Final Fantasy X: Journey
"Oh, Chappu, it's just like I remembered!" Tida exclaimed, tears misting in her eyes as she entered the city gates of Zanarkand. She clasped her hands together in front of her, wishing she had more eyes to take in the beautiful city.
"I'm home," she whispered, the misty tears now droplets sliding down her flushed cheeks. She looked to the blitzball stadium, to the Memorial Hall, and…
To the house she'd been born in.
It was still the same: blue, with yellow. Her mother had wanted it that way, to remember Tidus. She had wanted to plant it black but had feared it would scare her infant daughter. Blue, Yuna had said, for his eyes, and yellow for his hair and clothes.
Tida smiled through her happy tears, and reached up to brush away a few tears. Yes, this was her Zanarkand, just as she remembered it.
Chappu stepped up to her and placed a hand gently on her shoulder. Tida laid her hand on top of it, turned her head to look at him. Her eyes said what words could never say, and that was the thanks for everything he had done for her. He nodded, understanding in his own way.
Zeoron studied the pair for a moment and a smirk slid its way across her lips. Yes, she thought, this young summoner was perfect for Chappu. She shook her head and strode forward, moving up next to them. "All right, where do we go now to find the Final Aeon?"
Tida dried her eyes with her cape and turned her head to look at Zeoron. "My mom once told me the story of Yunalesca. I remember she would turn one of the guardians into a fayth, and they would become the Final Aeon for the Final Summoning and in turn become Sin.
"They never rebuilt the Temple of Zanarkand. My mother didn't want them to. She wanted them to leave it as it was. Untouched," Tida said. She bowed her head for a moment before she looked to the temple ruins, on the other side of the blitzball dome. Tida nodded her head sharply and glanced at Chappu and Zeoron, both looking ahead to the temple, wondering what trials lay inside the supposedly haunted ruins.
Stories had been told, Tida knew, of spirits and whatnot roaming around the ruins of the holy place. Of course Chappu and Zeoron would have heard them; after all, everyone had been told and then shared the story of others, and so on. Thus was the reign of gossip.
"Well," Tida sighed, "let's go." She jumped on the railing and slid down, completely ignorant of the steps that led to the main street of Zanarkand. Chappu and Zeoron followed, grim looks on their faces.
They reached the temple fairly quickly, and Tida guessed it was her nerves or something, but she felt a strange but somehow familiar presence as she gazed up at the dilapidated ruins of the temple.
"Well, I guess it's now or—"
"Tida! Tida, wait!"
The trio whirled around in time to see Yuna and Rikku running toward them at top speed, both halting directly in front of them. Yuna was the first to speak.
"Tida, I can't let you go in without me. Rikku and I know the temple far better than you. We know the trials." Yuna then noticed the other girl. "Zeoron, isn't it?"
Zeoron smiled, vaguely surprised that the High Summoner had remembered her. "Yes. I admit I'm a little flattered that you remembered me."
Yuna smiled back and nodded before her eyes turned dark like Tida's were with seriousness. "There's not much time. We have to go in now."
Tida jerked her head and turned, walking briskly into the building, feeling her heart slowly start to beat faster and faster. She swallowed nervously and her eyes roamed around, watching for a sign of danger.
Yuna held her arm out, halting Tida and the others. She and Rikku darted forward, lighting up different squares on the floors. Tida, Chappu and Zeoron watched in silence, Chappu clenching and unclenching his fist around the handle of the Spirit Keeper while Zeoron shifted from foot to foot.
Yuna and Rikku stopped suddenly and the door in the northwestern corner rattled open. Yuna and Rikku glanced at each other and nodded.
"Follow us but don't step on the main floor in the next room. We'll take care of it." Yuna said, starting toward the door. Rikku followed her, already tensing up as she began remembering the last battle that had taken place within the ancient halls of the next chamber.
"Okay, Mama. Strut your stuff," Tida said, trying her best to lighten the mood. Yuna glanced back at her daughter and had to smile at her attempt to cheer them up. She nodded and stepped with Rikku onto the floor.
The two women zipped across the new, larger tile floor, lighting up certain areas. They repeated it three times more and then Tida heard something click. Yuna grabbed her handguns and gripped the handles tightly, her knuckles turning white. Rikku activated the Godhand and took up her stance.
Taking the cue, Tida and the other two ran forward, each bringing out their chosen weapons: Tida, the Brotherhood; Chappu, the Spirit Keeper; and Zeoron, a black and red wand with a strange symbol on the top that she called the Galaxy Baton.
Tida heard something coming closer and took a wild guess that it was an elevator. She turned out to be right when a master fiend rose up on it.
"Move after you attack! Don't stay in the same spot!" Rikku shouted, already moving around, swiping at the revived Spectral Keeper.
Tida leapt up, using her Overdrive she'd been saving. "Storm Rhapsody!" she yelled, slashing down with the Brotherhood. The fiend roared and swung out, catching Yuna in the side.
"Cura!" Yuna cried, healing herself quickly and then blazing her guns once more. Zeoron dashed around, casting Black Magic spells as quickly as she could. Tida was surprised to see her casting high level spells such as Flare.
Chappu was busily dealing the most damaging blows with the Spirit Keeper, as it was the only weapon there equipped with the Piercing ability. Rikku jerked a couple of Al Bhed potions out of her pocket and used them just as Spectral attacked, inflicting Poison and Silence.
"Mama! Watch out!" Tida shouted, racing toward Yuna as the floor beneath her feet began to glow. Tida lunged forward, knocking Yuna clear of the blast and taking it herself. Tida screamed in agony as the white-hot beam shot around her, burning her.
"Tida! Curaga!" Yuna cried. Chappu leapt and caught Tida before she hit the ground. The White Magic Yuna cast instantly healed her wounds and Tida jumped back onto her feet, anger now filling her being.
Tida held the Brotherhood out and it vanished. She spun around in a flash of light and reappeared with Nirvana clutched tightly in both of her hands. Tida open her arms out wide, and closed her eyes. Slowly, she brought her arms in, spinning Nirvana.
"Shiva, queen of the Sacred Frost! Come forth and save us without cost!" she cried. The beautiful aeon made her grand appearance and released Diamond Dust upon the Spectral Keeper.
Tida dismissed her at once and called Anima, the Darkest of Aeons. Tida directed him to use Pain and he did, instantly killing the Spectral Keeper. Tida whooped and jumped into the air, punching up with one fist as the other held Nirvana.
Smiling, Yuna hugged her daughter as the others gathered around. Yuna cast a few healing spells before together, as one, they boarded the elevator and descended to the bottom of the temple.
* * *
"You don't think something got them, do ya?" Wakka asked, directing his question at Lulu as she paced the cabin of the Titan, scowling in concentration.
"No, Wakka, I don't!" she snapped, red eyes flashing. Her stride never faltered as she snipped at him. Wakka sighed and rubbed his eyes.
They'd spent half the night searching for the High Summoner and her daughter, plus Chappu and Rikku. Wakka felt as if the two had them had searched longer and covered far more territory than they actually had. His eyes hurt from straining them in the darkness, his arm and leg muscles ached from all the swimming he'd done, and he was sure he'd never get the water that was currently housed in his left ear.
"Damn it! Get out!" he yelled, tilting his head and slapping the right side of his head, trying to force the water out. More out of annoyance than pity, Lulu cast a small Fire spell into his left ear, evaporating the water from the canal.
"Thanks," Wakka muttered, but refrained from saying anything else. Lulu was in no mood for small talk or any other form of chitchat.
"I can feel that they're fine, but I can't figure out where they are. I think they're—but no, that's impossible!"
Wakka glanced up at Lulu, who had stopped her pacing and was frowning thoughtfully but somehow managing to look disbelieving at the same time, then amazed.
"What's impossible?" he dared to ask.
"I think they're in—most likely in—the Zanarkand Temple! I'm getting the same feelings as I did the time we were there during Yuna's pilgrimage. But how could they be? How could they have gotten that far in such short time? It took us months to get there from Besaid!" Lulu said, almost ranting.
Wakka nodded, and then stood up. "Well, if they are there then we gotta go there too, ya."
Lulu nodded slightly and sighed, dropping her hands to her sides. "But how do we go through? Could they have solved the trials already? And what about—?"
Wakka stopped Lulu by holding his hand up. "Come on, Lu, you know how tough Yuna and Rikku are. Besides, Tida can summon and use the Brotherhood and Chappu's as good as Auron was with that blade of his."
"Yes. Yes, Wakka, you're right. Let's go help them." Lulu brushed by Wakka and hurried as fast as she could to the bridge to find Cid to tell him where to go.
* * *
"Wow! Check it out!" Tida half-whispered, dropping onto her hands and knees and looking down through the glass dome that held the once Final Aeon of Lady Yunalesca.
"Impressive, isn't it?" Yuna said. Tida nodded vigorously, still staring at the grandest of all aeons. Pausing, she looked up.
"Mama, I still don't understand…"
"There are two more places to go to, Tida. Come on. Through this door." Yuna pushed open a second door in the Chamber of the Fayth and walked inside the torch-lit room. Chappu pulled Tida to her feet as the rest of the group followed.
Yuna nor Rikku was expecting what they say next and both of them suddenly wondered why they'd ventured to enter this room in the first place.
Disclaimer: All belongs to Squaresoft. Tida, Chappu, Aeon of Light, etc., are mine.