl blinked her eyes to emphasize the sincerest sympathy as she quietly asked.
"It's not fair, why does Sin exist. Why do people have to die. Why!!?" The last outburst sounded more like a sob.
Rikku didn't care if Tidus was crying, men could cry when they wanted to, especially if death was the reason for their wallowing. "It's OK to be upset."
Tidus blinked at her, confused. He tried to calm himself down before he would have to go back into the inn to talk with Yuna again as if nothing ever happened. He hated that. The aggresion slowly receded back into his body and the pain from the impact of the wall started to throb. He hadn't felt the pain before because he was immune to it; that's what made him such a great fighter. In the heat of battle wounds were trivial.
"Hey, what if I tell you something. It might calm you down, OK?" Rikku nervously offered.
"Yeah…sure…whatever."
"Well I've never told this to anyone, but there was someone that I cared about, too you know. You could even say that I loved him." She blushed slighty. "He was strong and the best Al Bhed fighter there was, but one day when fiends insurrected our compound, Home, his strength wasn't enough. He may have been strong, but his aggresion made him stupid. Instead of listening to Cid not to go after the fiends headon, he did." A small tear formed at the corner of Rikku's eyes. "He was trampeled and beaten until he became a bloody mess on the ground." The tears were fervidly streaming down her face. "Don't you see, anger, it's…it's stupid. There's no point to it. It clouds our minds and makes us the same as the fiends."
Tidus wrapped his arms around the poor distraught child and realized that what she was saying was important. Fighting was a necessity, aggression and stupidity weren't. His storming out of the inn and trying to bring all the sorrow onto himself wasn't right. Rikku may have seemed immature to him at first, but her intelligence and true-to-life ways matured her in years Tidus couldn't dream of. He knew that a stupid comment wouldn't sanctify the parameters of the conversation, so he just held her in his arms. Whispering to her, "You're right…you understand everything…everything that you say is the truth."
She was so wrapped up in Tidus affections that she forget the others were looking. She quickly jumped up and blurted out something. "Tidus is so courageous. I think I lost it, I was so scared Yuna, that I came out and cried from the terror of everything. Tidus came and held me in his arms and told me that everything would be alright. He calmed me down. I didn't know what to do." The cover-up was very much appreciated by Tidus. He, like Lulu, had images that they needed to keep. They couldn't lose their tempors easily in the face of adversity.
"Oh. Well I'm just glad that you're OK. Don't run out like that again, I thought something bad happened to you guys" Yuna replied sympathetically.
As Tidus got up, he whispered into her ears, "Thank you."
They walked up the stretching walkways towards the Farplanes. Auron was uneasy, he had to avoid them. What would he do? What could he do? Thoughts raced through his head of Yunalesca, of Braska, and of Jecht. What would he do?