A/N: It's been so long since I updated! ^^;
But before I begin, I want to reproduce a particular scene that occurs when visiting Logos and Ormi's room during Chapter 2. After the girls watch the key item "Gaol's Sphere" in the room, Maechen shows up out of nowhere and discusses the person in the sphere (Shuyin) with them. There are things he says which adds supplementary information to the story, and I want to share it with everyone first.
** There are spoilers of course, so read only if you have watched the scene already or if you just don't care. =p **
Maechen: "Lady Yuna, a rumor has been going around of late. Perhaps you've heard it. They say that High Summoner Yuna was accompanied by a guardian from, of all places, Zanarkand! Oh, yes, that young man raised quite a few eyebrows at the blitzball tournament in Luca. I spoke to him myself on a number of occasions. I could sense that he belonged to an otherworld.
That he should look so much like the man in that sphere cannot be mere coincidence, I should think."
Yuna: "There's a connection."
Maechen: "There is.
I would very much like the chance to ask him, and clear this matter up once and for all."
Yuna: "But...he's gone. Just like the fayth said. 'Our dream will vanish.'"
Maechen: A dream of the fayth? Is that right... (raises arms in the air as if recalling something)
Oh, my!"
Rikku: (sits up from her position) "What is it?"
Maechen: (shakes head) "I had something on the tip of my tongue. But then it slipped away...Something very important...Oh, frustrating. Well, I suppose I'll just have to think on it a little more. Until then, Lady Yuna. (starts to walk away but stops and faces Yuna once again)
We are all connected. There may yet be a way to reunite with those who have gone."
** Chapter 12 **
"Why do you think a fayth has appeared here?"
"How should I know?" Nooj replied a bit hastily. He was obviously a little tense with the situation.
Baralai turned to Gippal in response to his question. "We'll soon find out."
Gippal chuckled nervously. "Ehe. I guess so, huh?"
The three turned the last corner and found themselves standing outside the Chamber of the Fayth.
Hesitating, Baralai turned to the other two men. Seeing their solemn expressions, he raised a hand to the door and watched as the chamber opened.
As the smoke cleared, a bright orange-yellow light greeted them. Gippal raised a hand to shield his eye.
"Damn, why so bright?" the Al Bhed said softly as they all stepped inside. The smoke still hung heavy in the air.
Nooj and Baralai said nothing but watched as the small form of a fayth suddenly came into view and the smoke cleared; its hood covering the dark shadows of its face. The three stood there motionless, watching as the fayth simply hovered in the air above the old hole below it.
"Uh, aha..." Gippal began, his disbelief getting the best of him - running out of words to say. He scratched his head nervously and turned to the other two, his voice lowering to a whisper. "So what do we do now?" he asked rather loudly even if he had been whispering.
"Quiet," Nooj commanded, watching the fayth closely through his glasses.
Gippal's eyes turned to Baralai, but the silver-haired man had his gaze fixed upon the fayth as well. The Al Bhed turned to look behind him and back at the fayth.
"You have been summoned," the fayth suddenly spoke as Gippal met its gaze. The three men watched as the small child hovered in the air for another moment before landing right in front of them, its feet touching the ground gently. "Although I admit I am rather disappointed that the Lady Yuna herself did not come," the fayth continued.
Nooj's stick hit the ground as he struggled to walk towards the small child. "Yuna?" he asked slowly. Turning his gaze back on the fayth, he pushed a strand of hair away from his eyes. "And why exactly are you here?" Nooj pressed on.
"Nooj, maybe we shouldn't-" Baralai began but was cut off when the fayth's voice interrupted him.
"Say no more. I take it you know Lady Yuna, correct? I seem to remember seeing you three on the Farplane Glen as well..." the child trailed off, as if to find its thoughts once more. It turned its back on the three before speaking again. "Yuna is in trouble."
Gippal's eyes widened at the fayth's sudden bluntness to the situation. The Al Bhed felt a hand graze his shoulder as Baralai pushed his way past him to speak with the fayth.
"What do we do about it?" Baralai whispered, the light casting a glow upon his dark features. Gippal raised an eyebrow at him, wondering why Baralai sounded as if he knew what the fayth was speaking about. He voiced his thoughts.
"Whoa, wait a minute. You mean you know what's going on here?" Gippal asked incredulously, looking back and forth between the silver-haired man and the child. He stared at Baralai with wide eyes.
Nooj looked on as well, his mouth set into a firm line.
"I suppose the truth had to come out some time, right?" Baralai began. He stopped speaking once he saw the frown on Nooj's face.
"What exactly is going on, Baralai?" Nooj asked, his voice stern.
Gippal watched as the silver-haired man shut his eyes slowly, crossing his arms at the same time.
"Paine and Rikku came to me the other day. They told me that Shuyin has come back."
***
Yuna's eyes widened as Shuyin slowly leaned his face closer. She tried to suppress a soft gasp as his lips met hers in a deep kiss. She felt one of his hands come up by her head and no sooner felt his gloved fingers stroking her tresses.
She pushed him away. Seeing the hurt expression in his eyes, she kept her gaze away from his. The kiss had felt too much like that night at the spring, and the painful realization that it was not the same person behind the kiss made Yuna angrier than ever.
Yuna turned her head to look up at him as she saw him stand. He stared down at her, a gentle breeze ruffling his hair while the bright sun reflected in his golden strands. The rain had stopped for the time being, but they were both soaked from the earlier shower. He turned to walk away, a sly smile on his face as a few strands of his hair still hung limply from the water.
She scrambled up after him. Frustrated and angry, she ran and blocked the doorway of the deck, standing her ground. Without hesitating, her hands found the familiar weight of her guns, and she raised them at him. It was an action she found herself doing a lot lately, yet she didn't know what else to do.
He smiled lazily at her, one hand waving through the air. "Hmph. Going to shoot me?"
Yuna said nothing but maintained her position, continuing to point her pistols at him. Her expression remained serious.
He began to walk in her direction until he could feel the ends of her guns touching his chest. Now standing directly in front of her, he leaned down next to her ear, blue orbs darkening.
"Shooting this body will kill him you know," he whispered to her. "...And I'll just find someone else to use."
She gasped softly, hoping he hadn't heard it. The last thing she wanted was to show him that he was winning. She needed to remain strong - for him.
Yuna watched as he simply walked past her, his footsteps echoing against the metal surface. She was expecting to hear the airlock shut again when he left, but heard nothing. Confused, she turned around to look behind her, only to meet the two forms of Paine and Rikku blocking his path. She raised an eyebrow at their presence and made her way over to them, concern showing on her face.
"Paine? Rikku...what are you two doing out here?" Yuna began hesitantly, watching the warrior's expression. Paine kept her eyes fixed upon him and didn't answer her.
Yuna's eyes widened for the third time that day when she saw a flash from the corner of her eye. No sooner had she turned her gaze away, Rikku and Paine had unsheathed their weapons and were pointing it at him, the blade of Paine's sword frighteningly close to his face.
"Hm? You too?" she heard Shuyin speak calmly. Yuna kept her hands clasped in front of her as she witnessed her two friends pointing their weapons at the body of the man she loved. Yet it wasn't him in spirit, and Yuna hesitated.
"We know who you are. Now get the hell out of him," Paine spoke calmly. The warrior's voice seethed with fury.
Yuna froze, her hands falling to her sides in disbelief. Her eyes met Paine's ruby orbs.
"Paine...you two know?" she whispered. Yuna's eyes flickered over to her cousin as well. Rikku met her gaze with a hint of apology and hesitation. "B-but how?" Yuna continued, her gaze drifting back to the warrior.
The three girls suddenly heard him chuckle right then. They all turned to him, Paine and Rikku's weapons still raised.
"Just try it. I'd like to see how he dies," Shuyin's voice spoke darkly.
Paine hesitated, her sword wavering slightly.
Rikku promptly put her weapons down, a look of realization crossing the Al Bhed's face. Her green eyes flew to Paine in alarm.
"Paine, don't! That's what Shuyin wants us to do! We can't hurt him," Rikku said, a small tear leaking from the corner of one eye. Yuna looked on with a frightened expression, her hands trembling. Still clutching her guns, she felt them slip out of her grasp and hit the ground with a loud thud.
The warrior was breathing heavily, perspiration forming on her brow. She clutched the sword's handle tightly as the blade was now mere millimeters from his face. He was simply smirking at her.
"Paine..." Yuna whispered, one hand reaching out to her.
Ruby eyes met green and blue ones, and Paine saw the hurt in her friend's face. Cursing under her breath, she hastily dropped her sword and the weapon fell with a clang on the airship's surface. She fell to her knees in frustration.
"That's right. No matter what you do, you can't win. As long as I stay in this body, you won't touch him and I'll take over his conscience completely," Shuyin spoke calmly, beginning to head towards the airlock once again.
Yuna felt her eyes begin to water as she watched his retreating form. The airlock shut behind him as he left the deck. Biting back her tears and her anger, she ran over to Paine and knelt down to where the warrior had collapsed.
"Paine, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I didn't tell you two," Yuna began. She turned to her cousin. Rikku's face had a solitary tear trail.
"If you would have told us earlier, we could've found a way to stop him."
"But there is no way..." Yuna whispered in defeat. She sat down next to Paine. "He's so cruel. I know he's only Shuyin's shadow, but I wonder how the real Shuyin was like..." Yuna trailed off, her thoughts taking a completely different direction. If only there was some way to reach the real Shuyin...
"Yunie, we're on our way to Zanarkand," Rikku interjected suddenly. "Maybe the answer is there."
Hearing her cousin's words, Yuna promptly remembered what Shuyin had been saying earlier in the rain. "Shuyin said something about that. What's going to happen there?" she asked slowly.
"Huh? What did he say about it?" the Al Bhed asked.
"He said that once we reach Zanarkand, 'we will see,'" Yuna remembered. She stared blankly ahead as Shuyin's voice echoed in her mind.
"What? He can't possibly be thinking of making a move when we reach Zanarkand!" Rikku exclaimed. "That's the only place we can look...right?"
"Yuna, we need to get Shuyin out of Tidus' body now," Paine's voice spoke. Yuna blinked and turned her gaze at her.
"You heard what he said. As long as he remains in his body, none of us can ever touch him. There is no way I could ever hurt him," Yuna spoke softly. Rikku heard her voice tremble.
Reaching a hand to grasp her cousin's, the girl smiled weakly at her. "Yunie, it'll be alright. We'll find a way to save him. I promise."
The Al Bhed's words broke a dam within her. Yuna couldn't hold her tears back any longer. Trying to control a sob, she threw her arms around Rikku and promptly felt the Al Bhed's arms come around her as well.
"Every time I look at him, I can't help but feel angry. I don't want to feel this way anymore!" Yuna spoke. Rikku nodded in understanding, patting Yuna's back gently.
"We need to get him to the Farplane," Paine suddenly interrupted.
Brushing her tears away quickly, Yuna met Paine's gaze.
"The answer lies there. Not in Zanarkand."
***
"What the hell are you talkin' about?!" Gippal exclaimed. Baralai's words had not fully sunken in yet, and the Al Bhed was having a difficult time accepting what was going on.
"Baralai, what did they say?" Nooj asked.
"Paine told me that she witnessed Yuna speaking to the old man about how Shuyin had returned."
"Old man?" Gippal demanded, hands waving in the air.
"Maechen, of course," the fayth's voice interrupted them.
"Hey, what exactly is going on here?" Gippal continued. He faced the child this time.
"If you only knew who he really was, it would be much easier for me to explain," the fayth began slowly. Seeing the blank expression on two of the men's faces, the child continued. "But you don't, do you?"
"Who is? What the hell are you saying, and who are you talking about?" Gippal asked, frustration clear in his voice. He raised a hand to flick away a few unruly strands that fell on his forehead.
"The young man that has returned to Lady Yuna," the fayth said. "To put it simply, Tidus is-or was a dream of ours. We dreamt him from our memories of Zanarkand, and the man that has returned to Yuna is the dream of who Shuyin was in the real Zanarkand."
Gippal and Nooj said nothing, but listened in shocked silence.
"Yes, and from what Paine and Rikku told me, he is here - but they don't know where he is. At least that's what I last heard from them," Baralai spoke quietly. He turned his back to them, lost in thought.
"Ah, but we know where he is," the fayth's voice spoke up. The child's tone worried Nooj and the man decided to question the fayth about it.
"Something tells me it isn't going to be easy to defeat Shuyin this time, am I right?" Nooj asked.
Gippal was fuming. "Just tell us where he is, and I'll show 'im. After the way he got me, I have a reason to return the favor now," the Al Bhed said.
The child sighed. "I'm afraid you are correct. This won't be easy."
"And why's that?" Gippal asked.
Turning its back to them, the fayth continued. "Because as we speak, Shuyin is inside a body that Yuna can never hurt. They are on their way to Zanarkand at this very moment."
"Whose body is Shuyin controlling now?" Nooj spoke hesitantly, already knowing what the answer would be. He just hoped he wasn't right.
The fayth turned to face them but said nothing. The hood continued to cover the dark eyes underneath. As they waited for the fayth to continue, the men slowly began to realize the unspoken answer even if the child did not say it. Gippal watched the fayth and already knew what the answer was too.
"Damn it," the Al Bhed cursed, one of his fists flying and punching a hole in the chamber wall as the three men realized whose body Shuyin was in.
***
"The ship is heading to Zanarkand right now!" Yuna exclaimed suddenly, jumping up. "We need to stop it."
"Tysh..." Rikku whispered. She began pacing around the deck.
Yuna turned to her cousin, knowing Rikku did not normally curse. Laying a hand on her cousin's shoulder, she spoke gently.
"Rikku, I'm sorry to drag you into this...it's my fault."
The girl smiled gently at her cousin then, her eyes soft. "Yunie, I'm with you 'til the very end, ok?" she said. The Al Bhed raised a hand to touch Yuna's hand on her shoulder in a supportive gesture.
Yuna felt a hand rest on her shoulder as well. Before she could turn around, she heard Paine's voice speak.
"Don't leave me out of this one, alright?" the warrior said, a hint of a smile playing on her face.
Turning to face both of them, Yuna smiled brightly and the girls raised their hands up to give each other a five.
Paine smiled as well. After another moment, her expression turned serious.
"Ok, first thing we have to do is get Brother to turn this ship around now. We need to buy some time before we reach-" Paine began but was cut off when a voice spoke through the ship's intercom.
"We've reached Zanarkand! Everybody ready?" Brother's heavily accented voice spoke loudly.
The girls froze at the words and all three pairs of eyes flew to the airlock when it suddenly opened. Yuna saw the flash of yellow.
He stood there casually with his arms crossed. The breeze ruffled his hair and clothing as he stepped out to them.
"Well? Are we going?" Shuyin's voice spoke.
***
"What can we do to help her?" Nooj asked.
The fayth began to float as its feet left the ground. The men watched as the child hovered over the hole to the Farplane once again. Pointing a finger down towards the hole, the fayth spoke.
"You can begin by waiting for them down there," the child said, still pointing down.
"What?! I never thought I'd have to go down there again..." Gippal exclaimed. He raised a hand to his head in disbelief.
"But how do we know that they're going down there anyway?" Baralai asked.
"They will for sure, so you need to be ready to help them," the fayth's voice echoed through the chamber as the child's form began to dissipate.
Gippal sighed as the other two began to walk towards the hole. They looked down into the bright light, pyreflies floating out from the deep depths. Nooj turned to the two and nodded to them.
The bright light cast a glow upon their eyes as Nooj and Baralai jumped in at the same time. Scratching his head, the Al Bhed adjusted his gloves and followed after his two companions.
** End of Chapter 12 **
A/N: Whew, ok. I know some of you were expecting a climactic chapter, but you'll get Part 1 of that in Chapter 13. ^^; Sorry that I took so long to get this one up.
Since I'm busy studying for finals again, and the holidays have ended, it's taking me longer to release the chapters. Also, I played FFX-2 again and got 100% story completion this time. =) There was the perfect ending that I was finally able to watch, and to those who have not seen it, don't worry.
I'll summarize that Perfect Ending scene again in the next chapter for people to read if they choose to, since parts of Chapter 13 revolve around that particular moment.
Til then! ^^
But before I begin, I want to reproduce a particular scene that occurs when visiting Logos and Ormi's room during Chapter 2. After the girls watch the key item "Gaol's Sphere" in the room, Maechen shows up out of nowhere and discusses the person in the sphere (Shuyin) with them. There are things he says which adds supplementary information to the story, and I want to share it with everyone first.
** There are spoilers of course, so read only if you have watched the scene already or if you just don't care. =p **
Maechen: "Lady Yuna, a rumor has been going around of late. Perhaps you've heard it. They say that High Summoner Yuna was accompanied by a guardian from, of all places, Zanarkand! Oh, yes, that young man raised quite a few eyebrows at the blitzball tournament in Luca. I spoke to him myself on a number of occasions. I could sense that he belonged to an otherworld.
That he should look so much like the man in that sphere cannot be mere coincidence, I should think."
Yuna: "There's a connection."
Maechen: "There is.
I would very much like the chance to ask him, and clear this matter up once and for all."
Yuna: "But...he's gone. Just like the fayth said. 'Our dream will vanish.'"
Maechen: A dream of the fayth? Is that right... (raises arms in the air as if recalling something)
Oh, my!"
Rikku: (sits up from her position) "What is it?"
Maechen: (shakes head) "I had something on the tip of my tongue. But then it slipped away...Something very important...Oh, frustrating. Well, I suppose I'll just have to think on it a little more. Until then, Lady Yuna. (starts to walk away but stops and faces Yuna once again)
We are all connected. There may yet be a way to reunite with those who have gone."
** Chapter 12 **
"Why do you think a fayth has appeared here?"
"How should I know?" Nooj replied a bit hastily. He was obviously a little tense with the situation.
Baralai turned to Gippal in response to his question. "We'll soon find out."
Gippal chuckled nervously. "Ehe. I guess so, huh?"
The three turned the last corner and found themselves standing outside the Chamber of the Fayth.
Hesitating, Baralai turned to the other two men. Seeing their solemn expressions, he raised a hand to the door and watched as the chamber opened.
As the smoke cleared, a bright orange-yellow light greeted them. Gippal raised a hand to shield his eye.
"Damn, why so bright?" the Al Bhed said softly as they all stepped inside. The smoke still hung heavy in the air.
Nooj and Baralai said nothing but watched as the small form of a fayth suddenly came into view and the smoke cleared; its hood covering the dark shadows of its face. The three stood there motionless, watching as the fayth simply hovered in the air above the old hole below it.
"Uh, aha..." Gippal began, his disbelief getting the best of him - running out of words to say. He scratched his head nervously and turned to the other two, his voice lowering to a whisper. "So what do we do now?" he asked rather loudly even if he had been whispering.
"Quiet," Nooj commanded, watching the fayth closely through his glasses.
Gippal's eyes turned to Baralai, but the silver-haired man had his gaze fixed upon the fayth as well. The Al Bhed turned to look behind him and back at the fayth.
"You have been summoned," the fayth suddenly spoke as Gippal met its gaze. The three men watched as the small child hovered in the air for another moment before landing right in front of them, its feet touching the ground gently. "Although I admit I am rather disappointed that the Lady Yuna herself did not come," the fayth continued.
Nooj's stick hit the ground as he struggled to walk towards the small child. "Yuna?" he asked slowly. Turning his gaze back on the fayth, he pushed a strand of hair away from his eyes. "And why exactly are you here?" Nooj pressed on.
"Nooj, maybe we shouldn't-" Baralai began but was cut off when the fayth's voice interrupted him.
"Say no more. I take it you know Lady Yuna, correct? I seem to remember seeing you three on the Farplane Glen as well..." the child trailed off, as if to find its thoughts once more. It turned its back on the three before speaking again. "Yuna is in trouble."
Gippal's eyes widened at the fayth's sudden bluntness to the situation. The Al Bhed felt a hand graze his shoulder as Baralai pushed his way past him to speak with the fayth.
"What do we do about it?" Baralai whispered, the light casting a glow upon his dark features. Gippal raised an eyebrow at him, wondering why Baralai sounded as if he knew what the fayth was speaking about. He voiced his thoughts.
"Whoa, wait a minute. You mean you know what's going on here?" Gippal asked incredulously, looking back and forth between the silver-haired man and the child. He stared at Baralai with wide eyes.
Nooj looked on as well, his mouth set into a firm line.
"I suppose the truth had to come out some time, right?" Baralai began. He stopped speaking once he saw the frown on Nooj's face.
"What exactly is going on, Baralai?" Nooj asked, his voice stern.
Gippal watched as the silver-haired man shut his eyes slowly, crossing his arms at the same time.
"Paine and Rikku came to me the other day. They told me that Shuyin has come back."
***
Yuna's eyes widened as Shuyin slowly leaned his face closer. She tried to suppress a soft gasp as his lips met hers in a deep kiss. She felt one of his hands come up by her head and no sooner felt his gloved fingers stroking her tresses.
She pushed him away. Seeing the hurt expression in his eyes, she kept her gaze away from his. The kiss had felt too much like that night at the spring, and the painful realization that it was not the same person behind the kiss made Yuna angrier than ever.
Yuna turned her head to look up at him as she saw him stand. He stared down at her, a gentle breeze ruffling his hair while the bright sun reflected in his golden strands. The rain had stopped for the time being, but they were both soaked from the earlier shower. He turned to walk away, a sly smile on his face as a few strands of his hair still hung limply from the water.
She scrambled up after him. Frustrated and angry, she ran and blocked the doorway of the deck, standing her ground. Without hesitating, her hands found the familiar weight of her guns, and she raised them at him. It was an action she found herself doing a lot lately, yet she didn't know what else to do.
He smiled lazily at her, one hand waving through the air. "Hmph. Going to shoot me?"
Yuna said nothing but maintained her position, continuing to point her pistols at him. Her expression remained serious.
He began to walk in her direction until he could feel the ends of her guns touching his chest. Now standing directly in front of her, he leaned down next to her ear, blue orbs darkening.
"Shooting this body will kill him you know," he whispered to her. "...And I'll just find someone else to use."
She gasped softly, hoping he hadn't heard it. The last thing she wanted was to show him that he was winning. She needed to remain strong - for him.
Yuna watched as he simply walked past her, his footsteps echoing against the metal surface. She was expecting to hear the airlock shut again when he left, but heard nothing. Confused, she turned around to look behind her, only to meet the two forms of Paine and Rikku blocking his path. She raised an eyebrow at their presence and made her way over to them, concern showing on her face.
"Paine? Rikku...what are you two doing out here?" Yuna began hesitantly, watching the warrior's expression. Paine kept her eyes fixed upon him and didn't answer her.
Yuna's eyes widened for the third time that day when she saw a flash from the corner of her eye. No sooner had she turned her gaze away, Rikku and Paine had unsheathed their weapons and were pointing it at him, the blade of Paine's sword frighteningly close to his face.
"Hm? You too?" she heard Shuyin speak calmly. Yuna kept her hands clasped in front of her as she witnessed her two friends pointing their weapons at the body of the man she loved. Yet it wasn't him in spirit, and Yuna hesitated.
"We know who you are. Now get the hell out of him," Paine spoke calmly. The warrior's voice seethed with fury.
Yuna froze, her hands falling to her sides in disbelief. Her eyes met Paine's ruby orbs.
"Paine...you two know?" she whispered. Yuna's eyes flickered over to her cousin as well. Rikku met her gaze with a hint of apology and hesitation. "B-but how?" Yuna continued, her gaze drifting back to the warrior.
The three girls suddenly heard him chuckle right then. They all turned to him, Paine and Rikku's weapons still raised.
"Just try it. I'd like to see how he dies," Shuyin's voice spoke darkly.
Paine hesitated, her sword wavering slightly.
Rikku promptly put her weapons down, a look of realization crossing the Al Bhed's face. Her green eyes flew to Paine in alarm.
"Paine, don't! That's what Shuyin wants us to do! We can't hurt him," Rikku said, a small tear leaking from the corner of one eye. Yuna looked on with a frightened expression, her hands trembling. Still clutching her guns, she felt them slip out of her grasp and hit the ground with a loud thud.
The warrior was breathing heavily, perspiration forming on her brow. She clutched the sword's handle tightly as the blade was now mere millimeters from his face. He was simply smirking at her.
"Paine..." Yuna whispered, one hand reaching out to her.
Ruby eyes met green and blue ones, and Paine saw the hurt in her friend's face. Cursing under her breath, she hastily dropped her sword and the weapon fell with a clang on the airship's surface. She fell to her knees in frustration.
"That's right. No matter what you do, you can't win. As long as I stay in this body, you won't touch him and I'll take over his conscience completely," Shuyin spoke calmly, beginning to head towards the airlock once again.
Yuna felt her eyes begin to water as she watched his retreating form. The airlock shut behind him as he left the deck. Biting back her tears and her anger, she ran over to Paine and knelt down to where the warrior had collapsed.
"Paine, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I didn't tell you two," Yuna began. She turned to her cousin. Rikku's face had a solitary tear trail.
"If you would have told us earlier, we could've found a way to stop him."
"But there is no way..." Yuna whispered in defeat. She sat down next to Paine. "He's so cruel. I know he's only Shuyin's shadow, but I wonder how the real Shuyin was like..." Yuna trailed off, her thoughts taking a completely different direction. If only there was some way to reach the real Shuyin...
"Yunie, we're on our way to Zanarkand," Rikku interjected suddenly. "Maybe the answer is there."
Hearing her cousin's words, Yuna promptly remembered what Shuyin had been saying earlier in the rain. "Shuyin said something about that. What's going to happen there?" she asked slowly.
"Huh? What did he say about it?" the Al Bhed asked.
"He said that once we reach Zanarkand, 'we will see,'" Yuna remembered. She stared blankly ahead as Shuyin's voice echoed in her mind.
"What? He can't possibly be thinking of making a move when we reach Zanarkand!" Rikku exclaimed. "That's the only place we can look...right?"
"Yuna, we need to get Shuyin out of Tidus' body now," Paine's voice spoke. Yuna blinked and turned her gaze at her.
"You heard what he said. As long as he remains in his body, none of us can ever touch him. There is no way I could ever hurt him," Yuna spoke softly. Rikku heard her voice tremble.
Reaching a hand to grasp her cousin's, the girl smiled weakly at her. "Yunie, it'll be alright. We'll find a way to save him. I promise."
The Al Bhed's words broke a dam within her. Yuna couldn't hold her tears back any longer. Trying to control a sob, she threw her arms around Rikku and promptly felt the Al Bhed's arms come around her as well.
"Every time I look at him, I can't help but feel angry. I don't want to feel this way anymore!" Yuna spoke. Rikku nodded in understanding, patting Yuna's back gently.
"We need to get him to the Farplane," Paine suddenly interrupted.
Brushing her tears away quickly, Yuna met Paine's gaze.
"The answer lies there. Not in Zanarkand."
***
"What the hell are you talkin' about?!" Gippal exclaimed. Baralai's words had not fully sunken in yet, and the Al Bhed was having a difficult time accepting what was going on.
"Baralai, what did they say?" Nooj asked.
"Paine told me that she witnessed Yuna speaking to the old man about how Shuyin had returned."
"Old man?" Gippal demanded, hands waving in the air.
"Maechen, of course," the fayth's voice interrupted them.
"Hey, what exactly is going on here?" Gippal continued. He faced the child this time.
"If you only knew who he really was, it would be much easier for me to explain," the fayth began slowly. Seeing the blank expression on two of the men's faces, the child continued. "But you don't, do you?"
"Who is? What the hell are you saying, and who are you talking about?" Gippal asked, frustration clear in his voice. He raised a hand to flick away a few unruly strands that fell on his forehead.
"The young man that has returned to Lady Yuna," the fayth said. "To put it simply, Tidus is-or was a dream of ours. We dreamt him from our memories of Zanarkand, and the man that has returned to Yuna is the dream of who Shuyin was in the real Zanarkand."
Gippal and Nooj said nothing, but listened in shocked silence.
"Yes, and from what Paine and Rikku told me, he is here - but they don't know where he is. At least that's what I last heard from them," Baralai spoke quietly. He turned his back to them, lost in thought.
"Ah, but we know where he is," the fayth's voice spoke up. The child's tone worried Nooj and the man decided to question the fayth about it.
"Something tells me it isn't going to be easy to defeat Shuyin this time, am I right?" Nooj asked.
Gippal was fuming. "Just tell us where he is, and I'll show 'im. After the way he got me, I have a reason to return the favor now," the Al Bhed said.
The child sighed. "I'm afraid you are correct. This won't be easy."
"And why's that?" Gippal asked.
Turning its back to them, the fayth continued. "Because as we speak, Shuyin is inside a body that Yuna can never hurt. They are on their way to Zanarkand at this very moment."
"Whose body is Shuyin controlling now?" Nooj spoke hesitantly, already knowing what the answer would be. He just hoped he wasn't right.
The fayth turned to face them but said nothing. The hood continued to cover the dark eyes underneath. As they waited for the fayth to continue, the men slowly began to realize the unspoken answer even if the child did not say it. Gippal watched the fayth and already knew what the answer was too.
"Damn it," the Al Bhed cursed, one of his fists flying and punching a hole in the chamber wall as the three men realized whose body Shuyin was in.
***
"The ship is heading to Zanarkand right now!" Yuna exclaimed suddenly, jumping up. "We need to stop it."
"Tysh..." Rikku whispered. She began pacing around the deck.
Yuna turned to her cousin, knowing Rikku did not normally curse. Laying a hand on her cousin's shoulder, she spoke gently.
"Rikku, I'm sorry to drag you into this...it's my fault."
The girl smiled gently at her cousin then, her eyes soft. "Yunie, I'm with you 'til the very end, ok?" she said. The Al Bhed raised a hand to touch Yuna's hand on her shoulder in a supportive gesture.
Yuna felt a hand rest on her shoulder as well. Before she could turn around, she heard Paine's voice speak.
"Don't leave me out of this one, alright?" the warrior said, a hint of a smile playing on her face.
Turning to face both of them, Yuna smiled brightly and the girls raised their hands up to give each other a five.
Paine smiled as well. After another moment, her expression turned serious.
"Ok, first thing we have to do is get Brother to turn this ship around now. We need to buy some time before we reach-" Paine began but was cut off when a voice spoke through the ship's intercom.
"We've reached Zanarkand! Everybody ready?" Brother's heavily accented voice spoke loudly.
The girls froze at the words and all three pairs of eyes flew to the airlock when it suddenly opened. Yuna saw the flash of yellow.
He stood there casually with his arms crossed. The breeze ruffled his hair and clothing as he stepped out to them.
"Well? Are we going?" Shuyin's voice spoke.
***
"What can we do to help her?" Nooj asked.
The fayth began to float as its feet left the ground. The men watched as the child hovered over the hole to the Farplane once again. Pointing a finger down towards the hole, the fayth spoke.
"You can begin by waiting for them down there," the child said, still pointing down.
"What?! I never thought I'd have to go down there again..." Gippal exclaimed. He raised a hand to his head in disbelief.
"But how do we know that they're going down there anyway?" Baralai asked.
"They will for sure, so you need to be ready to help them," the fayth's voice echoed through the chamber as the child's form began to dissipate.
Gippal sighed as the other two began to walk towards the hole. They looked down into the bright light, pyreflies floating out from the deep depths. Nooj turned to the two and nodded to them.
The bright light cast a glow upon their eyes as Nooj and Baralai jumped in at the same time. Scratching his head, the Al Bhed adjusted his gloves and followed after his two companions.
** End of Chapter 12 **
A/N: Whew, ok. I know some of you were expecting a climactic chapter, but you'll get Part 1 of that in Chapter 13. ^^; Sorry that I took so long to get this one up.
Since I'm busy studying for finals again, and the holidays have ended, it's taking me longer to release the chapters. Also, I played FFX-2 again and got 100% story completion this time. =) There was the perfect ending that I was finally able to watch, and to those who have not seen it, don't worry.
I'll summarize that Perfect Ending scene again in the next chapter for people to read if they choose to, since parts of Chapter 13 revolve around that particular moment.
Til then! ^^