A/N: Perhaps this benefits you all, since I am now on winter break for a
while and I have a bit more time to write these chapters. ^^ Yet I'm still
deciding what direction I'm going to take this story from this point on,
but it's nothing that poses any problem.
Again, I thank everyone for the feedback they've been giving me so far with the story. It means a lot. ^^
** Chapter 9 **
"What the hell do you mean?"
"I'm sorry Paine, but it is what may eventually happen if what you're telling me is true," Baralai spoke.
"But what difference does it make if they're both here right now?" Rikku interjected quietly.
Baralai sighed. "This isn't easy for me to explain, but I'll try my best."
"Ok," Paine said, taking a seat next to Rikku.
The two girls had told Baralai about what the current situation with Yuna was. Although Paine was slightly hesitant with revealing the story to him, she realized there was no way around it if they wanted his help. Baralai was the only person Paine and Rikku knew who had experienced Shuyin's abilities firsthand and perhaps there was some way he could have helped. Of course there was Nooj who had also been possessed by Shuyin, but Paine felt that leaving those memories behind was the best for Nooj.
"If you remember, I told you that Kinoc mentioned that the soul can return if something on our plane is strong enough to draw their consciousness back here," Baralai began, as he slowly paced around the table. Rikku and Paine's eyes followed him.
"And Rikku, you seem to have confirmed that when you spoke about Lord Jyscal coming out of the Farplane just so he could give you a sphere," Baralai continued, directing towards what Rikku had said earlier.
"Yeah, it's what happened two years ago when Yuna went on her pilgrimage," Rikku replied.
"I suppose what I'm trying to get at is the question on why Shuyin has returned," Baralai said, frowning slightly at the mention of the man's name.
"When I followed Yuna to the Farplane that night, I heard her telling the old man that she had "feelings for him" or something like that," Paine suddenly spoke, remembering the conversation she had witnessed between Yuna and Maechen. "I couldn't hear everything they were talking about, but Yuna did speak about that."
"What do you mean 'feelings for him'?" Rikku asked, a concerned expression on her face.
Paine sighed and looked down at the table. "I know what I heard."
"Yunie? Feelings for Shuyin?" Rikku echoed again, her eyes drifting down to stare at the floor in shock.
The warrior shook her head slowly. "No, there must be something more to what Yuna meant when she said that," Paine spoke, trying to make sense of the whole situation. Her voice grew quiet. "I saw how happy she was when she ran to him after jumping from the airship that day, so there's no way she can feel anything for Shuyin."
"Of course she doesn't.." Rikku trailed off for a moment, her expression looking removed.
Baralai coughed softly, drawing the attention of the other two. "If they both stay here, I am unsure of what the consequences may be," he said.
Paine looked up. "Consequences?"
"Yes. The fayth does not allow one to be reborn that easily, yet in Yuna's case it seems they had given her this one wish," Baralai responded, resting his chin in one hand. "Yet the fayth has given her both of her wishes if she did indeed hold feelings for him and Shuyin.."
"No! Yunie could never feel anything for Shuyin at all! Never!" Rikku shouted then, anger clearly evident in her expression. She looked down at the table silently.
"I'm sorry for saying that," Baralai apologized softly to Rikku. The Al Bhed said nothing and continued to look down at the floor.
Paine looked from Rikku to the other man. "Baralai, what did you mean earlier when you said that there are consequences?" she asked.
Baralai sighed and folded his hands in front of him, resting them on the table. "I do not know how it happened, but there shouldn't have been a reason why Shuyin came back here. Like I spoke about earlier, the soul can only return back to our plane if there is something here that is so strong that their souls cannot escape from.." Baralai trailed off, realizing his error.
Rikku had realized it as well, for the girl darted her head up to look at Baralai in time to his words. "No, you don't mean.."
Paine looked over at the Al Bhed, realizing what Baralai had meant as well.
"You don't mean that Shuyin is the one who came here because he's attached to...Yunie?" Rikku finished, the words escaping her lips. Even to her own ears, the words sounded frighteningly wrong. But why? Shuyin was with Lenne now, and they were at peace..right? The two tragic lovers had spent an eternity trying to be together again, and it was inevitably Shuyin's regret that his feelings caused his soul to wander for 1000 years.
"Since two have returned as a result of Yuna, the fayth simply can't let them both escape," Baralai spoke once more. "The fayth can only give so much, and this was something I have never seen before in all my years. To think that a person was reborn from the pyreflies..it truly is interesting."
"For Shuyin, this is his second chance to come back here," Paine said quietly.
"And that is why this situation is so dangerous. With all the anger he has been carrying with him since the time his soul had been wandering, they've become too strong, and his attachment to this world is stronger because of that," Baralai explained. He stood and walked to the window once more. "Perhaps Shuyin's attachment to this world is much stronger than that of the other young man."
"But it still doesn't justify how Shuyin came back here," Paine spoke quietly. She leaned back in her chair in defeat, crossing her arms as she did so.
Baralai suddenly spoke, his back still to them. "Tell me something. This young man that has returned to Lady Yuna again - what is he like?"
Rikku couldn't help but smile at the simple question. "Tidus? Why do you ask?" the Al Bhed spoke.
"No particular reason. Just out of curiosity's sake," Baralai replied with a slight chuckle. "Also, we keep speaking about him and I still have not met him, nor do I know of his appearance."
"Well to tell you the truth, when we first met him two years ago before Yuna's pilgrimage began, everyone thought he was a little strange," Rikku began.
Baralai turned to face them once more. "Strange? In what way?"
Rikku leaned back in her chair, resting her head on her arms. "He claimed that he came from Zanarkand. At first we all thought it was just because of Sin's toxin that he was talking crazily like that. But later we found out it was true," Rikku spoke, the memories returning to her once more. "He really was from Zanarkand..but it wasn't what you would think."
"Zanarkand?" Baralai echoed, his ears hanging on Rikku's every word.
It was Paine who spoke as well. "What do you mean, Rikku?" the warrior asked. "He can't possibly be from Zanarkand. That city has been gone for a long time."
Rikku suddenly paused, her voice lowering until it was almost a whisper. "That's right, you both don't know about Tidus, do you?" she asked them.
"No, what is it?" Paine asked, a hint of trouble evident in her voice.
Baralai waited as well, standing with his arms crossed.
Rikku gazed between the two. "You remember how the fayth had dreamed up a Zanarkand from their memories right? It was Zanarkand, but everyone in it were all dreams. Memories by the fayth of the ancient city," Rikku began. She took a deep breath as if to gather her thoughts once more. "The man Yuna fell in love with two years ago - the one you saw that day on the beach - Tidus is a dream of the fayth, a dream of a person who once lived on Zanarkand one-thousand years ago."
Paine's necklace jangled softly as the warrior suddenly sat up, the magnitude of the Al Bhed's words hitting her full force. "Rikku, what do you mean?" Paine spoke in disbelief. She had never expected that Tidus held such a shocking history.
"It's true, Paine. He was just a dream of the fayth's memories of the people of Zanarkand, and now he's a real person now. All because Yuna had wanted him to come back," Rikku said.
Baralai's voice suddenly cut through. He raised his eyes to meet Rikku's green orbs. "Tell me, Rikku. What does this young man look like?" Baralai asked again.
Before Rikku could reply, she stopped suddenly, the words losing themselves in her mouth. Her hand trembling, she brought it up to her mouth in shock. Raising her eyes to look at Paine and Baralai, she gasped softly at the realization.
"He looks just like Shuyin..."
***
She struggled to breathe as he kissed her deeply. Her back leaning against the cold stone walls of the secluded waterfall archway, she felt his tongue gently graze her lips as he held her against the wall. His chains clinked softly as he raised a hand to wrap around her shoulders, still kissing her all the while more.
Yuna suddenly felt the coldness of one gloved hand as it snaked its way under her shirt and grazed the sensitive skin of her back. She sighed against him and suddenly pulled away, the lingering feeling of his lips leaving hers. He stared back at her in the darkness with a confused expression, his blue eyes glowing from the little light that entered the archway. Outside, the soft waterfall continued to splash against the rocks, mists of water hitting her bare legs. They were enclosed on three sides by stone walls, the fourth side being the exit where the waterfall was falling next to them. Tidus stood in front of her, holding her body close to his while her back was pinned against the wall.
"Maybe we should head back now," Yuna spoke to him hesitantly. She didn't feel quite right at that moment. She looked up into his face, which was mere inches away from her own. She could feel one of his arms still holding her around the waist while another ran through her hair softly.
"Why?" Tidus whispered to her. Yuna could feel his warm breath on her skin. "We were having fun, weren't we?" he said softly, his face leaning down once more.
Yuna pushed him away then. She looked at him in frustration. "What's wrong with you? You're not usually like this," she whispered.
She watched as his mouth slowly curved into a smile before chuckling softly. "I'm not?" he asked.
Yuna looked down at her boots, refusing to meet his stare. "No, you don't act like this."
Silence.
She looked up at him this time, her eyes narrowing. "It's like you've changed."
His eyes shot up and met her own. Before Tidus could reply, she had walked out of the archway, the soft splash of the water hitting his face a bit as she stepped through the waterfall and outside again.
He smirked and followed her as well.
Climbing up the small slope to the main pathway again, he barely caught a glimpse of her skirt as it fluttered around the corner. He ran to catch up with her.
"Yuna! Wait!" he called to her.
But she didn't stop.
He quickened his jog until he finally caught up to her. Reaching out to grab a hold of her arm, he stopped her in her steps as she turned to face him.
He took a moment to catch his breath. "I'm sorry," Tidus spoke to her, eyes looking down. A gentle breeze suddenly caused her skirt to ruffle softly.
Yuna paused and studied him carefully, but said nothing.
She saw him look up to meet her gaze. Yuna couldn't help but smile at him. Perhaps she had overreacted back there. After all, he was only trying to get closer to her. She reached out and hugged him gently before she felt his arms come around her as well.
"You're forgiven," she spoke with a small laugh.
***
"Buddy!!!!" the Al Bhed roared, stomping through the airship's corridors until he entered the crew's quarters, finding Buddy sleeping on the bed.
"Get up! Get up!!!!" Brother yelled again, running to the bedside and shaking the other man frantically.
Buddy bolted up from his nap in alarm. His eyes landed on the other Al Bhed. "What the hell are you yelling for?" he exclaimed, irritated at having been awoken.
Brother threw his arms up into the air and jumped up in frustration. He held a sphere in his right hand and was waving it frantically. "You see this? I watched Yuna earlier!"
The other Al Bhed sighed and flopped back down on the bed and raised an arm to cover his eyes. "Yeah, so what else is new?" he grumbled.
"No, no, no, no!!!" Brother exclaimed. He stopped jumping and suddenly turned serious. "Yuna and Tidus looked like they were having a - how do you say..a argument," Brother spoke, struggling to find his words. He was speaking more English as the days went on, and was improving at great speed.
Buddy paused. "Yeah, so what? It's normal right?"
"No, this was not normal," Brother answered, pacing around the room. He stopped and faced Buddy, holding up the sphere. "Do you want to see it?"
"Fine, let's have a look then," Buddy replied, surrendering to Brother's antics. What was the big deal about Yuna having a small argument with him?
Walking over to Buddy, the other Al Bhed sat down next to him and held the sphere up. Buddy recognized it as a recording from one of Shinra's old CommSpheres.
"Hey, where exactly did you record this at?" Buddy asked slowly.
Brother sighed and hung his head down. "It's the sphere that is placed near the waterfall and the bridge," he answered, turning on the sphere so they could watch the contents.
The screen was fuzzy, but the contents were still clear enough. First it only showed the scene with the waterfalls, not a single bird or animal in sight. Suddenly Buddy's eyes blinked as Yuna came running onto the screen. She had emerged from somewhere that was underneath the sphere's view. Continuing to walk fast, she was suddenly stopped by Tidus, who grabbed her arm as she turned to face him.
It was then that Buddy saw that Brother had zoomed in during this. The two were still quite far from the sphere's range, but now Buddy could see them closely.
"Ok, ok. Watch this part carefully," Brother said with an accent, looking closely at the sphere.
Buddy leaned in as well and watched with curiosity. For some reason the screen had cleared up considerably and they could now see the picture better. It showed Yuna suddenly moving in to hug Tidus before his arms came around her as well. Buddy froze at the sight as his mouth opened slightly.
As his arms had come up around Yuna, there was a bright glow that had shot out from his body, causing his entire form to take on a frightening liquid-looking, metallic appearance before showing the distinct colors of his face and clothing once again, as if the moment had never happened. The flash on Tidus' body had only lasted a brief moment, yet Buddy had seen it all clearly, and the sphere had caught it all. He felt his breath catch at the sight.
The Al Bhed turned to face Brother.
"What the hell was that?" Buddy asked in disbelief as Brother turned off the sphere with a click.
The other Al Bhed hung his head and raised his hand up to his chin. "I do not know, but it does not feel right," he said.
***
"Hey, you two! What's up?" the man spoke.
Yuna smiled at him. "Hi, Wakka."
Wakka laughed and walked over to them. He eyed them both up and down, a sly grin appearing on his face. "Why are you two all wet?" the older man asked with a chuckle.
Yuna laughed nervously. "Uh, we were um.."
"We got wet by the waterfall," Tidus interrupted, his voice amazingly even.
Wakka narrowed his eyes and his voice took on a playful tone. "Ohhh. And what were you two kids doing there, hm?" he asked, causing a slight tinge of pink to appear on Yuna's cheeks.
"Nothing, nothing!" she protested, waving her hands at the gesture.
The older man simply laughed. "Ah, well me and Lu were going to take Vidina down to the beach today. Y'know. To let him see what the waters are like."
Yuna turned her head curiously. "But Wakka, he's only a baby!"
Wakka laughed again. "Don't worry, we're not taking him swimming! Just to take him there, ya?"
"Oh," Yuna laughed. "That sounds like fun."
Lulu suddenly emerged out of the hut carrying the baby and a small basket. She smiled to the two of them and walked out to meet them.
"Hello everyone," Lulu spoke, her voice soft.
Yuna smiled at the woman. "Hi, Lulu."
Wakka smiled at Lulu and began to head toward the direction of the village exit.
"Well guys, we gotta get going. You behave now, ya?" Wakka suddenly spoke, bending down to get the basket from Lulu's hand as the couple began to walk out of the village.
Yuna waved after them. "Bye! Have fun!" she said.
***
Buddy walked down the hallway heading towards the engine room. He had been thinking about what they had seen in the sphere, when faint voices suddenly caught his attention.
Slowing his steps, he peaked around the corner and saw Paine and Rikku whispering something quietly to each other. They must have finished speaking to Baralai and had returned to the airship. Curious, he stopped to listen in, hoping to discover why they were traveling around the world without Yuna.
"I'm glad Baralai was able to help us a little," Rikku spoke.
"Yeah, he cleared up a few things," Paine agreed.
Buddy watched as the warrior walked a little toward his direction. He pulled himself out of her sight and continued to listen.
"But Paine, it still doesn't answer how exactly we help Yunie," Rikku spoke quietly. Buddy heard her sigh.
"I know, Rikku. But now that we know that she's in trouble, we can help her."
"Will she be mad that we found out about it?" Rikku asked worriedly.
"Why would she? After all, I don't think she even knows that the presence of both of them is more dangerous than ever now," Paine answered. She walked toward the Al Bhed.
"Rikku, listen. We need to tell Yuna about what we know," Paine began.
The other girl looked up and met deep ruby eyes.
"If we don't, Shuyin's presence might be strong enough to take over Tidus' body if the two of them ever come into contact."
Buddy leaned back against the wall and suppressed a gasp.
** End of Chapter 9 **
A/N: Just like I promised, Chapter 9 was released today. ^^ I hope the plot is a little more clear now for some people. =)
Chapter 10 will be out very soon!
Again, I thank everyone for the feedback they've been giving me so far with the story. It means a lot. ^^
** Chapter 9 **
"What the hell do you mean?"
"I'm sorry Paine, but it is what may eventually happen if what you're telling me is true," Baralai spoke.
"But what difference does it make if they're both here right now?" Rikku interjected quietly.
Baralai sighed. "This isn't easy for me to explain, but I'll try my best."
"Ok," Paine said, taking a seat next to Rikku.
The two girls had told Baralai about what the current situation with Yuna was. Although Paine was slightly hesitant with revealing the story to him, she realized there was no way around it if they wanted his help. Baralai was the only person Paine and Rikku knew who had experienced Shuyin's abilities firsthand and perhaps there was some way he could have helped. Of course there was Nooj who had also been possessed by Shuyin, but Paine felt that leaving those memories behind was the best for Nooj.
"If you remember, I told you that Kinoc mentioned that the soul can return if something on our plane is strong enough to draw their consciousness back here," Baralai began, as he slowly paced around the table. Rikku and Paine's eyes followed him.
"And Rikku, you seem to have confirmed that when you spoke about Lord Jyscal coming out of the Farplane just so he could give you a sphere," Baralai continued, directing towards what Rikku had said earlier.
"Yeah, it's what happened two years ago when Yuna went on her pilgrimage," Rikku replied.
"I suppose what I'm trying to get at is the question on why Shuyin has returned," Baralai said, frowning slightly at the mention of the man's name.
"When I followed Yuna to the Farplane that night, I heard her telling the old man that she had "feelings for him" or something like that," Paine suddenly spoke, remembering the conversation she had witnessed between Yuna and Maechen. "I couldn't hear everything they were talking about, but Yuna did speak about that."
"What do you mean 'feelings for him'?" Rikku asked, a concerned expression on her face.
Paine sighed and looked down at the table. "I know what I heard."
"Yunie? Feelings for Shuyin?" Rikku echoed again, her eyes drifting down to stare at the floor in shock.
The warrior shook her head slowly. "No, there must be something more to what Yuna meant when she said that," Paine spoke, trying to make sense of the whole situation. Her voice grew quiet. "I saw how happy she was when she ran to him after jumping from the airship that day, so there's no way she can feel anything for Shuyin."
"Of course she doesn't.." Rikku trailed off for a moment, her expression looking removed.
Baralai coughed softly, drawing the attention of the other two. "If they both stay here, I am unsure of what the consequences may be," he said.
Paine looked up. "Consequences?"
"Yes. The fayth does not allow one to be reborn that easily, yet in Yuna's case it seems they had given her this one wish," Baralai responded, resting his chin in one hand. "Yet the fayth has given her both of her wishes if she did indeed hold feelings for him and Shuyin.."
"No! Yunie could never feel anything for Shuyin at all! Never!" Rikku shouted then, anger clearly evident in her expression. She looked down at the table silently.
"I'm sorry for saying that," Baralai apologized softly to Rikku. The Al Bhed said nothing and continued to look down at the floor.
Paine looked from Rikku to the other man. "Baralai, what did you mean earlier when you said that there are consequences?" she asked.
Baralai sighed and folded his hands in front of him, resting them on the table. "I do not know how it happened, but there shouldn't have been a reason why Shuyin came back here. Like I spoke about earlier, the soul can only return back to our plane if there is something here that is so strong that their souls cannot escape from.." Baralai trailed off, realizing his error.
Rikku had realized it as well, for the girl darted her head up to look at Baralai in time to his words. "No, you don't mean.."
Paine looked over at the Al Bhed, realizing what Baralai had meant as well.
"You don't mean that Shuyin is the one who came here because he's attached to...Yunie?" Rikku finished, the words escaping her lips. Even to her own ears, the words sounded frighteningly wrong. But why? Shuyin was with Lenne now, and they were at peace..right? The two tragic lovers had spent an eternity trying to be together again, and it was inevitably Shuyin's regret that his feelings caused his soul to wander for 1000 years.
"Since two have returned as a result of Yuna, the fayth simply can't let them both escape," Baralai spoke once more. "The fayth can only give so much, and this was something I have never seen before in all my years. To think that a person was reborn from the pyreflies..it truly is interesting."
"For Shuyin, this is his second chance to come back here," Paine said quietly.
"And that is why this situation is so dangerous. With all the anger he has been carrying with him since the time his soul had been wandering, they've become too strong, and his attachment to this world is stronger because of that," Baralai explained. He stood and walked to the window once more. "Perhaps Shuyin's attachment to this world is much stronger than that of the other young man."
"But it still doesn't justify how Shuyin came back here," Paine spoke quietly. She leaned back in her chair in defeat, crossing her arms as she did so.
Baralai suddenly spoke, his back still to them. "Tell me something. This young man that has returned to Lady Yuna again - what is he like?"
Rikku couldn't help but smile at the simple question. "Tidus? Why do you ask?" the Al Bhed spoke.
"No particular reason. Just out of curiosity's sake," Baralai replied with a slight chuckle. "Also, we keep speaking about him and I still have not met him, nor do I know of his appearance."
"Well to tell you the truth, when we first met him two years ago before Yuna's pilgrimage began, everyone thought he was a little strange," Rikku began.
Baralai turned to face them once more. "Strange? In what way?"
Rikku leaned back in her chair, resting her head on her arms. "He claimed that he came from Zanarkand. At first we all thought it was just because of Sin's toxin that he was talking crazily like that. But later we found out it was true," Rikku spoke, the memories returning to her once more. "He really was from Zanarkand..but it wasn't what you would think."
"Zanarkand?" Baralai echoed, his ears hanging on Rikku's every word.
It was Paine who spoke as well. "What do you mean, Rikku?" the warrior asked. "He can't possibly be from Zanarkand. That city has been gone for a long time."
Rikku suddenly paused, her voice lowering until it was almost a whisper. "That's right, you both don't know about Tidus, do you?" she asked them.
"No, what is it?" Paine asked, a hint of trouble evident in her voice.
Baralai waited as well, standing with his arms crossed.
Rikku gazed between the two. "You remember how the fayth had dreamed up a Zanarkand from their memories right? It was Zanarkand, but everyone in it were all dreams. Memories by the fayth of the ancient city," Rikku began. She took a deep breath as if to gather her thoughts once more. "The man Yuna fell in love with two years ago - the one you saw that day on the beach - Tidus is a dream of the fayth, a dream of a person who once lived on Zanarkand one-thousand years ago."
Paine's necklace jangled softly as the warrior suddenly sat up, the magnitude of the Al Bhed's words hitting her full force. "Rikku, what do you mean?" Paine spoke in disbelief. She had never expected that Tidus held such a shocking history.
"It's true, Paine. He was just a dream of the fayth's memories of the people of Zanarkand, and now he's a real person now. All because Yuna had wanted him to come back," Rikku said.
Baralai's voice suddenly cut through. He raised his eyes to meet Rikku's green orbs. "Tell me, Rikku. What does this young man look like?" Baralai asked again.
Before Rikku could reply, she stopped suddenly, the words losing themselves in her mouth. Her hand trembling, she brought it up to her mouth in shock. Raising her eyes to look at Paine and Baralai, she gasped softly at the realization.
"He looks just like Shuyin..."
***
She struggled to breathe as he kissed her deeply. Her back leaning against the cold stone walls of the secluded waterfall archway, she felt his tongue gently graze her lips as he held her against the wall. His chains clinked softly as he raised a hand to wrap around her shoulders, still kissing her all the while more.
Yuna suddenly felt the coldness of one gloved hand as it snaked its way under her shirt and grazed the sensitive skin of her back. She sighed against him and suddenly pulled away, the lingering feeling of his lips leaving hers. He stared back at her in the darkness with a confused expression, his blue eyes glowing from the little light that entered the archway. Outside, the soft waterfall continued to splash against the rocks, mists of water hitting her bare legs. They were enclosed on three sides by stone walls, the fourth side being the exit where the waterfall was falling next to them. Tidus stood in front of her, holding her body close to his while her back was pinned against the wall.
"Maybe we should head back now," Yuna spoke to him hesitantly. She didn't feel quite right at that moment. She looked up into his face, which was mere inches away from her own. She could feel one of his arms still holding her around the waist while another ran through her hair softly.
"Why?" Tidus whispered to her. Yuna could feel his warm breath on her skin. "We were having fun, weren't we?" he said softly, his face leaning down once more.
Yuna pushed him away then. She looked at him in frustration. "What's wrong with you? You're not usually like this," she whispered.
She watched as his mouth slowly curved into a smile before chuckling softly. "I'm not?" he asked.
Yuna looked down at her boots, refusing to meet his stare. "No, you don't act like this."
Silence.
She looked up at him this time, her eyes narrowing. "It's like you've changed."
His eyes shot up and met her own. Before Tidus could reply, she had walked out of the archway, the soft splash of the water hitting his face a bit as she stepped through the waterfall and outside again.
He smirked and followed her as well.
Climbing up the small slope to the main pathway again, he barely caught a glimpse of her skirt as it fluttered around the corner. He ran to catch up with her.
"Yuna! Wait!" he called to her.
But she didn't stop.
He quickened his jog until he finally caught up to her. Reaching out to grab a hold of her arm, he stopped her in her steps as she turned to face him.
He took a moment to catch his breath. "I'm sorry," Tidus spoke to her, eyes looking down. A gentle breeze suddenly caused her skirt to ruffle softly.
Yuna paused and studied him carefully, but said nothing.
She saw him look up to meet her gaze. Yuna couldn't help but smile at him. Perhaps she had overreacted back there. After all, he was only trying to get closer to her. She reached out and hugged him gently before she felt his arms come around her as well.
"You're forgiven," she spoke with a small laugh.
***
"Buddy!!!!" the Al Bhed roared, stomping through the airship's corridors until he entered the crew's quarters, finding Buddy sleeping on the bed.
"Get up! Get up!!!!" Brother yelled again, running to the bedside and shaking the other man frantically.
Buddy bolted up from his nap in alarm. His eyes landed on the other Al Bhed. "What the hell are you yelling for?" he exclaimed, irritated at having been awoken.
Brother threw his arms up into the air and jumped up in frustration. He held a sphere in his right hand and was waving it frantically. "You see this? I watched Yuna earlier!"
The other Al Bhed sighed and flopped back down on the bed and raised an arm to cover his eyes. "Yeah, so what else is new?" he grumbled.
"No, no, no, no!!!" Brother exclaimed. He stopped jumping and suddenly turned serious. "Yuna and Tidus looked like they were having a - how do you say..a argument," Brother spoke, struggling to find his words. He was speaking more English as the days went on, and was improving at great speed.
Buddy paused. "Yeah, so what? It's normal right?"
"No, this was not normal," Brother answered, pacing around the room. He stopped and faced Buddy, holding up the sphere. "Do you want to see it?"
"Fine, let's have a look then," Buddy replied, surrendering to Brother's antics. What was the big deal about Yuna having a small argument with him?
Walking over to Buddy, the other Al Bhed sat down next to him and held the sphere up. Buddy recognized it as a recording from one of Shinra's old CommSpheres.
"Hey, where exactly did you record this at?" Buddy asked slowly.
Brother sighed and hung his head down. "It's the sphere that is placed near the waterfall and the bridge," he answered, turning on the sphere so they could watch the contents.
The screen was fuzzy, but the contents were still clear enough. First it only showed the scene with the waterfalls, not a single bird or animal in sight. Suddenly Buddy's eyes blinked as Yuna came running onto the screen. She had emerged from somewhere that was underneath the sphere's view. Continuing to walk fast, she was suddenly stopped by Tidus, who grabbed her arm as she turned to face him.
It was then that Buddy saw that Brother had zoomed in during this. The two were still quite far from the sphere's range, but now Buddy could see them closely.
"Ok, ok. Watch this part carefully," Brother said with an accent, looking closely at the sphere.
Buddy leaned in as well and watched with curiosity. For some reason the screen had cleared up considerably and they could now see the picture better. It showed Yuna suddenly moving in to hug Tidus before his arms came around her as well. Buddy froze at the sight as his mouth opened slightly.
As his arms had come up around Yuna, there was a bright glow that had shot out from his body, causing his entire form to take on a frightening liquid-looking, metallic appearance before showing the distinct colors of his face and clothing once again, as if the moment had never happened. The flash on Tidus' body had only lasted a brief moment, yet Buddy had seen it all clearly, and the sphere had caught it all. He felt his breath catch at the sight.
The Al Bhed turned to face Brother.
"What the hell was that?" Buddy asked in disbelief as Brother turned off the sphere with a click.
The other Al Bhed hung his head and raised his hand up to his chin. "I do not know, but it does not feel right," he said.
***
"Hey, you two! What's up?" the man spoke.
Yuna smiled at him. "Hi, Wakka."
Wakka laughed and walked over to them. He eyed them both up and down, a sly grin appearing on his face. "Why are you two all wet?" the older man asked with a chuckle.
Yuna laughed nervously. "Uh, we were um.."
"We got wet by the waterfall," Tidus interrupted, his voice amazingly even.
Wakka narrowed his eyes and his voice took on a playful tone. "Ohhh. And what were you two kids doing there, hm?" he asked, causing a slight tinge of pink to appear on Yuna's cheeks.
"Nothing, nothing!" she protested, waving her hands at the gesture.
The older man simply laughed. "Ah, well me and Lu were going to take Vidina down to the beach today. Y'know. To let him see what the waters are like."
Yuna turned her head curiously. "But Wakka, he's only a baby!"
Wakka laughed again. "Don't worry, we're not taking him swimming! Just to take him there, ya?"
"Oh," Yuna laughed. "That sounds like fun."
Lulu suddenly emerged out of the hut carrying the baby and a small basket. She smiled to the two of them and walked out to meet them.
"Hello everyone," Lulu spoke, her voice soft.
Yuna smiled at the woman. "Hi, Lulu."
Wakka smiled at Lulu and began to head toward the direction of the village exit.
"Well guys, we gotta get going. You behave now, ya?" Wakka suddenly spoke, bending down to get the basket from Lulu's hand as the couple began to walk out of the village.
Yuna waved after them. "Bye! Have fun!" she said.
***
Buddy walked down the hallway heading towards the engine room. He had been thinking about what they had seen in the sphere, when faint voices suddenly caught his attention.
Slowing his steps, he peaked around the corner and saw Paine and Rikku whispering something quietly to each other. They must have finished speaking to Baralai and had returned to the airship. Curious, he stopped to listen in, hoping to discover why they were traveling around the world without Yuna.
"I'm glad Baralai was able to help us a little," Rikku spoke.
"Yeah, he cleared up a few things," Paine agreed.
Buddy watched as the warrior walked a little toward his direction. He pulled himself out of her sight and continued to listen.
"But Paine, it still doesn't answer how exactly we help Yunie," Rikku spoke quietly. Buddy heard her sigh.
"I know, Rikku. But now that we know that she's in trouble, we can help her."
"Will she be mad that we found out about it?" Rikku asked worriedly.
"Why would she? After all, I don't think she even knows that the presence of both of them is more dangerous than ever now," Paine answered. She walked toward the Al Bhed.
"Rikku, listen. We need to tell Yuna about what we know," Paine began.
The other girl looked up and met deep ruby eyes.
"If we don't, Shuyin's presence might be strong enough to take over Tidus' body if the two of them ever come into contact."
Buddy leaned back against the wall and suppressed a gasp.
** End of Chapter 9 **
A/N: Just like I promised, Chapter 9 was released today. ^^ I hope the plot is a little more clear now for some people. =)
Chapter 10 will be out very soon!