The conclusion approaches…

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Darkness Falls

Chapter 24: Return To Bevelle

Rikku stared around the sweeping curves and majestic figures of Bevelle and shivered,

"I hate this place," she whispered. She moved closer to Auron and gripped his hand harder, resisting the urge to run back to the airship.

"It's OK, I'm here this time," Auron whispered back.

"You let them kill me I'll haunt you forever," Rikku joked. Then she stopped. Why was she making bad jokes about that subject?

"Freeze!"

Rikku and Auron swung back to face the front instantly, hands near their weaponry, to see two guards pointing guns at them.

"Why, when we can beat huge monster with a flick of our wrist, do we always freeze when guns are pointed at us? It's against all experience," Rikku muttered darkly as the guards walked slowly towards them, guns trying to aim at them all at once and failing miserably.

"Great…" Tidus whispered. Rikku reached behind her back and unhooked a grenade from her belt. She was about to throw it when another voice shouted, and they knew this one.

"Wait!" Shelinda shouted. Instantly the guards took their fingers from the triggers and lowered their guns. Shelinda walked past them and turned back. "You may go, lady Yuna is no traitor!" The guards made the prayer of Yevon and walked out. Shelinda turned back "I apologise for your greeting my lady, but with the temple in uproar there is only so much we can do at once." She bowed.

Yuna resisted the urge to laugh. "No apologies are necessary. What is going on?" she asked formally.

Shelinda looked exhausted. "The Maesters have all disappeared! Master Kelk has left for Gagazet, Maester Kinoc has vanished and Maester Seymour is nowhere to be found! Only Maester Mika is left, and he refuses to see anyone! They had to appoint me Captain of the Guard because the old one has also vanished! No-one knows what is going on!"

"Calm down Shelinda," Yuna whispered.

Auron stepped forward. "We need to speak to Mika," he said.

Shelinda looked up. "He is not seeing anyone."

"He will see us." Auron stated.

Shelinda turned back to Yuna, who nodded. "Very well. I will see what I can do. Beware, there are supposedly evil Al Bhed spies everywhere."

"…What?" Rikku asked.

"I will go and ask Maester Mika, please wait here."

"What did you say about evil Al Bhed?" Rikku asked to Shelinda's retreating back. She turned to Auron. "Evil?"

"Ignore them, they know no better," he whispered. Then he walked off.

"She told us to wait here y'know," Wakka said as Auron walked into Bevelle.

"Then let's wait inside, in the warm," Auron said, and pushed the door aside.

Tidus looked around and shrugged. "Sounds good to me," he said, and walked after Auron.

Lulu shook her head. Boys… she thought, and followed.

Rikku stood at the edge of the dais and looked up at the huge tower/temple and shivered.

Yuna saw her hesitating and held out her hand. "We're here this time," she said. Rikku hesitated for another second, and then took the offered hand, walking through the huge doors, and into Bevelle.

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"Maester Mika, Yuna is here to see you," Shelinda told the old man.

Mika stood up. "Does she have the final Aeon?" he asked quickly.

"She did not say sir, she only came to Bevelle just now."

She must have it. Mika stood. "Tell them I will be there shortly."

Shelinda bowed and walked off, leaving Mika alone with his thoughts.

Why did things turn out like this? We wanted stability because change is impossible in our society, so why waste time trying? The Final Aeon is the only way, so why bother looking for anything else. That works.

Does it?

Of course it does.

Then what is Yuna doing? What if she and the others succeed? What if Sin is killable? What will happen then? Our entire way of life is based around the truth – or we think truth – that there is no other way.

What if there is?

Mika knew what would happen. Spira would look to them for answers, and they would have none to give, for centuries the world had worked the same way. Yevon protected the people, and the Al Bhed and Sin gave them something to unite again, so was Spira kept from war. But what happens when the threat is taken away? People don't argue over food when there is little to go around, it's only when they're lots that they start to argue over who gets what.

He stood up and walked through the corridors to where Yuna and the others waited, hoping that everything would still turn out alright.

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"Have you done it? Have you got the Final Aeon?" Mika asked Yuna eagerly.

"We met the Lady Yunalesca…"

"Yes?"

"And we defeated her."

Mika suddenly had the look of a man who had just had the world yanked out from under him. Suddenly his face fell, and his full age showed. "What?"

"There will be no more sacrifices!" Auron said.

"You fools! Now there will be no stopping Yu Yevon!" Mika screamed.

"There has to be another way to kill Sin other than the Final Aeon!" Tidus said.

Mika looked at him like he was retarded. "Sin is Yu Yevon's armour, and the only thing that can penetrate it, you have destroyed!" he shouted. He turned away from them and looked out at Bevelle from the parapet. My beautiful city… Goodbye.

"Hey, where the hell do you think you're going?" Wakka asked, as pyreflies emanated from Mika body, and he dissolved into brightly coloured mist. "Coward," Wakka whispered. "So, what do we do now?" he asked.

"OK," Tidus said.

"OK what?" Wakka asked, turning to him. Then he saw Tidus wasn't looking at him, but at a piece of thin air. "Who you talking to?" he asked.

Tidus looked around. "Just, erm, myself," he said nervously. "Look, I gotta do something, I'll see you guys at the entrance, OK?" he asked, and took off, not waiting for an answer. Yuna took one look, and then ran after him.

Wakka looked at Lulu. "S'up with them?" he asked. Lulu shrugged and they began walking back to the entrance together.

Rikku caught up with Auron and stayed next to him. "Auron?" she whispered.

"Yes?" he replied, just as quietly.

"What if Mia is right?"

He barely missed a step. "He is not."

"But…"

"But nothing!" Auron said sharply. "If there is, and there is, then Sin is dead, and Yuna is alive If there is not, then Sin will stay, and there will be no more Calms, but Yuna will still live. Spira will live just like it always has, in fear!" he said.

Rikku looked down. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

Auron suddenly stopped. He sighed. "No, I am. I just don't want to think about what would happen if he was right," Auron said.

Rikku wrapped her arms around him and hugged him. "Don't worry, he won't be. I can feel it," she replied.

"Me too," Wakka said.

Rikku turned. "You were listening?" she said, panic in her voice.

Wakka smiled. "I heard Auron," he said, pointing that the man, who frowned.

"I feel it too," Lulu said.

Everyone looked at each other, and smiled.

Rikku closed her eyes. If I had the chance to do all of this again.. I could never go on the mission, I would live, and I would have a life…

I would never have met Auron, or Yuna, I would be dead, but I would be happy. I am happy. Would I change my decision?

She heard footsteps, and turned to see Yuna and Tidus walk towards them, holding hands. She smiled and ran up to them. "Where'd ya go?" she asked cheerfully.

Tidus brushed it off. "Just wanted to find something out," he said offhand. "Come on, lets get out of here, this place gives me the creeps."

"I'll take that," Wakka said, and walked out of Bevelle.

Rikku left the Highbridge and stretched, looking around at Macalania forest. She smiled, then ran to Auron and grabbed his hands as the team walked toward the Calm lands, and the familiar figure of the airship sitting on the plains.

She turned to the others. "Wait," she said.

They all stopped and looked around at her.

"What is it Rikku?" Lulu asked.

She looked around at them all, in turn. "If you had another chance to make the decisions you made that brought you here, would you make different ones?" she asked.

They all stopped and thought about it.

"Whoa, deep," Wakka observed.

"Not a chance," Tidus said, looking at Yuna.

"Nor I," Khimari answered.

"Then what would we have done to pass the time between Blitz games?" Wakka asked.

Lulu punched him, and then turned to Rikku. "I never regretted any of it. Why do you ask?" she said, puzzled.

Rikku shrugged. "No reason."

"You gonna stand there all day or are we gonna get this show on the road?" Cid shouted from the airship ramp.

The other all walked away, all except Auron.

"What made you ask? Having doubts?" he asked.

Rikku turned to look at him. Suddenly she hugged him fiercely. "Never," she whispered strongly. "Never."

Cid was standing on the ramp as they finally arrived, and frowned when Rikku and Auron approached, still holding hands. Tough. Get used t it.

Just before the ramp closed, and they took off, Rikku took one last look back at the land, the vast an rolling grass of the Calm Lands, the shining and reflective spikes of thee Crystal Trees, and the distant spires of Bevelle.

Would I change my mind?

Not a chance.

She smiled and laughed, and then bounded up the ramp to the bridge, as the airship ascended into the sky, looking for an answer to a question that hadn't been known to have one for more than a thousand years.

We'll find one.

I know it.

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That's the shortest chapter I've written in months. Wow…