1 Chapter 2 ~ Hope Isn't Lost
Yuna stood outside of Luca's Blitzball sphere, where the press conference was taking place. Wakka had his hand clasped on Yuna's shoulder, giving her confidence. She sighed deeply, nodded her head, and went inside the sphere…where she had had so many memories.
"Welcome everyone," she greeted, speaking loudly into the microphone. Everyone cheered wildly; some men whistled and cheered. Yuna rolled her eyes, gripping her staff tightly. Many monks and single men wanted to be the husband of the ruler of Spira, which was now Yuna. She sighed and continued. "We've all been brought here today to discuss how we're going to turn Spira around into a world of eternal peace." More applause. Yuna smiled and wondered how long this would take. She noticed Rikku in the crowd smiling and giving her the thumbs-up. "I used to be abandoned from the temples of Yevon because I had betrayed them along with my guardians. But it was Yevon who betrayed us. All of the Maesters of Yevon, the rulers of Yevon, they were misusing the teachings, and made Yevon a mockery. Maester Seymour, Maester Mika, all of them. All of them lied. And all of them turned against me, my guardians, and all of you people! But now, Sin is gone, and Yevon is gone as well. We will have new teachings, and a new way of life!"
After an hour of speeches, negotiations, and suggestions, Yuna decided that the press conference/meeting had come to an end. She stepped down from the podium from where she spoke and headed towards her guardians…no, her friends.
They all smiled and congratulated her. Except Lulu. "Where's Lulu?" Yuna asked.
"She went to ask Cid to use the airship," Rikku explained. "We're gonna go to the Farplane!"
Yuna gasped. She'd be able to see Sir Auron again, and…Tidus, as well. She gulped nervously, but nodded. "Then let's go!"
Yuna, Wakka, Kimahri, and Rikku boarded the airship 5 minutes later with Lulu and made their way to Guadosalam, which was near the Farplane. Soon, they all began to talk about who they were going to visit in the Farplane.
"I'm going to visit my brother," Rikku declared. "I haven't seen him since we left Home."
"I'm going to visit Chappu," Wakka told them. "Gotta tell him how we defeated Sin!"
"I'm going to visit Sir Auron," Lulu said, sitting down beside them. "I wonder how he's doing."
Kimahri stood in silence. "Kimahri will visit his family," he explained. "Maester Seymour kill them. Kimahri will visit them."
The group turned their heads to Yuna, urging her to speak. "I'm…" she began. "I'm going to visit everyone that we've lost."
"All right," Cid called. "We're here! And don't be too long – we've got other places to see!"
The group left the airship and walked along the small streets of Guadosalam. The Guados all applauded Yuna and her guardians. Yuna had finally made peace between the Guados, the Al Bheds, and the humans. Or at least she was trying.
Rikku looked around and spotted Seymour's old house. "I wonder how his assistant is doing," Rikku wondered. "Probably in desperation, grief. Maybe that'll teach him not to mess with us!"
Wakka laughed. "He didn't do nothing bad though, ya?"
"What are you talking about, Wakka?" Lulu asked. "He tried to kill us for murdering Seymour!"
"Ya, but he didn't know that Seymour had done all those bad things!" Wakka argued, his Blitzball shaking vigorously in his hands. "He didn't know that we killed him because he killed his father!"
"We told him though!" Rikku exclaimed, siding with Lulu. "We told him that Seymour was the traitor. In fact, Tidus told him…" she gulped, but continued. "They didn't believe us!"
"Of course they didn't believe us!" Wakka said matter-of-factly. "They were Guados, they trusted in Maester Seymour, not humans!"
The group looked at him furiously. Wakka gulped and muttered, "Sorry."
After a few more minutes of walking (in silence), the group reached the entrance of the Farplane, where the living could visit the dead.
"Are you sure you want to go inside, Rikku?" Kimahri asked.
"Sure!" Rikku replied. "I want to see my brother. I know it's better to keep my memories inside instead of letting my emotions show, but…I want to go inside."
Yuna led the way into the Farplane. She went up the steps onto the circle. Many people were already gathered there, crying softly and speaking to spirits that were hovering slightly outside of the circle. She sighed yet again. She remembered the last time she was here, with Tidus. But she decided to leave him out of her thoughts for now, because she didn't want to see his body in the Farplane.
She watched Lulu talk with Auron, and decided to talk with Auron as well. She walked up to Lulu, who was talking animatedly with Auron.
"Yuna is doing a fantastic job as the leader of Spira," Yuna heard Lulu say. "If only you were here to look over her to discipline her…"
"I'm sure you're doing a fine job on your own," Auron assured her. "Ah, Yuna!"
Yuna gulped and walked beside Lulu. "Sir Auron."
"No need for the 'Sir' Yuna," Auron insisted. "It's just Auron now."
"Yes Sir…I mean…Auron," Yuna tried.
"What's it like to be a leader of Spira?" Auron asked, his hefty sword swinging behind his back.
"It's…difficult," Yuna admitted. "I'm having a hard time letting go of the past."
"You must let go," Auron told her. "Otherwise you will be stuck in the past."
Yuna nodded. "Yes…Auron."
She talked a while longer with Auron before going to Wakka, who was talking with Chappu.
"We all beat Sin, and Yu Yevon," Wakka explained to Chappu. "But then…oh…I'm no good at those things…but it was amazing, Chappu! You should've been there! I was a bit worried about Yuna, but she did fantastic, ya? Man!"
"I'm sure it woulda been good to be there, ya!" Chappu responded. "I'd like to beat the crap outta Sin. But he's gone now, so I shouldn't worry anymore, ya?"
Yuna smiled. Chappu and Wakka were so much alike. She turned to Rikku, who was speaking with her brother in Al Bhed.
"Having fun?" Yuna asked.
"Yeah…I am!" Rikku admitted before turning back to talk some more.
Kimahri was also talking to his family. "Everyone's having a great time talking to the ones that they've lost," Yuna thought. "Why are they so happy, even though they know that that person's going to be gone forever?"
She looked around at the other people of Spira who she didn't know. "A lot of the people in the Farplane I sent," Yuna thought. "I was the one who had to send their spirits here…"
"Yuna, you look upset, ya?" Wakka said, coming up from behind her. "Why don't you think of someone to talk to, ya? I'm sure it'd be fun!"
"Yeah, think of Tidus, you know?" Rikku told her, who had just come.
Yuna didn't want to think of Tidus – but trying not to think about him, made her think of him, of course.
She looked up to see the image of Tidus. But there wasn't one.
"WHOA!" Wakka breathed, looking around. "There…there isn't…what?"
"That means…Yunie…that means he's alive, you know?" Rikku said. "Right?"
"Not necessarily," Lulu interrupted. "He was…a dream of the Fayth, correct? And nobody sent him, right? He just disappeared."
"Thanks, Lulu!" Wakka said sarcastically. "Just ruin our happy thoughts, ya?"
Yuna choked. "I suppose so. Maybe Auron would know something about this, but he's…"
"…I'm right here, Yuna," Auron finished. "You thought of me…so I'm here."
"Sir…I mean…Auron – is what Rikku said true? Or what Lulu said true?" Yuna asked hopefully.
"What did they say?" Auron asked. "I didn't hear them."
"Oh!" Yuna exclaimed. "Sorry…Rikku thinks that Tidus is alive because he's not here when I thought of him. And Lulu says that he's dead because he's a dream of the Fayth, and nobody sent him."
Auron prodded his chin for a moment and adjusted his sunglasses. His scar on his cheek shone before them. "I'm not sure, Yuna," he admitted. "I don't know what happened when Tidus disappeared. I was sent to the Farplane at that time."
"Kimahri has sphere!" Kimahri roared. "Kimahri collects spheres."
He took a sphere out of a bag attached to his sphere and let it play. It ran through the whole scene when Tidus disappeared. Yuna couldn't help it; tears began to stream down her face like a river as the depressing scene played. After it finished, Auron seemed to have an answer.
"Yuna you felt very upset when he was leaving, right?" Auron said, answering the question for her. "That need for him…those tears…could've been your very own sending. You don't necessarily have to prance around on the water, waving your staff everywhere…" Yuna giggled, but Auron continued. "…those tears could've been a sending…but not necessarily to the Farplane. Or maybe…someone else performed a sending to somewhere else besides the Farplane. Either way, I do not believe he's dead."
"Ha! Take that, Lulu!" Wakka laughed. "Don't every go against Sir Auron's words, ya? He's always correct, ya? That means Tidus is alive!"
Lulu shook her head. "I don't doubt you, Sir Auron," she said. "But where could Tidus be then?"
"Perhaps Cid could do another search, like he did for Yuna," Auron guessed.
"Yes, but wouldn't it be more difficult?" Lulu asked, with a bit of rage in her tone of voice. "We wouldn't have any clue where to start! He obviously wouldn't be in a large city, for their very large, and there's hundreds upon hundreds of small cities and villages. Where could we start?"
"That's for you to find out," Auron told them. "I'm not with you anymore, so I can't guide the way. I can't start the path, or lead the destination. I can't help you with your journey anymore. It must be irritating, I know. Or are you afraid?"
"We're not afraid!" Rikku shouted. "We're confident! We're determined! We rock!"
"Someone's a little overexcited, ya?" Wakka asked suggestively.
"Why shouldn't I?" Rikku yelled back. "We're going to find Tidus! And Yunie will be happy again!"
Yuna smiled and nodded confidently. She hoped Rikku's words would come true. The only problem was – she didn't know where to start to look!
**********************************
I've finally got Chapter 2 up! Whew! I'm sorry it's taken so long. And I'd also like to let you know: I know that the spirits in the Farplane don't usually talk, but I did in this story, just so you can understand things better! Please don't yell at me for that – I did it for a purpose! Thanks for reviewing!
Anonymous I do not get your review, but that's all right. Thanks anyway!
Never-A-Final-Fantasy Damn the criket! *lol* I'm glad you love it!
Butterflyz I was crying very hard too! We have something in common! Thanks for the compliments!
Alyse I'm glad you like optimists! I…am…writing…more! Don't you worry! I just had to think of what would happen next!
Yuna stood outside of Luca's Blitzball sphere, where the press conference was taking place. Wakka had his hand clasped on Yuna's shoulder, giving her confidence. She sighed deeply, nodded her head, and went inside the sphere…where she had had so many memories.
"Welcome everyone," she greeted, speaking loudly into the microphone. Everyone cheered wildly; some men whistled and cheered. Yuna rolled her eyes, gripping her staff tightly. Many monks and single men wanted to be the husband of the ruler of Spira, which was now Yuna. She sighed and continued. "We've all been brought here today to discuss how we're going to turn Spira around into a world of eternal peace." More applause. Yuna smiled and wondered how long this would take. She noticed Rikku in the crowd smiling and giving her the thumbs-up. "I used to be abandoned from the temples of Yevon because I had betrayed them along with my guardians. But it was Yevon who betrayed us. All of the Maesters of Yevon, the rulers of Yevon, they were misusing the teachings, and made Yevon a mockery. Maester Seymour, Maester Mika, all of them. All of them lied. And all of them turned against me, my guardians, and all of you people! But now, Sin is gone, and Yevon is gone as well. We will have new teachings, and a new way of life!"
After an hour of speeches, negotiations, and suggestions, Yuna decided that the press conference/meeting had come to an end. She stepped down from the podium from where she spoke and headed towards her guardians…no, her friends.
They all smiled and congratulated her. Except Lulu. "Where's Lulu?" Yuna asked.
"She went to ask Cid to use the airship," Rikku explained. "We're gonna go to the Farplane!"
Yuna gasped. She'd be able to see Sir Auron again, and…Tidus, as well. She gulped nervously, but nodded. "Then let's go!"
Yuna, Wakka, Kimahri, and Rikku boarded the airship 5 minutes later with Lulu and made their way to Guadosalam, which was near the Farplane. Soon, they all began to talk about who they were going to visit in the Farplane.
"I'm going to visit my brother," Rikku declared. "I haven't seen him since we left Home."
"I'm going to visit Chappu," Wakka told them. "Gotta tell him how we defeated Sin!"
"I'm going to visit Sir Auron," Lulu said, sitting down beside them. "I wonder how he's doing."
Kimahri stood in silence. "Kimahri will visit his family," he explained. "Maester Seymour kill them. Kimahri will visit them."
The group turned their heads to Yuna, urging her to speak. "I'm…" she began. "I'm going to visit everyone that we've lost."
"All right," Cid called. "We're here! And don't be too long – we've got other places to see!"
The group left the airship and walked along the small streets of Guadosalam. The Guados all applauded Yuna and her guardians. Yuna had finally made peace between the Guados, the Al Bheds, and the humans. Or at least she was trying.
Rikku looked around and spotted Seymour's old house. "I wonder how his assistant is doing," Rikku wondered. "Probably in desperation, grief. Maybe that'll teach him not to mess with us!"
Wakka laughed. "He didn't do nothing bad though, ya?"
"What are you talking about, Wakka?" Lulu asked. "He tried to kill us for murdering Seymour!"
"Ya, but he didn't know that Seymour had done all those bad things!" Wakka argued, his Blitzball shaking vigorously in his hands. "He didn't know that we killed him because he killed his father!"
"We told him though!" Rikku exclaimed, siding with Lulu. "We told him that Seymour was the traitor. In fact, Tidus told him…" she gulped, but continued. "They didn't believe us!"
"Of course they didn't believe us!" Wakka said matter-of-factly. "They were Guados, they trusted in Maester Seymour, not humans!"
The group looked at him furiously. Wakka gulped and muttered, "Sorry."
After a few more minutes of walking (in silence), the group reached the entrance of the Farplane, where the living could visit the dead.
"Are you sure you want to go inside, Rikku?" Kimahri asked.
"Sure!" Rikku replied. "I want to see my brother. I know it's better to keep my memories inside instead of letting my emotions show, but…I want to go inside."
Yuna led the way into the Farplane. She went up the steps onto the circle. Many people were already gathered there, crying softly and speaking to spirits that were hovering slightly outside of the circle. She sighed yet again. She remembered the last time she was here, with Tidus. But she decided to leave him out of her thoughts for now, because she didn't want to see his body in the Farplane.
She watched Lulu talk with Auron, and decided to talk with Auron as well. She walked up to Lulu, who was talking animatedly with Auron.
"Yuna is doing a fantastic job as the leader of Spira," Yuna heard Lulu say. "If only you were here to look over her to discipline her…"
"I'm sure you're doing a fine job on your own," Auron assured her. "Ah, Yuna!"
Yuna gulped and walked beside Lulu. "Sir Auron."
"No need for the 'Sir' Yuna," Auron insisted. "It's just Auron now."
"Yes Sir…I mean…Auron," Yuna tried.
"What's it like to be a leader of Spira?" Auron asked, his hefty sword swinging behind his back.
"It's…difficult," Yuna admitted. "I'm having a hard time letting go of the past."
"You must let go," Auron told her. "Otherwise you will be stuck in the past."
Yuna nodded. "Yes…Auron."
She talked a while longer with Auron before going to Wakka, who was talking with Chappu.
"We all beat Sin, and Yu Yevon," Wakka explained to Chappu. "But then…oh…I'm no good at those things…but it was amazing, Chappu! You should've been there! I was a bit worried about Yuna, but she did fantastic, ya? Man!"
"I'm sure it woulda been good to be there, ya!" Chappu responded. "I'd like to beat the crap outta Sin. But he's gone now, so I shouldn't worry anymore, ya?"
Yuna smiled. Chappu and Wakka were so much alike. She turned to Rikku, who was speaking with her brother in Al Bhed.
"Having fun?" Yuna asked.
"Yeah…I am!" Rikku admitted before turning back to talk some more.
Kimahri was also talking to his family. "Everyone's having a great time talking to the ones that they've lost," Yuna thought. "Why are they so happy, even though they know that that person's going to be gone forever?"
She looked around at the other people of Spira who she didn't know. "A lot of the people in the Farplane I sent," Yuna thought. "I was the one who had to send their spirits here…"
"Yuna, you look upset, ya?" Wakka said, coming up from behind her. "Why don't you think of someone to talk to, ya? I'm sure it'd be fun!"
"Yeah, think of Tidus, you know?" Rikku told her, who had just come.
Yuna didn't want to think of Tidus – but trying not to think about him, made her think of him, of course.
She looked up to see the image of Tidus. But there wasn't one.
"WHOA!" Wakka breathed, looking around. "There…there isn't…what?"
"That means…Yunie…that means he's alive, you know?" Rikku said. "Right?"
"Not necessarily," Lulu interrupted. "He was…a dream of the Fayth, correct? And nobody sent him, right? He just disappeared."
"Thanks, Lulu!" Wakka said sarcastically. "Just ruin our happy thoughts, ya?"
Yuna choked. "I suppose so. Maybe Auron would know something about this, but he's…"
"…I'm right here, Yuna," Auron finished. "You thought of me…so I'm here."
"Sir…I mean…Auron – is what Rikku said true? Or what Lulu said true?" Yuna asked hopefully.
"What did they say?" Auron asked. "I didn't hear them."
"Oh!" Yuna exclaimed. "Sorry…Rikku thinks that Tidus is alive because he's not here when I thought of him. And Lulu says that he's dead because he's a dream of the Fayth, and nobody sent him."
Auron prodded his chin for a moment and adjusted his sunglasses. His scar on his cheek shone before them. "I'm not sure, Yuna," he admitted. "I don't know what happened when Tidus disappeared. I was sent to the Farplane at that time."
"Kimahri has sphere!" Kimahri roared. "Kimahri collects spheres."
He took a sphere out of a bag attached to his sphere and let it play. It ran through the whole scene when Tidus disappeared. Yuna couldn't help it; tears began to stream down her face like a river as the depressing scene played. After it finished, Auron seemed to have an answer.
"Yuna you felt very upset when he was leaving, right?" Auron said, answering the question for her. "That need for him…those tears…could've been your very own sending. You don't necessarily have to prance around on the water, waving your staff everywhere…" Yuna giggled, but Auron continued. "…those tears could've been a sending…but not necessarily to the Farplane. Or maybe…someone else performed a sending to somewhere else besides the Farplane. Either way, I do not believe he's dead."
"Ha! Take that, Lulu!" Wakka laughed. "Don't every go against Sir Auron's words, ya? He's always correct, ya? That means Tidus is alive!"
Lulu shook her head. "I don't doubt you, Sir Auron," she said. "But where could Tidus be then?"
"Perhaps Cid could do another search, like he did for Yuna," Auron guessed.
"Yes, but wouldn't it be more difficult?" Lulu asked, with a bit of rage in her tone of voice. "We wouldn't have any clue where to start! He obviously wouldn't be in a large city, for their very large, and there's hundreds upon hundreds of small cities and villages. Where could we start?"
"That's for you to find out," Auron told them. "I'm not with you anymore, so I can't guide the way. I can't start the path, or lead the destination. I can't help you with your journey anymore. It must be irritating, I know. Or are you afraid?"
"We're not afraid!" Rikku shouted. "We're confident! We're determined! We rock!"
"Someone's a little overexcited, ya?" Wakka asked suggestively.
"Why shouldn't I?" Rikku yelled back. "We're going to find Tidus! And Yunie will be happy again!"
Yuna smiled and nodded confidently. She hoped Rikku's words would come true. The only problem was – she didn't know where to start to look!
**********************************
I've finally got Chapter 2 up! Whew! I'm sorry it's taken so long. And I'd also like to let you know: I know that the spirits in the Farplane don't usually talk, but I did in this story, just so you can understand things better! Please don't yell at me for that – I did it for a purpose! Thanks for reviewing!
Anonymous I do not get your review, but that's all right. Thanks anyway!
Never-A-Final-Fantasy Damn the criket! *lol* I'm glad you love it!
Butterflyz I was crying very hard too! We have something in common! Thanks for the compliments!
Alyse I'm glad you like optimists! I…am…writing…more! Don't you worry! I just had to think of what would happen next!