Chapter 3
Coming to Luca
1. Golden Dawn
Golden light peeked over the horizon. Squall sat at the edge of the cliff overlooking the vast ocean, and watched as the sun rose. A little ways out was what looked like more ruins to him. The top of what might've been a connecting tower poked out of the water, the rest hidden underneath. Squall took a deep breath and let it out. The morning air was crisp and fresh, and there was a certain silent beauty that could only be experienced in the moments of the morning when you were alone. Squall glanced over his shoulder for a moment, looking back at the travel agency. Rin's Travel Agencies seemed to be everywhere in Spira, they'd already stayed in a few others. Squall wasn't quite sure how long it'd been since they arrived in Spira. He wasn't sure if they measured time in weeks or what, but it had at least been several days since the group had left Kimahri at the bottom of Mount Gagazet. Kimahri had been kind enough to give them some supplies, and a general idea of where to go from there. He hadn't said that much when they left, and Squall could tell that Kimahri still wasn't sure whether to make them out to be friends or foes. Couldn't blame him, really. The whole situation was weirder than anything Squall had encountered before.
And of course, it had to take them even longer to find their way around, especially in the Macalania Woods. Squall briefly remembered how they spent hours and hours walking the twisted branch paths through the woods, and then being held up longer by strange monsters jumping out to attack them. The Thunder Plains had been worse, though. Not only had there been monsters there-huge ones in fact-but the constant lightning shooting from the sky made traveling across the plains incredibly dangerous. That night they hadn't even tried to go through the entire length of the plains and stayed in the first of Rin's Travel Agencies they'd come across.
Rin himself had been there, and had taken notice of their strange clothing and weapons as soon as they walked through the door. Squall had tried to explain what their situation was, but half way through was interrupted by a woman yelling something to Rin in a language Squall had never heard before. Rin seemed to know, he replied to the woman and she left. When she had, Rin explained that he and the woman were Al Bhed. It took a bit more explaining for Squall and the others to understand what Al Bhed were, and what that meant. As usual, Quistis was fascinated by this and asked Rin if there were ways to learn the language, to which he went into a long elucidation of the primaries and gave Quistis a stack of them to look over that night. Squall felt lucky that Rin was the understanding type. So far, they hadn't run into anyone in Spira who had hated them off the bat for their strange clothing and weapons. Thank Hyne for small favors.
The trip after that had been a little more straight forward, though Selphie had hated going through all the places that had been cold. She complained every time it dipped below a certain temperature, and to that Zell and Irvine would begin to tease her about it.
After what seemed like forever to Squall, they had reached the Mi'hen Highroad, the last stop before they would reach Luca. It had taken them a long time, longer in perception than time perhaps, but they were almost there. By midday, they'd be there. Squall's only worry was if Kravis wasn't there. They hadn't seen him anywhere on the way, and they'd been over a great deal of Spira already. If he wasn't there, what then? Where would they look?
However, there was maybe one more thing that bothered Squall; the whispers about the Sorceress. Although he had told everyone to keep a low profile while they were walking about Spira, Squall didn't hestitate to keep his ear sharp if he heard anyone mention rumors about the Sorceress. Guadosalam in particular didn't favor her. As they passed through, Squall heard a group of guados speaking about a tiny village on one of the lesser known islands that had been destroyed by her, and that allowing her to just have free reign over the world was madness. There were a few who spoke of her praises, most of them along the Moonflow, where Selphie had become so excited to ride the strange looking animal called the Shoopuf, that she fell overboard and right into the waters of the Moonflow. Not many people traveled along Mushroom Rock Road, so Squall hadn't heard neither a favorable or unfavorable story about the Sorceress. But, more often than not, he had heard about the power she held, how she dressed nearly all in black and red, and that her hair was of a very dark brown. He didn't want to think that Xana had managed to survive, even after what he'd seen, but the evidence was mounting against him. And them.
If Xana really was still alive, Spira and his world would be in trouble. And Squall would bet that Dorin would have a hard time dealing with it. Squall knew Dorin wanted this Sorceress to be Vira, and Squall wanted it too. But he kept hearing more bad stories than good, and Vira had never been like her mother. She never killed without reason. And she wasn't a Sorceress. If it came down to it, there was a possibility that there'd be another Sorceress War on his hands, and this time it'd be in a world Squall knew nearly nothing about. Xana released onto a new world was a horrifying thought.
Squall sighed again.
He would make sure to keep a sharp eye out for her in Luca. Anyone who might look like her. Her and Kravis.another horrifying thought. The two of them back together was enough to make Squall want to shove his fist through something. It made sense, though. So, keep an eye out for two maniacs in a city full of people.
No problem.
At least the ride to Luca would be quick. Rin had told Squall how machina had been banned by Yevon back at the beginning of the trouble with Sin, like Kimahri had mentioned. But, Al Bhed hadn't believed that machina had been to blame and had kept using it the whole time. Now that Yevon was dismantled, machina were more prominent all over Spira. The Highroad was covered in little machina scooters that shuttled travelers from the Highroad to the entrance to Luca. Although the walk to see more of the Spiran scenery would've been good, Squall figured the rest had earned enough of a break and that the fastest, easiest route to Luca would just be to take one of the machina scooters.
The first golden rays of sunshine that had been peaking out over the horizon a moment before were now shining brilliantly, orange and pink hues bleeding into the blue above them, getting brighter and bluer by the moment.
"You have that look on your face again."
Squall looked to his right side and saw that Rinoa had snuck up on him, looking as though she'd just woken up. She stared down at him with her deep brown eyes and Squall managed a small smile.
"What look?" he asked.
Rinoa shook her head and sat down next to him, dangling her feet off the edge of the cliff. In that moment, she looked seventeen again, back in Fisherman's Horizon the night of the concert. Squall remembered how she'd gotten herself all dressed up in the white dress he'd seen her in when they met, and everyone had organized the whole concert just to get them together. Man, had that annoyed Squall at the time. He couldn't understand why everyone had to meddle in his life so much. But Rinoa had been right. She told him then that he could count on them, and that it was easier to lead when you let some people in. Rinoa's feet had dangled off the edge of the ledge they'd been sitting on, her tiny white shoes swaying back and forth. Some her hair had fallen in her face and she pushed it back with one hand. She was beautiful that night. Even if Squall hadn't admitted it, he knew. Hell, he might've been a lone wolf, but he was still a teenage boy.
Now Rinoa's feet dangled off the ledge of the cliff they sat on as the Spiran sun rose higher into the clear sky. In the early morning light, she looked no older than seventeen although she had grown her hair so that all of it was the same length, and that over the past three years she'd lost some of that baby fat that seems to stick around for a long time on some teenagers and then is lost early for others. Despite the changes to her appearance and the shining ring on her finger that was almost a declaration of adulthood, she looked like a teenager still.
Squall felt everything fall away for a moment as he remembered all this, and a fresh wave of love for Rinoa overcame him. He would never understand how he ended up with her-or anyone for that matter-but Squall felt so lucky to have her. Even just to be near her.
"You know, that look you get when you're brooding about something. You look as though you have the weight of the world on your shoulders," Rinoa said.
Squall's small smile faded away. "I do. Two worlds, actually."
"Now you're being overly dramatic."
"Am I?"
Rinoa nodded. "I know that Kravis has done terrible things back home, and he needs to pay for those, but we haven't heard one nasty thing about him the whole time we've been here. We've traveled a long way already and not a single word. I know Kimahri put a lot of pressure on you about making sure he hasn't caused trouble, but so far, it doesn't seem like he has."
Squall frowned and leaned forward, resting his forehead in one hand. "That just means he's planning something big that he hasn't done yet.maybe with someone else."
"You worry too much," Rinoa stated, leaning forward to look at him. "And you're doing that pose you do when you're thinking really hard. See?" She imitated his position. Squall threw a sideways glance at her.
"No," Squall said, shaking his head. "I'm not worrying too much. This is a whole new world, Kravis is here somewhere, and the more we travel, the more we hear about this Sorceress who."
Rinoa squinted her eyes and frowned. "You think it's Xana."
"I wish it was Vira, but she was only half sorceress."
"Maybe she became a sorceress when Xana died.?"
Squall shook his head. "That's just wishful thinking. Vira was the only half sorceress in the history of the world, odds are she probably wouldn't just inherit powers like regular sorceresses do. It can only be Xana. And that's probably why Kravis is laying low. The two of them are up to something. As usual, we'll end up having to deal with it. That would be what, our.fourth Sorceress War and third war we've fought in? And now we'd drag an unknown world to us into our fight? It's just not right. It's bad enough having Kravis here, but with Xana.this world, and ours could be caught in another huge war.and the only one who ever put a dent in Xana's armor is dead."
Rinoa put a hand on Squall's shoulder. "Calm down," she said soothingly. "It's not always your fault just because you command SeeD. You can't control the world, Squall. Any of them. I don't want Xana to be back either. She caused so much pain for everyone, and the thought of her being back scares me."
"Rin." he started.
She continued before letting Squall get another word in. "As much as it scares me, I don't want to believe it's really true until I see it with my own eyes. Just take things as they come, Squall. And remember to talk to us if you're worried, okay?"
Squall sighed. "Rinoa, you know it's hard to do that."
"I know."
"I feel responsible for everyone. I have to lead through a place I don't know, and deal with all these new people I've never heard of. Sometimes.sometimes I feel like Laguna."
"Your father."
Squall waved his hand. "Yeah, yeah. He just fell into being president. It was never what he wished to be. He didn't grow up saying, 'Someday, I wanna become president of Esthar!' But things ended up going one way and he ended up as president. I'm Commander of SeeD. I never wanted to be a leader, but somehow everyone always looked to me to tell them what to do and where to go. 'We'll follow you, Squall.' Sometimes."
There was a moment of silence as Squall let his sentence drop. A gentle breeze rustled the grass around them. Birds sang in the trees. Rinoa took her hand from Squall's shoulder and put it on his hand, intertwining her fingers in his. She gave him a small smile. "You sometimes wonder about the path never traveled. If you had decided not to be a SeeD after the Ultimecia battle."
He nodded.
"If there's one thing I've always known about you it's this; people listen to you. When you speak, you command their attention. Even when I thought you were a shitty leader, everyone still valued your opinion highly. I know you better now. You are a leader type. Maybe someday you'll feel like you belong in the role you have." Rinoa broadened her smile. "At least I'll always be around to make sure you're not alone."
Squall smiled. "Thanks, Rinoa."
She nodded and looked at the sun, now almost fully risen into the sky. "This is a beautiful place."
"Yeah."
"C'mon inside," Rinoa said as she let go of Squall's hand and stood up. She brushed the dust off her legs and jacket. "Breakfast is gonna be ready in a minute. At least Spira has some things in common with us: breakfasts are almost the same."
Squall looked up at her. "What're they serving today?"
"Scrambled eggs. And their own type of toast."
He stood up, dusting off his pants and throwing one last glance at the sunrise. "Okay. Sounds good."
Rinoa led him back to the travel agency, looping her arm in his. "So.when do we get to Luca today?"
"By midday. Maybe earlier. We'll have a lot of ground to cover. And a lot to look for."
The two stepped inside the agency, the smell of breakfast welcoming them as they did. Beginning the Search
"Wow. I didn't know Luca was so.big." Vira said as she, Rikku and Yuna walked down the plank from their boat and onto the dock.
Rikku gave her a funny sort of grin. "What? You mean you didn't hear about Luca being one of the biggest cities in Spira?"
"Tidus and Auron never made it sound as big at this," Vira replied.
Yuna smiled. "Like I said with Kilika, now that Sin is gone, the people of Spira feel free to truly rebuild their world without constant fear it'll be torn down again. Luca has gained two new districts since the Eternal Calm started. They've also built several more docks and more housing for people. Much more trade takes place here these days. Especially with spheres and weapons. Everyone feels more confident of being able to take on whatever it thrown at them, so they go on more travels, more adventures. Fiends don't scare people like Sin did."
Boy, is Yuna ever right, Vira thought.
Luca looked bigger than Deling City and more welcoming. People disembarked from the boat and rushed in different directions. Some were welcomed by those who had been waiting for them, others were yelling and chasing a dog at the end of the dock. Boxes of who knows what were being unloaded by workers, who took them away with machina fork lifts. As the boat had approached the dock, Vira had gotten a full view of the city and had seen the massive blitzball stadium that was still the main attraction of Luca. The streets were alive with all types of people rushing from here to there, tall apartment buildings lined the residential district, and children laughed as they practiced their blitzball moves. Large decorative balloons floated as high as the buildings, and the noises of a bustling city were as vibrant as the people inside. Deling City had never seemed as alive as Luca.
"Now," said Rikku, bringing Vira back to the task at hand, "we have to remain low here. We look for Tidus and Auron, but we try to make sure that we don't draw too much attention to ourselves. The keyword here is.incognito!"
Yuna smiled. "Rikku, you still look like you. That's not exactly incognito, is it?"
Rikku shrugged. "You get what I mean, Yunie! You're a really popular person in Spira, and the less you're seen, the better." She looked at Vira. "You too. This city's big, and I'm sure a lotta people here have heard of the Sorceress already. Not everyone thinks you're super fantastico."
"Super fantastico?" repeated Vira.
"Anyway! Spira's still trying to find its way. There's a lot of tension between everyone, and it's best if we don't add to it. Celebrity status sometimes isn't all that good. The waaaaalls have eeeeeeeyes!" Rikku waved her fingers.
Yuna rolled her eyes. "Rikku, we understand. I wouldn't go so far as to talk about walls having eyes, but you are right. Drawing attention to ourselves would only hamper our search."
"So, what's first?" asked Rikku.
"They'd probably come in at the docks, right Vira?" said Yuna.
Vira nodded. "Probably."
"Okay, so we split up and start at the docks. We'll be spending the night at the Hotel Luca. After we finish searching the docks, we meet there for lunch, all right?"
The other two nodded.
"Vira, will you be okay on your own? You've never been here before," said Yuna.
Vira nodded. "No problemo. These docks go in a circle, right?"
"Yes, and from there it branches out into the other districts. The hotel and stadium are in the middle, and the other districts go from there. There's the theater district, merchant district, restaurant district, and residential district. Some of the districts have been around for a long time, but were just expanded upon since the Eternal Calm started. After lunch, we'll search the districts if we haven't found them yet and then meet back at the hotel for dinner."
"Sounds good!" said Rikku.
"Okay. Docks go in a circle, hotel and stadium in the middle. Meet back at hotel for lunch. Got it," Vira said.
Yuna sighed heavily, nodding at the two girls. "Okay then. Good luck."
Vira gave her a small smile. "Don't worry, Yuna. They'll either be here, or back in Besaid. Either way, we'll be finding them soon."
"Thanks," Yuna replied, smiling back. She turned towards the crowded end of the dock. "See you two at lunch."
"Bye," Rikku and Vira said as Yuna disappeared into the crowd.
Rikku turned to Vira and gave her a grin and wink as she said, "Remember, key word, incogneatio! See ya!" Then Rikku too disappeared into the crowd.
Vira stood next to the boat alone with a puzzled look on her face. "Incogneatio?"
Succession of Witches and Rumors
Squall and the others arrived in Luca a little before noontime, like Squall had anticipated. The large multi level staircase brought them directly into Luca's restaurant district. Staring at the crowd, the running children, rushing adults, and groups gathered around different stands selling food and flowers, Squall wished he had a map. Luca seemed huge, and he had no idea where to begin.
"Wow! This place is probably bigger than Deling!" exclaimed Selphie.
"Possibly larger than Esthar also," said Dorin. "Are there any places that sell maps?"
Squall shrugged. "Not sure, but we sure do need one. If we're going to look for Kravis, we're gonna need to know where to look."
"Perhaps there's a tourist center," said Quistis. She started walking away from the group, towards a woman buying flowers from one of the stands. "I'll ask someone," she added.
Quistis tapped the woman on the shoulder as she paid for her flowers. The woman turned around, her face looking confused. "Huh? Excuse me?"
Quistis smiled politely. "Hello. My friends and I have never been to Luca before."
"Never?" said the woman. "Wow, you must live way out there."
"Yes," replied Quistis. "We were wondering if there's a tourist center anywhere in the city, or a place to buy a map."
The woman thought for a moment, clutching her newly bought flowers in her hands. "Yes, see that booth over there?" The woman pointed to a bright blue painted booth with a blue and white striped awning. "The man there sells maps for Luca. Since the stairs from the Highroad are right near here, it's best to have some maps ready, I suppose."
"Oh, yes. Thank you very much," Quistis said.
The woman smiled and nodded. "You're welcome. You and your friends enjoy your stay in Luca. Come for the big blitzball tournament, have you?"
Quistis, not wanting to cause any confusing, nodded and gave a nervous smile. "Yes, we are. We've never been to one either."
The woman shook her head. "Geez! You people must live out in the middle of nowhere! Well, you people enjoy the match."
"We will. Thank you."
Still shaking her head, the woman with the flowers walked away, heading down a long street bustling with people.
Without returning to the rest of the group, Quistis walked over to the stand the woman spoke of and purchased a map using a bit of the gil they had found while fighting monsters. Quistis still didn't understand how that worked, and how monsters were able to carry gil on them, since they have no pockets. But, Spira was a different world, and it was best not to question everything. A minute later she returned to the group with the map in hand.
"Now we won't have any problems," she said.
Squall took the map and opened it up saying, "Smart thinking, Quistis. Now." he looked over the map. "Looks like they've got several districts and a whole section of docks."
"Not to mention the blitzball stadium!" Zell said.
"We'll take in local culture later, Zell," Squall said, keeping his eyes on the map. "Okay.a good place to meet would be in the center here.which is the hotel. We'll cover more ground if we split up into groups."
Selphie grinned and pointed to a spot on the map. "Oooh! Oooh! Squall, Irvy and I gotta take this place!"
"Huh?" Irvine said, taking his eyes off a group of women that had just passed by and turning his attention to the map. "Where?"
"Merchant district!" Selphie exclaimed. "Shopping!!"
Irvine groaned.
"Okay, you and Irvine can look in the merchant district. Just remember to keep your eyes out for Kravis and not on sales for Sprian clothing, alright Selphie?" said Squall.
Selphie nodded. "Got it!"
Quistis studied the map for a moment. "Seifer and I will take the residential district."
"Looking for cute apartments with a view of the ocean, eh Quisty?" Seifer joked.
Quistis smiled and shook her head. "Hopeless."
"We can take the restaurant district, right Squall?" asked Rinoa, first looking at the map, then surveying the surrounding area.
Squall shrugged. "Sure. We still need someone to check the docks."
"I'll do it," volunteered Zell. "That's near the stadium, right?"
"Yes," replied Squall. "But remember what I told Selphie. Kravis first, culture later."
"Gotcha."
Squall took another look at the map. "That only leaves the theater district for you Dorin. Do you mind?"
"No. That's all right," he replied.
Squall nodded. "Okay. Everyone, try not to cause a scene or any problems. We're still very new around here. If anyone needs to buy a map, do it now before we all leave here. We'll meet back at the hotel at sundown. That okay with everyone?"
They all nodded.
"Right. If you see Kravis, try not to let him see you. Don't go after him without backup. Once we know he's in the city, we can regroup and apprehend him together. Also, keep your ears open for any rumors about the Sorceress. See you guys all tonight," Squall said.
*****
It had been a few hours, and there hadn't been a single sign of Kravis anywhere. There were a lot of people milling around the merchant district, and calls for lower prices, better bargains and 'how much is this?' rang through the area. Irvine scanned the crowd near a stand selling coats, but none of them looked like Kravis. One of them did look like the blond girl from that vision in Zanarkand, though. Her hair was a little longer, her face a little older, and her clothes different, but she still bore a striking resemblance to the girl. She seemed to be looking for someone too, her eyes scanning across the street and back to the group of people in front of the stand. Irvine thought about going over there, but what he'd say kept him back. What would he say?
Hi. You don't know me, but I think I saw you once. Well, not exactly you, it might've been you, and it was transparent. Like a ghost. Y'know, in that city Zanarkand. Ever been there?
Oh, yeah, that makes a lot of sense. And besides that, it wasn't any of his business. Not really. Though, Irvine's curiosity was piqued, the odds of seeing someone who's ghostly vision had walked through you recently being very slim. Somehow, having all these people walk through Irvine gave him a strange sense of wanting to know why they'd been there in the first place. A strange sort of connection.
But it isn't like you know her, or she knows you. Not really. And you've got a job to do, so it's better to stick to it. None of your business.
"Oh! Irvy!" Selphie giggled. "This is just the cutest jacket!"
Jolted out of his thoughts, Irvine turned to see Selphie trying on a long canary yellow button down coat. On the ends of the sleeves were little green flame designs. Irvine grinned. That was definitely Selphie- esque.
"The merchant says it's made of chocobo feathers! Do you have any gil on you?"
Irvine reached into his pockets. He fumbled around for a moment, pulling out a handful and giving it to Selphie. "There ya go, darlin. This one's on me. And now you won't have to borrow my coat for the rest of the trip."
A broad grin stretched across Selphie's face, her emerald eyes shining. "Thanks, Irvy! No more cold for me! Awesome!"
Selphie turned to pay the man, and Irvine turned his attention back to the crowd. The blond girl was gone. It was for the best. Just because you saw their image doesn't mean you have a right to know about them.
There was still no sign of Kravis, though.
".killed an entire village?"
Irvine caught the end of the question as two men walked by, stopping at a nearby stand selling jars. Being careful not to be conspicuous, Irvine sidled over to the stand, picking up different jars and pretending to be interested, as he listened in on what the men were saying.
"That's only what Sylver told me," the second man said. He was short and round, his head completely bald, and his dark blue eyes were small and beady. In his pudgy hands he held a red long necked jar. "He said that on that island, that one up north, this Sorceress character wiped out an entire village of people. Mind you, it really isn't that much since the island is tiny, but that's still something." He sighed. "Get rid of one evil, replace with another..."
"Anyone know what she looks like?" asked the first man, a tall and gangly fellow with sallow skin. His straw blond hair fell flat and his nose was hooked. He stood next to the round man, his hands in his pockets.
The round man shrugged. "I've heard some things. Sylver said she's not too tall, longish really dark brown hair. Very stern face, dark eyes.Oh, and that she wears a ton of black and red."
"No fooling?"
"No fooling."
"Sounds a bit like Lady Lulu, doesn't it?" said the tall man.
The round man frowned and placed the jar down, picking up another one and brandishing it at his friend. "Don't you disrespect Lady Lulu. I hear she's pregnant and married now to Sir Wakka. Lady Lulu is an honorable black mage. She just favors to wear black."
"Okay, okay!" said the tall man, putting up his hands in defense. "I meant no disrespect. All of those people are true heroes to me, you know that. I'm just saying, maybe it's not a sorceress. Maybe that's just a name she made up. Maybe this gal's really just some whacked out black mage."
"No," the round man said, turning his attention to the jar he'd been brandishing, "this lady's got magic we never saw before. She rarely needs weapons, and I heard once summoned a monster to do her bidding."
"No." the tall man gasped.
The round man nodded. "Yeah. I heard she can summon something without the aid of the departed Fayth. You know summoners can no longer summon, the aeons all went to the Farplane. But this gal can do it. Something nasty. Right out of thin air."
The tall man shook his head, looking down at his hands that were in his pockets. "Somebody oughta do somethin about this menace. We can't have another Sin on our hands."
The round man nodded. From his pocket he pulled out some gil, deciding to purchase the jar he'd threatened his friend with. He handed the gil to the merchant, and put the remaining back in his pocket. "Just like I was saying. She's evil. I hope the big groups bring this up at the rally soon. They'll know what to do about it."
Having paid for the purchase, the two men began to walk away, and Irvine got the impression that was the end of what he could hear from them. From behind him, Selphie, holding her new jacket in her hands, looked at him, then down the street. She was trying to figure out what he was looking at, but not succeeding.
"Whatcha lookin at, Irvy?" she asked.
"Nothin, Sefie.just two guys talking about the Sorceress," he replied.
Selphie gave him a serious look. "What'd they say?"
Irvine tipped his hat back and whistled. "Trouble brewin."
*****
"Luca is beautiful, Squall," said Rinoa, staring at the clear blue- green water over one of the ledges.
He nodded. "I know. Spira's a nice place. Everything's quieter."
Rinoa snickered. "Sounds like something you'd say."
".Whatever."
"Any sign of Kravis?"
"Nope."
"Really?"
"Yes. Rinoa?"
"Yeah?"
"You want to go into one of those restaurants, don't you?" said Squall.
Rinoa gave him a mischievous smile. "You know me too well. But, I know we have a job to do, so it can wait."
Squall didn't say anything for a moment. Rinoa knew he was contemplating over something, and knew better than to bother him at the moment. It was an intuition. She knew he'd tell her in a minute, when he was ready.
"If we don't find Kravis or anyone else today, I'll take you to one for dinner," he said.
Rinoa giggled. "Is this a stumbling attempt at intimacy?"
"Yes, so don't laugh at it. Take it or leave it."
Rinoa smiled. "Okay, okay. Take it."
"Only if we don't find anyone today, okay?" said Squall.
"Got it," she replied.
The two of them walked through the streets of the restaurant district for a few minutes in silence, just listening to the din of those eating and the clinking and clanging of dishes and utensils. Even in the busy streets, Luca was bright and shining. It seemed light and happy.
Squall and Rinoa passed an outdoor café, several round tables set up with people eating a late lunch or afternoon snack. Above each table was a white and blue umbrella to keep the sun out of patron's eyes. The people at the tables ate and talked, adding to the din of the district. Over all of this, Squall heard one person say:
"No! Here, in town?! You've got to be kidding me!"
Squall stopped, trying to not look out of place, but still wanting to hear the rest of the conversation.
"Squall, wha-?" Rinoa started.
He pulled her into the outdoor café's eating area and pushed her down into a chair, handing her a menu and sitting himself down. The table he wanted to hear the conversation of was in back of Rinoa. A man and a woman.
"Squall, I thought you said we'd eat dinne-"
He pointed to the menu and kept his eyes on the two behind Rinoa. "Rin, just order something. I need to hear what they're saying without being obvious."
Without saying a word, she nodded and studied the menu, letting Squall listen to the conversation without interruption.
The man sat with his back to Squall. He looked of average build, with orange hair parted in the middle. He was wearing a bright red shirt, with an intricate gold design on it. In front of him sat the woman, who looked like a guado, with long slender fingers and pointed ears. She was wearing a purple dress, with several belts tied around them, her hair coming to several points and of a dark brown color. She looked like she was eating some sort of animal.
"Are you serious?" the man asked.
"Of course I am, Reasu," said the woman guado. "I heard it just an hour ago."
Reasu scratched his head. "Someone got into a fight with the Sorceress, Yurav? The one everyone's been talking about lately?"
She nodded. "The exact one. This old woman ran into her outside the blitzball stadium and just said point blank that she was the Sorceress."
"Did the woman deny it?" asked Reasu.
Yurav shook her head. "No. She couldn't. It was really her. Then this old woman has the guts to just smack the Sorceress right there, in front of everyone. It was this huge scene. Everyone began to stare at the two."
"Then what happened?"
"I heard the Sorceress asked what the old lady's problem was, and she ranted on about how the Sorceress is evil, she knew it, and that she'd killed so many good people. Told the Sorceress she was as bad as Sin," Yurav said.
Reasu seemed shocked. He paused before he asked, "Then what?"
Yurav's face took on a smug expression. "The Sorceress denied being that bad, and tried to calm the old woman down. But she wouldn't have any of that. So she hit the Sorceress again, and again. Just kept smacking her. Then some others who didn't think so well of the Sorceress began to close in around her, like they were all going to get in on it too. But, then."
"What?!" Reasu exclaimed in anticipation.
Yurav nearly laughed before she continued. "The Sorceress got angry and did magic on the entire group. She froze them all in place and yelled at them. Then she ran off into one of the districts. So she's here in Luca, today. No one's seen her since, but you can bet your last gil she hasn't left. No, sir. She's evil to the core. You get it, right? Confronted by a justifiably angry old woman and then a riled up mob, she tries to keep her cool, but loses it and shows her true colors. If we don't watch out, she could turn out as bad as Sin."
"Whoa." Reasu whispers, more in shock since hearing the end of the story. "What's she look like? Y'know.so I can keep an eye out and avoid her."
"I heard she has dark brown hair, kind of long, and isn't very tall. She wears a lot of black and red, with a very hard expression. Dark eyes too. The same color as her hair. Pretty pale as well, I heard," Yurav replied.
Reasu shook his head. "So much for those good stories. Right down the drain."
Rinoa put down her menu and stared at Squall, whose eyes were still squinted at Reasu and Yurav. She put her hand on Squall's.
"I'm sorry," she whispered. "It sounds just like her."
Squall nodded. "Yeah. This is bad. We'll have to find her. Tonight, when we're all together."
Rinoa's expression became worried as she stared into Squall's steel blue eyes. "Squall, I'm scared."
He took his eyes off Reasu and Yurav, letting them finish their late lunch. He looked into Rinoa's dark chocolate eyes. Squall turned his hand over and squeezed Rinoa's. "I know. I am too."
Hatred
Nowhere in the docks. Not a single sign of Tidus or Auron and Vira had been up and down the entire circular dock area. She'd passed by Rikku once, who waved and signaled she hadn't seen anything either. The docks were huge, and several boats weren't supposed to arrive until right before lunch time. Vira had waited for these boats, from all different islands, now trying to become more part of Spira than before. She had hoped that Tidus and Auron would be on one of them, but it just didn't happen. Tidus and Auron were nowhere in the dock area. A bit discouraged, Vira headed over to the hotel for lunch. It was possible that she'd find them afterwards, wandering around the different districts, but she doubted it.
Vira reminded herself that if they weren't in Luca, they'd be in Besaid by the time they returned. The thought comforted her. It hadn't been easy losing the only friends in this world she had. Sometimes it felt like a perpetual cycle of looking for something you want, and finding it, only to lose it all over again.
Maybe Yuna had a point.
But Vira had worse things to worry about than where Tidus and Auron were. Oh, yeah, of course, Vira had this freaky ghostly vision of her mother to worry about. That'd be a big one. Vira had spent the night in the Crusader's Lodge, plagued by the same nightmare she'd had on the boat to Besaid. Only that time, Vira saw she'd killed someone else too, probably Squall. Then she spent the next night having the same nightmare on the boat from Kilika to Luca, and that time she definitely had killed Squall, and Rinoa. Each night it was the same nightmare, except that another person she'd counted as a friend was being killed by her. Xana said that her power had a life of its own, its very own hatred and lust to bring more power to itself. Vira didn't want to believe a single word, but then Vira realized how insane the whole situation seemed. Was Xana really her ghost, or just a manifestation of the power that Vira had taken from her?
The only solution that came to Vira was that she was slowly going insane, and this didn't make matters easier. There was nothing worse than someone with power off their rocker, and Vira had tried so hard not to use it a lot during her stay in Spira.
All of a sudden, Vira realized she was standing in front of the hotel, wandering there on pure instinct. Or just luck. Vira never understood luck either. But, it was time for lunch, so she shoved everything to the back of her mind and headed in, looking for the café. Her problems could wait for later.
"D'you think you'll ever see your friends again?" asked Rikku, her mouth stuffed with food.
Vira looked up from her plate, looking distracted. "Huh? Oh.I don't know. Maybe."
"You gotta miss em, though, right?" said Rikku, swallowing. "I know I'd feel bad if I lost everyone I knew and ended up in some strange world."
Yuna gave her a reprimanding look. "Rikku."
Rikku's cheeks turned red and her eyes darted down to her plate. "Sorry. Just saying. Maybe we could help find Vira a way home."
"That's possible." said Yuna.
Vira shrugged. "That's okay. I'm used to being here now. I'm sure everyone thinks I'm dead back home, and it might be better if it was kept that way."
"Why?" asked Rikku.
"You know how there are people here who don't like me and think that I'm evil?" said Vira. "Well, back where I come from, most people are deathly afraid of sorceresses. The only one people didn't fear outright was my friend Rinoa. There's too much history of them going insane and trying to kill a ton of people, that everyone prejudges and fears sorceresses. And since my magic comes from a very unreliable source, I think I'd end up in more trouble there than here."
"Whoa." Rikku murmured. "That's not fair! You're not nutso!"
Vira frowned slightly. "Doesn't quite matter to them. The last three wars back home were fought because of a sorceress. And the last one was particularly nasty, since the sorceress in it was the very first one with the most power. People fear those with power, regardless of how they use it."
"That's very true," said Yuna. "But, I'm sure there's a part of you that would like to see your friends again. Especially that one man."
"Dorin," Vira finished. "Sure, there's probably a part of me that wishes they'd waltz up to me right now and welcome me back and all that sappy, sentimental stuff. But, I try to live in the real world where that kinda stuff just doesn't happen. I'd like it, but it's just a pipe dream, y'know? I'll never stop missing them, in one way or another, but you gotta move on at some point."
Yuna nodded, her face a bit somber. "Yes. I tried to do that. It's very hard, though, when you lose someone that you had only a short time to be with. It's amazing, y'know? That someone who just falls into your life, and is there for only a little while, has this tremendous impact on your world, and how you feel."
"Yeah," Vira said quietly.
"We all missed Tidus and Auron a lot," said Rikku. "It's been hard to get along without them. You go on a journey with someone and you become this group. All for one and one for all. You work together, eat together, fight together, and there's this bond there that nothing can break. Except when they leave you."
"Fight beside someone and there will always be a shared experience no one will be able to touch," Vira said.
Rikku nodded. "And Tidus never gave up. He'd always try to think of ways to keep Yunie from dying. He'd say, 'Let's put our heads together and think!' and I'd tap my head and concentrate and think and think. I'd never come up with anything. But, he did. That was what was so great about him. He was preprogrammed with what to think about Yevon or the Al Bhed. He just did what he thought was best for everyone."
Vira chuckled. "He still seems a bit like a jock to me."
"Huh?"
"If he wasn't talking about the journey he took with you guys, he'd be talking about blitzball," Vira replied.
Yuna took a sip of her drink and nodded. "Yes, Tidus was a great blitzball player. He kept telling me about how he was the star of the Zanarkand Abes, and how he'd love to take me to his stadium and we could all watch the game. It was a great dream."
"We'll find them soon," said Vira quickly. "Don't worry, Yuna. It's not a dream. I'm here, I've been with them. They're alive.or alive as they can be. I was never clear on that."
Yuna let out a soft laugh. "I'm sure you're right. We'll search the districts after lunch and then return here for dinner. Do you have any particular preference of which district to search?"
"Ooh, ooh!" Rikku pumped her hand in the air. "I wanna check out the merchant district. They have a new blitzball store there, and Tidus might've gone there to check out the stuff." She paused for a moment. "And there's that great weapons store! Auron always had those biiiiig-" Rikku held her arms out wide to illustrate. "-swords that he used!"
Yuna laughed and smiled. "Sounds fine. Maybe I'll check out the restaurant district.Tidus did always seem hungry, and Sir Auron was fond of whatever that liquor it was that he kept in his jug."
"Tasted like motor oil." muttered Vira.
"Hmm?"
"Nothing," Vira said. "I'll check out the theater and residential districts."
"Can you cover that much ground in time?" asked Yuna.
"Sure. Not a problem. I'll meet you guys in the lobby at dinnertime," she replied, getting up.
Yuna and Rikku followed suit, Yuna leaving the gil they owed for the lunch and following Vira to the entrance of the hotel. The three girls waved to each other and separated, heading towards a different district. Vira walked a few paces, ending up in front of the blitzball stadium.
Huge. That's the only word that can describe this thing.freakin huge.
Above her was a holographic television display, with two men in suits talking to the screen.
"That's right, Babbo, we're gearing up for the match tonight, one of the first night matches in years. Tonight we'll be showing the game between our own Luca Goers, and the Kilika Beasts. This will be a popular event tonight! The stadium has reported full attendance, and everyone who has a set will be tuning in to watch! Now, the Beasts are actually the favorite in this match tonight, after a lackluster beginning of the season for the Goers."
"Monster!" an old voice croaked, drawing Vira's attention away from the screen.
An old woman stood in front of her, hunched over, many wrinkles in her skin from what looked like a hard life. Her silvery hair was tied back into a tight bun, and it looked as if not a single strand of hair was out of place. Her long dress was a light brown, and the cardigan she wore over it was a bit darker. She looked directly at Vira, an expression of pure hatred on her face.
Now what the hell was this old woman's problem? Vira had just been standing there, listening to the pre-game show. Maybe she'd been standing in the way, but that certainly didn't make her a monster. Vira gave the old woman a dubious look and said, "Excuse me?"
"It's you, isn't it?" the old woman said, point an accusatory finger at Vira. "You're the Sorceress."
Uh oh, someone's not a fan, Vira thought. "Uhm.what?"
The old woman shook her head. "Don't play stupid with me! I know it's you! I've heard stories. You look like you don't belong here! You are the Sorceress!" Without saying another word, the old woman brought her hand up and smacked Vira across the face.
The sound was louder than it should have been, drawing the attention of some of the passers by. Some stopped and watched to see what was going on, and Vira felt more eyes on her as put a hand up to her face.
"Look, lady, I don't know what you're problem is, but I'm not some sorta monster." Vira started.
"Don't give me that! I've heard about all the people you've slaughtered mercilessly, and all the power you have! It's disgusting that they let a creature like you just walk around as if you're just like everyone else! You aren't! You're a murderer!"
SMACK!
Vira fell back a few steps, feeling the stinging pain from the old woman hitting her again. This was getting out of hand. More people had stopped to watch, and any moment now everyone would catch on to what the old woman was so upset about. For a frail looking old woman, she was incredibly fast, and strong. Vira rubbed her other cheek, now feeling a rush of hurt and anger come over her. But, if she lost her temper, that would only make matters worse. Best to stay calm, then everyone will go away.
"I am not a murderer. I don't know who you think I killed, but I didn't. They're just rumors-"
"So you admit you're the Sorceress!" the old woman announced.
Vira nearly groaned. "Yes, fine, I am. But I'm not this monstrous murderer you make me out to be. So calm down, stop hitting me, and try to listen to the whole story, not just some rumors you hear from a neighbor."
"No! I've heard it from everyone! You're as bad as Sin!"
The crowd murmured. Vira was beginning to feel nervous. She had been trying all day to not attract attention to herself, and it had worked until now.
"We just traded one evil for another! You are our punishment for demolishing Yevon!" the old woman yelled.
From the crowd there were some more murmurs and a few sounds of agreement. More people were stopping to watch by the moment.
"Hmm.as bad as Sin, hmm? Why don't you give them something to fear?"
Vira scowled. Of all the times to go insane.
Xana's face appeared behind the old woman, and she glided effortlessly over to Vira. She waved a hand at the old woman.
"Look at them. They're all ignorance morons. They'll hate you no matter what you do. Why not just live up to it?"
"Shut up," Vira whispered.
The old woman's face lit up in shock. "Did you hear that?! She told me to shut up!"
Vira smacked herself in the forehead, getting frustrated. "No, not you."
"Then who? You aren't talking to anyone else!" The old woman paused. Her eyes widened. "Oh my.you're talking to invisible people, aren't you?! You're insane!"
Vira frowned. "No, you're insane. Drink less caffeine, okay?"
The woman scowled and attempted to hit Vira again, but Vira was ready finally and stepped out of the woman's way. The crowd behind them booed. People started to yell and say things like, 'You gonna pick on an old woman?!"
"See?" said Xana, grinning smugly. "They'll hate you no matter what. So why not just let it go already? No one's going to buy this good act. And." Xana's voice faded and changed into a crisp, accented man's voice and at that moment, Vira was positive that the old woman was at least right about her losing her mind. "Let's face it, you were never that popular to begin with. Even back in Draconia. Being the daughter of someone who destroyed their villages doesn't bode well for you, does it?"
Vira took a chance to throw a glance behind her, where the vision of Xana had transformed herself into looking like Dorin. She looked away, it was too much to look at. A mixture of fury, confusion and pain was overtaking her.
"How are you able to do that?" she asked.
"What?!" snapped the old woman.
Dorin's face smiled and he glided over closer to the old woman. "Just the trick of the trade. Become dead and you learn to pick up a few things you weren't able to before."
"Oh God."
"I'm sure every god, including Hyne, as forsaken you. As they did I," he said.
The old woman was gaining popularity. As she continued to try to hit Vira, the crowd around them closed in, throwing accusations or trying to get a better look. Vira felt trapped between her own insanity and a mob ready to try to tear her apart.
She backed away from the group and the old woman and the transparent figure that looked like Dorin glided beside her.
"We'll stop you before you cause harm to anyone else on Spira!" the old woman shouted.
Vira held her hand up, palm facing out to the old woman and the crowd. There wasn't any reasoning with this crazy woman, or the mob of people that were getting angrier by the second. Vira reached the end of her rope.
"Everyone just.back off.everyone.STOP!" she yelled.
There was silence from the mob, even the old woman fell quiet. A gray light shot up from the ground at the feet of everyone advancing at Vira and passed through their bodies. The light faded, and everyone stopped moving, and talking. Vira hadn't wanted to do it, and still wasn't quite sure what the spell was. It wasn't a standard stop spell, and it wasn't petrify but it kept people still and quiet. Over the time she'd been traveling, Vira had learned that just thinking something and saying one word could cause a spell she never knew to be cast. It wouldn't hurt them. That much she knew. It would wear off in a while, and by then she'd be somewhere else. Maybe she'd spend some of the gil she'd been keeping and buy a new outfit, hide in the crowds, and make sure no one noticed her for the rest of the night.
But first, she was going to address this crowd of ignorant morons. Vira looked around for a moment beforehand, almost sure that whatever it was that looked like Dorin would still be there and ready to mock her, but it-she, he-whatever, was gone; disappeared as if it'd never been there. Vira turned back to the crowd, looking particularly at the old woman.
"Now, see here, you ignorant old woman," Vira looked up, "all of you. I am not a menace, monster, or as bad as Sin. Out of all these rumors, have you ever placed a name to the villages I've so called destroyed? The lives I've taken, do these people have names? Grieving families? Eye witness accounts of me killing someone they knew? No? Then how the hell can you prove it and automatically judge me? You can't. But, you'll believe it because Spira has problems, and there always has to be someone to take the fall. It can never be your fault, so it'll be mine. Be ignorant and I'm your scapegoat."
Vira paused and stared at the crowd. She thought she heard someone groan.
"It's just a spell that freezes you in place. It'll wear off soon and there are no adverse side effects. I'm going to leave now, and I don't want any trouble, or anyone to follow me. And I'm gonna leave you with this thought so that maybe some of you will wake up and stop being so goddam ignorant: if I'm so damn powerful and so evil, why aren't you dead right now? Why am I sparing your lives? As a matter of fact, why haven't I laid waste to this entire planet yet and why don't all of you answer to me? I have the power, so why is everything still relatively peaceful? I've had the time to do it. Why isn't Spira in my fingertips? You're still alive. And there are no names to the people I supposedly killed. Think about it."
For a moment, Vira waited, staring into the crowd of people, her eyes gazing to the old woman and then back to the masses. They wouldn't respond, and by the time they could, Vira didn't want to be there. She turned and ran off, heading to the merchant district. No one stopped her, and she was soon lost in the sea of people. No one was able to distinguish her in the large crowd, now everyone looking more at the frozen group than her. Vira ran and hid her face from everyone around her. She wouldn't go to dinner. Let Rikku and Yuna worry. She'd see them later that night. Vira needed time alone, and a feeling to just disappear into the multitude.
Author's notes: Weeeeeell, I know it took me quite a while to get this one out, but look at the length and you'll understand. Plus, I wanted to wait until I got at least one review for the chapter before writing the next. It gives me perspective. That, and other things got in the way, of course. My writing style has changed a bit in this chapter, but I think it's clear enough still. This chapter would've been even ungodly longer if I had decided to put the last part in, but as it is, I'll leave it for the next chapter. These are too long as it is. This is probably the equivalent to three Iron Will chapters back in the day. Wow. I'm too prolific for my own good these days. Anyway, as you can see, in the next chapter, we'll be heading into a massive mistake, with Squall and the others believing Xana is the Sorceress, and knowledge that she's in Luca. Vira will try to make herself disappear for a little while to sort out whether she's really insane or just a bit stressed out. Bad stuff'll go down, trust me. So stay tuned for that. Oh, and although it's late notice, Vira appeared in my webcomic's holiday special. Check out http://unusualheroes.keenspace.com to see it (it's the previous comic to the one that's up now, so just hit 'previous comic') and while you're there, you might wanna check out the rest of it. That's up to you. As always, please R&R to let me know what you thought of this chapter. Until next time!
1. Golden Dawn
Golden light peeked over the horizon. Squall sat at the edge of the cliff overlooking the vast ocean, and watched as the sun rose. A little ways out was what looked like more ruins to him. The top of what might've been a connecting tower poked out of the water, the rest hidden underneath. Squall took a deep breath and let it out. The morning air was crisp and fresh, and there was a certain silent beauty that could only be experienced in the moments of the morning when you were alone. Squall glanced over his shoulder for a moment, looking back at the travel agency. Rin's Travel Agencies seemed to be everywhere in Spira, they'd already stayed in a few others. Squall wasn't quite sure how long it'd been since they arrived in Spira. He wasn't sure if they measured time in weeks or what, but it had at least been several days since the group had left Kimahri at the bottom of Mount Gagazet. Kimahri had been kind enough to give them some supplies, and a general idea of where to go from there. He hadn't said that much when they left, and Squall could tell that Kimahri still wasn't sure whether to make them out to be friends or foes. Couldn't blame him, really. The whole situation was weirder than anything Squall had encountered before.
And of course, it had to take them even longer to find their way around, especially in the Macalania Woods. Squall briefly remembered how they spent hours and hours walking the twisted branch paths through the woods, and then being held up longer by strange monsters jumping out to attack them. The Thunder Plains had been worse, though. Not only had there been monsters there-huge ones in fact-but the constant lightning shooting from the sky made traveling across the plains incredibly dangerous. That night they hadn't even tried to go through the entire length of the plains and stayed in the first of Rin's Travel Agencies they'd come across.
Rin himself had been there, and had taken notice of their strange clothing and weapons as soon as they walked through the door. Squall had tried to explain what their situation was, but half way through was interrupted by a woman yelling something to Rin in a language Squall had never heard before. Rin seemed to know, he replied to the woman and she left. When she had, Rin explained that he and the woman were Al Bhed. It took a bit more explaining for Squall and the others to understand what Al Bhed were, and what that meant. As usual, Quistis was fascinated by this and asked Rin if there were ways to learn the language, to which he went into a long elucidation of the primaries and gave Quistis a stack of them to look over that night. Squall felt lucky that Rin was the understanding type. So far, they hadn't run into anyone in Spira who had hated them off the bat for their strange clothing and weapons. Thank Hyne for small favors.
The trip after that had been a little more straight forward, though Selphie had hated going through all the places that had been cold. She complained every time it dipped below a certain temperature, and to that Zell and Irvine would begin to tease her about it.
After what seemed like forever to Squall, they had reached the Mi'hen Highroad, the last stop before they would reach Luca. It had taken them a long time, longer in perception than time perhaps, but they were almost there. By midday, they'd be there. Squall's only worry was if Kravis wasn't there. They hadn't seen him anywhere on the way, and they'd been over a great deal of Spira already. If he wasn't there, what then? Where would they look?
However, there was maybe one more thing that bothered Squall; the whispers about the Sorceress. Although he had told everyone to keep a low profile while they were walking about Spira, Squall didn't hestitate to keep his ear sharp if he heard anyone mention rumors about the Sorceress. Guadosalam in particular didn't favor her. As they passed through, Squall heard a group of guados speaking about a tiny village on one of the lesser known islands that had been destroyed by her, and that allowing her to just have free reign over the world was madness. There were a few who spoke of her praises, most of them along the Moonflow, where Selphie had become so excited to ride the strange looking animal called the Shoopuf, that she fell overboard and right into the waters of the Moonflow. Not many people traveled along Mushroom Rock Road, so Squall hadn't heard neither a favorable or unfavorable story about the Sorceress. But, more often than not, he had heard about the power she held, how she dressed nearly all in black and red, and that her hair was of a very dark brown. He didn't want to think that Xana had managed to survive, even after what he'd seen, but the evidence was mounting against him. And them.
If Xana really was still alive, Spira and his world would be in trouble. And Squall would bet that Dorin would have a hard time dealing with it. Squall knew Dorin wanted this Sorceress to be Vira, and Squall wanted it too. But he kept hearing more bad stories than good, and Vira had never been like her mother. She never killed without reason. And she wasn't a Sorceress. If it came down to it, there was a possibility that there'd be another Sorceress War on his hands, and this time it'd be in a world Squall knew nearly nothing about. Xana released onto a new world was a horrifying thought.
Squall sighed again.
He would make sure to keep a sharp eye out for her in Luca. Anyone who might look like her. Her and Kravis.another horrifying thought. The two of them back together was enough to make Squall want to shove his fist through something. It made sense, though. So, keep an eye out for two maniacs in a city full of people.
No problem.
At least the ride to Luca would be quick. Rin had told Squall how machina had been banned by Yevon back at the beginning of the trouble with Sin, like Kimahri had mentioned. But, Al Bhed hadn't believed that machina had been to blame and had kept using it the whole time. Now that Yevon was dismantled, machina were more prominent all over Spira. The Highroad was covered in little machina scooters that shuttled travelers from the Highroad to the entrance to Luca. Although the walk to see more of the Spiran scenery would've been good, Squall figured the rest had earned enough of a break and that the fastest, easiest route to Luca would just be to take one of the machina scooters.
The first golden rays of sunshine that had been peaking out over the horizon a moment before were now shining brilliantly, orange and pink hues bleeding into the blue above them, getting brighter and bluer by the moment.
"You have that look on your face again."
Squall looked to his right side and saw that Rinoa had snuck up on him, looking as though she'd just woken up. She stared down at him with her deep brown eyes and Squall managed a small smile.
"What look?" he asked.
Rinoa shook her head and sat down next to him, dangling her feet off the edge of the cliff. In that moment, she looked seventeen again, back in Fisherman's Horizon the night of the concert. Squall remembered how she'd gotten herself all dressed up in the white dress he'd seen her in when they met, and everyone had organized the whole concert just to get them together. Man, had that annoyed Squall at the time. He couldn't understand why everyone had to meddle in his life so much. But Rinoa had been right. She told him then that he could count on them, and that it was easier to lead when you let some people in. Rinoa's feet had dangled off the edge of the ledge they'd been sitting on, her tiny white shoes swaying back and forth. Some her hair had fallen in her face and she pushed it back with one hand. She was beautiful that night. Even if Squall hadn't admitted it, he knew. Hell, he might've been a lone wolf, but he was still a teenage boy.
Now Rinoa's feet dangled off the ledge of the cliff they sat on as the Spiran sun rose higher into the clear sky. In the early morning light, she looked no older than seventeen although she had grown her hair so that all of it was the same length, and that over the past three years she'd lost some of that baby fat that seems to stick around for a long time on some teenagers and then is lost early for others. Despite the changes to her appearance and the shining ring on her finger that was almost a declaration of adulthood, she looked like a teenager still.
Squall felt everything fall away for a moment as he remembered all this, and a fresh wave of love for Rinoa overcame him. He would never understand how he ended up with her-or anyone for that matter-but Squall felt so lucky to have her. Even just to be near her.
"You know, that look you get when you're brooding about something. You look as though you have the weight of the world on your shoulders," Rinoa said.
Squall's small smile faded away. "I do. Two worlds, actually."
"Now you're being overly dramatic."
"Am I?"
Rinoa nodded. "I know that Kravis has done terrible things back home, and he needs to pay for those, but we haven't heard one nasty thing about him the whole time we've been here. We've traveled a long way already and not a single word. I know Kimahri put a lot of pressure on you about making sure he hasn't caused trouble, but so far, it doesn't seem like he has."
Squall frowned and leaned forward, resting his forehead in one hand. "That just means he's planning something big that he hasn't done yet.maybe with someone else."
"You worry too much," Rinoa stated, leaning forward to look at him. "And you're doing that pose you do when you're thinking really hard. See?" She imitated his position. Squall threw a sideways glance at her.
"No," Squall said, shaking his head. "I'm not worrying too much. This is a whole new world, Kravis is here somewhere, and the more we travel, the more we hear about this Sorceress who."
Rinoa squinted her eyes and frowned. "You think it's Xana."
"I wish it was Vira, but she was only half sorceress."
"Maybe she became a sorceress when Xana died.?"
Squall shook his head. "That's just wishful thinking. Vira was the only half sorceress in the history of the world, odds are she probably wouldn't just inherit powers like regular sorceresses do. It can only be Xana. And that's probably why Kravis is laying low. The two of them are up to something. As usual, we'll end up having to deal with it. That would be what, our.fourth Sorceress War and third war we've fought in? And now we'd drag an unknown world to us into our fight? It's just not right. It's bad enough having Kravis here, but with Xana.this world, and ours could be caught in another huge war.and the only one who ever put a dent in Xana's armor is dead."
Rinoa put a hand on Squall's shoulder. "Calm down," she said soothingly. "It's not always your fault just because you command SeeD. You can't control the world, Squall. Any of them. I don't want Xana to be back either. She caused so much pain for everyone, and the thought of her being back scares me."
"Rin." he started.
She continued before letting Squall get another word in. "As much as it scares me, I don't want to believe it's really true until I see it with my own eyes. Just take things as they come, Squall. And remember to talk to us if you're worried, okay?"
Squall sighed. "Rinoa, you know it's hard to do that."
"I know."
"I feel responsible for everyone. I have to lead through a place I don't know, and deal with all these new people I've never heard of. Sometimes.sometimes I feel like Laguna."
"Your father."
Squall waved his hand. "Yeah, yeah. He just fell into being president. It was never what he wished to be. He didn't grow up saying, 'Someday, I wanna become president of Esthar!' But things ended up going one way and he ended up as president. I'm Commander of SeeD. I never wanted to be a leader, but somehow everyone always looked to me to tell them what to do and where to go. 'We'll follow you, Squall.' Sometimes."
There was a moment of silence as Squall let his sentence drop. A gentle breeze rustled the grass around them. Birds sang in the trees. Rinoa took her hand from Squall's shoulder and put it on his hand, intertwining her fingers in his. She gave him a small smile. "You sometimes wonder about the path never traveled. If you had decided not to be a SeeD after the Ultimecia battle."
He nodded.
"If there's one thing I've always known about you it's this; people listen to you. When you speak, you command their attention. Even when I thought you were a shitty leader, everyone still valued your opinion highly. I know you better now. You are a leader type. Maybe someday you'll feel like you belong in the role you have." Rinoa broadened her smile. "At least I'll always be around to make sure you're not alone."
Squall smiled. "Thanks, Rinoa."
She nodded and looked at the sun, now almost fully risen into the sky. "This is a beautiful place."
"Yeah."
"C'mon inside," Rinoa said as she let go of Squall's hand and stood up. She brushed the dust off her legs and jacket. "Breakfast is gonna be ready in a minute. At least Spira has some things in common with us: breakfasts are almost the same."
Squall looked up at her. "What're they serving today?"
"Scrambled eggs. And their own type of toast."
He stood up, dusting off his pants and throwing one last glance at the sunrise. "Okay. Sounds good."
Rinoa led him back to the travel agency, looping her arm in his. "So.when do we get to Luca today?"
"By midday. Maybe earlier. We'll have a lot of ground to cover. And a lot to look for."
The two stepped inside the agency, the smell of breakfast welcoming them as they did. Beginning the Search
"Wow. I didn't know Luca was so.big." Vira said as she, Rikku and Yuna walked down the plank from their boat and onto the dock.
Rikku gave her a funny sort of grin. "What? You mean you didn't hear about Luca being one of the biggest cities in Spira?"
"Tidus and Auron never made it sound as big at this," Vira replied.
Yuna smiled. "Like I said with Kilika, now that Sin is gone, the people of Spira feel free to truly rebuild their world without constant fear it'll be torn down again. Luca has gained two new districts since the Eternal Calm started. They've also built several more docks and more housing for people. Much more trade takes place here these days. Especially with spheres and weapons. Everyone feels more confident of being able to take on whatever it thrown at them, so they go on more travels, more adventures. Fiends don't scare people like Sin did."
Boy, is Yuna ever right, Vira thought.
Luca looked bigger than Deling City and more welcoming. People disembarked from the boat and rushed in different directions. Some were welcomed by those who had been waiting for them, others were yelling and chasing a dog at the end of the dock. Boxes of who knows what were being unloaded by workers, who took them away with machina fork lifts. As the boat had approached the dock, Vira had gotten a full view of the city and had seen the massive blitzball stadium that was still the main attraction of Luca. The streets were alive with all types of people rushing from here to there, tall apartment buildings lined the residential district, and children laughed as they practiced their blitzball moves. Large decorative balloons floated as high as the buildings, and the noises of a bustling city were as vibrant as the people inside. Deling City had never seemed as alive as Luca.
"Now," said Rikku, bringing Vira back to the task at hand, "we have to remain low here. We look for Tidus and Auron, but we try to make sure that we don't draw too much attention to ourselves. The keyword here is.incognito!"
Yuna smiled. "Rikku, you still look like you. That's not exactly incognito, is it?"
Rikku shrugged. "You get what I mean, Yunie! You're a really popular person in Spira, and the less you're seen, the better." She looked at Vira. "You too. This city's big, and I'm sure a lotta people here have heard of the Sorceress already. Not everyone thinks you're super fantastico."
"Super fantastico?" repeated Vira.
"Anyway! Spira's still trying to find its way. There's a lot of tension between everyone, and it's best if we don't add to it. Celebrity status sometimes isn't all that good. The waaaaalls have eeeeeeeyes!" Rikku waved her fingers.
Yuna rolled her eyes. "Rikku, we understand. I wouldn't go so far as to talk about walls having eyes, but you are right. Drawing attention to ourselves would only hamper our search."
"So, what's first?" asked Rikku.
"They'd probably come in at the docks, right Vira?" said Yuna.
Vira nodded. "Probably."
"Okay, so we split up and start at the docks. We'll be spending the night at the Hotel Luca. After we finish searching the docks, we meet there for lunch, all right?"
The other two nodded.
"Vira, will you be okay on your own? You've never been here before," said Yuna.
Vira nodded. "No problemo. These docks go in a circle, right?"
"Yes, and from there it branches out into the other districts. The hotel and stadium are in the middle, and the other districts go from there. There's the theater district, merchant district, restaurant district, and residential district. Some of the districts have been around for a long time, but were just expanded upon since the Eternal Calm started. After lunch, we'll search the districts if we haven't found them yet and then meet back at the hotel for dinner."
"Sounds good!" said Rikku.
"Okay. Docks go in a circle, hotel and stadium in the middle. Meet back at hotel for lunch. Got it," Vira said.
Yuna sighed heavily, nodding at the two girls. "Okay then. Good luck."
Vira gave her a small smile. "Don't worry, Yuna. They'll either be here, or back in Besaid. Either way, we'll be finding them soon."
"Thanks," Yuna replied, smiling back. She turned towards the crowded end of the dock. "See you two at lunch."
"Bye," Rikku and Vira said as Yuna disappeared into the crowd.
Rikku turned to Vira and gave her a grin and wink as she said, "Remember, key word, incogneatio! See ya!" Then Rikku too disappeared into the crowd.
Vira stood next to the boat alone with a puzzled look on her face. "Incogneatio?"
Succession of Witches and Rumors
Squall and the others arrived in Luca a little before noontime, like Squall had anticipated. The large multi level staircase brought them directly into Luca's restaurant district. Staring at the crowd, the running children, rushing adults, and groups gathered around different stands selling food and flowers, Squall wished he had a map. Luca seemed huge, and he had no idea where to begin.
"Wow! This place is probably bigger than Deling!" exclaimed Selphie.
"Possibly larger than Esthar also," said Dorin. "Are there any places that sell maps?"
Squall shrugged. "Not sure, but we sure do need one. If we're going to look for Kravis, we're gonna need to know where to look."
"Perhaps there's a tourist center," said Quistis. She started walking away from the group, towards a woman buying flowers from one of the stands. "I'll ask someone," she added.
Quistis tapped the woman on the shoulder as she paid for her flowers. The woman turned around, her face looking confused. "Huh? Excuse me?"
Quistis smiled politely. "Hello. My friends and I have never been to Luca before."
"Never?" said the woman. "Wow, you must live way out there."
"Yes," replied Quistis. "We were wondering if there's a tourist center anywhere in the city, or a place to buy a map."
The woman thought for a moment, clutching her newly bought flowers in her hands. "Yes, see that booth over there?" The woman pointed to a bright blue painted booth with a blue and white striped awning. "The man there sells maps for Luca. Since the stairs from the Highroad are right near here, it's best to have some maps ready, I suppose."
"Oh, yes. Thank you very much," Quistis said.
The woman smiled and nodded. "You're welcome. You and your friends enjoy your stay in Luca. Come for the big blitzball tournament, have you?"
Quistis, not wanting to cause any confusing, nodded and gave a nervous smile. "Yes, we are. We've never been to one either."
The woman shook her head. "Geez! You people must live out in the middle of nowhere! Well, you people enjoy the match."
"We will. Thank you."
Still shaking her head, the woman with the flowers walked away, heading down a long street bustling with people.
Without returning to the rest of the group, Quistis walked over to the stand the woman spoke of and purchased a map using a bit of the gil they had found while fighting monsters. Quistis still didn't understand how that worked, and how monsters were able to carry gil on them, since they have no pockets. But, Spira was a different world, and it was best not to question everything. A minute later she returned to the group with the map in hand.
"Now we won't have any problems," she said.
Squall took the map and opened it up saying, "Smart thinking, Quistis. Now." he looked over the map. "Looks like they've got several districts and a whole section of docks."
"Not to mention the blitzball stadium!" Zell said.
"We'll take in local culture later, Zell," Squall said, keeping his eyes on the map. "Okay.a good place to meet would be in the center here.which is the hotel. We'll cover more ground if we split up into groups."
Selphie grinned and pointed to a spot on the map. "Oooh! Oooh! Squall, Irvy and I gotta take this place!"
"Huh?" Irvine said, taking his eyes off a group of women that had just passed by and turning his attention to the map. "Where?"
"Merchant district!" Selphie exclaimed. "Shopping!!"
Irvine groaned.
"Okay, you and Irvine can look in the merchant district. Just remember to keep your eyes out for Kravis and not on sales for Sprian clothing, alright Selphie?" said Squall.
Selphie nodded. "Got it!"
Quistis studied the map for a moment. "Seifer and I will take the residential district."
"Looking for cute apartments with a view of the ocean, eh Quisty?" Seifer joked.
Quistis smiled and shook her head. "Hopeless."
"We can take the restaurant district, right Squall?" asked Rinoa, first looking at the map, then surveying the surrounding area.
Squall shrugged. "Sure. We still need someone to check the docks."
"I'll do it," volunteered Zell. "That's near the stadium, right?"
"Yes," replied Squall. "But remember what I told Selphie. Kravis first, culture later."
"Gotcha."
Squall took another look at the map. "That only leaves the theater district for you Dorin. Do you mind?"
"No. That's all right," he replied.
Squall nodded. "Okay. Everyone, try not to cause a scene or any problems. We're still very new around here. If anyone needs to buy a map, do it now before we all leave here. We'll meet back at the hotel at sundown. That okay with everyone?"
They all nodded.
"Right. If you see Kravis, try not to let him see you. Don't go after him without backup. Once we know he's in the city, we can regroup and apprehend him together. Also, keep your ears open for any rumors about the Sorceress. See you guys all tonight," Squall said.
*****
It had been a few hours, and there hadn't been a single sign of Kravis anywhere. There were a lot of people milling around the merchant district, and calls for lower prices, better bargains and 'how much is this?' rang through the area. Irvine scanned the crowd near a stand selling coats, but none of them looked like Kravis. One of them did look like the blond girl from that vision in Zanarkand, though. Her hair was a little longer, her face a little older, and her clothes different, but she still bore a striking resemblance to the girl. She seemed to be looking for someone too, her eyes scanning across the street and back to the group of people in front of the stand. Irvine thought about going over there, but what he'd say kept him back. What would he say?
Hi. You don't know me, but I think I saw you once. Well, not exactly you, it might've been you, and it was transparent. Like a ghost. Y'know, in that city Zanarkand. Ever been there?
Oh, yeah, that makes a lot of sense. And besides that, it wasn't any of his business. Not really. Though, Irvine's curiosity was piqued, the odds of seeing someone who's ghostly vision had walked through you recently being very slim. Somehow, having all these people walk through Irvine gave him a strange sense of wanting to know why they'd been there in the first place. A strange sort of connection.
But it isn't like you know her, or she knows you. Not really. And you've got a job to do, so it's better to stick to it. None of your business.
"Oh! Irvy!" Selphie giggled. "This is just the cutest jacket!"
Jolted out of his thoughts, Irvine turned to see Selphie trying on a long canary yellow button down coat. On the ends of the sleeves were little green flame designs. Irvine grinned. That was definitely Selphie- esque.
"The merchant says it's made of chocobo feathers! Do you have any gil on you?"
Irvine reached into his pockets. He fumbled around for a moment, pulling out a handful and giving it to Selphie. "There ya go, darlin. This one's on me. And now you won't have to borrow my coat for the rest of the trip."
A broad grin stretched across Selphie's face, her emerald eyes shining. "Thanks, Irvy! No more cold for me! Awesome!"
Selphie turned to pay the man, and Irvine turned his attention back to the crowd. The blond girl was gone. It was for the best. Just because you saw their image doesn't mean you have a right to know about them.
There was still no sign of Kravis, though.
".killed an entire village?"
Irvine caught the end of the question as two men walked by, stopping at a nearby stand selling jars. Being careful not to be conspicuous, Irvine sidled over to the stand, picking up different jars and pretending to be interested, as he listened in on what the men were saying.
"That's only what Sylver told me," the second man said. He was short and round, his head completely bald, and his dark blue eyes were small and beady. In his pudgy hands he held a red long necked jar. "He said that on that island, that one up north, this Sorceress character wiped out an entire village of people. Mind you, it really isn't that much since the island is tiny, but that's still something." He sighed. "Get rid of one evil, replace with another..."
"Anyone know what she looks like?" asked the first man, a tall and gangly fellow with sallow skin. His straw blond hair fell flat and his nose was hooked. He stood next to the round man, his hands in his pockets.
The round man shrugged. "I've heard some things. Sylver said she's not too tall, longish really dark brown hair. Very stern face, dark eyes.Oh, and that she wears a ton of black and red."
"No fooling?"
"No fooling."
"Sounds a bit like Lady Lulu, doesn't it?" said the tall man.
The round man frowned and placed the jar down, picking up another one and brandishing it at his friend. "Don't you disrespect Lady Lulu. I hear she's pregnant and married now to Sir Wakka. Lady Lulu is an honorable black mage. She just favors to wear black."
"Okay, okay!" said the tall man, putting up his hands in defense. "I meant no disrespect. All of those people are true heroes to me, you know that. I'm just saying, maybe it's not a sorceress. Maybe that's just a name she made up. Maybe this gal's really just some whacked out black mage."
"No," the round man said, turning his attention to the jar he'd been brandishing, "this lady's got magic we never saw before. She rarely needs weapons, and I heard once summoned a monster to do her bidding."
"No." the tall man gasped.
The round man nodded. "Yeah. I heard she can summon something without the aid of the departed Fayth. You know summoners can no longer summon, the aeons all went to the Farplane. But this gal can do it. Something nasty. Right out of thin air."
The tall man shook his head, looking down at his hands that were in his pockets. "Somebody oughta do somethin about this menace. We can't have another Sin on our hands."
The round man nodded. From his pocket he pulled out some gil, deciding to purchase the jar he'd threatened his friend with. He handed the gil to the merchant, and put the remaining back in his pocket. "Just like I was saying. She's evil. I hope the big groups bring this up at the rally soon. They'll know what to do about it."
Having paid for the purchase, the two men began to walk away, and Irvine got the impression that was the end of what he could hear from them. From behind him, Selphie, holding her new jacket in her hands, looked at him, then down the street. She was trying to figure out what he was looking at, but not succeeding.
"Whatcha lookin at, Irvy?" she asked.
"Nothin, Sefie.just two guys talking about the Sorceress," he replied.
Selphie gave him a serious look. "What'd they say?"
Irvine tipped his hat back and whistled. "Trouble brewin."
*****
"Luca is beautiful, Squall," said Rinoa, staring at the clear blue- green water over one of the ledges.
He nodded. "I know. Spira's a nice place. Everything's quieter."
Rinoa snickered. "Sounds like something you'd say."
".Whatever."
"Any sign of Kravis?"
"Nope."
"Really?"
"Yes. Rinoa?"
"Yeah?"
"You want to go into one of those restaurants, don't you?" said Squall.
Rinoa gave him a mischievous smile. "You know me too well. But, I know we have a job to do, so it can wait."
Squall didn't say anything for a moment. Rinoa knew he was contemplating over something, and knew better than to bother him at the moment. It was an intuition. She knew he'd tell her in a minute, when he was ready.
"If we don't find Kravis or anyone else today, I'll take you to one for dinner," he said.
Rinoa giggled. "Is this a stumbling attempt at intimacy?"
"Yes, so don't laugh at it. Take it or leave it."
Rinoa smiled. "Okay, okay. Take it."
"Only if we don't find anyone today, okay?" said Squall.
"Got it," she replied.
The two of them walked through the streets of the restaurant district for a few minutes in silence, just listening to the din of those eating and the clinking and clanging of dishes and utensils. Even in the busy streets, Luca was bright and shining. It seemed light and happy.
Squall and Rinoa passed an outdoor café, several round tables set up with people eating a late lunch or afternoon snack. Above each table was a white and blue umbrella to keep the sun out of patron's eyes. The people at the tables ate and talked, adding to the din of the district. Over all of this, Squall heard one person say:
"No! Here, in town?! You've got to be kidding me!"
Squall stopped, trying to not look out of place, but still wanting to hear the rest of the conversation.
"Squall, wha-?" Rinoa started.
He pulled her into the outdoor café's eating area and pushed her down into a chair, handing her a menu and sitting himself down. The table he wanted to hear the conversation of was in back of Rinoa. A man and a woman.
"Squall, I thought you said we'd eat dinne-"
He pointed to the menu and kept his eyes on the two behind Rinoa. "Rin, just order something. I need to hear what they're saying without being obvious."
Without saying a word, she nodded and studied the menu, letting Squall listen to the conversation without interruption.
The man sat with his back to Squall. He looked of average build, with orange hair parted in the middle. He was wearing a bright red shirt, with an intricate gold design on it. In front of him sat the woman, who looked like a guado, with long slender fingers and pointed ears. She was wearing a purple dress, with several belts tied around them, her hair coming to several points and of a dark brown color. She looked like she was eating some sort of animal.
"Are you serious?" the man asked.
"Of course I am, Reasu," said the woman guado. "I heard it just an hour ago."
Reasu scratched his head. "Someone got into a fight with the Sorceress, Yurav? The one everyone's been talking about lately?"
She nodded. "The exact one. This old woman ran into her outside the blitzball stadium and just said point blank that she was the Sorceress."
"Did the woman deny it?" asked Reasu.
Yurav shook her head. "No. She couldn't. It was really her. Then this old woman has the guts to just smack the Sorceress right there, in front of everyone. It was this huge scene. Everyone began to stare at the two."
"Then what happened?"
"I heard the Sorceress asked what the old lady's problem was, and she ranted on about how the Sorceress is evil, she knew it, and that she'd killed so many good people. Told the Sorceress she was as bad as Sin," Yurav said.
Reasu seemed shocked. He paused before he asked, "Then what?"
Yurav's face took on a smug expression. "The Sorceress denied being that bad, and tried to calm the old woman down. But she wouldn't have any of that. So she hit the Sorceress again, and again. Just kept smacking her. Then some others who didn't think so well of the Sorceress began to close in around her, like they were all going to get in on it too. But, then."
"What?!" Reasu exclaimed in anticipation.
Yurav nearly laughed before she continued. "The Sorceress got angry and did magic on the entire group. She froze them all in place and yelled at them. Then she ran off into one of the districts. So she's here in Luca, today. No one's seen her since, but you can bet your last gil she hasn't left. No, sir. She's evil to the core. You get it, right? Confronted by a justifiably angry old woman and then a riled up mob, she tries to keep her cool, but loses it and shows her true colors. If we don't watch out, she could turn out as bad as Sin."
"Whoa." Reasu whispers, more in shock since hearing the end of the story. "What's she look like? Y'know.so I can keep an eye out and avoid her."
"I heard she has dark brown hair, kind of long, and isn't very tall. She wears a lot of black and red, with a very hard expression. Dark eyes too. The same color as her hair. Pretty pale as well, I heard," Yurav replied.
Reasu shook his head. "So much for those good stories. Right down the drain."
Rinoa put down her menu and stared at Squall, whose eyes were still squinted at Reasu and Yurav. She put her hand on Squall's.
"I'm sorry," she whispered. "It sounds just like her."
Squall nodded. "Yeah. This is bad. We'll have to find her. Tonight, when we're all together."
Rinoa's expression became worried as she stared into Squall's steel blue eyes. "Squall, I'm scared."
He took his eyes off Reasu and Yurav, letting them finish their late lunch. He looked into Rinoa's dark chocolate eyes. Squall turned his hand over and squeezed Rinoa's. "I know. I am too."
Hatred
Nowhere in the docks. Not a single sign of Tidus or Auron and Vira had been up and down the entire circular dock area. She'd passed by Rikku once, who waved and signaled she hadn't seen anything either. The docks were huge, and several boats weren't supposed to arrive until right before lunch time. Vira had waited for these boats, from all different islands, now trying to become more part of Spira than before. She had hoped that Tidus and Auron would be on one of them, but it just didn't happen. Tidus and Auron were nowhere in the dock area. A bit discouraged, Vira headed over to the hotel for lunch. It was possible that she'd find them afterwards, wandering around the different districts, but she doubted it.
Vira reminded herself that if they weren't in Luca, they'd be in Besaid by the time they returned. The thought comforted her. It hadn't been easy losing the only friends in this world she had. Sometimes it felt like a perpetual cycle of looking for something you want, and finding it, only to lose it all over again.
Maybe Yuna had a point.
But Vira had worse things to worry about than where Tidus and Auron were. Oh, yeah, of course, Vira had this freaky ghostly vision of her mother to worry about. That'd be a big one. Vira had spent the night in the Crusader's Lodge, plagued by the same nightmare she'd had on the boat to Besaid. Only that time, Vira saw she'd killed someone else too, probably Squall. Then she spent the next night having the same nightmare on the boat from Kilika to Luca, and that time she definitely had killed Squall, and Rinoa. Each night it was the same nightmare, except that another person she'd counted as a friend was being killed by her. Xana said that her power had a life of its own, its very own hatred and lust to bring more power to itself. Vira didn't want to believe a single word, but then Vira realized how insane the whole situation seemed. Was Xana really her ghost, or just a manifestation of the power that Vira had taken from her?
The only solution that came to Vira was that she was slowly going insane, and this didn't make matters easier. There was nothing worse than someone with power off their rocker, and Vira had tried so hard not to use it a lot during her stay in Spira.
All of a sudden, Vira realized she was standing in front of the hotel, wandering there on pure instinct. Or just luck. Vira never understood luck either. But, it was time for lunch, so she shoved everything to the back of her mind and headed in, looking for the café. Her problems could wait for later.
"D'you think you'll ever see your friends again?" asked Rikku, her mouth stuffed with food.
Vira looked up from her plate, looking distracted. "Huh? Oh.I don't know. Maybe."
"You gotta miss em, though, right?" said Rikku, swallowing. "I know I'd feel bad if I lost everyone I knew and ended up in some strange world."
Yuna gave her a reprimanding look. "Rikku."
Rikku's cheeks turned red and her eyes darted down to her plate. "Sorry. Just saying. Maybe we could help find Vira a way home."
"That's possible." said Yuna.
Vira shrugged. "That's okay. I'm used to being here now. I'm sure everyone thinks I'm dead back home, and it might be better if it was kept that way."
"Why?" asked Rikku.
"You know how there are people here who don't like me and think that I'm evil?" said Vira. "Well, back where I come from, most people are deathly afraid of sorceresses. The only one people didn't fear outright was my friend Rinoa. There's too much history of them going insane and trying to kill a ton of people, that everyone prejudges and fears sorceresses. And since my magic comes from a very unreliable source, I think I'd end up in more trouble there than here."
"Whoa." Rikku murmured. "That's not fair! You're not nutso!"
Vira frowned slightly. "Doesn't quite matter to them. The last three wars back home were fought because of a sorceress. And the last one was particularly nasty, since the sorceress in it was the very first one with the most power. People fear those with power, regardless of how they use it."
"That's very true," said Yuna. "But, I'm sure there's a part of you that would like to see your friends again. Especially that one man."
"Dorin," Vira finished. "Sure, there's probably a part of me that wishes they'd waltz up to me right now and welcome me back and all that sappy, sentimental stuff. But, I try to live in the real world where that kinda stuff just doesn't happen. I'd like it, but it's just a pipe dream, y'know? I'll never stop missing them, in one way or another, but you gotta move on at some point."
Yuna nodded, her face a bit somber. "Yes. I tried to do that. It's very hard, though, when you lose someone that you had only a short time to be with. It's amazing, y'know? That someone who just falls into your life, and is there for only a little while, has this tremendous impact on your world, and how you feel."
"Yeah," Vira said quietly.
"We all missed Tidus and Auron a lot," said Rikku. "It's been hard to get along without them. You go on a journey with someone and you become this group. All for one and one for all. You work together, eat together, fight together, and there's this bond there that nothing can break. Except when they leave you."
"Fight beside someone and there will always be a shared experience no one will be able to touch," Vira said.
Rikku nodded. "And Tidus never gave up. He'd always try to think of ways to keep Yunie from dying. He'd say, 'Let's put our heads together and think!' and I'd tap my head and concentrate and think and think. I'd never come up with anything. But, he did. That was what was so great about him. He was preprogrammed with what to think about Yevon or the Al Bhed. He just did what he thought was best for everyone."
Vira chuckled. "He still seems a bit like a jock to me."
"Huh?"
"If he wasn't talking about the journey he took with you guys, he'd be talking about blitzball," Vira replied.
Yuna took a sip of her drink and nodded. "Yes, Tidus was a great blitzball player. He kept telling me about how he was the star of the Zanarkand Abes, and how he'd love to take me to his stadium and we could all watch the game. It was a great dream."
"We'll find them soon," said Vira quickly. "Don't worry, Yuna. It's not a dream. I'm here, I've been with them. They're alive.or alive as they can be. I was never clear on that."
Yuna let out a soft laugh. "I'm sure you're right. We'll search the districts after lunch and then return here for dinner. Do you have any particular preference of which district to search?"
"Ooh, ooh!" Rikku pumped her hand in the air. "I wanna check out the merchant district. They have a new blitzball store there, and Tidus might've gone there to check out the stuff." She paused for a moment. "And there's that great weapons store! Auron always had those biiiiig-" Rikku held her arms out wide to illustrate. "-swords that he used!"
Yuna laughed and smiled. "Sounds fine. Maybe I'll check out the restaurant district.Tidus did always seem hungry, and Sir Auron was fond of whatever that liquor it was that he kept in his jug."
"Tasted like motor oil." muttered Vira.
"Hmm?"
"Nothing," Vira said. "I'll check out the theater and residential districts."
"Can you cover that much ground in time?" asked Yuna.
"Sure. Not a problem. I'll meet you guys in the lobby at dinnertime," she replied, getting up.
Yuna and Rikku followed suit, Yuna leaving the gil they owed for the lunch and following Vira to the entrance of the hotel. The three girls waved to each other and separated, heading towards a different district. Vira walked a few paces, ending up in front of the blitzball stadium.
Huge. That's the only word that can describe this thing.freakin huge.
Above her was a holographic television display, with two men in suits talking to the screen.
"That's right, Babbo, we're gearing up for the match tonight, one of the first night matches in years. Tonight we'll be showing the game between our own Luca Goers, and the Kilika Beasts. This will be a popular event tonight! The stadium has reported full attendance, and everyone who has a set will be tuning in to watch! Now, the Beasts are actually the favorite in this match tonight, after a lackluster beginning of the season for the Goers."
"Monster!" an old voice croaked, drawing Vira's attention away from the screen.
An old woman stood in front of her, hunched over, many wrinkles in her skin from what looked like a hard life. Her silvery hair was tied back into a tight bun, and it looked as if not a single strand of hair was out of place. Her long dress was a light brown, and the cardigan she wore over it was a bit darker. She looked directly at Vira, an expression of pure hatred on her face.
Now what the hell was this old woman's problem? Vira had just been standing there, listening to the pre-game show. Maybe she'd been standing in the way, but that certainly didn't make her a monster. Vira gave the old woman a dubious look and said, "Excuse me?"
"It's you, isn't it?" the old woman said, point an accusatory finger at Vira. "You're the Sorceress."
Uh oh, someone's not a fan, Vira thought. "Uhm.what?"
The old woman shook her head. "Don't play stupid with me! I know it's you! I've heard stories. You look like you don't belong here! You are the Sorceress!" Without saying another word, the old woman brought her hand up and smacked Vira across the face.
The sound was louder than it should have been, drawing the attention of some of the passers by. Some stopped and watched to see what was going on, and Vira felt more eyes on her as put a hand up to her face.
"Look, lady, I don't know what you're problem is, but I'm not some sorta monster." Vira started.
"Don't give me that! I've heard about all the people you've slaughtered mercilessly, and all the power you have! It's disgusting that they let a creature like you just walk around as if you're just like everyone else! You aren't! You're a murderer!"
SMACK!
Vira fell back a few steps, feeling the stinging pain from the old woman hitting her again. This was getting out of hand. More people had stopped to watch, and any moment now everyone would catch on to what the old woman was so upset about. For a frail looking old woman, she was incredibly fast, and strong. Vira rubbed her other cheek, now feeling a rush of hurt and anger come over her. But, if she lost her temper, that would only make matters worse. Best to stay calm, then everyone will go away.
"I am not a murderer. I don't know who you think I killed, but I didn't. They're just rumors-"
"So you admit you're the Sorceress!" the old woman announced.
Vira nearly groaned. "Yes, fine, I am. But I'm not this monstrous murderer you make me out to be. So calm down, stop hitting me, and try to listen to the whole story, not just some rumors you hear from a neighbor."
"No! I've heard it from everyone! You're as bad as Sin!"
The crowd murmured. Vira was beginning to feel nervous. She had been trying all day to not attract attention to herself, and it had worked until now.
"We just traded one evil for another! You are our punishment for demolishing Yevon!" the old woman yelled.
From the crowd there were some more murmurs and a few sounds of agreement. More people were stopping to watch by the moment.
"Hmm.as bad as Sin, hmm? Why don't you give them something to fear?"
Vira scowled. Of all the times to go insane.
Xana's face appeared behind the old woman, and she glided effortlessly over to Vira. She waved a hand at the old woman.
"Look at them. They're all ignorance morons. They'll hate you no matter what you do. Why not just live up to it?"
"Shut up," Vira whispered.
The old woman's face lit up in shock. "Did you hear that?! She told me to shut up!"
Vira smacked herself in the forehead, getting frustrated. "No, not you."
"Then who? You aren't talking to anyone else!" The old woman paused. Her eyes widened. "Oh my.you're talking to invisible people, aren't you?! You're insane!"
Vira frowned. "No, you're insane. Drink less caffeine, okay?"
The woman scowled and attempted to hit Vira again, but Vira was ready finally and stepped out of the woman's way. The crowd behind them booed. People started to yell and say things like, 'You gonna pick on an old woman?!"
"See?" said Xana, grinning smugly. "They'll hate you no matter what. So why not just let it go already? No one's going to buy this good act. And." Xana's voice faded and changed into a crisp, accented man's voice and at that moment, Vira was positive that the old woman was at least right about her losing her mind. "Let's face it, you were never that popular to begin with. Even back in Draconia. Being the daughter of someone who destroyed their villages doesn't bode well for you, does it?"
Vira took a chance to throw a glance behind her, where the vision of Xana had transformed herself into looking like Dorin. She looked away, it was too much to look at. A mixture of fury, confusion and pain was overtaking her.
"How are you able to do that?" she asked.
"What?!" snapped the old woman.
Dorin's face smiled and he glided over closer to the old woman. "Just the trick of the trade. Become dead and you learn to pick up a few things you weren't able to before."
"Oh God."
"I'm sure every god, including Hyne, as forsaken you. As they did I," he said.
The old woman was gaining popularity. As she continued to try to hit Vira, the crowd around them closed in, throwing accusations or trying to get a better look. Vira felt trapped between her own insanity and a mob ready to try to tear her apart.
She backed away from the group and the old woman and the transparent figure that looked like Dorin glided beside her.
"We'll stop you before you cause harm to anyone else on Spira!" the old woman shouted.
Vira held her hand up, palm facing out to the old woman and the crowd. There wasn't any reasoning with this crazy woman, or the mob of people that were getting angrier by the second. Vira reached the end of her rope.
"Everyone just.back off.everyone.STOP!" she yelled.
There was silence from the mob, even the old woman fell quiet. A gray light shot up from the ground at the feet of everyone advancing at Vira and passed through their bodies. The light faded, and everyone stopped moving, and talking. Vira hadn't wanted to do it, and still wasn't quite sure what the spell was. It wasn't a standard stop spell, and it wasn't petrify but it kept people still and quiet. Over the time she'd been traveling, Vira had learned that just thinking something and saying one word could cause a spell she never knew to be cast. It wouldn't hurt them. That much she knew. It would wear off in a while, and by then she'd be somewhere else. Maybe she'd spend some of the gil she'd been keeping and buy a new outfit, hide in the crowds, and make sure no one noticed her for the rest of the night.
But first, she was going to address this crowd of ignorant morons. Vira looked around for a moment beforehand, almost sure that whatever it was that looked like Dorin would still be there and ready to mock her, but it-she, he-whatever, was gone; disappeared as if it'd never been there. Vira turned back to the crowd, looking particularly at the old woman.
"Now, see here, you ignorant old woman," Vira looked up, "all of you. I am not a menace, monster, or as bad as Sin. Out of all these rumors, have you ever placed a name to the villages I've so called destroyed? The lives I've taken, do these people have names? Grieving families? Eye witness accounts of me killing someone they knew? No? Then how the hell can you prove it and automatically judge me? You can't. But, you'll believe it because Spira has problems, and there always has to be someone to take the fall. It can never be your fault, so it'll be mine. Be ignorant and I'm your scapegoat."
Vira paused and stared at the crowd. She thought she heard someone groan.
"It's just a spell that freezes you in place. It'll wear off soon and there are no adverse side effects. I'm going to leave now, and I don't want any trouble, or anyone to follow me. And I'm gonna leave you with this thought so that maybe some of you will wake up and stop being so goddam ignorant: if I'm so damn powerful and so evil, why aren't you dead right now? Why am I sparing your lives? As a matter of fact, why haven't I laid waste to this entire planet yet and why don't all of you answer to me? I have the power, so why is everything still relatively peaceful? I've had the time to do it. Why isn't Spira in my fingertips? You're still alive. And there are no names to the people I supposedly killed. Think about it."
For a moment, Vira waited, staring into the crowd of people, her eyes gazing to the old woman and then back to the masses. They wouldn't respond, and by the time they could, Vira didn't want to be there. She turned and ran off, heading to the merchant district. No one stopped her, and she was soon lost in the sea of people. No one was able to distinguish her in the large crowd, now everyone looking more at the frozen group than her. Vira ran and hid her face from everyone around her. She wouldn't go to dinner. Let Rikku and Yuna worry. She'd see them later that night. Vira needed time alone, and a feeling to just disappear into the multitude.
Author's notes: Weeeeeell, I know it took me quite a while to get this one out, but look at the length and you'll understand. Plus, I wanted to wait until I got at least one review for the chapter before writing the next. It gives me perspective. That, and other things got in the way, of course. My writing style has changed a bit in this chapter, but I think it's clear enough still. This chapter would've been even ungodly longer if I had decided to put the last part in, but as it is, I'll leave it for the next chapter. These are too long as it is. This is probably the equivalent to three Iron Will chapters back in the day. Wow. I'm too prolific for my own good these days. Anyway, as you can see, in the next chapter, we'll be heading into a massive mistake, with Squall and the others believing Xana is the Sorceress, and knowledge that she's in Luca. Vira will try to make herself disappear for a little while to sort out whether she's really insane or just a bit stressed out. Bad stuff'll go down, trust me. So stay tuned for that. Oh, and although it's late notice, Vira appeared in my webcomic's holiday special. Check out http://unusualheroes.keenspace.com to see it (it's the previous comic to the one that's up now, so just hit 'previous comic') and while you're there, you might wanna check out the rest of it. That's up to you. As always, please R&R to let me know what you thought of this chapter. Until next time!
