~Chapter 16~
The Highroad had again turned from rock to dirt as the Summoner party traveled forward to the Moonflow. It was a lot more environmental, Tidus thought, looking at the grass on each side of the road and deciding that he liked looking at it more than barren and jagged rock faces. He had fallen into step with Auron, who seemed to return to his normal, serious, self, though he seemed to have picked up a bit more pessimism along the way.
Suddenly, Kimarhi stiffened, his ears wiggling with effort to hear. "What is it?" Yuna asked.
"Kimarhi hears something," he muttered in his deep, growl-like voice. "You can, too."
After a bit, they did hear it: a low, growling voice like Kimarhi's. Kimarhi's eyes narrowed suspiciously.
"Beron and Yenke," he said unpleasantly.
The group continued on and sure enough, at the end of a long trail, two very tall, very tough looking Ronsos stood, harassing a man who was passing through. They looked a lot like Kimarhi, except their horns were fully-grown, sharp and pointed on their foreheads. Looking at these two, Tidus was reminded of unicorns, except this pair didn't look like they'd be the peaceful creatures Tidus was thinking of.
They finally scared the guy off, laughing as he ran. "Look at little man run!" The first one yelled in a low, stupid voice. The Summoner party approached slowly, led by Kimarhi. "Look!" the tallest one yelled, in a voice like Kimarhi's. "It's little Kimarhi!"
Kimarhi seemed to grimace as he approached the two Ronsos. "Beron and Yenke," he said, acknowledging them.
"Little Kimarhi does remember big brother!" the taller one said. "Beron though Kimarhi had forgotten him, but Kimarhi remembers!"
"Kimarhi remembers Beron well," Kimarhi said to Beron. The tall Ronso nodded.
"Beron is surprised," he said. "Beron didn't think little Kimarhi could see his face!"
At this, the two Ronsos burst into laughter, and all at the expense Kimarhi, who stood there and took it. "You come to insult Kimarhi?" he asked in a low voice.
"Hornless! Hornless!" Yenke yelled, pointing at the broken-off piece of ivory on Kimarhi's forehead.
"What do you want with Kimarhi?" Yuna asked. Beron smiled unpleasantly.
"Beron and Yenke come to warn Kimarhi. Summoners disappearing. Kimarhi's Summoner might be next!"
Tidus suddenly remembered what Isaaru's brother had told him in D'Jose: That Summoners had been going out on pilgrimage and just vanishing. And he didn't like the way the two Ronsos in front of him were laughing.
"Kimarhi is very capable of keeping Yuna safe," Auron's deep, flat voice said from the rear of the group. The two fell silent as they surveyed him.
"You are Sir Auron," Beron said.
"Correct."
Beron studied him carefully. "Auron had better watch for Kimarhi then. Kimarhi will fail. Kimarhi has always failed."
Tidus could see Kimarhi shaking in rage, but he just stood there and took it. Finally, after a period of uncomfortable silence, the two Ronsos departed, leaving the Summoner party feeling very unsettled.
"Isaaru's brother told me that at D'Jose," Tidus said, "But I forgot."
Auron turned and looked at him. "Hmm. Perhaps we'd better keep moving."
The group continued on, and Tidus once again fell into step with his mentor. "Is Zanarkand on the other side of the Moonflow?" he asked.
Auron smiled. "Anxious to get home, aren't we?"
"Well. Yes," Tidus answered. "But you would be, too."
"Not really," Auron said, turning dark. "Bevelle is also on the other side of the Moonflow. That is where I am from. Where my story began."
Tidus chuckled. "Your story should have ended a long time ago, old man."
"Indeed."
Tidus though he must have struck a nerve that time, because Auron fell silent. They walked on in silence for a while when Auron said, "I had Jecht's pictures, you know."
"You did?" Tidus asked.
"Yes. I had intended to show you. But, of course, he beat me to the punch."
Tidus stared. "How?"
Auron looked at him. "You know how."
Tidus though hard, and his mind landed on Chicago. "Oh," he said, looking at his mentor stupidly. Auron grinned.
"Chicago and Zanarkand. They are one in the same, and yet different, separated by one thousands years. Remarkable, isn't it?"
"I suppose," Tidus said, bummed out again.
"When we get to Zanarkand. When we meet the person waiting for us there. He will reappear. Jecht's story is far from over as well."
Tidus fell into a deep thought after that. If Jecht was Sin, and Sin attacked Chicago and sent him and Auron 1,000 years into the future, how could he still be alive? For that fact, how did Auron know Jecht was Sin? He's always so cryptic, Tidus thought bitterly.
The group finally took a break further down the road. "It's too dark to continue," Auron said. "We'll camp here."
Wakka built the fire, and Lulu cast a spell to set it. The Summoner party sat around it, taking in its warmth. Kimarhi stood off to the side, still visibly affected by his brother. Tidus found his way over to him.
"Those guys. What do they have against you?"
Kimarhi took a deep breath. "Long ago, Beron and Kimarhi fought. Beron broke Kimarhi's horn. A hornless Ronso is shunned. Kimarhi retreated to the Calm Lands, and then went to Besaid."
"Why?"
Kimarhi shook his lion-like head. "Kimarhi cannot tell."
Tidus rolled his eyes. "Of course," he muttered, "that'd be too easy."
He found his way back to the fire, and sat by Yuna. He started humming to himself, when he noticed Yuna was listening. He stopped abruptly.
"What was that?" Yuna asked pleasantly.
"Uh. Calling All Angels from Train," Tidus said sheepishly. He knew Yuna would have no clue what he was talking about.
"I see," Yuna said. "Would you like to continue?"
"Ah. I better not."
Wakka and Auron were talking when Auron finally turned and said, "Everyone, get to sleep. We leave early tomorrow."
The next morning, the group trudged further down the road. Finally, Auron said, "We've reached the Moonflow."
The group walked over a small ridge, and an astonishing sight met his eyes. It seemed as though they were standing on the edge of the world; it was like they had walked into a low, very brightly colored fog. It was moving swiftly past them, like a river, except sometimes, small wisps of it would leap out, circle one of them, and leap back in. Auron stepped forward, his red coat glowing slightly purple in the light. He smiled a little at Tidus' shocked look.
"Pyre flies," Auron said, "the largest population of them in Spira." "Wow," Tidus said, although he had no idea what a Pyre fly was.
The Pyre flies did seem to like Wakka a lot; they swirled around him, with one briefly resting on his shoulder. "These are cool little creatures, yah," he said. "I need to bring some back to Besaid."
"They won't stay," Lulu said. "They only gather around freshwater."
"Oh yeah," Wakka said, waving them out of his face. Auron had already continued forward, but Yuna had stayed, kneeling at the water's edge, looking in wonder. "I hear that this place can be very magical at night." she said.
"We're not staying here until nightfall," Auron said flatly, continuing forward. Resignedly, Yuna got up and followed him. There was a small path that ran besides the Moonflow until it veered away towards what looked like some sort of station.
There was a platform in the center, looking like something you'd see in a western movie train station, although the thing standing next to it was hardly a train.
It was tall, fat, and stupid looking; its small little eyes looked at everything and nothing at the same time. It had a carriage on its back, and it reminded Tidus of a very tall elephant, minus the tusks and trunk. "Whoa!" Tidus exclaimed when he saw it. "What is that?"
"A shoupuff!" Yuna said, her eyes shining. "I haven't ridden a shoupuff since I was a little girl."
"Kimarhi remembers that day well. Shoupuff hit bump. Yuna fall out. Shoupuff extend its tiny nose and put Yuna back into carriage. Yuna fall out three more times for fun. Kimarhi worried," Kimarhi said, frowning slightly at Yuna.
"Oh. Sorry," Yuna said, reddening slightly.
Tidus found his way from the two of them and made his way over to Auron, who was looking closely at the shoupuff in front of him. "I see they're still using this particular shoupuff."
"What?" Tidus asked. Auron smiled.
"Jecht didn't know what a shoupuff was. The first time he saw one, he drew his blade, and attacked it, thinking it was a fiend."
Tidus looked at the harmless-looking creature. "How could he have made that mistake?"
"He was drunk," Auron responded solemnly.
"Oh," Tidus said in disappointment.
John "Jecht" Scott had been in the rumor mill for some time before his disappearance: the rumor was that he had a drinking problem, and that's why his game was slipping, and the reason why his contract with the Bulls hadn't been renewed. Jecht, of course, denied the drinking rumor, but when you're drunk on national television and have trouble remembering your wife's name, it makes things difficult.
"We had to pay the driver all the money we had," Auron continued. "Jecht swore he would never drink again. He took all of his alcohol, put it a bottle, and tossed it into the sea."
Tidus rolled his eyes. He still couldn't figure his father out.
The group was standing on the platform, waiting. Wakka and Yuna were at the actual station behind the platform, trying to get a free ride across. Wakka smiled, and the two of them actually sprinted back to the others. "Alright!" he called. "We get across for free."
They all boarded the large creature, and waited for the driver, who proved to be a little, four-foot-tall creature with blue skin and large, bulging eyes. He climbed up behind the shoupuff's head, and the large animal started across the Moonflow.
Wakka was sitting across from Tidus when he suddenly seemed to remember something. "Come here," He said, motioning to the seat adjacent to him. Tidus obliged, as Wakka was turning to look out over the carriage. Tidus followed his gaze, looking into the water.
"You know what that is?" Wakka asked him. Tidus shook his head.
"Under there, down on the bottom of the river floor, are the remains of city that was built over the Moonflow. I mean, on top of it. It connected to the land by a bunch of bridges, but you know what? The whole thing collapsed. Just like that. I mean, they only built it to prove they could. And now, look-what's so great about that?"
"Of course," Auron said, "you forgot the part about the war weakening the bridges."
"What war?" Tidus asked as Wakka pondered this.
"Long ago, Bevelle fought a war against Zanarkand. This was before Sin, and many scholars will still argue that it is the very reason Sin appeared in the first place. You see, Bevelle was worried that the people in Zanarkand would overrule their religion, Yevon. Zanarkand, for its part, welcomed Yevon, but feared that they would be taken over. Suspicion mounted on suspicion, and the two cities eventually met in the Calm Lands, further north of here. In the middle of the last battle, fought in the same place as the first, Sin appeared. This is why Yevon bans machina weapons: The soldiers from Bevelle and Zanarkand alike were using them."
This story unsettled everyone on the shoupuff. Auron sighed and continued.
"After Sin appeared, it destroyed Zanarkand, and everyone in it. Afterwards, Bevelle determined that machina was the reason Sin appeared. They condemned all of it, which is why the Al Bhed aren't exactly the most popular people in Spira."
"If they don't wanna be persecuted, they need to stop doing all that crap," Wakka said.
"True," Auron said, nodding, "but don't you think the argument is just a little one-sided?"
"No," Wakka said flatly.
Auron shook his head. "A wise man once said that you couldn't tell a story unless you have all of your events set. Do you?"
Wakka didn't reply, he just mumbled. Tidus went back over to his seat next to Auron. "Of course," Auron started, "that story is not entirely true, either."
"Why not?" Tidus asked.
"The answer is closer than you think," Auron said.
"You?" Tidus asked.
"No. You, Tidus. Jecht and you are proof that there is much more to the story. Of course, they wouldn't believe me. But you might."
"Tell me," Tidus said eagerly.
"Consider this," Auron said, "Chicago, or Zanarkand, whichever you refer to it as, is located in the Mid-Western United States. Correct?"
"Yes," Tidus said uncertainly.
"Well, Zanarkand is up north; in fact, it's the very tip of the continent. So I ask you: How does a Mid-Western city end up in the north?"
"It can't," Tidus said.
"Yes and no," Auron responded. "I have a theory that when Sin appeared, it altered your world, almost like when Pangaea was still in one piece. It broke this continent and fused it with this continent, so on and so on. I think the world was changed when Sin appeared, and of course, there was a massive amount of death. Therefore, how could the war between Bevelle and Zanarkand bring Sin about, when Sin was already there?"
"They didn't," Tidus said.
"Correct. I would be imprisoned for saying what I am about to tell you, but I believe Yevon brought about Sin for the sole purpose of defeating Zanarkand, even before the war."
"And it got out of their control, didn't it," Tidus asked, realization dawning upon him.
"Theoretically, yes."
Tidus sat back, mulling over this in his mind. Auron leaned back in his seat. "Yu Yevon," he said, "That was the name of the first Grand Maester. He's the person who began preaching against Sin after the war. Grand Maester Yu Yevon."
Auron sighed, and stopped talking. For the moment, all was quiet, when suddenly, it happened.
The two strangely clothed people leapt into the carriage from the top. They grabbed Yuna and leapt into the water with her. The whole abduction took less than a few seconds.
Kimarhi stood and roared as loud as he could at the water's surface. "Al Bhed!" Wakka yelled. "Tidus! Let's go!"
Wakka jumped into the water and Tidus followed suit, unhooking his sword from its latch on his shorts. In the water, the watery blade almost disappeared to the eyes; blending in with the background. He saw Wakka ahead of him, holding his Blitzball under his arm.
The two swam for quite a bit before they realized they were under real water, so they headed up to catch their breath. Diving under again, they spotted her in a glowing glass bubble, above a large, round machina with propellers. The two hesitated, but hurried forward anyway.
As they approached, the machina suddenly opened on either side. Two wing-like structures opened, revealing cannons underneath.
The two men stopped dead.
The cannons opened fire, shooting Blitzballs at them at a furious pace. The two of them weathered the attack, and hurried forward to save the Summoner. Wakka managed to somehow aim a straight enough shot so that his Blitzball jammed one of the cannons by wedging itself into the barrel with another ball. Overloaded, the cannon exploded, blowing that half of the machina away. A small, submarine-like pod dropped out of the bottom. Tidus couldn't see who was in it, but he could see them working the controls. Just as it was making its getaway, the rest of the contraption exploded, knocking the little sub away, along with the glass ball that contained Yuna.
Tidus yelped, and gave up precious air bubbles as he swam after the orb with Yuna in it. He caught up to it, but he saw no obvious way to open it.
Wakka swam up to him, slightly blue, and pointed upwards. The two of them got under the sphere Yuna was in and pushed it up to the surface.
Tidus took a deep breath and it felt like someone had just plugged him into a wall outlet. He felt more alive than ever right at that moment. He felt himself being pulled roughly out of the water by Kimarhi, and watched as Lulu helped Wakka up into the carriage. He slumped up against the seats as Auron cracked the sphere open with his sword. Yuna tumbled out, unconscious, as the Summoner party looked on in worry.
The seats were a bit crowded now. Yuna, still asleep, was stretched out on one of the benches, meaning everyone else had to cram onto the remaining seats. "How 'bout that, huh?" Wakka asked triumphantly. "The Al Bhed are trying to kidnap Yuna! They're probably sore over Operation Mi'hen!"
"I doubt it," Auron said flatly
"Wait," Lulu said, "didn't Kimarhi's clansmen mention something about Summoners disappearing?"
"That seems to be the most logical approach to the situation, Wakka," Auron said.
"So," Wakka said, "you think the Al Bhed are kidnapping the Summoners- but not because of Operation Mi'hen?"
"Correct," Auron responded.
"Great," Wakka muttered.
The shoupuff finally reached the other bank and the Summoner party exited the carriage. Kimarhi carried Yuna in his muscular arms, and when the group reached the station, she regained consciousness.
"Kimarhi," she said weakly.
"Yuna gets taken. Kimarhi will never leave Yuna again," Kimarhi said in his deep voice.
"Me either," Tidus said.
"We leave," Auron said, standing by a road sign surrounded by what Tidus recognized as Guado.
"We must pass through Guadosalam to get to Macalania Temple. The sooner we get there, the better."
Tidus followed his mentor up the path when Yuna stumbled. "Oh!" she said. "I'm fine-just a little dizzy."
"We can wait, Yuna," Lulu said kindly. Wakka kneeled next to her.
"Take your time. We'll leave when you're ready."
Tidus decided to go see the rest of the Moonflow while he still could. As he walked along the banks, he spotted someone laying facedown in the mud.
"Hey!" He yelled, scrambling up to her. She was wearing a swimming suit and goggles. Tidus struggled to get the goggles off, and when he did, he gasped.
It was Rikku.
The Highroad had again turned from rock to dirt as the Summoner party traveled forward to the Moonflow. It was a lot more environmental, Tidus thought, looking at the grass on each side of the road and deciding that he liked looking at it more than barren and jagged rock faces. He had fallen into step with Auron, who seemed to return to his normal, serious, self, though he seemed to have picked up a bit more pessimism along the way.
Suddenly, Kimarhi stiffened, his ears wiggling with effort to hear. "What is it?" Yuna asked.
"Kimarhi hears something," he muttered in his deep, growl-like voice. "You can, too."
After a bit, they did hear it: a low, growling voice like Kimarhi's. Kimarhi's eyes narrowed suspiciously.
"Beron and Yenke," he said unpleasantly.
The group continued on and sure enough, at the end of a long trail, two very tall, very tough looking Ronsos stood, harassing a man who was passing through. They looked a lot like Kimarhi, except their horns were fully-grown, sharp and pointed on their foreheads. Looking at these two, Tidus was reminded of unicorns, except this pair didn't look like they'd be the peaceful creatures Tidus was thinking of.
They finally scared the guy off, laughing as he ran. "Look at little man run!" The first one yelled in a low, stupid voice. The Summoner party approached slowly, led by Kimarhi. "Look!" the tallest one yelled, in a voice like Kimarhi's. "It's little Kimarhi!"
Kimarhi seemed to grimace as he approached the two Ronsos. "Beron and Yenke," he said, acknowledging them.
"Little Kimarhi does remember big brother!" the taller one said. "Beron though Kimarhi had forgotten him, but Kimarhi remembers!"
"Kimarhi remembers Beron well," Kimarhi said to Beron. The tall Ronso nodded.
"Beron is surprised," he said. "Beron didn't think little Kimarhi could see his face!"
At this, the two Ronsos burst into laughter, and all at the expense Kimarhi, who stood there and took it. "You come to insult Kimarhi?" he asked in a low voice.
"Hornless! Hornless!" Yenke yelled, pointing at the broken-off piece of ivory on Kimarhi's forehead.
"What do you want with Kimarhi?" Yuna asked. Beron smiled unpleasantly.
"Beron and Yenke come to warn Kimarhi. Summoners disappearing. Kimarhi's Summoner might be next!"
Tidus suddenly remembered what Isaaru's brother had told him in D'Jose: That Summoners had been going out on pilgrimage and just vanishing. And he didn't like the way the two Ronsos in front of him were laughing.
"Kimarhi is very capable of keeping Yuna safe," Auron's deep, flat voice said from the rear of the group. The two fell silent as they surveyed him.
"You are Sir Auron," Beron said.
"Correct."
Beron studied him carefully. "Auron had better watch for Kimarhi then. Kimarhi will fail. Kimarhi has always failed."
Tidus could see Kimarhi shaking in rage, but he just stood there and took it. Finally, after a period of uncomfortable silence, the two Ronsos departed, leaving the Summoner party feeling very unsettled.
"Isaaru's brother told me that at D'Jose," Tidus said, "But I forgot."
Auron turned and looked at him. "Hmm. Perhaps we'd better keep moving."
The group continued on, and Tidus once again fell into step with his mentor. "Is Zanarkand on the other side of the Moonflow?" he asked.
Auron smiled. "Anxious to get home, aren't we?"
"Well. Yes," Tidus answered. "But you would be, too."
"Not really," Auron said, turning dark. "Bevelle is also on the other side of the Moonflow. That is where I am from. Where my story began."
Tidus chuckled. "Your story should have ended a long time ago, old man."
"Indeed."
Tidus though he must have struck a nerve that time, because Auron fell silent. They walked on in silence for a while when Auron said, "I had Jecht's pictures, you know."
"You did?" Tidus asked.
"Yes. I had intended to show you. But, of course, he beat me to the punch."
Tidus stared. "How?"
Auron looked at him. "You know how."
Tidus though hard, and his mind landed on Chicago. "Oh," he said, looking at his mentor stupidly. Auron grinned.
"Chicago and Zanarkand. They are one in the same, and yet different, separated by one thousands years. Remarkable, isn't it?"
"I suppose," Tidus said, bummed out again.
"When we get to Zanarkand. When we meet the person waiting for us there. He will reappear. Jecht's story is far from over as well."
Tidus fell into a deep thought after that. If Jecht was Sin, and Sin attacked Chicago and sent him and Auron 1,000 years into the future, how could he still be alive? For that fact, how did Auron know Jecht was Sin? He's always so cryptic, Tidus thought bitterly.
The group finally took a break further down the road. "It's too dark to continue," Auron said. "We'll camp here."
Wakka built the fire, and Lulu cast a spell to set it. The Summoner party sat around it, taking in its warmth. Kimarhi stood off to the side, still visibly affected by his brother. Tidus found his way over to him.
"Those guys. What do they have against you?"
Kimarhi took a deep breath. "Long ago, Beron and Kimarhi fought. Beron broke Kimarhi's horn. A hornless Ronso is shunned. Kimarhi retreated to the Calm Lands, and then went to Besaid."
"Why?"
Kimarhi shook his lion-like head. "Kimarhi cannot tell."
Tidus rolled his eyes. "Of course," he muttered, "that'd be too easy."
He found his way back to the fire, and sat by Yuna. He started humming to himself, when he noticed Yuna was listening. He stopped abruptly.
"What was that?" Yuna asked pleasantly.
"Uh. Calling All Angels from Train," Tidus said sheepishly. He knew Yuna would have no clue what he was talking about.
"I see," Yuna said. "Would you like to continue?"
"Ah. I better not."
Wakka and Auron were talking when Auron finally turned and said, "Everyone, get to sleep. We leave early tomorrow."
The next morning, the group trudged further down the road. Finally, Auron said, "We've reached the Moonflow."
The group walked over a small ridge, and an astonishing sight met his eyes. It seemed as though they were standing on the edge of the world; it was like they had walked into a low, very brightly colored fog. It was moving swiftly past them, like a river, except sometimes, small wisps of it would leap out, circle one of them, and leap back in. Auron stepped forward, his red coat glowing slightly purple in the light. He smiled a little at Tidus' shocked look.
"Pyre flies," Auron said, "the largest population of them in Spira." "Wow," Tidus said, although he had no idea what a Pyre fly was.
The Pyre flies did seem to like Wakka a lot; they swirled around him, with one briefly resting on his shoulder. "These are cool little creatures, yah," he said. "I need to bring some back to Besaid."
"They won't stay," Lulu said. "They only gather around freshwater."
"Oh yeah," Wakka said, waving them out of his face. Auron had already continued forward, but Yuna had stayed, kneeling at the water's edge, looking in wonder. "I hear that this place can be very magical at night." she said.
"We're not staying here until nightfall," Auron said flatly, continuing forward. Resignedly, Yuna got up and followed him. There was a small path that ran besides the Moonflow until it veered away towards what looked like some sort of station.
There was a platform in the center, looking like something you'd see in a western movie train station, although the thing standing next to it was hardly a train.
It was tall, fat, and stupid looking; its small little eyes looked at everything and nothing at the same time. It had a carriage on its back, and it reminded Tidus of a very tall elephant, minus the tusks and trunk. "Whoa!" Tidus exclaimed when he saw it. "What is that?"
"A shoupuff!" Yuna said, her eyes shining. "I haven't ridden a shoupuff since I was a little girl."
"Kimarhi remembers that day well. Shoupuff hit bump. Yuna fall out. Shoupuff extend its tiny nose and put Yuna back into carriage. Yuna fall out three more times for fun. Kimarhi worried," Kimarhi said, frowning slightly at Yuna.
"Oh. Sorry," Yuna said, reddening slightly.
Tidus found his way from the two of them and made his way over to Auron, who was looking closely at the shoupuff in front of him. "I see they're still using this particular shoupuff."
"What?" Tidus asked. Auron smiled.
"Jecht didn't know what a shoupuff was. The first time he saw one, he drew his blade, and attacked it, thinking it was a fiend."
Tidus looked at the harmless-looking creature. "How could he have made that mistake?"
"He was drunk," Auron responded solemnly.
"Oh," Tidus said in disappointment.
John "Jecht" Scott had been in the rumor mill for some time before his disappearance: the rumor was that he had a drinking problem, and that's why his game was slipping, and the reason why his contract with the Bulls hadn't been renewed. Jecht, of course, denied the drinking rumor, but when you're drunk on national television and have trouble remembering your wife's name, it makes things difficult.
"We had to pay the driver all the money we had," Auron continued. "Jecht swore he would never drink again. He took all of his alcohol, put it a bottle, and tossed it into the sea."
Tidus rolled his eyes. He still couldn't figure his father out.
The group was standing on the platform, waiting. Wakka and Yuna were at the actual station behind the platform, trying to get a free ride across. Wakka smiled, and the two of them actually sprinted back to the others. "Alright!" he called. "We get across for free."
They all boarded the large creature, and waited for the driver, who proved to be a little, four-foot-tall creature with blue skin and large, bulging eyes. He climbed up behind the shoupuff's head, and the large animal started across the Moonflow.
Wakka was sitting across from Tidus when he suddenly seemed to remember something. "Come here," He said, motioning to the seat adjacent to him. Tidus obliged, as Wakka was turning to look out over the carriage. Tidus followed his gaze, looking into the water.
"You know what that is?" Wakka asked him. Tidus shook his head.
"Under there, down on the bottom of the river floor, are the remains of city that was built over the Moonflow. I mean, on top of it. It connected to the land by a bunch of bridges, but you know what? The whole thing collapsed. Just like that. I mean, they only built it to prove they could. And now, look-what's so great about that?"
"Of course," Auron said, "you forgot the part about the war weakening the bridges."
"What war?" Tidus asked as Wakka pondered this.
"Long ago, Bevelle fought a war against Zanarkand. This was before Sin, and many scholars will still argue that it is the very reason Sin appeared in the first place. You see, Bevelle was worried that the people in Zanarkand would overrule their religion, Yevon. Zanarkand, for its part, welcomed Yevon, but feared that they would be taken over. Suspicion mounted on suspicion, and the two cities eventually met in the Calm Lands, further north of here. In the middle of the last battle, fought in the same place as the first, Sin appeared. This is why Yevon bans machina weapons: The soldiers from Bevelle and Zanarkand alike were using them."
This story unsettled everyone on the shoupuff. Auron sighed and continued.
"After Sin appeared, it destroyed Zanarkand, and everyone in it. Afterwards, Bevelle determined that machina was the reason Sin appeared. They condemned all of it, which is why the Al Bhed aren't exactly the most popular people in Spira."
"If they don't wanna be persecuted, they need to stop doing all that crap," Wakka said.
"True," Auron said, nodding, "but don't you think the argument is just a little one-sided?"
"No," Wakka said flatly.
Auron shook his head. "A wise man once said that you couldn't tell a story unless you have all of your events set. Do you?"
Wakka didn't reply, he just mumbled. Tidus went back over to his seat next to Auron. "Of course," Auron started, "that story is not entirely true, either."
"Why not?" Tidus asked.
"The answer is closer than you think," Auron said.
"You?" Tidus asked.
"No. You, Tidus. Jecht and you are proof that there is much more to the story. Of course, they wouldn't believe me. But you might."
"Tell me," Tidus said eagerly.
"Consider this," Auron said, "Chicago, or Zanarkand, whichever you refer to it as, is located in the Mid-Western United States. Correct?"
"Yes," Tidus said uncertainly.
"Well, Zanarkand is up north; in fact, it's the very tip of the continent. So I ask you: How does a Mid-Western city end up in the north?"
"It can't," Tidus said.
"Yes and no," Auron responded. "I have a theory that when Sin appeared, it altered your world, almost like when Pangaea was still in one piece. It broke this continent and fused it with this continent, so on and so on. I think the world was changed when Sin appeared, and of course, there was a massive amount of death. Therefore, how could the war between Bevelle and Zanarkand bring Sin about, when Sin was already there?"
"They didn't," Tidus said.
"Correct. I would be imprisoned for saying what I am about to tell you, but I believe Yevon brought about Sin for the sole purpose of defeating Zanarkand, even before the war."
"And it got out of their control, didn't it," Tidus asked, realization dawning upon him.
"Theoretically, yes."
Tidus sat back, mulling over this in his mind. Auron leaned back in his seat. "Yu Yevon," he said, "That was the name of the first Grand Maester. He's the person who began preaching against Sin after the war. Grand Maester Yu Yevon."
Auron sighed, and stopped talking. For the moment, all was quiet, when suddenly, it happened.
The two strangely clothed people leapt into the carriage from the top. They grabbed Yuna and leapt into the water with her. The whole abduction took less than a few seconds.
Kimarhi stood and roared as loud as he could at the water's surface. "Al Bhed!" Wakka yelled. "Tidus! Let's go!"
Wakka jumped into the water and Tidus followed suit, unhooking his sword from its latch on his shorts. In the water, the watery blade almost disappeared to the eyes; blending in with the background. He saw Wakka ahead of him, holding his Blitzball under his arm.
The two swam for quite a bit before they realized they were under real water, so they headed up to catch their breath. Diving under again, they spotted her in a glowing glass bubble, above a large, round machina with propellers. The two hesitated, but hurried forward anyway.
As they approached, the machina suddenly opened on either side. Two wing-like structures opened, revealing cannons underneath.
The two men stopped dead.
The cannons opened fire, shooting Blitzballs at them at a furious pace. The two of them weathered the attack, and hurried forward to save the Summoner. Wakka managed to somehow aim a straight enough shot so that his Blitzball jammed one of the cannons by wedging itself into the barrel with another ball. Overloaded, the cannon exploded, blowing that half of the machina away. A small, submarine-like pod dropped out of the bottom. Tidus couldn't see who was in it, but he could see them working the controls. Just as it was making its getaway, the rest of the contraption exploded, knocking the little sub away, along with the glass ball that contained Yuna.
Tidus yelped, and gave up precious air bubbles as he swam after the orb with Yuna in it. He caught up to it, but he saw no obvious way to open it.
Wakka swam up to him, slightly blue, and pointed upwards. The two of them got under the sphere Yuna was in and pushed it up to the surface.
Tidus took a deep breath and it felt like someone had just plugged him into a wall outlet. He felt more alive than ever right at that moment. He felt himself being pulled roughly out of the water by Kimarhi, and watched as Lulu helped Wakka up into the carriage. He slumped up against the seats as Auron cracked the sphere open with his sword. Yuna tumbled out, unconscious, as the Summoner party looked on in worry.
The seats were a bit crowded now. Yuna, still asleep, was stretched out on one of the benches, meaning everyone else had to cram onto the remaining seats. "How 'bout that, huh?" Wakka asked triumphantly. "The Al Bhed are trying to kidnap Yuna! They're probably sore over Operation Mi'hen!"
"I doubt it," Auron said flatly
"Wait," Lulu said, "didn't Kimarhi's clansmen mention something about Summoners disappearing?"
"That seems to be the most logical approach to the situation, Wakka," Auron said.
"So," Wakka said, "you think the Al Bhed are kidnapping the Summoners- but not because of Operation Mi'hen?"
"Correct," Auron responded.
"Great," Wakka muttered.
The shoupuff finally reached the other bank and the Summoner party exited the carriage. Kimarhi carried Yuna in his muscular arms, and when the group reached the station, she regained consciousness.
"Kimarhi," she said weakly.
"Yuna gets taken. Kimarhi will never leave Yuna again," Kimarhi said in his deep voice.
"Me either," Tidus said.
"We leave," Auron said, standing by a road sign surrounded by what Tidus recognized as Guado.
"We must pass through Guadosalam to get to Macalania Temple. The sooner we get there, the better."
Tidus followed his mentor up the path when Yuna stumbled. "Oh!" she said. "I'm fine-just a little dizzy."
"We can wait, Yuna," Lulu said kindly. Wakka kneeled next to her.
"Take your time. We'll leave when you're ready."
Tidus decided to go see the rest of the Moonflow while he still could. As he walked along the banks, he spotted someone laying facedown in the mud.
"Hey!" He yelled, scrambling up to her. She was wearing a swimming suit and goggles. Tidus struggled to get the goggles off, and when he did, he gasped.
It was Rikku.