Chapter 3 - Passionate Evenings/Rediscovery

Perhaps Felix had a point. There were a lot of people at the festival being thrown. Lulu and Kimarhi stood watching the party from the balcony of the inn. Yuna was in plain sight, near the stage set up for the provincial leader to give an address for Yuna and her deeds bringing the eternal calm. Wakka was scoping the crowd, keeping an eye on the people. Though they had their inhibitions about him, Felix's warning sparked their fears and they kept a watch on the crowd very closely.

"You see anything?" Lulu asked. The Ronso shook his head silently, the best response she had gotten out of him all evening, "There are a lot of people in Kilika now. I don't remember there being this many. Maybe it was because of those people Sin killed."

"No," Kimarhi shook his head, "People repopulate after Sin gone. No longer fear death, give life."

Lulu stood silently, pondering Kimarhi's words. Was it true? Was all of Spira like Kilika, growing and changing at an exponential rate? If so, the followers of the New Yevon order were sure to be huge, almost as large as the Al Bhed. Felix had told her there were many changes, but she wasn't sure on what scale he was referring to.

"Lulu go enjoy party," Kimarhi put his massive hand on her shoulder, "Kimarhi keep watch."

"You sure?"

"Lulu not been to party in five years," Kimarhi continued, "Time for Lulu to move on."

"You know I don't like socials anymore," Lulu huffed, "I like who I am."

"Kimarhi like old Lulu," he returned to his watchful pose, "Go."

Lulu sighed, "I guess I should go keep an eye on Wakka before he gets into trouble."

She picked up her moogle doll and descended the stairs into the lobby of the inn. Felix was there, leaning against the wall, as she had grown accustomed to encountering him. His cloak was still on, covering his whole body down to his knees. From there, his brown boots highlighted the rest of his ensemble.

"Shouldn't you be looking after Yuna?" Lulu asked sarcastically.

"I thought I'd leave it to the professionals," he snickered.

"Funny," Lulu shook her head walking past him towards the door.

"Aren't you a little old to be playing with dolls?" he asked, stopping her at the doorway. She clutched the moogle in her hands before turning to face him.

"It's none of your business why I have this," she grimaced, "It's a private matter."

"I was just curious," he shrugged his shoulders.

"Perhaps you could try to be less curious," she sneered.

"You've got an odd sense of humor," he laughed.

"Look, just get us to Zanarkand and show us this 'Otherworld' and our business is done with you," she opened the door and walked into the crowded festival.

Thinking to herself as she clutched the moogle at her side, why in the world were they following Felix anyway? They were perfectly capable of getting to Zanarkand on their own. All they had to do was find Cid in Luca and Lulu was sure he would give them a ride to Zanarkand in the airship if it meant getting 'him' back in Spira.

Lulu meandered through the crowd, her thoughts addressing her randomly as she searched for Wakka and Yuna. Her mind drifted back to the fiend attack on Besaid. Yuna would have surely died; splattered at the bottom of the cliff if Felix hadn't shown up at the time he did and rescues her. But the fiends, the fiends were what caused her the most intrigue. They almost seemed coordinated in their attack, but the only way fiends worked together was if someone was controlling them, like the Guado could.

Was it the Guado who sent the fiends to attack them and attempt to kill Yuna? No, Lulu was certain of it. The Guado had spent the last two years trying to wash the foul stench of Seymour's treachery out of their mouths, so it was mostly likely someone else.

Suddenly, Lulu heard screams rip through the crowd. Rushing through the crowds to find the source of the outcry, Lulu tripped and stumbled forward. When she looked up, she was staring at the snarling teeth of a Chimera's fiery head. Lulu froze, her world stopping around her as the beast raised its arm back to strike her. Holding her moogle over her face, she prepared for the blow that would strike her down.

"Lulu!" Felix shouted, tackling her out of the way moments before the Chimera's mighty claw struck her. They tumbled across the wooden pier that was the village and into a group of barrels stacked up. They came to rest with Felix on top and Lulu holding onto his forearms, "Are you okay?"

"Yes," she replied in shock from the events that had happened. She quickly released his arms, pulling herself back to her feet, "The Chimera!"

Felix drew his sword and spun quickly, slashing the left arm of the beast off. It roared in pain as he rolled underneath the monster's bloody left side. The tail of the Chimera reared up, preparing to strike Felix as he sliced at it. The agility of the monster's tail surprised Felix as it grabbed the blade of the sword in its mouth and yanked it out of his hands. He watched in horror as the blade flew into the water.

"Lulu, burn it!" he shouted.

Lulu nodded before raising her hands over her head as the moogle was filled with the magical essence of fire.

"It's about to get hot in here," she quipped, "Firaga!"

The tail shrieked, flames bursting forth from its mouth. The rest of the Chimera howled too, swinging blindly at the pair of attackers. Felix leapt aside from the monster's claws and pulled his machina weapon out. Aiming at the remaining head of the beast, he pulled the trigger twice. The head infused with water exploded as the rounds impacted it. The monster took a step forward before falling face first on the pier, dead.

"Lulu!" Wakka shouted, pushing his way through the crowd as they started to regather around the scene of the battle, "Yuna's been kidnapped!"

"They've more than likely taken her to the temple," Felix reholstered his weapon, "Let's go."

He took a step towards the path leading to the temple and collapsed straight on his face. Lulu rushed to his side, putting her hand on his back.

"Are you okay?" she asked, her question being answered by the warm feeling of blood on her fingers. The Chimera had slashed him when he dove in the way to save her, "Wakka! You and Kimarhi go get Yuna!"

"What about you?" Wakka asked as Kimarhi took off running.

"Just go!"

* * *

"Let me go!" Yuna shouted as her assailants drug her up the steps towards the Kilika temple. Two men gripped her, each carrying her by her arms. She couldn't see their faces due to hoods that they wore.

"Quiet summoner," the larger ordered, "This won't take long."

Her feet drug on the steps of the temple path as they reached the midway point.

"Hey stop!" Yuna heard Wakka shout. She strained her neck to see Kimarhi and Wakka running up the steps in a full sprint.

"What the hell?" the smaller shouted, "He said the Chimera would take care of the guardians!"

"He was obviously wrong," the first released Yuna and drew a dagger from his belt, "Guess we'll have to do this ourselves!"

Yuna watched as the man lunged at Kimarhi with his dagger. She shouted as Kimarhi sidestepped the attack, grabbing the man's arm and twisting it. The sound of the bone snapping in an indescribable number of times was overwhelming. The man screamed as he collapsed to the ground.

"Holy shit!" the first cried, releasing Yuna and making a run up the stone steps towards the temple.

"Not so fast!" Wakka shouted, letting his blitzball fly. The ball smashed into the man's shoulders and he collapsed to the ground on the stairway.

Kimarhi rushed to Yuna's side, cradling her while he checked for other assailants. Wakka grabbed the man writhing on the ground in pain and held him up in the air. He ripped the mask off and tossed it aside to reveal the man's true face.

"Who are you?" Wakka asked, "You've got a lot of nerve kidnapping Yuna, eh!"

"We were hired!" the man shouted, the pain in his arm evident in his volume, "Please! Don't kill us!"

"And why not?"

"Spare us! We're just out of work crusaders doing a job for money!" the man shrieked, "We don't have anything against the summoner!"

"Crusaders!" Wakka tossed the man to the ground, landing on his broken arm, "What's going on around here?"

"It is Felix," Kimarhi helped Yuna to her feet, "He is hiding something."

"You're right," Wakka nodded, "Hope he doesn't die before I get my hands on him."

"Don't say that!" Yuna added, "After what he's told us! How can you accuse him of being evil?"

"I'm not saying that, Yuna," Wakka fought for the right words, "Look, we all want him back, but maybe this Felix is using your emotions, ya? That's worse than these two thugs trying to kidnap you."

"I suppose," Yuna lowered her head, "Still...."

"It's okay," Wakka hugged her, "We're here to protect you Yuna, from anyone."

* * *

Tidus stood watching the crowd mill about in the streets of the east block. The festival was a three-day celebration for the start of the new Blitzball season. He and the Abes had finished second the previous year in the Jecht Cup tournament. The odd thing was, he had a hard time remembering what had happened in the championship game. All he knew was they were officially declared the runner ups.

"Hey!" Miki shouted, "Are you just going to stand around all night?"

"What? Oh, sorry," he laughed, "I was just thinking."

"About what?" she sipped at the drink in her hand, "Blitzball?"

"Yeah."

"You know, you shouldn't worry about it so much, it's only a game," she laughed, "There are other things in the world, you know?"

"Yeah it's just..."

The only thing that mattered to me was the game, ya? the voice from the boat spoke again.

"Huh? Who said that?" he spun around looking down into the alley behind him.

"Said what?" Miki giggled, "Are you hearing voices again?"

"I don't know," he rubbed his head, "I need a drink."

"Well come on," she grabbed his arm, dragging him through the crowd.

"Hey, wait a minute!" Tidus protested.

* * *

When Felix awoke, he was lying on his stomach, his head facing to the left. Maneuvering to where he could see the room he was in, he noticed Lulu enter through the bamboo door.

"You're awake," she spoke calmly, placing a cold, wet rag on his back, "This should keep the swelling down."

"What happened?" he asked, trying to move through the pain in his back.

"You were wounded by the Chimera when you tackled me," Lulu recalled the events of the previous evening, "Didn't it hurt?"

"A lot," he laughed a little, "But I had to kill it before anyone got hurt."

Lulu laughed a little too. She reached in the small satchel she was carrying and pulled out a potion. Opening the small cork, she poured the soothing aloe on his wound. The purple liquid seeped into the wound, making Felix twitch.

"Gah, that hurts," he complained.

"Better than having a gash in your back," Lulu snickered, rubbing the potion gently over the wounded area. When she drug him into the inn after Wakka and Kimarhi had taken off, she had taken his cloak and shirt off. They were torn, but hung on the edge of the chair sitting across the room. His two remaining weapons, the whip and his machina, were lying in the chair also.

"Did you find Yuna?" he asked.

"Yes," Lulu nodded, finishing with the potion, "Two ex-crusaders were responsible. Their names are Biggs and Wedge."

"I see," Felix propped his chin on his forearms and stared straight ahead at the wall.

"Tell me something," Lulu stood up, "The Chimera's are not native to this area, how could those two have brought one here?"

"I don't know," Felix sat up, wincing at the pain in his back.

"Yes you do," Lulu crossed her arms under her chest, "And you're not telling us. Why?"

Felix looked at her before standing up and walking over to the chair where his clothes were. He slid his shirt on followed by the twin armguards that served as shoulder pads. He fastened them before sliding the holster belt with the machina weapon around his waist and clasping it together.

"You want to know why Yuna's been attacked twice in different manners since I showed up?"

Lulu nodded.

"To be honest," he hooked the whip to the back of his belt, "I came to find you on my own, but I was hired."

"Hired? By who?"

"I don't know. He contacted me secretly and told me about the Otherworld. He even showed me proof. After that, he paid me a million gil to bring Yuna to the moonflow."

"This changes everything," Lulu rubbed her head, "When were you going to tell us?"

"Before we got there," he tossed the cloak over his shoulder, "I promise I was."

He got no response from Lulu as she turned and walked out of the hotel room. He sighed, following her out into the Kilika morning. Wakka, Kimarhi, and Yuna were standing by the boarding ramp for the ship. In Wakka's hand, he held Felix's sword.

"Here!" he tossed it to him.

"Thank you, Wakka," he looked at the blade before sheathing it.

"Just to repay you for saving Lu," Wakka turned an annoyed look at him, "Doesn't mean I trust you."

Felix did not reply as Kimarhi and Yuna started up the ramp to the boat.

"Where are you going?" Felix asked.

"Luca," Yuna responded, "The men were from Luca. I thought maybe we could find out something there?"

Felix laughed, "Smart girl. Never would have expected that from you."

Yuna gave him a puzzled look before heading onto the ship followed by her guardians. Felix laughed again before putting his cloak on and heading up the ramp. The crewman at the ramp nodded to him then slid the plank up. The horn blared as the ship pulled out of port. Wakka went up the observation deck while Lulu disappeared into the interior of the ship. Felix looked around and saw Yuna and Kimarhi standing at the bow overlooking the surf. He took a glimpse towards Wakka before walking carefully across the deck towards the bow. Kimarhi glared evilly at him as he silently stood next to Yuna.

"What's it like?" he asked, "To have a father that's so famous in Spira?"

"It's exciting," Yuna responded, clutching her hand at her chest, "My father was a very good man."

"I never knew my father," Felix shook his head, "He left me in Bevelle when I was little to go fight Sin. He never came back."

"I'm sorry," Yuna apologized, "Have you ever visited him in the Farplane?"

"No, I don't believe in that place."

"I see. Tell me, do you think that there really is an Otherworld? You know, in Zanarkand?"

"I wouldn't have the slightest idea," Felix watched the sea foam crash against the wooden ship, "I've never been there."

* * *

"Come back!" Tidus shouted as Miki danced amongst the crowd. Laughing and giggling, she disappeared into the sea of gathered peoples.

He chased her across the platform they were on until he reached the reclusive parts of his section of the city. The slums as they were referred to, were the breeding ground for Zanarkand's more shady characters. Auron had told him once never to go near them, but he had to find Miki.

Wandering through the alleyways, he thought he'd search forever without finding her. He turned a corner and saw a small child crouching next to a dumpster.

"Hey kid," he kneeled down next to the hooded child, "You okay?"

"I'm all alone," the little girl, as it turned out to be, "Everyone's gone but me."

"Well, where are your parents?"

"Everyone's gone. I thought we were all going, but they left me."

"You're not making any sense kid," Tidus shook his head, "Come with me and we'll find your parents."

He reached out and took the girl's arm. When he did, a bright light flashed before him and a warm sensation flew through his veins. Suddenly, he was standing in what appeared to be a marketplace. Around him, people were walking about in some sort of festive manner. The crowd parted seemingly and a young woman appeared before Tidus. She looked familiar, but Tidus was sure he had never seen her before.

"Hey watch," she laughed before whistling loudly.

"Do I know you?" he asked, reaching out for the brown haired girl.

Suddenly, the scene changed again. This time he was standing in a lake at nighttime with the girl still in front of him.

"I...," she held her head low, "I would like to see your Zanarkand someday."

"Who are you?" he asked again, touching her shoulder.

When he did, there was another flash. Tidus was back in the alley, sitting against the wall. His vision was blurry and his head hurt. In front of him, he thought he saw the young woman again.

"Hey, you okay?" she asked.

"Yuna!" he shouted, reaching out to her.

"Yuna?" the girl looked offended, "Who's Yuna?"

"Huh?" he shook his head and the fogginess in his vision lifted to where he could tell it was Miki standing over him, "Miki?"

"I said, 'Who's Yuna'? You're not seeing another girl behind my back are you, Tidus?"

"No, I'm not," he stood up, "That name, it sounds so familiar."

"It should," Auron spoke from the alley entrance, "What are you doing back here?"

"I was looking for Miki, then there was this crying little girl, then...."

"I see," Auron interrupted him, "Interesting. And here I thought we had sent them all to the Farplane."

"Farplane?" Miki looked at the old man then back to Tidus, "What's going on?"

"Yeah, Auron," Tidus crossed his arms over his chest, "What gives?"

"If you want to know," Auron turned around and started walking back towards the party, "Come to the stadium at sunset tomorrow."

"Auron!" Tidus shouted as his long time friend disappeared into the crowd.