FFX. Still don't own it. That goes without saying, so I see no need to continue saying it, ya? ^_~


Final Fantasy X: Apocalypse

Chapter 5: Dreams and Mysteries

Tidus stretched, wincing as joints he'd taken for granted popped and crackled. The chair he was occupying had started out extremely comfortable, but after four or five hours of uninterrupted sitting—not so pleasant. His backside seemed to have been permanently fixed to the seat.

He stood up and paced the small room, carefully analyzing the progress he'd made thus far. He'd spent a good three hours just pressing buttons, figuring out how to navigate the computer's operating system. Once he'd got the hang of it, by luck or divine intervention, he had actually managed to find the ship's blueprints. Now Cid, Rikku, Brother, and a hastily assembled crew of engineers were piled into the engine room, trying to use the drawings to put the engine back together. Problem was, the Al Bhed couldn't read the notes any better than he could, which led right back to the original dilemma.

With a grunt, Tidus flopped down on a nearby sofa and closed his eyes. Now he knew exactly why he'd chosen to become an athlete rather than an academic. This stuff required serious brainpower. Not that he was stupid--he had enough book smarts to get him through his classes in school. Most of them. Not foreign languages. Not the maths. Oh well…

~*~

It was sort of dark. No, not really dark. More like…foggy. Yeah, that's what it was: a thick, heavy fog that covered everything and made it hard to see clearly. Tidus decided he liked the effect. It was weird and gloomy, just like his mood. And surreal. Yes, that was a good word for it.

He started to walk, even though he wasn't really sure where he was going. Was he walking? Was he floating? It was hard to make out the shapes of the buildings, the fog coming off the sea was so…

His thoughts drifted away as he found himself moving torward the sea. A small voice in his head told him that this wasn't normal, that maybe he shouldn't be traipsing down there where he couldn't see, but for some reason he had no control over his legs. He gave a mental shrug and allowed his legs to carry him down the walkway, straight to the end of the wharf--

Suddenly, quite unexpectedly, the eerie calm of the dreamscape gave way to chaos. The sea shone blood-red under the blazing sun, the deserted shoreline now crowded with soldiers, sophisticated machina weaponry, and…summoners with their aeons? He'd never seen so many in one place, he'd never seen them fight so fiercely, and yet they still seemed to be losing. All these aeons, those seemingly unstoppable dreams-given-flesh, could not stand against the enemy's machina weapons. Whatever war these people were fighting, they were definitely losing, and they were doing so spectacularly.

Tidus stared in mixed horror and fascination as the battle unfolded below him. He started to walk forward, only to realize there was nothing before him but open air. Startled and more than a little frightened, he stumbled backward, falling hard on solid concrete. What the hell was going on here?

"It began here."

He spun to his right, stunned to see Bahamut's child-figure standing beside him. Unable to articulate a complete thought, Tidus sputtered, "What--you're here--where--the hell?"

"It began here," the boy repeated patiently.

"That's what Auron said when I was getting sucked out of Zanarkand," Tidus shot back.

"He was partially correct. Spira's cycle of death began when Sin destroyed Zanarkand. But this…" Bahamut motioned toward the battleground. "This is Spira's Zanarkand. This is Sin's birthplace."

Tidus gaped at him. "This is the real Zanarkand? Spira's Zanarkand?"

"Yes. The first fayth were born here a thousand years ago."

Tidus scratched his head. "I--I don't understand. What does this have to do with--"

"The answers lie here."

~*~

Tidus leaped off the sofa, shaking so hard he could barely stay upright. He took a deep breath, trying to steady himself..

"It was a dream," he told himself unconvincingly, "a dream, that's all…"

"What's just a dream?"

Tidus looked about wildly. "Who's there?"

"It's me, Rikku. Look at your computer!"

He did so, grinning sheepishly at Rikku's image. "Nice trick. How'd you do that?"

"By accident. What was just a dream?"

With a sigh, Tidus sat in front of the screen and told Rikku about the dream he'd just had. She just stared at him, her emerald-green eyes getting wider and wider, until he was afraid they'd pop right out of their sockets.

"Whoa," she said at last, after he'd finished his tale. "Does that mean we have to go to Zanarkand again?"

"Probably."

"Tysh ed. I hate that place worse than Bevelle."

"Yeah, I know what you mean." He pasted a blatantly fake I'm-not-worried expression on his face, desperate to change the subject. "So, uh…how are the repairs going? Can you guys make any sense out of those schematics?"

"Oh, yeah! Father thinks we'll have the ship up and running in a week, maybe less. We're working on those communication devices, too."

"Good." Tidus leaned back in his chair and stared up at the ceiling, his hands resting behind his head. "The sooner we sort this mess out, the better."

* * * *

Out in the corridor, Lulu was thinking similar thoughts. Yes, she realized the engines were damaged. No, flying the thing straight into Sin's gaping mouth probably wasn't a wise decision in terms of airship safety. She was hardly a "mechanic," as the Al Bhed called the people who worked on machina, but she was no fool. Unfortunately, her common sense was being overtaken by her need to get back on the road. She, like Tidus, wanted to do something.

She swept around the corner and nearly crashed into Kimahri, who was cruising around the corner with his Spirit Lance in hand. Lulu blinked in surprise.

"Going somewhere?"

"Kimahri wait no more. Go see Ronso now."

Lulu frowned. "That's a week's journey on foot, and the fiends are strong. Are you sure you don't want to wait?"

"Repairs take too long. Kimahri leave now." He inclined his head to her, then turned to leave.

"Kimahri, wait!"

Lulu and Kimahri turned to see Rikku racing down the corridor. She skidded to a stop, grinning cheerfully.

"I was heading this way, and I wasn't eavesdropping, I really wasn't, but I couldn't help overhearing--"

"Rikku," Lulu prodded.

"Sorry." Rikku bounced up onto her tiptoes and looked way, way up at Kimahri. "It'll only take another week or so to get the airship back in action. Are you sure you don't wanna wait for us?"

Kimahri grunted softly, his version of No, thank you. "Kimahri prefer action."

Rikku looked as though she wanted to argue, but she refrained. Apparently, she had realized what the rest of the group already knew: when Kimahri decided it was time for action, there was no stopping him.

With a small smirk, Lulu turned and started back down the corridor. Rikku squealed and ran after her.

"Hey, Lulu! Where are you going?"

"I'm going to find Wakka, and we're going to go to Besaid."

"Well, will you at least go see my father first? He's got these…things…so we can get in touch with each other. Machina things," she added, anticipating Lulu's next question.

Lulu sighed. "Where is he?"

Rikku led her to the engine room, where the rest of the group (minus Kimahri) had assembled. Cid was holding up a small rectangular device with a lot of buttons and a tiny little screen.

"…and each one has its own unique frequency," he was saying. "All you gotta do is enter the frequency, like this--"

Wakka leaped up in the air, an expression of surprise on his face. "Hey, it vibrates! Wish you'd warned me, brudda."

Cid shrugged. "Yeah, well, it's supposed to make some kind of sound when a call comes in, but damned if we could figure that out. Besides, the vibrate feature's better when you're out sneakin' around. Nobody'll hear it vibrate."

"So what exactly are they?" Lulu asked. "And where did they come from?"

"It's a phone. Al Bhed've been using 'em for centuries. We managed to get just a few of these beauties out of Home before it was destroyed."

"I'm assuming you gave one to Kimahri before he left," Auron said in what was, for him, a very polite and neutral tone.

"Yeah, ran into the big oaf a few minutes ago. He's covered." Cid folded his arms over his chest. "Thought we had enough for everybody, but it turns out we only had five. Kimahri's got one, Lulu and Wakka get one, and Tidus, Rikku, and Tough Guy get two, because there's three of 'em." He narrowed his eyes threateningly. "And if you break 'em, you're just outta luck, because we need the last one to figure out how to build the damn things. Lost the plans in the explosion."

"We'll guard them with our lives," Tidus declared with a smirk.

"Oh, yeah?" Cid raised his eyebrows. "What're you gonna do, dream them to safety?"

"Huh?" Tidus stared at Cid, nonplussed. "How'd you know about that?"

"I was in the room when you were talking to Rikku, you idiot. Don't you think you oughtta tell your friends about that dream?"

"What dream?" Auron asked sharply.

Tidus shot an irritated glance at Rikku, who smiled apologetically. Lulu had the impression that he'd told the story once and wasn't thrilled to tell it again. Nevertheless, he proceeded to describe a dream Lulu would have dismissed as purest fiction coming from anyone else. But the thinly veiled concern in Cid's and Auron's eyes, along with the fact that Tidus had communicated with the Fayth through dreams on previous occasions--not to mention his being a dream of the Fayth--told Lulu that this wasn't something to be taken lightly. Auron's next words confirmed this.

"We'll have to change our plans," he announced. "Rikku, contact Kimahri and tell him to wait for us."

"We're going to Zanarkand instead of Bevelle?"

"Yes."

With a quick sigh of relief, Rikku ran off to call Kimahri. Auron turned to Wakka and Lulu.

"Spend some time in Bevelle before you go to Besaid," he instructed. "Find out what's going on in the temples, and see if you can find any supporters."

Lulu nodded once and looked at Wakka, her eyebrows raised. Wakka grinned, and she turned away, rolling her eyes exaggeratedly. Truth be told, she actually found his behavior endearing. Not that she would willingly admit it to him…Auron's voice interrupted her thoughts.

"It's late," the warrior monk said shortly. "We should rest now. We leave in the morning."

Lulu watched him march out of the room, then frowned severely at Wakka. He gave her a playful and slightly flirtatious grin.

"So, Lu, in the morning…your place or mine?"

"Mine, of course." And she walked away with a smile on her face, anticipating many more opportunities to make the poor boy blush.


Sorry 'bout the late update! I had knee surgery, which really messed up my writing schedule. But fear not! Yunalesca78 is back, and we're getting into some action with the plot. ^_^

Al Bhed translation:

Vydran--father (not in this chapter, but occurs frequently)

Tysh ed--damn it (pardon my Al Bhed ^_~)

Thanks to the reviewers:

Refugee, Pierson, and Rin (my fellow Coven members--booyaka!)

Noacat

Vincent Kinneas

FF Fanatic

Star

The Angel of the Lion

Sakura

RocketGurl

Sephira

Mugen

The Fallen Summoner

All the Accidental Conqueror reviewers. Glad you liked! It was a blast to write. E-mail any member of the Coven (Refugee, Pierson, Rin, or me), and we'll send you a challenge of your own. =)

Also those who've wished me well with my surgery. Hugs!

This story has taken on a life of its own already. One chapter, thirteen reviews! *swoons* Love and hugs to all of you, and I promise you won't have to wait as long for Chapter 6. Thanks for staying with me, and welcome to the new readers. =)