Finally- Chapter 2!  I'm so sorry about the delay.  I don't have any real excuse except that I'm lazy.  I'm the only person I know who can be so freakin' lazy and still only get 5 hours of sleep at night.  ^^;;

Extra extra thanks goes out to Saranomy for putting up with all the times I sent her this chapter!  It was sent in fragments.  ^_^ Also major thanks to Karla3, Saranomy, Room3, and Ryuutsu Seishin, Hime No Argh for reviewing!  Cookies for all!  And I'm not saying anything on Tidus and Auron yet!  ^.~

* * *

Shattered Dreams

Chapter 2

Warped

            "I suppose I… have to go in, don't I?" Rikku asked tentatively as they neared the Farplane's entrance.

            "Hey, it's okay, ya?  I'm here," Wakka sounded cheerful, but Rikku wasn't entirely convinced.

            "But my… memories…  It's just… ya know…" Rikku waved her hands about to emphasize her point.

            Wakka looked at her for a moment, confused.  Then his eyes lit up in a sudden revelation.  "Hey, maybe you won't see… whatever it is… since the Farplane is, what, crumblin', ya?" 

            Rikku looked at him in surprise, then put on a brave face and nodded.  "Well, we'll just have to find out, won't we?"  Stepping up the last of the stairs before the Farplane, she suddenly stopped.  Wakka turned, frowning at her. 

            "C'mon, Rikku, we don't got all day!  Why'd you stop, ya?"

            "…Wakka, what's the Farplane supposed to look like, anyways?" she asked.

            Wakka opened and closed his mouth a few times, fishing for the words necessary to describe the otherworld.  "I dunno," he said finally, "It's like… a, a field, sorta… it's almost a whole different world, or somethin'… I remember it was real pretty… but I don't remember exactly what it looked like."

            Rikku nodded sympathetically.  "Yes, it must be hard when you get old and your memory starts to fail," she said seriously.

            "Yeah… wait, what?!"

            Rikku laughed and bounded up ahead of him.  "C'mon, 'grandpa', I wanna see the Farplane!  You can tell me what it's meant to look like once we've seen it!"

            Wakka grumbled and stepped up to the misty entrance.  He gave only the tinsiest hesitation before stepping in, Rikku close on his heels.

            There was a long silence as they both stared around them.  Eventually Wakka wet his lips and whispered hoarsely, "Not like that."

~*~*~*~

            They stared at the vast meadow of flowers, all brown and wilting and dead.  The great waterfalls tumbled down, fiercer than ever, and even as they watched, the water broke off great blocks of earth and stone and brought them crashing down into nothingness.  The sky was dark, and the land burned and laced with chasms and craters.  Even the small platform on which they stood showed obvious signs of unnatural wear.  And the moon, that huge, full, robin's-egg blue moon up in the sky, had an enormous crevasse running right down the middle, like a huge gaping maw, opening into darkness that chilled the heart.

            But even this was not what struck Wakka or Rikku most as they stood there in the midst of all this destruction and chaos.  It was the pyreflies.

            They were gone.

~*~*~*~

            "So… what do we do now?  Go back and tell Yuna?" Wakka asked worriedly, running a hand through his hair.  They sat in one of Guadosalam's guest rooms, trying to figure out what they should do about what they had seen- and more importantly, what it meant.

            "No way!  Yunie sent us to get information, but we don't really know any more than we did before.  I say we keep searching," said Rikku enthusiastically, and she punctuated this remark with a fist thrown into the air.

            Wakka raised an eyebrow.  "Keep searchin', eh?  And just where d'ya think we should search, ya?"

            "Uh…"

            "Right.  Maybe we oughta think about this fo' a bit before rushin' off, ya?"

            Rikku nodded sheepishly and they both sat in silence for several minutes, lost in thought.  Wakka finally broke the silence by asking, "So this,"- by 'this' he meant the Farplane's apparent decay- "began… about when Yuna performed the sendin' fo' Sin and the Fayth, ya?"

            "Right after," corrected Rikku.

            Wakka scratched his head.  "So… since she sent the Fayth, shouldn't there be a lot more pyreflies than before?"

            "But… there are none…"

            "What d'ya think happened to 'em?" he asked.

            "They can't die, can they?  Or just disappear?  Maybe… they went somewhere…" Rikku thought aloud.

            "'Went somewhere?'"

            Rikku threw up her hands in exasperation.  "I don't know- where do pyreflies congregate?"

            "Moonflow?"

            She blinked at this sudden show of intellect, but then shook her head.  "Zara said the pyreflies are gone from there, too."

            There was another long pause.

            "Don't you find it… strange… that everythin' started going wrong after we defeated Sin?"  Wakka asked suddenly.

            Rikku looked up in surprise.  "I… never thought of it that way," she admitted, "But… you're right."  She paused for a moment.  "Ya know, maybe it wasn't so much defeating Sin as it was sending the Fayth."

            Wakka's eyes widened.  "Ya mean… maybe Yuna wasn't supposed to send the Fayth?"

            "Well… they weren't exactly dead… were they?"

            "I don't know… they were trapped, ya?  Maybe they called the pyreflies to them, or somethin'?"

            Rikku grinned up at him.  "Hey… I think you might be onto something!"  She twirled a strand of hair around one finger, thinking hard.  "The Fayth are powerful beings," she mused, "If something went wrong, they might have arranged a… defense mechanism, of sorts.  They need the pyreflies to survive, or summon, or something, so to call the pyreflies to them would be a logical course of action.  Right?"

            Wakka stared.  "But… that would mean…"

            "The Cavern of the Fayth!"

~*~*~*~

            "Zara!  Zara, where's the airship?  I gotta talk to my dad!"  Rikku raced down the stone pathways and skidded to a halt in front of her victim.

            "Oh!" The young Guado girl gasped and covered her mouth with her hand.  Rikku was forcibly reminded of Yuna.  "I'm sorry, you've just missed them."

            "They're gone?"

            "Master Cid received an urgent call from Bikanel and departed immediately.  He left you some Gil and said he was really sorry, but you're 'gonna have to hoof it back to Besaid.'"  She shrugged dismissively.

            "But… we don't need to get to Besaid!" cried Rikku, "We need to go to Mt. Gagazet!"

            "Did you discover something, then?"

            "Yeah, but there's no time to explain," Rikku panted, nearly hysterical, "We have to get to Mt. Gagazet!"

            "I'm afraid the only way is on foot.  We have no other mode of transportation to lend to you.  I'm really very sorry."

            "Hey, it's okay, ya?" Wakka reassured her, nudging Rikku with his elbow, "We'll walk.  It's not that far."

            "I'm sorry I can't be of more help.  Please, if you or Lady Yuna ever need anything…" Zara gestured with her hands.

            "We'll contact you," Wakka assured her.

            "Now, let's go!  The sooner we get to Mt. Gagazet and figure out that the hell's goin' on, the sooner we can get back to Besaid!" Rikku was hopping up and down in her excitement.

            "Good luck."

            Zara escorted them to the entrance of the Thunder Plains, and Rikku was so enthusiastic about reaching the Cavern of the Fayth that she actually walked right out into the eternal storm.  She got about four steps before there was a clap of thunder and she suddenly realized exactly where she was.  With a whimper, she jumped behind Wakka and clung to his leg so that he couldn't move.

            "Hey, Rikku!  Get off, ya?" he protested, trying to walk and drag her along at the same time.

            "No!  Thunder… lightning… scary…" she muttered into his pants.

            "Rikku!  If we stay out in the open like this, we are gonna get hit.  We have to keep movin', ya?"

            "Nu-huh."

            "Rikku, please," he pleaded, "The rest stop isn't too far ahead, ya?  We'll stop there, I promise.  But if we don't move, we'll never reach Mt. Gagazet."

            When she didn't respond, he pried her from his leg and crouched down so he was facing her.  "C'mon, Rikku.  I'm here. You can do it."

            She shook her head vigorously.

            "Fo' Yuna?"

            Silence.

            "Fo' me?"  He really didn't think that this would make any difference- if she wouldn't do it for Yuna then he might as well give it up as a lost cause, and there was no way in hell she'd do anything just 'cause he'd asked her to- but to his surprise she gritted her teeth and stood, gripping his arm for support.

            "'Atta girl," he grinned, clapping her on the back.  She managed a brief smile and then set off at a quick- albeit shaky- walk.

            They reached the rest point without further mishap, and Rikku stumbled gratefully into the room they rented and collapsed on the bed.

            "You okay?" Wakka asked her after a moment.

            "I'd ruther be sat on by a shoopuf than go back out there," came the muffled reply.

            Wakka gave a wry laugh.  "You don't have much choice, ya?  Unless you wanna stay here all your life."

            "That is probably the best idea I've heard all day.  It's sounding more appealing by the second."

            "Aw, Rikku.  We're halfway across, ya?  A little further ain't gonna hurt ya."

            Rikku scoffed, "Easy for you to say.  You've never been hit by lightning before."

            Wakka sighed.  "Fine.  You stay here, ya?  Grow old and marry a who hates thunder and raise little kids right here in the rest stop.  I'm goin' to Mt. Gagazet."  He turned and made as if to leave.

            "Hey!" Rikku yelled, jumping off the bed and scrambling after him.  "Don't abandon me, ya big meanie!"

~*~*~*~

            They continued on in silence- Wakka deep in thought about something, and Rikku just too terrified to carry on any form of intelligent conversation. 

            "Don'tcha think it's kinda weird that there aren't that many fiends around?" Wakka asked as they stopped for rest under the pavilion. 

            Rikku glared up at him from her spot on the ground.  "I've been a little preoccupied, in case you hadn't noticed," she snapped, "trying to avoid certain bright lights that might flash fry me where I stand!  The fiends probably just know better than to get in my way!"

            Wakka raised his hands in submission.  "Hey, Rikku, it's not that bad, ya?  Look, Macalania's just a little further.  The faster we move, the sooner we get outta here, ya?"

            Rikku groaned and climbed to her feet.  "Much as I hate to admit it, you've got a point.  C'mon, let's go!  I wanna get outta here ASAP!"  She jogged out into the storm, Wakka sighing and following at a more leisurely pace.  At the crest of the hill, she stopped and turned to face him.  "Hey, slowpoke!  Hurry up!" she yelled, waving her metal-clawed arm in the air.

            Wakka's eyes widened.  "Rikku, get down!" he started to shout, but he saw the flash of light and knew it was too late.  Moving faster than he had previously thought possible, Wakka rushed forwards and slammed into her, knocking her to the ground and rolling several feet.  Gasping for breath, he looked back and saw the fresh black spot on the charred ground where Rikku had just stood.  Rikku saw it, too. 

            "Whoa… thanks… I think…"

            Wakka suddenly realized just what an uncompromising position they were actually in.  Blushing slightly, he quickly scrambled to his feet and held out a hand to help Rikku up.  She ignored it, choosing instead to push herself up and dust off her hands.  Wakka sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.  "I, uh, guess we should keep movin', ya?  Before somethin' like that happens again?"

            Rikku nodded mutely, giving him a strange look.

            "Uh, it's, um, startin' to get dark, ya?" Wakka offered.

            "It's always dark in the Thunder Plains," Rikku pointed out.

            "Gah, you know what I mean!" he cried in exasperation.  Shaking his head in defeat, he added, "Let's just get outta here, ya?  We can spend the night in Macalania- there's no way I'm gonna stay in Bevelle!"

~*~*~*~

            Rikku sighed in relief as she pulled off her boots and dipped her feet into the cool water.  After a quick look around, they had decided that the only decent campground was the clearing where they had stayed not five months prior, when accompanying Yuna on her pilgrimage.  Though it seemed empty with just the two of them, Rikku was glad they had chosen it, and had quickly made her way to the nearby lake after setting up camp.

            She sat silently for a time, swinging her legs in the water and clearing her head of her thoughts.  Eventually she heard a noise behind her, but didn't turn, and a moment later Wakka sat down beside her.  They were silent for a while, simply admiring the beauty of the forest surrounding them. 

            "It feels so strange," Rikku said finally, "to be on a journey without… everybody."

            Wakka nodded.  "I really miss him," he said, sounding uncharacteristically serious.  Nobody needed to explain who 'he' was.

            Rikku looked down.  "Me, too," she whispered, slightly choked.

            Wakka glanced sidelong at her.  "You really liked him, didn't you?"

            Rikku started, then smiled sadly and gazed up at the silver moon hanging overhead.  "Yeah.  He was a good friend," she answered, "He treated me like a human when others didn't.  He didn't care that I was Al Bhed.  He saw what was inside."

            "Hn," grunted Wakka.

            Rikku looked at him.  "You okay?" she asked.

            "Ya.  I'm fine."  He stood and dusted himself off.  "I… I'm gonna turn in now.  G'night."  He started to walk back towards camp.

            Rikku was too surprised to move, and sat, thinking fast.  "Wait," she called after a minute.  Wakka stopped walking and turned to look at her.  "Did you just ask me if I liked him?"

            "Yeah."

            "Oh."  Rikku went bright red as she realized her mistake.  "No.  Not in that way.  I never liked him in that way.  He was more like a… a brother to me." She giggled suddenly.  "Besides, he and Yunie were so cute together!"

            Wakka eyed her warily.  "What's so funny, ya?" he asked suspiciously.

            "Nothing, really, I'm just remembering when we were here before…"

            "Hey!  You know somethin'!  C'mon, spill!" said Wakka indignantly, not liking to be left out of the loop.

            Rikku giggled even more.  "Okay, remember when we camped here and Yuna left for some alone time and then Tidus went after her?  Well, I was looking for some berries I'd seen earlier-"

            "Were not.  You were spyin'," Wakka interrupted.

            Rikku pouted.  "I won't tell you anything if you're gonna be like that!"

            "Fine.  You were 'lookin' for berries'…?"

            "Yeah, and anyways, there they were, in the middle of the lake, just totally making out!" And Rikku proceeded to describe the whole scene to Wakka sickeningly sweet detail.

            "Whoa… never thought the kid had it in him," Wakka commented when she was done.

            "Well, to tell the truth… I kinda put him up to it."

            "What?!"

            "Not the whole kissing thing!  I didn't expect him to go that far!  It's just… you know how I felt about Yunie's pilgrimage.  I thought maybe I could convince her to quit, but nothing I said made a difference.  But then Tidus found out about… you know… the end… well, I knew how she felt about him.  If anyone could convince her to quit, he could."

            "I guess the fact that he failed just goes to show how stubborn Yuna can really be, ya?"

            Rikku watched as the first drops of rain began to fall from the sky.  "Yeah," she sighed, and began to walk slowly back to the campsite.  She suddenly didn't feel so cheerful anymore.

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Thanks for reading!  Before you go, I've got a small case of writer's block for chapter three.  I plan on covering the Calm Lands and chocobo riding.  If you've got any ideas, please email me, 'cause I'd love to hear them!  You could leave 'em in a review too, but then the next chapter might not be a surprise.  Anyways, whether you've got an idea or not, don't forget to review!  Just follow the magic arrow!  Thanks!

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