- - -
Time didn't seem to pass, not for him. The rest of the world, presumably outside somewhere, continued its relentless progress through the minutes and hours.
Somewhere outside, unseen. Unimportant.
He sat with his head on his knees and his hands squeezing his feet. He wasn't a man with thoughts; he was, instead, just a ball of the most unpleasant of emotions.
Sadness.
Pain.
Guilt.
Regret.
Without his meddling, she might be here somehow. She would scold him, telling him to do his share of the work for the villagers. "Lazy," she might have muttered. "Get up and do something—how can you just sit there?"
"I'm sorry," he spoke aloud. He waited for a reply—even a snappy, condescending remark would do right now.
There was no answer. There never would be. He was about to breathe out again when there were footsteps approaching his huddled form.
"Wakka." It was the old woman.
"Go away," he sniveled, free of shame.
"Sir Wakka, there's somebody to meet you." This time the girl spoke.
"Not now."
"I think they need it right now—and you do too!"
They? Who were they?
The man stood, looked over his shoulder.
Time stopped.
In the women's arms were cradled two soft bundles. Out of each a small, pink face squinted out at the world, a little afraid but wonderfully curious.
"They…" Beautiful, he thought, so beautiful.
"You have a son and a daughter," announced the grandmother. The moment was bittersweet, but she was at least able to smile.
Her granddaughter beamed. "They were holding hands when they were born! Isn't that wonderful?"
-
Yuna awoke with a chill racing up and down her spine.
It feels as though…something has left the world. I can feel it, I… She clasped her hands together tightly. Please—oh please, do— let everyone be all right.
-
"Hey, what's the matter?" the boy spoke in response.
"Oh, sorry, Zysac," Rikku replied, realizing she had jumped and squeezed him extra tightly. "I just got this horrible feeling, all of a sudden. Like someone I was connected to…" …is gone. She buried her face into his back. Yuna? Did they do something to her? "Let's hurry, 'kay?"
Zysac started up the vehicle again and maneuvered his way to catch up with Kimahri. Miss Rikku's worrying about something. What can I say? Oh, I'll probably just make it worse, I always do…
I'm scared, Rikku thought. It feels like I'm losing everything at once. What kind of Calm is this, anyway? When we saved Yuna, everything was supposed to be fine…! You lied to me, Tidus, you lied. And now you aren't here to help me protect her anymore… Tidus, you jerk.
No, it wasn't right to think ill of a dead person. With some guilt, she managed to shrug it off, at least outwardly. Somehow, she did. This was her strength. "Hey, you're not thinking bad stuff about yourself again, are you?"
"How did you know?"
She unraveled one arm from his side and hit him playfully. "I told you to stop doing that."
Zysac blushed to himself and drove on into the white flurries.
-
There were light, crisp notes weaving around her sleeping head. She blinked her eyes open—one emerald, one sapphire—and stretched pale ears out to distinguish the sounds of reality from those of her dreams.
It was late evening, or, at least, the very end of daylight; the sun was all but gone, greedily kidnapping the day's warmth and brilliance to sleep in the depths of the turquoise sea.
Her other senses awoke, one by one. She felt gritty sand imbedded in her cheek, smelled some sort of fish broiling, tasted salty air in her mouth. The image of a beach soon focused in her eyes, and she promptly sat up.
Beside her, sitting on a log, was a man she did not remember seeing. He seemed very dark to her, with deeply tanned skin, hair and clothes of midnight, and eyes intensely focused on the crackling fire. In his mouth was a thin silver pipe, on which he performed a haunting tone with quick fingers.
Yuna rubbed hard with the palms of her hands to dislodge the sand stuck to her face. She felt a bit grimy all over. No wonder; she was still wearing her nightclothes from last night—was it last night? She did not know how much time had passed since her abduction. For that matter, where were her abductors?
"Excuse me," she said politely to the musician. He did not reply, so she tried again. "Excuse me, sir?"
Was he deaf? No, that would not make much sense. Yuna just studied him, wondering what sort of person he was. Would he soon jerk out his reverie and become violent? There were people like that.
The song apparently finished, and the man tucked away the pipe in an inner pocket of his dark clothing. Now, he turned his head, and spoke with a very deep voice. "What?" was all he uttered.
A small, alarming chill ran along her spine. She managed to keep herself from visibly shaking. "I am sorry to bother you, but I think I need to know where I am." Perhaps her body was still, but her voice trembled. Heavens.
"I am not so sure."
Not so sure she needed to know, or not so sure where they were? Yuna didn't have a chance to follow up, for, just then, the red-haired Guado woman and her lackey, the priest, came bursting through the lines of trees with logs filling their arms.
"Ach, you finally woke up," said the Guado woman.
"What are you doing with me?" Yuna rose to her feet. She had to be strong and hold her ground… She couldn't just be obedient anymore.
"Hold your tongue in front of those who have power over you, Lady," she mocked in return.
"You have none. I do have a right to know what you want with me." She licked her lips. "I don't even know who you are."
"I am Paav, and this bumbling Old priest is Rede. And he," she gestured, grimacing slightly, at the flute player, "is just a shadow for all I care. A mercenary, if you like."
The 'shadow' did not respond. Maybe he was not even paying attention.
"Then who I am to you?" the Summoner asked.
"You…" She exhaled deeply through her teeth, flexing her oversized, drooping Guado hands. "You are the bane of the Guado. You destroyed our leader and thus brought chaos and torment. Then you and your cohorts dare to assist the damned Al-Bhed." She had to stop for another breath. Her skin was approaching the color of her tangled hair as she listed off Yuna's list of crimes. "And, as a last blow, you destroy the only holding fiber of this world, Yevon—you murder a god, just because you can. You destroy your own aeons—all aeons… You ended an era of pure worship and unity—"
"What about Sin?" cried Yuna. "You would rather have people join a chain of suicide to defeat it over and over—you would have more defenseless people live in fear and suffering?"
"What about the world today? At least Sin gave us a common cause—except for those heathen Al-Bhed—"
"The Al-Bhed are good people!"
"You and your friends represented every group, didn't they? You had plenty of humans, even an old veteran—you had Ronso and Al-Bhed, mages and fighters and some blitzers—even someone who never existed—but did you have one Guado along? How did you represent our interests?"
"We—"
"You. You think you were fair—but you were just serving your own purposes. Where is all this eternal happiness that was promised to us? Where is the new, more beautiful life we were supposed to get?"
"I—"
"You nothing, girl!" Paav dropped her firewood to the ground and stomped off into the woods.
"Paav…" muttered Rede, and he followed after her, like a loyal puppy, through the throng of trees and underbrush.
Yuna was again left with the dark flute player, as well as her own doubts and thoughts. She sighed, and set about collecting back the wood that had been carelessly dropped. After there were a few more pieces on the fire, and the rest piled up neatly a few feet away, she looked around for what else she could do.
There was the cooking food, so she tended to it, turning the smoldering fish over on their sticks. There was also a pot of some sort of broth, which the woman stirred absentmindedly.
She sighed to herself. "I only want to know where I am…" It was too much for a prisoner, maybe. Was she a prisoner? She couldn't say at this point. Would they care if she just wandered off down the beach? Or would that man jump to action and throw a knife in her back as she tried?
No, she couldn't let something like that happen. She had to keep going and find Tidus.
Tidus.
Yuna closed her eyes and clasped her hands together, praying. Tidus…I'd almost forgotten. What a mess I'm in now—I don't even know what they want me for. Am I to be a bargaining chip, or is this just some kind of revenge for Miss Paav? I fear I cannot understand them.
She recalled the feeling of fear she'd felt in the middle of the night, and it began to worry her again. I want my friends beside me again. Is everyone all right? Rikku and Kimahri are probably looking for me. Lulu and Wakka are safe at Besaid. I wonder how Lulu is? Has she had her baby yet?
Yuna said a quick prayer for the new baby, bowing ceremoniously to no god at all.
"You who destroyed religion, you still bow? What could bring the slayer of Yevon to bow?" The man had spoken again, and Yuna had jumped, hearing his eerie voice behind her.
Yuna chose to be cool, smoothing over her tense feelings with an awkward smile. "I suppose," she said, her hands folded in front of her, "it is a ingrained habit. Besides, I still have many things to pray for."
Her green eye, as well as its blue partner, focused on him curiously. "You…sir, you are not a Guado. Does that mean more people than they are angry with me?"
He did not smile, but the deadpan expression on his face never seemed to change. So perhaps he was smiling, because humor fringed his words. "I am not a Yevonite, and I never was. My reasons for being here are my own."
"You hold something else against me?"
"No. Money."
Yuna did crack a smile, because she was warm like that, and, maybe, because she felt a bit safer if he could talk to her, and not just stare. That was unnerving. But talking, talking was good. Talking lead to discussion, the sharing of ideas, the understanding of others. And it lead to the foundation of all good politics: compromise.
Yes, talking.
Might he talk a little more?
It had been a long time since the feeling had passed. The sudden burst of panic, the worrying that followed. It was over now, but it still hung back in her mind. She was thankful, but still bothered.
They had finally made it back to the ship, and she and Kimahri had discussed at length their plans. He was on his way back to the mountain, along with a few of the crewmen, to investigate the Tidus sphere.
"When we find Yuna," Rikku had said, "she'll be mad if we haven't made any progress, don't you think?" Optimism was the key now.
So, Kimahri was gone, and Rikku had herself, Zysac, and a dozen crew to look after, as well as Yuna to look for. Maybe it was good practice. There were, after all, plans in order for her to take over charge of the Al-Bhed when Cid retired.
Speaking of Cid, he apparently was sending along a belated birthday present for his little sprite of a daughter.
And, presently, Rikku was grumbling about it on the tiny bridge of her ship.
"A present? What's he talking about—waiting here? We have to find Yuna. I don't know what he is thinking…"
She had a few spectators, but they watched on in anxious silence. Never knew they could sometimes be among the rowdiest fans at a blitzball tournament. Right now, they just seemed scared.
"Honestly, Vydran!"
Zysac came in, caring some reports from another part of the ship. He took a second to step back as Rikku's high-pitched shouts came roaring his way.
Yikes.
Rikku underwent a completely mood transformation as her eyes focused on him, flowing smoothly from pissed to eager in a mere second. "Are those the maps?"
She ripped them from his fingers and began studying them intently. Soon she plopped down right in the middle of the metal floor and began scratching notes in her childish handwriting, with a lot of frantic lines.
"Hey, I think it's here!" called someone from on the deck.
"Miss Rikku, you'd better come see this!"
"Way better than I thought!"
Rikku just glared stonily at the stairwell. "What are you fussing about? I'm busy."
"Come on," Zysac pleaded. He knew what was coming. He'd heard some of the other crew whisper about it earlier that afternoon.
"Ruhacdmo," muttered the blond leader, and she clumsily jumped to her feet and went up to see what all the yelling was about.
First her ears were met with a consistent whirring sound, and, as her head came out into the air, there was strong wind against her face. Her eyes bulged.
It was an airship.
It was a small, shining, yellow and orange airship, with two large propellers in the back, and small engines nestled below the main body. It must have been about a fourth the size of her father's—which was still a fair size.
Speaking of her vydran, he was now getting out on the shore, grinning at her as the dying sun shone off his balding head.
"You like it?" he called over in his burly voice. "Happy birthday!"
Rikku grinned, and rushed forward to hug him.
- - -
Author's Notes:
Sorry for how long this took to get up. I had a little bout with writer's block for this story, and, once I got going again, I had no time—! (Terrible, no?) The free time I did have I spent playing Kingdom Hearts. You should all go out and buy it. I can't wait for the sequel~~
Thank you all so much for the reviews. They seriously mean a lot to me. I kept getting email alerts, and I just felt guilty I didn't have enough to put up! But this weekend I think I'll try to hammer myself out another chapter, or at least get going on one.
Oh, I would really like to apologize for Lulu. But it just had to be done. She was one of my favorite characters, too… I just had built it up and foreshadowed too much to back out… That would have been pretty weak…
Hmm… Me shut up now. Jaa ne!