A note from the Hime no Argh herself-
*happy sigh* I love you all. I got a bunch of reviews for the last chapter which was SO NICE…that just makes it all worthwhile. Apparently my story is "promising" and "engaging"…I'm so glad that everyone's enjoying it. ^_^ Well, here is the next chapter. Chapter 4 is in the works and shall hopefully be out sometime next week. Thanks again, and enjoy!
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Chapter 3
On the Road
"Ready? One, two, three!"
Two voices rose above the Mi'ihen Highroad. Singing in Al Bhed at the top of their lungs, Yuna and Rikku sounded not so much like songbirds than crows, although Yuna's voice had a nice clear tone to it and Rikku at least could pronounce the words properly. The song was about Lord Mi'ihen and his adventures on the road.
"Hey, Lulu's not singing!" Yuna exclaimed in the middle of the song, and dissolved into giggles.
Rikku stopped singing and gave Lulu a reproachful look. "Lulu! After I spent all that time and effort teaching it to you!"
"I don't sing," Lulu remarked dryly.
"Neither do Rikku and I, but at least we try!" Yuna said, still laughing.
"That's all well for you," Lulu said soberly. "You have young, strong lungs."
"Are yours old and wheezy, grandmother?" Yuna teased, earning a glare from Lulu.
Lulu was twenty-eight, approaching the age of thirty, and a touch sensitive about her age. She hated to have it mentioned, especially around Rikku and Yuna, who were in their early twenties.
"Nothing to worry about," Rikku said cheerfully. "You should take a leaf out of Wakka's book. He's your age, but he acts like a little kid!"
Yuna glanced at Lulu, expecting her to snap at Rikku for noting her age, but to her surprise Lulu was watching the Al Bhed with a strange, thoughtful expression.
"So tell me, Rikku," Lulu murmured, her eyes gleaming, "is it the boyishness that is the attraction, or something else?"
Yuna looked quickly at Rikku and was fascinated to see a deep blush staining her cheeks. "W-what are you talking about?" she stammered.
Lulu blinked innocently. "Why, your being in love with Wakka, of course."
"What?!" Rikku bellowed. "I'm not in love with him!"
"Uh-huh."
"I'm not!"
"Of course."
"I'm not!"
"I believe you," Lulu said innocently, her expression clearly indicating otherwise.
"Are you?" Yuna asked Rikku curiously.
"No! I'm not- I don't- that's ridiculous!" Rikku sputtered.
"Actually..." Yuna commented slowly, "now that I think about it, it does kind of make sense."
"But-"
"I mean, you're always bickering with him," Yuna pointed out, grinning. "And you talk about him all the time. And you were really upset when we had to leave him behind."
"We were all upset!" Rikku cried.
"Yes, but you most of all," Lulu remarked.
Rikku glared at him. "Of course I was, he's my friend!"
"Yes, your lover friend," Lulu said wickedly, causing Yuna to burst into a fit of giggles.
Rikku made a frustrated noise. "You guys are nuts! I am not in love with him. And he's certainly
not-" Her face turned a shade of bright red, "-my lover!"
Yuna doubled over at the waist with laughter. Even Lulu chuckled.
Rikku glared at them. "You...! Bah! Why are you teasing me? Tease Yunie! She's the one making a journey to find her man!"
Yuna covered her mouth to stifle her laughter. "Next topic!" she cried.
"No!" Rikku, grinning, was on a roll. "Whatcha gonna do when you find him, Yunie? Are you gonna hug him?"
"Stop that."
"Are you gonna kiss him?"
"Go away!"
"Are you gonna looooooove him-"
"Quit it!" Yuna took a swing at her friend, laughing and missing by a mile. Rikku stuck her tongue out and ran off down the road, chased by the summoner.
Lulu rolled her eyes. "Kids."
* * *
The Bevelle domes and towers glowed softly golden in the early morning light. The sky was a pale blue etched with gold, the sun in the east casting light over Yuna, throwing her into perfect relief. She stood at the edge of a balcony with no guard rail behind her, her back to the open air. Warrior monks stood around her, guns trained on her, though her hands were bound behind her back.
Yuna glanced to her left, where a woman stood near her, dark eyes intent on her. She was oddly familiar. The woman spoke and he couldn't hear the words, but Yuna seemed to understand. She nodded, smiling sadly, then stepped backwards off the balcony.
"YUNA!"
Tidus bolted upright, sweating. Auron's heavy red jacket fell into his lap. He glanced at it in surprise, than looked to his left, where Auron himself sat before the fire, dressed only in pants and shirt.
"Bad dream?" Auron asked, gazing into the fire.
"Yeah." A look around revealed Jecht on the opposite side of the fire, sprawled on his back and snoring loudly. Tidus made a face at him. "I dreamed about Yuna."
Auron glanced at him sidelong. "I would think that should be a good dream."
"I dreamed she died," Tidus said shortly, folding Auron's jacket as neatly as possible and handing it back to him. "She fell off a balcony in Bevelle."
"She did do that, once," Auron reminded him.
Tidus smiled, remembering. "Yeah. And Valefor caught her." It had been during her pilgrimage, when Yuna went missing and her guardians raided Bevelle from the airship. Yuna was kidnapped, forced to marry Seymour Guado to save her friends. Only he'd ordered them killed anyway, and in an act of bravery that Tidus had yet to rival, she'd stepped up on the edge of a balcony and threatened to jump unless her friends went free. Then she did- and summoned Valefor in midair to catch her.
Tidus sighed despondently. "I miss her."
"I know." Auron gazed at him for a moment, eyes hidden under his sunglasses, then turned and pointed toward the south where Mount Gagazet loomed in the distance. "There is your road. When will you take it?"
Tidus stared moodily at Mount Gagazet. Its peak was gray and swirling with clouds- the most unforgiving land in Spira. "Now," he replied firmly, climbing to his feet.
Auron smiled at his determination. "What about your father?" he asked, gesturing to the sleeping Jecht.
"Leave him," Tidus said scornfully. "He looks happy enough."
"Who wants Jecht to be happy?" Auron replied wickedly. He went to the man and kicked him in the side.
"Urf!" Jecht grunted, swinging and missing Auron by a mile. His eyes fluttered open and he blinked at the two men standing over him.
"Something fer you?" he demanded, scowling.
"We're leaving," Tidus said shortly. "Come or stay, it's your choice."
Jecht groaned and sat up, brushing his scraggly hair out of his eyes. "Already?"
"Yuna's waiting for me." Tidus turned and walked off down the path. Behind him he could hear Jecht and Auron arguing quietly, then a loud "ow!" on Jecht's part, followed by shuffling noises. Presumably this meant that they were following.
It felt a little strange, being the leader. For all the time he'd spent in Spira, it was Yuna whom he'd followed, she who had always led the way. Well, maybe not always, Tidus corrected himself. Thinking back, he sometimes got the feeling that Yuna had always been looking to him, waiting for him to tell her that she didn't have to die, that there was another way. Then fate was sealed the day they came to Zanarkand...to these very ruins.
Tidus paused for a minute, turning back to look at the dome over Auron and Jecht's heads. Auron halted, throwing out an arm to stop Jecht, and they waited for him.
"I just realized," Tidus said slowly. "There are hardly any pyreflies. When we came here the first time, Zanarkand was swarming with them."
"They're disappearing," Auron said quietly. "The Fayth and the Unsent have gone to their rest."
Jecht was quiet, gazing up at the sky with darkened eyes. Looking at him, Tidus could guess what he was thinking about.
"Let's go," Tidus urged them. "There's only bad memories here."
Auron nodded and beckoned to Jecht. Tidus led the way, usually silent, toward Mount Gagazet's merciless peak.
* * *
By nightfall the women reached Rin's Travel Agency, midway on the Mi'ihen Highroad. The sun had just set and the sky was a deep blue dotted with stars. Yuna's feet were aching and she felt exhausted. Guess I'm not used to long journeys, she thought wryly.
But then, it had been five years since her pilgrimage. At twenty-two now, Yuna was getting used to her Eternal Calm, as it had been titled. She was not the only one in Spira who still looked around nervously for a sign of Sin in the midst of a big crowd, nor was she the only one who woke sweating from nightmares that her loved ones were lost. Still, she was making the adjustment well.
Generally Yuna lived on Besaid Island with Lulu and Wakka, except when it was Blitzball season. Rikku lived alternately at Home and wherever her friends were. It interested Yuna to think that Rikku had never missed a Blitzball match before now, no matter how badly the Aurochs did.
But Rikku cared about Tidus too, and she cared about Yuna's happiness. I'm lucky to have such good friends, Yuna thought soberly as the three women staggered into the travel agency, also a wayside inn.
There was no attendant to be seen, so Rikku banged a hand down on the countertop bell a few times. "Hello?" she yelled, and rang the bell five more times before Lulu grabbed her wrist to stop her.
A door behind the counter swung open and a woman emerged, looking as though she'd just woken from a nap. "I hear you, I hear you," she muttered, blinking sleepily at their company. "What can I do you for?"
Yuna gave her a friendly smile. "We'd like a room for three, please. We'll just be staying the night."
"Our rooms only have two beds."
"We can share."
The woman nodded and stuck out a hand. "Payment in advance, please. That's four hundred Gil, breakfast included."
Lulu handed over the money, and after carefully counting it, the attendant nodded and led them upstairs. Their room was small but pleasant, furnished comfortably with two beds, a table and some soft chairs. Rikku collapsed on one of the beds, sighing.
"The only bad thing about this," she remarked, "is knowing that these'll be the last couple of times we'll get to sleep in real beds for a while."
"That's not completely true," Lulu murmured, placing her things down beside the other bed. "There are other places to stop once we get past the main roads, like Guadosalam-"
Rikku and Yuna both made faces at that suggestion.
"-and Home. I assume they have beds?" Lulu quirked a brow at Rikku.
"Of course they do." Rikku grinned. "Machina beds, that fold up on their own and grow little legs and follow you around where you need to travel."
"Really?" Yuna exclaimed, fascinated.
"No." Rikku laughed.
Yuna stuck her tongue out at her and pulled up a chair, taking a seat. "So, should we have something to eat or just go straight to bed?"
"Straight to bed," Lulu opted. "We're all tired, and tomorrow is another-"
"Oh, you're no fun," Rikku interrupted, grabbing her pack. She rummaged around in it until she found a dozen cookies wrapped in cloth. "I made these before we left," she explained, spreading them out on the floor between the two women. "Let's stay up late eating and telling ghost stories!"
"I don't like ghost stories," Yuna said a bit edgily.
"Awwwwww, c'mon, Yunie," Rikku whined. "As scary as Lulu is, I bet she has some good ones!"
Lulu shot her a glare, then abruptly looked thoughtful. Yuna watched her carefully, not liking the gleam in her eyes. "A ghost story, eh? Okay, I think I can manage that..."
Rikku, oblivious to the threatening undercurrent in Lulu's turns, leapt up to turn out the lights. "Okay!" she cried, hopping back to sit in their circle. "Yunie, you can hold my hand if you want." She laughed.
"Oh, be quiet." Yuna giggled and sought out Lulu in the darkness. "All right, Lulu, go ahead."
"As you wish," Lulu said mysteriously. The girls could barely make out her form in the darkness, kneeling motionless on the floor.
"Once, there were these two young ladies..."
Rikku choked on a cookie with laughter. "What?" Lulu demanded indignantly.
Rikku wisely chewed and swallowed before answering. "Were their names Yunie and Rikku?"
"Coincidentally, yes," Lulu said wickedly. "And they were taking a nice, long trip together-"
"That is coincidental," Yuna remarked, straight-faced.
"Stop interrupting. One day, when the girls were traveling through the woods, they suddenly realized they were lost. They kept recognizing the stream they passed by, as though they'd passed it many times before. Finally they figured out that they were going around in circles. But by that time, night had fallen-"
"Were they scared?" Rikku demanded, sounding excited.
"Yes, very. They were even more scared when they started hearing strange noises-"
"Ooooh!" Rikku squealed, then, "ow!" as a cookie bounced off her forehead.
"As I was saying," Lulu continued calmly. "As the night wore on, all around them they heard strangle noises, like rustling of bushes and an odd thumping noise..." Lulu paused for a moment, and the girls leaned in. "That might have been footsteps..." she continued softly.
Yuna shifted nervously.
"Then, around midnight, clouds came and covered the moon. It was pitch black in the woods. The girls couldn't see anything, and those strange noises suddenly seemed amplified. And under it all were the footsteps, growing louder...and louder...and louder..."
The door of their room abruptly swung open, and Yuna and Rikku screamed. "AAAAGGGGHHH!"
"Oh, my goodness!" cried a startled, familiar voice. "I was not aware that this room was occupied." A lamp was held out, shining in the women's faces. They blinked at the figure standing in the doorway. "Forgive me please, ladies, I did not mean to-" The voice fell silent for a moment as the figure stared at them. "Is that...Lady Yuna?"
Yuna abruptly recognized the voice. "Rin!" She leapt to her feet as the Al Bhed switched on the light. "It's good to see you!"
"Same to you, Lady Yuna," Rin said, smiling.
"I didn't know you were here. The lady at the desk-"
"Ah, yes," Rin said, nodding. "That is my assistant. She is a good worker, although sometimes she sleeps on the job." He smiled at Rikku. "Rammu, Rikku. Tet e slyna oui?"
"Hu, ed fyc y krucd sduna," Rikku replied cheerfully.
"Ghost story, eh?" Rin repeated in Spiran. He smiled ruefully. "I assume I entered at just the right moment, of course."
"You sure did, Mr. Rin!" Rikku said brightly. "Why don't you hang out for a while? Lulu'll tell another story."
"No more tonight," Lulu retorted. "We all need sleep, especially Yuna. It's a long journey north."
Rin suddenly looked troubled. "You are heading north, you say?"
"Yes, we're going to the Al Bhed Home," Yuna explained. "We need to borrow the airship to look for someone."
"I see," Rin said slowly. He looked at Yuna, eyes grave. "Forgive me, lady, for perhaps I am intruding. However, I feel I must warn you- there is trouble in Bevelle."
"Bevelle," Rikku muttered, and the woman exchanged grim looks. They'd had enough bad experiences in Bevelle to last a lifetime.
"What's happening, Rin?" Yuna asked quietly.
"I do not know," was the reply. "I hear only rumors. Supposedly there is a new organization-"
"The Yevon Order," Yuna, Rikku, and Lulu chorused in unison. "Yuna has been approached by priests," Lulu explained when Rin looked at them quizzically.
"I see," Rin said slowly. "It is said that they are growing in numbers and power. There is a new leader, they say, who is very…convincing." He shrugged. "I am sorry I do not know more. If I were you, however, I should stay away from Bevelle."
"Thank you, Rin," Lulu murmured. "We'll be careful."
"Please do," Rin said bluntly, and soon took his leave.
When he was gone Yuna sat silently for several long moments, thinking. "This new order could be trouble for us," she said softly at last.
"What will you do?" Lulu asked.
"Go north," Yuna replied firmly. "I won't let anyone stand in my way."
"That's the spirit, Yunie," Rikku said sleepily, dozing off where she sat.
Later in bed, Rikku snoring lightly beside her, Yuna lay awake and thought about the future. All she could see ahead of her was him.
* * *
To be continued.
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Translations
Rammu - Hello
Tet e slyna oui - Did I scare you
Hu, ed fyc y krucd sduna - No, it was a ghost story