"Paine...." Lulu took Paine's arm and pulled her aside as Rikku and Yuna
walked through the hall to the bridge, Rikku supporting Yuna ever so
slightly. "I've got to tell you something."
Paine looked at her curiously. "What?"
"This may come as..... a slight shock.... But.... I think it needs to be said. Paine, I am your mother."
The girl raised an eyebrow. "Uh.... You're.... what?"
"I am your MOTHER." Lulu stated clearly.
"Then.... Then who is my...." Paine could no longer form a sentence, she was confused and completely lost.
"Your father?" Lulu finished. Vidina yawned and stretched out his little teeny fists.
"Y-yeah...." Paine was staring at Lulus face, which now showed no emotion as usual.
"Well, that is the complicated part. I could tell you, but you don't know him. I could explain how I met him, but it would take to much time, and I don't have time now. I will tell you eventually, but now, I have to go and make Yuna some medicine." Lulu nodded and passed Paine, who stood with a surprised look on her face, and left the airship.
Rikku looked back into the hall at Paine. "Paine? Are you okay?"
Paine looked at Rikku and nodded, though she was still going over Lulus words in her head. "Rikku?" She added as the blonde began to head back to the bridge.
"Yeah?" Rikku sent her swirly green gaze back to Paine.
"Do you know how old Lulu is?"
"No, why?"
"No reason, just.... Wondering." Paine followed Rikku onto the bridge and waved goodbye to the group. "See you soon, get well, Yuna."
"Yeah, Yunie, listen to everything Lulu tells you! We want you better soon as possible!" Rikku smiled as the door of the airship closed. "Well, now it's gonna be quiet around here.... again!"
~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~
"But what, Lenne? What is it?" Shuyin had always been patient with Lenne, but not with anyone else.
"I can't say." She said finally, but she still didn't know why it was so hard just to tell him.
She leaned her head on his shoulder, her fingers still tracing the creases in his palm. Emotion swelled within her and the only way to get it outside her was to cry. She finally released his hand, though he kept it in her lap.
"Why did you stop?" He asked.
"I hate it when I do that," she murmured in answer.
"I don't. I love it." He reassured her. "I love everything you do and everything about you."
She smiled through her tears. "I love you, too."
She looked up into his great blue eyes and couldn't help but blush slightly. She was being silly. Why couldn't she just tell him?
He kissed her once again, a short but caring show of affection. "I will always love you, no matter what. You can always count on that, Lenne."
She smiled as he wiped the tears from her face. "I always have counted on that."
"I don't need to know everything that happens in your life, but I can't stand to have you sad, love. So, if you'll be happy for me once more, I won't have to ask." He placed his hand on her cheek, feeling the warmth flow from it.
~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~
"Yuna, please lie down now." Lulu pointed to the bed in the corner of the hut which had once belonged to Wakka. When he left for Luca, she'd received everything he'd once owned in Besaid.
Yuna nodded and sat on the bed. "I feel a lot better now that we're home."
"So do I," Lulu said, a slight smile appearing on her face.
Yuna lay back and sighed. "I don't know what's going on...."
"What do you mean?" Lulu asked, turning from the fire where she was cooking something to face her.
"I don't know why I feel so.... ill." Yuna sighed.
"I don't know either. Maybe you should just rest for a while, and drink this." Lulu handed Yuna a cup that contained a sweet-smelling dark liquid which tasted like chocolate.
"What on earth is this?" Yuna asked.
"It's Trank." Lulu replied, now adding a few herbs to whatever she was cooking.
"It's great! What's in it?" Yuna said, taking another sip.
"Oh, some herbs, some medicines, all natural." Lulu said.
Vidina wailed loudly, craving for attention. Yuna set down her glass and cradled him in her arms, humming a soft lullaby.
"That's Lennes song, isn't it, Yuna?" Lulu turned to watch the pair and listen to Yuna's song, which indeed sounded like 1000 Words.
Yuna nodded. "He loves that song......" She began forming the words with her lips, though she didn't speak them. "He's not the only one, either."
~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~
Long past midnight, Paine lay awake in bed pondering what Lulu had said earlier. She couldn't see herself as a young child with Lulu, and she couldn't imagine who her father could be. Surely it wasn't Wakka. Finally, she decided she couldn't take it any longer. She got to her feet, dressed quickly, and went down to the bridge. The controls were easy to work and to understand, plus she knew a thing or two about machina. After all, she did live with three Al Bheds.
They weren't far from Besaid, so it didn't take long to reach the beach. The landing was soft and silent and she dodged out of the airship quickly without waking anyone. Or, so she thought. She made it to the dark village shortly, but soon decided she couldn't do it. She sat in the sand near the gates, her dark eyes dry with tiredness and confusion.
As she sat and pondered, she was startled by a figure moving swiftly through the gates. "Rikku!" Paine whispered.
Rikku looked around at her. "There you are! What on earth-"
Paine shook her head warningly. "Rikku.... Don't ask questions now."
The blonde glared at her. "But I wanna know, Paine, you never tell me anything; I don't know hardly anything about you. I can't be your friend if I don't know what's going on!"
Paine didn't know what to say. She nodded, though, and put her hand on Rikku's knee as she sat down. She sighed and uttered a soft "hmmm." Rikku looked at her and sighed as well, her bright Al Bhed eyes sad.
"I'm sorry Rikku, you're right. I'll tell you everything. Later." Paine cast a reddish gaze around the village. "It's late--or early, I guess—and we should go back." She stood and extended her hand to Rikku, who took it and pulled herself up.
"Thanks," Rikku smiled and they walked back to the ship.
~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~
"Shuyin, when I was on the farplane, I came across someone, I don't know who, but he thought I was someone else. He.... embraced me..... and..... and he kissed me." Lenne had pushed his hand away by now, and her voice trembled with shame, fear, and anxiety. Her face was wet with tears again and she didn't understand why. And why had she pushed him away; separating herself from him? Why..... why was she doing this? "I just...."
"Lenne....." It was he, now, who could not form a sentence. "I don't....." He reached out for her; he didn't like feeling so out of reach. "I mean......"
She pulled away, standing now. Her big brown eyes glimmering with salty tears that had once again swelled within them. Not even his calming blue gaze had an affect on her. If anything, it only made her more emotional. She looked away from him and drew a deep breath, her beautiful stare set on the door. She just couldn't look at him.
"Lenne, I don't..... I don't know what to say......" He stood and reached for her hand, his blue eyes filled with worry and separation. "Lenne....."
~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~
*"Tidus?" Yuna moved towards the foggy form on the horizon. "Is that you?"
A smile came into being on her lips as she saw it was him. She ran, ran to him and saw in his arms he held a child, a baby with hair of golden blonde and mismatched eyes of green and blue. He smiled at her and held out the child.
"She is your baby, Yuna, and you are her mother." He said.
Yuna took the infant from him, looking into its beautiful eyes and smiling more. "She is beautiful, she looks like you."
"She has your eyes. What shall we name her?" Tidus wrapped his arms around her and kissed her cheek softly.
"Shadow? Rhain? Gloriana?" Yuna suggested
Tidus smiled. "I like Rhain."
"Rhain, then." Yuna smiled down at the little blonde baby, a perfect angel. "She is perfect, just like you......"*
Yuna sat up and looked around the dark hut. She'd been awakened by a voice, but no one was there. She sighed and lay back down, such a wonderful dream.... She couldn't sleep again. The image of him in the vacant and misty land didn't fade from her mind. And the child..... was it..... was it some kind of sign?
~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~
The sun rose and sphere waves were coming in from every direction.
"Aw man, we can't handle all these missions at once!" Rikku whined when Buddy showed them all the waves. "It's too much!"
Paine nodded in agreement. "I think she's right. Let's pick the most important ones first."
So, they set off to Djose Temple, where Gippal had just issued a distress call. Rikku rolled her eyes and sighed, then began pacing back and forth.
"He always ignores me...." She whined again.
The whole crew shook their heads. "Get over it, Rikku...." Paine mumbled.
~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~
The airship touched down just outside the temple, where Gippal was waiting for them. "Took you long enough!" He yelled as they hoped off the ship. Rikku snarled at him, but Paine ignored them both.
"We're here now, aren't we?" Paine asked, still ignoring Rikku.
Gippal nodded and sighed, leading them into the temple. "As you can see...." He pointed and round the room, which was a mess. Covered in broken statue and chipped stone, it was hard to walk. "We've had a little...... incident."
"Incident, eh? What KIND of incident?" Paine asked.
Gippal glared at her. "......The bad kind."
She counter-glared at him. "What happened, Gippal? Your machina blow up on you?"
"HEY! GIPPAL! WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?" Rikku jumped up and down in front of him, flailing her arms and threatening to smack him.
He jumped back, looking startled. "Chill, Cid's Girl."
This enraged her only more. "I HAVE A NAME!" She yelled, her green eyes narrowed in frustration. "YOU DATED ME AT ONE POINT, SO GET OVER YOURSELF AND TELL US WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED HERE SO WE CAN DO OUR DAMN MISSION AND GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE!"
Everyone stared at Rikku in surprise. Brother spoke first. "Rikku!" He grabbed her arm and pulled her back. When she glared at him, he let her go.
"Sorry." She muttered. "I'm just sick of this pain in the ass jerk..... and I'm worried about Yunie."
"What happened to Yuna, -Rikku-?" Gippal asked.
"None of your bloody business." Rikku glared at him. "Now, tell us what's wrong." She did, however, lighten up a little when he put an emphasis on her name.
Gippal stared at her, then continued. "Anyway, we had a little 'mishap' with an.... An aeon, something we didn't expect. As you well know, Aeons are very difficult to deal with...."
They all nodded, but Rikku said: "Again? Another aeon? Which one this time?"
"Anima." He stated nervously.
"WHAT?" Rikku and Paine both stammered.
"And.... I hate to say it, but Miss Anima is not alone." Gippal ignored their surprise and continued.
"W-who?" Rikku asked.
"Some guy with blue hair, claims he used to be a Maester, not a nice guy. He is pretty strong."
Rikku gasped and glanced at Paine, who looked at her worriedly. "No.... it can't be..... He died! Well, technically, we killed him, but still!" Rikku shouted.
They ran towards the Chamber of the Fayth and the Cloister of Trials, Gippal on their heels. Paine drew her sword and Rikku whipped out her blades, while Gippal pulled out two flashy new guns.
"Where are they?" Rikku yelled over her shoulder at Gippal.
"Chamber of the Fayth," he answered.
They raced towards the Chamber, past people with machina, guns, blades, and more guns. They heard cries of pain and fear, Anima must have been hurting people. An alchemist stocked with every healing ingredient known to man kind was standing near the Chamber door as they approached.
"Hurry; there has already been one death! I'm here if you need anything!" The alchemist woman called as they approached.
Gippal nodded as they passed her, and Rikku gasped upon entering the Chamber. "No, oh no!" She yelled upon seeing the bodies that littered the floor, the blood that covered everything, the great beast that bled from its eye, and the blue haired man standing at the very back of the room. "SEYMOUR!" Rikku raised her blades, ready for hand to hand combat with the man.
The man looked up at her, a sinister smile on his face. "Rikku, how wonderful to see you again. And, it appears that you have brought some friends to meet my mother?"
Rikku glared at him. "Didn't we already kill you?"
He laughed. "You cannot kill me, my dear."
"But I can try!" She yelled.
Rikku ignored everyone else in the room, including Anima, and charged at Seymour, her blades held out as if to slash him. But, she wasn't fast enough. Anima caught sight of her and gathered energy, her frightening gaze set on Rikku. Pain surged through the girl and she fell off her feet, she was going to die. She screamed, but couldn't hear it. She dropped her blades, but couldn't feel it. Her hair fell over her eyes, but she couldn't see it. She was fading from the inside out.
~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~
Darkness and silence veiled the small village. Yuna lay in the darkness awake and not rested. All she could think of was her dream; the image of Tidus was still so clear and pure in her minds eye. The air was warm tonight, or this morning, unlike it was when she'd had the dream last night. She slowly stood and left the hut silently, she didn't want anyone in the Village to wake up. She walked into the dark and empty temple, no torches burned and no villagers prayed. Yuna sighed and knelt in front of one of the many statues. She uttered a soft prayer and finished with The Prayer symbol.
Then she stood and left the temple. She hadn't prayed in a long time. Her mind carried her to the hut, but her feet carried her to the gates of the village, then through them, and up the hill, to the ruins and then the beach. Her imagination carried her far out over the seas, suspended on silver wings. Her thoughts were only on Tidus, were only on Rhain. Her feet continued to carry her towards the water, dark and unwelcoming in the nights light. Night smiled down upon the girl, the moon sending its beams full across the sands and the stars reflecting in her hair and eyes. She stepped into the rippling tides and smiled upon the loveliness of the sea in the settling moonlight, with a fringe of paler blue rising at the waters edge in the distance. Besaid..... a beautiful place.
Then Yuna remembered. He'd been found out here in the warm waters of the sea one day. She thought of everything that happened between them, and remembered his promise. He had whistled, then said, "Hey, use that if we get separated. Then I'll come running, okay? Well, guess we should just stick together, then, till you can do it?" She put her fingers to her lips and let out a shrill whistle. The sound was beautiful and loud, it echoed in the perfect silence.
"Tidus?" She whispered as the last of the echoes faded.
~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~
"Lenne, please," Shuyin took her hand and held, though she tried to pull away. "Don't do this." He pulled her do him and wrapped both his arms around her, holding her close and not letting her go. "I know how you feel, and I want to help you."
Lenne gave up struggling and collapsed into his embrace. If he wanted to help her, this was the way to do it. She leaned into his chest and felt the warmth flow from him to her. "I want your help, I really do....."
She looked up into his eyes and as she closed hers, she felt his lips on hers. He was gently pressuring her to be calm, asking her to regain herself. It was working, too. The kiss was gentle and seductive, calming and everything she was used to. She was home. Back in his arms was home. Everywhere near him was home to her. He was delicate with her, as if she were a glass doll. He cared for her more then anything in the world, and he would not fail to protect her.
As he released her, she fell back slightly, so relaxed she had not been prepared for a release. He caught her with one arm and let her regain her footing.
"You..... you are a dream. Nothing real is as perfect and wonderful as you." Lenne spoke to him softly, as if she was exhausted.
~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~
"Rikku!" Paine ran forward, but Gippal grabbed her arm.
"Anima will see you, Paine, don't."
She stared at him in disbelief. "You honestly think I care more about myself then my friends?"
He shook his head. "No, that is why I'm not letting you go." He released her and ran out himself. He raised his guns and shot at Animas eye, landing several hits and causing the beast to wince and close its eye. Its fangs parted and it screamed threateningly. Gippal crouched at Rikkus side, yelling at her. "RIKKU! GET UP! HURRY, RIKKU! HEY, CIDS GIRL!"
Rikku opened her eyes and glared at Gippal. "I..... have..... a name..... you know......" Her voice was raspy and her words were separated, but Gippal still smiled with relief.
He lifted his gun as Anima re-opened her eye. He fired a single shot without even looking and Anima screamed in pain again. He lifted Rikku and carried her out of Animas sight. The alchemist yelped as Gippal set Rikku down at her feet and went back in.
"Paine, if we're gonna do this, let's do it fast." He said, taking her hand and pulling her towards him. He kissed her. She was shocked, but then understood. He wanted to kiss Rikku, not her, but Rikku would never have accepted that. The last thing Rikku wanted was more pain, and to her kissing Gippal was pain.
~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~
"Tidus?" Yuna repeated, her voice soft and bare. "Are you there?"
But he wasn't. She whistled again, tears now splashing into the shallow tides below. She ran forward into the water until it was up to her waist, where she whistled again. He didn't come. She ran through the water, though the force of the tides slowed her down. When the water reached her chest and she was freezing, she whistled once more. When he didn't come, she moved forward even father, until everything but her neck and head was submerged in the icy water. She raised her fingers once more, letting out a low, raspy whistle.
~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~
A whistle echoed through the Farplane, followed by a sweet whisper: "Tidus?" Moments later, it was followed by another whisper of the same thing and several more whistles.
"Auron!" Tidus shouted. "Auron!"
Auron walked up behind Tidus. "I heard it too, Tidus," He said.
"My promise, I have one, too! I can..... I can leave! I can see her again! How do I-" He was cut off as he vanished.
Darkness surrounded him and he saw Yuna standing alone in the waters of Besaid. He was suddenly there, behind her on the shore.
"Yuna.....?" He called.
She turned and gasped as she saw him. "Tidus? Is that..... really you?"
~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~
"BARALI! NOOJ!" Gippal yelled as he and Paine parted.
Barali raises a finger to his lips and Nooj shook his head. How on earth did they get there? They had just somehow ended up behind Seymour, their guns drawn. Gippal, too, raised his gun to Seymour, who laughed at him.
"You think one or two bullets with take me, don't you Gippal? You'd be wrong." Seymour grinned mercilessly as he spoke.
"No, I think I'd have to have some help, Seymour." Gippal replied, grinning just as mercifully as his opponent.
"And I'd be willing to give you that help, Gippal." Paine smiled and held up her sword.
"And me! I'm up to killing Yunies ex-husband again!" Rikku jumped in next to the pair, smiling and looking much better. "Thanks to that alchemist, I'm all better! Well, almost..." She winked.
"Great! Let's do this." Paine moved forward as Gippal fired a shot into Animas eye.
They ran toward him, Gippal firing whenever Anima regained herself. The room was long and slippery, so it was difficult to cross. Rikku flung one of her blades toward Seymour as they neared him, but he dodged it and smirked, though he wasn't looking quite as smug now.
"Hey, hair gel boy!" Barali shouted, making Seymour look around and jump as he saw two men with their guns drawn behind him.
"Surprise!" Nooj finished as he and Barali moved towards him.
"Here Rikku!" Barali yelled. "Catch!" He tossed her blade back to her and she caught it, smiling.
"Now what do you think, Mr. Maester?" Rikku asked, grinning widely.
"Yeah, are you prepared for a little Paine?" Paine chimed in sweetly.
"Ready to finally die, Seymour?" Barali added with a smirk.
"I'm gonna kick you in the spleen!" Rikku muttered to Paine.
"Spleen?" Paine laughed. "Glad you brought that line back."
~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~
TADA! There you are, thirteen pages* of pure delight*. Hope to have CH.4 up soon! Luves and bai, Rikkoa
*Twelve and a half pages double spaced in Times New Roman, size 14 *When I say pure delight, I'm excluding the part where Anima casts pain on Rikku and the parts with Tidus back. I hate Tidus.
Paine looked at her curiously. "What?"
"This may come as..... a slight shock.... But.... I think it needs to be said. Paine, I am your mother."
The girl raised an eyebrow. "Uh.... You're.... what?"
"I am your MOTHER." Lulu stated clearly.
"Then.... Then who is my...." Paine could no longer form a sentence, she was confused and completely lost.
"Your father?" Lulu finished. Vidina yawned and stretched out his little teeny fists.
"Y-yeah...." Paine was staring at Lulus face, which now showed no emotion as usual.
"Well, that is the complicated part. I could tell you, but you don't know him. I could explain how I met him, but it would take to much time, and I don't have time now. I will tell you eventually, but now, I have to go and make Yuna some medicine." Lulu nodded and passed Paine, who stood with a surprised look on her face, and left the airship.
Rikku looked back into the hall at Paine. "Paine? Are you okay?"
Paine looked at Rikku and nodded, though she was still going over Lulus words in her head. "Rikku?" She added as the blonde began to head back to the bridge.
"Yeah?" Rikku sent her swirly green gaze back to Paine.
"Do you know how old Lulu is?"
"No, why?"
"No reason, just.... Wondering." Paine followed Rikku onto the bridge and waved goodbye to the group. "See you soon, get well, Yuna."
"Yeah, Yunie, listen to everything Lulu tells you! We want you better soon as possible!" Rikku smiled as the door of the airship closed. "Well, now it's gonna be quiet around here.... again!"
~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~
"But what, Lenne? What is it?" Shuyin had always been patient with Lenne, but not with anyone else.
"I can't say." She said finally, but she still didn't know why it was so hard just to tell him.
She leaned her head on his shoulder, her fingers still tracing the creases in his palm. Emotion swelled within her and the only way to get it outside her was to cry. She finally released his hand, though he kept it in her lap.
"Why did you stop?" He asked.
"I hate it when I do that," she murmured in answer.
"I don't. I love it." He reassured her. "I love everything you do and everything about you."
She smiled through her tears. "I love you, too."
She looked up into his great blue eyes and couldn't help but blush slightly. She was being silly. Why couldn't she just tell him?
He kissed her once again, a short but caring show of affection. "I will always love you, no matter what. You can always count on that, Lenne."
She smiled as he wiped the tears from her face. "I always have counted on that."
"I don't need to know everything that happens in your life, but I can't stand to have you sad, love. So, if you'll be happy for me once more, I won't have to ask." He placed his hand on her cheek, feeling the warmth flow from it.
~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~
"Yuna, please lie down now." Lulu pointed to the bed in the corner of the hut which had once belonged to Wakka. When he left for Luca, she'd received everything he'd once owned in Besaid.
Yuna nodded and sat on the bed. "I feel a lot better now that we're home."
"So do I," Lulu said, a slight smile appearing on her face.
Yuna lay back and sighed. "I don't know what's going on...."
"What do you mean?" Lulu asked, turning from the fire where she was cooking something to face her.
"I don't know why I feel so.... ill." Yuna sighed.
"I don't know either. Maybe you should just rest for a while, and drink this." Lulu handed Yuna a cup that contained a sweet-smelling dark liquid which tasted like chocolate.
"What on earth is this?" Yuna asked.
"It's Trank." Lulu replied, now adding a few herbs to whatever she was cooking.
"It's great! What's in it?" Yuna said, taking another sip.
"Oh, some herbs, some medicines, all natural." Lulu said.
Vidina wailed loudly, craving for attention. Yuna set down her glass and cradled him in her arms, humming a soft lullaby.
"That's Lennes song, isn't it, Yuna?" Lulu turned to watch the pair and listen to Yuna's song, which indeed sounded like 1000 Words.
Yuna nodded. "He loves that song......" She began forming the words with her lips, though she didn't speak them. "He's not the only one, either."
~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~
Long past midnight, Paine lay awake in bed pondering what Lulu had said earlier. She couldn't see herself as a young child with Lulu, and she couldn't imagine who her father could be. Surely it wasn't Wakka. Finally, she decided she couldn't take it any longer. She got to her feet, dressed quickly, and went down to the bridge. The controls were easy to work and to understand, plus she knew a thing or two about machina. After all, she did live with three Al Bheds.
They weren't far from Besaid, so it didn't take long to reach the beach. The landing was soft and silent and she dodged out of the airship quickly without waking anyone. Or, so she thought. She made it to the dark village shortly, but soon decided she couldn't do it. She sat in the sand near the gates, her dark eyes dry with tiredness and confusion.
As she sat and pondered, she was startled by a figure moving swiftly through the gates. "Rikku!" Paine whispered.
Rikku looked around at her. "There you are! What on earth-"
Paine shook her head warningly. "Rikku.... Don't ask questions now."
The blonde glared at her. "But I wanna know, Paine, you never tell me anything; I don't know hardly anything about you. I can't be your friend if I don't know what's going on!"
Paine didn't know what to say. She nodded, though, and put her hand on Rikku's knee as she sat down. She sighed and uttered a soft "hmmm." Rikku looked at her and sighed as well, her bright Al Bhed eyes sad.
"I'm sorry Rikku, you're right. I'll tell you everything. Later." Paine cast a reddish gaze around the village. "It's late--or early, I guess—and we should go back." She stood and extended her hand to Rikku, who took it and pulled herself up.
"Thanks," Rikku smiled and they walked back to the ship.
~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~
"Shuyin, when I was on the farplane, I came across someone, I don't know who, but he thought I was someone else. He.... embraced me..... and..... and he kissed me." Lenne had pushed his hand away by now, and her voice trembled with shame, fear, and anxiety. Her face was wet with tears again and she didn't understand why. And why had she pushed him away; separating herself from him? Why..... why was she doing this? "I just...."
"Lenne....." It was he, now, who could not form a sentence. "I don't....." He reached out for her; he didn't like feeling so out of reach. "I mean......"
She pulled away, standing now. Her big brown eyes glimmering with salty tears that had once again swelled within them. Not even his calming blue gaze had an affect on her. If anything, it only made her more emotional. She looked away from him and drew a deep breath, her beautiful stare set on the door. She just couldn't look at him.
"Lenne, I don't..... I don't know what to say......" He stood and reached for her hand, his blue eyes filled with worry and separation. "Lenne....."
~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~
*"Tidus?" Yuna moved towards the foggy form on the horizon. "Is that you?"
A smile came into being on her lips as she saw it was him. She ran, ran to him and saw in his arms he held a child, a baby with hair of golden blonde and mismatched eyes of green and blue. He smiled at her and held out the child.
"She is your baby, Yuna, and you are her mother." He said.
Yuna took the infant from him, looking into its beautiful eyes and smiling more. "She is beautiful, she looks like you."
"She has your eyes. What shall we name her?" Tidus wrapped his arms around her and kissed her cheek softly.
"Shadow? Rhain? Gloriana?" Yuna suggested
Tidus smiled. "I like Rhain."
"Rhain, then." Yuna smiled down at the little blonde baby, a perfect angel. "She is perfect, just like you......"*
Yuna sat up and looked around the dark hut. She'd been awakened by a voice, but no one was there. She sighed and lay back down, such a wonderful dream.... She couldn't sleep again. The image of him in the vacant and misty land didn't fade from her mind. And the child..... was it..... was it some kind of sign?
~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~
The sun rose and sphere waves were coming in from every direction.
"Aw man, we can't handle all these missions at once!" Rikku whined when Buddy showed them all the waves. "It's too much!"
Paine nodded in agreement. "I think she's right. Let's pick the most important ones first."
So, they set off to Djose Temple, where Gippal had just issued a distress call. Rikku rolled her eyes and sighed, then began pacing back and forth.
"He always ignores me...." She whined again.
The whole crew shook their heads. "Get over it, Rikku...." Paine mumbled.
~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~
The airship touched down just outside the temple, where Gippal was waiting for them. "Took you long enough!" He yelled as they hoped off the ship. Rikku snarled at him, but Paine ignored them both.
"We're here now, aren't we?" Paine asked, still ignoring Rikku.
Gippal nodded and sighed, leading them into the temple. "As you can see...." He pointed and round the room, which was a mess. Covered in broken statue and chipped stone, it was hard to walk. "We've had a little...... incident."
"Incident, eh? What KIND of incident?" Paine asked.
Gippal glared at her. "......The bad kind."
She counter-glared at him. "What happened, Gippal? Your machina blow up on you?"
"HEY! GIPPAL! WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?" Rikku jumped up and down in front of him, flailing her arms and threatening to smack him.
He jumped back, looking startled. "Chill, Cid's Girl."
This enraged her only more. "I HAVE A NAME!" She yelled, her green eyes narrowed in frustration. "YOU DATED ME AT ONE POINT, SO GET OVER YOURSELF AND TELL US WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED HERE SO WE CAN DO OUR DAMN MISSION AND GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE!"
Everyone stared at Rikku in surprise. Brother spoke first. "Rikku!" He grabbed her arm and pulled her back. When she glared at him, he let her go.
"Sorry." She muttered. "I'm just sick of this pain in the ass jerk..... and I'm worried about Yunie."
"What happened to Yuna, -Rikku-?" Gippal asked.
"None of your bloody business." Rikku glared at him. "Now, tell us what's wrong." She did, however, lighten up a little when he put an emphasis on her name.
Gippal stared at her, then continued. "Anyway, we had a little 'mishap' with an.... An aeon, something we didn't expect. As you well know, Aeons are very difficult to deal with...."
They all nodded, but Rikku said: "Again? Another aeon? Which one this time?"
"Anima." He stated nervously.
"WHAT?" Rikku and Paine both stammered.
"And.... I hate to say it, but Miss Anima is not alone." Gippal ignored their surprise and continued.
"W-who?" Rikku asked.
"Some guy with blue hair, claims he used to be a Maester, not a nice guy. He is pretty strong."
Rikku gasped and glanced at Paine, who looked at her worriedly. "No.... it can't be..... He died! Well, technically, we killed him, but still!" Rikku shouted.
They ran towards the Chamber of the Fayth and the Cloister of Trials, Gippal on their heels. Paine drew her sword and Rikku whipped out her blades, while Gippal pulled out two flashy new guns.
"Where are they?" Rikku yelled over her shoulder at Gippal.
"Chamber of the Fayth," he answered.
They raced towards the Chamber, past people with machina, guns, blades, and more guns. They heard cries of pain and fear, Anima must have been hurting people. An alchemist stocked with every healing ingredient known to man kind was standing near the Chamber door as they approached.
"Hurry; there has already been one death! I'm here if you need anything!" The alchemist woman called as they approached.
Gippal nodded as they passed her, and Rikku gasped upon entering the Chamber. "No, oh no!" She yelled upon seeing the bodies that littered the floor, the blood that covered everything, the great beast that bled from its eye, and the blue haired man standing at the very back of the room. "SEYMOUR!" Rikku raised her blades, ready for hand to hand combat with the man.
The man looked up at her, a sinister smile on his face. "Rikku, how wonderful to see you again. And, it appears that you have brought some friends to meet my mother?"
Rikku glared at him. "Didn't we already kill you?"
He laughed. "You cannot kill me, my dear."
"But I can try!" She yelled.
Rikku ignored everyone else in the room, including Anima, and charged at Seymour, her blades held out as if to slash him. But, she wasn't fast enough. Anima caught sight of her and gathered energy, her frightening gaze set on Rikku. Pain surged through the girl and she fell off her feet, she was going to die. She screamed, but couldn't hear it. She dropped her blades, but couldn't feel it. Her hair fell over her eyes, but she couldn't see it. She was fading from the inside out.
~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~
Darkness and silence veiled the small village. Yuna lay in the darkness awake and not rested. All she could think of was her dream; the image of Tidus was still so clear and pure in her minds eye. The air was warm tonight, or this morning, unlike it was when she'd had the dream last night. She slowly stood and left the hut silently, she didn't want anyone in the Village to wake up. She walked into the dark and empty temple, no torches burned and no villagers prayed. Yuna sighed and knelt in front of one of the many statues. She uttered a soft prayer and finished with The Prayer symbol.
Then she stood and left the temple. She hadn't prayed in a long time. Her mind carried her to the hut, but her feet carried her to the gates of the village, then through them, and up the hill, to the ruins and then the beach. Her imagination carried her far out over the seas, suspended on silver wings. Her thoughts were only on Tidus, were only on Rhain. Her feet continued to carry her towards the water, dark and unwelcoming in the nights light. Night smiled down upon the girl, the moon sending its beams full across the sands and the stars reflecting in her hair and eyes. She stepped into the rippling tides and smiled upon the loveliness of the sea in the settling moonlight, with a fringe of paler blue rising at the waters edge in the distance. Besaid..... a beautiful place.
Then Yuna remembered. He'd been found out here in the warm waters of the sea one day. She thought of everything that happened between them, and remembered his promise. He had whistled, then said, "Hey, use that if we get separated. Then I'll come running, okay? Well, guess we should just stick together, then, till you can do it?" She put her fingers to her lips and let out a shrill whistle. The sound was beautiful and loud, it echoed in the perfect silence.
"Tidus?" She whispered as the last of the echoes faded.
~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~
"Lenne, please," Shuyin took her hand and held, though she tried to pull away. "Don't do this." He pulled her do him and wrapped both his arms around her, holding her close and not letting her go. "I know how you feel, and I want to help you."
Lenne gave up struggling and collapsed into his embrace. If he wanted to help her, this was the way to do it. She leaned into his chest and felt the warmth flow from him to her. "I want your help, I really do....."
She looked up into his eyes and as she closed hers, she felt his lips on hers. He was gently pressuring her to be calm, asking her to regain herself. It was working, too. The kiss was gentle and seductive, calming and everything she was used to. She was home. Back in his arms was home. Everywhere near him was home to her. He was delicate with her, as if she were a glass doll. He cared for her more then anything in the world, and he would not fail to protect her.
As he released her, she fell back slightly, so relaxed she had not been prepared for a release. He caught her with one arm and let her regain her footing.
"You..... you are a dream. Nothing real is as perfect and wonderful as you." Lenne spoke to him softly, as if she was exhausted.
~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~
"Rikku!" Paine ran forward, but Gippal grabbed her arm.
"Anima will see you, Paine, don't."
She stared at him in disbelief. "You honestly think I care more about myself then my friends?"
He shook his head. "No, that is why I'm not letting you go." He released her and ran out himself. He raised his guns and shot at Animas eye, landing several hits and causing the beast to wince and close its eye. Its fangs parted and it screamed threateningly. Gippal crouched at Rikkus side, yelling at her. "RIKKU! GET UP! HURRY, RIKKU! HEY, CIDS GIRL!"
Rikku opened her eyes and glared at Gippal. "I..... have..... a name..... you know......" Her voice was raspy and her words were separated, but Gippal still smiled with relief.
He lifted his gun as Anima re-opened her eye. He fired a single shot without even looking and Anima screamed in pain again. He lifted Rikku and carried her out of Animas sight. The alchemist yelped as Gippal set Rikku down at her feet and went back in.
"Paine, if we're gonna do this, let's do it fast." He said, taking her hand and pulling her towards him. He kissed her. She was shocked, but then understood. He wanted to kiss Rikku, not her, but Rikku would never have accepted that. The last thing Rikku wanted was more pain, and to her kissing Gippal was pain.
~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~
"Tidus?" Yuna repeated, her voice soft and bare. "Are you there?"
But he wasn't. She whistled again, tears now splashing into the shallow tides below. She ran forward into the water until it was up to her waist, where she whistled again. He didn't come. She ran through the water, though the force of the tides slowed her down. When the water reached her chest and she was freezing, she whistled once more. When he didn't come, she moved forward even father, until everything but her neck and head was submerged in the icy water. She raised her fingers once more, letting out a low, raspy whistle.
~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~
A whistle echoed through the Farplane, followed by a sweet whisper: "Tidus?" Moments later, it was followed by another whisper of the same thing and several more whistles.
"Auron!" Tidus shouted. "Auron!"
Auron walked up behind Tidus. "I heard it too, Tidus," He said.
"My promise, I have one, too! I can..... I can leave! I can see her again! How do I-" He was cut off as he vanished.
Darkness surrounded him and he saw Yuna standing alone in the waters of Besaid. He was suddenly there, behind her on the shore.
"Yuna.....?" He called.
She turned and gasped as she saw him. "Tidus? Is that..... really you?"
~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~
"BARALI! NOOJ!" Gippal yelled as he and Paine parted.
Barali raises a finger to his lips and Nooj shook his head. How on earth did they get there? They had just somehow ended up behind Seymour, their guns drawn. Gippal, too, raised his gun to Seymour, who laughed at him.
"You think one or two bullets with take me, don't you Gippal? You'd be wrong." Seymour grinned mercilessly as he spoke.
"No, I think I'd have to have some help, Seymour." Gippal replied, grinning just as mercifully as his opponent.
"And I'd be willing to give you that help, Gippal." Paine smiled and held up her sword.
"And me! I'm up to killing Yunies ex-husband again!" Rikku jumped in next to the pair, smiling and looking much better. "Thanks to that alchemist, I'm all better! Well, almost..." She winked.
"Great! Let's do this." Paine moved forward as Gippal fired a shot into Animas eye.
They ran toward him, Gippal firing whenever Anima regained herself. The room was long and slippery, so it was difficult to cross. Rikku flung one of her blades toward Seymour as they neared him, but he dodged it and smirked, though he wasn't looking quite as smug now.
"Hey, hair gel boy!" Barali shouted, making Seymour look around and jump as he saw two men with their guns drawn behind him.
"Surprise!" Nooj finished as he and Barali moved towards him.
"Here Rikku!" Barali yelled. "Catch!" He tossed her blade back to her and she caught it, smiling.
"Now what do you think, Mr. Maester?" Rikku asked, grinning widely.
"Yeah, are you prepared for a little Paine?" Paine chimed in sweetly.
"Ready to finally die, Seymour?" Barali added with a smirk.
"I'm gonna kick you in the spleen!" Rikku muttered to Paine.
"Spleen?" Paine laughed. "Glad you brought that line back."
~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~
TADA! There you are, thirteen pages* of pure delight*. Hope to have CH.4 up soon! Luves and bai, Rikkoa
*Twelve and a half pages double spaced in Times New Roman, size 14 *When I say pure delight, I'm excluding the part where Anima casts pain on Rikku and the parts with Tidus back. I hate Tidus.
